dave1075

I stand corrected, but I noticed that Adam Ellis’s final average in the Championship for Birmingham in 2019 was 8.00 & was under the impression that everyone’s average was based on their final average from the 2019 season.

Looking at current averages for the 1st June, if you take Tom Bacon (5.28), Paul Hurry (5.72) & the spare 1.94 for team building it totals 12.94. Maybe the management could look at persuading Adam Ellis (8.00) & Gino Manzares (4.00) to come on board. Another option might be Bradley Wilson Dean ( seeing he is here for the GP Qualifier at Glasgow) by persuading him to stay over for the season & also looking if Ellis Perks has changed his mind to race this season. Not sure on what their current averages would be.

Current work being carried at Rye House stadium posted 26/01/20 https://www.facebook.com/groups/198832456794185/permalink/3132269760117092/

Seeing that Ben Morley has spent the last 2 seasons riding at number 2 for both Lakeside & Eastbourne a stint at reserve could be a good move. Also with his experience in the Championship & being a consistent high scorer in the National League with over a 9 point average where he was the riders champion in 2018 he has the beating of most of the other reserves in the League who have moved up this season. For the last 2 years as well as riding at the big Isle of Wight track in the National League it has made him a better rider of bigger circuits & expelled the myths that he is only a small track rider. I can remember him beating Scott Nicholls at Peterborough & NBJ at Berwick in 2018.

With the current fires spreading in New South Wales around Sydney & Victoria I wonder if the Australian Championships will go ahead. It is a worrying time for everyone who are affected by the terrifying scenes across the country & our thoughts go out to them.

With Connor Coles in the bag how about either of these 2 options. 1. Ben Morley. 9.18 2. Chad Wirtzfeld. 3.81 3. Connor Coles. 7.43 4. Chris Widman. 3.79 5. Joe Lawlor. 7.91 6. Connor King. 3.67 7. Macauley Leek. 3.00 Total. 38.79 or this. 1. Ben Morley. 9.18 2. Chad Wirtzfeld. 3.81 3. Connor Coles. 7.43 4. Connor King. 3.67 5. Tom Perry. 8.50 6.Jamie Bursill. 3.13 7. McCauley Leek. 3.00 Total. 38.72 All riders are still available I think as have not seen them in another 1 to 7.

Surprised he wasn’t in the Kent line up at reserve alongside Jack Thomas who was on a 2.42 average, they would have been a far stronger reserve pairing then Ledwith & Gilkes. Kent had 6.23 to play with at reserve, Morley & Thomas totalled 6.13 whereas Ledwith & Gilkes totalled 6.00. Another thing to note is that Morley & Thomas are in the top 3 scorers in Kent’s history in the National League.

Maybe Ben Morley on a 3.71 average could do a job at reserve on the tight Brough Park track. He’s a sharp gater and has spent the last two seasons in the Championship riding at No 2 for both Lakeside & Eastbourne ( both tight turning tracks ). So having a stint at reserve would possibly see his average rise by 1 to 1.5 points. It’s not rocket science as everyone knows you only win league titles if your riders increase their average.

Connor Mountain or Danyon Hume could be an option.

When you think about it the Kings could have brought in the likes of these young improvers. Hume, Bowtell, Wood or Kinsley, all of them would do a better job than Ledwith who could only achieve a 5.93 average in the National League. So to have him in the side is a massive mistake. As for the management to state that they should not expect them to win anything in 2020 is an even bigger mistake as all the riders will feel that if the management have no confidence then how can they.

What people forget is that Ben Morley has ridden the last 2 seasons in the Championship at No 2 for both Lakeside & Eastbourne averaging around the 4 point mark. No doubt a stint in the reserve berth would see his average gain at least a 1 to 1.5 points on top of that . It’s not rocket science that for teams to be successful you need riders to up there average which Ben would do riding at 6 or 7 for the Kings. He loves the Central Park track & like his stint at both Lakeside & Eastbourne his home average would be above 7 a meeting. As they say it’s horses for courses and Ben would no doubt take a few heat leader scalps riding around Central Park.

