cyclone

Notice this match is now scheduled for Sunday 26th May (assume 3pm start ?) This will be in direct opposition to the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden at 3pm and features Edinburgh club, Hibernian F.C. who are forecast to have at least 20,000 fans making the journey. Would expect the majority of Hibs supporters will be travelling from Edinburgh along the M8. This could lead to congestion and might deter some Monarchs fans from travelling to Ashfield. Tigers should consider either hosting Monarchs on an alternative Sunday, or delaying the start time to 5pm on 26th May.

Considering the extreme weather conditions in the late afternoon & early evening (a mixture of torrential rain & hailstones), Doc Bridgett & his track team deserve credit for providing a track which although heavy, did produce some exciting racing, which visiting guest, fashion designer guru, Jeff Banks, publicly expressed his amazement at for his first ever experience of live speedway . Twelve of the thirteen riders involved got stuck in and in the early stages a Bellego inspired Bandits looked like they could possibly pull off a shock result. However as the track improved, Monarchs took control with Cook and Pijper leading the onslaught. As already mentioned, Max Fricke's hard riding duel with Aspegren was the race of the night and indicated that the U-21 Oz Champ is now on an upward slope and will not be brushed aside by more experienced opponents.

Despite the scarcity of passing after heat 2, the closeness of the score made this a taut affair right up to the final heat. However in the final analysis, the advantage of starting off gates 2 & 4 all night, left Berwick with a near impossible task in heat 15 against the imperious Cook & Vissing pairing. Bandits should not be to downhearted and reflect that last week, 14 points were amassed by Alden, guesting for the absent Ashworth, compared to r/r producing only 5 last night. I feel sympathy for the Berwick Promotion who apparently are unable to make any radical alterations to the shape and dimensions of the track, due to the restrictions placed on them by their Football Club landlords.

Is there not a reg. that an assessed rider cannot be dropped, until he has achieved a GSA based on his on track results, unless he is injured or retires ?

So you know better than this :-http://www.edinburghmonarchs.co/team/ Aye Right

Looked at a couple of weather forecasts and continuous heavy overnight rain expected, starting to clear around 11am -12 noon. Hopefully there's sufficient time to mop up before tapes up.

Take it you have not read John Anderson's column in the Berwick vs Edinburgh programme :- "Kozza returns after a year out and will also race for King's Lynn as will Seb Alden who has moved into the Elite League this year but remains a Bandit."

Was Robert Branford not available ?

Over the two legs, Leicester will be favourites to progress, given their impressive home form and not having a young untried newcomer such as Max Fricke in their ranks. Max will take time to bed in, but on the basis of his first two matches, his gating will have to improve rapidly and he will also need to build up his physique in order to mix it with his opponents, rather than be brushed aside. IMO Magnus Karlsson replacing Roynon strengthens the Lions over these particular fixtures. IIRC Lasse Bjerre has never had a great meeting at the Dale, but given his current scintillating form, together with Doolan's previous impressive performances here, a narrow home win is probably the best we can hope for. Then expect the Lions to finish the job at BP the next night

If as is quoted above that Somerset would be involved in Masters visa application for 2013, being his parent club, then I wonder how their visa application for Alex Davis was successful, but Masters was rejected

You have to make allowances for a grumpy old postman who was probably bitten on the bum by Fido, who was trying to make him smile on his round

Suggest you re-read the posting slowly and you will note it was framed as being a fact. If it was conjecture, the insertion of "might" or "I wonder if ", etc., are required.

Given that the 2013 PL fixtures have yet to be published, could you specify which matches Helfer would miss, or is this another case of unsubstantiated opinion trying to be passed off as fact ?

Rubbish - first of all it is Patriality not Paternity, and in Kurtz case this was being referred to in order to obtain a 3pt starting average to fit into the Somerset team for 2013. Fricke, Horwood, Koppe, and Douglas are coming in on 5.00, so Patriality does not apply.

Think you will find that non sporting employment in the UK will have absolutely no bearing on a non EU rider being permitted to ride in the PL. If was that easy I'm sure all potential overseas recruits would be found other jobs as well, be it as mechanics, brain surgeons (which are obviously in short supply in Yorkshire ) or window cleaners !

Given the purported contacts Biggart has with Danish Speedway (was it not him who arranged for Leon Madsen's potential signing for Glasgow several years ago ?), perhaps he is lining up the likes of Mikkel Michelsen as a sensational new signing for the Tigs.

If the above PL eligibility criteria is correct, has Glasgow's new signing, Harley Horwood, or Sheffield's Damien Koppe, ever achieved a top four placing in an Australian State Championship ?

Well above is an unequivocal reply from someone who should certainly know, having actually been present at the BSPA Conference. However it appears some "paranoids" on here would prefer to believe this unsubstantiated drivel instead and conclude it must be Edinburgh of course.

Afraid that's rhubarb if you think Theo was "stale" at Armadale His GSA increased from 5.98 with the Tigs in 2011, to 7.71 this season and banged in an impressive 15 point home max in the last home match. I am aware he was a favourite with the Tigeratti, but Monarchs would be nutz not to include him in 2013, let alone obligingly send him westwards along the M8.

AFIK Dyer is a Swindon asset from his first stint in the UK when he rode for Dudley.

Scunny could do worse than use Matthew Wethers as their guest at OTA, a track where he excels and has beaten the likes of Doyle & Zetterstrom in the past

Well that's what happens when we have a protracted season with three separate match competitions, topped off with gimmicky end of season play-offs. Be better if Season ran from April to August and consisted only of a League Championship (with no play-offs) and a K.O. Cup. Better chance of completing events then.

On Facebook, picture of the track with covers on to protect it from elements, so every effort is being made to ensure the last match goes on. Currently overcast but dry in the Capital, and the weather forecast for Armadale up to 10pm does not indicate significant rainfall.

So according to this proposal, if the first leg was abandoned after 12 heats, then the second leg would also only be run over 12 heats, even if it was possible to complete the full fifteen ? Do you believe the fans going to the second leg would consider a predetermined twelve heat match as value for money ? Being polite I'd suggest this proposal to be based on flawed logic.

Re both wheels crossing the inside white line, this can occur at most tracks, and will be impossible to spot in most cases, unless you happen to have a clear view of the area where the incident occurs. In the Polish League Play-Offs last Tuesday, Iversen was shown on replay to have had both wheels inside the white line, but this was undetected by the ref. Installing raised kerbs would deter this practice, but might be considered a hazard if clipped by a wheel. There is probably magic eye technology available that could be installed to monitor for infringements, but would it be affordable in these recessionary times ? Anyway well done to the Monarchs in taking an unexpected point from this match and proving most pundits wrong who predicted at the start of the season that we would end up languishing near the bottom of the table. Barring any further injuries, I do not expect Comets to take the required victory at the Dale next Friday, which would pip Scunny from deservedly meeting Somerset in the Play-Off Final.