RobMcCaffery

I remember Len Silver complaining when Hull visited Hackney without Ivan Mauger that he was missing out on his one 'free' booking of Ivan that season. I don't think it was just rarity of star visits but a sign of a wider appreciation of speedway - going to see a night's racing rather than just being interested in seeing your team win league points. Perhaps it was just the tracks I went to.

On that basis many sports are 'circuses' - they award bonus points in Rugby Union for example. It's a graded points system not the real problem, the tactical ride. If you want to view a sport as a 'circus' you can always find something to justify it. Which again is a question of logic. You either allow a substitution of an off-form rider with one doing better, like substitutions or replacements in other sports, albeit for one race rather than the rest of a match, and let them earn or you simply allow someone to be gifted double points.

Apparently they're filling in the pot holes with GI's broken promises - eventually.

Well I was a Rye House fan so well off the Heathens' radar ;-). I'll never forget a trip to Swindon with the cries of "When the red red robin goes bob bob bobbing along.....shoot the b........, shot the b........, kill kill KILL!" And that was only on the coach.

On the other side, a prominent promoter once said that it was damaging his business that a home win of six or under sent his customers home feeling that the team had failed, which of course they technically had, He wanted a home win to be a win, with nothing taken away, and you can see his point from a business angle. "Well we won but it wasn't by enough" might work for a cup tie but not a league match. That's the problem with even logical theory - it then has to live in an illogical world. As for others complaining the current system's too complex - I'd recommend they keep away from all speedway statistics and league tables if that is the case - just think of winning or losing and forget the ,match points. I've seen so many instances now where a team is even a dozen points behind with two to go but still has a chance to get something out of the match. Anything that keeps interest in a match going longer is worth having to count up to six!

I remember Andy Meldrum riding for the Bandits. Do I qualify? Back in 'the day' (60s and early 70s) each of the 18/19 First Division tracks ran a qualifying round, with riders taking part in three rounds each. 32 riders qualified for two semi finals (no wild cards) with 8 from each qualifying for the final. Bear in mind at that point that the British qualifiers included the Aussies and Kiwis since both countries were represented on the FIM by the SCB. Later they had their own qualifiers. They were also eligible to ride for the 'Great Britain' World Team Cup side. Then in 1973 the GB side in the WTC was completely English so the Aussies and Kiwis split, getting their own qualifiers and WTC sides. The British Final at that time would give direct qualification to the World Final, if held at Wembley (every three years) or into further rounds if the final was in Sweden or Poland. Those were very different times and people didn't turn their noses up at individual events then.

I hear the EU want to ban the double points rule......

Probably so, but the PZM contributed to a shocking season at the Wick. I'd moved tom the midlands that year and went back on the Cradley coach - 25-53 home defeat.

To be fair to Hackney, they were being messed about by the PZM who delayed and then refused Zenon Plech start permission and then his intended replacement, Jerzy Rembas. Back then we put the PZM's awkwardness down to the country being Communist. Sadly recent history has proved that it lay far deeper than that!

Well you had to get something right in the end. It's taken long enough. Having you agree with me is rather worrying. I must try harder. So you don't agree that speedway can be a wonderful sport and the other times why I've explained why I love the sport? I may be concerned about some very serious errors being made but I certainly don't just post negative critique here. Still resenting that I criticised your obsession over Nigel Person I guess. Very sad. Congratulations on getting it under control. Sorry, the tolerance of posters like you has been completely exhausted. I really enjoyed the meeting but then I come in here to share the joy and instead I find you. More fool me, eh?

You can see why Rawicz are only allowed one away match.

Yes, but it gave room for the ref to make that judgement. I'm explaining not justifying.

There's no doubt they were a good side and a wonderful endorsement of Oxford's involvement with Eastbourne and Peterborough but r/r all year was stretching a point. Who did Hackney have a facility for? Anyway, think of White City reminds me of the day they hired some dancers to perform for the crowd on top of a couple of tote kiosks. All was well until Messrs. Dugard and Dunton joined in! Time for my medication...

It wasn't just that he looked at him but that it was suggesting he was eyeing up his target.

To be honest I'm quite prepared to accept poor scoring from Chris in the GPs as long as he continues to excite and entertain me (and turn up!) as he has for years in league racing. As one who was privileged to watch Peter Collins and Chris Morton regularly at Belle Vue and the likes of Zenon Plech, Barry Thomas and Dave Morton round Hackney in my formative years I will always respect and admire a racer and domestically Chris is one of the best we currently have. Well done for getting it shown on a night like this. Thank god our speedway fans didn't decide to warm up for the event by fighting anyone they could find in Horsens....

It's healthier to use a condom.

They will, once a year for a GP. Think why all of those big individuals disappeared. Perhaps one of the crippling aspects strangling British speedway is so many supporters can't see the bigger picture and think there's always a simple answer to a complex problem. Rejecting NL, or PL for that matter out of ridiculous false pride is the height of stupidity. Sadly the sport seems riddled with it and that is what is driving it to the brink of oblivion. "I don't do PL or NL" - the curse of British speedway.

He of course played a vital role in the Rbels' title success at White City in 1977. The first rider to help win a title through being absent all year

Speaking as someone who also used to write some of those articles for the magazine I can assure you that while I respected most of those who I interviewed, other people's opinions of those riders were their own. You write those articles in the hope they might be interesting, not as an act of devotion . (In my case it was all about helping a friend out).

Amazingly there are worse crimes.

They confirmed in commentary that the rule has changed this year. Great meeting. It seems like the quality of racing throughout speedway is thankfully on the up. I've really enjoyed most of the meetings, international or domestic I've seen this year. I know it's subjective but in the case of the GPs they seem to have finally found the way to prepare decent temporary tracks. Let's hope this carries on, especially to Cardiff.

Get back in the kitchen and finish off those welsh cakes.

I can't believe Slovakia put 7 past Wales ;-) The alien spaceship abducting Gareth Bale may have contributed. Extended break after heat 16 while BSI find new batteries for the abacus.

If they're going to award a race they could at least get the order right! In the time it took to sort it all out they could have re-run it. Entertaining meeting though. Someone's been feeding NKI raw meat.

Give it a minute or two then try closing them all. You need an ad-blocker.