Would think that if Adam Ellis was going to ride on a Wednesday it would be with Poole. Maybe the final 3 signings could be Michael Palm Toft on 8.13, Lasse Bjerre on 5.87 & Ben Morley on 3.71. So the 1 - 7 would look like. 1. Scott Nicholls 8.14 2. Tom Bacon. 5.07 3. Cameron Heeps 7.42 4. Lasse Bjerre. 5.87 5 Michael Palm Toft. 8.13 6. Ben Morley. 3.71 7. Rob Ledwith. 2.00 the Total. 40.34

Obviously the wrong Island Warrior Ben Morley was shown the door back in July, at least he showed 100% commitment to all the clubs he has ridden for & never let anyone down whilst riding in the harder No2 position for both Lakeside last season & Eastbourne this. So it’s no surprise how Georgie’s average started to drop as soon as he started riding at No 2 and missed the easy pickings he was getting whilst riding at reserve. By the way Georgie’s average is still below Ben’s even though he had 3 months riding at reserve with Ben at No 2. The Eastbourne promotion must be regretting there decision at putting Georgie up into the main body of the team at the expense of Ben as they lost the big hitter they had in the reserve berth. The alarm bells should have also been ringing when Georgie started showing up late for meetings, missing track walks with his team mates & not being fully prepared. He has not only let himself down but a lot of sponsors who backed him. This must sound like deja vu to the Sheffield promotion & fans.

With James Shanes unfortunately out for the rest of the season & Jordan Jenkins taking a break from the sport, could the Brummies possibly look into making 2 changes by bringing in Ben Morley ( 3.81 ) & Danyon Hume ( 3.27 ) in the reserve berths with Nick Agertoft reverting back to the number 2 position. Bearing in mind that Morley had well over a 4.5 point average whilst riding at number 2 for Lakeside last season and at Eastbourne for the first 3 months of this season before being let go & Hume is getting his confidence back after injuries last season with excellent performances for Leicester Cubs in the NDL. A run in a reserve berth along side Hume would give the Brummies a strong looking reserve pairing compared to other Championship teams instead of having a 2.00 rider with little experience in this league.

Does the eight day rule about guesting not apply in the NDL as I noticed that Nathan Stoneman was guesting for Mildenhall last night after riding last week for an Oxford Select team on the 1st August, or do Challenge matches not come into the equation. If so will the 10 points he scored be taken away.

I think you’ll find that riding at No 2 is a hard position especially away from home as most clubs are finding out with their own No 2’s. They all seem to score reasonably well in home fixtures and struggle big time away. Georgie Wood is now the latest rider to find out what it’s like to be in that position as will Anders Rowe at Somerset. Unfortunately some riders are dropped before they are given the opportunity to ride in the easier berths down at reserve. This is probably why Birmingham are keeping Agertoft in the main body as it give James Shanes the potential to have 7 rides every meeting like Georgie was at Eastbourne and Anders at Somerset. I’m sure if Ben Morley was given a run at reserve for any team in the Championship he would be regularly hitting double figure scores as he would be competing against riders of NL level of which has been mentioned he is one of the best.

For this season the 2019 GSAverages are, Kyle’s is 4.83, Georgie’s is 4.22, Ben’s is 4.07 & Alfie’s is 2.97, Another thing to bear in mind is that Ben also has 19 bonus points this season backing up either Eddie or Richard at No 2. Which converts his AVE to 5.36, where as Kyle’s is 5.50, Georgie’s is 4.65 and Alfie’s is 4.13.

Totally agree with mmmmethanol on that score. Ben has been at No 2 all season & scored quite well at Arlington but has struggled away. But this is the case for most No 2’s at every other club in the Championship away from their home track. Ben has not had the luxury of riding down at reserve this season like others have at other clubs & OK Jason is probably worthy of a run in a Championship team, I just hope it doesn’t effect his confidence like others who have tried the step up, only to eventually be dropped and lose interest in riding speedway & calling it a day. Another thing to note is that with this change being made Georgie will now ride at No 2 meaning only having 4 programmed rides & not a possible 7 rides as he would have at reserve resulting in the possible loss of the big scores he was achieving at Arlington. Personally I think this change would have been justified if 2 riders Ben and Kyle as the other had been dropped enabling the Eagles to bring in Jason as a 2 pointer & a potential 7 pointer to be the 4th heat leader. Could have brought in Bradley Wilson Dean if he is fit.

