Ommer Mon

No need to apologise on behalf of the fans. It's certainly not your fault and I saw some Bees / Storm fans still arriving as we were driving out. I totally share your views on the CO and Martin. The place always ran like a military operation and was totally professional. Sadly the effect this will all have is to play into the hands of the owner who wants to close it all down and put houses on it because fans will simply stop going. I know Cradley and Coventry were always bitter rivals but that is what made the sport great back in the day and packed the fans in. I was showing my kids this afternoon where we used to have to start queuing to get in through the turnstiles and I could tell they didn't believe a word of it. Having suffered the loss of Dudley Wood I am the last person who would want to see Brandon follow it. I've had some memorable nights there at both ends of the enjoyment spectrum. Some great wins and some massive thumpings. Fingers crossed that the Stadium and Club will survive - the fans deserve it.

Yet another Speedway PR disaster. About 11a.m Coventry say the meeting is on. It then goes very quiet indeed with some references to heavily rain from some fans on social media. Still no change to the official 'meeting on' announcement so with the rain pouring down in the Black Country we set off at 2.45. We pull onto the Car Park at Brandon just before 4pm to be told the meeting has been delayed by 2 hours. Why on earth was there no announcement of this in all that time since 11a.m. The sun starts shining so hopes rise. Very little activity on the track (at least on the part of it you can see from the Car Park). The fans are let in at 5pm and within seconds of them paying their money the turnstile doors are slammed shut and the meeting is called off. It looked like an extremely desperate 'money grab' by Coventry but I believe those who paid actually got their money back. Total Shambles at Brandon yet again and I thought I'd learnt my lesson last year! Now it looks as though we will be back as the second part of a double header on Bank Holiday Monday. What time is that gonna finish and will we have to pay for watching the delights of Lakeside? Why don't they get us on at say 2pm and get the meeting out of the way?

Anybody close enough to comment on the weather prospects?

Have to say it focuses the mind in respect of one's self too. The late Tony Barnard (of Speedway Mail fame) once said to me "when you see the Dads start their careers and the kids retire you know you're getting a bit long in the tooth!" How true and, sadly, it's beginning to happen mote frequently!

Just seen on the BSPA website that Lewis has announced his retirement. I have to say I'm surprised but I'd never criticise any rider who makes that extremely difficult decision. Just like to say thanks to Lewis for his time with Cadley. He went from public enemy number 1 to Heathens Hero in no time flat and was great to talk to. All the best in whatever you decide to do in future.

Congratulations to Buxton and well done to Ellis Perks. That opens the title race door a little further! Not enough to squeeze through yet though.

Ashley Morris from Adam Ellis and Josh Bates

Crowd did look really good last night and, as well as the weather, it was part of the main holiday fortnight round here. Goes to show what a healthy local rivalry at the top end of the league can produce.

In my experience it looks like it's only the old timers who are still going!

Very pleased to get the win last night though the Brummies still have a massive lead in the table. If it does come down to one point at the end of the season we will have to look back on the engine failure and falls that lost us about 7 points last night. Great performance all round and particularly impressed with Michael Neale who gets better every week. The chase goes on. Ommer 'em Cradley!

It's do or die time for the Heathens tonight. I think it will be close but I suspect the Brummies top end strength will edge us out again. Shame Matt is ruled out. He has progressed really well this year and would have been capable of giving the 'Big Three' a run for their money. I'm happy to see Daryl guesting. Always gives 100% and he's one of our own (well not actually but you know what I mean). Hoping for a good nights racing in front of a big crowd. Weather in Brum is dry at the moment if a little grey overhead. Just our luck that when we need the Play Offs we haven't got them but when we won the League in 2012 we lost to the Bog Moggies in the Play Offs (yep still can't let that one go - what a saddo!) Come on you Heathens

I hope you are wrong Speedibee but as you say there are precedents for that kind of thing, as I know full well from Cradley. Good luck to Lucifer Sam and anyone else trying to get Oxford up and running. Geat little Stadium and a real loss to the community as a whole.

I hope a way can be found to keep Armo in the sport. He played a major part in the resurrection of the Heathens and his contribution to helping some of the youngsters develop was significant. The NL would be poorer without him.

