Mike.Butler Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Suggest a ref known for 'getting on with it' is appointed for semi's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlata prilba Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Might even go along myself. As long as you dont bring along the blinkered muppets from the NL facebook pge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzac Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 (edited) Suggest a ref known for 'getting on with it' is appointed for semi's. Seem to remember Frank Ebdon I think being called 'fast fingered Frank' who got a meeting through quickly,not sure if he still referees? Just had a thought, assume that was to do with his refereeing! Edited July 22, 2016 by gazzac 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyd Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Seem to remember Frank Ebdon I think being called 'fast fingered Frank' who got a meeting through quickly,not sure if he still referees? Just had a thought, assume that was to do with his refereeing! Used to love Frank Ebdon running a meeting,the two minute warning was on for the next heat while the riders were still on track on the slow down lap. He never put up with any crap if a rider spent time gardening at the gate for to long he would be excluded for delaying the start. I wonder what he is up to now and if he could be tempted out of retirement to teach a few refs how to move todays meetings along? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Frank Ebdon never put up with any crap if a rider spent time gardening at the gate for to long he would be excluded for delaying the start. I wonder what he is up to now and if he could be tempted out of retirement to teach a few refs how to move todays meetings along? He had the same attitude with riders who continually pushed the tapes, they got the same short shrift. Looks like I'm not the only one who would welcome Mr Ebdon back ASAP. Certainly, he would be a major culture shock for a fair few riders in all leagues in this country. Back in the day, when names such as Bill Daff, John Eglese and Stan Green appeared in the programme as match referee, they caused a fair amount of derisory comment. Some, but by no means all of these comments could and would be fully deserved. But when you look at what a referee had at their disposal technology wise, their job was somewhat 'what they saw', sometimes in just a split second, so it's no surprise mistakes were inevitably made. Those referees also ensured meetings kept their momentum, and the only major delay was if injury occurred, or the safety fence needed considerable repair. Not so today. It seems that all the faffing about such as returning to the pits to refuel, have clutch adjusted again and about a thousand other sundry reasons is taken as acceptable these days. Well, it's not. I can't comment on Dave Carrington, all the matches I have attended with him in charge seem to have gone without a hitch and received no adverse reaction, I can only conclude he is one of the better referees currently. Obviously, that wasn't the case last Monday. He could, and should have ensured the match reached it's conclusion well within the allotted time. After all, he was in overall charge of affairs. You haven't lived though until you've witnessed one of Jim McGregor's truly appalling epics; and quite how prize planks like Mick Bates and Dave Watters keep their licences I don't know. I know the rule book, such as it is, is overly complicated, but really, it appears that these three in particular have never even looked at it. If you can't even get the basics right, it's time to go. The overall standard of refereeing these days is absolutely abysmal. Get that sorted out, get that right, and yes, get referees actually in charge of meetings again, and that could be one of the cornerstones of a speedway revival in this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted July 23, 2016 Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 (edited) I agree with the comments about Frank Ebdon. I saw him referee a few meetings at first hand and he was extremely good at pushing meetings through. I recently went to Perry Barr for the Belle Vue Cup match with a couple of colleagues who had never been to Speedway before. The meeting actually finished by about 9:20 which is akin to record breaking pace these days. Having said that, seeing the meeting through newcomers' eyes was enlightening. There is a lot of downtime between races and the interminable tractor racing after every 4 heats and 10 minute interval that often turns into double that is very off putting. I think the old regulars, like me, don't notice the gaps as we spend most of the evening gassing to our mates and only break off when each race starts. Putting yourself in the place of a newcomer, who just turns up to see the racing, however, you can easily see why very few seem to be returning for a second bite these days. How do you fill all those gaps when you're not surrounded by mates and you've read the cover off the programme? Whatever happened to track rakers pulling the dirt back after every race. In my view this really helped to speed up meetings. Food for thought for Promoters but we've said it all before on here. PS I'm not having a go at Birmingham here. This applies to every track in the Country. Edited July 27, 2016 by Ommer Mon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 . Well, it's not. I can't comment on Dave Carrington, all the matches I have attended with him in charge seem to have gone without a hitch and received no adverse reaction, I can only conclude he is one of the better referees currently. You can't indeed - it's PAUL Carrington!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 You can't indeed - it's PAUL Carrington!! Whatever - the rest of what I posted still stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGT Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Seem to remember Frank Ebdon I think being called 'fast fingered Frank' His groupies called him that too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryn Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 The overall standard of refereeing these days is absolutely abysmal. Get that sorted out, get that right, and yes, get referees actually in charge of meetings again, and that could be one of the cornerstones of a speedway revival in this country. You going to apply to become one then so you can do it better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Hunter Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 You going to apply to become one then so you can do it better? You never know your luck - next time I see Graham Reeve I'll certainly ask him about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryn Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 You never know your luck - next time I see Graham Reeve I'll certainly ask him about it. Look forward to seeing you as a trainee then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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