Parsloes 1928 nearly

And all of those, with the exception of 'Magic' of course, ARE very young...!!

The Conference League was an excellent product and it gave us - among others - Eddie Kennett, the King bros, the Allen bros, Lewis Bridger, James Wright...: so it didn't do a bad job!!

Two absolutely spot-on postings.. This is EXACTLLY what the "venture capitalist" owners of the GRA intend for themselves and for the stadia they own.. What's so tragic having sat last evening with real people who love Oxford Speedway and Oxford Stadium so much and knowing so well as I do, people who lived and breathed the Dons and Wimbledon Speedway is the fact that people's lives are made so much the worse by the cynical, uncaring and sheer selfish greed of such "venture capitalists". THIS is what we should also be out on the streets rioting about!! And yes, sadly Romford closed literally just before I attended my first Speedway meeting and in any case as an Orpington lad then I'd have had no idea where Romford was!; but I go to Romford almost ever day of my life now and I fully believe that if the Bombers could be reborn in a town where leisure and entertain,ment is so important it could indeed be a huge success again...

Well all I can say is that Romford dog track must be bucking the trend then! One needs also to remember that dog racing is nearly always on several nights a week... No wonder crowds are down on less popular nights like Thursday... As for Perry Barr losing its manager, just three words needed to describe such a tendency to jettison key operational staff..: Greyhound Racing Association...!!! At Plough Lane shortly before the Speedway was shown the door they sacked the Stadium Electrician and one thing a dog track needs (especially one with antiquated wiring...!) is a sparks!!

I agree with you that Saturday afternoon is the largely untried time slot... works well enuff for Football obviously, so why not (in the Football cloe-season...) try it for Speedway too..

I guess your comment about Speedway having bigger crowds than greyhounds must be based on Monmore Green in which case I bow to your superior knowledge on that venue... Am doubtful though that this is the case everywhere: Belle Vue, Perry Barr, Brough Park..: higher crowds for Speedway...? My experience of Dog Racing these days is at Romford (which of course doesn't double up as a Speedway track) but the crowds at Romford on Fridays & Saturdays (yes, two consecutive nights...) are hugely bigger than anyone could seriously dream of should Speedway return to that Essex town..

There's certainly been a boom in the number of amateur riders in recent years; but how many, I wonder, would be able (work and finances being the issues..) to commit to the time and vigours of competing in a national league with tracks from Plymouth to Buxton and several race days/nights involved..? Surely for many it would be impossible to commit fully to riding in an NL team - meaning that possibly we need a more flexible, less demanding approach to 'third' and, we could call it, 'fourth' tier Speedway..?

How about Carmarthen operating out of Ammanford instead..? Now THAT would be interesting...!

A brilliant letter in this week's Star about how farmers protect birds (in some cases) just so 'sportsmenm' (sic) can come in the hunting season and shoot them - and how THAT is a legitimate activity in the countryside... No wonder planners and NIMBY's and developers alike all fear Speedway fans, coz when it comes to coming up with brilliant arguments in defence of tracks (new ones or preventing demolition of existing ons) there are some terrific people out there and some superb arguments.. The Big Society to me should include us being allowed to have the sport we love!!!

I have a phone number for PM if you want to, er, pm me...!!!

Hmm, but not about me it seems!! The geezer 'Williamson' has more than ten years on me I'll have you know!!!

Hmm, well I did say I might struggle with this request for details... But surely SOMEONE out there must have a filled in prog. for this second half with these details..?!!

Yep - that sounds about right... Still I'm sure Bryn will tell us that this is fine!!

Which is when..?

So it's happened then.. I wonder when we'll hear anything...

Hmm, I think that the point was that non-Speedway folk having seen it during the season might have had interest stirred. It's generally existing Speedway fans who watch Sky's coverage!!

Hmm, seems even scribbler doesn't understand her previous posting...!!!

1) how is this holding anyone "to ransom"; 2) what on earth are these "few (sensible) rules [that] are in place that they don't want to abide by...".. I'm sure all of us whould like to know - coz frankly you've totally lost me here!!!!

And I can't really think that 28 day bans apply considering, er, the season has finished!!!

Good Lord - such generosity of spirit...: NOT. Would you have been happier if poor Newport had had to ride with just three riders!!!

Sore loser in what sense? I have no connection whatsoever or allegiance to Dudley or Newport..!! You'd best read again. The people who are so angry and upset at the farce that has been the end of this particular third tier season (probably as a result of this, the last as a meaningful division) are those of us who have actually devoted time and energy over the years to this particular form of Speedway. Of course the Moss family are way ahead of us in that respect and a massive well down to them and all others at Buxton for their achievement. BUT none of that hides the clear fact that over the Fours, the Play Offs and the Riders Championship this has been a massive cock-up... If you can't see that from your position over in Oz fair enuff, but trust me it has been; and to bury ones head in the sand and say, oh actually all is well is going to do no-one and least of all the sport any good...

Hmm, and it's a shame you can't apologise for your totally nonsensical slur against Newport claiming that, er, it didn't rain in South Wales on Friday and somehow by calling the first leg off the Hornets hoped to gain some, er, advantage...

Hmm, could be. But of course they didn't in the end need to be the best team "over the course of the whole season" did they..?! After all, the best measure of that is a league table: one which actually shows Dudley first and the Hornets second and Buxton, but third... Today all that was needed was to win ONE match - and in fact one would probably have backed literally any side in the 2010 NL to have beaten the fatally weakened Newport line-up which took to track today, in a one-off tie with home advantage... Yes they'll be the argument that the "rules" were set before the season began. But the "rules" should also have insisted not just on a mid-September cut-off for the play off qualification but also an end of September deadline to complete the semis and dates in the first week of October for the Final. Because they didn't this has ended up the most unsatisfactory end to a season ever in the third tier and I fear we'll all end up paying for that...

Interesting. So the disgraceful decision to cancel the NLRC previously not only meant the Fours never happened but also make a mockery of the Play Off Final... As I've said before, Rye House must NEVER be allowed to stage a third tier 'shared event' again... That's assuming there are such things in the future...

BTW, though you constantly refuse to accept this, the PL (a much bigger league than the NL) does NOT decide its League Champions by means of a play off....