crescent girl

Now there's a thing:. We often hear announcements that a meeting has been closed -- but at what point is a meeting officially 'opened'?

Biggest crowd of the year (so far) tonight? Booking site reports no tickets left for any section of the main stand, not around first/second bends! Still space on back straight terracing and on the green, grassy slopes up on the third bend. Kasper Anderson makes his home debut after a very encouraging 12+1 last night at Armadale. Gates open 5pm. Tapes up 7pm

Unfortunately, NBJ has suffered an adverse reaction to his Covid vaccination, and has been stood down from racing. Bandits will deploy r/r (at #5) with all team members available to take his races.

Kyle Bickley can't be used as a Rising Star in a Championship team, tho.... He's rated 4*

Monarchs have engaged Drew Kemp as Joe Lawlor's replacement on Saturday. Three centre sections of the stand are now sold out.

Leon Flint raced for Wolves as a RS guest before he joined them officially. It was only after he was added as their official RS two weeks later that he had to step back from Berwick Bullets 1-7.

True, and Coty was pretty fair there as well. However, last (only!) time Kasper Andersen raced there, he got 13 points. Can anyone explain how Monarchs can replace their 2* reserve Lawlor with 3* riders like Jack Smith and Drew Kemp?

This from Berwick promotion: Tickets are now live right here:- https://www.berwickspeedway.com/tickets/ for this Saturday’s Championship showdown vs Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway! We highly recommend booking early to avoid disappointment as Bandits vs Edinburgh matches are always very well attended and with limited stadium capacity we are hoping for a full house! New boy Kasper Andersen will be in action this week and we can’t wait to get the show on the road after a successful points haul last weekend! In addition, there will be an NDL-level mini-match after the main event between a Bullets' quartet (Greg Blair, Mason Watson, Luke Crang and Keiran Douglas) against a squad including Danny Phillips, Joe Alcock and Josh Embleton. This being to offer the local Bullets) some competitive track-time following Sunday's rain-off at Mildenhall. Twenty-one races -- no extra cost..........

While it's possible a rising star could go to #1, it is less than likely that Leon Flint's rolling average would improve to that extent in the immediate future. At present he is still at reserve by average, not because he's the RS.

Given the rainstorm of biblical ferocity at about 5.45, which virtually flooded the whole track, that this meeting ran through so well (albeit starting 30 minutes late) is a credit to the track curator and staff. Both teams were using r/r, but the match, plus a 6-heat NJL mini-match, were completed in just over 100 minutes. Full marks to all concerned.

Garry May, master of the dark arts!

Edward Kennett's brilliance at Redcar for Berwick a few years ago is still talked about in the borders - a masterclass!

R/R is being used for Coty, not Kasper. At #3, l believe.

Berwick will use r/r for Coty Garcia

My mistake. I hadn't realised he was so high at the beginning of this season. But he's still done well, pushing it up to 4.83 in the few matches this season.

Technically, one of the advantages of being all e-ticket -- this isn't specific to Berwick -- I see is that in the case of a rain-off, a promotion really only needs to (a) immediately halt ticket sales and (b) notify ticket-holders while immediately refunding their money. Anyone intending to travel, or pick up a late ticket would learn that the meeting was cancelled when they tried to buy their ticket. Thus, anyone who really needed to know of a cancellation would learn right away. But of course, in such a case the promotion of the track concerned will also notify the BSPL Press Office, who circulate the news, as well as the club presumably placing the information on their own social media.

As I think I said originally, Leon stays at reserve throughout July. The 4 x 4 thing is irrelevant, he's on a full rolling average, although this has risen impressively from (the minimum) 3.00 to 4.83 since the start of the season. However, as this is still below Coty (4.95) or Kasper (4.86) he remains as a reserve (Rising Star status won't protect him if he improves above a member of the 1-5) until at least July 31st. As both James and Sarah have mentioned in their Dirt Xtra blogs this week, Kasper has to fulfil a strangely-timed lunchtime match in Denmark on Saturday, and because he hasn't yet raced for Berwick we cannot claim his services yet. So back to r/r this weekend, I'm afraid.

This from Bandits' HQ: Tickets for this Saturday’s match vs Newcastle Speedway are live folks https://www.berwickspeedway.com/tickets/ If you’ve never been to the Speedway or not been for ages, get yourselves a ticket via the link above and get behind your local club. The talent running through the club at the moment is as good as it’s ever been. From the Academy, the Bullets and the Bandits there is a real buzz around and a vision for the future. Bars & Snack bars are open as usual and there is plenty of space to enjoy your night safely within our stadium.

As he might well be -- Jack is a 3* RS, but Joe only 2*. Monarchs built their team to incorporate a 2* RS and with Sam, Joshie, Nathan Greaves and Willie all increasing their averages, and the team average up by a point, any change at RS would -- I believe -- require to be like for like. However, it would be hard to ask Joe to step aside after his last home meeting, when he showed his potential by taking Adam Ellis from the back in Heat 11.

While agreeing this is a no-brainer for the Tigers, doesn't it contravene the "Peter Waite Rule" about not being allowed to re-introduce a rider who was in your 1-7 the previous season, but not at the start of this year?

To be staged after Crumpy returns to racing (on Monday, at Ipswich).......?

Ricky Wells remains third heat-leader.

The new averages put Jensen into the 1-5, as expected. But the new reserve will be Sedgy, not Ricky Wells....

Good luck to Leon, who will make his official debut as a Wolf on Monday at Ipswich -- who will have Jason Crump back to face him.

Isn't it just an indication of the seat colours in the stand? Banks of yellow and/or black?