Fourentee

Well now, that was a tense evening! Congratulations to Swindon, who have had a remarkable season and crown it with the title. A great bunch of fans and I hope they enjoy their celebrations. Wolves gave it their all and would obviously have hoped for a different outcome had Lindgren and Thorssell been fit. But injuries are, sadly, part and parcel of the game and you can only play the hand you're dealt. If this, if that never won anything! I really felt for Harris, who rode well at Swindon but just couldn't find any speed at Monmore. IMHO out of order to criticise someone who always gives of his best when guesting. Once more, congratulations to Swindon and their supporters.

I'm taking that to indicate Harris is a good choice of guest rather than a Monmore improvement on Lindgren!

And, as mentioned earlier, what a pleasure it was to chew the cud so amiably with a number of Robins fans at the track last night.

Would that it were so! But the rule clearly says that choice of gates/nominating riders second alternates. The three pairs thing just underlines (IMHO) that a rider can't be picked more than once in the cluster of three races. Nah, Swindon 5-1s in the last three heats!

Sold!

Good point. It was noted among the Wolves fans that Schlein came out to run an eye over the track after grading and, presumably, pass on his assessment to the team.

Thought the track was pretty good, actually. Not many heats were strung out; there were some excellent passes and several attempts which didn't quite stick. Still scratching my head as to what went on out there; long-term Wolves fans on the back straight were, after sober consideration, ranking it as the best performance from their club they had ever seen. As ever it was the little things that impressed, adding up to a greater whole -- Howarth's ultra-brave pass, stand-in skipper Schlein's enthusiastic congratulations for Greaves (nicely timed to take place in front of the Wolves supporters) after the latter's valuable third place and even the evident dismay of Harris after conceding the heat 13 5-1. Never was there a more committed guest rider, I'm taking his valuable points as karma for all the grudging clapping and gritted teeth congratulations I've emanated in the past as he laid waste to Wolves hopes as a Bee! It's certainly not over (I may have been one of the cautious fans Beefy Keefy was referring to); Swindon remain a more than capable outfit, will be fired up for the return and Wolves will, of course, be without their main two Monmore weapons in Lindgren and Thorssell. But what a night! By no means the least of the pleasures was chatting with a number of Robins fans afterwards; all were warm in their congratulations, despite their evident disappointment, and IMHO their conduct did the club great honour. Roll on Wednesday. http://www.wolverhamptonwolves.co/news.php?extend.2839

"Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour." Robert Louis Stevenson. I fear we may be doing a lot of labouring, mind!

Thanks for those, appreciated.

Not having been to Blunsdon for a few years, any recommendations on somewhere close by for a bite to eat please? Thanks in advance.

Good grief. Over the course of the season they finished top and were deserved winners of their semi, albeit not without a slight wobble. It's high-speed motorcycle sport and the risk of injury will always be there. You play the hand you're dealt. Swindon have earned their place in the final and if they defeat Wolves in the shootout then good luck to them. This post has really taken the edge off my day. Then again, it's not all bad news...

Good point well made. Shame if that is the case, but it only takes one numpty. I suspect all tracks have them.

Well done to Wolves, and commiserations to the Aces. Over the course of 30 races there will always be "what if" moments, but that is the nature of sport. The Knockout Cup may yet bring some consolation to Belle Vue.

Couldn't agree more, on both counts.

I was rather hoping no trout would take that fly!

I did say Glasgow fans might see it differently. I take your point, but "pick and choose" almost makes the decision appear to be a whim instead of a rider making a tough decision on returning from injury.

Sounds like a sensible precaution (Glasgow fans might see it differently). Fingers crossed he's OK for tomorrow. The schedules some of the riders have now are extraordinary, presumably in part the spread of doubling up. Mind, I can recall talking to one young rider over a decade ago who had scored heavily in the night's meeting and told me it was his 14th consecutive day of action.

Ah, you beat me to it! It was a delicately balanced tie before Thorssell's injury, which I feel just swings it the Aces' way now. But that, to me, was purely a racing incident. Thorssell had clearly got the drop on Tungate and I suppose if someone has to go it's the latter -- the leader sets his line -- but I wouldn't have argued with all four back. There's been a lot of to and fro on the forum about cheering when an opposing rider falls. I don't do it personally, finding it a bit distasteful (aren't I the po-faced one?!) but I am able to tell the difference between the panto huzzah which greets a gentle but undignified slide out and the stricken silence which falls immediately when someone has a big 'off'. I suspect most fans are.

Forecast is good from early afternoon on.

Interesting info, thanks for that.

Yes, the usual ethics of working out the way of leading is which team has the more points. :-) Not a problem and thanks for responding.

According to Updates site Workington led briefly after heat two and then were behind or level until the outcome of heat 13, holding on thereafter, so the Glasgow statement would appear to be correct. Or perhaps you thought they were referring to heat winners? Again, Updates gives Workington seven and the Tigers eight. As for Sarjeant, the Speedway Star piece quoted his team manager saying he apologised to the Workington fans, wanted to make it up to the club and offered to ride in every race at Scunthorpe for which he was eligible (on what was clearly a difficult circuit following extensive rain). Seemed a sensible line to take given what happened in the previous meeting. If you can recall what he said in the Derwent Park interview, I'd be interested to know which bits of the story he takes issue with. He has apologised on his Facebook page and in a story on the official website so the general tone seems clear. Cheers. Take your point on Williamson, but it would have meant three successive races for him. Not sure if he would have qualified anyway under top three scorers on programmed rides (do they still have that?).

Well, let's hope you're right!

Yep, fair enough. I would have the Aces down as marginal favourites (innate pessimism, perhaps!) as they seem to go that little bit better at Monmore than Wolves do at the NSS (Wolves needed a tactical ride in each of the away matches, coming up with a win and a second place). But there doesn't appear to be all that much in it either way. Hoping for two full teams and a brace of excellent matches.

Sarjeant and Bowtell named as the Wolves reserve pairing for the second leg.