Steve Shovlar

Thought it was a poor meeting tonight. Racing was poor bar a couple of heats. Track was definitely bumpy in places. Need to get the blade on it. Underwatered as well. Edinburgh put up a fight first half of the meeting but faded away.

Anders Rowe pulls out of tonight’s meeting with an arm injury. Not looking good for Wednesday. Get well soon Anders.

And Foord a far more entertaining rider who wants to race. Plus it would have given a little more scope for team building at the start of the season. The Poole fans loved Vinnies battles and attitude last season. All water under the bridge now though. Perhaps next season he could be considered if he wants to come back. (He might not want to)

By bringing in young riders with an appetite to race, not ride.

Needs to be done. Starke just gates, occassionally, then just gets picked off. We can all see it. Any opposition rider with fighting spirit will get by, just like Vinnie did yesterday. There must be better riders out there who could come in on a four. If we don’t act, it will seriously bite us on the bum in the playoffs. I was very critical of Kerr at the start of the season. He just wasn’t doing his job. Engine failures, poor on track and generally well short of what is expected. To his credit he did improve and start to show the reason why Matt signed him. But yesterday it was all back to utterly disappointing. When he was really needed to step up he went completely AWOL. Vinnie Foord dealt with him without issue. The difference between a rider who wants it and one that is just going through the motions sitting in a bike. There are young riders out there in Poland or Scandinavia who would do a much better job than these two.

100%. Matt rarely makes mistakes with team building but what would you rather have? A rider who is up for it every ride, determined to improve, or a rider who with due respect, his better days are long behind him and he just can’t do it anymore. No blame for Cairns. Just turned 16, tough reserves and on their home track. Did well to beat Foord for his point.

Certainly would have. Starke needs to retire. Tonight.

Well it’s clear to see where the issues lie. After heat 3 we held our own but you can’t start give the home side three 5-1’s on the trot. The whole meeting is over before the first track grade. Vinnie Foord showing every reason why he should have been chosen over Starke this season. A fans favourite and a battler. Instead we have ended up with mobile chicane Stark who makes no effort to defend his track position. Kerr, well he was appalling earlier this season, had some improvement before being utter tripe today. Easily our worst performance of the season. I don’t like losing but if we do, at least put up a proper fight.

Well done Workington. By far the better team tonight. Fully deserved.

Sack Kerr, sack Starke. Utter dregs.

Just a terrible start which took away the opportunity. Since heat 4 we have been ok but you can’t start a meeting like that and expect to get anything out of it. Kerr and Starke appalling, again.

Pirates got the gruesome twosome in the next heat. Fat lady clearing her voice.

Lawson t/r. Pirates just not at the races. Wondering if the long haul up in the heat has had an effect but shouldn’t be an excuse. Workington on another level so far.

19-5. Boys better get their gating gloves on. Workington on another 5-1 until Rowe got between them.

Shocking start for Pirates. Completely wrong setups and outgated in two heats with Vinnie finding it easy to pass our reserves. Mountain to climb.

There will be the NIDS travelling up but a truly awful day to travel with such a long journey and 34C expected. With a stream I would think hundreds will pay the £11.99 to watch and save a fortune on fuel.

Booked the stream. Should imagine a good profit for Workington today as many Pirate fans watching. Hoping for a good Poole win.

Thought there were a lot of speedway fans in the area but alas no. Club has had it with the tax man now owning everything. Unless there is someone willing to come forward with very deep pockets to pay the taxman off, all the work building that track has been a waste of time. Sad time for the fans and riders.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10162539558100791&set=a.10150326209080791

Knew Pete since the early 90’s was a lively guy always time for a chat. Sadly missed.

And many supporters who go to both. AFCB dominate the local sports scene but Pirates don’t do too bad in comparison, for a fraction of a percent of the finances.

How on earth is the Poole track killing British speedway? We have the biggest crowds and the Pirate fans all left very happy indeed last night. They will be back in a fortnight against Edinburgh. We have had 3 days on the trot where temperatures were above 30C. Yesterday reached 28C. The track staff did a tremendous job in keeping the dust away. When a strong home team turn up against a weakened away team, the result was never in doubt. If the fans don’t like what they see, we would get Workington sized crowds, as the racing is meant to be better there, right? Funny that crowds don’t turn up there on a super race track, but they come in their droves to Wimborne Road on a “terrible, crap track”.

Glasgow fans clutching at their pearls after being demolished. Track was the same for both set of riders. Granted in the heat conditions were not perfect but it wasn’t dangerous. Only one faller all night from an inexperienced reserve under pressure. As for Cairns only beating Hodder, Perry and Hume. Isn’t that what he was meant to do? Scoring paid 9 on his debut, and the way he scored it, was very impressive. Should have had Starke’s last ride to be fair but the meeting was done by then. Think he is going to make quite a mark on the sport as long as he stays fit. Still buzzing from last night. Wasn’t heat 13 entertaining? Lawson and Harris battling? Rowe when he came through past the Thompson twins? Lawson giving Howarth a lesson on hard but fair racing? Not sure there’s a lot of love between Lawson and Howarth.

Someone who is normally on the ball told me that we had three points to play with, and I questioned it but he was adamant. When I read the article, he had read what Danny Ford had said the wrong way, and it wasn’t as he thought. So no, we don’t have three points to play with!

Wow. Just got back and read through the tripe on here.😅 A huge crowd tonight of over 3000. Programs sold out, big queues at the bars and food outlets. Grandstand packed with three/four deep in front and crowded on the first and second bends. The Pirate faithful turned up to watch the clash at the top of the league and be introduced to our new youngster Will Cairns. And what a debut for this new lad. Seriously stylish in a bike, a decent gater, big for his age and full of confidence. Still raw of course but to score like that on his debut was something else. Don’t see him at reserve for very long. Even did a donut. Then before heat 15 did a running lap around the to high five the many young (and old) pirate fans around the dog track. Glasgow were absolutely pathetic in what were admittedly harsh conditions due to the 30+C heatwave over the last few days. It was scorcheo in the grandstand before tapes up. The track staff were working very hard all night to keep the dust away and succeeded. Riders after the meeting when interviewed said it was difficult due to heat and of course no chance of any grip. They asked for the track not to be watered on the inside. Of course us Poole fans loved it, giving a thrashing to our main rivals this season. As Richard Lawson said when interviewed, “we sent them all the way back up north with their tails between their legs.” As for the moans and groans on here, if a superior team gates, they are not going to get caught and passed, it’s as simple as that. And there was only one team up for the fight tonight. Happens all the time. I would imagine over 3000 Pirates fans left Wimborne Road tonight extremely happy, judging by the roars of approval throughout the match. Whilst tonight there was very little drama due to the meeting being one sided, winning brings in the crowds. We will see much better meetings this season with better opposition and kinder weather.