Tigerblade

Oh me of little faith...........the hotel just phoned me back in response to the email. So I'm two minutes walk from the stadium next year

Funnily enough Nevs, I've just tried that with a hotel not far from the stadium - they don't have the calendar for next July yet, but when I said I'd try again in a couple of days after the bloke said they might have details at the end of the week, he then said they'd be filling up soon. How does he know that when they haven't even got a book going yet??? They do have an "email enquiry" reservation kind of thing so I don't suppose it will hurt to ask the question that way!

Sadly this is the problem, people seem unable to , or refuse to, control themselves. As others have said, I can't understand how come alcohol is allowed into the seating areas, no football match allows this. I don't drink the stuff, but am not averse to anyone having a good time as such, maybe I'm just lucky in that the folks I know can hold their drink without spoiling it for everyone else!! Having read through this thread I think there's a couple of posts over reacting to the complaints - it isn't those people who have a responsible drink that the complaints are aimed at! Snyper's stamp suggestion sounds good in theory, but I'm not sure the practicalities could apply eg, someone goes for drinks for him/herself and 2 mates, that means taking 3 tickets to the bar, the server stamping 3, doesn't sound much but it would be a bit time consuming. I must admit to being a bit amused at the comments about "come on England" etc - I know it's the British GP and all that, but all the GB riders were English, and whether I, or anyone else, like it or not I expect the presentation to be partisan to the "home" nation. You're not telling me that the Poles/Danes etc. don't do the same? And I'm talking as someone who was cheering for Jason Crump!! On that note, I'm not picking on speedibee personally, as I had this perennial argument in the 80's with Halifax and Belle Vue supporters, but it's easy to say that everyone must support the Brits when Coventry had three Brits in the meeting!

If "The Prodigy" are the act, then I might re-enact my mother's 2004 episode of a chronic nosebleed before the meeting so I am stuck in the medical room downstairs out of the way Tom Jones gets mooted every year on here, yes, he'd be fantastic, but how much do you think he would cost??? I have one word in response to the Samba Ants suggestion - NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

That's strange - I remember "Eye of the Tiger" (obviously) and Shalamar "I Can Make You Feel Good" from then, but not the two you mention!!! Berwick always tickles me - I'm sure I'm not the only one in this section of the forum who remembers the "Muscle Man" from Opportunity Knocks

I went to Skegness once - when they "reopened" in 1998, it was okay. Castleford is another one I wish I could have visited, that's not far from here.

This is what cheeses me off about speedway today - the fact that tracks like Sheffield are viewed as "trick" tracks. I come from an era where Sheffield was one of several larger ones, so I find it difficult to accept the riders today can't deal with them.

Yes, that's looking left toward the second/first bend. Ah, the 4th bend, that was our vantage point whenever we went to the Shay. I like you Tigerman, every time you put a photo link on, I feel 20 odd years younger

I'm sure that you and my dad must have been taking photos at the same time, we have dozens from the late 70's and early 80's - predominantly of away riders as they had to walk up from where the away dressing room used to be. (Which is now the disabled lift entrance to the Panorama Room for those that know Owlerton)

I loved that place, even though facilities were a bit, er, spartan There's quite a few I wish I had gone to: (in no particular order) White City Wimbledon ("old" track, so to speak, I've been to Plough Lane during their recent times) Hackney Scunthorpe Quibell Park, wasn't that on the inside of a cycle racing track? Bristol (Eastville) Hull (The Boulevard) Claremont, Perth WA If we are talking about tracks before your speedway time, then Crewe, Newport Somerton Park, Doncaster spring to mind.

I too have heard the same things, unfortunately it happens to a lot of sports stars Even though you know deep down it is down to them that they have ended up like that, it's still upsetting when it's a hero of yours.

I found an old Speedway Mail with that pic in, not long after Sean Wilson started out with the Tigers. Actually, it is quite an achievement that both Andy and Sean turned out to be competent riders I think. Haven't got around to reading the whole of the mag yet, but I'm sure it will be up to its usual nostalgiafest standard

Somewhere in the murky past I seem to remember reading that Eric Boothroyd was a qualified pilot? Didn't know about Phil White though...

