‘Stars’ vs ‘Aces’ - Premiership R1 - 11.04.26

[tellboy]

6 hours ago, Col said:

Fricke was never going to be 10+ away from Leicester in his first season. Kvech is no longer Ekstraliga & GP funded, Harris is hardly likely to improve at his age & Cook is turning up, he didn't last year.  Castagna was never going to be anything better than a useful #6 in top tier.

Surprisingly,and I know it's a rolling basis and it is only on the first 2 league matches this season everyone's average has gone up bar Cook and Castagna's.Need some big scores dropping off to give us a little scope if they do want to make changes.

[ouch]

This was our fifth win (in addition to a couple of 44-46 losses) at Saddlebow Rd since Covid. It’s very similar to our record at Foxhall with both these circuits being happy hunting grounds when looking at the records. Since Covid, apart from our wins at these two tracks plus Birmingham, Leicester, Oxford, Peterborough & Sheffield we have been awful away. This is borne out by the fact we have yet to win at Northampton which is probably due to our poor away form. 

As for this meeting, great gating Aces, well done. 

[LisaColette]

10 hours ago, SuperStarsFan91 said:

Castagna needs to go for a start, why they picked him over Sedgmen in the first place I’ll never know 

Have you listened to Sedgmen's interview on 360 speedway podcast?

Not that into doing the top league by the sounds of it, similar to Kerr? Wants to concentrate on Edinburgh but did seem to say if deal is right he'll do top league. 

[SPEEDY69]

Good to see Kvech top the charts in this one for the Stars (8pt average). I don't think there needs to be panic but Castagns is clearly out of this depth. 

[Whitelinehugger]

Lack lustre display by all but 3 last night in the Lynn camp

[Sidewinder1953]

10 hours ago, tellboy said:

Battered and bruised i think he said,having massage therapy for the muscles.Couldn’t hear it all properly.Hoping to be back soon,maybe even Thursday.

Than̈ks for tĥàt

[Bagpuss]

12 hours ago, Rob B said:

Like Lynn fans predicting we wouldn’t win tonight.

At least can’t blame it on engine failures this year. 

Don't be a wally, be graceful. You fully deserved it last night but were incredibly fortunate last year.

11 hours ago, SuperStarsFan91 said:

Castagna needs to go for a start, why they picked him over Sedgmen in the first place I’ll never know 

Because Sedgmen isn't very good and didn't really want Prem. McDairmid would have fitted and looks a better option right now in light of how well the reserves have started (would have been a very young bottom end with him at 2).

If Castagna and Cook were replaced before Thursday/Monday I wouldn't be disappointed, neither were anywhere good enough last night. They shouldn't be that uncompetitive on their own track.

Next Monday is a must win, its effectively season over if we lose another home meeting as its difficult to see us clawing those defeats back at BV, Sheff, Leicester or Ipswich at the moment. I dont think the score last night really reflected how much better BV were, there was a bit of a chasm between the sides in reality.

Cooper just gets better each week, phenomenal stuff from him last night.

Edited 5 hours ago by Bagpuss

[YeOldPitGate]

1 hour ago, LisaColette said:

Have you listened to Sedgmen's interview on 360 speedway podcast?

Not that into doing the top league by the sounds of it, similar to Kerr? Wants to concentrate on Edinburgh but did seem to say if deal is right he'll do top league. 

Sedgemen as a replacement that's like having to decide to cut off your left or right foot with a rusty breadknife he won't be any better than paco, he's 7 point man in the championship and purely a trapper very rarely overtakes.

[Whitelinehugger]

29 minutes ago, Bagpuss said:

Don't be a wally, be graceful. You fully deserved it last night but were incredibly fortunate last year.

Because Sedgmen isn't very good and didn't really want Prem. McDairmid would have fitted and looks a better option right now in light of how well the reserves have started (would have been a very young bottom end with him at 2).

If Castagna and Cook were replaced before Thursday/Monday I wouldn't be disappointed, neither were anywhere good enough last night. They shouldn't be that uncompetitive on their own track.

