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Please let's not try and build this into something it definitely isn't,it's an end of season challenge nothing more.probably 80% of fans I spoke with on sat thought it was meaningless, unfortunately there are a few regular posters on here whose posts are totally unrepresentative of the majority of poole fans.Weve had a good season and am very confident that a super competitive team will be assembled for next season (cooks would be top of shopping list of every other team in the league)

I estimate that I have been to around 80 different tracks. Some I have enjoyed and some I haven't. But not for 1 second have I wanted any of those tracks to be lost to the sport.

Thousands here where the hell they been over the years

We need a new manager as well. Dave Peet steps down. Many thanks Dave.

One big problem with lowering the averages is the following year riders are on a higher inflated average then maybe not get a team place, As usual the ones in charge have no ongoing plan, do this one season, then do that another season, if they don't get their act together and have a 2/3 year plan speedway will bump along until no clubs are left !!

Think it would create more interest than the main event a real treat for everyone if that happened hope the night goes well and the weather is kind to you ,I for one think the loss of Mon/Green is a sad day for the sport .

Just to add to the above why isn’t continual lowering of the points limit explained to the fans and there reasoning on why a weaker product would be better. Because for the life of me I can’t get my head round how a weaker league can be better.

Not deluded at all the league structure should be allowed to flourish instead of constantly weakening the product. Its the only sport I know that continues to weaken the clubs that want to progress, it’s not a coincidence that Glasgow and Poole we’re against the lower points limit last season and it would be no surprise if these two clubs will be against further farcical points reduction this year. Madness.

The idea that a new track “won’t be needed” is somewhat odd considering the current state of the sport in this country.

Polish 2nd tier still way more competitive than our top league

I see Peterborough have let the cat out the bag that Bomber has signed for Glasgow for 2024 in a newspaper article. I am sure our promotion will be over the moon that it has been aired in public.

Don't know what the German whose name I won't speak would be, but the last averages on bspl have clegg as 4.21

The majority unfortunately,but blaming brexit for the demise of GB Speedway is pretty shallow. IMO

and yet the ghost teams supporters were turning up and paying CL and PL admissions at hosting tracks just to watch the 2nd half, the actual ghost development teams got not one penny from the admission and it still wasn't good enough for the host clubs. 20-30 supporters might not sound like mega numbers but in a sport where attendance is on the downturn every little helps.

a lap?

My opinion on that is that div1 has become so weak that div2 HLs who would've been 2nd strings or reserves in the past have become div 1 HLs. The issue is the weakening of the prem for which again the championship fans are being punished

I've been to too many of these now. What makes a successful farewell is engagement with fans memories. Exeter set the gold standard (Honey Sandford's laying a bouquet in memory of her father, and Ivan's final lap). Despite a fairly mundane field Reading's benefited from a bumper turn out of former riders (plus Dave Lanning and Diddy David Hamilton). Peterborough on the other hand was a disgrace - a chat with David Howe (who just happened to be there spannering) and that was about it. I'm confident tonight will be a good (if teary) send-off.

If clubs that are of a level to run in Div 1, choose to stay in Div 2, then they have to expect controls to provide a more level playing field.. As we know, averages often don't do that, given all the random variables involved that contribute to a riders average, including even subjectivity when using assessed averages... The lower average basically will prevent teams from using 3 Div HL's , or two HL's and a strong Div 1 SS.... It should therefore mean that each team have at least two "good" Div 2 level riders, which means all should be at least competitive.. Which has to be the ultimate aim of any sport that doesnt have promotion or relegation, or delivers any great financial rewards for winning any title, or cup...

Trying to widen the gap between the two leagues so doubling up is more under control imo.

Because that was what was agreed before the competition started.

I think one of my favourite memories of Monmore was when we scored about 29 points, Vanessa Purchase came out to us as we were on chauffeur duties, apologised and told us they would be late coming back to the vans. She went and found out where the control for the hot water was in the showers and turned it off making it extremely cold, she then stormed into the showers and gave them a right rollicking.

Yet another Bell En*

Oh, the irony of this post lol.

Think the remit to be a journalist now is if you can count to 3 and be able to breath.

Noticed that as well, however announcing a signing is a different scenario than not doing your homework on who holds a registration.

Made a massive mistake there then, Douglas far superior

That’s refreshing to read…….especially the highlighted part.

Exactly, No one cares about this i cant even imagine the riders care really especially as some already know there moving on... its less than a glorified friendly

Really sad to see monmore go. Loved my trips there and all the banter. I hope tonignt is let the last we see if a wolves team. Good luck for the future.