The Warriors 1 to 7 could be before averages change. 1. Georgie Wood. 9.28 2. McCauley Leek. 2.86 3. Scott Campos. 4.50 4. Danno Verge. 4.83 5. Ben Morley. 9.13 6. Connor King. 2.00 7. Chad Wirtzfield. 2.00 TOTAL. 34.60

They can’t fit in Campos for Widman as the numbers don’t fit. It’s harsh on Terry Daley but with due respect Campos is a better rider around Smallbrook. The next move the Warriors should make is bring in Leek for Widman. Too many blanks for Widman to justify him staying in the team. The way Leek has ridden the season warrants giving him a go. The lad is a trier & sometimes over does it but a least he gives it a go.

Chris Widman is just not good enough to be in the Warriors team . He poodles around at the back & the only points he picks up is when other riders fall or have engine failures. He is not even good enough to be able to score anything when he will eventually drop down to reserve. It’s about time for the Warriors to unload him & give a chance to a rider who at least will give it a go. Maybe look into the possibility of getting McCauley Leek in on his outgoing Mildenhall average of 2.86 (as of 20/6). If not Sean Tedham could comeback as he loved his time on the island last year. Other possibilities the Warriors could look at are William O’Keefe, Jamie Cousins or even maybe trying to persuade Connor Locke to make a comeback to racing. All 5 riders mentioned would definitely do a better job then Widman. I know blood is thicker than water but it’s about time the Promoters, Dad Martin Widman & Barry Bishop say enough is enough and show Chris the door.

Of the 32 meetings Lakeside rode in 2018 including Championship, Championship Shield & KO Cup, Ben Morley rode at reserve in 15 of those matches ( 9 away & 6 at home ). Of those 6 at home 4 were at Lakeside, due to lack of meetings in June, July & August ( Thanks to Mr Godfrey ) & 2 at Rye House. So for Hunters to say that Ben's average was arrived as being at reserve is incorrect, as he rode at No 2 for 17 matches. He started the season well acheiving scores of 4 at Peterborough, 8+1 at Berwick & 7+3 at Ipswich. He then suffered a fractured wrist at Redcar at the end of May when being taken out & hitting the 2nd bend safety fence. He then returned to the reserve berth for 11 fixtures in the aforementioned June, Juy & August scoring 5&1 at Scunthorpe, 6 at Sheffield, 5+1 at Ipswich & 4 at Newcastle. before moving up to No2 again for 8 meetings in September. Ben then went back down to reserve for the play-offs & Shield final in October and as a result Ben achieved an average of 5.93 Inc bonus over the whole season. Also it shows that winning the National League riders Championship makes Ben a good choice to be able to ride in Championship 2nd string position. By the way congratulations should be given to the Eastbourne management & promotion for selecting 7 British riders to represent them if the 3 remaining riders are those mentioned in previous threads.

This seven could do the business. What do others think & what would your seven be. 1.Ben Morley 9.13 2. Danno Verge 4.83 3. Rob Shuttleworth 6.05 4. Taylor Hampshire 5.11 5. Connor Coles 6.53 6. Jamie Bursill 2.00 7. Chad Wirtzfeld 2.00 Total 35.65

So with 7 riders per team building to a 36 point limit its going to be tight for any riders with averages over 7.5 getting a place unless a team can get any of the 2.0 riders that are available. With the likes of Dan Gilkes, Dan & Joe Thompson & Chad Wirtzfield. I'm sorry but i couldn't think of any more names so it looks like of all the 8 teams competing in the NL will be on the lookout for the next MDL superstar. No disrespect to any riders with a 5 - 6 average but who will want to pay £12 to watch these riders riding at numbers one & five.

Should have said downward & not down wood, ( bloody prodictive text )