BobC

Scorers. Newport 1.Todd Kurtz 7+1 2.Luke Priest 6+2 3.Tim Webster 8+2 4.Tony Atkin R/R 5.Kyle Newman 14 6.Brendan Johnson 4+2 (Guest for injured James White-Williams) 7.Tom Young 10+2 Plymouth 1.Nicki Glanz 10+1 2.Jaimie Pickard 7+1 3.Matt Bates 2 4.Seemond Stephens 8 5.Mark Simmonds 13 6.Ross Walters 0 7.Ben Reade 1 Hope it helps. An excellent meeting all round.Plymouth had their big guns firing and made life very awkward for the understandably tired Hornets.Three meetings in as many days takes some doing. I was privaliged to be at the 3 Hornets meetings and the Wasps.Some great speedway to be seen in all of them.I think the one thing that stood out by a long long way was TEAM SPIRIT.It would have been so easy to let heads drop when Tony was injured at Scunny.It actually seemed to fire them up. A good all round effort from them all.However,I will select my 'man of the weekend'. Take a bow Tom Young.Superb.I know he likes it at Scunny,but it was his effort at Rye that took the eye for me.I wasnt expecting that.Well done Tom. So to the play offs.If the Hornets ride as a unit,like the last 3 days,they should fear no one.Beware,these Hornets team is coming to get you.

Not a good meeting at all,tbh. I do not see any point in knocking any of the Team GB riders.Believe me,the effort was there. What was very plain to see was the gulf between our lads and the others.The Swedes,Danes and Poles have got the junior set up right.In all honesty,we Brits havent got a clue. As has been aluded to,its all to do with the 'Golden Handshake brigade'.Until the BSPA as collective get up off their backsides and put in place a full and proper structure for introducing youngsters,we dont stand a chance in the International arena for the forseeable future.Being realistic about it,we only had Bridger competing and mixing it all day. I know for a fact that both Neil Vatcher and Phil Morris sweated more than blood and tears yesterday.You only had to see the pain in their faces at the end.As were the riders,I might add.While I agree that had Tai been there,we might well have come 3rd or even 2nd.That in itself would only have served to mask over the cracks. Something I noticed in the pits.Poland had KK there,constantly helping the youngsters.Denmark had Kenneth Bjerre offering support,who did the Brits have? NOBODY.Chris Louis was there,but walked by with hands in his pockets,and never said a word.Surely a current Elite rider,not riding on the day could have been there with any advice at all? Anyone in any doubt about how far we have fallen behind the rest of the Speedway World in development terms,saw it for real yesterday. Wake up BSPA.Do something NOW,not tomorrow,NOW.

Another excellent away win for the Hornets. This one dragged on and on,with no fully functioning tapes,elastic starts,and finally green lights.The last 3 races were well after the 9.30pm curfew! Was it really worth risking any potential problems? Margaret Vardy was so inconsistent with the starts,it became farcical in the end.So much so that in Ht15,Stephens,a surprise choice to the Devils fans,was half a bike length up before the others had moved! Some she let go,others were pulled back.In many ways it was a relief when it was over. Ht4 was very eventful. Twice rerun as Kyle Newman fell.Genuine 1st bend bunching on each occasion.Credit due to Ben Reade,who gated well,and simply held his line as they all came together.He rode well all night.Pleased to see him progressing.I know on the updates it says that quote '' Newman down again on the 1st turn and its all 4 back again. Crowd not happy as Newman seemed to go down quite easily after missing the gate'' unquote. I hadnt realised at the time that in fact it was Reads footrest going through Kyles front wheel and removed half a dozen spokes! On those incidents,I thought they were correctly handled,despite my obvious interest in Kyle. Many Devils fans around me were very surprised that the meeting went way beyond the curfew.That said,they did admit that had Plymouth got a 5-1 to lead in Hts 13 or 14,it may well have been halted! I must admit,Lee Smart isnt on my list of favourite riders.However last night he was awesome.Electric starts or 1st turns all night.Even in Ht15 where he was being well blocked with the team riding of Glanz/Stephens,he didnt give up.On bend 2 of the last lap,he had his only real chance to split them.Boy did he ever! Went by Stephens so fast that he almost took Glanz as well.Terrific ride.One of those that even if the result goes against my team,I could only stand,applaud and admire.Well done Lee.Fair play to the Devils fans who reacted very sportingly and gave him a rousing ovation. Not the best of nights,with words being exchanged with Mrs Vardy well after the end of the meeting. Thanks to Chris,Mel,Big Dave,Kirsty,all Devils fans,for your company.It makes coming down there a pleasure.Oh,better not forget the 'yokel farmer' who is always very entertaining with his friendly insults.(At least I think they are!)

