EC Rides Again

1. your teams top rider? Tough call, they were all contributing to the great second half of the season. Plump for Josh Auty, he provided the most "woaahh" moments through the year. 2. your teams most improved rider? Toss up between Jorgy/Birks/Toft. Go with MPT. 3. best match witnessed? PL Final 2nd Leg (obviously). Honourable mention to the Bandits league visit. 4. worst match witnessed? Can't think of a real dud. The PLRC ended in farcical manner that would have been comic but for the sickening nature of the crashes on the first bend. 5. did your team do better or worse than expected? Gotta say better, but once Morris signed they started to feel like a "team of destiny" 6. best fans to visit your track? Bandits fans hands down. 7. best track( other than your own team). Only went to Sheffield and Cardiff, so not much choice ! Give it to the Millenium Stadium just for the Holder/Sayfutdinov battle royale. 8. worst points of the season? 13th May 2012. RIP Rico.

Well said.

Look North reporter was filming in with the Scunthorpe fans at the end of the last heat ! There should be a report in the 6.30 bulletin tonight! Probalby a bit "Scunthorpe orientated" to be on Points West!

Much to be decided at the AGM. Wouldn't like to guess how many teams will come to tapes in each league next year. Once we know that basic principle then the formats can be figured out. This year's unprecedented poor weather played havoc with the season and the formula the clubs agreed on last November.

As I said in my post last night the decision to use Hall in Heat 15 was a gamble, but a logical gamble. Scunthorpe had choice of gates and automatically took 2 & 4. Gate 3 was the "dead man's gate", as usual, and a Rebel was going to have to do their best from a probable disadvantage after the first bend. If any of the Rebels 1-7 last night was going to pull off a pass against the Scorpion's best two riders it was Hall. He nearly did it, as well ! It took some classical old-school team riding from Morris out wide and Auty on the inside to thwart Hall's attempts. To get as good a surface for the track as the staff managed was a fantastic effort, however it did mean that the riding of the start up to the exit of the second bend was critical to most heats. There was great action for the first 3/4 of the first lap in most races as both sides put in 100% effort. To make a pass after that took very brave riding, hence the falls in the middle of the meeting as the tension of the match became suffocating. Thrilled for all the managemnet, staff and riders at Scunthorpe. The club is a template for the future of the sport. Felt sorry for the Rebels fans, management and riders. So close but yet so far. They all handled themselves very well in the aftermath of their defeat. Cliche, I know, but speedway was the winner last night ! Thanks to the Belle Vue lads for their tension relieving humour too.

Congratulationd to Scunthorpe, commiserationsto Somerset. A big crowd was enthralled more by the drama of the to-and-fro in the scores than by the action on the track. Too many heats were follow-my-leader, but this was a result of the need to virtually re-lay a new track after all the rain. A gamble to put Hall in Heat 15, and it didn't pay off. Do the Rebels wish they could re-think their decision to turn down Rob Godfrey's amnesty on Tacticals offer ?

Rain Today website shows radar pictures of the rain and the showers have now died out, Thank God! C'mon the Scorpions !

Stefan to Ippo was expected. Can't blame Wilko for getting himself fixed up early.

Any one know if the Rebels management and riders found a bed for the night at the Normanby Road B & B ? One of those days where the weather teased us all into thinking we might get a meeting on, only for rain to be the winner again! All too many days like this in 2012. I think the bad weather this year has had a major impact on the finances of the sport, hence the growing number of promotions in trouble. I'll be there tomorrow night, but I feel for all the Somerset fans who came up north for nothing today and won't be able to return for the re-run.

Setting off soon. Weather update from those nearer to the track, please.

If Hall is "on it" he can pile up the points at the EWR. Don't count the Rebels out yet. I certainly haven't.

Scorpions fans would have taken a 5 point defecit before a wheel was turned. Fingers crossed that the weather plays ball on Sunday afternoon.

Two words: Grapes Sour

Hope this makes up for the Last Heat defeat to Scunthorpe in the Play-Off Final twelve months a go !

Get well soon Tom. This is a season that most will be glad to see the back of. Injuries and Rain Offs must be unprecedented. The negative part of having end-of-season play-offs is the inevitable patched up sides taking part in them. I'm sure both the Rebels and Scorpions fans will be thrilled to will the PL after the two legs are completed, but the missing riders on both sides do leave a slightly bitter after-taste.

You can tell it's Half Term.

Echo the good wishes for Tommy. His first wins against Stoke last month were some of the most happily celebrated 3 points that the EWR saw all season. He's a likeable whole hearted trier, and they are always welcome at a meeting I'm watching. But, realistically, any points the lad scores will be a bit of a bonus come Friday night. Mon the Monarchs !

Blimey ! All I wanted to know was who Adam might turn out for in thr PL next year. I didn't mean to start an argument about the right and wrongs of the assett system in British Speedway................. but thinking about it................ no, that can wait for another thread. Seems no-one knows where he'll end up, other than for the Islanders in the NL.

The lad looks to be a talent. I think that I read that he's sixteen so has he already been tied up by someone ?

Skiddy would be popular at Scunthorpe, but swapping him for Birks................dream on.

But, what about Scunthorpe ?

Your money may not be on the Scorpions, but is that decision based on what your head or your heart is telling you ? If Scunthorpe and Somerset meet over two legs will the bookies be offering beter odds on the Scorpioons or the Rebels ? Most neutral observers would say that it would be a toss-up between the two teams.

Got to agree with your "core" five riders. Much will depend on the regs coming out of the AGM next month re. "double uppers". Riders like David, Josh and Richie will be prime candidates for Elite League promoters to include in their teams in 2013. Will David, Josh and Richie concentrate on one league or still ride in both EL and PL ? The race nights of the clubs involved will be the issue, so Richie with Lakeside or Josh returning to Coventry would be affected in particular. Tom Armstrong could return only after proving himself back down under over our winter. I certainly think that the morally correct thing to do would to give him a chance back at the EWR if he is riding competetively in Australia.

Who's "us" ?

scunny 1 has it. Scunthorpe must rely on both Edinburgh and Workington exchanging victories, if either team does the double then that will see Scunthorpe eliminated. Workington are at home this Saturday with the return at Edinburgh the following Friday, so it will take until then to decide who advances to the final.