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As Jayne has already said, it was a baking hot day. Frankly, any track would have been dusty! The fact that they were watering every 3 or 4 heats meant that, up until heat 15, the dust wasn't that bad, and there was actually some good racing. Unfortunately, when you have a track in the middle of nowhere, with no real shade, in the middle of summer, in the afternoon, it's going to get dusty! Credit Buxton for being proactive and not letting it get to a point where the dust was unbearable.

Just got back. An entertaining meeting by all accounts. Regular watering attempted to keep the dust down, but it was always going to be fighting a losing battle. Buxton's long tail exposed in the end, as they couldn't cope with R/R for Blacklock as well as Govier off form. Branford was better than Atkin would have been, but Mildenhall always seemed to be in control. Special mention for Josh Bates, who looked very quick.

I'm not sure why I am rising to this, as I know that your answer to anything I say will be "But it was NL so wasn't worth caring about" However Watching the progress of Taylor Poole (Such a shame he doesn't have a team place this season) Winning the Pairs at Newport Seeing Stoke top the NL table. First league table I have ever seen us top. KoC final. Play offs for a couple of years. Ashley Birks form last season. Progression of Ben Reade Yes, there have been negatives around Stoke, but you will dismiss any positive because it is the NL, and in your eyes it isn't a league worth caring about. Sorry for going off topic.

Ignore Big Lad,i'm 99.9% sure he goes by POTTER on the stoke forum, and hasn't had a good word to say about Stoke in about 5 years. Stokes problem at the moment is pretty obvious, we have a 9.5 number 1 who is averaging around 5 or 6. Smarty needs to return to some form, or we will lack the top end strength that we expected with his signing.

I still fancy Dudley to win the whole thing. IoW, and now KL, will both weaken when their star reserve moves up, whereas Dudley will have 2 from Isherwood, Clegg and Greaves at reserve all season.

Nice to see there was so much interest in this Not a bad meeting. Riders looked to struggle for the first couple of heats but it dried out quickly. For Stoke, Smart looked down on power, and Chessell didn't really impress, Reade couldn't gate for toffee, but Priest was fantastic. Stokes reserves were quicker than Mildenhalls (And special mention for Lee Payne on his debut. Looked raw, but talented. Could prove to be a fantastic signing) but special mention on the night has to go to Kyle Hughes. Feeling ill, he romped to an untroubled 12 point maximum, and was easily the best rider on show. For Mildenhall, Nielsen never really got going, Baseby had one good ride in heat 8. Bates got quicker as the night went on, Armstrong was struggling with his knee all night, Halsey was unspectacular after his fall, and the reserves were poor. Overall, not a bad nights racing. On a different note, it was interesting to watch the MDL meeting afterwards, as the final heat pitted Dudleys reserve pairing against Stokes. Would have been a 3-3 barring a Tedham fall, but the Stoke reserves were on the pace, which gives me hope going forward.

A combination of things really. I like the IoW team as it stands, but you have the number 1 doubling up, and the number 7 now tripling up. If the IoW don't take priority, they could be in a deep hole if either rider is missing. Stoneman is now injured, and you have already lost Bekker for the season. Hopwood is showing a bit of form, but how long will it continue? And if you don't find a replacement for Stoneman, depending on how long he is injured, what happens when Ellis moves up into the main body? The IoW are helped at the moment by having a fantastic reserve, who will average well over 8, probably over 9. Once he moves up, that strength at the bottom end will virtually be lost. Compare that to a team like Dudley, who when Clegg or Stoneman move up, will have Isherwood potentially dropping down and you have my reasoning. Personally, I think you will end up with IoW topping the league, and they will face one of Dudley, Mildenhall or Stoke in the semi. The play-offs aren't about being the best team over the course of the league, they are about getting hot at the right time.

I'm going to put my neck out now, and give you the following prediction. The Isle of Wight won't even make the play-off final. That's right, you heard me. Feel free to quote me come September.

Sorry the thread is late, updates can be found here http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Glasgow&thread=12243&page=1

It's a shame, as he was looking better in the Buxton meeting. Still, it's not a massive surprise. If he was unsure about starting the season, then a couple of meetings in gets wiped out and injured, it's tough to continue. We move on, it's all that Stoke, as a club, can do!

Fair enough. As a fan, it was a bit of a kick in the teeth that we couldn't see Atkin/Wright v Branford/Starke, as they were clearly the best riders on the day.

