norbold

I would choose Vivian Woodward in a best England football team ever.

Oh well, we haven't done Australia yet... Frank Arthur Vic Huxley Bluey Wilkinson Vic Duggan Aub Lawson Jack Young Jason Crump

Oh dear! Anything but that!

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Banger yet.

Bob Andrews anyone?

Sorry, R&R. you are quite right of course.

Ove Fundin Tony Rickardsson Bjorn Knutson Anders Michanek Per Jonson Olle Nygren Gote Nordin

Tom Farndon Eric Langton Jack Parker Tommy Price Split Waterman Peter Craven Peter Collins

Of course they "failed to produce a definitive verdict." That's why the final outcome will be announced next week. Duh! The court now has to consider its verdict and what follows from it. That's how it works. It seems to me the only way they could have produced a verdict straight away is if they felt Darcy Ward had no case to answer and he was exonerated.

Now now, BWitcher, you should know that the FIM have it in for Ward and Middlo personally and that they are deliberately delaying Ward's case till March just to spite Middlo and his team building efforts. That's why they have been delaying his case for as long as possible. All other cases they deal with are done and dusted within a week.....er....

Matt Le Tissier...oh, no, sorry, wrong sport.

Alun Rossiter.

One of them has now suddenly remembered it was Harringay he used to go to! One down, one to go...

I am currently having an argument on a Facebook page called "Clapton, Hackney", which is where us old Claptonians go for a bit of nostalgia, discuss our memories and post some old photos. The argument I am having is with two people who distinctly remember going to Hackney Speedway in the 1950s. I have said that Hackney wasn't open in the 1950s, operating from 1935-1939 and then again from 1963-1991 plus the 1995 Grand Prix and a season as London Lions in 1996, but they won't have it as they are absolutely certain they saw speedway there in the 1950s. This is a reminder that it is no good relying on people's memories for historical events unless they are backed up by actual first hand written facts.

Great spoof, whoever's posted that and the comments underneath.

Reaction to the verdict above has been swift. Social Media has gone into meltdown as people around the world are stunned by the harshness of the decision and a petition has been started on Twitter by Mahatma Gandhi: "We, the undersigned, want to complain that the greatest rider speedway has ever or will ever know has suffered enuff and he should be awarded both the 2014 and the 2015 World Championship. He is a great man and my sister says he's well fit. I have to go now as my mum says it's time for my Alphabetti."

Latest news: Verdict just in from the F.I.M. Darcy Ward was found completely innocent of the charge of having too much alcohol in his blood before the start of the Latvian Grand Prix. The jury recognised that the test that had been carried out was by an off-duty policeman who just happened to be in the stadium and thought it would be a laugh to breathalyse a few riders just for the hell of it. It was noted that his equipment was at least 30 years old and completely unreliable. The FIM said they have no idea where their official tester was that night and also that they had no idea who this off-duty policeman was. "It's all a complete mystery to us," said a spokesperson, "which is why we tried to delay the hearing as long as possible in the hope that everyone would get fed up and no awkward questions would be asked." The jury also took into consideration that as Darcy Ward is an exciting young rider destined to become World Champion one day, they would not treat his case like any old rider's and he would be given special disposition to rehydrate whenever he likes in future. Because of his unfair suspension, the FIM have now ruled that he be paid compensation for the time he was suspended. This compensation to be worked out assuming he had won the World Championship with a maximum in every round he missed. All this plus the appearance money he would have received through being world champion to be paid alongside loss of league earnings etc. Furthermore, he will be entered into the 2015 GP Series, taking him with him the 75 points he earned in 2014, so that he will start the year with a 75 point advantage over every other rider. This was seen as "only fair" by a spokesperson. After the verdict was announced, a spokesperson for Poole Speedway said, "Justice has been done at last. We all knew our boy was innocent. The fact that in a television interview immediately after his suspension from the Latvian GP he said he had been drinking the night before and hadn't had time to rehydrate was not true as he had had nothing to drink at all. Ward had only said this because he was too drunk to know what he was saying...er....no...that can't be right...anyway, Poole will now win the Elite League instead of coming bottom as we would have done without the presence of the great Ward. I thank you."

As long as they agree with you apparently. Or is there some particular reason why Grand Central is not allowed to disagree with you?

I'm sure the FIM have a recording of the TV interview where he admitted not rehydrating enough handy....

If the F.I.M. thought they might be wrong and that they could be sued for loss of earnings what possible reason could they have for hanging the case out? So they can pay even more in compensation? That makes absolutely no sense at all.

You've missed out Haggis! I can't see any other improvement on the seven you have mentioned though.

What happened to the old date?

Mauger 1968?

I'd go along with that mostly. The other two I think worth considering would be Bluey Wilkinson and Jack Young.

But Ove Fundin won the championship FIVE times and was in the first three for TEN consecutive years!!!!!