Not the best of meetings,I must say. Strange goings on in Ht3.As the riders entered the 1st turn,all but Mason slowed up.Owen,who was ahead of Johnson and Warwick,had a bike problem,causing the other two riders to take evasive action.Meanwhile Mason kept going and was well on the way to the 3rd turn.Owen pulled onto the centre green,THEN the red lights came on. If they came on before,I hadnt noticed.So,should Owen have been allowed into the rerun? Let alone going onto win it. A definite point lost by IOW. Not the best of double headers,to be honest.Worrying for me was the amount of dust,right from the start.With the World U21 Team Cup Final there on Sunday,I hope they have better provisions lined up.This was a dust fest.

Teams anyone?

Love the wording of that Jules! To me it reads that Kyle put his foot in the way of the deflector! I hardly think so,more a case of the rider on the inside taking his foot away from him.How on earth can video footage taken fron the 1st turn,show EXACTLY what happened going into the 3rd turn? Well,I was stood right by the pit gate,just inside the pits.I have no doubt the referee got it wrong.

Never any doubt about who was going to win this meeting.Just a few observations. Ht1,Kurtz was well ahead,when his bike slowed,or was it forgetting to turn the fuel on? Bekker slipped by for the win. Ht3 Jones and Atkin touched handlebars after Jones got out of shape going into turn 3. Ht4 Newman with a sublime win,coming from 4th to 1st.The only time he led was in the run up from the pits to the line,pipping Cockle.Fantastic ride. Ht6 Newman again from the back and stalking Bekker,lined him up only to have a puncture.Very lucky to finish,let alone remain in 2nd place. Ht9 Hornets on an easy 5-1 coming down back straight,when Kyle lifted wildly.Quite how he didnt crash,I honestly dont know.He certainly scraped the boards on 3rd turn.We were all patting our chests with relief.On the wind down lap,so was he! Ht10 saw a nasty collision with Bekker(on double pts) and Atkin on the 1st turn.Early reports suggested a broken collarbone for Byron.Sincere Best Wishes for a speedy recovery.He has been superb for the 'Cats all season.He will be missed. Ht15 was controversial to say the least.As the riders left the tapes,the red lights came on for a split second,before being switched off again.Anyone else notice this? Then Brown fell on 3rd turn,while 4th,retired on 1st lap.Then Newman was unceremoniously dumped into the 3rd turn fence by Cockle.I dont think anyone expected Kyle to be excluded.Except the referee,Dale Entwwistle,that is.Absolutely crazy decision. Never mind Kyle,you are going places within speedway where Cockle can only dream of. By now it was after the 9.30 deadline.We all expected it to be declared as 37-49.I know Phil Bartlett was told of the time,but he seemingly ignored it.So at just after 9.35pm,we had a meaningless match race! Jules,be thankful you didnt go.A warehouse full of Grecian 2000 wouldnt have saved you tonight! Scorers. Weymouth Bekker 3,3,inj = 6 Halsey 1,0,1',2 = 4+1 Brown 3,2,0,1',fx = 6+1 Mason 0,0,1' = 1+1 Cockle 2,2,4,1',2 = 11+1 Andrews 1,0,0,2 = 3 Cottham 0,1',2,1,0,2,2 = 8+1 Newport Kurtz 2,3,3,3,3 = 14 Priest 0,1,3,1 = 5 Jones 2,1,3,3 = 9 Atkin 1',3,1,3 = 8+1 Newman 3,2,2',0,fx = 7+1 White-Williams 3,1',3,0 - 7+1 Young 2',0,0,fx = 2+1 Some lively action with a good win for the Hornets.

Meetings now off. See Buccs website. http://www.bournemouthspeedway.com/2010/index.php

Very dark here,and just started to rain. Not looking too clever,tbh

Cough.....Pleasure?...cough....cough!

Well,it rained all the way from Poole to within 3 miles of the track.Amazingly,it was very dry. Not the best of meetings,to be truthful.Understandably,the track was underwatered.Rock hard,slick and dusty. Some strange decisions from referee Tony Steele.Several times he pulled the Devils riders back at the start,yet seemingly let several 'Cats attempts to carry on.Very inconsistent starts. Super debut for Dan Halsey,unbeaten till his last ride,when he lifted wildly and fell,bringing down Stephens.Fortunately both walked away after treatment.It seemed a strangely subdued Devils performance,only 3 heat wins in 12 races.Not sure why Mason felt the need to kick out at Bates on the wind down in Ht3. At one stage,I saw 4 riders leave the tapes,only for 3 to appear on the back straight.I honestly didnt see what happened to the other one!(Gough f/rem).It wasnt the dust that was the problem,but the mist/fog.I had a job to see the St Johns at times even with their high vis jackets on.Correct decision to halt the proceedings,even though the Devils could have still won. I was stood by the entry to the 3rd turn.I had the pleasure of HalifaxTigers company.It was a pleasure to chat with him throughout.Cheers Chris.

Might as well call it an un official Aussie Championship. Only 1 English rider in there,11 Aussies. Surely there has got to be more British riders available? I can only assume that Somerset are looking at Risager for next season,as his performances lately dont warrant an open booking.

