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Plymouth V Scunthorpe Sat 30/5


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Reports I got was that it didn't start to rain heavily until almost 10pm and that this meeting could easily have gone ahead.

 

I certainly don't blame the Plymouth promotion. Met Office said heavy rain starting at 6pm, and that prediction stayed that way until 6pm.

 

They got it completely wrong, and what's hard to take is that XC weather, Metcheck & Netweather all got it spot on. What do they know that Met Office don't ?

 

Its infuriating to have a meeting called off as a result of the weather. Its even more so when its called off as a result of a totally inaccurate prediction made by equally incompetent forecasters.

Edited by Halifaxtiger
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Reports I got was that it didn't start to rain heavily until almost 10pm and that this meeting could easily have gone ahead.

 

I certainly don't blame the Plymouth promotion. Met Office said heavy rain starting at 6pm, and that prediction stayed that way until 6pm.

 

They got it completely wrong, and what's hard to take is that XC weather, Metcheck & Netweather all got it spot on. What do they know that Met Office don't ?

 

Its infuriating to have a meeting called off as a result of the weather. Its even more so when its called off as a result of a totally inaccurate prediction made by equally incompetent forecasters.

100% correct HT..i was watching these forecast,and thinking this will run as the rain was showing later and later

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Shambolic to call it off that early...and shouldnt be allowed.

 

And make the riders and away supporters travel for no purpose? If the forecast gets it so wrong, can you honestly blame the promotion? By all means blame a promotion for all sorts of rthings, but surely not for believing the weather forecast.

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And make the riders and away supporters travel for no purpose? If the forecast gets it so wrong, can you honestly blame the promotion? By all means blame a promotion for all sorts of rthings, but surely not for believing the weather forecast.

no purpose?? They would have seen a meeting had it not been called off. Its speedway and many meetings are called off, its the chance you take when travelling away....away supporters in speedway are as rare as rocking horse sh!te anyway these days :)
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Shambolic to call it off that early...and shouldnt be allowed.

 

Come on, AF.

 

The Met Office forecast in the morning was heavy rain starting at 6pm. I don't blame the promotion one bit - even though I was on a southern tour and chose to abandon it because the match was called off - because based upon that forecast had the meeting stayed on they would have faced huge costs for nothing.

 

Its those incompetent cretins at the Met Office who are entirely to blame. If they had got it right - as virtually everyone else did - this meeting would have been on. Just to put that into perspective, they also got King's Lynn wrong on Thursday and will probably have got Eastbourne wrong today.

Edited by Halifaxtiger
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Come on, AF.

 

The Met Office forecast in the morning was heavy rain starting at 6pm. I don't blame the promotion one bit - even though I was on a southern tour and chose to abandon it because the match was called off - because based upon that forecast had the meeting stayed on they would have faced huge costs for nothing.

 

Its those incompetent cretins at the Met Office who are entirely to blame. If they had got it right - as virtually everyone else did - this meeting would have been on.

i agree they are hopeless...it happens all too often though, not having a go but surely there is more than one source to make a judgement from.... esp how early it was made aswell.

 

I just dont believe meetings should be called off on a prediction.

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I meant why Plymouth moved it from their normal Friday.

 

I suspect it's because of the original fixture list.

 

Scunny had Fri 29th reserved for the League Cup semi-finals, so therefore Plymouth vs Scunny was down as Sat 30th.

 

As for the call off, it's annoying when the forecast proves not to be correct, but I can understand why the Plymouth management called it off early. If you put on a meeting on an evening when the BBC (the forecast most of the public go by) predicts rain all night, the crowd is poor. Simple as.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam
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i agree they are hopeless...it happens all too often though, not having a go but surely there is more than one source to make a judgement from.... esp how early it was made aswell.

 

I just dont believe meetings should be called off on a prediction.

 

Fair point about alternative websites (and its certainly something that should be considered)but the general view is that Met Office are the experts. They're not.

 

Any postponement costs a promotion but a rain off with everyone at the track costs thousands (which speedway in general and Plymouth in particular simply don't have).

