Tsunami

Barry always worked at the Ministry in Benton.

Since the restart of speedway at Newcastle in 1961 I think there has only been 3 announcers, and Barry has been doing it since about 1963. I know Maurice Morley was one and possibly Eddie Glennon the other one.

How about reading this, rather than bringing in your own biases.

Not true. Look at the thread on General Discussions.

Not true. They could not afford it due to the Football Premier deal, and have now gone for cheaper sports. I believe they paid up to get out of the contract.

Forgetting of course that the youth system is bringing on more riders that before, so the potential to reduce the number of DU's and foreign riders is greater. Develop British Youth.

Not happy with the inept performance from the Diamonds against the Bandits. Even allowing for the great scores from the rejuvenated Davis Howe and Etheridge, we should have been in with a shout and not rely on a 2 man team. Poor night for both Ash and Lewis, Hopwood OK, but shocking nights from both Coles and Ludde. I think the fight is now out of Coles as he realises this year is too early, and I expect him to go back and stay at NL for the rest of the year. Ludde is at a crossroad and we cannot put up with another performance like last night, when he was repassed by a NL youngster and only scored 4 points. Probably he is still testing the GTR engine, but we can't afford to let him do this, if this is the problem, and he should be made to test it elsewhere and go back to GM/s for the time being. Remember the GTR is being used by youngsters Jordan Jenkins and Tom Brennan with great improvement, so why not with Ludde. I always speak up for him rightly because of the club work he does off the track, but he is employed to ride and get points as a third heat leader and he is not doing that at the moment. Great to see Luke Ruddick get a win. He rode at Newcastle last year and although he didn't score a point, he led one race and was on the pace in the other 2. He is a Mildenhall rider who ride on a Sunday as well, so we are unlikely IMO going to use him instead of Connor, but you can't be sure with no other possible on the horizon. How about a 28 day loan to try it. Next meeting at Redcar on Thursday is suddenly a very important meeting to judge the team, and decide if we are going to do anything this year. I certainly hope so.

I quite agree and I applaud the efforts that the new promotion are taking to review everything. I know them all personally, and know they have the best intentions in everything they do. What some people have difficulties to understand is Berwick had the least obstructions with no dog track and a fixed air fence. As others have said, other tracks have more problems especially us, Lakeside and Ipswich so it is not the easy solution that others think it is. Covering the whole track all week is just crazy overkill and not viable. Extra weights to keep the sheets down and who goes in to maintain the blocks stay on the sheets during the week. Most doggie stadiums would not allow the sheets to be in view either for their live evening meetings or for the BAGS meetings in the afternoons.

The 'excuse' would be the volume of rain that fell on 2 days which almost equalled a months rainfall, and it continuing to lie on the track all week softening the top surface. On top of that it has poured down till teatime today, Saturday, which made it mission impossible. With dogs on tonight the problem could not be tackled till the morning. Just REASONS not excuses.

It was, and a lot of them got damaged.

It what was said when Berwick saved that FIM championship event about 3 years ago. I had reason to remember it. Don't forget not only do you have to have the covers but a large gang of people who can turn up at the right time to both put them down and lift them, and the duration and intensity of the rain to be to your advantage.

Not according to them apparently.

They only last about 4 to 5 meetings.

if the shoe was on the other foot, guaranteed you would be glad with Newcastle losing the points. Remember, despite we give you your biggest gates of the season, Bears fans hardly bother to return the favour at ours.

The practice was once called 'combined averages' but, as stated, can only be used when the team total is under the points limits.

And Covatti's in the 4's tournament at Peterborough.

Covers are not a long term viable solution. They can work given previous certain rain patterns, but need renewing on a rapid turnover. It is much easier to use them at tracks like Berwick with no dog track sheeting and an air fence that can stay fixed, because it is the foam type and no doggies legs to see racing unlike at Brough and other doggy stadiums. At Newcastle we have the worst accumulation of problems, with an air fence that has to be dropped after every meeting, and re-errected before the next meeting (doggies legs thing), and plastic sheeting on the dog track for every meeting, including the 150cc limit training school, in case of damage to the little doggies paws. You should also understand that the above takes up a large unseen workforce every Sunday with struggling numbers, and people think that adding the speedway track covering could should be done when it rains. WHERE do you get the volunteers from for these sheets ?. I wouldn't mind.

Very pleased to hear that, it's the way it should be in any sport. Look forward to your next visit, look me up and i'll show you around next time.

Certainly agree. He has that very distinct voice for a stadium announcer that he also did at St James Park as well, along with Alan Robson. Seem him at Worky, when he was the presenter for a short period a few years ago, but not quite as comfortable or good.

Of course there are limits, but the alternative is not letting them saying anything that they, or the audience, think which could lose paying customers. "Oh i think rider A will get the heave ho after that last ride" would not sit with every well, or many others just so a presenter, can make himself a bit bigger. With respect, Rob is perfectly entitled to express a point of view to the referee being the promoter at the track and it being his business. it he goes over the top he has be punished by the BSPA rules that he signs every year for each season. Not exactly the same as a hired hand doing the damage is it.

Quite agree, they would have needed at least 15 on the pitch.

It won't if the rules are applied according to the rules book, which it is why it should be a 28 riding ban.

And neither was I saying it either. Chris at time, after Cardiff, was getting a bit up himself, IMO, and he carried that over to the BSF. It was inevitable that his ego would get reeled in before the fines started from the BSPA/SCB, who after all operate the rules of the sport that the promoters own, and are governed by the ACU through the SCB. No one in their right mind, even Dave Jones, would own something and allow anybody to harm their business out of their control.

So if you ran a small business with breakeven or a loss, you would allow an employee to make possibly defamatory remarks to others on a mic. S**t for brains thinking. The promoter is the one that stands to be cautioned by the BSPA or the SCB for what the programme, the presenter or the mic man says or behaves during the meeting.

It says more about you if you condemn a club owner for not allowing a mic man to say what he wants to say and damage his business, rather that the big man picking up the losses having in input. Pie in the SKY thinking. It is not allowed in other sports so why should it be in speedway to allow an individual the opportunity to damage your business publicly.