Islander15

1. Matt Williamson 9.49 2. Ryan Burton 3.37 3. Lee Dicken 5.87 4. Shelby Rutherford 4.45 5. Tom Woolley 4.90 6. Kean Dicken 3.00 7. Lee Geary 3.00 Totoal: 34.08

Sheffield look the best team with Glasgow & Ipswich also making the play-offs. But the fourth team doesn't look clear cut, and it could be a dark horse from Redcar, Berwick or Workington.

He should be one of the best riders in the league next year, so a very good signing.

Exactly, which is why Brennan could only do 3 meetings despite not being declared in the Eagles side. Also Bebee got declared in the Mildenhall team.

Great team. Favourites so far.

A great first signing!

The NL shouldn't drop the limit to 2.00, when the majority of new 3.00 riders attain an average just above a 3.00 anyway! It's often the same riders who are useless that perennially hit between a 2 and 3 average.

That's a fair point also. Pipe may spout so strange opinions sometimes but he definitely lets supporters know what's going on and that should be commended! I'd much rather be in that position and be a Buxton fan than a supporter of a club who doesn't know what going on unless they hear things on the grapevine. Buxton's PR at keeping fans up to date is very good between Pipe on the website, Mark Northall on social media and Jayne on here!

Harsh reply. He only asked a question.

No-one uses the word 'development' anyway, other than the regulations & Kent PR. It may as well just be dropped and referred to as the NL.

With only 11 or 12 home meetings, plus the odd KOC if they progress, wouldn't a smaller number of fixtures than previous EL campaigns make Saturday racing viable?

Branford had a very good season last year and is highly likely to improve his average, but that's made him very attractive and expensive. Maybe Redcar couldn't financially compete with the likes of Sheffield, especially when they have a rider in Busch who is on a similar average and became a fans favourite last year and is likely to add a point to his average anyway.

They're a proactive club that wants to win things though. As opposed to a promotion like Stoke who don't seem bothered.

That team would win the Premiership haha.

Looks a decent team to me. It's a strong heat leader trio and Proctor and Jorgy could both add a point to their averages. Williamson looks like he'll be one of the stronger reserves in the league. The question marks are over the second strings. Where's the improvement in Campton that only Worky see? Will Roynon improve or stay fit after a solid but unspectacular 2016?

Perks tweeted that he'll release who he's signed for on Friday & Govier replied saying that he knows. Are both lined up for Plymouth?

Agreed haha. It could come down to 38 but it won't go anywhere as low as 35.

Pipe also says he's signed 4 riders already and are close with another 2 and are assuming it's a 35 point limit!

If you read my post I said that Heeps was one of the likely average increases in the Witches side. But why not. For the record I think going with x2 2.00 men is risky but both Hume and Mountain are better than anything Newcastle are putting out at reserve.

I agree that there's little average improvement in Glasgow's top 3, which is why they'll need a rider to step it up at the bottom end to make them a serious contender. The Sheffield team looks the best so far as Bjerre has been an 8pt rider for a while now and just had a poor season at a club he was clearly unhappy at. Bates did better than 'stagnate'. It was his first season in the main body of a PL team and he averaged virtually the same without the virtue of heat 2 and he definitely ride better in the EL than in previous campaigns. He's still on an upward trend anyway. Admittedly there may not be a lot of improvement in Howarth or Graj. In JPB they have one of the best 2pters (Ipswich may also in Hume) but JPB is likely only have to take 3 rides and not have to fill in for the rest of the team with injuries etc whereas Hume would do.

If that's the team then it should make the play-offs but I also fail to see what all the fuss is about. There's a decent top 5, but the secret to winning speedway teams is riders who increase their averages and not many in that side look like they will. Schlein should but he's coming back from a nasty injury, Heeps could but he's failed to deliver at Foxall before, King & Covatti are on figures that are about right and Newman has been a 6.5-7pt PL rider for a couple of years now. Then the reserves have potential but it's putting added pressure on both by not having a senior reserve and when one of the top 5 is missing due to a Premiership fixture R/R will seriously weaken the Witches (especially if Newman is missing) and if a rider got injured during a meeting then there's not much cover for him.

Yeah that's true. I missed that when I made my team. Swap Carr with Payne.

What do you think he'll average?

Lawlor will put more than a point on and Bickley will do a Bewley!

I thought that tbh but just swap him for another 3.00 rider, in my team.