Steve Shovlar

Very good article, but it doesn't say who wrote it.

Todays Echo. Neil confident in Ed’s ability By Phil Chard PIRATES team manager Neil Middleditch believes Edward Kennett will "lift his game" for the World Team Cup. The 20-year-old Poole Castle Cover rider will make his debut in the competition at Coventry on July 16 when Team GB host Sweden, the United States and Russia. Kennett has already lifted the British Under-21 title, finished fourth in the senior championship and reached the finals of the individual and team junior events this year. Now Middleditch, who is also manager of Team GB, believes Kennett can shine again in the cut-throat environment of World Cup competition. Kennett is one of four riders "who picked themselves", the others being captain Scott Nicholls, new British Grand Prix champion Chris Harris and the experienced Lee Richardson. Simon Stead and reserve David Howe make up the side. Middleditch said: "Ed's average (of 7.32) in the Elite League actually belies how good he is. "He is in terrific form. He sometimes loses points by trying too hard. But I think he will lift his game for the World Cup. "To be honest, I think the top four riders pick themselves, and he is one of them. "Simon, David and Olly Allen, who is a Coventry rider, also came into the equation and it was Simon and David who got the nod, with David at reserve. "Ed, on his current form, is like Bomber. He is just making progress all the time." Kennett has appeared for Team GB before, but not in the red-hot amphitheatre of speedway's top team event. Middleditch said: "I've told Ed he has to enjoy the experience and just try to treat it as any other meeting, like Bomber does in the GPs. "Ed was very pleased when I told him. He was overjoyed and can hardly wait for the World Cup to get started. "It is just reward for the way he has stepped up this year. "Some people might say I'm being biased picking him because I'm at Poole, but that isn't the case because he has gone to other tracks and beaten the best as well." Harris, meanwhile, is still celebrating his success at Cardiff on Saturday when he lifted his first GP title in only his sixth meeting. Only seven other riders have won a GP round after making less appearances in the competition since its inception in 1995. They are Tomasz Gollob, who won at the first attempt, Billy Hamill (two), Martin Dugard (two), Tommy Knudsen (two), Brian Andersen (four), Jason Crump (five) and Hans Nielsen (five). Bomber rode once as a wild card in the Millennium Stadium in 2003, prior to his full debut GP campaign this season.

Think the lineup is spot on, with perhaps the only doubt over Stead. Can't belive some on here think Kennett shouldn't be riding! The lad is the best young British talkent we have and should have been one of the first names down after Nicholls and Harris. He is destined for GP stardom in the next three years and his form this year is brilliant. No disrespect to Allen but he isn't at the same level even if it is his home track. Would be just left standing and has little passing ability. Eddie on the other hand is the total package in the making and can gate and pass. Stead or Howe? Tougher one here. DH is on good form and its good to see. Stead really hasn't stepped up to the mark this year.

Seems many on here didn't read the first post clearly. Where have I said he should drop the name "bomber"? I asked the question, should he drop the name "Bomber", but didn't say I thought he should. The purpose of this thread was debate. Whether people on here thought he should or should not keep it. Nothing more. And as for Iris rying to score some points against me, well madam you will have to try harder than that!

Well that was a waste of space. Not a mention!

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1511...hat_a_night.php

Sorry to see both Brits going out. Neither were going to get through. Stead would have struggled anyway regardless of his injury and Allen had no chance. What is frustrating is that Kennett didn't bother, but on his form would have sailed through to the semis in the round he was meant to be in. Don't understand whey he didn't bother. If he failed he could have put it down to experience for next time.

I watched the BBC wales preview on Friday and they said they would have coverage of the event on Mondays program. Interestingly, the news anchor said to tune in and watch him "have a go" around the track. Wales Today is on Sky 972 at 6.30, and will probably come on in the sports section of the show after 6.45.

Todays national press coverage is the best it has ever been since the 70's. All the nationals carry the story, some with pics. Only the Guardian flopped, doing a couple of paragraphs. The rest did us proud. If any other rider ( other than Howe or Nicholls had won it, I doubt very much if any space would have been given over at all. Trouble there was a F1 GP on yesterday and they have such a clout with the media, especially so at the mo with Hamilton doing so well. They are so proffessional they send out a few freebies to the press association and get massive coverage, even if the race is dreadful procession. Speedway can never compete with that.

Whats his email?

Not the slightest mention on the BBC breakfast sports report this morning. What a suprise.

