Seb the Snail

I don't think major surgery will be required if the figure is somewhere around 42 or so. Troy and Simon are on lower marks than they were in March, and I don't think that the skipper's average moved significantly either. Pretty unusual for a team that has just won the title. Whether or not we go down the route of keeping Hans, Troy and PK isn't necessarily in our hands but I'd like to think that we'll definitely track a team with strength from top to bottom like this year.

Swindon certainly have the nucleus of a team that can challenge for honours again next season. Kildemand and Morris would be the first names on my team sheet, along with Hans as skipper if at all possible. He has been a credit to both himself and the club on and off track from the moment he joined. The Simon Stead that we saw in October is obviously a bargain on his current mark if he wants to stay. It's also no coincidence that we are always better with a "Seb" in the team and so I'd like to think that there will be a role for Mr Alden somewhere too.

I haven't seen the odds since we raced at Wimborne Road last week, but going into that meeting Poole were 5/4 favourites for the Elite League title and Swindon were available at 8/1 so I think that just about sums up their respective chances of glory despite any stuff and nonsense currently being emitted in Dorset.

Great to see a bit of speedway at the Abbey after the long winter break even if the weather wasn't exactly at its most glorious! The rain obviously had a massive effect on track conditions, with gate 1 having a massive advantage early in the meeting and the middle two gates never really getting going all night. Fair play to Bjarne for winning the spoils. He'd been consistent all night and made a great move on Nicki in the opening turn of the semi-final before just managing to get ahead of Hans in the final and clinging on despite a valiant chase. Bomber and Zagar were great value all night, but both ran one duff heat in the qualifiers which ultimately cost them when the gates were drawn at the business end of the meeting. Nicki ran a little hot and cold (as he did in the Ben Fund last week) although it's hard to judge how wound up the riders are in the early season meetings. Of the 2012 Robins, Kildemand and Morris both really impressed despite missing out on the semis. They are clearly out and out racers and have used their track time at the Abbey wisely. Nick could well have qualified in the Top 8 had he not suffered mechanical gremlins when well clear in Heat 7. Troy and Simon would probably both have expected to do better but will at least get another spin against Somerset before the real action starts. The former took a heavy spill in his final ride when flying off his bike when it reared at the start, although I'd imagine that his pride took the heaviest hit! Heat times were slow all night, with Bjarne's 68.46 in Heat 6 the quickest of the night. They dropped to almost 72 seconds towards the end of the qualifiers - as slow as I can ever remember. Edit to add the scores on the doors: Qualifiers: 11 Nicki Pedersen, Bjarne Pedersen, Hans Andersen 10 Matej Zagar 9 Ryan Fisher, Chris Harris 8 Lee Richardson, Charlie Gjedde 7 Simon Stead, Peter Kildemand 6 Troy Batchelor 5 Adam Shields, Nick Morris, Mads Korneliussen 4 Seb Ulamek 3 Nicolai Klindt 0 Darryl Ritchings (Res) Semi 1: Andersen, Zagar, Harris, Gjedde Semi 2: B Pedersen, N Pedersen, Fisher, Richardson Final: B Pedersen, Andersen, Zagar, N Pedersen (EF)

For once in my life I find myself in the very rare position of agreeing with Mr Shovlar. If Eddie is found guilty at the tribunal then I would find it very hard to believe that his offence at Lakeside was his first breach of the regulations this season. As such the only sensible course to maintain the integrity of the 2011 Elite League would be to remove his points from all previous meetings raced. Cheating has to be removed from our sport and so the maximum deterrent applied in this case. This isn't about Coventry v Poole, it's about fair play and if all of Eddie's previous points remain intact then the league is a sham.

Bjerre has treated the British public with contempt ever since his 'broken' leg kept him out of Elite League speedway a few summers back, and yet mysteriously he was still able to ride on the continent. No surprise that he added another shameful night to his ever-growing catalogue. Swindon put on a decent showing until it really mattered. It wasn't unexpected when Proctor reeled in Nicolai, although if he'd done his job against Dryml in the earlier heat then we'd have been through anyway, albeit for only one more heat. Absolutely the correct decision to exclude Troy, who continues to do himself no favours whatsoever with his petulant attitude. Apart from that, great to see Nicki back in British speedway. Just the man that we need in the absence of Jason, Greg and of course, Leigh.

