Speedway fan

For Birmingham .. Tom Spencer, Arran Butcher and Senna Summers

BIRMINGHAM have added three riders to their National Development Trophy side - and all have a connection with the club. Arran Butcher is already an official asset who has previously ridden for the Brummies in the National Development League as well as for the Ductair Bulls in the MDL. He was also mechanic for Freddie Lindgren during his time at Perry Barr in 2024 and has now invested heavily in his own equipment for next term. Tom Spencer is another rider who has also represented the Bulls in the past whilst Senna Summers is the son of former Brummie Aaron Summers. Ductair Bulls Team Manager Laurence Rogers said: “Not only will these be three solid signings for our NDT team, but it’s also nice that they’ve got some form of association with Birmingham already. “Arran is the one people will be most familiar with I’m sure and he had a really good year for Leicester in the NDL last season. “Tom had his first rides at the training schools I used to run at Peterborough and again he showed some of his true potential for Leicester this year. “Senna is another rider improving all the time and interestingly, he actually made his competitive racing debut in the MDL for Redcar against the Birmingham Bulls! “Adding those three to Darryl (Ritchings) and Eli (Meadows) gives us an interesting side so far with two spaces now to fill.”

ELI Meadows is the second rider to sign up for Birmingham’s National Development Trophy side. The 20-year-old is no stranger to Perry Barr having been a second-half regular in recent seasons. He represented the club in this year’s Midland Development League where he averaged 11.45, the highest figure at that level. He’ll also be racing for the Leicester Lion Cubs in the National Development League in 2025 and Ductair Bulls team manager Laurence Rogers says Meadows deserves his team place. “His stats for us in the MDL this year were superb,” Rogers said. “He rode seven meetings, had 22 rides and scored 63 points - that’s pretty amazing for any rider at any level. “He’s a good kid and again I think he’ll only benefit and keep progressing with the extra bike time he’s going to be getting.” Meadows signed his deal at the Supporters’ Club Christmas Party on Friday where Tom Brennan, who has since moved to Ipswich, claimed a clean sweep of honours for his performances for the Brummies in the 2024 ROWE Motor Oil Premiership.

ELI MEADOWS SIGNED HIS CONTRACT FOR BIRMINGHAM ON FRIDAY AT THEIR XMAS PARTY

FORMER title winner Darryl Ritchings has opted to ride for Birmingham as part of their National Development Trophy team in his comeback campaign. The Wiltshire born racer is the first name confirmed for the Ductair Bulls’ side - the day after he was announced by Oxford in the third tier as he returns to shale racing for the first time in eight years. Ritchings was a part of the Brummies’ memorable 2016 team who won the National League and hasn’t raced competitively since he quit the sport part way through 2017. But whilst continuing with other motorsport disciplines whilst starting a family, he now has the speedway bug back and will be a very welcome face back at Perry Barr. Ductair Bulls team manager Laurence Rogers said: “I’ve known Darryl since he started racing and he attended my training schools at Newport initially. “He then rode for me for the Hornets and later Coventry Storm and he’s always been great to work with. “I saw him ride on the grass last year and we got talking and we recently discussed his comeback at the Speedway Show at Gaydon. “When we confirmed we were in the NDT, he was keen on coming back to Birmingham and it’s good to have him back. “With Oxford giving him a team spot in the NDL, he will be getting more track time which is just what he needs.” The Bulls are expected to name a second rider for their NDT side at Friday’s (December 13) BSSC Christmas Party at Aston Manor Cricket Club with full details available via the Birmingham Speedway Supporters Club Facebook page.

