On The Road, and other things...

ITEM: The job of picking a team for the Speedway World Cup is not an enviable one at the best of times, let alone when British speedway is going through what could politely be called a "transitional" phase. Still, it's a job Neil Middleditch accepted and therefore one he has to shoulder, along with any praise or criticism (and let's face it, it will mostly be the latter!) that comes with it.

His job wasn't made any easier by Scott Nicholls' s hissy fit, thrown after being prevented from entering the unimportant but cash-rich European Championship because it clashed with meetings he signed a contract to race in. Nicholls's decision, which I've written about before, punishes no-one except the fans and his sponsors, but there's no going back on a grandstand and so we start a man down.

Only one of the team could be said to pick himself, with Tai Woffinden having the best season of his short career, on top of the Elite League averages and flying high in the SGP series. Woffinden, it could be argued, is our only genuinely world class contender at the moment, although I'd number the amount of genuine world class riders worldwide at less than a dozen.

Alongside Woffinden (never "Woffy", which is just silly), and with Nicholls sitting it out, Chris Harris should - and did - get the nod on experience alone, having been a fixture of the team for some years now. On his day, which still does come around once in a while, Harris is a match for anyone in the field,  and to ignore him would be folly. Happily, Middleditch agreed.

Craig Cook's early season form, seemingly unbeatable in the Premier League and piling up some useful scores in the EL, made him a shoe-in for most fans and, once again, Middleditch was of the same mind - a rare case of anyone connected with Poole speedway being on the same planet as the rest of the speedway world. Cook is a fast starter, which will pay dividends in the Czech Republic, should we get there (although it would take a miracle to lose out to the USA, who have named has-beens and never-weres in their squad) and the step up to the world stage will be invaluable for his future development.

For the final place Middleditch wasn't exactly blessed with options, although he narrowed them himself by not picking for the squad Richard Lawson, who is in super form right now, in favour of including Kyle Howarth, who Middleditch doesn't consider good enough for Poole! With ten riders named in the preliminary squad, and leaving Howarth aside, the final place was between Ben Barker, Edward Kennett, Daniel King, Josh Auty, Richie Worrall and Lewis Bridger, all much of a muchness this season after fantastic starts for Kennett and King.

You'll know by now that Middleditch decided to go with Kennett, a small track rider on a big track, and very much out of form lately. King, too, has hit a rough patch, which may have counted him out, and Barker is only just finding some form.

The elephant in the room is Richie Worrall, of course, with King's Lynn being his home track and him being very much "one for the future". And that's probably exactly why he wasn't picked.

Because if Neil Middleditch begins picking TeamGB riders on their future potential, with an eye to SWCs in years to come, what separates him from Phil Morris and Neil Vatcher, who are doing that job for the under-21s and younger riders? If the job of TeamGB manager is a duplicated role, why have it at all? And if you follow that logic, why have Middleditch, who has shown absolutely no interest in developing British talent in his club role?

So, you could argue, Worrall has missed out because Neil Middleditch wants to get his face and his sponsors on TV (and whoever heard of a team manager having sponsors anyway?)!

Worrall has taken it magnaninously, arguing it's probably a year too early for him, and perhaps Kennett, who at least seems proud and keen to represent his country, will surprise us all and score some big points!

Still, the system - as with so many things - needs looking at, and maybe it's time for Morris to step up and do the job. At least his EL team has some British riders in it...

ITEM: While we're warming to a theme, let's continue on the path of teams picked by Neil Middleditch, although as it's Poole we're talking about I very much doubt Middleditch has any input at all beyond offering a place to stay at his B&B for the whatever riders Matt Ford decides are in the team.

Poole have redeclared yet again, in another attempt to halt their faltering season. The first lot - including world champion Chris Holder, enfant terrible (in more than one sense of the term) Darcy Ward, and some dodgy Poles - failed to set the Elite League on fire, and actually led to the hilarious sight of Poole propping up the EL table. Cue an injury to Ward, who wasn't exactly knocking down trees before his enforced absence, and a rejigging of the side, bringing in noted absentees Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Thomas H Jonasson, and jettisoning the Pirates' sole concession to the development of British speedway, Kyle Howarth.

This redeclaration, too, was less than successful, although some questionable absences and a good choice of guests did see the Pirates win on the road at Belle Vue and Eastbourne, two teams rapidly finding their level once more in the EL. It also led to the benchmark-setting postponement of editions past, against Lakeside - the censure for which (or more likely, no censure at all) we will find out after the meeting of the SCB next Wednesday. Still, with question marks over the fitness of the new additions, and the woeful form of Dawid Stachyra at reserve, the tinker man came to town once more, restoring Ward to the Pirates' team, alongside Micky Dyer and Kozza Smith.

