StevePark

16.5.1 A Team may utilise a "Facility" to cover the absence of a Rider(s) who: f) is sick or carrying a non-speedway injury for which a Medical Certificate must be supplied to the SCB within 48 hours of the sickness / injury occurring in which case the Rider may only return within 7 days (including his Team’s next home Meeting) with the express permission of the MC. However, failure to provide a Certificate will nevertheless result in the mandatory suspension of the rider’s SCB Registration for the next home fixture. NB. The BSPA MC cannot overrule the suspension.

I have it on very good authority, that's wrong. For a start Bates average is 6.55 and Proctor's average is 7.38 (Howarth's is 8.62), so he can only guest for Howarth and not Bates. Palm Toft was booked provisionally on Friday, but Robert has said he will be there tonight, so Palm Toft is no longer number 1.

Read me post above yours!!!

Rumour is that the Sheffield website is wrong and Robert L rides tonight.

Sadly, it looks as though I can't defend him anymore.

Easily remedied at the start of the season then, either sign for Newcastle and not a Polish cub, or sign for another Championship team that don't ride on the night the Polish team do and not a Sunday track.

Seeing as he's British, he should be obliged to put his British club first, that's what I'm saying. I don't think so, no. Otherwise we could have used a 'proper' guest (no offence to Josh).

What about it? All I'm saying is (playing Devil's advocate) that a UK rider chose to ride in Poland, instead of his UK club. He took that risk when he signed for Newcastle and his Polish club at the start of the season. He knew there might be a chance of a fixture clash/ fixture clashes at the end of the season.

Yes, but he chose to ride in Poland, rather than for Newcastle, his UK club.

Only because it rained when he was in Poland and Josh Embleton was due to be number one and also he would have missed the Workington home match had that not been called off shortly before the start, mind.

Allegedly...

You're choice, but see my post #24 on the matter.

..... and ride for us tonight against Sheffield...

All I'm saying (or at least trying to!) is this. I don't know if he was genuinely injured for last Monday's meeting or not, and I suspect, neither do you, for definite. To some, clearly, he's taking the Mick, but, and call me old fashioned too here, I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt, until it's proved for definite, otherwise.

Those who are riding tonight are in it due to injuries/withdrawals from those originally it therefore hadn't originally qualified, so there is a massive difference to the RL situation. I'm not entirely delighted he missed last Monday's match (I wasn't too happy that I missed it as well!!), but, providing (after he rode today) he's there tomorrow, can we not give him the benefit of the doubt that he aggravated his knee injury (once the adrenalin has died down it's amazing how often you realise you've hurt yourself) and, after originally thought he'd be out for two weeks, he has recovered enough to ride? We just seem to knock riders (sometime legitimately, sometimes not) too easily, without knowing what is really going on.

But, he wasn't in the original staging, so why should he be in tonight? Meanwhile, he's just put on his Robert Lambert Racing Facebook page: "Today K participated at the Friendship Speedway Trophy. Track was really good and I felt good too there is not much to say. I have got the second place which is okey. It was nice to ride there At the moment we are watching SEC in Lublin before flying to England for the Newcastle Diamonds tomorrow" (Copied and Pasted directly from the page)

Let's see if/hope he rides tomorrow

The website said they were coming, which at the time was correct, only for then, a few days later, Redcar said they couldn't come and Workington agreed to come instead.

You also said "Newcastle's usual racenight is a Sunday , which suits me fine." My point was the two Workington KOC matches (that don't have the Double Points rule) were raced on a Sunday, so an ideal opportunity to support the team. But, as I've said before, it's my belief, if you stay away from any sport due to one rule, even when that rule isn't in force, is being extremely petty and downright silly. Enjoy the sport for what it is, four (usually) blokes, going around an oval track for four laps, 15 times, whether they are going for three points, six points or a thousand points, because that shouldn't matter, because that's all speedway is, four blokes, four laps, fifteen times!

As I missed last night, what was the crowd level like?

Mick Powell got injured fairly early on in his Diamonds career, so it's hard to judge. But if you want to accuse anyone of "not trying," (albeit occasionally) try a certain Aussie in 2002!!

As far as I can recall, diamond@heart is quite correct. If rider is not there, their picture remains in the office.

So, were you there for the two KOC matches against Workington? Both on a Sunday......

All BSPA fines go to the Ben Fund, do they not?

It was a delayed start the last time Newcastle were there (it must be a Newcastle thing lol), but can't say about any others, as the only time I visit now is when the Diamonds are there ( I was there most weeks when I filmed for GRT Media in 2006.!)