*JJ

Never any danger of the Brummies losing; Cradley kept it close by a couple of 5-1s against the Bummies second strings.

Their parents aren't married, so they double up their surnames. In answer to the original question, very, very good indeed!

Whenever I was in the Cradley pits, Perry was there. I expect that he will replace Clegg next year.

I remember something similar being tried at Birmingham years ago - it was a thick rope which was placed behind the back wheels. The result was that the riders fought and struggled to get the back wheel over the rope to do their backing and filling. Whatever method is tried, the riders will have to be forced to co-operate, by means of exclusions.

There are actually any number of riders coming into the sport: see Richard Hollingsworth's 100-heat amateur racing! Where you are right is the almost total lack of help, advice and encouragement from nearly all promoters. Which leads to your second paragraph ...

Um ...Brummies have better heat leaders, Raiders have better reserves and second strings. Depends on who has extracted digit! The Brummies usually succeed by hanging in then winning heats 13, 14 and 15.

Posted on Brummies website: BIRMINGHAM squad member Robert Parker has escaped serious injury after a horrific looking incident at Monmore Green on Monday. The 20-year-old was riding for the Wolverhampton Wolf Cubs in their Midland Development League fixture against Scunthorpe. In Heat 2, Parker slid off and was run over by Luke Whitehead. Medical staff were initially worried about Parker's neck and back and also diagnosed him with a suspected broken jaw. Parker was taken to New Cross Hospital where thankfully x-rays confirmed no bones were broken or fractured and that he had been very lucky to just come away with severe bruising. The Northamptonshire racer is now back home where he has been advised by doctors to rest for a few days.

I don't know about 60, but the Brummies' top-end strength should seem them win in the last three heats.

You mean British. It is quite permissible for Welshmen or Sweaties to ride in the NL!

Quite right. Last night, Perks scored a 7 ride maximum! Obviously, Cradley would have preferred RR for this reason, but they would have been nearly as strong if he had been in the team. As it was, it was a rather boring match.

They also had a much better team spirit: they were cheering and encouraging each other in the pits, while the Wolves pits was silent!

I don't know ... no-one at Perry Barr has got near Jason Lyons' track record (56.4 sec.), set with the pre-2010 silencer; the later ones have slowed the bikes down a bit. This includes the top EL riders.

I was in the pits; after heat 2, Garrity was complaining loudly 'They are rolling it like...!' At least the junior team won!

Don't worry about it; they will just keep on about We wuz robbed, The ref was against us, We would have won if if if if ...

which

I was there; the best team won. Deal with it.

You don't have any choice about buying new kevlars, unless your team gives you a team-colours suit. Even complete beginners have to cough up ~£550 for a current-regulation race suit.

The rules actually state that hair should be kept within the race suit, but no-one seems to enforce it. I help an old-fashioned rider who has hair down his back; it flows out while he is riding, and nobody has said anything except for an announcer who compared him to Adam Skornicki!

Also, I suppose, it is getting yourself known. I have been helping a new rider on this list who says he will ride for any team, and has impressed any team manager who has seen him. But he still needs more rides ...

There are 53 riders in the list above. While the top 4 or 5 riders should probably not be in the MDL, there should still be plenty of riders for the ten teams? It is a fact that some riders are getting too many rides, and some not enough.

IIRC the surname was a coincidence ... she was originally Finn's girlfriend but had the sense to take up with Hans! I may be wrong, of course. Hayley will be riding in the amateur match at Scunthorpe tomorrow, along with another girl rider, Francesca Kirtley-Paine.

Wasn't it Suzanne? Girlfriend of Hans of that ilk?

You have evidence?

No chance - two speedway bikes are quite a weight in scrap metal.

Moving up to the EL was a disaster for Birmingham (twice - same in 1976) so Kent would be very ill-advised to repeat this.