Parsloes 1928 nearly

Ah ha, but WOULD that be so easy considering that M. Burrows esq's first name ISN'T Mark (or even Buzz!)!

I'll try going a bit further back then - and this time the surname could be wrong too! August 1976 at Arlington, second half of an Eastbourne vs. Crayford match... G. Benfold...? Anyone know details (first name; if that surname's right..?) for this one..?

Am a friend of Jay's on FB. He is still riding but laid up with an injury just now.. As he puts it, "knocked off at kurri few weeks ago gaylord. Needed a couple of screws put in..[ankle]." BTW he wasn't calling me 'gaylord'...!!

tbf (which the P/Os are consistently being shown they are NOT), Stoke topped the table last season and missed out on the Final so for them it would be something approaching karma... I would respectfully suggest geography played a part in the choice. Also remember Dudley topped the division and were a countrymile ahead of the third placed team, so any choice other than Mildenhall should have been no problem. Stoke finished their actual league campaign in poor form too so I doubt many would've seen this coming...

Apparently it is OFF...: again... Situation is now looking a real worry. I believe it's rearranged for next Tuesday...

Garrity is a great rider! Seen him a few times at Rye this season and he's been outstanding.

Probably not legal as such. If it was, you'd imagine 16 not 15 would be a 'legal' cut-off. But there HAS to be a cut-off and I think (though the situation with Robert is fairly exceptional...), it is fair enough to have 15 as that cut-off. Would we REALLY want, say, 13 year olds racing and maybe ending up crashing and getting a badly broken leg or worse... Would that be good for the reputation of our sport..? Probably not legal as such. If it was, you'd imagine 16 not 15 would be a 'legal' cut-off. But there HAS to be a cut-off and I think (though the situation with Robert is fairly exceptional...), it is fair enough to have 15 as that cut-off. Would we REALLY want, say, 13 year olds racing and maybe ending up crashing and getting a badly broken leg or worse... Would that be good for the reputation of our sport..?

Gracious me... If you think that was "thuggish" behaviour you REALLY can't get out much!!!

Brilliant typo!!!! And what great news that Noddy has 'Slade' all his opponents!!!!

Not a chance. That was an 'all four back' on every track, in every meeting, by every ref, every time.

Hmm, interesting!! I can see that by excluding those Greater London (ie in current London boroughs...) from the list there is a logic. None of the five listed above have London post-codes.. BUT....: perhaps the most famous of all London Speedway tracks (indeed probably the most famous stadium of any kind in the world..), the Empire Stadium, Wembley also did NOT have a London postcode, did it not..? It certainly hasn't got a London post code now so doubt it ever did...?

There WAS another Peter Smith riding around that time (he's been debated not long since on this part of the BSF) but he rode for King's Lynn NOT Poole...

Indeed. One team still has to stage THREE home NL matches....!!!!

Yes, well I really think a Weds (well specifically the 17th.) will be needed...

Only THREE available Tuesdays (as the Olympique is on Tues. 16th.) And those three Tuesdays, of course, includes the 30th. October...: the penultimate day of the season and pushing the deadline to almost the limit... Well of course it has indeed been rained off. As posted yesterday coz both legs of the other P/O semi aren't now 'til next Tues. & Weds, the IoW second leg being now on the 9th. too hasn't in truth affected much the progress of the P/Os...

Yes, just seen Stoke play-off semi called off already... Always think it's odd when meetings get callkd off a whole day before they're due... The weather really ISN'T that predictable unless there was some other reason...: technical failure at the stadium or something. Wonder if this affects things that much in terms of progressing of the P/Os though, as the second leg (now first leg again!!) is at Monmore Green next Tuesday with the Loomer Rd. leg on the day after. So actually in real terms, the end of the semi is only one day later than it would've been. The issue is, though, IF Dudley stick to Tuesdays can't see how they can stage their (likely) leg of the Final before Oct. 30th..

Do you know wot - I've messed up which Greenwood is which all season!!!! Wouldn't mind but I've met Oliver several times (he's a terrific lad..) so you'd think I might be able to get it right!!! It's a real case on my part of not being able to see the Greenewoods for the trees!!!

He won't need special dispensation. Robert's dob is 5th April 1998 so he'll very handily be 15 as the 2013 NL season starts! What he won't be able to do though, is to ride in any higher division 'til 2014...

£1.50 for an 8 page prog sounds fine to me..! Well done to Oliver Greenwood. Oli's been a splendid rider in the Junior/Development Leagues this year... Wasn't really aware tht his namesake Daniel was competing much at this level - thought he'd moved onwards and upwards really but suppose that early season injury meant he took the DL route to getting back on track..

Are there people in Speedway who hate someone for being Australian..? I've certainly never encountered such a sentiment..!

I fundamentally disagree with your sarcasm. Back in 1975 a 16 year old went (after a handful of NNL meetings with Boston) into a top division side, King's Lynn. Within two years he was in a run off for third place in a World Final. It was Michael Lee of course... The mistake we've made in recent years (over the GP era in effect) is to hold back the ambitions of young British riders... If they're good enough; they're old enough.. And there's a strong argument to show that youngsters don't feel the pressure they do when a bit older...

No not the same thing - well certainly not in Mauger's day... Then we had a proper World Championship where young riders could break through and challenge (egs being of course Peter Collins and Michael Lee). Funny enough this year finally we have a final GP with it all up for grabs, though in this case the old WF atmosphere is just really shared by two (at a stretch three...) riders... But, still, an improvement on recent non-events. Let's see Chris win it and then have to tackle Darcy next year!

I've really got no idea what you mean.. Do you mean because he has a PERSONALITY and a laid back one at that, that this somehow means you (and others) shouldn't like him... Speedway is at a crossroads..: well the 'world championship' part of it... I'm astonished that so many want the old guard to just keep going for ever... The sport needs to move on and to me there's no contest. Holder wins and at last, at long last, the SGP can move on; one of Pedersen or Hancock wins, well then the last in the stadium best turn off the lights!

Of course and that was entirely correct. But someone then seems to have forgotten that when the double's not done the Shield is to be contested between the league champs (play off winners) and the KOC winners...!!

Well, I believe Dudley's original position in the 2011 Shield was as the 'next best team' of '10 when Buxton did the League & Cup Double (gosh, hard to believe the Hirtmen won the double that recently!!); so it seems weird to me that for the '12 comp it wasn't the Saints vs. the FTs. Don't tell me our beloved co-ordinator got a bit confused again..?!