BobC

Must say I agree almost entirely with SS and his assessment. Having been there a couple of times each season since they opened, that was probably the best meeting I have seen there. PA has never been any different. Inconsistent refereeing. Starke clearly moved in one race, punishing himself. Rerun, no warning. Another race, KIng made a blinding start, rerun, King warned. In the rerun, Nicholls moved far more than either King or Starke and the referee lets it go. I was sat directly in front of the refs box, who had the window open. I asked what he was doing? The reply was 'Im paid to do my job, you are just a fan'. I feel for the Kent fans. Very likely to collect the wooden spoon, but please hang in there. To be able to watch Nicholls and Starke each week is value for money. Gilkes will come good and young Mulford in the background, you are heading in the right direction. Whispers I heard last night was that there are 2 new riders pencilled in from 1st August. No names mentioned though.

Pay on the gate is ok here at Poole now. Shame you missed Plymouth. Ticket refunds are always dealt with very quickly by them. Enjoy later.

Excellent post Sidney. I must say one thing though. You are preaching to the converted! I lived in Devon for the last 10 years, recently moving back to Poole. Plymouth was my regular fix for speedway. Ive always liked Danyon. Good value for money efforts round Plymouth. So much so, if I was working and he was appearing, I would finish work early to be able to get there in time. A genuine favourite of mine. I was extremely pleased when Poole signed him. Told all who would listen that hes a very underrated rider. Very fast, good style, good equipment and a smashing chap to chat with. All he needed was a chance. Apart from his home debut, where he failed to score, he has exceeded most peoples expectations. Not mine! Last night he was excellent, unlucky not to score more in fact. He is my favourite Pirate. He has endeared himself to the Poole faithful very quickly. Even Middlo has commented that he loves working with him as hes always smiling and that his enthusiasm spreads throughout the team. Long may that continue.

Take a bow Danyon Hume. Brilliant tonight.

Dan Thompson will move up into the main body of the team. Zane Kennedy will drop to reserve. Nothing in this one, either way.

Not a bad choice of guest, tbh. A few years ago he was leading the run off for the NL riders Championship, when he fell on the last lap, giving the title to team mate, Ben Morley, both IoW.

Probably waiting for Batchelors new green sheet average!

If you were there, you would know it was a far better performance than the points he scored. Remember, he is a CL reserve, so riding at No.2 on a relatively new track to him was always going to a tall order. Ht1.Got baulked on 1st turn ,kept plugging away and was reeling Ruml in by the finish. Ht6.Gated with Schlein and Pedersen. Made nuisance of himself. Only their long standing experience took them to the front. HT8. Was cruising, never threatened, to a 5-1 with Hume. Engine went kaput and sounded like a bag of nails. HT10.Change of bike worked well. Rocket start and on another 5-1 until a small error left Z.Cook to go round him. Could have so easily have been 5 pts or more. Looked far more accomplished than Keleher,Ruml, Bowtell and Smith. Did his job very well. Considering this was only the second ever time he has ridden the Poole track, he acquitted himself very well, in my opinion. I heard people saying that for a guest, he tried hard for us and happy to have him back again. Not sure hed like the 7-8 hour drive from Workington each week though!

Last night at Plymouth ,it was the Bjarne of old. Not the fastest rider out there, but certainly the cleverest and track crafty. Im not a big fan of his, but he was a joy to watch last night. Cook for Crump certainly strengthens them. Crump has had a nightmare season, in both divisions. A genuine shame, as Id prefer to remember him how he was, not how he is right now. Keleher rode very well last night, looked strong in the first turns and battled hard. Point to prove tonight? I do think we have got enough to win this, but dont think they will roll over. Remember though, no tac subs allowed in the KO Cup.

I know folk are saying 'if only' about Crump. The only difference I see is possibly Ht1. In Ht1,Plymouth would have got a 3-3 instead of losing 2-4. As it was, if Bowtell hadnt shed a chain, it would most likely be a 3-3 anyway. In Crumps other rides, Bjarne won 2 of them, one as IRR and one as tac sub. Ht13 and 15 would have most likely have been the same anyway. Keleher rode well in both. Of course, thats all a matter of opinion. We will never know for sure. Cook made it look so easy. At one point, he almost took Bjarne in Ht15, but then eased off knowing 2 points were good enough for the win. I disagree with the meeting Updater in Ht5. It was Keleher in 2nd, not Cook. What has Bjarne got to do to be awarded right of the night? He has been awesome all season. I am all for highlighting the so called 'lesser lights', but in all honesty, I dont get Keleher getting it again. He was good, dont get me wrong, but Bjarne was pure class. Anyway, I think the 'Man of the Match' should have gone to Mark Phillips. How on earth he kept the track in such good condition all night in that blistering heat, I dont know. Well, I do actually. Sheer hard work. He deserves a lot of credit for his hard graft, not only last night, but all other meetings as well. Plymouth a tad unlucky to lose, but with only 6 race winners at home, Bjarne getting 5 of them, it does make it very hard work. Expected a lot more from Glasgow who seem to make a habit of making a sows ear out of a silk purse.

Where have I posted a negative here? Where have I said you dont get good racing without passing? All I said was about passing being at a premium, which is fact! Thank you AM, I appreciate your comments. I say what I see and that doesnt sit well with certain posters, Memo to self: Must ask Lewy if I can comment, as he always seems to think he is right and everyone else wrong. Second thoughts, not ruddy likely!

