I’ve said it before, but this years Cheetahs look very different to last years.
Last week the Redcar Bears came to town, who are fancied to be one of the stronger teams in the league. Not only did the Cheetahs win, they won by 14 points. Last year’s biggest league win was only 10 points, so we’ve eclipsed that in week one. A few times last year the Cheetahs were able to pull out a moderate lead in the early part of the meeting, only for the opposition to work their way into the meeting in the second half, sometimes snatching a win in the last heats. Last week was almost the opposite, with the Cheetahs pinging three 5-1s in the last six heats, including a critical one in heat 14 from Jordan and Henry. Maybe the team’s long tail that some people commented on over the closed season is actually quite short…
I said in last week’s programme that the Raceday Jackpot proceeds would be donated to The Amazing Flying Lewi Kerr after his acrobatics here a fortnight ago, and we were able to raise over £200, which we’ll be presenting to Lewi the next time he’s here with the Cheetahs. We actually have a few Raceday Jackpot prizes left over, so if you have orange ticket 202 or 160 from the Edinburgh fixture, or pink 714 from last week, come and see us and we’ll give you your winnings. Don’t forget your tickets for this week – £2 gets you 15 chances to win £100, or a trip to the centregreen, or maybe a ticket to this weekend’s SGP BBQ.
A fortnight ago we had a great turnout at the SGP BBQ at the Ampleforth with a few new faces, so if you’ve never been, swing past and enjoy the meeting with us. Entry is £10 for adults and £5 for children for all you can eat from the barbecue, plus sides and desert afterwards. There’s also sweepstakes, cash bingo and our world famous (we had some Australians in a few years ago) Find the Cheetah game. It’s cheaper than a takeaway, and you don’t have to do the washing up afterwards. OSSC members get a discount on the entry, so if you’ve already joined up you should make the most of your membership.
Of course, if you haven’t joined the OSSC yet, membership only costs £10 for the year, and in addition to discounts at all the SGP BBQs, you get a discounted rate on the coach to Cardiff AND a membership pack including a member exclusive OSSC tote bag and engraved steel travel mug, plus an OSSC pen to fill in your programme. Come and see us in the Champs Bar and we’ll take your details and hand over your membership pack.
Tonight sees the Chargers taking to the track for the first time this year. There’s a lot of familiar faces in the team this year, with five of them returning from last year. Of course, three of them rode here last week for the Cheetahs in the championship, and got paid for 21 points between them. Tonight they square off against the reigning NDL champions, and the side that knocked us out of the playoffs last year. Feels almost like there are a few scores to settle…
Go Chargers
Gavin