 

There's also the views of paying fans to consider - insisting a meeting will be on when forecasts say otherwise and then calling off at the last minute does nothing but annoy everyone. In this case, there were two fans at least coming a long distance - Rob & I - and I had no problem with the early call off, just the quality of the information upon which the decision was based.

 

Giving the parlous state of the sports finances calling off on the strength of weather forecasts is a must.

 

 

 

 

I suspect it's because of the original fixture list.

 

Scunny had Fri 29th reserved for the League Cup semi-finals, so therefore Plymouth vs Scunny was down as Sat 30th.

 

As for the call off, it's annoying when the forecast proves not to be correct, but I can understand why the Plymouth management called it off early. If you put on a meeting on an evening when the BBC (the forecast most of the public go by) predicts rain all night, the crowd is poor. Simple as.

 

All the best

Rob

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i agree they are hopeless...it happens all too often though, not having a go but surely there is more than one source to make a judgement from.... esp how early it was made aswell.

 

I just dont believe meetings should be called off on a prediction.

not really sure what else you suggest? A forecast is a prediction. This forecast was made by one of the best paid met organisations in Europe. Are they always right? No - especially not in the southwest - but the they're probably the best we've got. I followed the forecast right up to six pm and rain was promised during the race window. Did it materialise? No, but i can't see what else the promotion could have done, especially after they got their fingers burned (albeit by the referee) earlier this year by leaving a call off until tapes up. Just my view but I think the Plymouth promotion have a fairly good record on these decisions. Cheers.
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I spent the weekend in Brixham, partly in the hope of watching my second trip to the SBA, having thoroughly enjoyed the first, late last season.

 

Having travelled down on a wet Friday night and knowing of the dire forecast for Saturday night I wasn't totally surprised to find the meeting off first thing on Saturday, despite the fine weather which lasted through to about 6 pm, at which time steady drizzle began which soon developed into steady rain.

 

Even if the meeting had been called off at start time I wouldn't have been there. Noble though the efforts have been at Plymouth to build facilities that can't be permanent it still has very minimal cover and my days of standing in the rain watching riders cautiously ride round a waterlogged track are long gone, especially at today's admission prices.

 

I'm getting on a bit - and determined to get on a lot further so sitting (as I must now due to a gammy hip) in an open field getting soaked just isn't an option. I'll only take a chance on weather at tracks with cover, ideally where I don't have to take my seat in so I'm afraid the open tracks just don't get my money when the weather's doubtful.

 

Now, I love my speedway but it's got to be a pleasure these days, especially having seen too much on the 'other side of the fence' over the years and if you want to call me a fair weather fan then fine, I've paid my dues at more mud heaps than most.

 

Times have moved on, not just for me and in the 21st century it's not just me who wants basic comfort, especially at £20 to get in (including the vital programme), not to mention the extras.

 

I think some promoters have finally caught on to the fact that the public just won't pay to watch poor meetings in the rain. These days so few meetings are staged they might as well be staged when the weather allows everyone to enjoy it. It's not as if promoters have to cram 30+ meetings into a season now.

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i agree they are hopeless...it happens all too often though, not having a go but surely there is more than one source to make a judgement from.... esp how early it was made aswell.

 

I just dont believe meetings should be called off on a prediction.

i do. I would much prefer to get a wrong decision once in awhile based on predictions than arrive at a stadium, let into the stadium paying the £16 and then being told it's cancelled and i can come back to a later meeting(Plymouth yea right). The best guy for calling off meetings is Len Silver and he has saved people thousands, and hours of time, by calling it off before fans have set out for the meeting.

 

Think of a meeting at Somerset, and afterwards going to our hotel at say Swindon. Len rings and says weathers a bit iffy but would come back on in the morning. 10.00am he rings back saying meeting off, based on usually reliable forecasters, which then allows you to change your plans, and drive back at a leisurely pace straight home. Back home before teatime with no hassle. The alternative, drive like mad to get across London, eat on the way, bloody traffic, and get there to find the meeting is off, bloody promoters don't care, blah blah. That happened to a trip once to IOW, but at least it was early enough to allow us a nice night out in Southsea? and not getting on the Island, and have a wasted visit to the track. Give me predictions everytime.

 

I personally use a combination of BBC, Met Off, Metcheck and XCWeather.

Edited by Tsunami
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