He did, so allow me to rephrase. He looked the rawest, and least experienced on a bike. Woolley has a lot of experience from short track, and Williamson looked better than the last time I saw him. You could tell it was Tyler's home debut, as he never really looked comfortable on the track. It will be interesting to see him up against regular NL riders.

Hi Mike Not sure I can help you fully, but going off the more in depth report on the Stoke website, it looks like the following Heat 1: Tedham, Payne, Mogridge 5-1 Heat 2: Mogridge, Holt, Ward, Wallace 1-5 6-6 Heat 3: Payne, Holt, Tedham 4-2 10-8 Heat 4: Ward, Mogridge, Wallace 4-2 14-10 Heat 5: Payne, Mogridge, Holt, Ward 3-3 17-13 Heat 6: Tedham, Holt, Wallace 4-2 21-15 No idea on times though, sorry! EDIT: Report is at the following link if you want to check my workings http://stokepotters.co/news.php?extend.540

Not the best meeting, not helped by a patchy track and riders who had never graced the...unique...Buxton track. For Buxton, Williamson was the stand out. Atkin and Wright went unbeaten, but you wouldn't have expected it from Williamson. Govier looked the worst of Buxton's three pointers, and Blacklock had machinery problems. For the Yanks and guests, most of them looked off the pace unfortunately. Hayden Sims was the best of the bunch who finished the meeting, although I am sure that Scopellite would have scored well had he not had his crash. As for the honorary yanks, Branford looked quick but couldn't gate, Starke looked pretty good, and Hazelden was consistent. I suppose the only thing to say about the meeting is that I hope that Rocco gets well soon. Was a horrible looking crash. Also, have the rules been changed, or were we just ignoring them for this meeting? I always thought that heat 15 had to be 2 from your top 3 scorers, or top 3 averages. Blacklock was neither, so I can only assume we were ignoring the rules.

Widman isn't riding for you, you have your own team Line Up's are as follows (According to the stoke site) Stoke Smart, Reade, Widman, Priest, Hughes, Tedham, Jones Buxton Wright, Govier, Blacklock, Mckinna, Atkin, Woolley, Williamson I expect Stoke to win by about 10.

I think Chessell fired himself onto the scene in 2011? So hardly around a bit, this being his second full season. Averaged 4.5 last season, and from watching him, he would average higher if he could stay on consistently. It's a shame for Liam, but his average is a pain for some teams.

So, Plymouth fans...what does Jake Anderson bring that Ben Reade didn't? Is it just the Aussie accent?

I would guess for Stoke his average didn't fit. He is on a 3.61, so it would have had to have been in place of Chessell.

I'm sure the rule in the PL is different, whereby once you have had your initial team ratified, then you can have a facility for them.

Can Jake do both? Is he a British passport holder?

Fantastic, cheers.

How's the weather looking in Sheffield?

663 It wasn't the best meeting, and that's being kind. Riders seemed to struggle with bends 3 and 4. For Stoke, Smart was solid, Branford was dependable as a guest, Chessell rode well in one race, but had a nasty looking fall. Hughes was off the boil a bit, and Priest scored well. As for the reserves, Jones looked good until he was wiped out by Williamson (Stupid from Williamson. I'm putting it down to being an inexperienced rider, but it could have been a lot lot worse) and Tedham was awful. Him not being on the pace is one thing, but just giving up in one race is unacceptable. For Buxton, Wright was fantastic, Woolley was alright, Blacklock was erratic as always, Mckinna was solid. Atkin had bike problems, Widman was the best reserve on show, and Williamson looked ok, his clash with Jones apart. All in all, the rain didn't help, the broken PA didn't help, the lack of a mic didn't help. The fact that the announcer said he was waiting for someone to give him a new mic at around heat 6, and then didn't get one, seems a bit unprofessional. The burger place seemed to be run by new people, and they did a nice cup of tea. Every cloud and all that.

Don't forget that old averages included bonus points...

The reserves looked the worry on Saturday, as neither really looked on the pace. Whether that was teething problems with machinery, who knows. As for the top 5, they will win meetings on their own at times. Smarty looked back to his best, while Kyle Hughes looked quick after an off first ride. They could easily be 9+ pointers each. Priest looked up and down, but looked good when passing Atkin in his first race. Reade looked a bit down on power, and Chessell was great for anywhere between 1 and 3 laps. If he could stay on he could put a point on his average easily. Could be a hit and miss season!