Islander15

The NLRC takes precedence over the EL & PL, but the EL & PL takes precedence over the NL Pairs & Fours.

Some thoughts on the team this year. Overall they look the best on paper but I don't think it's as clear cut as last year when they always looked the best by far. Starke: One of my favourite riders but his average will inevitably drop. I think he should place importance on his EL/PL duties and we might see him on a figure around 8.00. Greaves: I expect improvement but relative to the rest of the team, not as much. I think he may struggle to start with by riding in the main body but will still increase his average by less than a point. However the small improvement will be dwarfed by Williamson and/or Philips which will put him at reserve for the crucial end. Perry:I don't think he'll rediscover his 9.88 points scoring but will show last season was a blip and move back up to 8.00 and probably pick up a PL spot. Clegg: Not as dramatic improvement as last year but he should attain an average in excess of 7.00. I think the EL draft is a year too early for him, but added riding with Perry will improvement the partnership. However I'm concerned that neither are good gaters yet Leicester is a gaters track! But I think the most important thing for him is to get used to bigger tracks. Worrall: He will be #1 and will be close to a 10.00 average. Similar to Blackbird last year. One of the best riders in the league on a track he loves. Williamson: May double his average. Riding for PL Scunthorpe will help he just needs more consistency than last year. Phillips: Again may double his average. I'm not sure whether he or Williamson will replace Greaves. My main concern is Starke, Worrall, Clegg and Perry are all riding EL and Starke, Worrall & Williamson riding PL, with probably the best 3.00 man not riding PL currently is Perry. So that's 2 triple-uppers and 3 double-uppers. How many meetings will they miss??

Freemantle is in the semi as well.

Carr will average above 4.00 I'm certain of it... Don't forget Scunthorpe have Douglas or Jorgensen or even Howe.

I agree with Mikey. I think it looks better than the last couple of years but clearly isn't going to make the play-offs. If Davies can continue his improvement (which would mean holding his average as presumably he rides at #5 he'll face better opposition then they have a second heat leader. I think I saw Jensen's 'real' average was about 6.50 so now he has some experience of being over here I'm sure he can hold his 7.00 if not slightly improve. Barker is Barker at PL level. Again he's sure to hold his average. Newman has always seemed better on the tighter circuits for me and I can only see his average going up (albeit slightly). Benko is awful and will have done extremely well to stay above 3.00. I think Reade has had enough chances to score a true average now, even if I expect it to be 3 something. Plus riding for the Demons will help him get dialled back in to the track. That leaves Kalle who I genuinely believe can put the2 points on his average needed to cancel out the 2 points lost by Benko, especially when he's at reserve. So a team with a roughly overall of no increase but no decrease in average isn't likely to do well but probably won't come last. However you then get Benko alongside Reade at reserve, and 2 men who are both basically 3.00 men which gives no cover to an ok top 5 and Kalle is banging in the points anymore that's when I think they'll struggle. But hopefully Reade will be up and running by then, over his injury and having ridden lots of SBA laps this year to be alright at home which will keep the home wins coming.

Because he was declared in last years team I think.

Ritchings, Perry, Clegg, Sarjeant or Morley would all do a better job than Lykke, and I bet they're cheaper.

But that rider would have known he was in the team. The press release suggests they haven't decided who the final 3 are yet so the riders themselves won't know, and in terms of the added costs involved in league racing compared to just practices and second halves I'd have thought the riders would want to know that they have a team place for longer than a couple of weeks before the start of the season.

Arron Mogridge makes it 4! Leaving it a bit late for the last 3 to prepare aren't they?

Yes I completely agree.

There's a lot of negativity on this thread and lots of it I haven't witnessed first hand so cannot comment. But one thing I am sure of is you'd rather have some speedway, even if it drives you crazy, than none at all!

I know you only used it as an example HT but I think Kent missed the experience of Mason when he left and I don't think it was coincidental that they improved massively when he returned. From their point of view how does Kurtz improve the other riders? He may pass on experience etc but even if he ends with a 12.00 average I very much doubt that he will be able to give as much information to Freemantle, Blake and Chessell etc that Mason would. Good luck to Jones. I hope the score he posted in the illegitimate Scunthorpe meeting will be more like his scoring this season as opposed to what he posted for the Islanders. But having said that, he experience will be massively beneficial which is what the management want

Fair enough. As others have said I remembered him being linked to a permanent transfer and obviously Ipswich were happy with letting him go. I haven't seen Joe at Ashfield but having followed his NL progress closely I'm confident that his 2014 average will be in excess of 4.00 and nearer 5.00 than 4.00. He has a lot of talent and has often beaten the biggest name in the league, I just think he needs to find a bit of consistency and with having the same men behind him at Peterborough as he had at Coventry last year and going back to Mildenhall I'm sure he will. Having said all that he bucked the trend of the 'Brits don't want to travel' trait and I'm sure he'd have been more than happy to stay because my impression of Joe is simply that he wants to race and will put in the effort wherever in order to repay the faith someone puts in him to race.

Nick Morris? But that would mean dropping another rider.

You should have just kept Jacobs.

I think you're right SKJ, which means Rob is referring to an NL rider who will count as a 3.00 NL guest. Nielsen doesn't as he has achieved an average of over 4.00 in the PL. The likes of Ritchinfs, Morley and Sarjeant look good to me.

It seems to have been unclear for a while as to whether Branford will or will not return to Britain next year. If you remember he didn't start last season with a team place as he was in a similar situation. From your list Knight and Hazelden have retired, Fenwick isn't riding speedway this year and N. Stoneman has turned down offers of team places. It may or may not happen obviously bit I'd like to see Blacklock and Priest at Buxton and you could potentially add Branford to that if he comes over.

He tweeted that he had some offers of team places but turned them down. I think he'd rather mechanic for someone than race. And star shooter he rode for Mildenhall last year until he was dropped about August time.

=3 No but one of your pair is on the list. No, Ellis got 12 5-1s but with 6 different partners. There is an Islanders pair though. No. There's one more Mildenhall pair but not including those two.

=3 5 2

Yes that's what I meant. They're at 1.

Yes sorry SCB I stole the idea off you but you haven't posted one yet so I thought I'd go for it. Name the pairs to have scored the most 5-1s in the NL last season. I'm not sure on SCB's requirements but I've used league meetings only. 1. Armstrong and Bates (11 times) - Mr Mungo 2. Blackbird and Morris (9 times) - phillipsr =3. Blackbird and D. Greenwood (7 times) - phillipsr =3. Lambert and Kerr (7 times) - Ommer Mon 5. Blackbird and Starke (6 times) - phillipsr =6. xxx and xxx (5 times) - =6. xxx and xxx (5 times) - =6. xxx and xxx (5 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - =9. xxx and xxx (4 times) - And as a clue, 1 rider appears 3 times!

1. Stefan Nielsen 8.00 2. Luke Crang 4.78 3. Liam Carr 6.87 4. Lewis Rose 6.76 5. Steve Worrall 7.09 6. Brandon Freemantle 3.00 7. Danny Phillips 3.00 39.50

I think Scunthorpe will have one or two 3.00 men who will significantly increase their average! It's your thread greyhoundp and you haven't had a go yourself

I wasn't thinking about which club he rode for at that point just that he's from near Leicester. Mr Mungo was obviously thinking solely about locality as was I.