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Well I've waited and waited to do my Championship predictions, waiting for 11 full 1-7s and it's the end of March and it's still yet to happen. So I am just going to go ahead and do it now anyway, sick of waiting!! 1. Leicester - In my opinion the team that looks the strongest for a full season. Easily unbeatable at home with home specialists throughout the team and the second strongest heat leader trio in the league, particularly at home. Connor and the Thompson twins also know Beaumont Park like the back of their hands and Anders will only get better I'm sure, he's a good prospect down at reserve. I think over the course of the full season they will be the strongest team and will take some beating. 2. Glasgow - Have a solid team through 1 to 7, have decent enough reserves and a very good number 1. Ben Basso and Ulrich should provide endless amount of entertainment and Broc is a very decent number 2 alongside Cookie. Don't think they're quite as strong as Leicester, but they will probably go unbeaten at home and get many points on the road also. 3. Poole - THE strongest heat leader trio bar none in the league, the only thing that lets them down is their second strings might struggle on the road, they're not the strongest and don't have the most experience of other tracks. Nathan Ablitt is also a bit of a question mark for me, I think he should do alright at home on a track he's riding week in week out, but away on tracks like Shielfield and Brough, he may struggle, is it a year too early for him? Time will tell. Poole however are my favourites for the end of season tournament we all refer to as the playoffs (vs Leicester). 4. Redcar - Very solid heat leader trio and two decent second strings, I was gutted when Adam didn't resign with my beloved Diamonds. Kasper Andersen will surprise a few this season I think and the two lads at reserve, particularly Jordan, should fly at home this season. I predict a very good season for the Bears this year and I wish them all the luck in the world, being our nearest and dearest, should comfortably make the playoffs imo and all four of the top 4 I have named are a class above everyone else. 5. Oxford - Have named a solid enough team for their return season, Scotty and Troy should be able to beat anyone in this league and provide all the experience needed for the younger riders in the team. Kyle and Cameron is a decent 3/4 partnership and I am interested to see how Jack Thomas kicks on this year after coming on so well last year. Josh MacDonald and Dillon Ruml is also an impressive reserve partnership, I think Oxford should make the playoffs this year. 6. Plymouth - Quite hard to tell without them having a complete septet however, based on the six they have named so far if they can add even an average rider as their final rider they should be a pretty strong outfit. I think Dan Gilkes and Henry Atkins will be 2 of the most overlooked reserves in the league this season and I feel they will both be pushing for a position in the 1-5 (oh well, just means Alfie Bowtell at reserve instead!!) Ben Barker and MPT will provide years of experience and plenty entertainment and Hans should be a solid enough number 1. I expect Plymouth to be the underrated dark horses of the league this year. Would love to see young Ben Trigger getting a couple opportunities at reserve if the chance arises also, think he's one of Britain's biggest talents coming through and looked just as good, if not better, than Henry at the P&P already. 7. Berwick - Yes yes, Jye and Kyle is the best reserve partnership in the league as every Berwick fan likes to keep reminding me and I do agree. However, they do have a couple of ageing riders and a couple who have a lot to make up for after disappointing season last year. Ricky Wells is not a number 5 and whoever the hell Chris Allen is?? He's not a number 1 either In all seriousness, other than Leon and Chris (Harris ) all the 1-5 need a downgrade in the team really (Ricky 5 --> 3, Theo 3 --> 4, Ty 4 --> 2 etc...) Berwick look ok, and maybe they will push for the playoffs, but I don't see them quite making them. 8. Edinburgh - Another brilliant top 2 by the Monarchs, Sam Masters and Josh Pickering is brilliant for this league. Joshie Pickering is probably the most entertaining rider in the league. However beyond this, the Monarchs offer very little for me. There will be a lot of pressure on Kye and Paco to help along the team, taking pressure off the 2 new lads (Lasse and Jacob) and heaven forbid either of them two turn out to be terrible for this level, Edinburgh could find themselves even further down the table imo. Sam and Josh basically need to go unbeaten in even meeting just to take pressure of the incredibly long tail that Edinburgh have almost become famous for. I do generally like the Monarchs, so I hope I'm wrong. 9. Scunthorpe - Scunthorpe have gone for a very familiar team, they've got decent reserves and Ryan Douglas should be a brilliant number 1. Hopefully Jordan Palin can carry on how he finished last year, another pretty average team for the Scorpions who do admittedly have the potential to finish higher if all the riders click. 10. Birmingham - Pretty bad looking side by the Brummies, although who can blame them due to their circumstances, it could have been an awful lot worse for them. There's a lot of pressure on Ashley and James (Shanes) to perform as second strings most of the year, although I feel Stefan will probably want one of they spaces sooner rather than later. James Pearson looks like a good prospect, but there should hopefully not be too much pressure on him while he finds his feet over here. Adam Ellis and Claus Vissing is a very good top 2 considering what it could have been at one point. All of this being said however, I don't see them finishing any better off than the teams above them in this list. 11. Newcastle - I'll always be as positive as possible and as optimistic as I can be about my Newcastle Diamonds, however in this list I have tried to be as honest as I can be. We are so far under the limit once again and our team is pretty disappointing tbh. Yes, we have had some difficult situations over the winter and I am as delighted as anyone about actually having a team to support again when it wasn't looking likely at one point, however we haven't constructed a team as good as we could have done imo and for that reason, I see the same situation planning out next winter too. I'm sorry but BWD as number 1 doesn't impress me at all. Positive point about the team however is James, Matty and Max are always pretty decent value for money at home and Paul Starke is a solid rider also (yet not really a number 5) Will be interesting to see how Lee Complin returns, he should be fairly entertaining and hopefully George can ride well at reserve, although early signs at Redcar don't look as promising as I thought they could be. I predict another bottom of the table finish unfortunately I seriously hope I'm wrong... I have tried to be as open and honest as I could be with this list, please let me know what yous think, what yous agree/disagree with. Will be an interesting discussion Thanks for reading my post, the length of which @TotallyHonestJohn would be proud of.

