Kent Vs Birmingham - 18th July

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

Whilst Brum played the game both sides were at fault for running out of time. Bowen was a wally in heat 1 and was always arriving at the tapes at the last minute then beggered about gardening, Jack Thomas the same, a tight/old chain in heat 2 and was always last to the line.

The ref did little to keep things moving until it was 2 late and although extra time should be afforded to fallen riders especially if no fault of their own (Verge & Clifton) but they were given an age.

 

Meetings need to run at a sharper pace at Kent and the home riders need to set the pace on this. On the plus side it is a compliment to the Kings that Drury didn't think his team would win over the full 15 heats.

[hawks 1975 69]

Probably the two best teams in the league on a glorious evening, and both at full strength until the visitor's skipper sadly had to cry off late on. It was set fair for a cracker, but it all began to go wrong for the Kings when captain Bowen had to go off 15m in the first and then reserve Thomas shed a chain at the tapes before heat 2 and had to do likewise. 10-2 down after 2 heats, and the first two of what turned out to be crucial delays.

When surprise packet Tom Bacon sped from the tapes and even James Shanes couldn't catch him, things looked ominous for the home side - incredibly 10 down at home after 3 heats! Shanes made amends with a stunning third to first on the last lap in heat 5, but when Smith demolished the fence on bend 2 trying to get around a determined Luke Bowen, the lengthy repairs saw the curfew already fast approaching, and only 6 heats gone!

All told I make it 10 out of the first 13 heats had some sort of delay - be it 2 minute exclusions, unsatisfactory starts or falls. Unfortunately, some of the later delays were clearly planned!

The Birmingham management's blatant time wasting tactics near the end made a mockery of the welcome notes in the evening's programme - "A rivalry built on mutual respect....and conducted.....with great sportsmanship."

Once again the speedway fan was the loser, denied a last heat decider that might well have seen Birmingham collect a point at least as the very impressive Tom Bacon might well have split whatever very strong Kent pair he faced. A draw may well have been a fair result, and both sides should have taken their place on a well deserved victory parade.

Instead, the meeting ended with the majority of the crowd frustrated, angry and disappointed.

What should have been a great climax, and left many looking forward to their next fix of speedway, ended in a damp squib - a nothing.

Winning isn't everything Birmingham.

It wasn't Kent that just lost...Speedway lost yet again.

 

Two final thoughts.

Why, given that the curfew exists, do Kent not start the racing promptly at 6.30? The parade of riders is excellent and a commendable piece of presentation, but could this not be advertised to start at 6.15pm?

Secondly, why were even the home riders taking so long to get up to tapes in the latter races? There was no urgency - did the team manager not relay the likely importance of getting to heat 15 if they were going to win to his riders? Very odd.

[Brummiestormer 172]

Drury should be ashamed, Smith needs a fine and the ref clearly needed me sat next to him with a cattle prod.

 

The time wasting in heat 13 was totally unacceptable, i've never been so wound up at a speedway meeting. At 39 points each that should have been it but out came our riders for heat 14 (pronto) and the cheats got the win.

Why start a thread after the event because you are just 'curious'? Surely you would read the Kent website first?

I guess you are the motormouth i was hearing all evening---easily wound up i'd say---i'd start looking a bit closer to home on running things more quickly at home meetings the GD wouldn't have had the opportunity as you allege to timewaste.

[whistlegang 88]

I just don't like cheats pal - and your club were cheating.

[Mike.Butler 601]

neutral fan in attendance.

* Great racing

* Great crowd

* Referee and home riders know there's a curfew. the crowd could see from heat 10 what was likely to happen..yet we had an inexplicable tractor break , home riders laying flat out on track for ages before leaping to their feet, a referee who showed no urgency early in in the meeting, and totally predictably ran out of time. Extra laps with flag for heat winners hardly helped either..

It's not Birmingham's fault there is a 2 hr curfew but..

* Drury should hang his head in shame - I often go to Perry Barr (how would he feel if most of his crowd left shaking their heads at the way they were robbed of a finale to this meeting)

Yet another example of the fans who pay good money getiting short changed.

That's another promoter who should be done on a disrepute charge as behaviour not in the interests of the sport. I know I'm wasting my breath (not to mention my money).

Once again the paying public were the last thought on any of the above's mind. I sat with Brummies fans and they were disgusted too.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Mike.Butler

[guitar_art 247]

I just don't like cheats pal - and your club were cheating.

