Sings4Speedway

Kent have come up against arguably the leagues top 2 reserve pairings so far and come up short. Anybody who faced Cradley before Perks got a true average will struggle. Danny's form hadn't been electric before his injury so hard to say we would have won with him included. If it was still the traditional play offs I would be saying don't panic as there's still plenty of time but with only the top 2 involved in the shoot out there's a feeling that too much ground has been lost already.

Last night was different. It had everything but unfortunately not many positives. The track seemed to catch several riders out and appeared slick on the inside and loads of drive (too much for some) on the outer. For Cradley Clegg put in a good solid showing and great captains touch checking on each of the fallen riders. Mogridge rode very intelligently and is starting o look a real steal on his average. Perks and Neale are extremely strong at reserve and it showed although a stupid coming together between them and the 2 minutes shambles was astounding. Harris unfortunate but his withdrawal probably made Cradley stronger and Greaves just no comment.... As for the Kent side Danno can consider himself very hard done by to lead for 3 & 3/4 laps and end up 3rd but just couldn't hold his line in the final corner. Baseby looked fast but gated like a donkey. Morley & Shanes very classy although I thought Morley was trying to catch a roller most times and eventually got caught. I thought Sheppard was brave and determined after a night fully in the wars and will definitely be aching today. Couzins had a nights to forget, poor to miss the 2 minutes in his first race and from my angle could have done better to avoid the fallen Sheppard. Nice to see Rob Watts get a spin out at number 8 and notched a steady point. All in all a drawn out meeting that never really developed any flow with many points thrown away by each team, I was surprised we reached heat 14 after the first four took almost an hour. Hurry back Danny Ayres......

Shush! I was hoping that Carr's availability may have escaped Eastbourne's notice. "If he signed" & "if all riders stay fit" I couldn't see anybody stopping the Eagles. I still think Mason offers more in terms of support and advice to the rest of the team and hasn't really done anything wrong to cause him being dropped other than being unwell.

Phew!!!!

Is there any word what is actually wrong with Howe. Saw on here it was a non racing injury but at he European Longtrack semi his absence was given as a speedway injury? Sounds a little smoke and mirrors.......

Anybody know why Baseby isn't available tonight? Whilst it might have been last minute I cant say Kirby is a particularly good choice of guest.

Adam can't ride PL because he has a NL place and can't double up......well he could but would have to walk out on birmingham

Pretty rare for even individual meetings to include 14 equally matched riders (GP's included). In fact I struggle to think of any sporting events where teams / individuals are regularly evenly matched....

Speaking to a rider last night an amateur SCB licence is about £60....unfortunately you also require an ACU licence at about £35. Meaning an amateur rider would need to complete 10 meetings to make it fully worth while compared to the previous day licences. Sadly I really can see this being one cost to far for many.....

Not really seen enough of Bates to judge him but Brendan is at Rye House for the time being so not an available option. Id say it was a positive move by Eastbourne, much rather see any team track a full 1-7 than endless R/R

There always will be question marks over which league the Kings should run in. The current stadium and fan base could easily support PL or higher but is that what the fans want? How many would attend every week if the gate increased to £16+ for PL or EL racing? Kent fans seem to really enjoy embracing riders and taking them to our hearts as our own which wouldn't be the case as much in the revolving door of higher leagues. Personally I hope the Kings stay in the NL. Id hate for all the hard work to be undone by trying to push up divisions that can't be sustainable financially and risk losing the team all together.

Aww please please please please please let the 9pm curfew on a Monday go through. A 7pm start time would make the roads of Sittingbourne a far safer place as I would not be frantically carving through traffic!

The major negative I can see is that Speedway is still only allowed once a week at Central Park so would fortnightly meetings for the Kings "IF" Lakeside were to relocate.

If the use of day licences is removed then that is atrocious! Whilst the more seasoned campaigner will have a full licence as it works out slightly more financially viable those that just want a few spins per year wont and its these riders that make the meetings viable to run in the first place. If this is the case I hope it is widely communicated. Can't think of anything worse than arriving at a track and being told you don't have the right piece of paper to race!

Are any results available yet please?

How much is it to get in to Stoke this season? and what were the prices when they were in the PL? Im not a huge fan of the Stoke promotion and can easily see how they alienate fans but id still prefer to see my team in the NL than not at all and I think most Eastbourne fans would agree (although very differing promotions)

Agreed some club meeting can be pretty varied in terms of competitor level and sometimes run too many classes. That said the European semi final is in Kent this weekend and will be some serious speed there.

Definitely can't see a return to the PL any time soon. Too much financial uncertainty. That said you have a good NL side this year that's very capable of pushing for honours in a league that looks closer than it has for years. Enjoy the entertainment of the NL and support any speedway whilst its still around.

Not sure why Jamie didn't show? The only reasons given were the engine failure and obviously Nick Laurence's injury. The way the website reads it seems most of the no shows notified the club in advance except for Connor King who just didn't turn up. Think the extra laps for Jamie would have beneficial and wouldn't have done Danno any harm either.

Really enjoyed last night. Shame the field was decimated by late withdrawals and a engine failure during warm up for Dan Berwick meaning major changes to the program and an extra ride for each rider but still 15 heats of entertainment for £6 cant be sniffed at. Despite a few breaks as most riders had back to back rides at some point and more track work completed than usual the meeting moved along at a good pace. Only a couple of fallers (not helped by a water bowser malfunction on turns 1&2) but no continual re-runs due to starting shenanigans. The top 3 were a cut above the rest and very little distance between them in the final but congratulations to Adam for getting the win. Fingers crossed this will return again either later in the year or next year as with a full field it would make for a very entertaining evening.

Bit concerning that nobody else has said grass/longtrack. Other than that darts, touring cars, Rally X, Moto X and indoor bowls (dangerously addictive!)

Like him or loathe him im glad Brendan has got his chance. Temporary replacement or not its a chance to show what he can do to both Rye House & other teams. Priest may be straight back in the team once he has recovered but I suspect that Brendan will not be the one heading out.....

Annoying yes but not directly the fault of those who do the fixtures. There is always the risk of clashes with doubling up/down riders included in a side. Given that Cov NL get the spare Fridays the Cov EL aren't at home and that several PL teams run on Friday nights it was bound to happen. Plenty of others will be in the same boat.

Apologies badly worded. Should have said fewer sponsored riders than many people realise. I agree that any assistance to any rider is beneficial however I don't believe that riders should be dependant on it. But that's just my opinion and doesn't necessarily mean it is shared by others.

I didn't say that there shouldn't be sponsors. I said riders in the NL shouldn't rely on them. If sponsors want to get on board with a rider then great. It eases the burden but when riders (and we have all seen them) say if I don't get some sponsorship I will have to quit it really gets up my nose. There are a lot fewer sponsored riders than you think and many of them are turning in good performances every week.