ASH retired . James had bad grass accident and been having operations on his arm and unlikely to come back

stadium and landlord's rules

Have messaged you with his number

MARK SAWBRIDGE

NDL EXPANDS FOR 2025 Thursday, November 28, 2024 BRITISH Speedway’s National Development League structure will expand in 2025 to feature more clubs and more track time for the sport’s young riders. All six competing teams from this year will return, whilst with five more clubs entering the NDL system, a new National Trophy competition has been formed. The two competitions will have the same points limit and regulations, but they will run as separate entities. And therefore it will be possible for riders to sign both for a club in the NDL and also a club in the National Trophy – therefore maximising their track time and almost doubling their meetings at this level compared with 2024. The points limit for both competitions has been set at 38, and both will be settled on a league-only basis of one home and one away match against each opponent, with the league leaders declared champions. The clubs in the two competitions are: NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Oxford, Scunthorpe/Sheffield. NATIONAL TROPHY: Birmingham, Kent Eagles, King’s Lynn (subject to confirmation), Plymouth, Workington. British Speedway chairman Rob Godfrey said: “The National League really came back to life last season, so it’s great to have all six clubs back for that but also now to be able to introduce the additional National Trophy group. “That group will utilise largely the same riders as the NDL which means they will get maximum track time between the two groups, and also more experience on different circuits. “If you look at it from a rider’s point of view, they will have a home track in the NDL and all the away tracks in that league, and then if they’re in the National Trophy they will have another home track there along with four more different away tracks to visit. “There’s no replication between the two groups, so really it’s fast-track experience for the riders and they’re going to be much busier next year compared to this, when we do appreciate there were some big gaps for them. “We’re also delighted to have a Southern based club coming back with Kent competing in the Trophy, and we welcome them into the competition. “Everyone is doing this for the right reasons, and we’ve now created more meetings for the Youth and developing riders to participate in, and with the majority of our tracks involved, so we see this as very positive all-round.”

three actually with two separate Birmingham teams and Leicester meeting home and away twice and have produced many new riders

clubs there were Workington, Oxford, Plymouth and Birmingham

MIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE 2024 (League Matches only, excluding bonus points) Compiled by Mike Moseley. Rider Mat Rides Points BP Total Average Kai Ward 1 3 9 0 9 12.00 Eli Meadows 7 22 63 0 63 11.45 Ryan Ashcroft 4 11 30 1 31 10.91 Bailey Fellows 3 7 17 0 17 9.71 Jacob Fellows 4 13 30 1 31 9.23 Sonny Springer 1 4 9 0 9 9.00 Billy Budd 3 8 17 0 17 8.50 Max Broadhurst 5 12 24 0 24 8.00 Harrison Rogers 7 23 45 4 49 7.83 Hayden Watts 1 3 5 0 5 6.67 Jamie Etherington 3 8 11 1 12 5.50 Joe Crewe 9 31 41 13 54 5.29 Liam Cox 3 9 11 2 13 4.89 Harley Driscoll-Freeman 7 23 21 2 23 3.65 Jack Crewe 8 28 25 9 34 3.57 Jake Breeze 6 18 10 4 14 2.22 Will Boraston 6 16 8 1 9 2.00 Ben Phillips 1 4 2 0 2 2.00 Wayne Hutt 1 1 0 0 0 0.00

MIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE AVERAGES 2024 League matches only. Averages don't include bonus points. (Compiled by Mike Moseley) BIRMINGHAM (BULLS) RIDER MAT RIDES POINTS BP TOTAL AVERAGE Bailey Fellows 2 5 13 0 13 10.40 Jacob Fellows 4 13 30 1 31 9.23 Billy Budd 3 8 17 0 17 8.50 Hayden Watts 1 3 5 0 5 6.67 Joe Crewe 7 25 34 10 44 5.44 Harley Driscoll-Freeman 1 3 3 0 3 4.00 Jack Crewe 7 24 20 7 27 3.33 Max Broadhurst 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 BIRMINGHAM (BUFFALOES) Ryan Ashcroft 2 6 18 0 18 12.00 Eli Meadows 7 22 63 0 63 11.45 Max Broadhurst 4 11 24 0 24 8.73 Harrison Rogers 1 3 5 2 7 6.67 Jake Breeze 6 18 10 4 14 2.22 Will Boraston 6 16 8 1 9 2.00 Ben Phillips 1 4 2 0 2 2.00 LEICESTER Kai Ward 1 3 9 0 9 12.00 Ryan Ashcroft 2 5 12 1 13 9.60 Sonny Springer 1 4 9 0 9 9.00 Bailey Fellows 1 2 4 0 4 8.00 Harrison Rogers 6 20 40 2 42 8.00 Jamie Etherington 3 8 11 1 12 5.50 Jack Crewe 1 4 5 2 7 5.00 Liam Cox 3 9 11 2 13 4.89 Joe Crewe 2 6 7 3 10 4.67 Harley Driscoll-Freeman 6 20 18 2 20 3.60 Wayne Hutt 1 1 0 0 0 0.00

