vog

I can only go by what was said by Malcolm on the center green, and that was that the paramedic hadn't turned up. Whether that was due to crossed wires or not I have no idea. I would hope something will be said by the promotion. EDIT: Taken from the Stoke website:

Wow. I'll ignore the first 2 hours. According to the announcer the Paramedic didn't turn up, so they had to find another one. Thankfully it was a lovely warm day and not raining! Now, onto the performance. Wow. That was a powerhouse performance from Stoke. Dudley did themselves no favours with a complete inability to gate, and Stoke took advantage. Nice to hear Malcolm talk about the job being half done, and taking nothing for granted, but we have given ourselves a fantastic chance to make the final.

So, I presume both teams will be at full strength? Looking forward to this, and the return on Tuesday, as they should be 2 very close meetings! In an ideal world, Stoke to win by 30 tomorrow, but I can't see it happening! I think Stoke by about 8, meaning the second leg could be interesting! Anyone popping in on the route back from Cardiff?

I'll hold you to that Malcolm! Though I'm not sure if I can cope with it being close. Not used to Stoke actually challenging for anything1

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Not a bad meeting, couple of good races. Thought we had thrown it away when Webster's bike played up in heat 16, but Dudley messed up their last race and we capitalised! So happy right now! Congrats to Tim and Simon

It would depend on his average I would imagine!

Still, if his bikes are working well, it must give you satisfaction

I hope this is on! I think we can gain at least a point from this!

Well, Isherwood hasn't ridden for us in an age. Averaged 8 for Buxton a couple of season back!

Yeah, I think at the moment we are carrying Isherwood, which is annoying because if he gates he is very difficult to pass, he just hasn't been gating recently. Hopefully tomorrow's meeting against Belle Vue goes ahead as it will be a good test of where we are as a team.

I think Stoke's top 4 can score 35 on any track (So long as they are all riding). It then requires Isherwood, Sarjeant and Reade to step up and score. They are going to be 2 fantastic meetings though, and I can't wait for them!

So, this week sees Stoke visit Belle Vue, looking for a win that would send them top of the table. For Belle Vue, Kyle Howarth and Byron Bekker are both, apparently, missing. R/R for Howarth and a guest TBC for Bekker, while Stoke are at full strength. Any thoughts on this one? Obviously with Howarth missing, Belle Vue are weaker, but they should not be underestimated. I would take a point from this meeting. TEAMS (According to Stoke website) Belle Vue: Guest TBC, Karl Mason, Kyle Howarth (Rider Replacement), Adam McKinna, Jason Garrity, Chris Widman, Scott Richardson Stoke: Simon Lambert, Jaimie Pickard, Gareth Isherwood, Tony Atkin, Tim Webster, Ben Reade, James Sarjeant

Draw has been made as follows: GROUP A BELLE VUE (Jason Garrity and Kyle Howarth) HACKNEY (Barrie Evans and Shane Hazelden) KING’S LYNN (Jake Knight and Scott Campos) NEWPORT (Jay Herne and Todd Kurtz) SCUNTHORPE/ SHEFFIELD (Richie Worrall and Steve Worrall) GROUP B BUXTON (Adam Allott and Robert Branford) DUDLEY (Jon Armstrong and Kyle Newman) ISLE OF WIGHT (Nick Simmons and Rob Smith) MILDENHALL (Jack Hargreaves and Lewis Blackbird) STOKE (Simon Lambert and Tim Webster) (Thanks to BSPA site) Any thoughts? Anyone going? And anyone know what time it will start? For me, Stoke, Newport, Dudley all look strong.

I think Mildenhall will have something to say about that, especially if Heeps is allowed to ride!

I said before the draw that, given proximity, would it be any surprise if Dudley and Stoke were paired together, and it came to be!

Now...I'm not one to call a fix, but Stoke v Dudley Isle of Wight v Hackney or Mildenhall Announced today. The cynic in me says that there is very little chance it was drawn like that

All too easy for Stoke. Buxton were, at best, a 3 man team. Branford looked the best of them, Garrity tried but didn't do much, and Priest tried but again didn't really do much. For Stoke, nice to see Reade score well, well deserved. Everyone scored well, though Isherwood is still a concern.

So, we try again to run the second leg of this! Hopefully Stoke can get through, but we don't have Rambo, who is again riding for Sheffield. Jon Armstrong steps in to cover for him. As for Buxton, no idea who is guesting in place of Ben Taylor...any clues? Still, Stoke to win by about 10.

So, assuming Stoke get through, why can I see the semi's being Stoke v Dudley and Mildenhall/Hackney v IoW...

I just wonder who there is to replace him with? Looking at last years averages, the only one who doesn't appear to have a team place around Gareth's average is Cal Mcdade, though I have no idea if he is riding this season!

Damnit, I knew I shouldn't have told them the secret of the track!

Yes, probably should have made that bit clear! Not just gate...turn once...turn again...hit fence!

To be fair, I could pass on the knowledge now. Stay on the inside, turn the bike twice and whatever you do, don't drift wide! (I appreciate I went on a bank holiday Monday, and it was the second meeting of a double header,so the track was slightly...dry!)

From a Stoke perspective, darn Redcar getting called off! Richie Worrall was the difference tonight between us and them! As for the racing, got a bit processional at the start and end (Rain then a slick track after 25+ heats!) but heat 11 of the Buxton meeting was worth the admission alone!

If you have the time to search for them, they are all on the BSPA website, under Archive. It shows all fixtures by month, so would take about 10-15 minutes