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Possibly, but they were right to be incensed. Totally Ivacic's fault. Bomber shouldn't have been allowed back in heat one either.

Do you ever think before you post?

You've changed your tune.

His throttle cable snapped, hardly his fault.

Great result for the Lions just about keeps us in the hunt for the play offs. Thought the crowd was not too bad either. I wouldn't worry too much Witches fans it was just an off night and Emil seems to be hitting top form again from what I saw last night. Once again I was very impressed Keynan Rew, still trying to figure out why his average is so low because everytime he comes to Leicester he seems to ride the track really well. Much better from Luke Becker as well, he looked on the pace and hopefully this is the turning point for him. What about heat 13 aye? That was some race and I haven't seen a race like that at Leicester this season, just shows if you attack the track at Leicested it can produce some really good racing. Just simply sensational stuff.

I saw it differently as Mountain went for a gap that didn’t exist, Bomber in heat 1 was first bend bunching and was always going to be all 4 back. only my view off things.

I drove from Newcastle to Luton airport last Friday, it took 7 hours with all the constant roadworks on the M1 and the traffic wasn’t even that bad, but going north was worse. Edinburgh is a further 3 hours away. She would have not got there for 7pm, more like 9 or 10 in reality.

Of course Tobias' engine failure' could have been a good tactical instruction!!?

hasn't he just let one go to Birmingham?

Sam McGurk is so far out of his depth, every away meeting I’ve been to he either falls off or can’t turn the bike

The Edinburgh management should make an official complaint about Cook. Inciting fans to not turn up. Totally out of order.

Considering that British speedway is hugely reliant on the weather having three empty Fridays during July is not good.

Are you joking? Do you know how long that takes lol. You have to go back down to London to make your way back north, stadium would be empty by the time she arrived

Edinburgh struggling for a crowd this year and then put this on. Desperately seeking points. Home club should have said no go as visiting team are uncompetitive. Everyone should ignore monarchs bleating about poor crowds.

U wouldnt have saturdays looto numbers have u as u can predict the future,thousands of people have had there day ruined 2 missing riders is the least of the problems.

First and foremost, Oxford Stadium is a greyhound stadium. The owner is quite happy to allow speedway on site. Often, as on Thursday there is greyhound racing during the day and I suspect the track curator was unable to to water and grade consistently throughout the day. Yes the delays at the start of the meeting were frustrating but it still finished at 21.25 hours precisely. Will Oxford speedway lose custom as a result of Thursday's meeting? Absolutely not. We had 2 track records and some fantastic racing with multiple passing and re-passing. Just look at the Speedway Updates proboards to check that out - gate and go it was not. Despite many people stating that Oxford were set up to fail with 3 teams, that was never going to happen because we are delighted to have regular speeday each week. One final point, the promotion have been brilliant since the re-opening. So, onwards and upwards.

Can also look at it as poor preparation from Vissing and Liebmann who I’m sure neither were riding anywhere yesterday who could’ve flown in then ahead of tonight’s match then.

If this is his attitude going into the match I would doubt there`ll be and good racing between Cook and anyone else. It will be interesting to see his score and performance, especially as Workington captain, surely he should lead by example.

If that's really him, he needs a fine for that "bringing the sport into disrepute". Not right to tell fans not to spend their money. Why not encourage fans to go along & enjoy a good match, could still be some good racing between Cook & the top Monarchs, also when the Academy lads meet each other.

Regardless how many’s there tonight, he’ll still be getting paid.

Well does he realise if no one goes, he ain't getting paid!

Cookie playing a true captains role again!

Why should Edinburgh have to call the match off? Ipswich didn't get a match cancelled when Doyle was missing, neither did Oxford without Tungate. What about fans who may have swapped around work shifts, or possibly booked hotels of travelling from Workington? Then there the Monarchs riders who flew over yesterday, who cover the cost of that flight if the meeting is cancelled & they have to race again?

