Douglas is unhappy with the early fixture dates

Douglas felt their two Craven Shield matches with Ipswich Witches on Good Friday were ruined by the poor weather.

Speaking after their 52-40 home defeat he said: "Speedway is a summer sport. You cannot expect people to enjoy themselves in sub-arctic conditions.

"This ridiculous early start to the season must be addressed for next year. I feel for the fans out there."

Douglas' comments came after the double-header between the two sides, which saw both the home and away legs raced on the same day.

It wasn't racing tonight - it was a procession, and it was a direct result of starting the speedway season too early. Stuart Douglas

The Hammers had earlier won the away leg at the Fox Hall Stadium 47-43, but the Witches fought back with a 52-40 victory at the Arena Essex Raceway.

The Lakeside Hammers boss felt both contests were adversely affected by the dismal March weather.

Douglas said: "It was clear Ipswich struggled on their home track which had not been watered in anticipation of the forecast rain.

"We in turn struggled tremendously on our sodden track after the hailstone storm of biblical proportions destroyed the top surface.

"It wasn't racing tonight - it was a procession, and it was a direct result of starting the speedway season too early.

Douglas was also unhappy with his team's home display, commenting: "We're all gutted that the fantastic away performance in the afternoon has been rendered inconsequential by the turnover here.

"We as a team need to look at our performance tonight and ask some questions of ourselves.

"I don't expect to have to say this again this season."