CHRIS Louis today blasted the Speedway Control Bureau over the fee Coventry Bees have been told to pay for Scott Nicholls.A bureau tribunal yesterday set a figure of £36,000 for Coventry to complete the transfer of Nicholls from Ipswich Evening Star Witches.

CHRIS Louis today blasted the Speedway Control Bureau over the fee Coventry Bees have been told to pay for Scott Nicholls.

A bureau tribunal yesterday set a figure of £36,000 for Coventry to complete the transfer of Nicholls from Ipswich Evening Star Witches.

Although Ipswich have said all along they would abide by the tribunal's ruling, they originally asked for £55,000.

And Witches manager and skipper Louis said today: “I am not happy with the figure, and not happy with the way the matter has been dealt with.

“I don't want to say any more at the moment.”

Coventry at one time said they were willing to pay the asking price of £55,000 for the Ipswich-raised Great Britain captain. They then back-tracked and announced they did not want to purchase Nicholls after all, but borrow him.

They were fined £500 for an illegal approach before the 2005 season began.

Coventry co-promoters Jeremy Heaver and Colin Pratt attended yesterday's hearing in Rugby along with Ipswich's John Louis. It remains to be seen whether the Bees go along with the decision.

They will be under severe pressure to come up with the cash, and the SCB have powers to extract money from them.

When Ipswich receive the money they may use it to purchase Hans Andersen from Poole.

They feel they should have received a higher fee for a rider they did not want to leave and who put in an official transfer request last winter.

Joe Screen's transfer for £35,000 and Belle Vue's signing of world champion Jason Crump for just under £40,000 were probably the guidelines used by the SCB to come up with their figure of £36,000.