All valid comments, and what goes on behind the scenes is something we will never appreciate, however.. The continental tracks alluded to, are often wide and much less tighter than some UK tracks built within the confines of a greyhound track, hence when "grippy" these tracks are not seen by many riders as something they want to take on... Bomber is Bomber, and Bewley is an ex MX rider so both ride conditions that are "deep" with supreme confidence... You kind of get why riders who get extremely well paid in Poland may decide to "play it safe" when conditions over here are not quite to their liking... An injury over here will cost them a lot of Polish money...

https://x.com/speedwaygb/status/1814215187810894167?s=61&t=r8kyd_--sNQH1irj2qSpDQ

Love the celebration from tobi.

When I got home I looked at proboards thinking what a great meeting it was. I was left thinking whoever sent in the race reports may have been watching a different meeting to me.

Must admit, it doesn’t sit right with me when people make hay due to the misfortune of others. That’s across the board and not just speedway. That undercurrent of glee when a team is hit by injury as opposing fans see their chances of success increase is abhorrent to me, old fashioned I know and very much in the minority on here. The “Tai” rule (apparently) needs to be in place to do what it was set out to do - stop unscrupulous clubs signing ringers for the play offs - but it should NOT impact clubs with genuine long term injury woes. I’d much rather come up against the Witches or Tigers with Bartoz as a full team member than the current preferred system of guests, guests, guests, especially at the time of year when the media takes a greater interest in the sport.

Unfortunately im back down to manchester early or id have stuck around. Really great to see jack smith doing well round ashfield!

Having been in the stadium since 5:30 Jamie Courtney (Promoter and track man) had been working on the track the whole time. If he watered to much it would be wrong no water at all and it would be a dust bowl that would have been wrong. I notice it hasn’t been mentioned that before heat 15 Jamie got on the mic to apologise for the issues with the track - how many do that? It was obvious that there were two Belle Vue riders who didn’t want to race the track, to have two new track records set in the same (one Oxford and one Belle Vue) meeting on such a dangerous and unridable track. Also if it was so bad why was it signed off as fit by the SCB ref in the first place? Most riders should be able to attack a track should it be grippy or smooth, but this generation seem to expect a nice smooth car park to ride on. Do you think this happens in other countries the complainants would have been told to take a walk.

All I saw was some excellent racing from both sets of riders. Heat 13 was a right belter.

Amazing how many people confuse a bad track with a badly-prepared track. There’s a world of difference, and this was very much the latter.

Well that's another mid season break almost over and we come back with a new line up . Banished to the speedway abyss are Paul Starke and Ace Pijper and keeping the NHS busy with his ears is Steve Worrall . In come a Slovenian and a 36 year old rising star , plus our guest straight out the bookies , Ben Barker . 20 points to make up for the bonus point , think we can forget that unless messes Howsrth , Palm Tree , Allen etc have off nights . I will happily settle for just winning the meeting , though I think it will be close .

If as suggested she was in London/Luton around lunchtime what’s so fanciful about making it to Edinburgh and then on to Armadale for a 7.30 meeting?

Really funny how these clowns from Poole don’t even know the basic rules!!! Probably because they are so far up their own rrr se

Well the changes look worthwhile...

Oxford, Ipswich & Plymouth have had to race without their number ones. Can't see the BSPL allowing Workington to postpone a match due to missing a second string & a reserve.

Crowd at Lublin seem a bit subdued today, are they getting a bit bored of the team being so strong therefore no really being challenged, they were so loud and enthusiastic when they first won the league

Didn’t see a cry for the match at Workington to be called off as we were severely weakened without Josh and Lasse.

Weak as piss team today with celina and vissing now missing.

Excluded for that comment!

Were both the Belle vue riders Australian by any chance ?

Having pre meeting flat white, luvvly jubbly!

Good win for Leicester that they were proper up for it and deserved winners. King and Ellis let Ipswich down tonight. A few dangerous moves from Lawson, cook and Fricke this evening that probably crossed the line of hard/fair racing. A few times Lucky there wasn’t a nasty incident. Desperately need our heat leader replacement sorted asap and Thompson back.