Next Monday is a must win, its effectively season over if we lose another home meeting as its difficult to see us clawing those defeats back at BV, Sheff, Leicester or Ipswich at the moment. I dont think the score last night really reflected how much better BV were, there was a bit of a chasm between the sides in reality.

Cooper just gets better each week, phenomenal stuff from him last night.

Shouldn’t have to rest on Coopers shoulders though

[YeOldPitGate]

27 minutes ago, Bagpuss said:

Don't be a wally, be graceful. You fully deserved it last night but were incredibly fortunate last year.

Because Sedgmen isn't very good and didn't really want Prem. McDairmid would have fitted and looks a better option right now in light of how well the reserves have started (would have been a very young bottom end with him at 2).

If Castagna and Cook were replaced before Thursday/Monday I wouldn't be disappointed, neither were anywhere good enough last night. They shouldn't be that uncompetitive on their own track.

Next Monday is a must win, its effectively season over if we lose another home meeting as its difficult to see us clawing those defeats back at BV, Sheff, Leicester or Ipswich at the moment. I dont think the score last night really reflected how much better BV were, there was a bit of a chasm between the sides in reality.

Cooper just gets better each week, phenomenal stuff from him last night.

Ben Cook is a strange one has had some really good meetings and you think he's ready to step up then dire, agreed McDairmid would be a better option than Sedgeman at least he's young and might improve.

I did think Ben would develop into the better rider out of the Cook brothers but now Zach looks the one who might one day sneak into the gp scene.

[Trees2026]

11 minutes ago, Whitelinehugger said:

Shouldn’t have to rest on Coopers shoulders though

Can't stop him doing his stuff though! I don't think they are putting any pressure on him.

Edited 4 hours ago by Trees2026
Extra content

[therefused]

wouldnt have had Cook back after the shambles from last year personally. Another season over by mid May, might as well just crack on with the play offs at this point. 

[Whitelinehugger]

55 minutes ago, Trees2026 said:

Can't stop him doing his stuff though! I don't think they are putting any pressure on him.

Perhaps not pressuring him as such , but last night he certainly showed his seniors how it’s done

[gjcone44]

i recon ben cook thinking  more about Poland..

[Roger Jacobs]

13 hours ago, mikebv said:

I can foresee a solid fifth again this year for the Stars...

#consistency...

Remarkably, still in the higher percentile of their overall finishing places since the early 70s.

The Witches used to have a #1 curse - but in recent seasons it’s affected the Deadbeets … Fricke couldn’t raise his game when needed last night.

Even so, I thought it would come down to the “engine room”, and so it did.

[arnieg]

25 minutes ago, gjcone44 said:

i recon ben cook thinking  more about Poland..

So what was he thinking about when he got zero at Grudziadz in his last Polish fixture?

[Bald Bloke]

1 hour ago, therefused said:

wouldnt have had Cook back after the shambles from last year personally. Another season over by mid May, might as well just crack on with the play offs at this point. 

I wasn't keen on Cook either tbh, although he eventually came back at the end of last season, and did ok. I questioned his commitment to the team/club.  And Paco was a worry from the start. Big hitter or no big hitter, so far it seems the same old theme. 

[Whitelinehugger]

48 minutes ago, arnieg said:

So what was he thinking about when he got zero at Grudziadz in his last Polish fixture?

Time perhaps to retire as he won’t be allowed to keep getting ducks over there before being slung out

[gjcone44]

54 minutes ago, arnieg said:

So what was he thinking about when he got zero at Grudziadz in his last Polish fixture?

probably got more money scoring zero, in Poland then he did at kings Lynn, but we know his club in Poland wont take much more of that,. he is fast when in front but struggles when behind. so will be thinking about his future.

[kelvinht]

7 hours ago, tellboy said:

Surprisingly,and I know it's a rolling basis and it is only on the first 2 league matches this season everyone's average has gone up bar Cook and Castagna's.Need some big scores dropping off to give us a little scope if they do want to make changes.

With the low 37 point limit at start of season, most riders and teams will increase almost straight away. Does a different limit apply mid season, otherwise even a poorly performing team will be stuck with like for like changes..?