Putting the juniors on at the end is rubbish as all they get is a crap second hand track. More was learned today by sticking them on when track was good and watching them cope with it and make the required changes .

Correct ,very strong Team then, Leicester just got lucky.

Amazingly coincidental how when a No1 is not available, it is an away match they miss... Always seem to make the home meetings though... Why bother running such meetings? The home team may want to as they have an advantage, but all it does is devalue the very competition they want to get an advantage in, (to the point of the competition having no real value at all), and the away team may want to run it as they actually save money not having their most expensive rider there.. Either way, the fans lose out, but ultimately, long term so does the sport, as such nonsense finally erodes the support of even the die hards...

On the subject of the Stream… Can I pay a huge tribute to Andy Hague and his brother Paul of Speedway Portal. I can’t begin to tell you of the hours and hours of dedication and commitment from these guys. They have put so much planning, preparation and thought into the project setting the highest goals for quality. They have overcome countless technical obstacles and spent,literally, days on the infrastructure and studio set up. The result is a product that is highly professional and should shine amongst it’s rivals. WELL DONE GUYS. you have an equally committed team alongside you, going forward, and you should ALL be proud heading into Pirates TV’s inaugural season. Wishing you every success, much deserved!

Andy and his brother have done so much good work at Somerset, Newcastle, IOW, Eastbourne, Plymouth and Poole over recent years. Credit to the Sport and to Clubs and Promotions who have used them.

Based on the fact that we're told that it takes a couple of heats for the track to bed in, it makes complete sense that all the riders are offered the opportunity of practice laps pre meeting. You could even make it part of the pre match and it would likely improve the on track action. Won't happen because it would give the away team a better chance of winning and as we all know the home team must win at all costs.

Think we'll need more than bobble hats! BBC weather currently showing 3 degrees at 8pm, 2 degrees by 10pm. Sleet and rain in the day, although looks dry by the evening. If it goes ahead we'll need 10 pairs of socks and six coats each to stay vaguely warm. Could be ice speedway at Foxhole. Hopefully stars will turn up with spikes in their tyres to help them get round....

I think Mr guest will be Brummies best rider this season, absolute farce imo.

Speedway fans are a weird bunch

It's not all bad news for the Brum. Morris did really well, Ellis is coming in, Pearson will improve and Auty and Nielsen are better than that normally.

15 surely?

Poland get it right with their sparring matches.

IF he moves up… Although you can’t judge too well on their own, Ty wasn’t hanging around! Theo seemed to have bike issues but last night was the night to have them! Ricky was like lightning from the gate.. Leon looked so so classy.. what a style entering bends 3&4 (ala Ricky Ashworth to help you imagine). I left happy with what I seen

Chris Allen didn’t show so Chris Harris said he’d fill in the now

Brilliant! Thank you very much.

No bud it's a brick built building now but the craic was fierce to be fair... Brilliant night out and a good time was had by all. Regards THJ

But lets be fair it is easy to make a typing mistske now isn't it? Regards THJ

Meeting got a lot better as it went on and gave the typical Peterborough racetrack. But I've gotta say it did drag a bit and there was too much filler. Absolutely appreciate these sort of meetings are more for the goodwill and hopes of rasing money for a fantastic cause, but I personally think for bringing someone who's new to the sport its a massive turn off and doesn't sell the goods of speedway. The veterans races just wasn't needed and was a huge distraction and waste of time, I really cannot get behind who this is for other than the four lads out on track. I get and understand the junior races, but at the same time it does take away from the event and for those watching would've perhaps been best to put the juniors on before or after the meeting so it didn't disjoint the main event.