Telegraphs report. Not bad. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...2/smspee102.xml The Express report. "It was bedlam, it was brilliant." http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/12011/...in+a+Millennium Guardian gives us two poxy paragraphs. http://sport.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2116266,00.html The Sun http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2007300279,00.html Poole Echo. TRick sends his congrats. http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.1511181.0..php Crumps delight for Harris. http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.1511182.0..php

Don't know if anyone else noticed this last night but when harris won the final, a guy with a Cornish flag ran forward on the bottom tier waiving it frantically and leaping about in joy, hoping to catch Harris eye and give him the flag. he was pounced on by the usual over zealous stewards, who had had bugger all to do all night, and marched out, even though the guy was no where near the track and just emational with joy. You could see him saying to the steward he would go bak to his seat, but the jobsworth was having none of it and marched the guy out, arm in half nelson. Pathetic.

Well it certainly looks like some of the nationals are reporting Bombers win last night in tomorrows papers. Here's a great report from the Daily Mail, a paper which never gives the sport coverage! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1781

Difference is any people killed by pirates are long dead! But there are many children out there today who lost their whole families to "Bomber" Harris.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/argusgener...ms_gp_track.php

In these times of political corretness, is it time for Chris Harris to drop his nickname? The final GP this year is in Germany, and I am sure many Germans still have memories of the tactics used by Bomber Harris in the second world war. Carpet bombing of cities, causing fire storms and the deaths of thousands of women and children. Whilst in this country Bomber Harris is a popular wartime figure, using the same strategy oday would surely see him up for war crimes. Imagine if there was a German rider called Herman "SS" Himmler?

Sunday papers go to print much earlier than dailies. They would have been printed way before Harris crossed the line in the final. Wait for tomorrow buut don't hold your breath on seeing many coloum inches. England are playing cricket, Wimbledon is still on and boring F1 has Hamilton scoring a few points. Might be lucky and see a few paragraphs. Anything more than that would be a bonus.

I have been to all 7 Cardiff GPs and last nights was the best. Funny how the organisers fill the back straight top tier before the home straight top tier. I was up on the top tier last night and the viewing is good but too far away from the action. Perhaps flog thos seats for a tenner, or better still, run some comps in the nationals where they say ten pairs of tickets are available to win, when really everyone who enters and gets the question right ( who won the 2007 GP etc) gets a pair of tickets for the upper tier.

Well now I have been fed and watered after a short nights sleep I will give my thoughts. First of all what a nightmare leaving the stadium in a cloud burst. Got absolutely soaked walking the 20 mnutes back to the car. We parked in the long thin car park as you come into Cardiff along the side of the road, and it took over an hour to get out the bloody carpark!! (Not that we wer too bothered!) Got in at 2.20 am, a good hour later than usual. Still damp, knackered byt buzzing (especially the poor old ears! ) During the day the atmosphere was flatter than usual because of the rotten weather, and the pubs seemed much quieter. Very easy to get served and it boded for a smaller crowd in the stadium. Wrong! On entering the stadium at 5 pm we enjoyed the youngsters having a ride. Must have been great for them. The 8 lads only had one ride each but here I think was a missed opportunity. Rather than suffer Chas and Dave, and the probably ten grand it cost to have them there, why not have had the first and second placed riders from the two heats have a race in front of the 50,000 during the interval, rather than race in front of the few tousand at 5.20 pm? Would THAT have been somethig special for the yongsters and they would probably have been on Sky TV as well. Would have given them a massive taste. Perhaps that could be considered in the future? Onto the meeting itself and the first few heats were a bit boring, but about heat 5-6 it started to get better and better, until the briliant finale which brought the whole house down. Best British GP by the proverbial mile, best final, best winner. Stand up Chris Harris. Absolutely marvellous performance and I never thought he had it in him to do it. Before the final I said that if he could make the rostrum it would be a huge filip on his behalf, but to do what he did was just stunning. Still wiping the egg off my face after stating he was out of his depth before the GP series started. And happy to do so. His gating is just about as atrocious as it can get, which is a shame as it will cost him at times. But last night was his night and he fully deserved all the plaudits coming his way. Well done Chris Harris. Brilliant.

Well when we found our seats they were bad. Middle of the 3rd/4th bend, upper tier, 10 rows back. Too far from the track. So we waited for the meeting to start, saw where there were some good emptey seats and moved. Ended up on the front row of the second tier, in comfortable padded seats, directly opposite the starting gate! Very nice and probably very expensive!

Agree with you for once TNT. The attendance was well up on last year. The only empty seats were third tier home sraight and on the 3rd/4th bend middle section. The whole of the back straight was full as well as the first and second tiers. We all estimated 48-50,000. Certainly more than 41,000. If this continues, two years from now it will be a sellout 60,000, meaning ordering early to get our tickets and the arrival of the dreaded tout.

Biggest crowd ever at Cardiff tonight. Certainly well up again on last year. Suprised considering the dreadful weather we had.

PM seb the snail. he has a couple spare. Or check the poole forum. Someone has a spare one on there they need to get rid of.

You could always ring the coach organiser and see if anyone has dropped out.