Steve Shovlar

Well I hope to be proved wrong and the place is packed out tonight.

Then you should be there rather than say9ng you are giving it a miss. Looks to be a great lineup of youngsters. Looking forward to it.

As Peter Oakes is the England U21 manager, my guess it is him who choses the team and not Poole. If Oakes wanted Roynon, it would be up to him to deal with it and ask permission.

Don't see why Coventry could have been today and the restaging at Voyens couldn't have been at the same time. The riders don't clash. Are BSI so small they haven't enough staff to be in two places at the same time? As for TV, well Sky would show the TeamGB over a bunch of Jonny Foreigners anyway.

But how would they have known about the rain if the date of today was chosen months ago? That's just unfortunate. (By the way sunny here this morning in Dorset and no rain forecast) An ideal opportunity to get behind TeamGB has been lost. I predict a smaller crowd than Coventry usuallly get for home meetings, though hope I am wrong.

I reckon the crowd tomorrow night will be small. They missed a big opportunity here. Why didn't they run the meeting today, weather permitting? Sunday would have meants fans travelling from all over the country to support TeamGB. Tomorrow people are at work and won't be able to travel. Add to that the extra expense of getting in, and it also being on Sky, and I think we will be lucky to see a couple of thousand there. I would have gone today, but would rather watch it on TV tomorrow. Others will think the same.

Well I have now had the misfortune to watching this three hours of drivel. Thank god for Sky Plus and the fast forward button. I managed to get through the whole meeting in less than an hour, and I am now demanding from Olsen that hour back of my life! Utter, utter drivel. Whilst home advantage is important for the Danes, speedway is meant to be about racing, so what Olsen did to this track takes away that word. There was no racing. Without racing there is no sport of speedway, which is " four riders "racing over four laps". The FIM should come down on this like a ton of bricks, but don't hold your breath. God knows what damage this meeting has done to armchair fans. After being thrilled by the spectacle which was Cardiff, Sky must have been slightly excited that viewing figures would be higher than average for this. Now, after last night, they must be as gutted as the rest of us. The track was as bald as a gibbons arse. Every rider who went off the inside couple of metres went backwards. try too hard and lose a place, as Crump, Adams and others discovered. In fact, riders were trying to go up the inside so much they left the track, ala Schlein! Whilst the Danes were determined to go through, what a terrible way to do it. No wonder the crowds are poor in Denmark if this is the rubbish served up. Imagine watching this from trackside! Even though their team went through, the fans that paid good money to go throutgh the turnstiles were totally ripped off. But as Olsen is in charge of track prep for this series, I guess we can expect the same from him tomorrow at Coventry. So this is what is needed to be done. Refuse him entry to the stadium, or if he is there and goes for a leak, lock the bloody door for a few hours so he can't do the same as last night. Now, Benfield still hold the rights to this event, so we need to demand Olsen's removal as track director. If enough fans should loud enough, they will have to take notice. I am sure they will not be happy with what was viewed on TV last night. Time to act.

Anyone yet know the lineups?

Should be a very interesting meeting at Poole next week with Team GB U21's taking on the Aussie U21's. Admission has been reduced to a tenner, which is very nice. Teams are yet to be confirmed, though Holder might ride but is in the Aussie WTC team, Batchelor is a definate starter for the Aussies, and Kennett, Bridger are in the field for us. Also lining up is Tai Woffinden. But for which team? It is the time he has to nail his colours to the mast. Will he ride for TeamGB or Australia? I hope he sees sense and rides for his home country. Better exposure and better sponsorship in the long run. Guess will will find out soon enough.

If it got so popular that the place sold out in a couple of hours ( some events do) there would be a lot of very unhappy fans and IMG would have to have a club system to make sure the tickets went to the right people rather than a free for all at seeticket.

Steve it's down to potential, and Eddie has it in bucketloads. Listen I am not sticking up for him because he is currently riding for Poole. He is a budgie asset and may well be back there in 2008. Would I still say the same if he was riding for Eastbourne? YES! he has what it takes to be a star on the world stage, and we have watched him from a reserve rider to heat leader so far this year. Every week he has improved and is the total package in the making. DH has had an excellent year. No doubt about it. personally I would have considered him over Stead, who seems to be going backwards. Possibly we will see Stead have a couple fo rides and if he fails, DH will then come in. SCB and a few others have said that Eddie has been poor around Brandon, but he will get it sussed and do well sooner rather than later. Hopefully next Monday.

Can honestly say don't leave buying your tickets till on the day. I think next year the crowd will leap up in size after Saturday and could be pushing the 60,000 for 2008. Imagine if it ever got to the stage where you had to buy your ticket the day it came out or miss out! ( Not ever likely to happen!)

