Andy Wilko

As a resident of Morden, and a confirmed NIMBY, I am a bit worried that the address of Wimbledon Stadium on these posters is shown as Wimbledon Stadium, Morden - I'd love Wimbledon Speedway to have a new home but Not In My Back Yard thanks!!!

Norbiton Islington Morden Battersea Ystrad Mynach

Very much so

The rider would have to be one of the best - and a showman - so Barry Briggs. However another Barry would be needed to make it a success - Barry Hearn. It's worked with other unfashionable sports - darts (BH & Phil Taylor) and snooker (BH & Ronnie O'Sullivan), oh for the coverage they get.. Some will scoff at these two sports but many more scoff at speedway at present - including many "fans" on this forum.

How about that other great Wimbledon hero of mine as team manager - Oliver Reed. You'd need a few spare "referee's telephones"!

I sent the following to Stephen Alambritis and Boris Johnson at the end of July:- Plans for the redevelopment of Wimbledon Stadium I understand that there are two proposals for the redevelopment of Wimbledon Stadium in Plough Lane. I have been a regular user of the stadium since the mid-sixties (my school days) and since with my wife and family, particularly watching the world renowned Wimbledon Dons speedway team, as well as the car racing and greyhound racing. The stadium was of course built for speedway racing some 80+ years ago with the greyhound track being added soon after. Unfortunately speedway has been unable to run there for the last few years, it having to stop, not because of any financial reasons or lack of support, but because the owners of the stadium decided not to allow the sport there any longer. I know some regular users of the venue feel that by closing down the speedway usage of the stadium has diminished, giving more ammunition to those who want the stadium demolished and the sports facility removed. I am therefore writing in support of the proposal which will see a new state of the art greyhound stadium on the site, also able to accommodate speedway and car racing and a range of other sports as has been the case in the past, thus maintaining the site as a multi-use sports and recreational facility as designated by Merton Council. The three sports mentioned in this e-mail are all popular locally, and indeed nationwide, and it is a sad fact that without Wimbledon Stadium, London, our capital city, would have no venues where these sports could operate. Yours sincerely I have heard nothing from Merton, not even an acknowledgement, so will follow that up. However I did receive an immediate acknowledgement from the London Mayor's office (automated maybe) and have since received the following:- Dear Mr W Thank you for your email to the Mayor of London In January 2013 Merton Council consulted on the pre-submission version of its 'Sites and Policies' Development Plan Document. With respect to the site allocation for Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium the Mayor made the following comment: "Site 37 - Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium The suggested use of the site for substantial out of centre retail causes strategic policy concern and would not be in conformity with London Plan policy. The loss of the greyhound stadium use would also raise strategic policy concerns." The Council is now consulting on the Submission draft of this document. The allocated use of this site is now "Intensification of sporting activity (D2 Use Class) with supporting enabling development. Developments that facilitate more sporting activity may be enabled by more viable uses, subject to meeting planning policy, evidence and consultation". The consultation period ends on 30 August 2013 and Greater London Authority officers are currently preparing a response for the Mayor. Your support for the retention of the Greyhound Stadium is noted. You may wish to comment on Merton's document yourself. The details can be found here: http://www.merton.gov.uk/environment/planning/planningpolicy/ldf/sites_policies_plan.htm Any planning application on this site is likely to be referable to the Mayor. This means that initially he will be required to provide a statement of compliance with the London Plan. Once the Council has determined the application it will be referred back to the Mayor for a final decision. Given the Mayor's role in the determination of a future application he is unable to comment on the specific proposal put forward for a new stadium. Yours sincerely Ruth Phillips Public Liaison Unit Make of that what you will.

Excellent facilities at Central Park and apart from the tedious "opening ceremony" both meetings have been run been well run in my opinion. The much maligned curfew has meant that the meetings are run at a decent pace and on both days the crowd has been enthusiastic. To maintain the interest of new supporters and therefore protect the business itself the club needs to (1) find a hero (either a rider who is going to dominate home meetings or one who gets in and fights above his weight), (2) somehow stop it being a Kent rider who is last to cross the finish line in every race (in some cases half a lap behind) which will hopefully lead to (3) matches being closer, and eventually won. Let's hope that IOW really is the top team it's cracked up to be and that other visitors provide easier pickings!

But get plenty of pens - at least they won't be out of date at future meetings!

Re Mike.Butler's list of issues (or problems as they were called before the days of consultants) he mentions "club shop with no pens", presumably thinking that new supporters may not realise what an essential part of the speedway experience (more consultant speak) they are. While getting new supporters to buy pens at the club shop would raise a bit of money it could also cause more issues (queues and lack of change) at said shop. Perhaps a nice first night touch would be "free pen with every programme", a Kent Kings pen with contact/website details on it. Of course this might add another issue to Mike's list - make sure free pens (a) work, and ( write on the paper the programme is printed on!

3 pints of London Pride, I go to the loo, and when I get back you are all talking about football. Further to my earlier post - that's right - no Briggo. Talking of beer, the bar at Rosslyn Park rugby club (where incidentally my all time favourite player was the late Andy Ripley) now sells Sambrook's Wandle bitter - it's not a bad pint but as one who has spent many an evening watching speedway by the side of said river back in its smelly days, asking for a pint of Wandle (to drink) takes a bit of getting used to.

Not necessarily the best but those that have given [selfish] me the most pleasure watching:- Ronnie Moore Jim Tebby Tommy Jansson Buzz Burrows Roger Johns Cyril Maidment Edward Jancarz with Bobby Dugard or Scott Humphries at No. 8! Unbeatable!

