*JJ

Why not?

I thought that he was riding for Glasgow?

Well, I have been watching speedway for sixty years, but I suppose I don't have a clue. I have probably been spoilt by watching the racing at the present Perry Barr track, where the racing is far superior to Wolverhampton. Whenever I have been to Monmore Green, riders are always crashing with first bend bunching - as happened last Monday - simply because the track is too narrow.

It's a dump; the track is too tight for good racing; The PA (all six of them) was enough to cause permanent hearing damage; the presenter needs throwing into the nearest canal. Otherwise, it's not bad, I suppose ...

Please do not feed the Troll.

Ben rejoined Plymouth because he wanted more rides than he would get just in the EL. He is so highly regarded in Birmingham that they adjusted the fixture lists to accommodate this! As I said, he won the Bonanza fair and square, beating Harris and Niki P and all the rest to do it. I hope he does avaerage 12 at Plymouth

He won it on merit, beating three Grand Prix riders in the process. He really is that good ... he (and Fisher, who also rode well) is far too good for the Premier League.

I suspect that he realised that King, Harris and Barker REALLY meant it, and sensibly backed out!

That's what I like to see, an optimist ... Vissing, Wright and Barker all rode for Birmingham last year, and Barker was by far the best of them. So was Fisher; that includes better than Masters and Doyle as well.

Understandable that he wanted to leave Leicester. He was fantastic at Birmingham the previous year - what did Leicester do to him?

Duh ... that's what I said, Spin

Barker has said that his EL average is too high for the PL next year, and he will have to concentrate on the EL and continental meetings in 2012.

Phil knows how to pick them! Rob Smith and Tom Young looked pretty useful as well, although I had never heard of them either. Perry and Taylor were surprisingly limp.

He said GB: these are Australians!

No - planning permission is for one day a week only. And there is a 10 pm curfew.

Except, of course, who makes the laws? Parliament. And who comprises members of Parliament? Lawyers. I rest my case ...

They were used in a few meetings at Birmingham early last year, and the speedway racing was inaudible a quarter of a mile away. This is in an urban site, of course; but then again, the airport is a bit further away!

A couple of years ago, Roynon was very much competing with Jason Lyons as Birmingham's No.1; I don't think that he will have much trouble in establishing himself in the NL. I suggest that he will soon become the No. 1 you want.

What has happened to Ben Taylor?

Birmingham have been talking about running some NL challenge matches in blank dates (only 8 teams in EL ) using B'ham assets. Having seen the Dudley matches at Perry Barr last year I am looking forward to that if it happens.

Quite right. The NL is a professional speedway league, just like the PL. I went to the Dudley matches held at Perry Barr and really enjoyed them. As Vince says, the times were only a second off the Birmingham times (and this was a team which included Jason Lyons and several other top PL riders!) and the racing was just as good. Any Potties who refuse to watch NL racing are simply cutting off their own noses to spite their faces.

You've forgotten the first: Birmingham go to EL.

It's remembering yesterday that's the problem ... I was there cheering for Whacker Hunt and Graham Warren once upon a time!

And the transfer of two top riders! We don't want the trick which the BSPA pulled on Birmingham in 1976.

So did we - and Newman's - but it seems that Patchett has pulled a fast one, which has lowered him a long way in my estimation.