LisaColette

Umm, Poole won it last in 2018 no? So no danger of being a minnow. Maybe Ippo are okay with losses but Poole wanted to cut costs and increase the crowds, which has worked by dropping down. Stadium very full yesterday about 2,500- 3k I'd say. In 2018/2019 prob only got that for a final.

Poole will want Weds nites though.

If it was an actual punch he would have got thrown out the meeting? As I have seen enough of them at Poole to know what happens!!

Well will be if there are 3 no1's!!!

Leicester seemed to be doing alright til this apparently happened: 'Worrall just punched Aernio at end of last race, it was only a tap to the helmet but ref coming down to pits now' - from a fan attending who posted on SM. I'm assuming that was the 'incident' referred to on updates? 'Last race- being Richie's second race. But how does that change the whole meeting unless track changed as well and Leicester riders not riding on right part of the track?

Well it isn't last season is it?? My gut is saying Leicester by 12, they are very good at home. Will be difficult to keep it within 10, but we shall see. I am pretty rubbish at predictions anyway.

Bit ironic when you have less teams!! Bates wants 8 next season and 10 the season after. Not sure he is gonna get that tbh.

Yes and most of the moaning seems to be coming from Swindon fans plus a few Oxford ones on twitter. If Oxford gated more there would have been more passing i think.

I don't get that! Sunny skies all day, though keeping the moisture in the track would be challenging on an 18-20 degrees sort of day!! Good job it wasn't a day meeting tbh.

But they missed the good heats near the end. Plus there was a bit of passing when Troy and Heeps gated.

Really that is surprising!! Maybe everyone descended Thurs eve. Was really quiet when left at half 6! Good job to seeing as queue was so long.

Scott slightly below par at Poole I would say. Normally good for 12ish points. Don't normally see him get 5-1'd once let alone twice!!

Always struggled at Poole tbh, I wouldn't read too much into it. Batch struggling at Poole more of an issue as needed this meeting to bounce back into some form...?

Stop it!! Of all the places I would put Poole potentially winning, Leicester isn't one of them!

Just going by final score, Birmingham did alright!! Bodes well for home meetings when weather behaves itself!

Hmm, was not expecting this score line when reading the thread earlier!! Edinburgh better than expected or Berwick under performed?

What happened? Did Richie really try and punch TA's helmet?? Last I looked it was 25-23 to Leicester and then at Poole they read out final scores and Leicester lost by 20??!! I think even Nij our announcer was shocked!!

Apart from the odd time Heeps gated, then there was passing! Unfortunately for you leaving as H13 and H15, some places were decide right on the line!!

Bigger than a lot of our Prem crowds for sure!!

Yeah, was always gonna be fine in the evening. Tourists already gone through by then. I'm sure the morning and lunchtime would have been hectic though.

Queues are never usually that long not even for playoff final lol. But the other issues you raise could depend on what is agreed with GI/Stadia UK..? Having said that if you pay by cash, you can jump a lot of the queue it seems! As apparently no one uses cash anymore? Well more fool them!!

Ha, I like the Glasgow 'music video' !! Very interesting dancing there!

As the Poole track creates quite a bit of interest on this forum, there is an article in today's Bournemouth Echo by Dan Rose about it, if anyone is interested? 'IT IS no secret Pirates will want to make Wimborne Road a fortress for their 2022 SGB Championship title defence – so they decided it was time for Terry. Experienced track man Terry Chrabaszcz, literally known as ‘Terry the Track’ revealed how he was asked to examine the circuit in Dorset last season. Pirates hosted an infamous meeting against Birmingham last August, during which a hole “about the size of a kitchen table” according to promoter Danny Ford appeared on the Wimborne Road surface. But with 40 years of experience at an array of tracks up and down the country, shale guru Chrabaszcz was asked to help out for the business end of the 2021 campaign. Having taken inspiration from Doc Bridgett, the man he learned his trade from, Chrabaszcz enjoyed his time at Poole so much, he came back to prepare the track this campaign. Asked how he started working at Pirates, the track specialist told the Daily Echo: “It was towards the end of last season, there were a few problems. The SCB initially sent me down and we sorted it. “I did the last few (meetings). The play-offs and the cup. “There was an opportunity to come back and I took it, because it’s such a good club. “I have been in the sport 40 years now. I’ve done Wolverhampton for years and it’s just nice to have a change of scenery and help a club out. “I help out at Wolves and I helped relay Birmingham this winter after all the problems they had there last year.” Asked how many tracks he would have worked on throughout his time in the sport, Chrabaszcz said: “I don’t know. Wolves, Coventry, Oxford, Redcar. I have helped out at Sheffield a bit – quite a few. “I live just outside Cannock but the other side. I leave at three o’clock in the morning to come here but it’s worth it. I love the sport. “It’s like 24 hours for me to come here – with the travelling back home – but it’s not a problem.” While the hours throughout the campaign are set to intensify for Chrabaszcz, it is the positive comments from Britain’s elite riders up and down the country which helps him to keep going. Asked what it was like to receive that feedback, the track man said: “It means a lot because you only get out what you put in. If you don’t put the work in, you are not going to get the result. “I am looking forward to it so much because I think Poole can, hopefully, do what they did last year. That is so good from a track man’s point of view, to be part of it.” Pirates are set to host the reborn Oxford Cheetahs in their Good Friday meeting tomorrow (7.30pm). And number one Steve Worrall, who was part of the Poole side last season, was full of praise for the work of Chrabaszcz. “You need to make your home track a bit of a fortress,” said the British star. “You need to create an advantage and when the new guy came in, that’s what we were able to do. “He was able to gain (us) a bit of an advantage from making a few things different. He was able to do it. He will come over and listen to what we want and get feedback from us. “I feel like once he came in, it flipped around a bit. I enjoyed the track so much more.”

Also how many Championship teams are riding? Even if you count Poole riding on a different race night to normal. Would the Prem clubs have enough riders available?

I thought Havvy might have been on managerial duties tonight with Boro at Bournemouth he could have gone to the footie beforehand!