Islander15

He’s local and still young. He’s worth another chance.

Looking like a side that will finish bottom.

Good to see Wirtzfeld back in the sport. He’ll do well at NSS and Colts fans will enjoy watching him.

It looks like a familiar Scunthorpe team again! Tbf knowing Douglas was leaving it was a massive hole for Scunny to fill. I think by signing Howarth they have actually found a very good replacement. He knows the track and the set up and has shown at Sheffield that he’s not phased by having the number 1 on his back. Which before Dougie, it always felt like Auty rode worse at number 1 than number 5. The reserves obviously look weaker than last year, but so do nearly every other team’s. Ablitt is always a trier at EWR and was pretty good to watch so after most of the season there he should hopefully be fine with an entire season as the more senior reserve. Especially getting more EWR races in the NL. Then Harrison is a cracking prospect. Hopefully no pressure on him and he’s guaranteed a place for the whole season, knowing that he’s got the ability to pick up some points every now and again.

A very strong heat leader trio! But none of them have been dominant enough yet to say they’ve outgrown the NL. Especially Harrison and Pijper who this league is made for. Develop the youngsters and even if they are winning races regularly at this level, they’re not ready to be only in the CL yet, so hopefully if they do hit a bad patch of CL form they’ll get a NL meeting to get some good points and increase their confidence.

We can’t really compare to last year at all given that all teams will look incredibly weak due to the points limit. But if that is the 7 then Oxford have remained loyal to their squad and picked riders who can genuinely progress to their CL and PL teams.

It looks a very strong side at home that should go through the season unbeaten. Thompson will score a maximum every week as this is clearly below his level and will be nigh on I beat able at most away tracks too. What is he really gaining? Crang looked a good prospect when he arrived on the scene as a late starter. I expected him to be more of a Starke type rider who was unlikely to ever hit the headlines but should’ve been a steady second tier rider. He’ll put points on his average this season but he’ll never make the Leicester PL team. Foord, Butcher and Spencer are reliable riders in their own rights. In a weaker league they’ll all probably put upto a point on their own averages, but again unlikely to ever make the Leicester PL team. Bizarrely that only leaves James as the one on a genuine constant upward trajectory. Plus Springer who deserves his first chance at this level and now he’s signed I hope he gets the full season. I still can’t believe they didn’t include Perry. They gave him a NL chance first and he very well could soon be a Leicester PL rider. Even in 2025 as a Rising Star assuming both Thompsons outgrow that role. But they haven’t given him this year in the NL?! I’m really confused by this Leicester team! In previous years they’ve got it more than most and put out a team truly for development! Yet this year we have a weaker league and it feels like they’ve done the opposite.

McGurk has shown enough in the past to be the best 3.00 rider this coming season. Hopefully he can get his confidence back and being at a track he knows will only help that.

Joe is tripling up yet they’ve massively dumbed down the NL! He’s going to score maximums every week and learn nothing at this level. A class above the rest b

Belle Vue Colts 1. Sam Hagon 8.24 2. Chad Wirtzfeld 3.81 3. Matt Marson 5.86 4. Luke Muff 4.83 5. Freddy Hodder 6.44 6. Jack Shimelt 3.00 7. Harry McGurk 3.00 Total: 35.18 Remaining: 1.07 Edinburgh Monarchs Academy 1. Connor Coles 7.79 2. Mason Watson 3.93 3. Sam McGurk 6.08 4. Dayle Wood 4.50 5. Max Perry 7.75 6. Mark Parker 3.00 7. Kyran Lyden 3.00 Total: 36.05 Remaining: 0.20 Leicester Lion Cubs 1. Joe Thompson 9.08 2. Vinnie Foord 3.81 3. Tom Spencer 5.78 4. Arran Butcher 4.69 5. Max James 5.70 6. Sonny Springer 3.00 7. Luke Crang 3.61 Total: 35.67 Remaining: 0.58 Middlesbrough Tigers 1. Danny Phillips 6.91 2. Jamie Halder 4.58 3. Archie Freeman 5.29 4. Elliot Kelly 4.41 5. Ben Trigger 6.34 6. William Hocaniuk 3.00 7. Ben Rathbone 4.07 8. Katie Gordon Total: 34.60 Remaining: 1.65 Oxford Chargers 1. Luke Killeen 7.73 2. Jason Garrad 4.77 3. Jody Scott 5.31 4. Jacob Clouting 5.05 5. Alex Spooner 5.07 6. Ashton Vale 3.00 7. Senna Summers 3.00 Total: 33.93 Remaining: 2.32 Scunthorpe/Sheffield Stags/Prowlers 1. Nathan Ablitt 8.49 2. Sheldon Davies 3.00 3. Ace Pijper 5.81 4. Mickie Simpson 4.23 5. Luke Harrison 6.86 6. Kean Dicken 3.00 7. Stene Pijper 3.00 Total: 34.39 Remaining: 1.86

