Bagpuss

Yep, I remember that too, Good Friday 1999. Bunyan and Woodifield ended up pulling them to the ground long after any home fans cared any more.

Yep, I’d have thought if you really want to sponsor a rider you’d exhaust every avenue of communication before giving up and calling him out.

That sprung to my mind too, their are many simple explanations other than he could t be bothered Id have thought. He wasn’t included in the World Y21 Team Cup team either.....something seems to have gone down somewhere along the line.

I’m sure there would have been at least one but for Covid and the difficulties involved with getting in and out of countries. Regular experience abroad in whatever form is the best way forward and a Test Matches has to be a large part of that. As for Kemp, I think we’ll have to agree to disagree.

He might well be but he has a better chance of making it if he is exposed to quality riders and better competitions now while he is in his improvement years. We have NOBODY beyond four or five senior riders who will ever cut it at international level and three of those were unavailable so it made total sense to blood a youngster at the weekend, we saw what happened last year when Cook and Harris were picked. I accept the odd rider will bloom late like Wright seems to have done but the chances are remote. I agree in part with what Grachan says, more of riders need to get out of the UK earlier, Rowe will have done his own development the world of good this season getting out to Poland as I believe there is only limited value in riding in our leagues, we don’t have enough tracks which resemble those on the continent and by and large the opposition isn’t strong enough to drag our lads along developmentally like the Extraliga does, the U21 riders there are chucked in the deep end but it produces results year after year.

Can you honestly say that you can see any of those riders being competitive at international level either now or in the future?

Understand what you are saying but I can see the format returning to the SWC version before long.

Drew Kemp is eighteen, he won’t be ‘on the scrap heap’ at twenty one unless he doesn’t progress at all. You’ll have to explain to me why Steve Worrall would warrant a place or why you think he can make the grade internationally as I just don’t see it. Its also worth mentioning Anders Rowe who has based himself in Poland this year and hit himself some wonderful experience riding over there, something nowhere near enough Brits have done over the years although they can’t be blamed for making good money doubling up in the UK.

But the point is once Tai was injured our chances were gone.....rather than take Worrall, Harris, Cook etc which is a waste of time why not give a promising youngster a better chance of fulfilling his potential by exposing him to a top class environment and giving him some valuable experience? Kemp or Palin might not make the grade eventually but there is a chance they will soon Althea absence of a third senior rider who is good enough it’s far more sensible to plan ahead.

Because he isn’t good enough. Other than possibly Ellis and Wright I don’t think any of our senior riders are. We have a really good crop of juniors at the moment, time to grasp the nettle and put all our efforts into developing them rather than wasting our time on older riders who will never make the grade.

Just whizzed through the meeting, what an awful spectacle apart from one lap by Emil. Glad everyone got through in one piece. Not a good advert.

I think he said he hadn’t decided and that he would have to sit down and see how his schedule worked out. Obviously want him at Lynn again next year but wouldn’t blame him at all for dropping a league which would inevitably be the UK.

Apologies if I’ve missed it but why is Kubera leaving Leszno?

I can understand fully people questioning why a second senior rider hasn’t been named alongside Robert, but for me the only two worth naming would be Ellis or Wright as I think they could actually be competitive and have some room for improvement. All the others have either been tried before and not performed or their careers have peaked and they aren’t good enough for international competition. On the basis that Ellis isn’t fit after his GP challenge crash (an assumption) and that Wright has chosen to stay dormant for the year it seems sensible to take the next best U21 for the experience and to reap the benefits in years to come of him being exposed to this level of competition now. Even if Kemp is way behind everyone else in his races (assuming he gets one/some) he will learn a hell of a lot from the weekend. I hope Palin and Woffinden will be there too.

Can’t argue with that, Leszno riders have been yards faster than their opponents at home all season though. All a bit predictable. Their second strings and reserves have consistently beaten better riders. Has to be bike set up. That said congratulations on their title. Just leaves a slightly funny taste.

If ever proof was needed what enormous home track advantage Leszno have, that was it. Dear me.

But the team (ie pairing) wouldn’t be ‘dreadfully weak’ if Tai rode, you could argue they’d have a decent chance of winning with him.

Squads announced on SGP website. Palin and Kemp in the squad with Woffinden, Lambert and Bewley.

Have the two previous Octobers not been warm and dry?

Get them all there so as to experience the occasion. Doesn’t really matter which one rides.

Completely and utterly pointless IMO.

They’ve gone mainly for youngsters, plus the guy who was extremely unlucky in the challenge. Can see what they are trying to do to be fair. The issue comes if somebody misses most of the series and the subs aren’t up to it, it then weakens the product although you can imagine somebody like Lidsey giving it a good go if he got the opportunity.

As the only other rider who has been racing reasonably regularly in 2020 I can’t see past Bewley to partner Lambert if Woffy doesn’t make it, less than ideal but we won’t win it without Tai anyway so might as well get Kemp over as the U21 and give those young lads the experience for this year.

I’d have preferred a one off meeting/event this year, said as much in the spring. No different. Wouldn’t have agreed with that either if I’d been born / old enough! Have to agree with others, take out Prague and there has been some decent racing.

I said before the series started that I didn’t agree with 75% of the rounds being in one country, even taking into account the circumstances of the world and that all the riders ride there anyway as I keep getting told. No surprise that a rider from that country has won it. As deserved as it was the whole thing has a bit of a hollow feel to it for me.