Well, who all voted for Brxit?

Although not my favourite track the "Cheetahs" had some memorable meetings there and Momore Green will be a sad loss.

A lot of calls for the 2nd halves to return and aside from the mega list of reasons why it failed previously (driving out ghost teams, rising costs, midweek fixtures, it goes on) the big reason why they are unlikely to feature again is there is no progression route without the NDL. At one point there were decent numbers of amateurs travelling big distances over a season to compete in the second halves (check out the stats 8-10 years ago), riders who were throwing good money at their own personal dream of getting a shot in the NL one day. Why would anyone do that now? Would anyone honestly recommend speedway to a friend a hobby/sport to get into? There are currently dozens of kids that are to come of age in the next year or two that will either get no shot or will have to bridge the gap between youth level and CL level, can anyone honestly see that going well? For British speedway to survive another 10 years it needs new blood to replace the ageing riders who might eventually retire, that means a NDL supported by higher division clubs/BSPL or a Nora league that can operate with the blessing of the SCB/BSPL as a complementary product rather than an opposing one.

I suspect the reasoning behind the lower points limit fpr those in favour of it is to try to narrow the gulf between the top five and the bottom four from this season and to make things more affordable for those smaller clubs.

I would imagine having ridden for them this season, he will now guest

Strong reserve pairing then, Vadim may pull out though as he hasn’t got a big enough back pocket to fit anymore Poole riders in.

Well done to Scunthorpe the better team won over the two legs. What I do not get is the the responses from both sets of fans and the aggression. Poole always put out a competitive team and when they are doing well they like any team they put bums on seats when they travel away. The current state of the sport needs clubs like Poole and every other team to come to tapes in 2024 but if for any reason Poole lost out because of circumstances beyond their control such as the closure of the stadium, the sport overall would be poorer for it. Swindon have gone and now Wolves and Panthers are lost, Kent and Mildenhall may be kicked into touch, surely it is time to appreciate what teams are left because without those speedway in the U.K. is dead. Continually knocking clubs is counter productive and whilst a lot of what goes on is good natured banter, you cannot help but feel some of the vitriolic comments are counter productive. The Scorpions did what they needed to do and Poole came up short. So what. Just look forward to next season.

Hodder was very impressive when he was at Berwick with Belle Vue

I would scrap it and run a second half like they used too in the 80s, two teams of four riders, or three can be done and often was. And this was after a 16 heat main match in the National League days. If some people want to leave after the main match, no problem, it makes it easier to get out for those want don’t mind hanging around for a bit rather than a mass exodus as soon as heat 15 is completed. At Arena Essex plenty of the crowd had already gone once the riders came round on a lap of honour because they want to beat the rush and had no reason to hang on for a few minutes. Even in the 90s this was being used, remember the super Ipswich junior team they had, it was something like Ben Howe, Leigh Lanham, Sav Clouting & Lawrence Hare. Arena Essex had the likes of Robert Ledwith, Tommy Palmer, Shaun Nichols, Chris Young, Roland Pollard, Russel Etherington, and a few of them got outings in the main team over the years.

You cannot have a "ghost" team but a team full of "guests" is more than acceptable...

On the flip side it may bring more exciting and competitive heats of speedway.

Didn't see you there

Great stuff from Scunny even sweeter after the arrogance of the Poole fans on here telling everyone how easy it would be…

I know Freddie is not down to ride, but do you know he won't be there?

And this goes back to what I was saying before, the NDL has to remain one of the reasons being is that its the easiest way for new tracks to enter the league system.

In effect they did destroy it cause the Midland development League was running very well at the time. I agree with the sentiment that "ghost" teams aren't ideal but unfortunately in modern times British speedway is in no ideal state so if any "ghost" team can spark a possible reopening of a track in the "ghost" teams area in the same way that Rye House, Scunthorpe and Oxford reopened their own tracks after "ghost" teams using their name rode in meetings on other tracks then surely thats a good thing?

The fact that the BSPL has never shown any interest in youth development is very much their fault.

This already exists: the Midland Junior League. Unfortunately, the idiot BSPL mostly destroyed it as they couldn't be bothered to run it. As for curfews, Birmingham manage to run a 15 heat main match and a MJL match before 10 pm ... and have found enough riders to run two teams.

Hardly obsessed, 430 posts in 20 years, whereas 6,000 screams no friends.