Ommer Mon

Nigel Pearson's very first nervous announcement at Cradley - "Four minutes for all two riders".

This is a genuine question and not an attempt to stir it, so I hope have got the background right! I remember reading somewhere that Colin Hill had left a lot of money to Exeter to help them find and build another track and that this had been passed on to those involved with Plymouth in order to protect the future of Speedway in Devon. Has all this money been spent or absorbed due to losses? Happy to be corrected if any of the above is wrong.

I agree that Jack Kingston could be a trump card. He looked very lively in the U21s.

I've just posted on the main thread not to trust housing developers until they withdraw the Appeal. Perhaps this is great news after all. Fingers crossed that an offer will be made now and accepted. Well done to all involved in the campaign.

Yep its R/R for Tom (extra rides for Steve, Cleggy, Greavesie and Danny I presume) and Michael Neale for Matt. Like GreyhoundP I think Michael Neale would have been a decent signing and I hope he has a good night. So, do we think the Bog Moggies are in with a shout of reducing Nigel Pearson's silver polish bill?

With Tom Perry out injured and the possibility of Matt Williamson also being missing (I've heard Michael Neale could be deputising) this could be a close encounter. Could the silverware be under threat?

Congratulations to all at Stoke on a very encouraging start. The team looks solid and they may well be in contention for the play offs at the end of the year. I hope all that work on the track pays off and a combination of good racing and a competitive team gets a few more through the gate.

I think the crowd may be down very slightly this year but its not significant. I think there are still well over 1000 attending. Not bad to say we are 10 miles outside our catchment area on a 'school' night with virtually no Wolves fans attending. I do know for a fact that they sold more season tickets this year than ever before which is a good sign. Interesting note in the programme from Gary Patchett "We have lofty ambitions for our club which extend beyond and very possibly before securing a site for a stadium of our own." My interpretation is that they must be considering the possibility of PL racing next season. That's just my guess with no inside info at all.

Could have gone better I admit, Montie! It was an ommering as we predicted but there were some highlights. Heat 1 was one of the best races I've seen this year with Tony Atkin passing both Starkie and Greavesie and then getting picked off by both of them. Liam Carr also got stuck in and mixed it. He was unlucky not to win one when an unwelcome wheelie messed him up. One key factor is that this was Buxton's first match whereas some of the Cradley lads must be pushing 20 meetings by now with double and treble ups. You are always going to struggle first out in those circumstances. I think it is now becoming obvious that the Elite League involvement is improving some of them. One point from Ommer Um I would disagree with was the cheers and applause for Ryan Blacklock (rather than Tom Woolley) in his last ride when he got a second. I think the whole crowd applauded him. I and those around me certainly did but it was genuine rather than to take the micky. He'd had a lousy night, falling three times, and he did really well to keep going and pick some points up. At the end of the meeting Porky asked for a round of applause for the Buxton team and they got it. At a time when some of our supporters' behaviour has been brought into question at Coventry, I thought that went some way to restore the balance.

June - I've said elsewhere that I fully acknowledge and respect the contribution that Scunny have made to bringing young British riders through over the years and their contribution to the future of British Speedway overall is something they should be proud of. The track is good and produces superb racing. My concern is limited to their approach this season.

As you said earlier Montie, I'm probably not the sharpest tool in the box . When I go to speedway I want to be entertained. Buxton have a budget to work to and I think they have done brilliantly to even get to the tapes this year. They have put the best team that they could afford out and I have no problem with that. I'm not moaning about them but I don't think that Scunny are in the same boat. Nobody has to step up. Cradley have to build our teams within the same points limit as everyone else. Coventry and Mildenhall have also produced two excellent teams this year. ..........and in terms of what we are called? We called ourselves Champions last year and I hope that we will be doing that again this year.

Whether the definition is professional or semi professional is a bit of a side show. The main issue is that people are being charged to see this'racing'and the scores suggest that it is anything but competitive and entertaining. Buxton are at Monmore tonight and, with the greatest of respect to them, I expect another high scoring match but I do expect Tony Atkin and Liam Carr in particular to put on a show and provide some entertainment and that is what it is all about. The key difference here is the help that Tony can give to riders while they are out there on the track. Whether he scores loads or not he is someone that you can look and learn from. IMO that is what Scunny are missing. 6 3 pointers in one team does little to help them develop. Rest assured that the efforts of the youngsters will be appreciated by the Cradley fans tonight and also when Scunny ride there. This is not an issue about the lads themselves, who I am sure are trying their best.

How do you know that? I thought you were Montie not Mystic Meg. Quids in on the NL element of the meeting.

