cityrebel

i agree I was at rye last night, it would never have happened in Len silver's day!

Last nights rye v peterborough meeting was pretty decent, but I have to agree that the Leicester v swindon sky match was an absolute shocker.

The track at rye this season has been a bit too slick for my liking, although the wet weather hasn't helped. Eddie kennett seems to be the only rocket able to pass on a regular basis, so a bit more dirt wouldn't go a miss. On the plus side I'd like to say well done to the new promotion in getting the last two home meetings on, despite the rain and the dodgy forecasts.

Meeting off

we certainly saw a few 'take offs' at mildenhall yesterday Eddie!

japanese speedway used to be raced on Tarmac, surely this has to be the way forward if the sport is to survive in this country!

Rye house held their nerve on Saturday when every forecast said heavy rain near to start time. The fact that the rain moved into the midlands instead of going east was a reward for their efforts. I doubt if Len silver would have been so brave.

more like a dry month!

it was the same at lakeside on Friday mike. Poor crowd, flat atmosphere and awful opposition. I left the meeting thinking how can they charge this much for such a crap product, and more fool me for paying it!

well done to coventry for getting it on. If Brandon was a lot closer to home I would have made the effort to go.

i bet sampers would have known!

I just think that sky along with the majority of fans are sick of meetings being called off in this country. I planned to go to rye today, but over four hours of dry and windy weather was not enough to get the meeting on. I'm not having a dig at any track in particular, but if the promoters and the riders can't be bothered, why should us fans.

I got there at 8am to help my mate set his stall up, but left at 12 due to my car being rapidly boxed in by double parking. It really spoilt what should have been a very successful event.

In recent years every season seems the same. How some tracks survive on such low crowds never ceases to amaze me!

Uncle Len might be gone, but at least sampers is still there providing us with one link to the past!

A bit of a strange idea to stage it on the same day as the celebration of speedway event at paradise park.

My mum, now a sprightly 80 years of age went to a speedway meeting at the stow in the early 50's. The closest I got was a two day greyhound racing maintenance course at walthamstow stadium in 1998!

yes there is.

crayford shut at the end of the 1983 season with terry Russell in charge. Redevelopment of the london road stadium was the reason for that closure, although the bulldozers did not move in immediately.

He was brilliant in reading's last season. It was fitting that he won the last ever meeting at smallmead.

you might thinks it's funny, but I wasted time and money at perry Barr on Wednesday watching the track staff successfully destroy the meeting. Then on Sunday I wasted more time and money watching the Eastbourne riders throw multiple points away. Old habits die hard for me, and there's no fool like an old fool!

You make some very valid points, but football seems to have crossed the age divide. Both of my kids are lapsed speedway fans, but can't get enough of premier league football.

It just goes to prove what a joke speedway is. The farcical scenes at perry Barr on Wednesday, followed by eastbourne's antics on Sunday, are accepted as a normal day at the office for us long suffering speedway fans. No wonder people are walking away from the sport in their droves.

I remember the collection buckets going around the stadium during the Newcastle match in an attempt to raise funds. It felt like the last rites for speedway in london with Wimbledon and hackney closing within weeks of each other.

The track was in excellent shape yesterday. It held up well for the second match, which is a rare occurrence for most of the double headers I've ever been to.