Hot Shoe

Yes agreed. When i was an ice hockey referees supervisor i encouraged referees to go and watch as many matches as possible so they could learn from other refs.

Bobby Charlton is a director of Manchester United so yes he gets a ticket. Manchester United like all Premier League clubs employ ex-players to host hospitality on match days where they have a meal and talk with the fans.

I refereed ice hockey in the British League for over 15 years from the 1980s to 2000. While i was actively refereeing i could watch any game in the UK for free although as i did a game every Saturday and Sunday plus often a mid-week match there wasn't too much time for spectating. The end of season finals were always at Wembley every year and i paid like everyone else to watch. No freebies and when i retired from the sport in 2000 if i went to a match i paid just like everyone else and i didn't ever have a problem with that.

Is that a 1999 season Glasgow jacket?

Did you manage to keep all of the race jackets you raced in? I've still got the ice hockey skates that i used to skate on the track at Grenoble in the 1980s.

I don't collect programmes but i do have a collection of dozens of race jackets and old posters. The old National League being a particular interest. I also have a few upright bikes including a 1970 2-valve JAWA not far off as it left the factory. I did have more bikes but i'm down to 3 now.

No it wouldn't have. Speedway bikes and memorabilia are at the moment the highest ithey've ever been especially upright bikes and race jackets. On saying that i was surprised how cheap the 2 lots of Ivan Mauger race jackets went for at the Bonham's auction.

Spot on. I've been to stock cars recently as was impressed by the way they get kids involved. They have a couple of Micro Stocks races between the main races. These are tiny cars for kids from 5 to 9 years old and also Mini Stocks for 10 to 16 year olds. They were also giving out model stock cars for kids in the crowd. It makes me laugh when speedway fans keep banging on about speedway being the 'family sport' when it clearly is miles behind sports like stock cars. What stock cars have done is invested in the future of the sport by doing everything to encourage the kids. Compare that with speedway where parents have to beg the promoter for a ride and then after traveling miles to the track get a couple of laps if they are lucky or are told that they have run out of time. Treat the potential future of the sport like that and there is no future.

Skeg wouldn't be a bad idea as they could visit Skegness Stadium in Orby and see how to promote a sport. Stock cars are thriving there.

Oh well not to worry, they will have to put the red carpet away until the next 'superstar' graces us with their presence at the EWR. Yes agreed. It's a Friday evening speedway meeting at Scunny and that's got to be a good thing.

I gave it a miss because of that too. One of my nearest tracks but one of the least i visit (i haven't been there at all this year). Nice set up and a tidy place to watch but that track and the processional racing puts me off visiting. While i have Sunny, Sheffield, King's Lynn and Peterborough around me it's unlikely i'm going to go to Leicester in a hurry.

I don't think too many are complaining about the meeting being called off but surely this cup meeting could have been arranged much earlier in the season.

Sadly i don't think too many care anymore. The more i see of speedway i can't see it lasting as a professional sport more than a few years and if the crowds drop much more each track will probably call and warn you if there is a chance of rain.

Mostly surface water that was cleared before racing began. Some riders rode like there had been no rain at all making a mockery of those who didn't fancy it. As for riders riding in a meeting that there was nothing to gain try telling that to the punters who handed over their hard earned cash. Some speedway riders need reminding that they are in the business of entertainment and no fans means no wages.

On that performance i couldn't agree more. I think riders at times forget that they are in the entertainment business and i know which one entertained the fans the most last night.

Nothing. The track was no worse in heat 10 than it had been in the previous heats and was probably getting better but Workington had had enough and that was that. Fair play to them though (and of course the Scunny riders) for at least putting on a show so no complaints from me as a paying customer.

Well done everyone at Scunny today to get the meeting on and keep it going and well done to the riders of both teams who just got on with it in far from ideal conditions.

Totally agree about double-headers. That meeting dragged on far too long. No thanks. The matches on Monday dragged on far too long. Double-headers are fine if you need to squeeze fixtures in but it would be the death of speedway if they were a regular thing.

I thought that the referee kept the meeting spinning along fine. No complaints there. The start of the 2nd meeting seemed to take an age though. They obviously had to work on the track and get it prepared but three quarters of an hour is long enough to sit around doing nothing. Does anyone know how the start marshal is? I saw the whole thing and it didn't look good at the time.

Fair play to those Panthers fans who made the trip up to Scunny on Sunday but they didn't make up anywhere near 50% of the attendance.

It was indeed. Great news and much better for watching racing.

Not just this rider but this an ever increasing problem for British speedway. Fans will only take so much and the problem is that they are walking away from the sport already.

It's also very unusual for Scunny riders to make the start at the EWR.

Agreed Rob. I was giving the ref the benefit of the doubt.

I can only guess that the referee didn't have a good view of the incident. I totally agree he was in a class of his own tonight. Those blasts round the outside on bends 3/4 were worth the price of admission alone.