The Northern Riders' Championship was the following night - poor old PC brought the same bikes with him to that meeting. He had engine failure in all of the 4 heats he took part in. In my case, supporting riders who were older or the same age as my mum and dad!!

You have just reminded me of one wet late 70's meeting against Reading when Dave Jessup had said attire on. The only trouble was - around the bends at least - the wind blew up the legs of his and inflated his backside to twice its size!!! On a similar tack, I remember Doug Wyer and Reg Wilson wearing jumpers over their leathers - as has previously been said, legs of which tucked inside boots - but underneath their body colours. I don't know if this qualifies as 70's or not but............the Shay!!

Not half - I would definitely make strenuous efforts to go there

I don't know really to be honest, I haven't thought about that for years, but now someone's mentioned it, it's all come flooding back Like most things with folks who remember stuff mentioned in this section - can remember stuff like that, but can't remember what happened against King's Lynn last week Like I said, I could be wrong about how the Trophy was raced.

Crikey, it's all coming back to me now If I remember rightly it was run on a league basis - no aggregate bonuses in those days of course - and we had to get enough points in our last meeting at Belle Vue to finish top of the league. This was in about July after the original meeting had been called off due to a burst pipe under the 3rd bend, rendering that part of the track unrideable. Needless to say the weather had been beautiful and sunny on that day!! I think this was the first time I ever saw the Tigers win a Cup

I don't know about a few World Finals, but I do agree with you about the injuries - as well as his crashes for Hackney and Wolverhampton he was on fire for Sheffield in 1983 before he suffered a head injury at Ipswich which knocked him back a bit.

It was Henry W who included the angry smiley after a statement about him riding for Wolverhampton, so I was just guessing that Henry is/was a Cradley fan, that's all.

Oh yes.................. I know of one who remembers him for his contribution to the victory over Cradley Heath in 1984 just after the Wolves had re-opened. I'm guessing that's the reason for the "angry" smiley

Oh yes, remember that one well, Tommy had ridden a rather, ahem, fierce first corner and Reg shot past on the slow down lap to get back to the pits before him, they both disappeared into a crowd of people at the pits gate, and next thing Tommy is going backwards over the gate We had a bit of needle with Coventry in those days full stop for some reason, the following season (1982) we refused to take part of the re-run of Heat 13 and the full second half after some incident at Brandon. Not necessarily a punch up, but there was the famous Ivan Mauger incident in September 1979 when he refused to leave the track after being left at the gate after a ragged start, and the referee didn't stop the race. He needed a police escort out of the stadium after that one. I don't know if any Boro fans can substantiate this one but years ago I was penpals with a Boro fan, and she told me of an incident with Rob Woffinden, he got into a fight with someone at Cleveland Park, and his mother had been sat near the pits knitting, and she apparently started whacking the other chap with her knitting!!! (I am not imagining this, honestly)

Holds head up in "Aaahhh Bisto" mode Yes I too have fond memories of that - my mum always liked the smell from the Bassett's factory as well, as she loves liquorice. I too adored Halifax - the stadium was a dump but I loved the track for all the reasons Spin King has already mentioned. I went to see SUFC reserves there in the mid 90's, purely to visit it, as Leeds were playing reserves games there at that time, and to get to the coffee counter I had to walk along part of the old track on the 3rd and 4th bend area, it was brilliant

Was on loan from Poole - he joined us September 1983 to the end of the season, it was the same weekend as the World Final that it happened.

Not got the mag to hand just now, but I think he said he is living in Stowmarket and is a grandad, and doesn't get to speedway much. He wasn't a rider I saw a lot of, with him predominantly being at Ipswich. Although a strange thing is, I drove from Long Stratton to Colchester down the A140 at the start of February, and my friend pointed out a house on the main road at Stoke Ash, and said that was where Kevin Jolly used to live, and if they saw him coming back up the road from Ipswich, they knew the meeting was off! What plops through the letterbox the following week - a Backtrack featuring amongst others, Mr. Jolly!