singy13

I've added a couple of pics to opening post re Derwent Park....hope you can see them tho..ha

I'll try again............................................oh stuff it.............never had a problem couple of years ago.

I took some pics yesterday of the current state of the ex speedway track at Workington. That is minus the shale but still lots of concrete around the four bends ...

Just noticed on the Belle Vue site that Dan Bewley is from 'Maryland'......so it says on there marras...I think the owner of this site is perhaps from Fairyland?....

Good luck with that venture Marra...I live in this 'jamland' and have not seen a Speedway Star in WHS for a long long while....shops in nearby Worky still have it though.....

Thing is marra...............that's not a simple solution because ...I'm sure folk actually do need to read it before then judging quality?...........just saying......

That's shocked me geoff.......I've been a 'Townie' for a great many years, and always will be....yes it was awful to see the speedway track "ripped up", but I think even if it was still intact the Comets wouldn't be flying round it..............money, or rather the lack of it would have saw to that bitter end.

You are half correct Geoff....we did meet Eagles in the K.O.Cup final in October 1975.......but Comets won the 1st leg on the Friday night at DP by 47-31......then down to Eastbourne for the second leg two days later, Sunday afternoon...and got well beaten by 52-25......the Comets riders just didn't like the small tricky Eastbourne circuit....I attended both these matches..and despite the defeat it was a good weekend out.

Remember doing a southern camping tour in 1971 (from Cumbria) and stopped in Hailsham for pub Sunday lunch, lovely grub, then on to Arlington for speedway, where we pitched tent right next to car park. Along with many other holiday makers...I can still vividly hear Dave Lanning winding up the visiting Peterborough fans - asking 'where have all the Panthers fans gone'?..adding' last year you brought 40 coach loads of fans to this fixture...today just a couple, why'?..I recall it was really good entertainment for us happy campers.

So It is good then that you have such folk interested in keeping speedway alive and kicking over on the East coast.(I've seen pics on Facebook) However despite your nice closing comments THJ I just can't see us over here in the West ever again having the need for such similar input. You say you had a peek at Northside....well apart from it being a laal track, of the right shape, nothing else inspires my hopes of a Comets revival right there....it's too small and spartan. Anyway good luck to the Diamonds from 2021 onwards......I've enjoyed very many visits to Brough to support Comets and always found the fans friendly....

Wish they(NSSG) would hurry up with the answers for you THJ.......it's good stuff this forum........................mind nowt like being at Derwent Park tho...oh hummmmm.

Forgot re Barrow....and I didn't know of an illness. The last time I saw George, and briefly spoke, was when he attended my wife's funeral in 2012. I remember going to Eastbourne for a second leg knockout cup final 1970 something, his wife sat with us - Comets well beaten but George took it well and smiled all through it with great dignity. Lovely guy.

Just seen recently that the former Workington Comets promoter George Graham has sadly passed away. He was a lovely man and gave 100% to both the Comets and Workington Town RLFC, being at one stage the chairman of the RL club. I knew him well via both of those sporting involvements and he was always a true gentleman. RIP George.

Don't have any grudges personally....some fans who paid for 2019 season tickets will be upset...and so will those Comets riders still, allegedly owed pay. I've wrote on a Comets link regarding Speedway being a 'novelty sport'....so when Mr Average decides to call it a day that leaves a dwindling number of diehards attempting keep the sport afloat. Which, down the last few years, became patently obvious at Derwent Park....last seasons' magic ending saw massive crowd increases...sadly all too late.

So you did !!!!!

Ok..so I do recall this regime, I kept going til the final curtain in 1981. What I can drag from the vaults of past-time is that Eddie (think that's the correct spelling) had a nice, little, Garage on the outskirts of Lowca (Whitehaven end of village) and next to it was quite a nice house. I believe Eddie lost all of that via speedway....like you say THJ his family inheritance...I do recall having sympathy for Eddie. It's sad that speedway just has a very bad habit of creating financial hardship for those who bravely try to run a team.

west Cumbrians watching Saturday night TV.....Having BQ's......Going to paddle at St.Bees.

You're about as funny as Keith Lemon, Lenny Henry,Toothache..................have you read the 'Football 2019/20' thread pal...no mention of Comets so right up your street.

Re Richard Weston; This Dick has always got to add his twopennorth re Comets non-existence.....you are spot on Tj with your solution for him....but let's talk Comets anyway and let them explode. It's actually keeping me interested enough....e.g. Until THJ mentioned it I wasn't aware Jengas family had held the promotion ropes at DP....?? I'll guess it was laal Eddy from Lowca..........but probably miles off...??????

I've always held the opinion that Speedway is a sort of novelty sport. In that I mean when a team debuts at it's own track a large crowd assembles. Many folk are interested in the actual racing, BUT another, large, percentage are only there to see thrills, SPILLS, and excitement...The match score being a secondary factor to those types. And they are unfortunately the fans who get bored quickly and lose interest thereby becoming ex fans....so that opening night figure of thousands dilutes to the hardcore support. When Ian Thomas, Stoney, Brent and co. revitalised the sport at Derwent Park in 1999 that opening crowd of, reportedly, 4,500 gradually receded over a couple of seasons to (reportedly) 1,200.....even with that figure Ian Thomas kept saying "the honeymoon at Workington is not over".......but in reality we could see the crowds dwindle. And in my own mind I had alarm bells ringing, don't think I was alone with that dark clouded view. Then sadly when there were/was crowd(s), of just *390 ( *quoted to me by the then announcer, a friend and soccer foe lol) then obviously all was not well, and the struggle was certainly so difficult for the promoters....however I still believe, that as indeed was proven by packed Grandstands in October 2018, that speedway deserves another chance at Workington.. .............hopefully our forum friend THJ is spot on regarding someone working toward this next new beginning. BELIEVE>>>>>>>>>

They gave us the best, most exciting, finish ever to a season.....e.g. The Glasgow all in a day drama, the massive cup recovery v the Monarchs, the Scunthorpe and Lakeside victories - all unforgettable........brilliant speedway. As said on here earlier it was those Saturday stay-aways who eventually did the major damage. I think you are correct though in that "it will never return"...I don't envisage the newly laid Derwent Park pitch being ripped up again to accomodate a speedway track...sadly not.

Haven't seen that interview.......but I still even now can see him coming through the pits gate into car park, we nearly collided, and despite all the euphoria of winning a trophy that night he had proper 'face ache'....to the extent that I almost asked what's the prob?...but quickly decided I wasn't gonna risk it.......

That's a sad fact........but you are a former fan who doesn't miss any of it......I think though maybe, in truth, you do...I haven't read all of your posts mind.

DID YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????

Just feel a bit confused about your 'free' days...in one post you say last 'free' entry was at BV versus Reading in 2006...then you show email circa 2007 including a mention above it of getting in 'free' in 2007 ( and "been to half the matches this year").....just as I said it's a bit confusing. Sadly I'm posting on a Saturday night (......unlike yourself I'm missing my former speedway fix.)