Good to meet you and your brother too mate, and thanks for the beer! As mentioned, I managed to miss most of the meeting after arriving late and being locked out of the Abbey stadium for the second time this season, but after listening to most of it on the radio I managed to wander back up the road and sneak in before the end. There was still time to see parts of Messrs Woffinden and Parker that I'm still trying to forget, and 2 former Robins legends end their evenings unbeaten, with Rosco (2 from 2) and Clean (6 from 6) both in the deadliest of moods in front of the huge crowd. Holder tried everything in the Grand Final to rain on Leigh's parade, but after one or two anxious moments for his huge legion of fans, Adams fittingly roared past the chequered flag at The Abbey for one last time while his compatriot added to his growing collection of second places. It's hard to put into words what Leigh has meant to our club over the seasons, but there can be no doubt that we'll only really know the answer when we line up without him next March. For years now we've pencilled him in for 13 or 14 in the pre-meeting banter and then worked out where the rest of the points will come from to give us the result that we need. It sure will be strange not to have him leading us, as he always did, from the front. All the very best Leigh, and thanks for the memories.

I've got no more problem with Coventry signing Pawlicki on his legitimate average (4.00) than I have with them signing Harris, Barker or any other rider on theirs. Resting him before the Final was just yet another Rosco masterstroke, just like the way that he used his rides over the 2 legs of the Final. Even before their abject performances in the Final, Poole had already made 2 huge mistakes - missing the chance to knock out the Bees in the last meeting of the regular season and then choosing Wolves rather than Peterborough, as I think that the Bees would have had a much tougher route to the Final if they'd had to go to Monmore.

What a dreadfully sad article by Mr Ford in last night's Poole programme. The team that was caught red-handed last season defeated by a team that did nothing wrong and peaked at precisely the moment that it needed to. More than enough has already been said on this thread, but he would do well to remember exactly how he put his almost all-conquering team together in the first place. His estimation in the sport has fallen still further this week; if that was possible.

Hopefully the Wolves fans will all rally behind Rico, now that young Tai has fallen by the wayside? It defies all logic that last night result was allowed to stand, but nothing really surprises me with speedway any more.

Zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz It sounds as though the meeting tonight was a fitting tribute to Bob, and that's all that matters; not some pathetic attempt at critising another of Swindon's favourite sons. Oh, and well done Nicki.

It started raining at about 415 and hasn't really stopped; not particularly heavy, just murky and miserable. Rough luck on the fans, and of course Bob's family, who fully deserved the line up that had been painstakingly put together by the promotion. I'll be amazed if it's half as good at the weekend. I guess that Emil, Nicki and Jason are the 3 key riders to get back, as they are the biggest names not riding here this summer?

Great work from the promotion to get such a top class field. A fitting tribute to Bob, with the perfect blend of both current and former Robins and a sprinkling of the world's best. Nicki certainly had Clean's measure the last season that he rode for the Eagles and I would expect that to continue. It would be great if the Russian took to the Abbey and was right in the mix too.

Latest News from the Swindon website... POPULAR Australian Davey Watt and talented British youngster Ben Barker will ride in the Bob Kilby Memorial meeting which takes place at Blunsdon on Thursday 18 March. The confirmation of Watt and Barker, both established Elite league riders, means just two slots remain for the event which raises the curtain on the 2010 season at the Abbey Stadium. Indeed, Davey Watt and Ben Barker traditionally ride the Blunsdon race-track well and their inclusion helps bolster what is already an exciting looking field. The Bob Kilby Memorial meeting will be staged over a Grand Prix style format and includes Danish star Nicki Pedersen along with Robins’ skipper Leigh Adams. Joining Pedersen and Adams are International heavy hitters Freddie Lindgren and Hans Andersen. Meanwhile, popular Swindon asset Lee Richardson is joined by former Robins’ favourites Seb Ulamek and Steve Johnston. 2010 team members Simon Stead, Mads Korneliussen, Morten Risager, Gregorz Zengota and Thomas Jonasson all feature in the event. The current line-up for the event is as follows: Leigh Adams, Nicki Pedersen, Lee Richardson, Freddie Lindgren, Simon Stead, Seb Ulamek, Hans Andersen, Steve Johnston, Mads Korneliussen, Morten Risager, Thomas Jonasson, Grzegorz Zengota, Davey Watt, Ben Barker. Good to see that Patch has arranged a "pantomime villain" so that we all have someone to boo!

Hans and Johno added according to the Swindon website... Pepe Protasiewicz, Renat Gafurov and David Ruud next with any luck!