You are quite right Rob.I did agree with the refs decision,my mate didnt,he blamed Howe! Ive changed the original post.

Re the Fisher-Howe incident.My view from in line with the start,the referee was right behind me,was that Fisher was out of control with the lift he got.I dont believe that it was intentional at all.I think Fisher was rightfully exc/disq.As has been said,Howe was the innocent victim of the incident. However,my mate sat next to me thought the referee got it wrong,he blamed Howe! So it all comes down to our own interpretation.At the end of the day,its the referees opinon that really matters.

Not up to the usual standard of racing,but enjoyable all the same. Congratulations to Birmingham on a fine win. Lots of ifs,buts and maybes.Sheffield with a full team,Bach having ef while leading,some dodgy starts. I share others concerns about the unpublicised 'extras',car park,seats in the main stand,poor overpriced programme. On the whole,the best team won.

Entertaining enough for a Challenge match.Anderson rode very well,and although Brendan scored well,he didnt look too comfortable out there.I have really appreciated Adam McKinnas efforts since signing.Shame he will be missing next Saturday v Plymouth. Tom Armstrong didnt appear beacuse he has visa problems.He even said so on his Facebook page!! The race jackets used by Tamworth were the Weymouth Wizards! As I left,I was told that Karl Mason has been signed in time for Sundays meeting at Newport.Cottham stands down for that one. Full meeting details here http://www.weymouthwildcats.co.uk/index.html

The Academy League as it was,did allow for 14 year olds to try Speedway,provided they took a 'competence' test.I know Ray Dickson had many kids wanting to have a go. Fair enough if it wasnt him,just seemed a coincidence.

Ive watched the Heathens at 5 different tracks this season.They have won 3,lost 2.Their other loss was at Newport.I agree with you,21st,especially about Perry.On the concrete motorway,he didnt stand a chance.Smart had to ride so close to the fence,I thought he was coming off on ocassions.There simply wasnt anything left to hold them up.Im quite sure Perry would have loved the track had it been earlier in the evening. By the way,in 2007 Poole Academy had a 2nd half meeting v Somerset Giants.In the Giants team,there was a Tom Perry.I wonder if this is the same rider?

Makes you wonder though,doesnt it? Superb support for the Heathens.Great to see you all there.I hope it becomes permanent for you. With Barrie Evans having a mare of a meeting,Sarj riding a superb debut,that was the difference really.The Buccs all rode as expected,yet Dudley had two riders (Perry/Evans)completely off form. If this had been a one off meeting,on a properly prepared track,I remain convinced that Dudley would have won. Oh hang on....Poole and properly prepared track......dont really go together,do they?

Uummmm,Stressed is the track announcer over there!

It was only corrected sometime after 8am today though!

Fear not Sandie,the burgers were absolutely fine,well at least the ones from the main bar were. They are definitely the best in British Speedway. Please can someone sort out the Wightlink Flyer arrangements.Yet again,we were left high and dry,both early evening and after the meeting.I do know Crouch is pulling his hair out trying to make sense of it all. Last night we got the 6.15pm ferry across from Portsmouth.Got on the train that was waiting at Ryde Pierhead.The train timetable told us it left at 6.50.However,the Bus that was at the promenade,also left at 6.50pm.I understand that folk on the bus pleaded with the driver to wait for the train,as they knew speedway folk were on it.So as we got to the prom,we saw the bus leaving the depot. We had to take a £6 taxi ride,making this an expense we didnt want. Towards the end of the meeting,we decided to get on the bus with a couple of races to go.I understand that the bus needs to leave at 9.25 to ensure everyone can catch the 9.45 ferry.No such luck.The driver insisted that he had to wait until the Final race.Fine.By this time we knew we would miss the 9.45,due to all the stoppages.We sat back ready to watch Ht15.Low and behold,the driver pulls away before the riders take to the track! So not only were we going to have to wait another hour at the pierhead,we also had to miss a race.Not very happy at all. To be fair,I did the same journey last week,and it worked to perfection. Oh,and I did enjoy seeing the Islanders thump the Buccs.

Congratulations Bren. Despite my obvious joy,this was a cracking meeting.Lots of very close racing throughout.Many times,only centimeteres seperating riders. Everyone seemed to take points off each other.Early on,Garrity looked superb.Howarth looking lively as well.Jacobs quietly going about his business.When Perry learns to gate with everyone else,look out.Very impressive. With points being dropped,the meeting was kept alive right until the end.Qualifing for the Semi and Final chopping and changing after each race.Just how you would hope it would.There was something for everyone. Many Thanks to Phil and Ellie Kirk and Brendans Nan for your company on the first turn.We were the quartet going bonkers at the end. I was quite literally in tears as he crossed the line.Very very proud to be classed as a friend and allowing us to share your success. Brendan Johnson BRITISH U18 CHAMPION 2010.I like it.

Appreciate the info,Statman.Thank you.

Anyone have the latest list of riders,please? Several of those mentioned in the original post are now or have been injured. Good luck to Brendan Johnson.