The 3 ice hockey teams based at Gillingham are known as the Invicta Dynamos, Mustangs and Dynamics. I tend to think that a team name nickname needs to be plural, if that makes sense. "Come on you Invicta" doesn't have the same ring about it as "Come on you Dons" - oops, couldn't resist that! I suggested once before that the Sittingbourne Stadium website has the perfect name for the new team on its home page - Sittingbourne Greyhounds - with the No. 1 greyhound symbol above it a ready made race jacket design. Accepting that the team name will be Kent, why not the Kent Greyhounds? Or do you think some would turn up to watch the Greyhounds expecting to see doggies instead of the bikes? I'll be there to watch whatever the name - although I might think twice if its the 'awks or the 'ammers!!!

More important than how the averages were worked out, or whether rider A would have been above rider B if the sun was shining in April, surely we should be thinking which, if any, of these riders have any hope of lining up for Team GB or representing GB in the GPs at any time in the future.

This post sums up my views as well. With regard to the joker the clue is in the name - if you really want to use this system at least call it something a bit more positive - staying with the playing cards analogy perhaps a team could play its "Ace in the pack". If it has to be kept at least don't make it available in the last 4 heats - having a race for the 4th highest scorers etc.is a good innovation but should be just that, not three 4th highest scorers and one highest scorer who incidently might get 6 points. Congratulations to Denmark who won despite each of the other teams being "given" 3 points. They seem to have a good supply of youngsters coming through, I'm not sure any of the other nations, including Australia, have that, i.e. riders available now to step in to this type of event. With due respect to Davey Watt he probably wouldn't have been selected if they had. I also support the introduction of a substitute/replacement being available to replace a rider not performing or injured, rather than the speedway type reserve. All the pre tournament talk (by the Sky team anyway) was how unfortunate it would be if a team was reduced to three riders (or less I suppose) through injury. It didn't happen this year but would it have done if a reserve had been available?!? With the substitute any replacement would be above board and at the team manager's discretion. If after a substitution an injury occurs then so be it - one man short. Changing the subject if I am allowed to, does the recent ruling in the John Terry case, bearing in mind what he admitted to saying, can we assume that Nigel won't have to apologise any more when a hyped up rider uses a naughty word (or Nigel thinks he has) when he has Chris Louis' microphone stuck up his nose?

Some time in the late 60s/early 70s my Mum's milkman (!) started a Cycle Speedway team on the existing but abandoned track in Morden Park, a few miles from Wimbledon's Plough Lane although not as close to it as South London's Garratt Park track. I rode for them for a few seasons - they were called the Morden Monarchs - and our main local rivals were Tolworth (Tudors?) and like most teams they used to beat us. With the passage of time memories are a bit hazy but I do remember away matches against Bow and/or Edmonton, plus a track in the shadows of Wormwood Scrubs. If you are prepared to fight your way through the brambles which have taken over the site you can still make out (just) parts of the track - or at least that's what my wife told me a year or so ago when I sent her in there! I still have a picture somewhere of us taking on the Dons on the Plough Lane track as part of an end of season celebration - 1 lap only I think, or maybe just half a lap. I still live within walking distance of the park and to this day can be seen cycling through it. While typing I have remembered that the previous team that rode in Morden Park was the Sutton Saints who I think must have folded and therefore vacated the track. Happy Days - or should I say Daze!

........... is your answer to the question "what has the SGP actually done to advance the sport?" I wouldn't say the sport is now boring, but it is certainly not as exciting as it used to be.

And could/would the 30/35 mile rule, or whatever it is, throw a spanner in the works?

That describes me perfectly - unfortunately I don't have much sense!!!

I'm afraid you are probably right. I am sure it would be impossible to find a new venue here and without wishing to stir up another thread on the subject there really is only one possibility, and that is fading fast, Wimbledon.

Certainly agree with your No. 5, however my nomination is not a great race as such in that it was one of those speedway "from the gate" processions where in the words of Nigel Pearson "if you're new to speedway..................." and you saw the race you'd probably not go again. Heat 1 of the 1st (Wimbledon) leg of the 1970 Knockout Cup Final v Belle Vue - Winner Trevor Hedge. The "race" though was for 2nd place. Slim Jim Tebby plonked himself in second place and for 4 laps lead (no, toyed with!) x times world champion Ivan Mauger - the 5-1 was a sensational (and inspirational) start to the 2 legged final and was perhaps the race that won it for The Dons.

Whoops - did the old double click there! Don't mock the names - I once worked with a girl with the surname Green and she named her daughter Theresa and never did get the joke, although I suspect her daughter does now. Not surprising really because the mother's name was Stephanie (Stepney as we called her)and being a single mother it wasn't a name ahe married into. Anyway I digress - yes looking forward to this tour and as you say let's hope the Californian weather holds.

I think he meant constructive - which "Don't give", "Ignore" and "Don't take" are not.

See AFC Wimbleodn website Barry Briggs, the legendary Wimbledon speedway star, launches his book at AFC Wimbledon. On Saturday 27 March, the day of the Rushden & Diamonds game, Barry Briggs will launch his book The Adventures of Barry Briggs: Wembley and Beyond at 1.30 pm in the back bar at Kingsmeadow. He will be answering questions about his life as the greatest ever speedway star and his long association with Wimbledon. Barry is a fan of our club and actively supports the Dons, and we are mentioned his book. It will be an honour to have such a major star in our midst. Barry is making a donation to the club from book sales, so please come and hear a legend speak, buy a copy of the book and get a treasured autograph at the same time.

I noticed in the obituaries for 'arry that one of his first journo jobs was as Assistant Editor of the Speedway Gazette in the late 40s/early 50s. He also was a Greyhound Racing journalist before moving on to the noble art. It brought to mind the occasion when the presenter of Grandstand at the time (may have been David Coleman) introduced a boxing bout and then said "now I'll hand you over to Harry Commentator your carpenter". A