Islander15

The draw has been done. Group A: Cradley, Leicester, Stoke & Isle of Wight. Group B: Plymouth, Belle Vue, Kent & Mildenhall.

I didn’t read much tbh but I know he’s trying to make it a 12 heat final rather than the previous 8 heats. And (by NL standards at least) that it’s actually going ahead as planned!

The Fours do not have priority but Pipe is publicising it on Facebook.

Wallinger & Leek out and Atkins & Butcher in. We all told you about Wallinger but Leek can feel unlucky seeing as he’s averaging 4.93 with BP in all comps. Atkins is a very good rider but a reserve duo of Kelly & Butcher puts a lot of pressure on Kelly to continue his nice start in his debut season imo.

Totally disrespectful to both the NL as a whole and his own 2 riders who have chosen to ride for 2 teams. Also don’t forget that Bowtell has been touring around for an NL spot so his riders obviously don’t agree with him!

Plymouth have won 6 out of 7 meetings between the sides at Smallbrook since the Devils dropped back down to the NL

Nobody has sufficiently explained how davies has attained that average. Interesting. You would assume that Bailey would’ve appeared in the declaration once those two’s averages go up! Phillips has achieved that from 4 meetings also. All NL riders get a new average from the first 4 league meetings of the season if they ride in all 4. Phillips has 31 points from 17 races.

Rolling averages don’t exist in the NL. It is about interpretation again! It doesn’t say ‘2 per team based on current average’ or ‘2 per team based on initial average’ in order to clarify the impossible difference. However at Cradley they have x3 riders on a 2.00, unless Davies gets a made up average.

All that does is once an unattached rider has 4 meetings and inevitably gets a 2.something average, it stops then being able to ride as an unattached rider! But generally aren’t considered good enough for a full-time place!

His Championship average is assessed so doubt it counts. The real issue is teams are now ignoring the x2 2.00 rider rule.

Surely not?! He’s an Aussie

Atkins said just before he got injured that he’d signed for an NL team.

A spell at reserve should be what Woodhull needs to kick start his season.

I have to agree. Davies didn’t hit over 2.00 last season to get a ‘real’ average and Cradley already have x2 2.00 men but the rules change so easily these days, there’s no point in them existing in the first place!

I’m sure Coventry said last season that they needed 400/450 to break even (but weren’t even getting that). So presumably the figure would be slightly lower for Leicester with no rent etc.

I have to defend the Heathens here and point out that we had a texter and a reserve texter! The problem was that there was no updater.

How many have usually been watching the Cubs this season?

That’s a miles better preview than your own club manages

I remembered this rumour so went back over the rulebook but can’t see it written down. Swindon have announced that he’s been accepted into their declaration and the whole 3 league thing seems to have been brushed under the carpet!

If they have an NL average from last season (eg Bowtell) then they would be signed on that.

Tbf to S4K, it’s pretty obvious from both of their scores that Couzins did well but O’Keefe definitely did not.

A very good question. It seems to have come out at this meeting and the BSPA site has now been changed from showing a top 2 final to the group winner takes the trophy. It robs 2 teams of a potentially lucrative cup final and makes Plymouth’s last gone meeting obsolete when it could’ve been a tense decider.

Yes it would be if that was the decision made preseason and the fans knew what the format is!

So it appears there will no longer be a NT final! Simply the group winner will be Trophy champion. So the rules have changed mid-season and then it’s poorly communicated to the fans. Speedway shambles again!

Exactly! It’s a much fairer and legitimate rule now and brings the league’s in-line with the professional leagues above.