If I was a Leicester fan, I’d be hugely disappointed that Perry won’t be back. But here’s to hoping that someone else picks him up, and the other teams haven’t already effectively decided their line-ups, given a youngster as talented as Perry deserves to continue progressing in the NL without the pressure of the Championship.

Hotel booked for Manchester for the SON.

This season was won by myself. That makes it a 7th consecutive year for a different winner! Adz was very close and Hawks adds a bronze medal to his gold medal from 2 years ago. The winning team was Jenkins, J. Thompson, Pearson, Roynon, Killeen, James, Harrison. Islander15 57.12 Adz_mft 56.94 Hawks1975 56.07 DJC 55.42 Flipper11 54.96 PotteringAround 54.55 Bloom89 54.43 Bojangles 54.33 Wessexboy 54.26 Fozzie4388 52.97 Phillipsr 52.34 Robbo403 52.00 Marky_Mark 51.81 Secsy1 51.73 Technik 51.50 Dukes 50.85 Sings4Speedway 49.37 Wessex Wanderer 47.18 Bluenose 43.50 Szkocjasid *team over points limit Everybody who was successful went with the triple 3.00 men being Killeen, Harrison & James. Roynon predictably made a mockery of his artificial average. Despite usually being a popular pick, only 1 person went with Atkins for his breakthrough season. Pijper & King were the most common picks of riders who dropped their average.

Congratulations Scunny on a well deserved silverware.

It’s all a bit strange timing. By saying with the play-offs approaching that suggest Lemon thinks they’ll make the play-offs but unless there’s a major collapse by Oxford or Leicester it’s going to be those 2! Belle Vue have to beat Leicester at home and claim the aggregate BP, be unbeaten at home and win once maybe twice away.

Bowtell to outscore Boxall could swing this Poole’s way.

Any SWC video links would be appreciated.

Unless Garrad has been signed as a 28 day injury replacement for Dugard? Whilst they don’t want to remove Killeen from their team incase he’s fit for the play-off final.

Zach Cook isn’t a bad choice but tbh I was expecting Jorgensen.

Surely this move actually makes sense? It’s only short term for the end (I can’t believe I’m saying end at the beginning of July) of the season. Berwick have 4 meetings then and by replacing an injured rider with R/R taken by 3 riders with a proven heat leader it gives them the bottom team in the league a bit more respectability and a chance to win in their final 2 home meetings. However if Boxall does hit the ground running, what’s the odds that he sneakily misses the final away meeting to not get a new average

Leicester started with 6 riders and tbf it’s not the club’s fault that Boughen left.

Interesting because a lower points limit was put in following that infamous Scunthorpe side. Admittedly I haven’t checked this year’s regulations but the limit was about 32.00 whereas even taking out Boughen’s average, Leicester’s side was still over 39 on effective averages and over 36 on starting averages. Not exactly embarrassingly under strength especially when they only lost by 11 away to some people’s title favourites!

It’s now showing as Booth. Unless Leicester’s intention is/was to sign Douglas as an injury replacement for Foord. This should be a comfortable away win. Clegg & Roynon will do very well but the Thompson twins are an admirable match. However James and Cubs’ second strings should have a field day against the Academy’s bottom end.

But with only 2 teams making the play-offs, they could be adrift by then.

Seems like Scunny have thrown away their season with these 2 new signings.