Give it a rest colin; you're more likely to see hell freezing over!

The only flag that I've got is navy blue, has lots of pretty stars on it, and says "Mr Clean" in big white letters. I guess it's retired from the GP circus too. Priceless orion. Was that the meeting when he was the highest scoring rider of the night? Thought so.

Thank you Ghostwalker, my case is rested. Reading between the lines, Tai has apparently been nominated because he isn't very old, and Bomber because he won 1 meeting 29 months ago irrespective of what he has done since. And yes, colin, I am English and proud of it, but I totally fail to see the relevance of your point in this instance.

Ah right, so it's not based on ability, it's not even nationality (as most of us suspected), it's all down to Tai's age. Bless. Possibly because they are more accomplished speedway riders? Just a thought; or is 7.47 Tai actually a better rider than 9.15 Matej? Not that I'm basing my view on EL performances alone... Higher average in all 3 European Leagues seems a good place to start? Britain - a whisker in it, but Lee wins 8.56 - 8.54 Sweden - no contest, Rico came 10th in the league ahead of the likes of Gollob, Emil, Freddie and Holder. Poland - Rico (7.22) the top Brit once again, well ahead of Tai (6.58) in second place. Better record in the SWC... the leading Brit for years, including 17 points in the Race Off this year (as many as Chris 9 and Tai 8 put together). Do you want me to carry on?

The fundamental flaw is that there seemingly have to be Brits in the series by right. I've posted before that I would have no problem with the Top 15 being made up of 5 Danes, 5 Poles and 5 Aussies and I stick by that view, although I guess that there's now a Russian worthy of inclusion. This is a World Championship, not some Charity Event. Woffinden is a bright prospect but he is about 4th or 5th best Brit* depending on your point of view, so I'm really struggling to see how anyone can justify his inclusion in next year's series. He'd have got there in the end, but no way does he deserve a place for next year. As several others have suggested, Zagar and Lindback would have made way more sense. We'd have still had the British Champion at Cardiff for any patriots to get behind, and right now that's all that we deserve. * For the record, I'd go Richardson, Harris, Nicholls, Kennett, Woffinden, Bridger, Stead.

I've got no problem with Hans and Freddie being included in the 2010 series, both riders are definitely in the world's Top 15 even if they weren't in this year's Grand Prix Top 8. The selection of both Brits, however, does the credibility of our sport no good whatsoever. Bomber has struggled abysmally on the world stage in the last couple of seasons and must be grateful that Scott's woeful campaign stopped him from finishing rock bottom. He was soundly beaten by riders such as Messrs Ulamek and Walasek this year, both of whom must be cursing the nation of their birth this evening. If Bomber's selection is mystifying, the choice of Tai is almost beyond comprehension. Tai is a 7 point rider with 1 season of Elite League experience, a big ego and a PR machine to match. His stats on the continent are even worse and he has never yet ridden the tough heats at Number 1. Disgraceful doesn't do it justice. If we "must" have a Brit then Richardson is the only candidate anywhere near the World's Top 15, above Harris and Woffinden in the Elite League averages, a street ahead on the continent and top scorer by a distance in last summer's SWC. Evenso it's more the likes of Zagar, Lindback and Protasiewicz that I feel sorry for, and yes, maybe even Ulamek and Walasek as well. What an absolute farce.

If Kennett and Woffinden are selected for next year's series then the last shred of credibility for the GP will be gone. Absolutely shameful picks; they have no pedigree across Europe and aren't even at No 1 in our watered down Elite League yet. I might just drag myself to Cardiff for the social aspect, but apart from that would rather watch tiddliwinks on my Saturday nights than a contrived mockery of a sham of a circus like this. Truly pathetic.

No, I don't Parsloes; as I said quite clearly I don't think that there should be a Brit in the 2010 series. I just think that Harris is a better rider than Woffinden at the moment and therefore more deserving of consideration if the powers that be think there needs to be one. Both are behind Richardson. In your opinion. Harris has years of GP experience, a race win under his belt and a higher average (gained while riding at 1). Your second point just shows what a charade the whole GP circus has become; a World Championship should be about ability, not a popularity contest.

All hail the mighty Clean One! GP nights just won't be the same without him. That final race said it all for me - just a whisker away - the story of so many seasons at this level for Swindon's sliding superstar. Thanks for the memories Leigh.

There really shouldn't be a British rider in next year's series, but if there "has" to be one then then it should be Richardson or Harris in that order. No one else is even remotely near the required standard.