boss 2

Hi Neil, if i'm correct and you're "The Painterman" then you were certainly last Cradley captain to be presented with one of the trophies i was thinking of. Happy days How are you, still sliding??

Me too Rhys, always had a lot of time for riders trying to make the breakthrough (the Boss nickname comes from team managing Cradley Juniors for a few matches in 1989.) Am just trying to find out where a certain trophy disappeared to then will pm Laurence with a suggestion. All the best for your upcoming rides tho, take care!!

Hope so Laurence. Next time pop them all some Cradley bodycolours on and advertise it the week before there'll be a stadium full for the second half that week (i wish!!) In fact can i send you a pm in a couple of days? I have an idea. Don't suppose anyone knows John Wilson's (Ex-cradley/stoke) whereabouts??

Typical, i wait all season for a second half then it doesn't start til 10 and my son has to be up for school. Watched first two heats then had to go, will they be back at 'the Green' Laurence?? Good to see you carrying on the work with junior/young riders you started at Cradley all thise years ago mate.

Are there any plans afoot for a tour by the USA Dream Team this season?

Didn't mean to open up a can of worms, was just quoting what the local paper reported. Sorry if its caused any friction, hope David and Craig get better soon. (Think i also owe David apologies on a different issue but maybe not here so if you would like to contact me David please feel free.)

According to the local paper last night David Howe feared his season may be over as he was warned he could need skin grafts if the skin around the wounds had 'died', but luckily it hadn't- this was despite the fact that, according to the report, he waited a staggering 18 HOURS to be seen in A&E.

Only managed to get to Evening meeting due to my son playing football, but racing was best i've seen there, impressed by Tom Brown (and my 12 year old daughter thinks he is lovely so was made up when we spoke to him after meeting ) What was the announcement about before racing started though?? They asked for spectators NOT to ring emergency services as Doctors and medical staff in attendance could cope with all incidents. Interesting to see the fire extinguisher was in the ref's box when Atkins' bike caught fire, fat lot of good it did there. Good to see Steady there rode for Cradley juniors when i looked after them a couple of times and is a really nice bloke always got time to stop for a natter whenever i see him.

Was watching with my 11 year old son and we both sat with our jaws hitting the floor when the red lights failed to come on thought that when they didn't the ref would just exclude Nicholls and award Harris second, it was one of the most blatant examples of a rider knocking his opponent off that i have seen in over 40 years of watching. Nicholls was out of order and Harris has every right to be very angry- i certainly would not wish to continue 'working' with someone who had done that to me (but i'd have clocked him one for luck too!!)

Sorry but i was neutral too and must make the following points: 1) First incident of the night David Howe clipped Stefan Katt causing both to crash- now i'm no fan of Howe in any sense of the word but he couldn't avoid this as Katt locked up slightly so all 4 back was the correct decision. 2)Broadhurst did indeed clean out Morris but perhaps the ref felt a precedent had been set earlier?? 3)Les Collins did, without a shadow of a doubt take Broadhurst's leg away as they entered the first turn on the second lap in heat 20, indeed Collins stopped and apologised before the red lights went on. Ref did exclude Les but both Graham Drury and Ian Thomas were signalling all 4 back to the box. 4) In the re-run Jirout hit a plant pot which caused Broadhurst to fall bringing Collins down too- referee announced that a third crash WOULD result in an exclusion. At the end of the day its a day out to see speedway in the closed season, thousands of people have been to see it and thousands more will do in the future i go every year and will continue to do so, i heard no booing for Broadhurst and personally would have felt robbed if either Collins or Broadhurst had been excluded from heat 20. It would have been interesting to see if Jirout would have let Broadhurst pass him in heat 20 anyway as he was punching the air and pointing to Broadhurst as they crossed the line in heat 20. Anyway i'm claiming a Cradley 3rd place for Les(The Beard(well he was))Collins after his spell with us.

Indoor event was held at NEC in about 79/80 Mike Lee crashed and crushed vertebrae in race against (i think) Stevie 'B'. Jan Andersson cleaned up i think and track was bigger than usual indoor tracks and rubber. Martin Dugard and John Cook were recently spotted in Broad Street Birmingham (early november) supposedly they were investigating the prospect of staging a meeting at the NIA.

It was direct quote from the explanation referee gave to the local press.

Think Mear was doing about a hundred and twenty miles an hour when he went into the corner was never,ever going to make it. The ref's rubbish excuse that she was "watching the race and the buttons are so close together so i pressed the wrong button as i couldn't take my eyes off the track!!" just doesn't hold water as far as i'm concerned because once two riders are on the deck there is NO race to watch.

Didn't think the ref was great all night, Bridger could very easily have been excluded from heat 4 as there was no doubt he bought down Billy Legg, she allowed very long gaps between some heats- (i had to miss the run-off as my kids had to be home for bed so they would be up for school (only 10 years old) which upset my daughter as the main reason she went was to see Jack Hargreaves)- and i know she was applying the rules but excluding Kyle Hughes for tapes touching in his only outing was a bit harsh i presume he lives quite close to Boston?? So all that way one ride and he gets chucked out where Lewis Bridger was rolling at least once when the tapes went up.

Have to agree with comments about the heat 12 incident, other rider to crash was Ben Taylor who hit Billy Legg as he fell in front of him exitting the fourth bend the other two riders were ahead and as they entered the first corner it was obvious Legg was injured the only action the referee took was to put on the GREEN exclusion light, bearing in mind Legg was in RED and Taylor in green!! As the other two continued down the back straight the green exclusion light stayed on but no stop lights, the member of track staff stationed entering the third turn had red flag in his hand but didn't display it despite the fact Legg was still down-presumably because the redlights were not on but i think common sense should have told him to wave the flag!? As the other two reached the apex of the turn Legg part hopped and was part dragged off the track at which point the red lights and red exclusion light went on! For all the world i thought we were heading for a very serious crash and injury to two or three riders and maybe track/first aid staff God only knows what the referee was doing and its no thanks to her that no-one was hurt. A very good meeting all round though, Tai Woffinden looks a real prospect and like Ben Barker too (grass tracker??) both did very,very well to hang on when bike went vertical exitting the fourth corner (and back straight in Barker's case) unlike Joe Haines who did likewise and took a heavy fall thankfully without injury. Jack Roberts at reserve also looked very good, as did Danny Betson and i do like to see a leg-trailer so step forward Lee Smart- steel shoes will last this lad years he never uses it!!