BIRMINGHAM Speedway are delighted to confirm their participation in the 2025 ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. The Brummies have met conditions that were recently agreed following a cash flow crisis at the end of the 2024 campaign. And club CEO Nigel Tolley informed league chiefs of their position at a British Speedway Promoters’ Ltd meeting on Tuesday. “It goes without saying that it’s a massive relief,” Tolley said. “The situation has been changing day-by-day but with some hard work behind the scenes and the generosity of people out there, we found ourselves in the position we needed to be at at this stage. “We’re not completely out of the woods just yet but we’re where we needed to be at this point to be back at the tapes next season and just as importantly, we now have a path that will enable us to clear all outstanding debts in the near future. “Team building for 2025 is underway and I will do everything I can to build a team the supporters can really relate to and get behind because I think that’s something they missed out on a little bit this year. “We’re certainly not just hanging in there to make up the numbers and our aim is to be a much more competitive force in next year’s Premiership. “We can now start going back to the riders we’ve already been speaking to and hopefully we’ll be able to announce our first signing by the end of this week.”

ALAN GRAHAME MEMORIAL DATE MOVED (AGAIN!)—NOW MONDAY OCTOBER 7TH With the Premiership play off final now moved to Monday 30th September with the 2nd leg at Leicester postponed on Thursday , the Birmingham promotion have made the sensible decision to not run against it. This is partly due to rider availability but also how it would affect the attendance with people either going to the meeting or watching it on Eurosport. Brummies co-promoter Laurence Rogers has the unenviable task of sorting the logistics for the meeting and ensuring the four teams have riders! He said, “ well I’ve had to change the date a few times now and tie in the availability of the riders to represent the four Midlands teams. I am hoping the majority, if not all, of the riders who were due to line up on the 30th will be able to ride on October 7th. It’s also ensuring we have the medical cover, security and staff in place and that the stadium is available that day! We also have five sponsors in place for the meeting and they can hopefully be in attendance plus our commercial manager Steve Rolleston has several possible sponsors for 2025 due to be there. “ “We also have had a good response for advance tickets including a lot taking up the Gold VIP ticket so again I have to make sure all those who have booked so far are able to make the new date. It’s not too late for fans of any of four sides – Birmingham, Cradley, Wolverhampton or Coventry to pre-book on this Trybooking link : https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DUNT We will be confirming the riders for each side once the confirmations are received .”

thanks ... amended !

