jules m

Well thats at least two of us then WW!! I almost needed another piece of paper for my gripes!! I did also addd that if they helped us get it back I would be more than happy to deliver leaflets for them :-) Jules

you have to lower the tone alicat!

im not too worried as hes got no equipment left theres no way hed get his kevlars round his belly these days!

lol its nothing compared to the grief i get hes going to strangle me good job he doesnt know how to use a computer ;-)

Definately retired, too old, knocking on 50 you know, give the youngsters a chance.

If you dislike them that much why on earth did you buy 3, mind you at least you pay for them unlike some others I could mention??!! I have enjoyed all his books, he has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time don't you Mr Scott ;-) Can't wait for the next one its going to be a very interesting read and as for "breaking up relationships" what a crock of cow poop I almost pmsl when I read this comment from you time and time again MR P, fortunately I still have full control of my water works Jules M

Anyone got a contact name/number? Jules

Taken from todays Weymouth Echo. Cockle's blast at Bartlett 8:48am Wednesday 17th November 2010 By Adam Summers » ECHO rider of the year James Cockle has blasted outgoing chairman Phil Bartlett for not being up front about the Weymouth Wildcats’ financial problems. Cockle, along with several of the club’s other riders, are still owed wages and have been told by the promoter to contact the sport’s governing body, the BSPA, where a bond is in place to cover the shortfall. The Wessex Raceway was repossessed on Monday due to a failure to pay the rent, which has put the future of speedway in Weymouth in serious doubt. Cockle, who claims he has been trying to contact Bartlett for several days, said: “I am writing a letter to the speedway control board and I have spoken to the other riders, who are also owed money. “Phil said he would pay us at the end of season presentation evening but halfway through the night he disappeared. “If it was pay for just one meeting it would not bother me as much but I am owed money for approximately three of four, and that adds up to a fair amount. “The other thing that upsets me is that Phil actually called me up a couple of days before the presentation evening and said that as I have been with him at the club for a few years now, he sees me as a friend rather than just a work colleague. “How dare he say that and then just completely write me off. “Riding is part of my livelihood and because of that I have been living without money, which is completely unfair.” When asked about the club’s failure to pay Cockle, Bartlett told Echosport: “It is true that James has not been paid but a contingency is in place at the BSPA and he needs to contact them, along with the other riders. There is a bond in place for them to fall back on.” Bartlett went on to add: “With everything that has been going on, would you have wanted to speak to James about it? “I know I should have done and I am very sorry for that but I have been busy and ill, and have hardly had the time to phone anyone.” Despite reported interest from a potential buyer – understood to be Matchams Leisure Park’s Craig Robin-son – Bartlett believes speedway is “not viable in the town” in the current climate and has since backed up that statement with statistics. He said: “We were paying £35,000 in rent, which included £27,000 to Wessex Delivery Partnership LLP for the lease of the land, and £8,000 to Weymouth FC for the use of their facilities. “In order to break even we needed around 500 to 600 people coming through the gate every week and that was clearly not happening. We were not even getting those sorts of crowds when we won the Conference League in 2008.” As well as having the track repossessed, the club has also had to return its licence to the BSPA. Bartlett added: “Again this is for non-payment despite the fact the BSPA have owed me money for two years, whereas I owe them six months’ money.” All the off-season training session dates at the club have naturally been cancelled but Cockle is still holding out hope that speedway will survive in the town. He said: “Hopefully someone will come in and take the club on. I have loved representing Weymouth and it really is a brilliant place to ride.” Its people like Cockle and the other riders and companies that he owes money to that I feel sorry for. Its Ok saying the BSPA bond will cover it but 6 months unpaid fees is an awful lot of money, I'm not sure how much is held in bond but by the time the fees and riders wages are taken out there ain't going to be much left if any. I also think that riders only get the minimum points and travel money as dictated by the league not what they were being paid by the club although I am sure none were on anymore anyway, I m ay be wrong though. Its a very sad time for Weymouth speedway, I hope someone comes in who has a passion for the sport, knows how to run a club and is aware of all the financial implications before they commit to something they cannot sustain. Jules

Why can't the NL one be incorporated onto the EL and PL one and have a errr big one altogether. If there any issues regarding fixtures, riders doubling up/down, clubs going up or down a league etc etc they could all be discussed at the same time and resolved rather than the NL being treated like an after thought. Jules

I think there is more ins and outs to this situation than a weekend in the life of Mr Rooney. I am led to believe, allegedly the rent contract is in Mr Bartlett's name and not Weymouth Speedway (although I am also led to believe that Weymouth Speedway does not even exist :-/)so what bearing this has on the future of the club I do not know in respect of bankruptcy. If someone does come in and take over I am pretty certain that some of the people who were previously involved helping to promote the club would love to help out again if asked, and the crowd figures would be somewhere near what they need to be to make the club viable in no time. In my opinion I have seen very little in the way of promoting the club in Weymouth this season, I will no doubt get accused of sour grapes but I actually find it very sad. A couple of years ago we used to go to school fetes and hand out hundreds of kids go free tickets to local schools. We went to the local supermarkets with a bike and rider handing out tickets, posters were put up around the town, we handed out tickets in the town centre and many other things beside. I haven't seen the club being promoted this season and I live in Weymouth. Promotion efforts this season, apart from the Southern Classic Bikes people handing out tickets twice this year (which has always been very much appreciated and is quite a spectacle :-)) have been few and far between. I think that this is just as, if not more so, the reason that crowd figures are down and why the club now finds itself in the current situation. It hasn't always been like this and I am sure in the right hands it could be great again providing people are prepared to do the hard graft to get it there. Jules

Well I have never heard such a load of rubbish in my life! Even those of us that do not think Mr Bartlett is/was taking the club in the right direction would NEVER want there to be no speedway in Weymouth. If you can name one person that thinks this then I will willingly buy you a pie or pint whichever you prefer. There are lots of people that do not go to Weymouth Speedway because of how they feel about the current promotion, but these people would not want to see it disappear forever and all have valid reasons for not attending. Why would the moderator have an issue with Weymouth speedway? He/she is just doing their job! Jules (sits back and awaits the inevitable flack/abuse)

Where does this leave the Shareholders? Are they liable for any debts incured or will they simply move with the club if a new owner is found? All very worrying for Wildcats fans, fingers crossed that someone can come in and make a go of the club. It seems a long time ago since Weymouth lifted that League Trophy what a mess. Jules

Haven't Weymouth got to go to Newport as well? Jules

Just a thought but if no one comes in to buy the club I wonder if it would be possible to run it as a training track so that at least there is always the potential to bring the club back. The training schools always used to be popular and its a nice little track to start on.

talking to jays mrs via facebook last night it appears no bones broken and hes still in one piece:-) fingers crossed there is some good news on james soon.