macky

I have said this before but will repeat what I see as one of the main issues. I started going to speedway in 1967, Wimbledon v Swindon and would travel from Canterbury to Wimbledon and Hackney weekly. When Canterbury started I went to every home match and the majority of away matches. When Canterbury closed I would go to Coventry, Oxford,Eastbourne or Reading at least one meeting a week just to get my speedway fix. When Lakeside moved up a league I went there every week also most of their away matches. (Didn't go before as I did not like a track with no fence) This all finished when Poole started their win at all costs regardless of the harm it caused speedway. Sign GP riders and drop regular riders when they reached the play offs each year. The final straw came when they called off a meeting against Lakeside who they had lost against three weeks earlier because Chris Holder was injured. I had booked a day off work for this meeting upsetting my work mate who also wanted the day off. Then the farce at Belle Vue when they needed to win by six points, this they managed as the meeting was called off the moment they went six in front. I stopped going to Speedway from that moment, not even going to Sittingbourne when they started. Speedway is a brilliant sport when the teams are equal and riders only ride for one team apart from the juniors. I suspect the answer is two leagues. Division one and up and comers league with these riders being able to ride as reserves or replacements in division one. NO guest riders in either league. Pay riders what the promotion can afford and if that means less foreign/GP riders so be it. I would rather see a match with six or seven equal riders rather than one or two top riders winning every race.

I cannot see this set up working at all. Are the Eastbourne supporters going to travel 60-90 minutes to see their team and are the Kent/Canterbury/Sittingbourne supporters going to support their arch enemy Eastbourne as their team. It is going to need a lot of work and promoting. It does mean there is speedway in Kent but I suspect not for a full season.

Testomonial's should only be for loyalty to one club and not riding for ten years for various clubs. I remember Dave Mullet getting two at Reading and as far as I'm aware he is the only rider to achieve two for the same club

I, like a lot of supporters stopped going to live matches several years ago. I started going to speedway in 1964 when we would travel from Canterbury to Wimbledon. I then supported Canterbury missing only a handful of matches and going to the majority of the away matches. When Canterbury closed I would travel to Reading,Coventry,Oxford,Eastbourne and Ipswich. When Arena Essex moved up I went to all of their meetings but lost interest when Poole called off a meeting due to Chris Holder being injured, I had booked a day off to go as Arena had won there a couple of weeks earlier. Then the shambles of a meeting at Belle Vue where Tony Steel allowed Poole to get the six points ahead then called the meeting off as unsafe,it should never have even started. With all the grand prix riders suddenly turning up for play off meetings it made a farce of the whole league programme.This started a few years ago with Linback and Hancock among the first. I said farewell after all this and I cannot see a return soon. The powers to be who allowed all of this are to blame for the state of british speedway and everyone knows the main culprits.