Parsloes 1928 nearly

Details are here: http://www.qrauk.com/news/qra-speedway-rye-house-on-23rd-february/

Yes on that sign but never used by the Speedway club as far as I can ever recall..

In the '70s I used to love to hate Ole Olsen - but he is still the second best rider I've ever seen! In the Wimbledon CL days for some reason the Allen brothers had a massive downer on the Plough Lane track which certainly didn't endear the pair of them to me or to other Dons folk!!

And I see for the first time in a few years a reurn to Amman Valley.. Always regretted missing out on there before - hope to go this time around!!

Lewis Rose was indeed the newcomer of the year to me in '13. Sure, his sometimes team mate Robert Lambert outscored him (and more or less everyone else!) and it was also Lambert's first season in the NL; but we all knew Lambert was going to be a very high points scorer and a performer who, if age allowed, could've gone straight into the Elite in truth. Lewis had ridden in the AJL the season before and his unexpected progress was what that development league & the NL is all about.

Dead right about Ben. I first saw him ride in 2008 and saw him win the Final Round of the U-15s 250cc class at Buxton that year - yet remarkably it's 2014 now and he's STILL a teenager! (though tbf will be 20 by the time the season's underway!) He was indeed asserting himself really well last year - remember his battles with Charles Wright and with Ashley Morris at CP. He is ready to be a number one in the NL. At Kent we look like we have a really strong trio of heat-leaders! Am really looking forward too, to seeing Ben ride in the EL for Lakeside!

Fair point Bryn - but I can multi-task!!!

And we have a lot of hopes for Brandon Freemantle at Kent too - as ever it's where the 3-pointers step up to the mark that their teams excel.

Ivan actually won SIX World titles (though 'only' five in the period discussed I suppose!)!!! But PC was a peerless racer and the only rider who could (almost) match him in that regard as a pure racer was Olsen, in my book. Can I point out that the Kennett I have in 7th. spot is not Barney (!) nor White City Rebels League winner from 1977 (and Dad of my modern-day favourite, Eddie), Dave but the great Gordon, of course!!!

Agree with a couple of the postings so far. I think Jack Kingston could make major strides forward this season. And Benji? Yep, I reckon after a steady return last year he'll be more prepared this season from the off and I reckon he could end up right up there as one of the division's top riders again.

Hi mate, Personally I wouldn't have Briggo in there in this year range nand of course I'd have PC first! Mine (also in order) would be: Collins, Olsen, Michanek, Mauger, Louis, Lee, Kennett, Simmons, Tommy Jansson & Plech

Terrific news to be drawn with Devon! Great to welcome the new Demons side to CP and will be brilliant visiting Plymouth - if you've never been you MUST go, it's a great track! Also because the prelim' round it will mean (provided we do win of course!) that we get an extra fixture!!

Okay! Tottenham are certainly worthy of sympathy!!!

I should indeed be wary - with my track record on predictions!!!! But Stevie is pure quality and can see no reason why for once I won't be proved correct!!

None of you are mentioning Stevie Boxall... He'll be one of the top riders in the PL in 2014 without question.

Well I'll give you that Tottenham have been very entertaining this term.. The comedy appeal of 6-0 at Man City and 0-3 to West Ham and 0-5 home to Liverpool has been among the best I've enjoyed for a long time!!!

And Vic Duggan.. Both Parker & Duggan won the equivalent of the World Final though in that period between '39 & '47 did they not..?

It's okay I'm in touch by email with 'gustix' and he's fine.

Am pretty pi$$ed off as have tickets for me, the wife and daughter for Arsenal vs. Palace (and it's moved since I bought them to the Sunday AND now this late news of a KK involvement at the EoES!) so can't make it! Hopefully many Kings' fans will be there though!!

Happy to do so. The reference to Rye House 'Raiders' is an error on Peterborough's website/their Press Release. The team taking to the track vs. Coventry will be a Kent Kings Select.

An admirable effort by Bryn to send out the press release at 4am!! I think too many folk now expect PRs to be posted here on the BSF - the best place to find PRs from clubs are on their official websites and that's right IMO.

Wasn't THAT much difference.. Penhall scored three points; Mike Bast scored just the one! Penhall's massive improvement from that to being World Champ 4 years later was born out of riding in the UK. Bast would certainly have improved as well if he'd ever chosen that route.

Im agree Costa Mesa would certainly have favoured Bast big time. What I was pointing out was Vince's totally incorrect assertion that the whole World Final system was "highly unfair". It patently was not.

A throwaway comment with no basis in fact! Look at the number of quality riders with multiple win and rostrum positions. Only TWO WCs in the whole post-war period about whom it could be argued that they would probably only have won in a one-off basis on the particular track staging that Final.

Me too. Seems that Galliard the house builders apparently now own the site - if that's so that's a potentially devastating blow to the survival of the Stadium though Planning Consent for change of use does, of course, remain the key.. I certainly missed the story of that transaction with RCP selling... Or is this a misquote in the article..? Talking of quotes in this piece, interesting comments by Mr. Simpson of the Wimbledon Park Residents Association.. He's either very ill-informed or a huge optimist if he thinks AFC Wimbledon would ever attract football crowds of 20k..! Also I find his comment about the stations odd...: surely Earlsfield is nearer or at least as near as the stations he mentions & Tooting Broadway also not far, so there ARE stations aplenty to cope with people attending big sports events here. Regarding no stock cars which it's said Taggart has indeed ruled out, Ian Perkin has responded on the Wimbledon Fans Forum as follows, "Just because Stock Car Racing is not in the new proposals it would be premature to assume the door is closed to speedway. The Stock's may have other reasons for not wanting to race at a newly developed stadium in Plough Lane as currently proposed. The chances of speedway returning to Plough Lane are remote to say the least, but I am still of the view that it is only the Taggart proposals that currently offer any chance at all of a return to Plough Lane for us and that it is why we are keeping in touch with his organisation and continue to support his plans and would urge other speedway fans to do the same. A new track for speedway that did not have the problems of sharing with Stock Cars would be a huge advantage for us over the arrangements that we had in place during 2002/05, when considerable additional costs were incurred from having to lift the shale from the straights for many weeks of the season, not to mention the problems of removing and replacing the fence each week. I think if anything this bit of news makes our chances of a return slightly stronger, so lets hope the greyhound stadium re-build gets approved and see where we go then" So there remains hope...