Piotr Pyszny

The first word of a story in many magazines and newspapers is in capitals. It's a style thing. Probably the habit of a working lifetime.

As a journalist for 30+ years, I found that report fairly amusing. Kent 'Hyperbole' Kings, anyone?

Nowadays, sadly, circa 700 is a good crowd for most of the clubs in the bottom two divisions. But 700 fans in a stadium with a nominal capacity of 6,000 is not packed, by any stretch of the imagination.

Just read the match report on Kent's website. It describes Central Park as "packed". A crowd a tenth of capacity is packed? Eh?

I attended this meeting as a neutral. Would describe the speedway as 'Mickey Mouse'. From what I've seen of this development league (in its various guises) over the years, the racing was pretty much as I expected. As for Cupitt's antics: I once saw Andrew Silver do the same thing at Swindon, though having scaled the safety fence he actually reached the spectator who had offended him. Equally daft from Silver but (unlike Cupitt, on this evidence) at least he was a top quality rider, merely going through a bad patch.

Drove over from York (as a neutral) to watch this. Despite being a fan of the sport since the Seventies, I see very little speedway these days, mainly because I no longer think it provides value for money. Absolutely no complaints about the entertainment in this excellent meeting, however. First visit to the NSS. Will definitely return, though a Friday race night and M62/M60 traffic isn't a great combination.

My experience of speedway, which goes back to the mid-1970s, indicates quality of racing has relatively little effect on the size of crowds. For example: between 1991 and 1996, a spell in which I worked on Teesside, I watched Boro Bears most weeks at Cleveland Park. During the last couple of seasons in particular, the racing was superb - and many meetings went to last-heat deciders. Yet the crowd, certainly in 1996, averaged only 850. The promoter told me every home match cost him a grand. It's why he pulled the plug on Cleveland Bays after their one and only meeting at Cleveland Park attracted a 'crowd' of 150. Unsustainable! The Redcar-Ipswich match I saw last month had an attendance of about 450. As you say, speedway in Britain cannot possibly have a future with crowds that small. It's not all bad news, though. My wife, a solicitor from the posh part of Surrey (so, probably not what you'd term an average speedway attendee), accompanied me recently to meetings at Redcar and Berwick. And loved it! She'd never seen speedway before (we met nine years ago, a little after the point at which I decided to stop watching because I felt the sport no longer offered value for money), but described it as "exciting" and a "fun evening". Indeed, the other day she asked: "When are we going to speedway again?"

A source close to the Redcar promoter told me the crowd for the recent Peterborough cup-tie was 581. And she described that as "good". Enough said! I was at Berwick last month and I doubt the attendance topped 350. The locals told me crowds had dropped off alarmingly after a promising start because of the team's on-track failings. "Berwick people love to vote with their feet," a regular informed. Can any regular supporters (I haven't been one for a decade) estimate which speedway clubs still attract 1,000-plus attendances?

You're joking, right? Hull Vikings more successful (in any terms) than Hull City FC, Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers RLFC? You really need to give your head a shake. Compared to football and rugby league, speedway in Hull lasted about five minutes.

You're wrong there. Speedway became (past tense) farcical years ago.

Had thought about attending this meeting. Not now! Either cricket or football will get my money instead...

A lapsed supporter of several years, I made a 'comeback' last week, accompanied by a newbie. Had to explain (as best as I could remember) the rider replacement and guest rules. Oh, and why a team called Halifax is based at Scunthorpe. As you say, a crazy sport...

Sounds about right. Like so many people, I stopped watching speedway (for various reasons), in my case about a decade ago. Since then, I met a woman I eventually married. She's as middle class as they come: grew up in a posh Surrey town and is a solicitor. I mention speedway now and again. Last week, she was on leave and, out of the blue, I took her to meetings at Redcar and Berwick. The size of the crowds shocked me. About 450 at Redcar and circa 350 at Berwick. The Redcar promoter's wife told me they'd had a "good" crowd the previous week for a match with Peterborough, adding it was 581. How do these clubs survive on such tiny attendances? I saw very little, at either meeting, to convince me speedway isn't dying on its arse. Incidentally, my wife described her two speedway experiences as "exciting" and a "fun evening". A convert in the making? She did think it was expensive, however, for the entertainment on offer. We'll certainly go again this season, probably to a few of the other northern tracks.

Rugby (by which I assume you mean rugby union) has never been particularly open when it comes to divulging attendance figures. The professional and semi-professional teams (ie not the numerous amateur clubs) playing rugby league, on the other hand, have published attendance figures through the sport's history.

I'd agree. The British GP attendance is probably about the sum total of remaining fans. I was at Redcar versus Ipswich on April 20th, as a neutral. Doubt there were 500 watching. Got talking to a woman before the meeting. She said she was the promoter's wife. Having been a regular at Cleveland Park between 1991 and 1996, when I worked on Teesside, I asked her about Redcar's crowds this season. She said the previous week's, for a cup-tie with Peterborough, had been "good" - then added it was 581. IIRC, in the club's last season, 1996, Middlesbrough Bears' attendances rarely dropped below 850.

At this one as a neutral. Having heard about this season's improved crowds at Shielfield, I was surprised to see such a sparse attendance. Maybe 350, tops. There were certainly no more there than on my last visit to the track, for a meaningless end-of-season match against Rye House in September 2015. A regular told me Berwick fans like to vote with their feet. Only too obvious!