Hunters

Lewis Kerr is to be confirmed. Missed Kings Lynn match last night with shoulder nerve problem from that accident a couple of weeks ago. If he is unavailable do Eagles get a Guest or is it r/r ? It should be a home win but r/r would make it a much closer match. Highlights the risk of building a team with 3 top heat leaders and a weaker bottom 4 if one of the 3 is missing.

Sorry but I cannot agree. Its a host of seemingly small things that add up All British side following on from NL. Continuity where possible with the return of Kennett who is still a local lad from an 'Eagles family' and of course last years two stars Wood and Brennan Communication from Ian Jordan through a very good new web site and programme. He also has much to contribute on race nights both on the mike and face to face. The inclusion of Lakeside riders giving it a bit of a joint feel and I believe several east London supporters. A team of racers not riders which sometimes is their undoing but makes them very watchable. I don't think the defeats make any difference they were just 1 point and unfortunate. Much better entertainment than the trouncing of Somerset and Berwick.

Did not appear to be.

The collection for Tom Brennan came to over £1700. Well done eagles fans and it shows how much we care about him.

Touche, I thought he was Berwick not Redcar no wonder I haven't seen him before. Now I am disappointed as I will have to wait until August.

Looking forward to seeing Charles Wright for the first time as he is in great form and there could be some good races with the Eagles heatleaders. Overall the Bandit reserves may be out of their depth. Personally I don't worry about the two single point losses in the last two matches, A lot of misfortune which after the run they have had was overdue. It doesn't make them a bad team and they made some silly mistakes which they should learn from. My only criticism is the poor team management of Trevor Greer, I thought badly of him in the Elite days and I don't think he has changed which is a pity because he seems a nice guy. 54-36 Home win (accidents barring)

Dead right, We left as soon as we knew that Tom was not as bad as I feared. He is a lovely lad and emotion was very high so we did not fancy seeing any more..

The reason I said it might be Ben is that it would release around 2.5 points more than Georgie which would be needed to bring in BWD or similar.

Be surprised if they were not already on the Phone to BWD and it probably needs 2 changes. As Georgie and Alfie are only 2 + pointers it looks like Ben will be the victim of the numbers game. BWD and Daniel Spiller would fit the bill but I don't know what averages they will have. Tom's average changes with last nights match otherwise they would have to bring a 2 pointer in for him and the Eagles season really would be shot.

For a couple of months in NL 2017 but struggled and was dropped.

Earlier than that I suspect. Tom Brennan has been put in the World U21 Semi in Poland on May 25th. If my understanding is right Tom wíll still be on 2.0 so we will only be able to bring in a 2.0 guest against Berwick that night. Big chance for Jason?

Nothing unlucky about it Lawson must be hanging his head in shame. For those that were not there Eastbourne led by 3 points and just wanted two from the last heat. Lawson made the gate and Nicholls nibbled at him all the way opening up a gap between them and Worrell who was having his battle with Kennett, on the third lap coming out of bend 4 Lawson hit the fence but bounced off and kept the lead, on the last lap coming out of bend 4 again he did exactly the same thing but this time fell with just a few yards to go thus giving the Lions a 5-1 to win the match. Knowing we only needed second to win the match why on earth did he not stick to a safe line even if Nicholls got the drive to beat him to the finish. The crowd were stunned and I think I still am P.S must congratulate the Lions on choice of Guest, first time at the track he was superb.

Have a feeling that strengthens the top 4, it may be difficult to keep the loss under 20 now.

That is pretty much what they have done with r/r and the extra rides for Worrell and Perks who is now reserve.

