Shadders my friend were you there,and how would you know.
I live in Watford and made the trip down,and booked a B and B for the night.IMO the meeting was still on right up until the memorial service started at which point it absolutely bucketed down.I think if it hadn`t had rained so hard at that point we would have been ok.Even at that late stage the riders were STILL continplating giving it a go,but as explained to me by Shane Parker it was just a little too risky at this early part of the season to get injured.
However after it was called off,quite a few of the riders stayed after chatting with the spectators and posing for photographs and signing autographs.In the OTA club I saw Crumpy,Emil the Russian,Lemo,Shane,
and most of the rest of the Rebels,Neil Collins,Mad Wellie Bish,Brent and many others.Hans Anderson also stayed,but he was out in the pits area with some other riders.The annoying thing was that at about 9.30 when I left the weather was lovely,no rain,wind nothing.
This isn`t the first time that I`ve travelled to a meeting and it has been called off and it will not be the last,but thats the deal with Speedway.I know some of the people behind the scenes at Somerset,and they have busted a gut to get this wonderful meeting together( the programme was superb)to see it all go up in smoke through the only thing they couldn`t control must have been a heartbreaker.
I have to say that I thought the Service was very moving,especially as the people who were attending did so through what was probibly the worst shower of the day,but I didn`t see anyone running for cover.To anyone who follows Speedway and you are thinking of making a bit of a journey to a meeting where there is a chance it might be off,make your own call,then if it is on you can only blame yourself,cos no one not even Len Silver can control the weather!