While I agree that it's certainly unfair that clubs can drop riders but a rider will get a ban of they want to leave a club, I have no sympathy for Musielak. He said he needed a break due to injury, while still riding in Poland. Then says he's sitting out the rest of the GB season. So if he feels fit to return it should be with King's Lynn. If he's not happy there, just be honest about it.

Hi guys, belle vue fan here who is in glasgow with work. Decided the check out ashfield. What a great set up! Entrance gates open so ducked my head and there was a rider doing laps, im supposing it was Ivacic? Obviously no other riders on track but he looked rapid!

I think the rule is unfair on riders, clubs can sack a rider when ever they want and don't have to pay them a single penny for missed meetings, but if a rider decides he no longer wants to ride for a team he's blocked from going anywhere else. Give them a years contract guaranteed that solves the problem.

1965 was the first year of the British League as well as a new Knock Out Cup competition based on football’s F.A. Cup with just one leg and the luck of the draw which team got drawn at home. In that year, one of the Quarter Final matches saw a local derby London tie with West Ham drawn at home to Wimbledon. Before the tie, the two teams appeared to be evenly matched and so the match proved. With one heat to go the scores were level at 45-45. That final heat saw the Wimbledon pair, Olle Nygren and Reg Luckhurst, shoot in to an early lead over West Ham’s Brian Leonard and Norman Hunter and it looked all over for the Hammers when suddenly Luckhurst’s engine blew up resulting in a 3-3 and a tied match at 48-48. Having drawn at West Ham, Wimbledon looked a good bet to take the tie in the replay on their own track. But there was even worse news for West Ham as their top rider, Sverre Harrfeldt, was injured the previous evening at Hackney and unable to take part and their third heat leader, Norman Hunter, was also unable to ride as it was his wedding day! There were no guests allowed so the Hammers had to resort to filling the places of two heat leaders with Tony Clarke, making his racing debut, and a Wimbledon junior, Geoff Hughes. Only Ken McKinlay was a recognized heat leader and, although by now a team regular, it should be remembered that at this time West Ham’s 19 year old Malcolm Simmons was just a reasonable five point average second string who had shown no signs of the great rider he was to become in later years. No-one, not even the West Ham supporters present that afternoon, gave the Hammers much hope. By heat six it looked as though Wimbledon’s superiority was about to assert itself as Wimbledon skipper, the great Olle Nygren. along with the experienced Jim Tebby, took a 5-1 against West Ham’s newcomer, Tony Clarke, and second string, Brian Leonard. The lack of two heat leaders looked as though it was now beginning to tell. But as West Ham were six points in arrears it meant they could use a tactical substitute and they wasted no time bringing in Ken McKinlay for reserve Ray Wickett in the very next heat. The line-up for heat seven was therefore Bob Dugard and Keith Whipp for the Dons, Malcolm Simmons and Ken McKinlay for the Hammers. The young Simmons shot away from the gate with McKinlay behind him and that’s how the heat finished. A 5-1 for West Ham and four points pulled back. Simmons’ time of 66.2 was the fastest of the night. The next heat saw McKinlay out again, this time in a scheduled ride, with old campaigner Reg Trott lining up against Reg Luckhurst and reserve Mike Coomber. Some brilliant team riding by McKinlay and Trott kept Luckhurst behind them and with Coomber falling, it meant another 5-1 to the Hammers and, unbelievably, at the half-way stage, West Ham now found themselves with a two point lead. With Nygren and Tebby lined up against Simmons and Wickett in heat 10 it looked as though the Dons would edge back in to the lead, but, once again, Simmons rose to the occasion and beat Nygren in the second fastest time of the night. Heat 12 saw another astonishing turn of events as Wimbledon’s Bobby Dugard fell and was excluded from the re-run. It was a simple matter for McKinlay and Trott to defeat Whipp and take a 5-1. It was now West Ham who were six points up and it was now Wimbledon who used a tactical substitute as they brought