Well Eddie will be riding at Brandon next Monday weather permitting, so we will see how he will do. It will also be good practice for the WTC. Personally I would put Eddie above both Stead and Howe for a place.

Very good article, but it doesn't say who wrote it.

Lets hope they don't repeat the mistakes of last year where they had a terrible lineup. Need a few names to get the crowd along. Harris for Brighton?

Todays Echo. Neil confident in Ed’s ability By Phil Chard PIRATES team manager Neil Middleditch believes Edward Kennett will "lift his game" for the World Team Cup. The 20-year-old Poole Castle Cover rider will make his debut in the competition at Coventry on July 16 when Team GB host Sweden, the United States and Russia. Kennett has already lifted the British Under-21 title, finished fourth in the senior championship and reached the finals of the individual and team junior events this year. Now Middleditch, who is also manager of Team GB, believes Kennett can shine again in the cut-throat environment of World Cup competition. Kennett is one of four riders "who picked themselves", the others being captain Scott Nicholls, new British Grand Prix champion Chris Harris and the experienced Lee Richardson. Simon Stead and reserve David Howe make up the side. Middleditch said: "Ed's average (of 7.32) in the Elite League actually belies how good he is. "He is in terrific form. He sometimes loses points by trying too hard. But I think he will lift his game for the World Cup. "To be honest, I think the top four riders pick themselves, and he is one of them. "Simon, David and Olly Allen, who is a Coventry rider, also came into the equation and it was Simon and David who got the nod, with David at reserve. "Ed, on his current form, is like Bomber. He is just making progress all the time." Kennett has appeared for Team GB before, but not in the red-hot amphitheatre of speedway's top team event. Middleditch said: "I've told Ed he has to enjoy the experience and just try to treat it as any other meeting, like Bomber does in the GPs. "Ed was very pleased when I told him. He was overjoyed and can hardly wait for the World Cup to get started. "It is just reward for the way he has stepped up this year. "Some people might say I'm being biased picking him because I'm at Poole, but that isn't the case because he has gone to other tracks and beaten the best as well." Harris, meanwhile, is still celebrating his success at Cardiff on Saturday when he lifted his first GP title in only his sixth meeting. Only seven other riders have won a GP round after making less appearances in the competition since its inception in 1995. They are Tomasz Gollob, who won at the first attempt, Billy Hamill (two), Martin Dugard (two), Tommy Knudsen (two), Brian Andersen (four), Jason Crump (five) and Hans Nielsen (five). Bomber rode once as a wild card in the Millennium Stadium in 2003, prior to his full debut GP campaign this season.

Think the lineup is spot on, with perhaps the only doubt over Stead. Can't belive some on here think Kennett shouldn't be riding! The lad is the best young British talkent we have and should have been one of the first names down after Nicholls and Harris. He is destined for GP stardom in the next three years and his form this year is brilliant. No disrespect to Allen but he isn't at the same level even if it is his home track. Would be just left standing and has little passing ability. Eddie on the other hand is the total package in the making and can gate and pass. Stead or Howe? Tougher one here. DH is on good form and its good to see. Stead really hasn't stepped up to the mark this year.

Seems many on here didn't read the first post clearly. Where have I said he should drop the name "bomber"? I asked the question, should he drop the name "Bomber", but didn't say I thought he should. The purpose of this thread was debate. Whether people on here thought he should or should not keep it. Nothing more. And as for Iris rying to score some points against me, well madam you will have to try harder than that!

Well that was a waste of space. Not a mention!

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1511...hat_a_night.php

Sorry to see both Brits going out. Neither were going to get through. Stead would have struggled anyway regardless of his injury and Allen had no chance. What is frustrating is that Kennett didn't bother, but on his form would have sailed through to the semis in the round he was meant to be in. Don't understand whey he didn't bother. If he failed he could have put it down to experience for next time.

I watched the BBC wales preview on Friday and they said they would have coverage of the event on Mondays program. Interestingly, the news anchor said to tune in and watch him "have a go" around the track. Wales Today is on Sky 972 at 6.30, and will probably come on in the sports section of the show after 6.45.

Todays national press coverage is the best it has ever been since the 70's. All the nationals carry the story, some with pics. Only the Guardian flopped, doing a couple of paragraphs. The rest did us proud. If any other rider ( other than Howe or Nicholls had won it, I doubt very much if any space would have been given over at all. Trouble there was a F1 GP on yesterday and they have such a clout with the media, especially so at the mo with Hamilton doing so well. They are so proffessional they send out a few freebies to the press association and get massive coverage, even if the race is dreadful procession. Speedway can never compete with that.

Whats his email?

Not the slightest mention on the BBC breakfast sports report this morning. What a suprise.