Parsloes 1928 nearly

That's unusual: nine races, eight last places and one race win...!!! In general terms seems R/R didn't work out for the Buccs... Also what's the score with James - clearly his absense through injury from the second match made the crucial difference there...

It is indeed the definition of excitement!! I'd have thought you'd have had all the excitement you could muster from our trip out to Iwade last Sunday!!!!

Hmm, so after all the folk on here saying it couldn't (I think they meant "shouldn't"..!) be done, there HAS been a re-jigging of the Buccs team to bring back Jay.

The occasional dead heats with those half-points! Though they made a comeback this week!!!

Sure enuff here's how the Dudley site reports it..: DUDLEY Heathens have set the date for the home leg of their all-important National League play-off semi-final with Buxton Hitmen.The former Cradley club will race at Wolverhampton's Monmore Green Stadium on Tuesday, October 5 .... Chairman Nigel Pearson said: "It's good that we have been able to sort the play-off date so quickly with Buxton.." Hmm, well considering the authorities insisted on a 12 Sept. deadline for NL matches, I can't say that 5 October is what I'd describe as "so quickly"...!! No date announced yet for Newport/Buccs...

Right. So why then earlier were they people claiming that Jay returning to the Buccs line-up (and yes, I know he was injured before making an appearance this season BUT he was named in the Buccs squad AND had ridden there throughout last year so it IS his team..!)was in breach of the transfer rules..? Wouldn't be certain other teams running scared of the Buccs now that they're in the play-offs would it!!!

Ah right, knocks out the theory that Jay wouldn't be up to NL racing! And I assume there's no "transfer deadline" in the PL... Or is it in fact what I said that adding Jay to a team didn't after al breach any 'transfer' rules..?!

I only saw Pip Austen ride the once but it was at a very memorable meeting. The Golden Jubilee of Speedway meeting arranged by John S. Hoskins 50 years after his role in the birth of the sport (don't get on my case, norbold! ). This was held at Hoskins' then home track and certainly seeing Pip's place of birth, Austen's home track too: Canterbury's Kingsmead Stadium. Main part of the meeting (though there were also guest appearances by the likes of Dave Jessup and Barry Briggs later on...) was a four team tournament as follows: Canterbury 19 (Les Rumsey 1; Barney Kennett 9; Graham Banks 4; Derek Cook 4; Pip Austen 1) Ipswich Juniors 31 (Mike Lanham 9; Ted Howgego 7; Trevor Jones 9; Dave Gooderham 5) Birmingham 29 (Paul Gilbert 1; Arthur Browning 8; Malcolm Corradine 9; Roger Johns 12 [Max]) Rayleigh 17* (Brian Foote 5; Bob Young 7; Tiger Beech 1; Trevor Barnwell 4) * this was AFTER Rayleigh Weir had closed its doors to Speedway for the last time... Don't know if Austen ever appeared for the Crusaders in Div II action....

If a rider is "unattached" (ie rides for no club at all...) then he is NOT covered by the transfer rule... Surely that's the case isn't it...!!??

?? What on earth are you on about now..?! If you're referring to the mention about the play offs, it IS the case that in defending them previously Malcolm HAS been extremely forceful in dismissing the contrary opinion. That's a FACT. It's not "attacking" Malcolm as I'm sure he'd concur that over the play-offs being in the NL he thinks he's 100% right and that I talk rubbish!! Interesting that our friends from Dudley (whose opinions I also respect very much btw...) are nearly all in agreement that in the NL there really shouldn't be P/Os. Malcolm with bigger fish to fry these days, this time probably hasn't seen this latest debate...: he's certainly not steamed in like the third tier supremo of old...