Except not really, because Smith is only in the team for one match only, and Poole are expected to redeclare once more after facing Coventry at Brandon. Smith will be replaced by an as yet unnamed rider, who isn't available to ride at Coventry and wouldn't have had his absence covered by a facility. All within the rules, of course, but stinking to high heaven, and that's before you get into the debate over whether such a comprehensive rejigging should be allowed when a clearly injured/uninterested, and therefore missing, rider is included in the side throughout. Interestingly, for that meeting against Poole, Coventry have chosen to bring Adam Roynon back into their side in place of Olly Allen, when they could have used him as a guest for Stuart Robson and benefitted from a wider range of rider replacement options. They didn't, possibly because they have an integrity missing from down south.

As long as Poole abide by the rules there is little we can do but tut at them, and a cynical man would point out that, for now at least, at least they are abiding by the rules! Whether it will make much difference to their fortunes remains to be seen, but you'd hope not. Cheats should never prosper and neither should those who skirt dangerously close to that line. Life has a funny way of equaling things out down the line, remember.

ITEM: So I went on the road, and I had a good time. Oh, more? Okay...

If I was excited about Coventry entering a team into the National League before the season started - and I was, even if our team looked slightly under power - then my expectations have been exceeded as the season has progressed. NL racing is a completely different kettle of fish to Elite League and even Premier League fare, where you'll see genuine contenders for current PL and future EL places alongside those who need extra time to reach that level, if they ever will. While sometimes this can lead to strung-out, imbalanced races that can equal anything the EL has to offer, it can just as easily - given the different levels of experience on show - produce close racing and an exciting spectacle to match anything on offer in the SGP series.

One of the added bonuses to the Storm's participation in the NL is seeing new teams whose existence toiling two levels below the Bees' lofty heights may as well be invisible to the majority of EL fans. Already this season Brandon has played host to Dudley, Mildenhall and Kent for the first time ever, and Stoke for the first time in almost two decades, and debut visits from Buxton and the Isle of Wight are scheduled for later in the year. And, best of all, we get to go to them, ticking off tracks as we go, and enjoying the hospitality of clubs at that level. Fantastic.

I'm currently in the middle of five meetings in ten days - four of them at NL level, and three of them at "away" tracks, and this little road trip has been eye-opening and satisfying in a million different ways so far. This blog isn't really about meeting reports, or a travelogue, but I'd be remiss if I didn't write a little about what I found when I visited these outposts of our thriving speedway scene, and so I'd better not be remiss! But first a few words about last Friday's meeting at Brandon...

To say that it was held in difficult conditions is an understatement. Just how much those conditions were controllable or the fault of the uncertain and drizzly weather is not for me to say. Nevertheless, I'm sure lessons have been learned and if the same situation where to arise things would be done differently by all parties involved. Let's just say that the track was tricky, and move on to how Mildenhall used their heads to gain four away points. Simply put, they had Jon Armstrong.

Armstrong weighed in with 14 points on the night, but of far more value was his experience, which he shared amongst his Fen Tigers' teammates like Tripitaka dispensing wisdom to Monkey in that old chop-socky morality play with the pig and the fish god. Armstrong's philosophy - a masterclass of confidence, concentration and care - paid dividends on a night when the track demanded exactly that, and how the Storm missed a rider with that experience in their side of the pits.

Much has been written and said about whether old-stagers like Armstrong have a place in what is essentially a development league, and I've argued before that they certainly have a value. This illustrated it perfectly, and it's a shame there is no official capacity for a rider-coach at this level. Something to consider, perhaps.

That out of the way, let's move onto Armstrong's latest home track, and the National League Pairs at Mildenhall. I've visited West Row once before, twenty-odd years ago, only I seem to be the only one who remembers it, so - as with so many things these days - maybe I didn't and it was a figment of my imagination, and this was actually my first time. Regardless, my memories of the place were hazy enough for it to seem like a new track to me, and on first impressions it's a stadium perfect for watching speedway racing. Covered, hard-standing spectator areas on the home straight and first turn, complemented by grass banking around the rest of the track, give an almost 360° choice of viewing areas. A lovely bar (with odd, tiny stage area) and a tasty fish & chip shop complete the amenities, and it's a testament to what can be built up around a dirt-track marked out in a farmer's field, and must give hope to any visiting Dudley fan yearning for their own track one day.

Talking of Dudley fans, they were out in force, as were the home supporters, with a smattering of keen observers from the other NL teams also present, including - encouragingly - a healthy few from Kent. The Heathens' and Fen Tigers' fans seem to take it all very seriously, perhaps because this is their level (although I'm sure both aspire to PL, at least, down the line), and certainly more than the Stoke, Buxton, or Isle of Wight supporters, and this may tell it's own story in the clashes these sets of fans have had over the years.

