PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM DAN FORD

The Poole management have issued a message to supporters following the postponement of last night's scheduled first leg of the SCB Cab Direct Championship Play-off semi final. Explaining the reasons for the early call-off, promoter Dan Ford has stated:

"Due to the forecast of heavy rain, we made the early decision to postpone the play-off meeting against Redcar in order to save travelling supporters a wasted journey, to avoid unnecessary disruption for the riders. Our concern was not only getting the meeting started, but also whether we could complete all fifteen heats."

"I also want to address any suggestion that we postponed to gain the advantage of staging the second leg. That simply isn't the case. Having finished above Redcar in the league we were entitled to the choice of leg and had no issue with going first and wanted to get the semi-final underway as soon as possible."

"As it turned out, the forecast proved unreliable and the rain didn't arrive until around 9pm. While we may have managed to get underway, there was no guarantee of completing the full meeting. For a play-off semi-final, we want 15 heats of proper racing on a track that gives the rides the chance to race, not just circulate on a wet surface."

"I sincerely apologise to everyone who has been inconvenienced. Nobody is more frustrated than I am."