berniev123

Can I ask that the Cradley magi ask the Midlands teams to the 'Wood for a Midlands Challenge or better still get ALL the Midlands Clubs into a Midlands NL Mini League? Cradley, Coventry, Leicester, Stoke, Buxton, Wolves, Birmingham, Long Eaton and anyone else, for a bit of fun to bring on the MDL & NL & PL reserves????????????????????

Hope that the 14 that turn up on a Tuesday at Monmore Wood will be great to watch......win or loose!!!!!

The "Come on me babby" is correct. Done it myself for years at the old 'Wood & new 'Wood. It is a term of affection amongst the Black Country folk I am afraid as we dow spake tew mutch English! In fact there will be 7 babbies at the start and end of the Season! My dad used to call it me the babby child, teenager & adult!

As a life long Heathens fan since the Summer of '59 as it says in the programme ....CAN I say that the NL in whatever form in the last 20 years or so has put up a very good showing. From my days following Club CH, Buxton, Wolf Cubs and since 2010 my beloved Heathens, the NL has always had the dilemma of stand alone vs. training and long may it continue! If the Heathens and others get out of the NL into whatever league ........................GOOD LUCK to them...........................Those who stay in the NL.........do what you do best and train the stars of the future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jayne & Richard at Buxton and Rob at Scunthorpe & Uncle Len at Rye via Kent perhaps know what is best................the rest "are in it to win it"!!! I, for one, will see what the Stags & Hitmen are up to and welcome any NL at Monmore Wood any Tuesday in 2014 and the future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At last some good news for Stoke!!!! From my maths, Cradley have ALL 7 declared riders in too many UK Leagues, and if Steve goes to Poland with Ritchie on Sundays, ...take your pick from EL, PL, NL & MDL double or triple ups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2014 should be strange to say the least.

Matt Williamson is a Heathen as from this morning according to the Cradley site. Worst kept secret in the Back Country????

As long as he rides for us in the Black Country I will forgive him for hailing from deepest Chesterfield, I think, but that place is up and out of the Sunday Mercury's distribution area by few Black Country miles!

I must admit the Clay Country Park (St. Austell or Trelawney) was tremendous to drive to but Buxton does still help today in the scenery stakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to agree with Bryn, Saturdays without the 'Wood in the March through 'til October still hurt. Although, the New 'Wood on Tuesdays is making up for it since 2010!!!!!!

Same here! All 3 should improve in 2014 by a fair bit.

As I said the 7 Heathens we put out in 2014 will be the best that can be put out and they will be worthy of the CH race jacket, if they do not come up to scratch.....change them for somebody else, do not hang on and hope that they will come good sometime in the future! Is that not what team building is about no matter what league we are in? Remember Wolves debacle a couple of years ago when they had to hang on to two reserves from lands afar that would have been beaten by any of our top 7 last year and at least 5 of this years septet!!! Nathan is nearly certain to be back in the main body of the team and if he rides as good as he can or like when he was pushed off the white line by Gareth on a number of occasions then he will get an increase in his average at home which he richly deserves.

Who cares who the last two are as long as the last three include Nathan to ride at least 2 m from the white line at the 'Wood and the other two are worthy to put a Cradley bib on........................If they are not we can change them if the need arises. 'Ommer 'Um Me Babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would trust what Jayne & Richard & Ken do. They have always kept an even keel at the Hi Edge and 2014 should be no different!

It does not actually bother me how the team is released as long as the 7 they choose gel & most of them improve their starting average in 2014. I forgot to say...stay safe as well & give their all for the green & white in 2014. Once A Heathen, Always A Heathen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have to agree with you with the ageist thing. As a Cradley fan we do have 'old hands' but not on the bike.................Colin Pratt, Big Al, Neil Painter & Graham Jones spring to mind. Mildenhall have the same back room setup if you check on that too!

I agree with pete cc as Brady is as Aussie as Ayres Rock, kangaroos, Bathhurst & boomerangs!!!! He has always said that he was an Aussie and not a Brit and this has been known for ages! One good thing will come of it though NOBODY in the NL can have him at reserve/team in 2014 and I pity Somerset because they must be at least 2 points over the PL Team Building Average.....may be more!

Neil H..............CRADLEY & Stevie W is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Much better than Dudley name missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As CityRebel pointed out a while ago, my question about altering the track size cannot be thought of as the arena is also being used for football again! Not a starter, so I just hope the IoW will be back in '14 and good luck with the money raising!

As a long time Heathens fan I would go further with the suggestion.............What about 'Plymouth Falcons', 'Devon Falcons' or 'Exeter Falcons'! Even better have the team race jacket justlike Exeter's (Green & White with a black Falcon) in memory of the late Colin Hill! Just a thought!!!!!

Same from me sitting in Cradley!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for that info as I live in the West Midlands not on the Island! That makes it a bit more of a problem for the management then!

I,too, thought this but have since found out that training sessions were held at Wombwell in 1964 long after they shut down at the end of the 1948(?) Season. Yep I am getting old!

After my many visits to the Island can I ask a question that nobody seems to have come up with? Would it be cheaper to shorten/narrow the overall width of the track, if allowed, and then put in a smaller air fence? I know the Island has always been large but to survive thinking out of the box may have to be the answer. Hope to see the Islanders in 2014 against the Heathens!

I have to agree that the 2007 Scunny team may have beat the 2013 Heathens BUT it is what is achieved in THAT specific Season NOT what happens in the future that really matters, as riders move on/stay the same or pack it in through what ever reason so may not ever get to their peak! Just a second thought in 2011 Dudley were torn apart by injury after the 4's............

Although Buxton, Mildenhall, Dudley 2012 version, St Austell, Newport Mavericks ably led by Appleton and Neath & Linlithgow spring to mind as superb examples of CL/NL teams but I have to say that the Scunthorpe 2007 vintage edge out this year's Dudley version by a small amount, well Tai!! Perhaps, if there is a NL next year, we may see another team rise and dominate if not I have many fond memories since 1999 watching CL/NL meetings thanks to that wonderful Club CH version of the Heathens who rode anywhere with 7 guests for a couple of years then faded when it got to much for Enoch to arrange!!