Great shame. I was looking forward to my trip today and ironically it looked as if we may have had a full team out after all due to Workington's match being called off before ours!.

I think the Fixture Planners must be having a laugh at our expense! I believe both Greavesie and Ellis Perks will be missing due to other commitments. Hard to see how the Planners could have come up with this so early in the season. I'm also not sure if Luke Harris will be fit to take his place after crashing on Monday. My guess is R/R and a 3 pointer to cover. Could be the Heathens first league defeat of the season. What do you think?

Confident of a Heathens win tonight - maybe even a 4 pointer? Less confident about the trip to Buxton where I believe there will be a couple of key absentees.

The comments from 'Super Nicki P' who was at the meeting are very disappointing. Promoters leaving the fans in the dark for that length of time is a real disgrace and shows no respect whatsoever for the people who have paid their wages. Add to that the fact that a major broadcaster In Eurosport clearly had been given no idea what was going on. Parading Gollob at the end of the meeting could be interpreted as a cynical way of trying to keep the majority of the fans on board to prevent trouble flaring. Finally, if some reports on here are accurate that the refund rules have changed from Heat 16 to Heat 12, it doesn't take much of a conspiracy theorist to ask how they can trust this promotion in future. The night was a fiasco but the issues above coupled with BSI's reluctance to make any statement do make you wonder if there is more to this than meets the eye. A lot of damage was done to the sport's ailing reputation on Saturday night and the Promoters need to recognise that and make some gesture especially to those that parted with their cash to attend the meeting.

I agree this could be another close encounter for the Heathens. Fingers crossed for a home win but with BWD and Wood around it could be a home defeat (Hmmm I haven't said that before!) Should be a good match and I'm looking forward to it.

The Sport can get away with abandoning National League meetings in front of about 800 people because the track is a shambles (Cov v Crad last year) but this is a shambles of the highest order, played out in front of a multi national TV audience. How many viewers will be rushing to book tickets to see these events live? So far as Jim Lawrence is concerned, he proved himself incapable of refereeing a National League match last year when he let the Greaves / Sarjeant confrontation heat up to boiling point, leading to three young and inexperienced riders being fined and hit with suspended bans. A very sad day for the Sport and yet another nail in the coffin - there cannot be room for many more before the lid is finally nailed down!

Many hours spent enjoying his commentary. One of the all time greats. RIP Richie

After mastering the five times table over the last few seasons I'm struggling to add up some very strange combinations of numbers. Putting 1,2,3 or 4 in a Cradley score column at home is a strange experience indeed! Seriously though, to pick up Nigel Pearson's comment, it does make a refreshing change to have a last heat decider rather than a first heat decider. It's clear that we have lost the significant home track advantage that we had at Monmore. I thought the Storm looked very good indeed and I was delighted that Darryl put in such a goodshowing. He was involved in a few tight first bends and really got stuck in. Glad to see his confidence is still there. I agree with some on here that Heats 13 and 15 could prove to be our undoing this season. Hopefully Cleggy and Greavesie will revel in the responsibility as the season unfolds.

Well I've got one car load that will be going! I think there may be a slight reduction in the numbers with the new venue but nothing dramatic. The two openers were certainly well supported and that is good to see. A fairly comfortable win for the Heathens by 12 based on Coventry being a bit rusty. I hope Darryl has a good night. He's a good lad and I hope he is fully recovered from last year's injury. The sun is out in Brum so it should be a reasonable evening weatherwise.

On a more positive note, I'd just like to say a big well done to Rob Lambert. For a lad of 16 that was incredible whatever you think of the track conditions. I'd also like to say well done to Ashley Morris. To go back to a track where he had such a bad accident last year and pile a few points up was very courageous. Well done Ash and may you have a great and injury free season.

I think the local rivalry should ensure a bumper crowd and that has got to be good for speedway. I'm sad that Monmore Wood is no more but the Promoters deserve huge credit for ensuring that the Heathens will still be coming to the tapes this year. I want to wish both Brummies and Heathens promotions a good and financially successful season. Heathens to win with Ellis Perks the trump card!

Eric Broadbelt wore green leathers too if I remember rightly and he did ok at Belle Vue!!!