van wolfswinkel

just chatting with sponsors/club officials/stewards etc., and if the meeting is boring count them!

As long it has seats it will be great. Dunno if its 2500 seats plus standing on the banks. Will be "horse-racing style" seating.

I voted for Darky but well done to Greg. Will be good to see 60s Robins legends Briggo, Broady, Crashby, Dukey, Munday, Keener, Jacko, and the Purton-flyer Mac Woolford in attendance. Shame Clive Hitch cant be there. Hopefully Crumpie can make it. End-of-season Disco at The Medina, Theatre Square tonight, 10 quid entry, all funds going to Darky.

The crowds were good 2006/7, only averaged around 1400 this year, the Darce signing stopped a further fall, and increased them by a few hundred, wouldn't have thought they have gone below 1000. Recall the 4000/5000 crowds in the last 12 years at The Abbey for the Cov/Wolves Grand Finals, Leigh Farewell, first Kilbs Memorial, and World Cup. It's only the Poole matches that attract over 2000 now. Hoping for a big crowd tomorrow for the last meeting. A few will remember being in the 16/17000 lock-out for the Crumpie Golden Helmet late 70s Read in SS that crowds have gone down by about 20% overall across all the tracks in the last 10 years, a few clubs have increased them, some such as Worky losing 50%!

Hopefully Doyley and North Dakota have made-up with Rosco now...surprised he's not riding on Sunday. At least Batch will be one of the few Aussies there..

You cant do that its the last ever meeting at The Abbey!....seriously agree though, an ordinary meeting with that mediocre line-up would have attracted hundreds normally, but as it's the last meeting should be at least 2000 there depending on the weather. Would have thought they would have had a top-class line-up as they did for the first Kilbs memorial meet or Leigh Adams Farewell that attracted over 4000. Disappointing but I'll be there. Perhaps they will sell off remnants of the old back-straight bogs or bags of track shale as souvenirs to raise some money.

If it was down to disposable income then Lakeside should have the biggest crowds in speedway, with the highest-paid peeps living in London/Essex/South-East. Them and Belle Vue in Greater Madchester should have the biggest crowds, massive catchment areas of millions compared to rural Dorset. The south-west, which includes Swindonia, doesn't have the high salaries in comparison to the south-east. Shouldn't think many of the millionaires from Sandbanks go to speedway! Poole do well to attract speedway's biggest crowds, still paltry though compared to years ago, when 4000 was a crap attendance at Blunsdon! now 2000 is a "massive" crowd.

BBC Wiltshire is ok for Robins coverage...some good commentary for live matches.

Will be going over for this next year, my bruv in Adelaide cant wait for this year as its been a 13-year wait since Sydney.

Would like to see Doyley or Bomber as number 1, with Killer, Zengi and Morra back...Batch needs a change of club, hasn't cut the mustard this year. Hans possibly on his low average. If they went for an English rider would like to see Cookie, one of the fastest riders seen at Blunsdon this year, or even Howarth back. Summers was an ace signing, but average could be too high. Sedgey and Ellis would be good for the Roobins, and Charlie Wright did well this year. Swindon are rumoured to be changing their colours to gold and green when they move into the new stadia.

Being a fan of The Arse I bloody hated that Leeds team...Bremner, Hunter, Giles, Charlton...dirty sods

John was from Oxford...I remember the old Pirates side of '69, always seemed to be loads of league/cup/challenge matches for Swindon against Poole...Smith, Mudge, Fossengen etc.,

When I worked with them about 40% of homes had SKY, so over 10 million homes, and they reckoned less than 30% of the country subscribed to Sky Sports. 150,000 were said to have watched Swindon-Poole league meeting earlier in the year. I love the play-offs, Swindon always get in 'em but rarely bloody win!

Not so sure about much bigger crowds in play-offs, remember Promoter Patch saying when Swindon beat Poole in the 2012 play-off Grand Final first leg the crowd of 2700 was the same as the home league match against Poole, and was half of the 2007/9 attendances for the Abbey finals against Coventry and Wolves, who brought a bigger following than the Pirates. Although Leigh Adams rode in the first two finals.

Seem to remember Pete Munday scoring a max. against Poole in the wet at Blunsdon late 60s, always good on the wet stuff tough old Pete. Can recall him smacking Anders Michanek in the Blunsdon pits as hundreds rushed over to see what was occurring! Keener couldn't have scored many maxes for The Robins. The Minety man was a great club servant for many years and smashing bloke. Remember him sustaining an injury as he rode full-on into pits gate and pinged up in the air!

He was so bloody fast at Blunsdon he nearly ended up on the grass verge of the centre-green where I was standing! Would like to see the committed Cumbrian lad ride for Swindon, and he's an Englishman, so probably wouldn't suit Poole. The Dorset side have an excellent record, winning it 4 out if 5 years, the only defeat coming in 2012 when Swindon won it...had to get that one in!. They would have been dancing in the streets of Sandbanks last night. They know how to win speedway trophies in the south-west/Wessex, if only the combined counties Dorset/Wilts rugby team was that good!

Well done to the Dorrset Knobs, rightful champions, from your fellow west-country Wiltshirre Moonrakerrs, and unlucky Belle Vue(best team seen at Swindon this year with 2 wins). Great advert for speedway.

Good work chap...there must be thousands of current and ex-fans who would attend speedway at the new home, especially the first meeting. Be interesting to see the size of crowd at the farewell meeting. There will be a few souvenir-hunters as well. There was a big response in 2006, with a "Save Our Speedway" supplement in The Adver with loads of signatures. Don't buy it now but surely they can give their support again 9 years on

For me Ove was better in the early 60s, Briggo top dog mid-60s, then succeeded by Ivan The Terrible late 60s.

I drive past every day on way to work hoping to see a wheelbarrow or JCB there, it will happen but when, a guy I know who is going to be working on it was told could be November, so he is working on another project before it starts. We'll just have to be patient.

Killer Jonsson Hampel Lindback

Last time at Blunsdon watched a few heats from the centre-green and Cookie was easily the fastest rider, superb speed and powered past two Robins. Zagar and Cookie to score well. With no Darce Batch not good enough at number 1 or skipper to motivate the Robins to an aggregate win. And with 8 at Belle Vue he was the top scorer! Morra obviously badly affected by his close mates injury. Big reliance on Killer Zengi and Wrighty to hit big scores.... will go Swindon 42 Madchester 50 Weather forecast not good.

You haven't visited the infamous Blunsdon back-straight bogs!

The Marlborough lad was Swindon through and through, rode 197 times for The Robins. Highlight for me was when he beat Terry Betts twice in one meeting at The Abbey. R.I.P. David

Would have gone but on holiday in the Land of the Knobs...after the Aces big victory at The Abbey last time out can only see a Manc win, Batch, Morra and Zengota are off-form. Was only Darce's work that enabled Swindon to progress to the play-offs, they're just not good enough to win the title. Swindon's last match at the famous Abbey.