Chewbacca

Do you mean the league or the playoffs?

Very good side. Further improvement from Jorgensen and Palm Toft could see another playoff victory.

Love to watch Wilko. Entertainment on a stick.

Indeed. We Diamond fans none too keen to see the name Havelock in print

Indeed. Newcastle lost money this year and that was paying Lemon and Robson for less points than was expected.

They would only be paying for 4 riders iso 7.

No play-offs 4TT qualifying round No tac rides in 2 leg matches

Spot on. The administration of the sport is a shambles. I've had my run in's with TWK on politics, believe you me. I'm 'relatively' young and don't think that the world was perfect in 1959 and that Cliff Richard is the messiah, however, on this one, it is a matter of right and wrong and ethics. Play-off's may be 'the rules' (which as we know change every season) but they are not right or fair. They take a season's endeavour and compress the consequences into a 2 week period when the team with the least injuries or best guest availability can win them. Hearty congratulations to Scunthorpe. The best team undoubtedly won the end of season play-off's

At 5.78 he is likely to start at #2 with Steve and a 3 pointer at reserve

And some clubs voted against it at the beginning of the season, so like it? Not

You keep the trophy, we'll take the moral high ground

Team that scores more points than all the others after playing everyone home and away should be the league champions. If you want large crowds, bring back the 4TT qualifying rounds to fill the 3 weeks wasted on the playoffs. Newcastle home gate + 100 Berwick + 100 Edinburgh + 100 Glasgow made for plenty big crowds and a great atmosphere. It usually wasn't pissing down and 1 degree above zero either. This also gets rid of all the arguments about who gets chosen to be in the 4TT finals

Me too, I would just prefer the league to be organised a different way. It is still the best sport on the planet.

These playoffs are a real winner. They seem to have generated massive crowds which was the only point wasn't it?

No. I would have preferred that we won the league. The weeks dedicated to the playoff's should be used during the season to hold qualifying rounds for the four team tournament.

I wouldn't.

I will certainly attend both of those meetings. Good luck to the Bandits in finding some further income. It was in Newcastle's programme last night that they have lost serious money despite topping the league table and winning the cup. Crowds overall have looked reasonable but costs are not. Reading between the lines I suspect they, and a lot of other PL clubs, will be turning away from overseas riders who carry travelling expenses.

Not quite the same but I remember Mark Thorpe transforming from 3 point novice to 9 point heatleader overnight. It was a meeting when Ivan Mauger came to Newcastle and had a word with Mark about something to do with his gating technique. He went out and notched two wins and never looked back, becoming a genuine #1 in the 2nd tier.

Of course had either of them been the best team all season they could have taken the opportunity to finish above the Diamonds. Two fine teams no doubt and no disrespect to either but Newcastle won the league. One of them will win a trophy. Back to last night and Ipswich kept it tight for a few heats as Lanham and North both started well but unfortunately they tailed off and Tungate was a shadow of the guy who scored a hatful earlier in the season in the PL match. Congratulations to all the Diamonds and to Ipswich on making the final. Well beaten but honorable in defeat.

Sky got this meeting down as a 4pm start. Wrong surely?

He would have got one had he been there! Good result for 4 Diamonds, 2 juniors and r/r

I'll be very surprised if this isn't Lemo's final season

Well done Robbo and Ned Hope we can win it now. The lads deserve a trophy for the season as a whole.

I'd wager Tom Owen got a max for Newcastle. He usually did at Crayford.