Mike.Butler

One of the major cancers affecting british speedway is the farcical way in which the published league fixture list is ripped up by some clubs on a whim. Is it any wonder hardly any fans travel away now.? Booking an overnight stay even a week in advance has proven to be a very risky thing to do as some clubs treat potential visiting fans with potential long journeys with utter contempt. One wonders if any clubs will ever arrange any formal away travel ever again... I cannot imagine any credible sport allows individual clubs to cancel fixtures like we have to put up with. Totally unprofessional and the fact they are allowed to do it so regularly sums up the awful lack of governance of our sport. To be honest I don't think they deserve us fans they still have. This season has been so awful with so many fixtures still outstanding which was totally avoidable. The whole prevalence of self-interest by so many clubs is galling and a major reason why the sport is losing fans.

So Buxton have manged to race against a mere 3 teams in one of the hottest summers on record. Along with Stoke there is no way either club should be considered in any professional/semi-professional set up going forwards. What a shambles.

Tv companies do change football fixtures wit relatively short notice so there would be a reasonable expectation that the east Anglian derby would have been moved from its original date. If it hasn't this time i'd say is in itselfs unusual.

One of the best meetings I've been to for a long time. The amount of passing and general excitement of the racing was brilliant. I'm guessing the posters above condemning the track weren't there!

Makes you wonder how tracks are going to fulfil their fixtures when we get an 'average' summer!

Far better that the exciting plans for the new stadium are kept on a need-to-know basis for now rather than individuals who only know part of the overall plan releasing 'aspirational' leaks as previously. I'd much rather wait until the project manager and all stakeholders are ready to issue a proper detailed plan as agreed by all parties into the public domain. I'm sure this must be very close now to being rubber stamped. It's probably only the contingency planning in the unlikely event of the stadium not being ready for the first meeting in March that's delaying issue. I'd imagine that they are reacting to the problems that Tottenham are currently experiencing and ensuring there is no repeat. Can't believe how amateurish that White Hart Lane project seems to be at the moment...they are talking of a 3 month+ delay!!! Can you just imagine Swindon ending this season like Spurs leaving their fans unsure as to where the next match might be staged....

Some people will look pretty foolish if this is so.. Speedway has virtually nil influence with the powers that matter. Tracks in farmers fields will be the only newbies going forward..

I don't use twitter, was the new fence there on Saturday? If so I did not notice it (and no-one I was with did either to my knowledge...)

I'm out this afternoon.. but in the meantime anyone know if Plymouth might be able to find any heat leaders for this match? It's shaping up to be a major mis-match as so many are in this years national league unfortunately. The disparity between top and bottom is not doing anyone any good. In the early 90's I remember getting to track and the meeting was off due to Hackney not being able to track a competitive side....doesn't seem to be an issue for the NL these days!

I agree that racing at Arlington can often be processional...but its my nearest track so beggars etc...

Last night's Eagles v Plymouth programme was a special Bob Dugard tribute edition covering some 8 pages or so with some lovely photos, memories and tributes with pictures of Bob on front and back as well. It really has been well done and a nice memento to have.

really enjoyed Plymouth's efforts..Richard Andrews in particular...seen a lot worse meets this season as it turns out.

lets be honest..we have all seen good and bad meetings at every track. For instance my last two visits to Alwalton have been amongst the very best and worst of all time I have seen..

isn't it amazing how we see a meeting differently!. I thought there was a lot passing, good close racing and thoroughly enjoyed it.

one league has to have some sort of rider control IMV.

If its one big league then I see rider control as imperative....but given the conflict of interest promoters have I don't see how that will happen. its not as though riders can complain as they have demonstated they will ride anywhere over recent seasons.. The ridiculous level of team changes in the top 2 leagues is frankly a joke...how can fans relate to a team that changes riders every month...

According to my London v Peterborough 1996 programme I see that Peterborough paid a (then) world record £35,000 fee to Poole for Jason Crump. Anyone in the know as to whether this was ever broken by a British club? (I assume it's been beaten many times by a Polish club?..)

As a reasonably regular visitor to Central Park I have noticed that for most heats invariably it is the home riders who are last out to the tapes keeping the visiting riders (and the crowd) waiting right up to the expiry of the 2 mins....This was illustrated perfectly on Monday in heat 1 when Boxall took ages to come out of pits ... Just saying that against Brum that accumulation of 'wasted' time came back to haunt them later as Brummies used time-wasting tactics...I am not the only one who has noticed this trend by the home riders week after week.......

The prog says he was on loan there when 16....

As Birmingham did previously the fact that Kent only have a 2 hour window means visiting sides in a professional sport will do all they can to maximise their chances. The fault lies with the authorities who allow tracks to operate with a 2 hour slot which we all know can often be insufficient to complete a meeting. Public short changed AGAIN! In a perfect world Kent shouldn't have a licence...then again the BSPA daren't implement anything that is for the wider good as tracks just threaten to close. 2 ambulances MUST be in attendance, 3 hours minimum timeslot MUST be a pre-requirement for a licence, all scheduled fixtures MUST be staged.. so much wrong leading to the inevitable i'm afraid

luckily they completed heat 10 by their curfew time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..

sounds like we need a clean broom through the offices of power.....but who would want the responsibility?... I wish I had some answers to the problems..start again with a blank piece of paper might be best...forget the past...start from scratch as if it were a fledging new pastime able to take advantage of some existing sites previously used by something called Speedway..

oh the irony...….other fixtures featuring complete sides postponed to allow other teams to use their riders as guests..and then its off...

Anyone any idea who is the 'holder' of the Bronze Helmet? thx

Dan Halsey then.. thanx for info..