Belle Vue Vs. Mildenhall (nl)

[Halifaxtiger]

 

I weren't at the meeting so can't comment, although looking at the updates there does not appear to have been a lot of passing, you would have been at Mildenhall Sunday and after the first few heats would have seen quite a bit of passing from both sets of riders, that is what will bring the crowds back - not just Belle Vue, Rye House has had it's share of meetings with little passing. Maybe explaining to fans where it went wrong, and how it will be put right for future would be more likely to bring people back rather than just accepting it?

 

 

Have a look and see who was doing the updates, Kev

[TMW]

Not sure you are correct on this one Tina, the Elite and Premier forums seem to be holding up well. Small attendances at the tracks who field a second team seem to bear out the interest in this level of the sport. as examples The total nonsense and lack of ability to sort out the farce that sees reserves take 7 rides a meeting over a long period - this year Garrity, Hazeldene and Knight and possible Heeps if he gets over squeezes out the place for the young coming through Brits and takes away interest. Taking out the flair of young up and coming Aussies / Scandanavians etc takes a further slice of interest away - simple, keep reserve slots for young Brits only, that will start the conveyor belt rolling and give people something to post about.

 

I weren't at the meeting so can't comment, although looking at the updates there does not appear to have been a lot of passing, you would have been at Mildenhall Sunday and after the first few heats would have seen quite a bit of passing from both sets of riders, that is what will bring the crowds back - not just Belle Vue, Rye House has had it's share of meetings with little passing. Maybe explaining to fans where it went wrong, and how it will be put right for future would be more likely to bring people back rather than just accepting it?

 

Like yours, Halifax's is an opinion, thats what starts debate - you answered - and surely that is what forum's are?

 

Kev

 

 

 

My concern is for the (NL) section of the Forum but I take your points

 

Tina

[mikec]

I was at the match last night, having read the various opinions I would concur mainly with garyy's summing up of what went on. To say that there was only 200-250 people there is nonsense. If there was 250 people inside & say 300/400 outside dotted around, then I doubt Mort & DG would be too upset. That'd be a more accurate crowd reflection. Saw DG sat front table inside bar overlooking start line, seemed happy enough.

 

As for the track, after the recent "drought" up here it was a relief to not see plumes of dust & think the disparaging comments about the track are out of order. Grading took place, was the track not the same for all 14 riders??

 

Thought Jack Hargreaves, young Baseby & Lewis Blackbird battled hard against a Colts side who'll take a lot of beating at KL. For the Colts McKinna & Garrity were excellent, though I was really impressed with Kyle Howarth - races with good style, Monarchs fans could be in for some good scores from him as the season goes on.

 

Footnote for Halifax Tiger et al - the atmos even at EL Aces meetings is often poor. We're in a dire stadium where we've not been wanted for years. Viewing is poor, facilities are tired at best. How about a bit of praise for a promotion who are about to build a stadium that will provide a shot in the arm for the whole of the sport in the UK, encouraging promising young speedway riders, several hundred punters turning out to support it & applauding your riders when they won, as last night turned out it wasn't that often.

[Wag]

As a Mildenhall fan I'm not being negative, but I have to agree with Mr Halifax Tiger regarding the quality of the racing last night. Every track is different, and the racing you see is what you get use to. But it wasn't good in comparison to what we see at Mildenhall for example. Don't even get me started on the superb Somerset track and the quality of the racing there.

The refereeing last night was BIZARRE as PhilK pointed out at the time. The Brundle exclusion was unbelievable!

The NL is supposed to be the breeding ground for the sports future in this country. So please referees, give the boys a bit of leeway and let them have a chance. When there's havoc on the first and second bend, let em all back and give em another go! Right I've said my bit, I'll post again in about 4 years...

[bellevueace]

It takes two teams to provide good racing, the fen tigers just couldnt get near the colts to even begin to make it competetive. Nothing wrong with the track its there to be ridden as proved by garrity, howarth, mckinna etc.

[Great Central]

Having been at both meetings, I thought that some strange decisions were made in both and there is a defintely a lack of consistency with referees. I don't suppose they have the benefit of video replays at NL meetings so it is as they see it at the time. As far as I remember, James Brundle was excluded for falling on his own and getting stuck under the air fence one lap after the incident with Chris Widman. The race should have been stopped at the first incident and rerun without Chris giving Brundle the chance to score points in the rerun, but maybe the referee saw the clash as a 50/50 racing incident. Who knows.

Regarding Belle Vue, I think mikec sums it quite nicely: "We're in a dire stadium where we've not been wanted for years. Viewing is poor, facilities are tired at best". If standing outside, the view of the riders is very poor so a lot of spectators go inside. Apparently it was quite full inside last night but obviously that doesn't add to the atmosphere outside. I think the BV spectators are beginning to warm to NL speedway and with EL matches not being held every week, why not come and support the youngsters on the "off weeks". You will see plenty of commitment, exciting racing and no messing around at the start and last night the scoreline did not do Mildenhall justice for the effort put in by the riders. It is not going to be easy to come to BV and get points of the Colts since most NL riders will be seeing it for the first time this year.

[Halifaxtiger]

I was at the match last night, having read the various opinions I would concur mainly with garyy's summing up of what went on. To say that there was only 200-250 people there is nonsense. If there was 250 people inside & say 300/400 outside dotted around, then I doubt Mort & DG would be too upset. That'd be a more accurate crowd reflection. Saw DG sat front table inside bar overlooking start line, seemed happy enough.

 

As for the track, after the recent "drought" up here it was a relief to not see plumes of dust & think the disparaging comments about the track are out of order. Grading took place, was the track not the same for all 14 riders??