The initial contests are over and the Eagles have done what is necessary but this weekend the hard work begins with both League matches against Leicester my pre-season forecast favourites for the title. By Monday we should have some idea as to whether we are going to be contenders or also rans. Whilst pretty certain to lose the away match If we can hold the Lions to 12/14 points then it will be a good result and make the possibility of an aggregate 'would be victory' realistic and make us competitive in any two leg competition. The Home match will be tough but I think we could get as many as 51 points. The three we really have to contend with are 1)Scott Nicholls who loved Arlington and apart from maximums with Ipswich won one of his 7 British Titles there plus leading the Eagles to win the Elite KO Cup. 2) Ritchie Worrell who I recall made his first appearance at the tack as a Poole guest and got somewhere between 18 and 21 points. and 3) Ellis Perks who made a major contribution to the Eagles team in 2016 and will now be reserve. On the other hand Bates and Douglas appear never to have ridden the track which could be a limiting factor. I don't put too much store in the Lions reserves who we know quite well, they don't take to Arlington and will have their hands full and find scoring difficult unless they get some breaks. An interesting weekend ahead as it looks certain that the two teams will meet in the next round of the KO cup and quite possibly the Shield Semi -Final.

Eagles only need a draw to top the table so they will be up for it and have a bit of an 'each way' bet knowing that if they fail then a win at Birmingham will also suffice. The key tonight must be which Bomber Harris turns up. He can be so inconsistent. Think it will go to heat 15 and should be a good meeting.

The way Lawson went against Belle Vue last night I can only see another Maximum. With Bowtell's engine problems resolved last week and Wood regaining some of his Mojo I could be persuaded to forecast a bit of an increase on last time. 55-35 Agree with the weather it will be soak up the sun today.

Having now seen both teams riding it must surely be a home win by 10 points.

Looks like being a real battle between the heat leaders on Saturday. Covatti may struggle as I believe it is his first visit to the track but Harris and Schlein really go well here and with the Home trio looking good there should be some very interesting heats. Eagles should win by about 10 as their reserves were way ahead last year and Somerset's '2nd strings' are also new to the track. Good opportunity for Bowtell to get a few points and I have a feeling Brennan will get paid 10.

I felt it was well over 1000, looked a lot better than the last few 'Elite ' days. Agree about Zach and Paco but also thought Morris came on well as the meeting progressed after an uncertain start. However I was surprised that Shanes did not do better. He used to go well at Arlington and was a thorn in our side when riding for Kent. For the eagles I was pleased to see Morley and Brennan give support to the top three. After an excellent win in heat one Ben came a cropper making an outside pass attempt which I think unsettled him a bit. He looks like being a real asset. As for Tom he did the same thing when having a go around the outside shortly after. He just took the move up from NL to CL in his stride. Alfie Bowtell needs a spell at reserve and time to learn how to ride the track which as I have said before is not one he does well on. I would think Martin Dugard and Eddie Kennett will help him with that.

I thought we were going to have matching team suits this year as we usually have but there was no evidence of that in the team photo or at P&P on Tuesday. Hope we have them tonight or it will be a backward step in my view.

Sorry to put my oar in but after my experience of the NL I would favour Thomas and Mountain over Kinsley and Bailey. Does that change the score enough?

Just had an hour at Press & Practice, Richard Lawson turned up late and did not have a ride before the photo call but otherwise they looked pretty quick. Biggest surprise was Alfie Bowtell, I missed him last year but he used to be uncertain at Arlington however he looked a vastly different rider today. The other thing of note was that Ben Morley wore the No 2 Jacket and Bowtell No 4. The one who looked to have a bit of a problem was Lewis Kerr, Quick enough but will need practice making the sharp turns, it should not be a handicap as most visitors will also be having first sight of the track and no doubt he will soon get dialled in. The only 'visitor' was Jason Edwards who did not look out of place at all and looks nailed on for No 7 in 2020.

Don't get to hopeful it will not be a rider. Probably another sponsor or a new announcer Coombes ??

Tough start for the Brummies with two trips to Arlington in April but if they need to make an early change I can see Bradley Wilson Dean who is well known to David Mason being drafted in now Workington have gone. There is nothing boring about him. I hope Brummies have a decent year as Mason is a real Speedway enthusiast and has taken on a real challenge.