Parsloes 1928 nearly

How about Dean Garrod's paid SIXTEEN (13 + 3) in a two point win by Boston at Wimbledon in 2003..?! A strange match that as Deano got that 13 and Rob Hollingworth got 15, yet for the Dons Buzz Burrows got a 21 points max!!!

Any all time Arena team HAS to include Andy Galvin, surely...!

Many thanx - mucho appreciated!

Good on yer Rhys mate... The burgers are on me next time!!!

Hmm, but Legg, Simmons & the younger Compton seems a pretty random selection of individuals to compare with Ivan Mauger! Maybe in 2008 or whenever this now ancient posting was made it was rather more current!!!

Well I remember that meeting too as it was the first meeting I ever attended at Plough Lane! Billy did indeed replace a rider and finidshed unbeaten but not enough to win the meeting! What happened was that his Ipswich team mate John Louis broke the tapes in his fourth ride (unbeaten at the time..) and meeting reserve Billy came in took his place and won the race! That though was his only ride of the meeting!!

Right, I'm thinking my quote was referring to Ivan Mauger...?

Genius!!!

What was that quote and response all about..??

You might have stumbled on something here... How about the Kent Kryptons?!

Er, I think Vincent's original posting was ironic..?! Justin certainly could on the odd occasion cut the mustard I'll give you that, but his last 15 rides at Plough Lane (for the Dons then Weymouth) saw him simply stay at the gate so I'd respectfully suggest there was more wrong than just some questionable machinery. At other times (when he actually, er, got to the first corner of a race, every time he was passed (even if leading when passed) he would pull out of the race... Not the stuff of 'greatness'...!

Fair point about the horse - the county symbol of course. Colts is good - a previous name for Iwade (the 'other' Sittingbournbe club) though. The symbol (a rampant white horse) is known in heraldry as Invicta and, in truth, if the decision's been made to use this symbol then it really forces the hands and the club name should surely be that: Kent Invicta... There has been in relatively recent times a senior sporting side in the county with this name, the short-lived Rugby League side which played at the old Maidstone United ground. Ironically Maidstone's misfortunes financially saw them lose that ground and until the end of last season were ground sharing at Sittingbourne's ground right next to Central Park. The other use of the name Invicta is in a Step 6 division below the Kent Football League - contains among its 16 clubs, Lydd United! This is a very new football league only in its second season. Invicta FM was also the name of the Kent county commercial radio station (and they did for a while, give quite good coverage to Sittingbourne Crusaders) but now that's called Heart FM - so can't see any obstacles really to using the splendid Invicta name.

Er, yes I know.. Some muppet though wrote in the Wimbledon programme for some while that our Deano came from Widnes...! Come to think of it the muppet was..., moi!!!

Spitfires would of course be a great name but as the Kent County Cricket team already use that moniker can't see how that would be possible. Kestrels ticks the boxes: connection with Crayford; good old-fashioned alliteration.. But I actually quite fancy 'Hurricanes'...

A great idea though Crayford's start time was 7.45pm not 7.30pm!!!

Bournemouth wasn't a failure. The crowds held up well across both years and it was well promoted - separate branding etc. Sure the experiment only lasted two years but I don't think for a second anyone connected with the Buccs would brand it a failure.

Yes but riding against their peers. Trust me I was in a stadium when a 15 year old riding in a senior meeting crashed and it was so bad (at the time) the Police had to attend to treat as a (potential) fatal accident. It was not something I'd ever want to repeat. Mercifully the lad made a full recovery but it could have been very different..

Noit sure what you mean when you refer to the "amateur league"..?

THAT made you laugh..???

It's true. When Ed Kennett was a 16 year old I really did think he'd be a future World Champ (don't me wrong I'm STILL a massive fan of Eddie's, but guess I may not find my prediction on that one's going to come true...). Not dis-similar with Lewis Bridger and we wait to see re. young Tai. But Michael Lee really DID achieve: and the speed of his rise from 16 year old NL debutant to top of the country and top of the world will, one would now have to assume, surely NEVER be matched again...

I certainly think there are some interesting ideas put forward in this posting...

Does the Red Lodge have to go into hibernation for the winter with no more visits 'til March of the BFC..?!

Yep funny enuff that was the second match in a double header and the first match was Berwick's best ever performance at Crayford just losing by 7..! The hapless Comets though succumbed to the only ever full maximum defeat in the classic 13 heats format: Crayford 65 (Paul Woods 12[M]; Alan Sage 9+3[PM]; Steve Naylor 12[M]; Laurie Etheridge 8+4[PM]; Les Rumsey 11+1[PM]; Alan Johns 6+3[PM]; Mick Pither 7+2[PM]) Workington 12 (Des Wilson 3; Ian Robertson 4; Kevin Clapham 1; Wayne Jackson 3; Greg Irving 0; Alan Armstrong 0; Tony Brooks 0) And the next year in 1981 it wasn't far off from happening again!! Crayford 63 (Barry Thomas 11+1[PM]; Mick Pither 9+3[PM]; Laurie Etheridge 10+2[PM];Mike Spinks 12[M]; Alan Sage 9+3[PM]; Trevor Barnwell 7+2[PM]; Keith Pritchard 5) Workington 15 (Wayne Jackson 8; Terry Kelly 1; Dave Blackburn 2; Guy Wilson 1; John Frankland 2; Des Wilson 1)

Hmm, wouldn't it have been clearer to have posted that this meeting was cancelled..!

Berwick always were very poor travellers to London Rd.!!!