Should be a good meeting. Edinburgh have decent strength throughout the team. Cooper up in the team for this one?  Pirates by 10 and progress to final.

I've been told it's off. But no official announcement yet.

Rumour is Paco not riding, replaced by Joe Thompson 

Other issue with the 24th is that the Chargers are due at Kings lynn on the same night. Unless the NDL fixture is moved then the top two for Kings Lynn (Lambert and Mulford) and the top two for the Chargers (Scott and Ritchings) would presumably have to be miss the meeting to be at Oxford. Also still awaiting the new date for Oxford Vs Berwick from the start of the season so not sure about having to rearrange a restaging within 28 days.

Cardiff as many comment was a festival weekend. Not great racing for the purest but many families attending along with European fans for the whole weekend package, city centre draw, bars and guaranteed to see the racing being indoors. i have attended the Belle Vue events and the racing is another level to what we get at Cardiff and many other SGP.  Hear lies the Q moving forward. Event organisers are running a corporate business and need to balance the books. Do we the fans pay higher ticket prices for Manchester with a smaller capacity or if organisers risk huge commercial model to put an event on in Cardiff. Would we go… The fan base is no longer strong enough to get Cardiff to even 75% full so big losses. My worry is loosing the major stadiums over the past 5 years. we are going to the old stadiums of yester year that are not to present day standards other than Poland which I visit regularly. It is down to marketing and huge house hold name sponsors to give some injection of funds to drive into new countries ie Spain huge motor sport fans etc….. if not we will just continue to be the minority sport of yesterday year with a huge diminished aging fan base.. kids and youth are the future…..  

55-35 or thereabouts.