You may have seen I've been quite critical of the Scunny approach this year but I am not going to say the same about Buxton. I agree that the NL is there to develop promising young riders and I was right behind the Elite League changes this season. I think it will be good for British Speedway. Whereas I believe Scunny are doing it wrong at the expense of others in the League due their tracking of 6 3 pointers, I am far more comfortable with Buxton's approach in mixing youth with experience. It might be a right 'ommering tomorrow but I applaud Jayne Moss and her colleagues in even coming to the tapes this year. They run their club on a very tight budget and have survived the additional cost for the air fence somehow. The League is better for having them in it. I hope Buxton surprise a few as the season progresses.

If Halifaxtiger has it right (and I have no reason to doubt him) then Scunny would have made a handsome profit from the NL encounter yesterday. Charge everybody in a captive audience £2 extra - pay £10 a point (presumably) - score 20 points inc bonus - means you need a crowd of 100 to break even. They must have been quids in!! As a business model it rivals the Glazers' take over at Manchester United and reversing all the debt into the Club. Genius! Clearly pressed the 'post' button at the same time as HT but we have clearly arrived at the same conclusion. This can't be allowed next year!

Blimey! 19-71 and that included an engine failure for Marc Owen. Congratulations to KL for taking it seriously for 15 races.

Good luck to the Potters. I hope this resolves all of the problems. I also hope that they get their fixtures programmed as early as possible to avoid end of season cancellations like last season. If the problem is with the 'water table' then it could come back in the Autumn. Best of luck anyway and I look forward to us giving you the customary 'ommering in due course. I'll be there for that one.

Dudley is a beautiful medieval market town with a history that dates back to pre Norman times. It has a Castle, a Zoo, an open air Black Country Museum and a Canal Trust that transports visitors deep into prehistoric limestone caverns. It was the engine room of the industrial revoltion. So, whats not to like.....................apart from the possible exception of a Council that have provided no help whatsoever to those who have tried to get Speedway back in the Borough since the closure of Dudley Wood in 1995 and who have also presided over the closure of a football ground where Manchester United once played and a cricket ground where Worcestershire played regularly including a match against the Australian Tourists. Where is the 'smiley face' button when you need it? PS If you never saw a Dudley Wolves Trophy match you will have no idea of the passion that went into those encounters on both sides.

I was up in the grandstand so I missed all of the antics in and around the pits so I can't comment on them. What I saw was a good old fashioned passionate Speedway match between two teams that are going to end up battling it out for honours at the end of the season (injuries permitting on both sides of course). After going eight points down many teams would have thrown in the towel but the Storm lads stuck at it and made the most of the weaknesses in the Cradley team and the gifts that were thrown in their direction. Mainly from the gate but there were some great passing manoeuvres too from both sides. A great encounter and I look forward to the next one.

Thanks for the warning Gemini.

From memory ...........most Dudley Wolves Trophy meetings would have been right up there especially 1989 when we lost and Jan O ended up in hospital with Erik going on the tannoy to calm both the riders and fans down and then telling the Heathens to get on wiith it!! We lost by 1 point on aggregate and I'm still not sure how!

Could be a cracker this! Bank Holiday night - just like the old days. It might be a bit dramatic for this early in the season but this encounter could go a long way to determining who finishes top of the NL table. Here's hoping for a great night's racing and some decent weather.

Jimmy Nilsen rode for BOTH teams in the 1989 KO Cup Final. He rode for Cradley at Wolves and for Wolves at Cradley. Only in Speedway!!!! ............and for the record we won!!!!

I don't think anyone is challenging Scunny's past record of producing good riders. All that, however, was achieved whilst having some team members who could put on a show and lead by example. Unfortunately that is not what is happening this year and that is what people are concerned about.

On the Kings Lynn question, I think that Josh Bailey is well worth supporting this year. He showed promise in the second leg of the play off final last year and really got stuck in at Monmore Wood last week. Cockle, Hughes and Mallett all have a role to play in developing a young talent like that both on the track as well as in the pits. That is the point that I am trying to make about Scunny. It was great that Sam Chapman rode so well yesterday but what did the other six learn and what did they feel like as they left the stadium. God forbid that any of them give up at this stage but if you have no role models to look to (on the track) how are they going to develop. I'll be interested to see how many Scunny fans make the trip to Momnore. As Halifaxtiger said the promotion seem to have passed the financial risk of all of this to the other promoters. To the Scunny lads I would say keep plugging away. The sport needs good British youngsters coming through but I feel it also owes them an obligation to try to provide the right support for that development.