*JJ

A couple of years ago, I was with an MDL rider who fell off because he got his foot in a hole. And last year, I walked out onto the track, and was horrified at the state of it: it was like broken-up concrete. It seemed a bit better whe I visited last month, but not by much. When the home heat leaders keep falling, there is something wrong.

This is quite common, especially at Stoke.

At least with the present Birmingham race suit, you can easily see them!

It didn't seem much worse than usual from the outside, but when Tom Woolley tried to ride it, he was hitting a hole on the third bend and continually lifting and losing it.

Just riders being brave and trying too hard.

Quite right, I was thinking of Hume. In the last heat, Bowen fell, Thomas was excluded.

2 + 1 actually. Does this sort of nit-picking make you feel good?

Demonstration match vs. Carmarthen, but only three heats. Score Bulls 10 CD 8. Chattin 8, Rachel Hollowell 1, James Spencer 1; Fletcher 1, Tom Spencer 5, B. Fellows 3.

Butcher fell in his first heat, and was injured. He was withdrawn from the meeting. As for falls, they happened for both sides: Kent took heat 1 because Bacon fell off trying to overtake Bowen, for example. Then Hume fell going for the lead in his first ride. Finally, Brummies lost a 5-1 in heat 15 when both Kent riders fell!

No, the referee was doing it all night. He was Graham Reeve, who should know better.

Fourth bend, first lap. Bacon and Hume gated, and were on a secure 5-1 when Thomas helped Bowen into the fence. Re-run, after a long wait for the air-fence to be repaired, the referee again held the tapes for ages, and Bacon was said to have touched the tapes (he was not amused) and he was on 15m. Finally, Bowen made a blinder of a start and won the heat.

Once Walker and Cupitt joined in the fun, the Brummies were the more solid team, as happened at Stoke. Kent were lucky in the last heat; a Brummies 5-1 turned into a 3-3 by the Kent riders falling!

Like some 1950s Rock 'n' Roll!

Indeed. JPB is mega-talented, but obviously very badly advised. But I think that there are plenty who could make it, hopefully.

You never heard of Bewley, Brennan, Edwards, Smith etc.? There is plenty of talent in this country if it is nurtured.

You should change your name ...

They spent years coming up through the Junior speedway system, although the first time I saw Bewley, Bickley and Kemp was at amateur meetings.

Development Leagues. You need to serve a season in the MDL etc. at least before becoming good enough for the NL; a DL superstar will still struggle at NL level, just as a NL no.1 can struggle as a Championship reserve. The fact is, unless they have been racing in motorcross etc., a rider progresses ftom training sessions (not 'schools') to amateur racing to Development Leagues to NL.

He didn't ride for Birmingham last year, or only 50 yards at the P&P day. No NL team will get 'loan fees' and certainly not 'training fees'. Not that Birmingham (or many other teams) lifted a finger to 'train' any riders.

I went into the grandstand for the second half - it was bitterly cold - and found that it was nearly full, so there must have been more people attending than it seemed. There were plenty outside.

True but then again I am about 55 years older than the speedway rider!

Probably, Arran is a fill-in until Dan Gilkes becomes available in the summer. Judging by the vast breadth of Roberts' backside, he needs to get fit before he is ready for the NL.

Most unlikely ... any rider with any sense stays on the inside on the fourth bend - it tightens up, throwing the rider into the fence if he isn't careful.

Indeed - but the only place that seems to do this is Scunthorpe. As far as Birmingham is concerned, the previous NL promotion never lifted a finger to find new riders, merely signing those who started at other teams. At least the present promotion is talking about finding and training new riders, although they are constrained by the fact that they don't own the stadium, have a 10 o'clock curfew and only have the use of it once a week.

And I bet if he was trying to get into YOUR team, you wouldn't be squealing about 'fiddling'. Borczuch has been living in this country for years, so if he has a British passport he is just as eligible for the NL as Mitch Davey, Adam Ellis, Jack Smith and the like.