MDL BULLS SET UP TITLE DECIDER WITH TIGHT WIN OVER LEICESTER CUBS The destiny of the 2024 Midland Development League will now go down to the wire in the final clash of the two Birmingham sides on Monday 9th September. A close fought battle against the Leicester Lion Cubs saw the DUCTAIR Bulls secure victory in the final heat to put them back on top by just one point ahead of the SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes. So any result on 9th September is possible. A Buffaloes win or a draw would see them take the honours from their rivals to take the title. A Bulls win would give them top spot so it’s all to ride for ! The clash between the Buffaloes and the Leicester Lion Cubs was a topsy-turvy affair but it took a mammoth heat 6 effort by the Bulls to secure the win and the two points. The Cubs took the honours in heat 1 with Harrison Rogers and guest Ryan Ashcroft starting with a 5-1. The Buffaloes then pulled that back with a 5-1 of their own in heat 2 with Cubs losing Harley Driscoll-Freeman with a shoulder injury as Jack Crewe took a race win followed home by skipper Jacob Fellows ahead of Liam Cox. This tied the scores at 6 apiece. The Bulls took the lead 11-7 with debutant Hayden Watts tasting victory with Joe Crewe joining him for a 5-1 to make it 11-7. The maximum heat wins continued in heat 4 but this time for Leicester as Ryan Ashcroft and Cubs skipper Harrison Rogers notched their second 5-1 to level the scores at 12 apiece. Heat 5 was a drawn heat as Harrison Rogers secured his paid maximum ahead of Hayden Watts and Jack Crewe. So with the scores at 15-15 it was all down to heat 6. Ryan Ashcroft gated but Jacob Fellows powered under him followed by Joe Crewe and despite Ashcroft’s effort the home duo took a 5-1 to win the clash for the DUCTAIR Bulls 20-16. DUCTAIR Bulls 20 ( Jacob Fellows 3r 6+1. Joe Crewe 5+2. Hayden Watts 5. Jack Crewe 3r 4+1) Leicester 16 ( Harrison Rogers 3r 8+1 paid max, Ryan Ashcroft 3r 6+1, Liam Cox 2 M W D L F A PTS BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES 7 4 1 2 130 113 9 BIRMINGHAM BULLS 7 4 0 3 122 121 8 LEICESTER CUBS 8 2 1 5 126 144 5

MDL BUFFALOES CONTINUE WINNING STREAK …IT’S ALL TO PLAY FOR AS THEY OPEN UP 3 POINT LEAD AT TOP OF TABLE It’s not all over … but the Birmingham SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes have one hand on the 2024 Midland Development League title. They took full advantage of the Birmingham DUCTAIR Bulls problems to secure a 25-11 win and put them 3 points ahead of their Perry Barr rivals. This was the biggest win of the season for the Buffaloes and with two meeting remaining the destiny of the league title now could go down to the wire in the final MDL meeting on 9th September. The Bulls can bring the league points deficit down to one with a win next Monday over the Leicester Lion Cubs to set up a thrilling finale to the 2024 campaign. The DUCTAIR Bulls were with the Fellows cousins for this clash against the Buffaloes with Bailey without machinery and Jacob having to pull out. Leicester’s Harley Driscoll-Freeman stepped in as a guest but the Bulls were hit by skipper Billy Budd pulling out after one ride. He was winning heat 1 against rival skipper Eli Meadows when his rear chain snapped causing damage that was irreparable forcing him out of the meeting. Joe Crewe battled on to top the Bulls scoring with 7 but the Buffaloes had the edge with Eli Meadows and Ryan Ashcroft again notching 9 point maximums whilst guest Harrison Rogers backed them up with 5+2 from his 3 rides. Jake Breeze changed bikes after his no. 1 bike went flat and added 2 points to his team’s efforts. For the Bulls Jack Crewe had two falls but he battled hard for his team and is learning all the time. With Max Broadhurst and Will Boraston out injured the duo were pitside supporting their team mates as they look towards lifting the league title on September 9th but the Bulls will take things to the wire with hopefully both sides at full strength. SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes 25 ( Ryan Ashcroft 3r 9 max, Eli Meadows 3r 9 max, Harrison Rogers 3r 5+2, Jake Breeze 3r 2) DUCTAIR Bulls 11 ( Joe Crewe 4r 7, Harley Driscoll-Freeman 3r 3, Jack Crewe 4r 1+1, Billy Budd 1r 0) M W D L F A PTS BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES 7 4 1 2 130 113 9 BIRMINGHAM BULLS 7 3 0 4 102 105 6 LEICESTER CUBS 7 2 1 4 110 124 5

depends what forecast you look at as all are different !! .,.....showing windy later but still warm . Not being horrible but posts like this don't help clubs !!

BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES GO BACK TO TOP OF MDL WITH NARROW VICTORY OVER LEICESTER LION CUBS. In a close fought battle the Birmingham SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes regained the lead in the league table leap frogging their Birmingham rivals , the DUCTAIR Bulls , defeating the Leicester Lion Cubs18-16. Leicester were missing a few of their regular side through holidays and brought in two DUCTAIR Bulls in Bailey Fellows and Joe Crewe. Home skipper Eli Meadows opened up with a win in heat 1 after partner Will Boraston had crashed in the original staging. Buffaloes debutant Ryan Ashcroft , in for the injured Max Broadhurst and unavailable Hayden Watts, took victory in heat 2 with the Lion Cubs tucking him behind him to share the heat keeping the scores locked together at 6 apiece. Heat 3 saw Lion Cubs Harley Driscoll-Freeman fall on bend 4 with home man Will Boraston laying his bike down but inuring his ankle and being unable to take his place in the re-run. Eli Meadows raced away to his second win ahead of Cubs guest Bailey Fellows with the 3-2 putting the Buffaloes one ahead at 9-8. It was another shared heat in the 4th race as Ryan Ashcroft took his second win ahead of Harrison Rogers and guest Joe Crewe so the home side held a narrow one point advantage at 12-11. Eli Meadows took heat 5 to record a 9 point maximum with partner Jake Breeze having bike problems and unable to get the better of Harrison Rogers and Harley Driscoll-Freeman so another drawn heat meant the home side went into the last race one point up at 15-14. Heat 6 ended up as a match race with Will Boraston out with an ankle injury whilst for the Lion Cubs guest Bailey Fellows had bike problems and couldn’t take his place. Ryan Ashcroft secured victory for his side and his 9 point max ahead of Joe Crewe. The SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes now have a one point advantage at the top of the table ahead of the DUCTAIR Bulls. They meet next Monday with the league title still very much up for grabs . Birmingham Buffaloes 18 ( Eli Meadows 3r 9 max, Ryan Ashcroft 3r 9 max, Jake Breeze 3r 0, Will Boraston 1 r 0) Leicester Lion Cubs 16 ( Harrison Rogers 3r 6, Joe Crewe 3r 4+2, Bailey Fellows 2r 4, Harley Driscoll-Freeman 3r 2+2) M W D L F A PTS BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES 6 3 1 2 105 102 7 BIRMINGHAM BULLS 6 3 0 3 91 80 6 LEICESTER CUBS 7 2 1 4 110 124 5