in Nygren for reserve, John Edwards. Unfortunately it did not have the desired effect as, for the second time that night, West Ham’s new hero, the young Malcolm Simmons, beat Nygren, leaving West Ham still six points in front. This time though, Simmons had done it the hard way, coming from behind and taking the Wimbledon captain on the last lap. With just three heats to go, time was running out for Wimbledon and the impossible suddenly looked possible. However, a Nygren and Dugard 5-1 over Trott and Leonard put them back in with a chance and when, in heat 15, Tebby and Coomber pulled off a 4-2 against Clarke and Hughes, the scores, were back to level with one heat to go. The line-up for that final heat saw Keith Whipp and Reg Luckhurst for Wimbledon against Ken McKinlay and Malcolm Simmons for West Ham. The tension around the stadium was palpable. Everyone was holding their breath. A match which at the beginning of the afternoon had seemed likely to be very one-sided had now come down to a last heat decider. To some extent the final race as a race was a bit of a disappointment as Simmons once again flew off from the start and never looked to be in any danger and with McKinlay settling for a steady third place, the match was won by West Ham by 49 points to 47. The small band of Hammers’ supporters who had made the trip across London couldn’t believe what had happened. The hero of the hour was the 19 year old Malcolm Simmons. He had beaten the Wimbledon captain, Olle Nygren, twice and had set the three fastest times of the night. In fact he still wasn’t finished. In the second half scratch race event, the Cheer Leaders’ Trophy, he won the first heat, beating, McKinlay, Luckhurst and Dugard and then went on to win the final, once again beating Nygren. As if that wasn’t enough, a special Handicap race was held with Simmons starting off 20 yards, Nygren off 10 and Trott, Leonard and Tebby off scratch. Yet again, Simmons got the better of Nygren, even with his handicap. As for me, although that match was held 59 years ago I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. In fact I can remember it better than matches I saw last season. It was just such an amazing afternoon. I went along there with a few other Hammers’ supporters expecting a reasonable match but when it was announced just before the meeting started that neither Harrfeldt nor Hunter would be taking part we seriously considered going home. The Wimbledon supporters around us were saying things like, ’You’ll be lucky if you get 20 points’ and ’This is going to be the biggest thrashing of all time.’ Of course we gave back as good as we got but in our hearts we felt they could well be right. But suddenly there was this rider called Malcolm Simmons, who we had seen rise from the ranks of a second halfer at West Ham to a reasonable five point second string but no more, taking on and beating the likes of Olle Nygren and Reg Luckhurst on their own track in the fastest times of the night. He was just phenomenal. As we now know, Simmons went on to become one of Great Britain’s greatest ever riders and runner-up in the 1976 World Championship, World Pairs Champion in 1976, 77 and 78, World Team Champion in 1973, 74, 75 and 77 and British Champion in 1976. He was capped 80 times for England, seven times for the British Lions (touring Australia), five times for Great Britain and four times for the Rest of the World. But it all started that night and I feel very privileged to have been there to witness what must have been one of the best matches of all time and one of the most outstanding personal performance of all time.

Some probably do tbf. Generally speaking crowds seem to go down year on year rather than up.

Everyone saying that Jason is a terrible replacement for Ace clearly don't understand the team building averages. He hasn't been brought in to replace Ace, he's been brought in to allow Paul Starke to be replaced with a 6 pointer. Looking at Ace's scoring, his last 6 meetings (minus the Scunthorpe meeting) were 3,0,2,1,1,2. Paul Starkes scoring was 4,3,4,4,3,3 The Gamble is can Matic and Jason score more than 5/6 between them? Per meeting, if they can then the gamble pays off. Also with these changes, James Pearson drops to #6 allowing him to take one of Garrads rides if needed and if jack is struggling at 2, take one of his heats too.