Finally be able to use my rain off ticket from way back on May 18th. Glasgow will have to get their gating gloves on as passing has been at a premium all season so far.

Very much sums up how I saw it all. 1st time there since 2006. Then, there wasnt even a 'centre green' ,more like mud! The only thing I found strange was the food arrangements. Bought my food from behind the main stand. Started walking round to my chosen vantage point, terracing on bend 2,only to be told to sit at the tables, covid regs,etc. All tables taken ,so stood and started to eat. Oh, no, not allowed to do that! Forced to share a table. Later in the meeting, I popped round to get a cuppa and those same people who were there and hour before the start were still there! Overall, not a bad meeting. Talking to a local, he seemed to think the crowd was down on a normal meeting, by about a third.

I dont know what you were watching to compare the incidents. When Hume came down, Bowtell literally knocked him off. Schlein didnt touch Bowtell and left him room to straighten up and finish.

No lies being told here. I was stood behind SS and quite a few of the Plymouth supporters around us agreed it was the wrong decision. It was blatantly obvious from our view. That said, it was perhaps in the blind spot of the referee. Thats if he was even watching these two riders, he may have been watching the other two. Whatever, it was definitely the wrong rider excluded.

Definitely two points dropped for me. What I didnt like about the Bowtell move on Hume was that he definitely looked and moved over. He smashed into the side of Hume coming off turn2, then Hume being dragged along ending up in the air fence on bend three, such was the force of the move. Then to add insult to injury, he almost did the same to Cook in the rerun. Luckily Cook had just enough room to avoid a crash. Desperate riding. Smacks of revenge after being upset with Schleins move on him during Pooles last visit, when he cried and winged like a spoilt schoolgirl. Not much in the way of passing, very much gate and go. Only counted 3 myself. Crump gated 3 times, undefeated, twice he didnt, an also ran, Bjarne didnt gate twice, an also ran, (apart from when King made a mistake) gated 3 times cruised to easy wins. Same for both sides. Very inconsistent refereeing. Warned Nielsen for moving, yet Bjarne moved at least twice. Others moved too, both sides. Announcements: On 3 separate occasions, the race results were incorrect. One was challenged and changed. A little bemused, tbh, at our choice of R/R rides. Also using King in Ht15,when everyone around us thought Schein.

Of the three incidents, the only one I would have excluded him for was Ht18. In Ht4, Kildemand used the old dying swan act. Known for it. Ht20, Birkmose showed his lack of experience going into a turn. He left a gap which Nicki exploited. I dont blame him for wanting an explanation from the referee. Maybe he went over the top, I dont know, I wasnt there. Just my opinion, of course.

Agree. Awful to watch.

Perfectly fair.

Totally irrelevant. It is a condition of allowing speedway to operate .It says it all over the ticket booking requirements. Its made clear on entry too. I agree, I dont think its necessary in an open environment. If its the difference in being allowed to operate or not, then surely its a no brainer to comply? The 'Im alright Jack' scenario doesnt cut it for me at all.

Agree wholeheartedly. Well done to the Glasgow fans that did travel. Made themselves heard, well, until Ht10 onwards that is! Do Covid rules not apply to the Scottish folk? Cammi hugging referee Christina Turnbull, neither had a mask on. Those fans on turn1, 8-10 of them...NONE wore masks throughout, despite regular announcements saying otherwise. Downright disrespectful to everyone else. They cant all have immunity, surely? Really enjoyed watching Tom Brennan. His Ht15 effort to keep Ostergaard behind him was superb. Easily Man of the Match, if only for that. NIghtmare journey getting there, 3hrs 30 mins, bloody roadworks. Going home?...2hrs 15 mins, as expected.

With lack of action here in Poole, two of us will be coming along for this meeting. Not been here since the Eagles dropped down, to NL or Championship. What time do they open the car park? Been before , but arrived early and gates were locked.

Yes they have. Do keep up.

How do you know what Scott thinks about the Poole track? Hes never complained about it before. No reason to moan about last night either. He always rides our place well, last night he was superb. Never gives less than 100% .A few of our younger Brits would do well to use Scott as a role model in commitment and attitude. I didnt notice the 'bumpy' track. When the riders were interviewed after Ht15, they all said the track was good. Shame we have parted ways with Zane, He was riding in the notoriously difficult No2.I thought he was making steady progress. A spell at reserve might just have helped him. I suppose thats what this is all about. Poole want to keep Cook and Hume at reserve for as long as possible and we do have points to play with. I am a big fan of Danyon. Loved watching him at NL level and I was delighted when we signed him. Beginning to sort himself out at Poole. Looking very fast and determined. So pleased for him. Both Danyon and Steve Worrall have quickly become my 2021 favourites. Steve is so classy on a bike. I do wonder if he hadnt broken his leg when he did, just how much better he would be. Then I suppose, we may not have him at Poole. I think this Poole team are settling in well and getting better with each meeting. Eastbourne, Glasgow, Leicester and Poole are my top four. Write us off at your peril.

Thank goodness for Scott Nicholls. He made his passes on King and Worrall look so effortless. Vintage stuff from him. Brilliant to watch. Beyond him, only Paul Starke offered any kind of resistance. Really pleased for Danyon Hume. No other League racing for him. Looks very quick and fully deserved his rider of the night from Wessex Marine. You can only beat whats in front of you, but I cant say it was particularly exciting.