Piotr Pyszny

During Halifax’s last season (1985) at The Shay, the average attendance was circa 3,500. Bradford never got anything like that. After 20-odd years without speedway, there is a danger what interest there was has evaporated.

That is, indeed, sad news. Some lovely memories of Zenon here...

Brings to mind Loomer Road, Stoke. Anybody else remember, at certain times of the season, those pauses in racing to wait for the sun to set? From the first bend at Halifax, there was a view into the pits. Worth arriving early to secure a prime spot. Watching the tinkering helped pass the time between heats.

Duncan Chapman, who spent virtually his whole career (1989-95) as a reserve or second string at Middlesbrough, is retailer principal at Ray Chapman (his father, I've always assumed) Motors' York branch. Judging by the pic on the firm's website, Duncan is ageing pretty well!

Two covers were available (if you asked nicely) - the retro and the regular. Full marks to Arlesey's award-winning programme editor Duncan Field.

South Midlands League football @ Arlesey Town last night (3/11). Their biggest crowd of the season. Eynesbury Rovers won 4-0 to go top.

Southern League football @ Coleshill Town last night (2/11). In the afternoon, I was struck by how many shoppers on Coleshill's high street were masked up.

Enjoy a bit of cycle speedway. Been to watch a few clubs in northern England: Astley & Tyldesley, Heckmondwike (defunct, sadly), Sheffield and Stockport. Great sport to photograph! There is a handful of other clubs fairly close by, in Bury, Cramlington and Hessle (near Hull). Edinburgh has a club, too. Up-to-date information via https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclespeedway Growing up in a village on the moors above Halifax, I and a few mates used to 'play' at cycle speedway on a track carved out of a field. One of the older lads used to ride - properly! - for Halifax (also now defunct). He had all the pukka gear, including a very nice bike. Can't remember anybody beating him on our little track!

Oh, there won't be much damage to speedway's profile. Chiefly because it no longer has one. Up there with tiddlywinks.

Looking at the number and variety of news sources to carry the outcome of Garrity's trial, there's no end of bad publicity for speedway.

Wirksworth Ivanhoe (Central Midlands League football) last Saturday (17/10). Leicester Nirvana (United Counties League football) tomorrow evening (20/10).

I exchanged email addresses with John at the game. Earlier today, I passed on the apparent coincidence. This is what he said: "I was a member of the medical profession. However, I was merely a lowly general practitioner, in practice in a commuter town outside Edinburgh, rather than a specialist. Now, if there is another hopper [i.e. groundhopper] called John, in Edinburgh, also keen on going to matches at obscure venues, I would love to know who it is." Curioser and curioser?

During the game, I got talking to the chap next to me. Turned out to be a John, from Edinburgh. One and the same, I suspect!

Me and 85 others then!

Carnforth Rangers v Furness Rovers last Saturday (10/10, West Lancashire League, Division Two - level 13!). Most stringent anti-COVID measures I've encountered since football resumed. Included a temperature check at the gate.

He'll be OK, as long as he lays off the food and drink.

Pontefract Collieries (Northern Premier League, North/West Division) have pushed the boat out this season, getting Footie Print to design and produce their match programme. Picked one up (28pp, £2.50) at last night's game with Marske United. A major improvement on the club's previous efforts. Colls don't seem to be enjoying any increase in crowds while bigger neighbouring clubs are playing BCD. Just 167 watching (including about 35 following the visitors). Mind you, Pontefract is right in the heart of rugby league territory. Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Club draw a lot of support from Pontefract. Brighouse Town, in the same division as Colls, pulled in 346 the previous evening. Doubtless, the crowd (more than double last season's usual) was swelled by live football starved supporters of FC Halifax Town and Huddersfield Town.

After a half summer of cricket, first football of 2020-21 yesterday (26/9) - a Central Midlands League South game @ Ashland Rovers, who beat Hilton Harriers 3-1. Small crowd at Kingsway Park therefore social distancing not a problem. Well observed by most.

Eleven cricket matches - various leagues - since the last week in July, when the sport was able to start its season. The 12th, in Newcastle, will be tomorrow. Most have felt slightly 'unreal'. Little evidence of social distancing amongst spectators, I'm afraid to say.

Despite being in a rugby league stronghold, my secondary school forced rugby union on its pupils (thankfully, for only one term each academic year; football being the main sporting activity). Wind forward a few decades, and the retirement of its union-loving Welsh headmaster and a union-playing games teacher, and the school switched - very successfully - to rugby league. It's a crying shame many Britons still believe all 'rugby' has to offer is rugby union.

No such sport as rugby. There is rugby league and rugby union.

In the same way, during these COVID times, the trains have run on time without passengers, maybe speedway clubs find not staging meetings enables them to halt a trend of losing money.

I went to what turned out to be the last two meetings at Skegness. Complete dust bowl and barely anybody watching.

Little chance of that. The days when sports venues were used and appreciated by a large proportion of the population are long gone. With demand for land so high, and houses needed desperately, sport will be one of the last things on any government's mind.

Speedway fans in Boroughbridge. Who knew?