MDL LEICESTER LION CUBS VICTORY OVER TABLE TOPPING DUCTAIR BULLS With riders missing and late guest call up of Max Broadhurst returning from injury having to withdraw the table topping Birmingham DUCTAIR Bulls went down 17-12 to the Leicester Lion Cubs. This makes the league table very tight with just one point separating the three sides. The Bulls were without Billy Budd (van problems)and Jacob Fellows (on holiday) and lost guest Max Broadhurst in his first ride with his wrist not strong enough to continue. Leicester were also down to three riders with Ben Phillips breaking down in his van on the way to the meeting so were using rider replacement. Things started in the worst possible way in heat one for the home side with Jack Crewe coming down on the first bend and excluded from the re-run. Then Max Broadhurst pulled up in pain whilst second in the re-run and the Lion Cubs duo of Harley Driscoll-Freeman and Liam Cox racing to a 5-0 heat win. Things could have got worse for the DUCTAIR Bulls when Driscoll-Freeman fell with the returning Ryan Ashcroft taking victory and the scores were now 3-8. Taking his third ride in succession Driscoll-Freeman fell and was excluded. Ashcroft took victory so with a drawn heat the Lion Cubs were 11-6 up. But the Bulls bounced back in heat 4 with a maximum 5-1 heat win with Bailey Fellows combing with Joe Crewe to outpace Liam Cox and bring the scoreline to 11-12. But heat 5 saw the Lion Cubs secure the league points with a 5-1 for the impressive Driscoll-Freeman and Cox with Jack Crewe having clutch problems and not finishing the race and brother Joe not recovering from a slow start . With the scores at 12-17 the final race was not staged with the curfew time reached. Leicester now return to Perry Barr on August 12th to face the SUPPORTERS CLUB Buffaloes in a race for the title that looks like going down to the wire. DUCTAIR Bulls 12 ( Joe Crewe 4r 6+1, Bailey Fellows 2r 5, Jack Crewe 3r 1) Lion Cubs 17 ( Ryan Ashcroft 2r 6 max, Harley Driscoll-Freeman 4r 6, Liam Cox 3r 5+2) M W D L F A PTS BIRMINGHAM BULLS 6 3 0 3 91 80 6 BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES 5 2 1 2 87 86 5 LEICESTER CUBS 6 2 1 3 94 106 5 MAY LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE 18-17 MON 13 MAY BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE ---OFF SUN 19 MAY LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES B FIXTURE 13-22 MON 27 MAY BIRMINGHAM BULLS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES A FIXTURE 20-16 MON 3 JUNE BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V LEICESTER A FIXTURE 2 17-13 SUN 23 JUNE LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BULLS B FIXTURE 15-20 MON 24 JUNE BIRMINGHAM BULLS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES B FIXTURE 22-14 MON 8 JULY BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE OFF MON 29 JULY BIRMINGHAM BULLS V LEICESTER A FIXTURE 12-17 MON 12 AUG BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V LEICESTER B FIXTURE MON 19 AUG BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE MON 26 AUG BIRMINGHAM BULLS V LEICESTER B FIXTURE MON 9 SEPT BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS B FIXTURE

REVISED FIXTURES MDL FIXTURES 2024 MON 15 APRIL BIRMINGHAM BULLS V LEICESTER A FIXTURE OFF SUN 21 APRIL LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES A FIXTURE 18-18 SUN 12 MAY LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE 18-17 MON 13 MAY BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE ---OFF SUN 19 MAY LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES B FIXTURE 13-22 MON 27 MAY BIRMINGHAM BULLS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES A FIXTURE 2016 MON 3 JUNE BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V LEICESTER A FIXTURE 2 17-13 SUN 23 JUNE LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM BULLS B FIXTURE 15-20 MON 24 JUNE BIRMINGHAM BULLS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES B FIXTURE 22-14 MON 8 JULY BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE OFF MON 29 JULY BIRMINGHAM BULLS V LEICESTER A FIXTURE MON 12 AUG BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V LEICESTER B FIXTURE MON 19 AUG BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS A FIXTURE MON 26 AUG BIRMINGHAM BULLS V LEICESTER B FIXTURE MON 9 SEPT BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS B FIXTURE

SPECIAL DEAL FOR OXFORD FANS TO ATTEND BIRMINGHAM V OXFORD ON MONDAY 8TH JULY ….. A special deal has been arranged for Oxford fans to support their side at Birmingham on Monday 8th July . A coach is being run from Oxford to the meeting with fans gaining from a sponsorship from CHALFONT COACHES , Birmingham have negotiated that sees them get the travel and adult admission for a bargain price of £30 ! The coach will leave the stadium , where cars can be parked , at 4.15 pm . Bookings can be made on line on Trybooking using the ref: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DQNT There are 50 spaces on the coach so it is a case of first come first served to take advantage of this deal.

SPECIAL DEAL FOR OXFORD FANS TO ATTEND BIRMINGHAM V OXFORD ON MONDAY 8TH JULY ….. A special deal has been arranged for Oxford fans to support their side at Birmingham on Monday 8th July . A coach is being run from Oxford to the meeting with fans gaining from a sponsorship from CHALFONT COACHES , Birmingham have negotiated that sees them get the travel and adult admission for a bargain price of £30 ! The coach will leave the stadium , where cars can be parked , at 4.15 pm . Bookings can be made on line on Trybooking using the ref: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DQNT There are 50 spaces on the coach so it is a case of first come first served to take advantage of this deal.