I generally agree with your posts and always respect them but I do think this is a bit disingenuous. The NDL has always provided opporunity for riders who enjoy riding, have neither the ability nor in some cases the aspiration to go higher but who are more than capable of competing at a decent level. To think of a few recent examples, Danno Verge a loyal servant to IOW who was never going to be any more than a 5 point NDL rider. Tom Spencer, who I watched riding and struggling on lawnmowers in his early days, who has steadily developed and hit a very decent NDL avergae last season and has got a deserved bash at CL level this year. In this Plymouth team is Kai Ward who I watched a few years ago when he could not do 4 laps without falling off. He's gone to amateur racing, learnt and steadily improved and last year proved he could be a competitive reserve in the NDL. There will always been Brennans, Kemps, Flints etc, the likes of Cairns and Boughen and some other newer riders look well capable of aspiring to a full time careeer in the Sport. However I do agree with your general train of thought. As a Brummies fan I felt the NDL of 2016-2018 was excellent, when Brummies moved up to CL in 2019 and struggled unable to compete i realised that the BSPL attitude was to neuter the NDL by making the better clubs move up. The supposition that it was to support Clubs like Buxton, Stoke, IOW etc blown away by the fact that those Clubs left for varying reasons. There are 2 ways forward really... (1) make the NDL totally amateur and assist the amateur tracks and providers to have a more sustainable footing  (2) to remove a lot more of the big earners - cream off possibly the top 16-18 over 30's and to make the CL the equaivalent of what the NDL was up to circa 2019-2020. But of course we go back 20+ years to the Sky TV cash cow that was blown, spaffed up, secreted away don't we?... The legacy that 30-40 riders have to ride PL and CL to generate the 40 + meetings to make Speedway pay and stuff the rest. Too much water has gone beneath too many bridges I fear to rectify the issues now. No disrespect to them but thats why i see the likes of Bomber ; Scott ; Lawson, Masters , Worrall ; and many more riding well in to their late 40's and early 50's. A few classy kids will arrive and join them, a few might by-pass them (like Brennan) to join Lambert and Bewley but the model is utterly BUST I'm sad to say. NORA may be the way ahead for MANY of the current lower tier Championship Clubs but if they don't own their own stadiums and generate as much income from anciliaries like food and drink sales as a result, the future looks very bleak                        

I thought Andrew Bain explained the Cook situation well, commenting that they wanted a stronger reserve pairing, certainly after last year can't disagree with that policy. Doesn't change the Cook vs Batchelor debate, come October we can judge if they got it right.

Maybe decent around Armadale,but his average went from 2.63 to 3.33  for a rider that’s been around 10 years it’s hard to see him improving much more which is really what you need a reserve to do.IMO.

Glad to make someone's day on a monday morning. Makes it all worthwhile.

That is what the league has become. It used to be team places for those who were good enough, now its about places for those young / local enough. I know what im expecting and do genuinely hope im proved wrong but i very much doubt it.

Sensible decision if he's not 100%, gives him more time to prepare for the season for us and Belle Vue.