There's no agenda. Just seems rather harsh that riders returning from injury(and of course I'd include, for example, Jon Armstrong in that...) can't apparently go back into their original teams without it being deemed in contravention of a 'transfer deadline'. I'm sure most people looking in from the outside would consider that a very strange and regrettable state of affairs

Hmm, no - that won't be happening... 1) I stand by the point that everyone SHOULD be wanting to see Jay rather an anonymous 'guest' riding; and 2) apologies are fine IF reciprocated - and I did NOT appreciate being reported to the authorities last year for simply requesting the one to seven of a team for the purposes of a programme printing deadline. As a serial prog. editor yourself Bryn I doubt you'd appreciate that either...

There IS a transfer deadline, but Jay wouldn't be an incoming transfer - he started the season as a Buccs rider and has only been absent at any point due to injury... The other changes could be 3.00-pointers...: again not incoming transfers (well not if they're unattached ATM). I accept that it probably WON'T happen (for the reason Tim states more than anything...) but I hold by my view that to suggest Jay would be ineligible is an underhand comment to make... And counter-productive, as surely anyone caring about the league would rather see a team go into the play-offs able to use their own rider at number one rather than utilise guests..

Er, perhaps the clue is in the following: Further clue, the "knockers" is NOT a reference to the departating matriarch of the Queen Vic!!!

Hmm, not sure that this can be the case at all. Let's look at the facts. Jay is the Buccs' number one last year and retained as such at the start of this season. He suffers a bad (at the time consdered career-threatening and indeed worse than that...) injury. Place in team taken by firstly Chris Mills and then when available after Mildenhall's sad mid-season closure. Jerran Hart. Now Jay is fit to return which is somthing we should all be celebrating and infinitely better than the Buccs using a guest in the play-offs; and yet you are saying he'll not - in your opinion - be eligible. Frankly I think that's one of the most disgraceful things I've ever heard written/said at this level of the sport...

Sorry Mr. Blue Face, you'll have to count me out of this one. Have just got back from Iwade where it was Bryn's 80th. birthday meeting...; or was it Iwade's 40th. anniversary..?!! Good luck to the Buccs tonight! Is Jay back at number one does anyone know..?

Indeed. A fantastic performance and he is close now...

And I think it was great to see Crumpie so generous in his praise of Tomasz. I think that the whole of Speedway should really unite to acknowledge that Gollob is one of the absolute all-time greats and for him finally to win the World title (as I pray to God he shall be doing..) will actually be one of the sport's most emotional and well-deserved moments...

Thanx. So one would have to assume that Newport will choose the 4th. finishers regardless; with Buxton/Dudley reprising their KOc semi with palay-off semi too!! I wonder if indeed if that's the case whether the Cup & P/O matches might be reversed..: ie hold the P/os first..??

A worrying weekend so far of bad crashes and injuries (best wishes to Buzz and Marc and to the injured Newport riders..) sees nonetheless, Rye House fail to get the points they needed for the play-offs. It's Plymouth's now unless the Buccs can get a point at KL tomorrow...!! Newport have ended top is that right..?

That's right - so when considers the growing significance of such riders, the Aussie dirttrack scene really is something which should demand our attention over here rather more than it does...

What, even though Newport have ANOTHER match - away at Rye House tomorrow - before the deadline..??

See this link for what the Aussie version of 'Dirttrack' is like, Good stuff!

Which led to the unfair system of the play-offs being scrapped in the PL... Why on earth do we still have them in the NL!!!

This sums it up perfectly and is THE most sensible and accurate post ever on this subject! As you say, just like Rugby League's 'Super League', for our EL Sky TV call the tune and so there need to be play-offs. But as the PL (entirely sensibly) no longer follows suit and instead - shock! horror! - crown as champions the team which finishes top of the division once all matches have been completed; then absolultely there's no reason for the NL to carry on any more with the daft and entirely self-defeating play off system... And yes, I will STILL 100% believe this even if by some unlikely miracle the Buccs qualify and then win the 2010 play-offs!!! Incidentally, I seem to recall that the PL abandoned the play-offs to decide the champs after a year when , I think it was, Birmingham missed out even though eventually finishing higher than others who made it through..: so maybe the situation we're in this year will inspire our league's chairpersons to follow suit at their next conference..?