One long overdue return to a hallowed speedway track and here we are again. I got lucky with this one as I thought I would miss out on seeing Sheffield Tigers at the Foxhall Stadium; they were scheduled to race the week we were up in Sunderland but it got rained off and was rearranged for Monday night. I know, a chance to see Sheffield in action and not on a normal Thursday race night – I was as excited as a very excited thing.
The match was tight all night, even though many of the heats were a little processional – a trait of the Foxhall track, where overtaking is a little like an honest modern day politician. Very rare! The Tigers were a little unlucky in giving up valuable points by ceding heat position a couple of times. both on the last bend of the last lap and largely down to inexperience of the track by the younger members of the Sheffield side. Those points were quite significant to the overall result, but it remained close until the last race of the night, by which point we had done enough to secure the aggregate bonus point and all but ensured a position in the end of season playoffs.
The whole experience would have been a little more edifying if, after procuring the programme and obligatory pint, I hadn’t sat down and then realised I’d forgotten to bring the pen so I could record the heat scores as per normal. This compounded by the fact that I did indeed have a travel pen on my multi tool key ring (which was with me), sadly remarked upon by Mrs. No Name on my return home! But then since the infamous 5th September, I am quite clearly designated an “Old Man” and therefore increasingly subject to these senior moments. 👴👴