While Oxford are doing very nicely at the top of the Sky Sports Elite League, it can all change in the space of a few days.

Take champions Eastbourne Eagles, for example.

Three of their riders are more or less out for the season with broken limbs - Joe Screen, Brent Collyer and now former Cheetah Dean Barker, who broke his leg in the British final last Saturday.

A dangerous second bend took its toll, with Barker among those who bit the dust there.

Other riders pulled out early when they didn't have a chance of winning, leaving some races with two and three riders only. Where were the reserves?

It certainly wasn't like the old British finals I used to watch. Then, it was all blood and thunder.

In the end, Mark Loram proved a worthy champion for the third time, with Stuart Robson, who couldn't raise a gallop at Oxford last Friday, the runner-up.

*Although the crowd of 1,930 at Cowley was good against derby rivals Coventry last Friday, club owner Steve Purchase reckons it should have been nearer the 2,000-2,500 mark.

In any event, it was a great figure compared with past years, and 630 up on the best ever against the Bees over the last three and a half years.

The gate could have been hit by the England v Mexico football match, the Bank Holiday and the fact that the Bees lost at home in the first leg.

And if you add that to forking out for the British final, World under 21 championship and Peterborough on Monday, fans would not have got much change out of £100 with travel and food.

*British Grand Prix referee Tony Steele officiated in Cheetahs' win over Coventry, while former Bees track curator Colin Meredith, now doing the same job and team-managing at Oxford, took great delight in doing the double over his former club.

*Cheetahs stage the first of their B fixtures at Cowley tomorrow night when King's Lynn are the visitors.