@TotallyHonestJohn So what's happening. I know you are involved in Workington now and I respect and am so impressed with everything you've done over there and I can't wait to go visit the new venue, as I done many laps of the old, tiny Northside track myself as a rider BUT Are you still going to be a regular at the Diamonds, or has that ship sailed? Would be really good to see you back at Brough, as I think it's going to be another year of struggle for us I may even come introduce myself and buy you a pint and a pie, just as appreciation for all your efforts over the decades. Many thanks

Actually dont think its a bad start of an idea this just two things worry me 1. Riders practice, Tractors come out change the track completely 2. As happened at SON Day 1, Riders practiced, pushed all the dirt out creating 1 line early on which didnt make for a great meeting until that line became so wide it opened up other parts of the track

Didn't the Diamonds do it to Sheffield after a typically rubbish Owlerton display? I recall because I didn't bother going to the 2nd leg but my dad who would pay to watch paint dry did and was smug for weeks. But it's basically two rubbish matches isn't it, two massive home wins. Don't ask the year as they all merge into one at my age. A few laps just before tapes up hardly gives riders time to make adjustments though. I'm thinking more of a structured pre match practice. Say two riders at a time for a 5 minute practice so 35 mins of practice in total before the line up presentation. If the riders want to do it. Maybe do interviews with those who do after their practice. F1 and Moto GP make 3 days out of exactly that. 2 if you consider qualifying as an event. The riders wouldn't get paid to practice so no extra cost to add an extra 35 mins of 'entertainment' for those who want to see it. If you don't just turn up for the tapes up time. Personally I'd just turn up for the start of the match but if the knock on effect is that both sets of riders are more well prepared for the real action then the match is likely to be more entertaining.

& the 2nd at Perry Barr on Wednesday

Thats not even an option anymore as there seems to be not enough Tarmac to go around for the pot holes let alone a whole speedway track .

A good afternoon's entertainment, racing wasn't great early on but certainly a packed programme. When these meetings have "veteran" races, I've never heard of any of the "veteran" riders. Were they actual former riders or are they enthusiasts who've bought and restored old bikes. Fair play to the big lad who looped it at the start today, went down like a sack of spuds, went hob-wobbling back to the pits and came out for the rerun to finish 2nd!

First Guest booking of the year for Bomber....

Looks like young Mr Brennan should be stepping up to genuine heat leader this season looking at his performances this week at BV and Peterborough. Ulle seems to be getting better with every meeting as well. Be lying if said didn't want to win something but more looking forward to the excitement levels this season. Team full of (mostly) young racers going hell for leather on a proper racetrack

Birmingham and Newcastle will be lucky to finish the season

what's happening at Reading? Have i missed something?

This is the stage of the season where everyone is full of hope!

I'm sure I read somewhere that they'd prefer card payment today.

Shocked and saddened to here this news , I met Jim a few times on my trips down to BP , he was a great guy and will be a big miss to all those who knew him R.I.P.

is it still the same wee wooden hut ? used to play pool in yonder for my local team in the tartan and district pool league . happy folk and a good craic .

there was a time when we were stopped from posting our pictures on social media by one of the promoters, not sure if that promoter is still at KL though. i think the reason was that photographers were making money out of the club

For anyone not going to the meeting updates will be available on: https://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/thread/20695/ben-fund-bonanza-peterborough-2pm

Vissing will be missing alot aswell. Looking at his fixture clashes with his Danish club it could be up to nine.

Blordorn doesnt look anything like a 6pt rider from what ive seen… i like Brennan but both will be doing well to get to 4

If an away team fights through the match and ends with a draw they should get points for a draw.

Ht. 15 56.8

There is one thing having a personal gripe but to take it onto a speedway track is disgusting. Speedway bikes are dangerous enough without any other motive and I have neither side to take in this but I hope it’s dealt with appropriately.

Redcar Bears Speedway Please please please would you reconsider the positioning of the sponsor banner right in front of the starting gate. It has completely destroyed the exciting viewing spectacle of the start of the race as fans who stand near the front of the tapes can now only see the riders heads. It has removed all the enjoyment of the start watching for rolls, tape touching, flyers etc. Appreciate sponsors need to be highlighted but surely not to the detriment of the viewing fans? Blocked view

It's a shame Newcastle couldn't see fit to host Robbo's meeting with him being a Diamonds legend. He only had 1 stunted season at Redcar (and a short spell at Middlesbrough) but he has been a great servant to the sport and deserves his farewell meeting regardless.

Technically you are correct, but currently not all teams are complete. Plymouth and Mildenhall have each got a gap after a rider withdrew. Edited: And I forgot Armadale - although the locals are expecting William Lawson to be the final rider.

he gambled on being able to sign Bewley - if he had missed out on him what would you be saying then?

Good man. I'll be looking forward to the rules & then finding out what all the new averages are.

He has worked with Robins for many years when his racing commitments have allowed but now he has a family & like all of us over the last few years has had to look at his life & reevaluate what is most important. if he has been offered a future proof position within the company then he would be foolish not to accept.

The Laurels in 1986 was run with 12 riders and the top 8 going into Semi-Finals and thence into a 4 man Final, which Nigel Sparshott won.

Doyle 13 Heeps 4 Batchelor 6 Riss 6 King 10 Starke 5 Rowe 7 Witches 51 Iversen 7 Kerr 6 Lawson 8 Jorgensen 5 Pickering 7 Worrall 5 Thomas 1 Kings Lynn 39

never bought a season ticket yet .like you said cant see the value in it .i do like the idea of buying a book of ten to use as and when