Steve Shovlar

Next Monday sees a top of the table clash, live on BT sports, between Poole and Somerset. The winners go to the top of the table. Poole and Somerset are both at full strength and it should be a really good, exciting encounter, providing we don’t get 5 minutes of drizzle. Let’s hope the track is as good as it was a week ago when the track staff watered it the night before. Somerset have a team who can all ride Wimborne Road so we have to be on top form to continue the push for top spot and the choice of our opponents in the semi finals. I am expecting a close meeting with only a few points in it. Thoughts?

No getting away from the fact the call off was a lousy decision. It could even decide who finishes top. If we miss out on top spot by points scored it will serve us right.

I have had some info from someone who attended the press conference afterwards. They said Neil and Josh came on quite strong. It seems that the riders thought the inside of the track was like glass. It only needed one rider to lose it there to cause carnage with a potential serious injury resulting. Woryna said he didn’t come over from Poland for three rides but it was the correct call. He also said he caught his kevlars in his front mudguard which nearly pulled him off his bike. Anyway that was from the press conference. No I didn’t attend.

I can’t answer as I was not in the pits to witness what was going on.

I blame both teams and the ref, who should have stood up to whinging riders.

The bar takings are nothing to do with Poole speedway.

You altered your post afterwards.

I would say he has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. He was in the office so probably wasn’t fully aware of what was happening. The ref should have had the backbone to demand a short track grade, which would have sorted it pretty quickly. It seems Leicester riders wanted it called as they had no chance and the Poole side went along with it, without either team or ref considering the paying public. Extremely disappointing.

Absolutely disgraceful call off. I was leading the boos. How can one short shower cause a rainoff when in the previous race there was quite a bit off dust? There was zero attempt to do anything about sorting the trac, which to be honest needed no more than a quick grade! The tractor came out and at the same time it was announced, that with the referee, that conditions had got bad and both managers and captains agreed to abandon the meeting. No thought for the large crowd in attendance who had just been short changed, on the whim of riders who probably hadn’t even given a thought to those that had paid a chunk to watch. The ref, Dave Robinson, should have demanded a track grade, which would have sorted the track in five minutes, and stuck the 2 mins on. It was a thin shower line which passed over in less than ten minutes. Blue skies on the other side. But instead Robinson cowtowed to a few riders and the meeting was off. It’s like going to a football match and one team is 4-0 down after 75 mins and they say they don’t want to play anymore, so the ref blows full time. Totally unacceptable. The meeting itself was average fair. The track was underwatered and slick. Not as good as recently. Still some passing butmore gate and go than it has been. Can’t be bothered to write a meeting report as peed off with this abandonment.

Very good amount.

Well tonight the track is not as good as the last two weeks. Seems the track staff were worried about the rain which could have come a bit further west. It’s slick tonight and underwatered imo compared to the last meetings. No dust of any consequence at the moment but a couple of our guys have struggled a little.

Both teams were happy to fulfill this meeting on a spare week for Poole as Rye are no more. Leicester stronger tonight with guests. Everyone is happy.

Hearing that Poulner Hill at Ringwood is shut due to an accident. The main way towards Poole from London and most of the UK. Just had a call from shaleshifter who is stuck in it from Southampton. His gps is saying an hour to get through but if the road is blocked..... hopefully no riders caught in it. Harris would come this way as would most Leicester riders. Fingers crossed they are already through it.

As long as we see a meeting as good as the last two, regardless of score, the fans will all go home happy again.

The guests certainly strengthen Leicester. Auty and Wright wouldn’t have scored much. Auty would have been lucky to score. The replacements, if they gate, can both be quick when leading. Happy to take a 2 point win. But feel the margin will be a bit bigger.

Looks like we have been lucky on this heavy rain coming up from the south. Just to the east of us it looks like it’s going to be raining for most of the day. Woke up to something quite unusual. An overcast day. Hope they don’t over water the track. A win tonight will take us up to second in the league, a point behind Swindon with 2 meetings in hand.

Thats right he didn’t need to. Because Wolves had lost their top two to injury. Open goal for the robins and they nearly sliced it wide even then.

Guess we will have to just stick to Freddie. Oh well.....

You be proud of keeping the same team then and leave yet another league title to us. I can live with that.

Agree he scored well tonight. He beat Howe, Mountain, Robson, Wright. Not exactly high class opposition to call it a brilliant performance, but not bad.

Anyway you can’t combine two riders averages. Only individual riders.

Yep. That’s what Swindon fans are currently doing at Blunsdon. Mind you they even do that when the bikes are “racing”.

Fair enough. Fingers crossed it goes ahead.

After the farce of the track a couple of weeks ago, you would have thought the management would have had it put right.

Haven’t had a cheque book for 15 years at least. Gave for the SRBF last week at Poole.