Swift Saint

Yes that was last year's rule but for this season it is increased to under 5.00 as I was told. Malcolm Vasey

Only to you Derek. Malcolm Vasey

I dont find the concept the least bit difficult to understand. There is also a precednet that occurred when Exeter and Newport shared a team in 1997 when they were the Western Warriors at Exeter and the Welsh Western Warriors at Newport. Not really sure that they specified anything about the away matches I always thought of them as the Western Warriors in any event. It seems to me that when sound Promoters (Scunthorpe and Sheffield) select the names that best suit their marketing and promotional strategies and their sponsors that you seem to think your programme material should be considered in order to make your explanations easier to describe. Let's be honest you only have to state what the situation is once and you can then cut and paste as you see fit from therein changing the names as necessary. Anyway you specialise in "Tea Parties". lol Malcolm Vasey

Well Mimmo all I can say is some of the stuff you circulate would make you very much in the same mould you old Devil. Happy New Year Mike hope all is well. Malcolm Vasey

The Ram. How does he fit in Phil? It will be his last average qualifying season for League matches only ie 6 matches. Nothing else counts. They never use a PL avaeage if there is a Third Tier average available. I rememeber Mark Thompson's low average you got away with murder that year. Of course I know you tried to make it it was too high. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2011. Malcolm Vasey

Funny that, I think I would enjoy watching ladies hockey. Malcolm Vasey

I have highlighted the one that is not a CMA. Don't you dare argue with me or I will ensure Lowestoft score another 8 goals on Tuesday after today'ss blitz against Hendon. Malcolm Vasey

Phil you are qouting a mixture abpve of CMA's (with bonus points) and 4 Race averages (no bonus points). Official figures these days are worked out now using the four race average without bonus points and based only on League matches. I include both in my books so that they can be compared with the situation when CMA's were the figures used. My figures are meant to indicate a Rider's career record and therefore include everything. (League/Cup/Trophy/Shield) They never reduce averages for the National League and they never use a Premier League average if there is a National League one available. Malcolm Vasey

I am very pleased that the first speedway silverware of the year has been won with some style by our new Captain Tony Atkin. He feels that this is just what he needed to do to enhance his move to Stoke and his pride in coming back to the Potteries to lead the team. Well done Tony what a perfomance congratulations on behalf of us all. Malcolm Vasey

If Eric Gundersen is not required there could not possibly be any involvement for me. The fact is we have had an Under 21 Speedway management system for some time but nothing from that seems to have been done as far as I am aware at the very youngest level. I suspect that this is on financial grounds but that is just my opinion and not based on any empirical knowledge. I would love to see the development of an Action Plan for those wishing to enter the sport together with a publicity campaign and suitable encouragement for the youngsters who wish to do so. Clearly the Danish Model works so why not use that for a start with guidnace from Eric Gundersen. Experience may indicate variations to suit our environment and geography and the level of uptake. Know a good sponsor Martin? That would seem to be the key. Malcolm Vasey

Whilst I do not agree with your assessment of what is outrageous and what is not I agree that both of the above are a matter for rejoicing. We have a London Club again even of it is based outside the M25. Power to their elbow but not at Stoke. Malcolm Vasey

Tell me more? Malcolm Vasey

Whilst I agree with the logic of your comments this is not the time to consider increasing costs in this way. Any available money would be better spent on the development of a structure for riders aged 11 to 14.(Possibly even earlier) Start to get that right and the sport will grow. Malcolm Vasey

I do not wish to comment on the subject of Mr Ribbons' suitability or otherwise to be a Promoter. I do not know enough about his application to enable me to do that. However, his efforts on behalf of our sport do not deserve to be continuously denegrated in such a sanctimonious fashion by an unknown who does not have the courage to add his name. So to 25 Year Fan I would say that the level of your piousness is blinkering your ability to know when it is time to stop your outrageous personal public attack. Can we please be spared any more of your unpleasant vitriol towards Mr Ribbons? Whilst he was doing his best publically I suspect you were doing nothing anonymously and there lies the diffence. Malcolm Vasey

Sorry Ken it is not a mockery at all. This is a fusion of two Clubs who want to do all that they can to develop British Speedway riders but minimise the financial risk to themseleves in doing so in these difficult times. Why should the Scunthorpe supporters lose their Saints team when the side ride at the EWR in favour of something unrelated such as Hull or Doncaster. I know from my time at Scunthorpe that the Saints were a very popular part of the Club and some folks even preferred watching the Saints to the PL matches. So let's not decry the efforts of two clubs that have put their heads together and developed a solution that they feel is commercially viable for them. The situation elsewhere ie Lakeside/Rye House may well be different and that is why the Hackney name has been chosen. The Clubs involved have again come up with a solution that they feel suits them and good luck to them. I wonder if the sharing model will catch on it has been done at this level before in 1997 when Reading/Swindon, Newport/Exeter, Wolverhampton/Long Eaton and Ipswich/Kings Lynn had shared teams. I would have thought there could be a real possibility for Glasgow/Edinburgh and Berwick/Newcastle to share and maybe Birmingham/Coventry if we see the return of the Bees. Mockery of the League - nothing that could provide all of these racing opportunities could possibly be described as that - indeed it could be the Saviour of the League. And this shortage of rider everyone predicted. My phone never stops ringing with calls from riders without a team. To the extent that Dave Tattum and I converse almost daily about our plans and how various riders mught fit. Malcolm Vasey

