Steve Shovlar

So 3 days before the event no lineups announced. I have a ticket but am now having serious doubts whether to bother. Meant to be top two from each club.

Sorry FB disagree with you on this occasion. Worrall and King should be the choice. Lawson struggled at Cowley last week. It’s difficult to pass and he struggled, not passing reserve Ruml. Steve got 4 wins on the bounce and King was very good. Looking forward to this should be a big crowd. Anyone know the lineups?

Easy Poole win regardless of guests.

Bit of a rout, this.

Take a bow Jacob Krawczyk. 12 points and a breakthrough meeting. Never noticed him before. Will take note. Good style and very quick.

What an anti-climax.

Young Krawczyk has been excellent. Good style and fast.

Got to be Danny King and Steve Worrall for Pirates. Both rode well on Tuesday at Cowley.

Looking forward to this. Should be a cracker. Tickets still available but probably not for long. We Pirates might have a very good chance of winning this vent. Then head along to Cardiff in the morning.

Playing the old “riding safely to reduce any risk and injury” system, where riders work out that 10 points a meeting every meeting is better than 12 points and a far higher risk factor for the extra 2 points. Chasing and passing for those extra few points is not worth it if the chance of an injury is 100% higher. They could lose weeks out chasing an extra £50. Makes sense to those longer in the tooth to keep their careers going into their late 30’s/early 40’s.

I was going to respond but it’s so inaccurate it wasn’t worth replying to. Away fans often sit in the grandstand and if they are intimidated it might be because of the noise the fans generate. Away teams are always greeted with clapping and respect (unless you are a baddy like C Cook) and there’s never any trouble.

Seems very strange there’s no merch. Huge earner for a club. A very nicely designed jacket can sell for £70 and cost the club £25. They could sell hundreds of jackets, t-shirts, mugs, caps etc. missed opportunity this season.

What did Crump say? Edit. Ignore that just read post above.

Do Oxford fans earn less than Poole supporters, as there were easily a couple of hundred Pirates fans at Cowley on Tuesday.

Middlo brought this up at the press conference tonight and said basically that Plymouth were taking the P.

The rumour was about before the meeting and Middlo said afterwards in the press conference it was likely to be switched to a three legged final.

The form of Kemp is a worry. Seems to lack any confidence on track and was picked off easily by Ruml in the one time he wasn’t last. Switched bikes but made no difference. Chalk and cheese to how he was earlier this season. Needs to get his issues sorted before the pointy end of the season. We can’t carry two riders. On another note it looks like the idea of Sheffield for the final is being binned for a three legged final. Clubs want a packed stadium rather than a few hundred at Sheffield, which was meant to be neutral but Howarth rides there! Makes sense.

Cracking meeting tonight played out in front of an excellent crowd. I have been lucky having attended three good meetings in a row and all three had big crowds. Pirates very slow out of the blocks and Oxford deserved there 8 point lead after heat 5. A T/R pulled back 4 points and the next heat brought it back all square at 21-21. But Oxford were not done and a couple of 2-4’s and drawn heats meant Pirates went into the last 3 heats 4 down with unbeaten Scotty in two of them. But the boys dug deep and a 4-2 in heat 13 closed it to 2 and a thrilling 5-1 in heat 14 meant we needed a 3-3 in the final. King and Lawson did the biz and we escaped what could easily have been a surprise defeat. Hardly any Oxford fans present. Only up the road but if there were a handful there they were not visible. They missed a great meeting and their team did them proud.

Oxford have been excellent and outgating the Pirates continuously. Nicholls has been brilliant.

Oxford started on fire and a deserved lead. Scott showing his love of the Poole track.

Too many to count. Grandstand packed. People all around stadium.

Spectacular get off from Starke on practice lap. Wheelied bike flipped him straight under fence. Bike cutout failed to work standing upright facing fence throwing up shale. Starke freed himself and stopped bike engine. Drama. Starke ok.

Another big crowd. Bikes out.

Just got back. Really a good meeting in front of a very good crowd. Far more there than I expected but that’s the pulling power of the Pirates, who had a good hundred plus fans on the third bend making lots of noise. The meeting was close throughout but I noticed gates 1and 3 have a big, big advantage just like the meeting I attended early this season. Poole were the better of the two teams but Oxford struck back with a couple of unlikely 5-1’s at the wrong time. Heat 13 Steve Worrall popped out again off two to brilliantly hold off Batchelor, and in heat 14 Ben Cook held of the two Oxford riders climbing all over him. Heat 15 and with Oxford off 1 and 3, Summers gated and was joined by Batchelor. They thought it all over but Danny King had other ideas. He cranked it wide open around the outside for two laps before getting Batchelor up the inside of the back straight of lap for and holding onto second by half a bike. Worrall almost got through as well. All the crowd left happy. Good meeting, big crowd, balmy weather. What’s not to like?

Thinking about it, Adam didn’t get the opportunity last year with no Cardiff, so perhaps it’s not so bad a call.