Those troublesome Fen Tigers' fans also seem to have a bee in their bonnet about the Coventry management and riders, and some playing to the gallery from Storm co-manager Blayne Scroggins well and truly wound them up, to the point that some pressed up against the pit fences (like apes at the zoo) and a few hangers-on in the pits turned the atmosphere a bit sour. This was all precipitated by some dreadfully inconsistent - and at times dangerously negligent - refereeing from Dale Entwistle, who not only somehow failed to exclude a rider who touched the tapes in favour of all-four-back but also almost caused Steve Boxall to get badly hurt. A visiting promoter remarked to me on his way out of the stadium, "I'm glad I'm not writing his report!"

The little niggles aside, it was a decent meeting run on a dry and bare track. Passing was at a premium, but Ashley Morris and Adam McKinna made some fantastic moves from the back to earn valuable points from their sides and the applause of the fans. Dudley were clearly the best pair on show, and worthy winners, and I'd imagine most fans went home happy with what they'd seen for their £12 entry.

If Mildenhall were a little closer to me, and didn't have such a stupid start time, I'd visit more often. It's such a perfect place to watch speedway, and the shape of the track is perfect for close racing. I'll be back, but maybe not on "Dress Like Blayne Day"!

. . .

Two days later I'm on a ferry to the Isle of Wight, contemplating yet more National League action, and wondering if life gets any better. I'd never been to the IoW before - the island or the speedway track - and so this was a brilliant way of killing two birds (seagulls, presumably) with one stone, and there was no way I was missing it.

I dragged the missus along with me, and for once taking her to speedway meant somewhere other than an industrial estate or dilapidated greyhound stadium in a provincial backwater town. I told her it would pay off one day. We decided to go early and stay over, and the ever-active Bryn Williams put me in touch with the IoW Islanders' webmistress Errin Folds, whose parents own a B&B in Shanklin. Room booked, ferry booked, and weather looking like holding, I drove onto the island already feeling refreshed from the break.

After spending the afternoon at Alum Bay and taking the cablecar down to the beach by the Needles (recommended, by the way), we drove round the beautiful south coast of the island to Shanklin, and found the B&B. To say that the Appley Hotel is nice is to do it a great disservice - it was simply far too good for me and I felt like a robber at the price we paid. Needless to say, you should all book in next time you go to the island - Rod & Wendy have some great stories about speedway people staying there (Carl Stonehewer as the Pied Crabber Of Sandown, anyone?) and will make you very welcome. And they didn't pay me a penny to say that!

Smallbrook Stadium is a fifteen minute drive from Shanklin, on the outskirts of Ryde, hidden away down a country lane, well away from prying eyes and ears. It's a simple set-up: a club house, a stand with around 500 seats on the home straight, and a couple of cabins housing the track shop and a burger bar. There is grass banking around the rest of the stadium, and a hill on the 3rd and 4th bends which gives one of the most breathtaking views of speedway anywhere in the country, I'm told!

There is a friendly atmosphere about the place from the minute you drive into the car park, all smiles and a relaxed demeanour which I'm sure has nothing to do with the Bob Marley flags flying on the second bend!

About twenty Coventry fans have made the journey to the island, and as I updated the meeting on Twitter more make it plain they wish they could have come. I do wonder if the Isle of Wight might be suitable for a big meeting, tied to some kind of Festival Of Speedway, with 3-4000 fans coming over for the British Final, perhaps, and enjoying everything the club - and the island - has to offer.

The track is big, and the action can be processional at times, but the speed of the racing lends it an air of danger and excitement that more than makes up for that. Adam Ellis, still bewilderingly at reserve, was a class above, winning races for fun and setting times far and above the rest of the field. Only Luke Crang - on his first visit to the track and looking like he's ridden it a thousand times before - got anywhere near him, and even he was fifty yards behind. Ellis is a talent, although much relies on him making the start, which he did - seven times - and let's hope he continues his upward trajectory towards the top of the sport, even if it has to be at that joke of a track Lakeside.

At the interval I popped into the referee's box to say hi, and thanks, to Bryn Williams and had a good old chinwag about the set-up on the island. Bryn is tireless, despite his arthritis, and although his announcing style borders on the chatty side, it's obviously exactly what they want down there. It was nice to put a face to the name and I also chatted to someone who may or may not have been Graham Arnold (I didn't get his name!) before leaving Graham Reeve to get on with the second-half of the meeting.

The Storm lost but, as always with these lads, it didn't seem to matter. For the standalone clubs it's obviously a different thing but I see Coventry's participation in the NL as being about more than winning meetings. It's about watching young lads progress - in other teams, as well as my own - and having a bit of stress-free fun in the bargain.

I hope the Storm continue in the NL next year because I want a good excuse to go back to the Isle of Wight, although I'll probably find one even if they don't. Clubs like the Islanders are special little things, and they deserve our support. Like half the tracks in the country, the Islanders have to find the cash for an air fence for the start of next season, and if you can help in any way I'm sure they'd be grateful of it.

I'm off to Brandon again on Friday, for some rubbish Elite League action featuring the world champion, but my mind is already on Sunday, and following the Storm to Buxton. You can read about that next week but I'll tell you now, it's going to be fun watching the Storm. It always is.