oldswindonsupporter

The scoreline is a true reflection of the difference between the two. Expected far more from Newcastle.

Park and ride unless you are there early enough to park on the road between the park and ride and the stadium. See you there as I'm planning to go although the round trip is only around 250 miles for us! A

No surprise even if he is a nice bloke and all that, wasn't aware of how old Chris is but if 30 then I would have preferred to have gone with some-one with more potential and improvement, I.e. throw a youngster in. That said, the reserve berths do not seem to be earning enough points, with both Ashley Morris and Chris Mills at 6 and 7 Chris never strong enough to cover Ashley and vice versa imo nor one would one those a rookie be strong enough unless you had a Steve Worrall / Lewis Kerr. Seems sticking with the pair for so long has possibly cost the Comets points. Just my view!

Lord Lucan - deciding the star performers from the updates and their scores is probably not quite as good as seeing things for real! For the record OA could have easily been in heat 15, he wasn't so on the basis of the performance from 4 rides, he was a star performer and on that performance, providing he stays injury free, he is going to be an astute signing - as others have said, Garry May deserves credit for putting this group of seven together. I'd say the Rebels were more than solid, all won races, guest apart, OA won the most, in terms of race wins / rides, OA still comes out on top. On last night's showing, I would think Chris Mills days are numbered. Lewis Rose just wasn't competitive at all. Rebels outscored their fellow reserves by paid 17 to 1 and that is a very accurate statistic as to how superior the Rebels were in that department.

It wasn't a classic by any means, a few decent races but Somerset far quicker out of the gate and were gone...all over after four heats in all reality, one 3 - 3 and then three 5 - 1's.

To be fair, it was classed as an interval, extended track grading but overall the time period was not excessively long unlike some, have to agree in this day and age with no 2nd half, why there is a need for an interval at all really ought to be looked at. On the way home at qtr past nine!

Not a Rebels supporter but planning to go, looking forward as a neutral to see Somerset attempt to claw this back, will be even better if Worky have their trapping boots on forcing some passing!

According to the BSPA web site, Lewis Rose guests for Ashley Morris, R/R for Ricky Wells.

So the question therefore is, who is Lemo referring to, does anyone know? Answer - from the Somerset forum, looks like Jason Doyle.

Slightly off topic, haven't received my printed copy of the Star this week, anyone know if there are problems generally as just trying to understand whether it is an isolated incident? Thks A

Just had a live from the track piece on Points West about tonight's tie! It did say that they just had a rain shower - track had water on it but it was said to be rideable.

The way I saw the Newman incident - he had not gone round Birks at all, perhaps level entering the 3rd bend and both riders out wide. As for ht 15, you paint a very different picture, all the action happened between the start and the apex of the 1st / 2nd bend, that fact is not stated, therefore, making it sound more impressive than it was, although PH never squeezed NK up against the fence at all as NK was quick enough to try the cut up the inside and all that round the 1st bend - my words on NK never got close enough was after the back straight, which is true, he didn't...we do seem to have seen different matches!

Just when you thought he couldn't trump that he went from 3rd to 1st, outside the very impressive Ash Birks and steamed under Nicolai Klindt taking him right to the fence. Not in ht 15 he didn't, on the inside gate, trapped and when straight out towards the fence, NK then tried to come under him but couldn't quite make it going down the back straight and that was that, NK close but never close enough.

Going to be a windy one down the OTA tonight, judging by the wind coming up / off the Bristol Channel! Hoping to see a cracking meeting between these two, no allegiance to either, hope the racing is good that will do me fine!

Yes it was an honest apology and sure is welcome but the rub here is that this should have been said last night - see was available, she was involved in the decision making process, they have a roving microphone, had she done so, that gesture would have been far better received instead of waiting for it to appear on the internet. Missed opportunity last night I feel and time to move on.

What you believe from afar i.e. not being there apparently is probably better answered by the riders concerned.

Not to try and sort it out earlier and before any racing was in my book, totally inept, is there any reason why that wasn't done? The only announcement I heard was that they were valid for the Newcastle meeting which by then there was a fair few walking out of the stadium!

In fairness, Nick Morris was interviewed and wasn't overly up for it, I believe he said it needed work! Bit of an understatement!

No one was seen on the track apart from the tractor and blade - called off whilst the blading was still going on - the lack of bikes being warmed up probably was the biggest clue as we approached the half eight mark.

Ok, arrived at 7.20 and couldn't believe how wet the track was, puddles on the start / home straight and lots of surface water going into bend three. During the practice it was clear just how much water there was on the track , however, we got underway with heat 1 and after a re-start after Kyle N had a flier or exceptional reactions it was obviously going to be a visibility problem for the riders unless you were in front. Onto heat 2 and the crash between Stefan and Ashley - was the track to blame well I don't now but all riders interviewed stated it was a problem, Rich Lawson went a bit further saying it was very slippery , a fact confirmed by Stefan after he amazingly re-appeared after a ambulance ride on the spinal board! So, what to do, eventually out came the blade and the amount of dirt taken off was quite surprising however, as time went on, no sound of bikes being warmed up and called off at half eight. Whether they should have tried to ride it I don't know but the curfew obviously had a hand to play, at the time of call off the bends looked better, the straights not. Probably was never going to be on after the heat 2 crash. Now, what I do not understand is why didn't someone try the track out before the first race / parade? Surely the promotion could see the problem and yet failed to do anything about it until far too late, why? Why didn't the referee intervien earlier or did he and was persuaded to see how it rode? A PR disaster this for Somerset in my view regardless of any debate on whether it was rideable, there is a difference between rideable and raceable of course, after the blading. And as mentioned in a previous post, nothing from the management which is unexcuseable. Sure we have readmission tickets for a future meeting although the only meeting they mentioned they were valid for was the Newcastle one on Friday week

Then the sport's governing body (whatever or whoever that might be really needs to grasp the nettle and sort out quite how to make the sport affordable - it is no good chasing a dream if you can not afford it! Be interesting to see what would happen if the TV contract which ends this year is not renewed quite how drastic the trimming of the product might have to undergo, fixed costs or not. Currently there isn't the money to spend on ferrying riders here there and everywhere, forget the riders deserve everything comment, they do, but, not at a price whereby there is ultimately no product.

And that may be is the real problem, no good sticking your head in the sand, if the market will only pay / support £10 then the cost of the product needs to be trimmed, that is basic business logic! If speedway wants to survive, it has to cut costs as there isn't the appetite to pay for it at current prices. I went to Somerset last Tuesday purely and simply as it was an attractive meeting at an affordable price, £20 for two. The normal £30 is something that I'd think twice at especially when you also have to factor in the other costs as well, parking, fuel, programme, eats, drinks.

Tonight's meeting has been postponed.

Again for the record, I have not been to the Abbey for several years now, hence the "old" in the name! Agree both locations are cold unless you are sheltered from the wind, even in the height of summer! However, I'm not comparing like for like, just stating my view, regardless of the origins of the place and what they have done in that time period. I've certainly seen crap racing at both locations during my time. Hopefully that will not be the case tonight!