A GOBATA member recently paid a visit to Belle Vue and was hardly impressed with what he saw. “The only thing keeping the carpet together upstairs was the chewing gum!” he said. Would have been funny were it not true  . . .

NEWCASTLE trainer Harry Williams is one of the most respected in the sport, with greyhounds such as New Level, Pond Hurricane, Zig Zag Kit, Laser Beam and, more recently, Blue Artisan, keeping him very much to the forefront of the open race circuit, particularly in the north.

Williams trains out of Bishop Auckland in County Durham and while his business pretty much keeps him occupied for much of the time, his views on  the sport are respected just as much as his training talents so, when he fires a word of warning on the future of greyhound racing industry, folk sit up and take notice.

"Greyhound racing has always been a hobby for me and I still get a buzz out of it", says Williams, who offered the proviso: "Basically there is nothing wrong with the game given good management and good promotion", implying that not everything management and promotion-wise is in good order.