As far as I can see (and I wasn't there I have to own up to) nothing happened that was not within the rules. Nothing happened that has not happened before. Nothing happened that wont happen again. Therefore by definition there was no cheating involved and your last statement is therefore slander. (And I imagine your grapes don't taste very sweet either.)

 

The bottom line is run your meeting quicker and this wouldn't happen. It would never happen at Brum.

[blueherb777 571]

As far as I can see (and I wasn't there I have to own up to) nothing happened that was not within the rules. Nothing happened that has not happened before. Nothing happened that wont happen again. Therefore by definition there was no cheating involved and your last statement is therefore slander. (And I imagine your grapes don't taste very sweet either.)

 

The bottom line is run your meeting quicker and this wouldn't happen. It would never happen at Brum.

 

Is it not the referees responsibility to run meetings at a sensible pace ?

As I have said,I see this too often and it is just not good enough.

[waco 1,026]

With a ridiculous curfew in place (the council sucks) its in every ones interest,, refs ,riders ,management, to show some Urgency ! to get meetings finished on time,, The paying public are being short changed by very bad organisation.,,,,,, It can be done with more effort all round.....

[zlata prilba 320]

Whilst Brum played the game both sides were at fault for running out of time. Bowen was a wally in heat 1 and was always arriving at the tapes at the last minute then beggered about gardening, Jack Thomas the same, a tight/old chain in heat 2 and was always last to the line.

The ref did little to keep things moving until it was 2 late and although extra time should be afforded to fallen riders especially if no fault of their own (Verge & Clifton) but they were given an age.

 

Meetings need to run at a sharper pace at Kent and the home riders need to set the pace on this. On the plus side it is a compliment to the Kings that Drury didn't think his team would win over the full 15 heats.

did it not take 25mins to run the first 2 heats

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

did it not take 25mins to run the first 2 heats

 

I don't see you point?

 

Yes it did. Heat 1 Luke Bowen inexplicably missed the 2 mins. Heat 2 Thomas breaks a chain, excluded and gets 2 mins to get another bike which arrived. Then Jack Smith turns right on Danno Verge bringing him down and required attention. Once up the ref allows even more time to get himself sorted.

 

So Kent issue, Brum issue and ref issue whats your point?

[Brummiestormer 172]

I just don't like cheats pal - and your club were cheating.

Hmmm show me which rules were broken--as some more sensible Kent posters who aren't as one eyed as you commented Kent contributed to their own downfall as much as anything--but it was a hollow victory which i didn't derive to much pleasure out of and in the scheme of things doesn't really matter because by all accounts we will both be in the play offs anyway---nobody has mentioned the excellent racing last night some of the passes were amazing but hey ho.

See you all next time--our matches will always have a bit of needle now lol

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

I'd be pointing fingers at the referee rather than anyone else.

 

He's in control of the meeting and can get the 2 minutes on quickly, allow a reasonable amount of time for bike repair (not as long as they want) and stop time wasting (because it appears that that was pretty blatant).

 

Riders, team managers and promoters will try to get away with gaining an unfair advantage. Perhaps not natural, but certainly inevitable.

 

Here, it seems to me that the man with the power to stop them did not do so effectively enough.

 

I don't see you point?

 

Yes it did. Heat 1 Luke Bowen inexplicably missed the 2 mins. Heat 2 Thomas breaks a chain, excluded and gets 2 mins to get another bike which arrived. Then Jack Smith turns right on Danno Verge bringing him down and required attention. Once up the ref allows even more time to get himself sorted.

 

So Kent issue, Brum issue and ref issue whats your point?

 

 

That still shouldn't take 25 minutes. Ref issue.

[Mike.Butler 601]

_{Are refs ever held to account when meetings run slowly? If not why not????}

[Argos 262]

6.30 meeting starts, NO a young girl does 4 laps, then the the meeting starts NO a young lad goes and do s 4 laps,then the meeting starts NO a parade of both teams, at 6.55 only on heat completed,I was also at Kent last week to see the Rye House meeting same thing happened then,and again no heat 15 when will the Kent Promotor learn

[cityrebel 2,960]

Why have kent only got one tractor driver to do the watering and the occasional grading. Surely someone could help with these tasks to ensure the meeting runs smoother.