Grachan

Let's hope so because I don't have Sky but I have BT. But.... Source?

I don't know if Sky are showing league speedway this year, but they probably had a contract to show "Elite League Speedway" - and the BSPA have ensured that the Elite League no longer exists. So if Sky want a get-out they probably have one right there.

And off we go again... Ok, so people don't like Tai's swearing - and the reporter could easily have left out swear words had he chosen to do so. But surely the important isue here is the points that he is raising rather than the way he expressed them.

I think that is what is commonly known on here as a whoosh.

It does. Though, no doubt, some people will still see fit to slag him off because his parents emigrated for a while. Interesting, too, that he has offered to buy the rights to Team GB and run it himself for 5 years. Something that would be worth seeing happen in my opinion to see where it gets us.

Interesting interview - particularly what he says about Team GB. Imagine organising a fitness regime for the team and not one rider turning up! No wonder he got fed up with it all.

Didn't Eric Broadbelt once get injured after riding into a track raker's rake? I'm sure this is one of my early speedway memories.

That would put Swindon's British reserve out of a job.

Nielsen coming in for Grondal at Swindon would seem sensible, but then, of course, other teams would get a better option and all the normal "equality" stuff would come into play - and Swindon would probably prefer to have Worrall or Garrity. There is a case for some sort of rider control coming into effect with this.

Swindon Speedway Car Park.

I remember that Cradley side winning by the same score at Swindon - 29-49 - despite Phil Crump getting a glorious maximum! The Cradley team looked slighlty bemused on their victory parade as half the crowd went onto the greyhound track and chanted "Crumpie, Crumpie" as they came round. Never has a heavy home defeat felt so much like a victory! The Belle Vue team was before my time and I never got to see it, but poor old Ken Eyre sticks out like a sore thumb so I'd give it to Cradley.

Champagne Stakes used to be the season opener. Big night for me was the 1975 Champagne Stakes and seeing Bob Kilby in the team after him being a constant thorn in our side the previous year either for Oxford or as a guest. (Remember the 1974 Belle Vue/Hackney double header with Kilbs guesting for both away sides. Biggest crowd I ever saw at Blunsdon.)

Did anyone ever actually win it I wonder.

Found my programmes! The 4TT was: Oxford 33 (Kilby 11, Kennett 10, U. Lovaas 6, Davis 6) Newport 31 (Crump12, Street 8, Eide 7, Mudge 4) Swindon 18 (M. Ashby 10, Hunter 5, Leigh 2, D. Ashby 1) Exeter 14 (Holden 7, Lomas 4, Reinke 2, Dulian (sic - I'm assuming that's Chris Julian in for Scott Autrey!) 1) Oxford's league win at Swindon had Martin Ashby scoring 7 from 5 - including a last place behind Henk Steman so I'm assuming he had bike problems. My programme for Oxford v Swindon has me putting A.Jones in place of Gordon Kennet. I wasn't good on names in those days! Henk Steman got another point off Martin Ashby having an engine failure. He must have scored most of his points that year against Martin Ashby! The Oxford programme has an advert in it. Win a trip for 2 to Zaire to watch Ali v Foreman - 3 day trip with hotel, air fare and fight tickets all inclusive! Tickets 10p!

I think eveyone except Belle Vue won there in 1975! I remember the 4TT. Wasn't it over 4 legs? I can't remember the result though.

Yeah. 1974. August Bank Holiday Monday if I recall correctly. I don't remember too much - I think it was only my second or third meeting - but I remember Martin Ashby having an engine failure in his first ride before going unbeaten for the rest of the meeting. I think I still have the programme somewhere. The first win at Blunsdon would have been before my time as I only started going late in the season.

Had a good few wins too, though. Kojakgate, for example, when the riders all had a mass brawl. First time I ever went to Cowley was also a win for Swindon, only for the Rebels to come to Blunsdon near the end of the year and give us a good thumping! Was that the one where the Newport fans did a march round the greyhound track at the end?

Just off the top of my head, so may well be different and half past 5. Best: 1. Going to Poland in 1976 and seeing Peter Collins win the World Championship. 2. Swindon signing Andrew Silver after a sensational year as a number 8. I was so chuffed! 3. Standing on the grass of bends 1&2 and watching my first ever Swindon meeting in 1974. Worst: 1. Losing to Oxford any time - but particularly when they hammered us and Per Sorensen scored a paid maximum. 2. Going to a Swindon v Glasgow PL meeting having not been to Swindon for several years and feeling very sad at the tiny crowd, lack of atmosphere and boring meeting. 3. Martin Ashby coming fifth in the 1975 British Final. An awful lot of Swindon stuff going on there!!

You also have riders like Richie Worrall, Justin Sedgman and Stefan Nielsen. Maybe not "stars" but riders that have been forced out while lesser riders come into teams. It probably has more of an effect on riders like this than it does the top riders who, probably, aren't so bothered anyway as they can get regular rides in stronger leagues.

I think most kids would have a part time job at 16, and if speedway was a priority for them they could afford to go.

Some very positive additions. Lee Kilby, in particular, is a great addition. The third generation of Kilby involvement and someone who has shown a degree of promotional flair in the past and has a genuine passion for the club.

Apparently there's a sign up warning greyhound customers that there will be construction work going on in the car park during January. Better than nothing I guess.

I never rated Tony Briggs that hightly, although I was maybe seeing things from a Swindon bias! A decent second string rider, but maybe he had more talent than I appreciated at the time.

The main problem for me with top riders being forced out isn't so much that I don't see those riders but the inevitable drop in crowd levels each time the league is weakened. If teams of the current strength performed in full stadiums with a great atmosphere I'd be happy with the product, but they continually push people away from attending by weakening teams.

He thinks of himself as both. I think that's pretty clear and totally understandable. I have kids of dual nationality and they are happy to be seen as both so why wouldn't Tai? I'm sure his issue with TeamGB isn't because of the British/Aussie thing but more to do with how British speedway is run - the same as has happened with top riders and GB mangers in the past. I accept he is a bit of a "marmite" rider, but I don't think the fact he has 2 countries should stand against him. That, after all, was down to his parents rather than him.