SteelShoe

Batch has been a great reliable team member and skipper, just wish he and all the riders would come round and take the plaudits more, they can seem unnecessarily detached at times which isn't good for rider fan interaction. There was some improvement in this last season but it has slipped back.

Yeah , comes down to such incidents in tight matches. Klindt getting some stick,whether deserved or not it is a team sport and the best team usually wins. In the home leg the combined points from the bears 2,3,4,& 5 (14) was only one more than Nikolai's score. Completely agree he can be brilliant or underwhelming which is not what you want from your No1 where consistency is required .

Well done to the Gladiators, must have been a bit tense 😃. Hope Ben Barker not too badly hurt.

Thanks Robin88 Track was good but I think we got caught out a little with the pre-meeting watering. Showers were in the forecast in the morning but these never really materialised. We had had a good deal of natural watering during the week so to get dust so early was a surprise, we moved to the leeward side of the stadium following heat 3 so not sure how effective subsequent watering was. Agree about Masters and Kennett. Tate's achilles heal continues to be his gating but watching him wind it up from behind is great entertainment. Max is a combative rider a trait he displayed in his earlier years in the NDL for Leicester Lion Cubs. He was on the wrong end of some rough treatment from Anders Rowe in heat 12, his left leg somehow got attached to Rowe's bike which then took him for a ride across the track, just pleased the leg didn't get twisted otherwise it could well have resulted in injury. Showed his mettle when he was back out in heat 14 as a reserve switch and delivered the 4-2 with Tate. Re Jonas, heat 6, I don't think anyone saw that coming, I for one thought Jonas would have reeled in Mitch and Dayle Wood . In heat 13 I thought he should have switched to the outside line but continued to follow Batch round the inside. Showed what he is capable of in heat 15 but Masters never stopped hunting him down and like you say may well have had him with another lap.

Wouldn't mind hearing the general comments of anyone who may have bought the stream as to what they thought about this meeting. The Cheetahs fought back from a 10 point deficit after heat 5 to being just 2 behind after heat 13. The 4-2 from Tate and Max in heat 14 guaranteed the minimum the Comets would get was a draw and the 2 points were secured in a last heat decider in which McDiarmid somehow failed to make the 2 minute time allowance and was replaced by reserve Darryl Ritchings. This may well have been more crucial if Sam Masters hadn't shed a chain whilst leading heat 1 turning a 2-4 into a Comets 4-2. For the Comets it looked like it was going to be good day for Niklas with a dominant win in heat 2 but after running a solid third in heat 5 he seemed to lose his way a little. Vinnie riding in the difficult No2 position will probably also be a bit frustrated after relinquishing good on track positions sticking to the inside line. Good performances from the top 3 who scored 37 of the 48 between them went a long way to seeing the Comets home and the wins from Tate in 12 and 14 were crucial. Young Max displayed his battling qualities and improving race craft and can count himself very hard done by to be excluded by the referee in heat 12. For the Cheetahs Sam Masters was his usual classy self with most of the others chipping in at times throughout the meeting. Edward Kennett caught the eye considering his time away from the track and should do a solid job for the Cheetahs. UTC !

Well he has the experience on the first one to be the ultimate judge and also be a Hollywood double as a Zombie so I suppose I'm banged to rights 😂

not sure but don't think so.

Needn't worry about that Santa never comes to our house.😃

Waiting for the lighting columns I believe.

No, the last of the travellers left Sunday.

I think the ref may well have made an error. I wasn't far from the start line when the start marshall pointed the helmet colour error out to MPT who went straight back to the pits. I remember looking at the countdown clock when the error was pointed out and thinking that there was plenty of time left. When MPT came back out I checked the time again and thought he would make it. Then an announcement came over the PA system stating that MPT had been disqualified for leaving the track.

Did he though ?, MPT was under the 2 minute countdown and as such I don't think he was permitted to leave the track to rectify his own error. This seems to be reinforced by the refs decision. MPT has to take responsibility for this , even a quick check by the camp would have avoided the incident.

It looked to be the Worky Start Marshall who pointed it out to MPT as soon as he arrived at the tapes, he immediately went back. May well have had time to shout from the gate and get a change of helmet colour brought over and still been within the time limit because it wasn't long into the 2 minutes on the countdown clock. Looked like the rule never occurred to him in the moment.

I have him : Home Scunny BSN 18/4 Plymouth CH 9/5 Scunny CH 30/5. Away Redcar BSN 10/4 Edinburgh CH 8/5 Glasgow CH 15/5.

I reckoned yesterdays meeting completed his 3 home 3 away, KOC meetings don't count I believe.