 

Thought Jack Hargreaves, young Baseby & Lewis Blackbird battled hard against a Colts side who'll take a lot of beating at KL. For the Colts McKinna & Garrity were excellent, though I was really impressed with Kyle Howarth - races with good style, Monarchs fans could be in for some good scores from him as the season goes on.

 

Footnote for Halifax Tiger et al - the atmos even at EL Aces meetings is often poor. We're in a dire stadium where we've not been wanted for years. Viewing is poor, facilities are tired at best. How about a bit of praise for a promotion who are about to build a stadium that will provide a shot in the arm for the whole of the sport in the UK, encouraging promising young speedway riders, several hundred punters turning out to support it & applauding your riders when they won, as last night turned out it wasn't that often.

 

First of all, let me say I don't have an axe to grind. I call it as I see it.

 

To be honest, when I put the post on the updates forum about 200 I thought I had overstated it. I simply cannot believe that there were 650 there and would be interested to hear an official view on the attendance.

 

I think the problem with Belle Vue's track is not that it is isolated to that meeting - bluntly, whenever I have been there it has been awful and the racing has reflected that.Its one reason why although I was home in 35 minutes I have been to Kirky Lane only 7 times in 8 seasons (I have been to Weymouth the same number of times)and while its all very well saying it is the same for both teams, that is hardly the point. The exceptionally talented Jason Garrity aside, no-one passed without a mistake and even Howarth and Garrity did not look like catching Hargreaves in the final race.

 

To be fair, your last paragraph regarding atmosphere is spot on and I also accept that there is only so much the promotion can do given that it is not their stadium.

 

As you will note, I gave the Belle Vue promotion credit for entering an NL side and do so again now and they also deserve credit for recognising that a new stadium is needed. Every success to them where that is concerned.

 

One last comment: this forum will truly die when fans without an axe to grind cease to put objective comments on here or are savagely criticised by partisan others for doing so (although that hasn't been the case here). I can think of several of our best posters who no longer contribute for that specific reason, and this forum is all the poorer for it.

 

It takes two teams to provide good racing, the fen tigers just couldnt get near the colts to even begin to make it competetive. Nothing wrong with the track its there to be ridden as proved by garrity, howarth, mckinna etc.

 

I'd say you need a decent track to provide good racing - it doesn't matter what the difference is between the two teams if you haven't got that. Take it from me (I have been to 11 tracks this season and every one in Britain bar Somerset and Eastbourne in the last year) Belle Vue do not have one.

[Bradders]

Here is my take on the meeting. It was an ok match ,not great but not bad either. Colts were just the better from tapes thats pretty much it.

 

The exceptionally talented Jason Garrity aside, no-one passed without a mistake and even Howarth and Garrity did not look like catching Hargreaves in the final race.

 

I seem to remember heat 15 i think it was Garrity and Howarth gated and Hargreaves went right around the pair on the outside and shocked our riders as they thought they`d get a 5-1.

 

As for the track, after the recent "drought" up here it was a relief to not see plumes of dust & think the disparaging comments about the track are out of order. Grading took place, was the track not the same for all 14 riders??

ABSOLUTELY AGREE, we could see the riders and didn`t have to contend with the dust and Sand from Dog track being blown into our faces.

 

Just agreeing with others on here we have a "DUMP" of a stadium, viewing terrible, track is abysmal, not much atmosphere but when your used to bottom of the table action year upon year it`s hardly to have any atmosphere, hopefully the new stadium will change our fortunes in every aspect.

 

Back on Meeting wise Mildenhall wise i thought Hargreaves who has rode Belle Vue before looked very good along with Blackbird who impressed me in the meeting. The disappointment for me from the Fen Tigers was Brundel who has ridden Belle Vue more than than more some of our riders with his previous clubs at kirky lane, he Never looked threatening at all to be honest especially the Tactial ride he had. But would like to say ,it was nice to see so many Mildenhall fans there as there was more than we get from Elite sides barring the Midland sides.

[scribbler]

What I do believe is that this section of the Forum is dying off, as very few people seem to want to comment anymore, and I think it is posts like

this that are signing it's deat warrant to be honest.

 

I rarely post nowadays because of the personal comments aimed at me for having an opinion.

 

I can't get to meetings anymore - due to health issues - but I did enjoy contributing to the BSF forum. I'll always have a 'soft spot' for the NL - and I'll continue to read it... but I'll rarely post.

[mikec]

Appreciate your comeback HalifaxTiger. I agree that the racing wasn't great on Monday night, through no lack of effort on the riders of either side. A guy near me commented that the track was the best he'd seen it all season. A real change from the dusty conditions we've had so far after the warm weather we've had. Someone said that the dirt we have to use now after the GRA complained of the previous track material upsetting the greyhound's paws contributes to racing quality in some way??

 

Some years ago the track did provide decent racing, particularly when Jason Lyons was in his pomp & latterly when Crumpy wore the Ace of Clubs. In the last 2 or 3 years the quality of racing seems to have deteriorated - I feel that a fair chunk of this is out of the BV management's control.

 

It's a forum & your honest comments are welcome, hopefully just like mine are. It's not a cheap hobby following your team away, in this day and age any away support is most welcome - was good to see a few Fen Tigers made the trip. So despite the poor racing, debatable track conditions, over the top bar prices, poor stadium and viewing, will I be there for the next Colts match? Definitely. The likes of Garrity & Howarth are real talents & it'll be fascinating to watch their development.

Edited May 11, 2011 by mikec