szkocjasid

Got a KOC tie with Leicester & possibly a final to fit in too.

Not necessarily, if the stand alone clubs all lost their first match (assuming they didn't race each other) they wouldn't get any extra matches!

Totally to do with the standalone clubs wanting more fixtures. Ideally there should be a National Trophy for standalone teams, but with Workington being so far away from Mildenhall & Kent, doesn't suit the league geographically.

Aggregate wins won't be enough to finish in the top 2 though. Gonna take some away wins surely?

Personally think Workington look the strongest team by far. Leicester 2nd best marginally ahead of Oxford. Then Kent, Mildenhall, Berwick, Belle Vue & Edinburgh. This is based on signed riders as Belle Vue have 2 & Edinburgh 0, can't predict them any higher!

You make a fair point, although Basso got a higher average than Brennan riding with Ostergaard who is stronger than Vissing.

There's not actually that many clubs with 2.00 riders. 2 clubs have 2 x 2.00 riders, 3 clubs have one 2.00 rider, while 4 clubs have no 2.00 riders.

It's possible they meant putting Basso at 3 will increase his average (avoiding heat 13) & his average will move above Harris'

Has their riding order berm announced? I certainly agree with Noelinho that I'd have the highest averaged rider (Basso) at 5. Cast1rn I'm not sure how many matches are included in rolling aves this year, but I cam see the sense in moving riders you're planning to keep into harder positions, especially as a top 6 spot is all that's required, so even if it's the wrong thing for the team, won't hurt them!

Or they were beaten by the better team? Not sure I'd call it a lottery, I get your point about the results of other teams, but that's sport basically.

I must have been remembering my Poole predictions on a 40 limit, not 42

That can't have been the plan as they were 2 points above the 42 limit & Thomas has a similar average to Kemp?

Certainly disagree with you greatly about Thomas. Started 2021 as a 3 point something reserve & ended up about 5. Then in 2022 kept his average after moving into the top 5 (in an injury hit season). Clearly on his way up imo & a good signing for Poole. As for Roynon looking at his average for Scunny in the Speedway Star (includes bonus points) 4.35, with a 4.89 away ave!

The points limit isn't "so high" it's just what the average team should have ended on, do keeps at last year's standards. Lowering the points limit has led to NL heat leaders stepping up & struggling in the Champ Ablitt & McGurk for example.

Hagon is certainly a good signing. I know Smith wants a Champ team too, but can't see that happening.

I think this is the first time ever they've not dropped the limit. By that I mean made the league weaker (less than 42 points).

I had to laugh at this comment though: "By retiring the Armadale Devils moniker, young riders can now fully focus on their development in the sport with the Monarchs. We hope they will dream of reaching the Monarchs Academy team and then graduating into a fully-fledged Monarch thereafter." Are they suggesting young riders weren't fully focussed on their development because the team was called Armadale instead of Edinburgh?

That only works if you build to the points limit, otherwise Batchelor going from 5.9 to 6.0 is better for the team than Cook going from 4.1 to 5.1!

Of course he's not going to, he's a 6 point rider, if he was gonna ride above that average on a consistent basis, he'd be a 7 point rider!

New reserve guests can certainly make a massive difference in the NL. Look at Luke Harrison for Mildenhall at Berwick, if Mildenhall didn't have an injured reserve they may not have made the final!

So a 5.00 or below rider can ride with an non NL rider or a rider at 3.00 or below can ride with a non NL rider? Is that not the exact same rule? Simply a 5.00 or below rider can ride with a non NL rider? There is no need to add "or a 3.00 or below rider" (as they are 5.00 or below rider)! No wonder the rulebook so so long in speedway lol!

Watching the Diamonds at Armadale in 2010 & being reminded of how good Bach & Larsen were! Made me remember how many great Danes the Diamonds had over the Years. What would be their strongest Danish 7? 1. Ole Olsen 2. Kenni Larsen 3. Bjarne Pedersen 4. Kenneth Bjerre 5. Nicki Pedersen 6. Rene Bach 7. Jesper Olsen

Not sure I quite understood that. Can a 5.00 NL rider partner with a 3.00 NL rider?

I see just the top 2 teams will race a play-off final this year. Certainly suits the likes of me who don't think a team finishing 4th deserves to be Champions (neither does 2nd tbh). I believe this was to avoid fixture issues like in previous years with the play-offs taking so late, due to doubling up riders not being available. Makes the title chase more interesting imo as I expect Workington, Oxford & Leicester to comfortably be in the top 3 (of the signed teams), so instead of thinking it was the other clubs fighting for the 4th spot, now one of these teams will miss out! Of course my predictions could be wrong, I expected Belle Vue to walk the league last year!

I'm certainly glad the Prem kept the RS system!