Steve Shovlar

When AFC Bournemouth go to Manchester City at the start of the new Premier league season, what is the point? Everyone knows the result is a foregone conclusion so why bother travelling and wasting fuel? Just hand Man City the three points and move on? Sport doesn’t work like that and Brum need to put together a team of guests that ride Wimborne Road well and turn up competitive.

As expected an easy win but made easier with Neilsen and Morris both withdrawing. Well done to Ben Cook on his first heat 15 and a paid 16 haul. Really is scoring well down at reserve. Hopefully Birmingham will be able to put out a more competitive team on Friday night. Don’t want to watch a rout.

If Lublin get him they will be dominant for years. The rise and rise of Lublin!

Exactly. Seems Ray C is trying to be mates with Trackprat with his recent comments. Decent guests for Brum. Should be a good meeting shame we have to be there to watch it. Still think we should win this one as long as the track is ok.

No surprise. Nasty crash

Great meeting. Score flattered home team in the end. Lublin riders making silly errors in the last few heats. Two good top flight meetings today.

Good meeting. Shocking final bend from Kubera.

Nasty crashes today. Best wishes to Martin Vaculik and Eric Riss earlier.

Nasty crash for Eric Riss today in Poland. Leg injury by the look of it. Ambulance on track. Hope not serious but holding his leg.

I expect us to win at Cowley again. We should win every meeting in our group.

All this commonwealth games nonsense. Is anyone actually excited about it? Genuine question. Doubt many are interested outside the athletics bubble and the citizens of Birmingham. I doubt I will watch it and I do watch a lot of sport. Hardly the Olympics. Back to the important stuff and as long as the track is better than last week I expect Pirates to win this one. It would be disappointing if we are not finalists.

It’s not a farce. It’s brexit.

They can’t as they used them last week. Will have to be two different guests.

Good enjoyable meeting to watch as a neutral. Thought Lions would steam roller Scunny but they were very poor and lost it. Some good battles.

Missed opportunity of extra revenue gone there.

Next Wednesday sees the Pirates visit Perry Bar for the second time this season for the Jubilee meeting. Pirates won fairly easily in the league meeting and really it should be the same again, depending on who Birmingham use for guests. Is the meeting streamed? Would be happy to pay the £12.

I had a chat with Richard Lawson before the meeting. I mentioned the Palm Toft incident and he said he never touched him and the throttle goes both ways. Lawson said he made a similar undercut move on Chris Harris in heat 15 against Berwick and Harris came off the throttle, and cut back underneath. They shook hands after the race. With Palm Toft his girlfriend completely lost it and tried to attack Lawson.

Plymouth riders unhappy that the dirt was removed from the track around heat 8. No dirt meant no water could be added meaning track completely fell apart. Was told how on third bend was there last week but worse last night. Glad to hear they are doing something about it.

And it was. Scunthorpe a one man team with the excellent Ryan Douglas battling all night. Type of rider I would like to see at Poole had an excellent battle with Ben Cook and was super quick most of the time. Decent crowd considering the opposition. Danny King coming back to good form with a max last night and only dropping a point tonight.

You must know the songs though. And Howard Keel was Miss Ellies other half in Dallas.

Nothing like Wimborne Road. I have been to Plymouth 4 times now and on every occasion all the dirt is scrapped off halfway through the meeting. Why? Doing this ladt night meant the track couldn’t be watered meaning it went straight to blue groove and dust. And why no attempt to fix the dangerous hole on the third bend? Ten mins of attention could have sorted it.

Thought it was an entertaining meeting until, as per usual, the tractor starts dumping shale on the center green making the track bald. Add to that no watering and soon a blue groove appeared. There was a nasty hole on the inside of the third bend which was crying out for attention with all riders hitting it and being thrown all over the place, but not once was an attempt made to fill and pack it. Dangerous. Meeting finished in billowing dust with all riders received to get away unscathed. Pirates a class above all meeting and once dialled in we’re the far better team. Yes, Plymouth are missing key riders. And it will be different if we meet in the playoffs. But Pirates have got their mojo back which went awol for a few weeks. Beginning to look like a team that might be a threat come the playoffs. With this code,p, it’s looking good to progress through to the final.

Now at Plymouth ‘Colusseum’ . Impressed with the huge amphitheatre and 20 feet tall solid marble statues of Alfie Bowtell, Palm-Toft, Ben Morley and Gary May dominating each bend. The lions are hungry ready to eat any Christians but Hans ‘Christian’ Andersen is not available. Weather is warm 24C, light overcast conditions. More pleasant when I left Poole at 2pm in 38C. Hopefully a good meeting with passing after the second bend.

I see the track is going to get a very good watering around lunchtime looking at the rain radar.