What a great victory for the Fen Tigers. Not an eleventh hour reprieve but a twelfth and half hour reprieve. Look forward to racing against you boys with my new look Stoke Potters Malcolm Vasey

The mistake is in someone confusing the average fro Mark Simmonds with that for Nick Simmons. The correct avaerage for Nick is 8.05. Malcolm Vasey

Well done to the Belle Vue management, I look forward to even more local derby matches for the Stoke Potters and I will be very pleased to bring my team to the home of the most famous speedway team in the world. For us that's local derbies against Buxton, Dudley and now Belle Vue. Not to mention the great matches against my old friends at Scuntorpe and the folk at Kings Lynn who I know so well. Yesterday Graham Drury mentioned to me the possibility of local derbies against a Birminham team the "Bulls". Great teams in the south as well. Things are looking good. Malcolm Vasey

Well put Damon the logic of common sense. Funny he/she does not mention any interuption to his activities when the planes fly over. Malcolm Vasey

I certainly support the view that throughout speedway is often displayed a lack of finesse. I ma choosing my words very carefully here but I feel that every possible solution should have been considered prior to the present point being reached. Also the lateness of the AGM has left no time for a suitable rescue. It is disappointing when these things happen and I feel it for the supporters and staff at West Row who have been my friends for years. As for Planning and the vulgar system let me remind you of the fact that Boston were turned down after the Planning Committee gave us the thumbs up in 2003. Every Conservative on the full council voted against the propsoal for a track situated between a very busy main road and a light aircraft runway and where there is already a white elephant athletics stadium which is a major under used cost factor for the citizens of Boston. The local paper ran an independent survey amongst its readers and 93% were in favour of the track! I was very pleased that some of those Tories lost their seats against national trends in the local elections the following year. Effectively Boston Speedway was killed forever by a Tory led Council out of touch with people's wishes and I suspect becuase some of them lived in Sleaford Road which is a couple of miles away. Ineterestingly enough the fair minded local police tried to move cars of our supporters out of site because they were clad in details of the events. You couldn't make it up. The Big Society theme clearly had not got underway at that time! I'll do something for this Big Society when I see the MP's who paid back expenses taling part. No chance of that of course. I feel that our sport needs a Patron of great substance and distinction to lead us our of the wilderness and to make us appear better in the eyes of such people as the Boston District Council (and others) who had a mortto once "For Sport". Is there not a Chief Constable or Caninet Minister speedway supporter that can help us on the road to recovery. Or is that a dream that will never happen? Malcolm Vasey

I have had a soft spot for Mildenhall Speedway since I evenetually discovered its whereabouts almost 30 years ago. I worked for the Club in 1989, 1992 and from 1994 to 2000 when I eventually moved on to try and develop another club which eventually ended in failure due to some seriously biased council decisions in Lincolnshire. Since then I have had posts at Scunthorpe and presently at Stoke. Throughout all of this time I have continued to visit Mildenhall whenever I could and was always keen for them to do well (except against my own Club) and have many friends at West Row who I know will be desperately disappointed by the present situation. I have always joked that it is to Mildenhall that I will return when my speedway actviities eleswhere are finished. I am not able to comment on what has happened, as a Team Manager these days I am not able to attend the meetings at Rugby and have no idea what was discussed there. Howvever, I wish to express my sincere disappointment for all the supporters at Mildenhall and all the frineds that I have made there over the years and I hope that someday the Fen Tigers will return. I will miss your greetings when I walked around the terraces to eat the most tasty food in speedway from the Fish Shop. I know the great community spirit at Mildenhall ahving travelled at times on your coaches and I am very sad at the present plight of the Club. The sport is never quite the same for me when Mildenhall are not involved soemwhere. Let's hope that soemething better than this will occur in the future. Malcolm Vasey

It says somnething for our rules that they are not clearly understood by so many spectators. All three Leagues are the same in this area and are pretty much co-terminus on race nights the difference being around points limits and the use of foreign riders and thus assessed avaerages and the minefield that exists there. I was once accosted by a Boston supporter who demanded to know why I had not used a Tactical Substitute a few years ago. I said when should I have done that and he said as sonn as you were six points behind. When I explained that the rule had changed to an eight point deficit he sheepishly withdrew his remark excusing himself by saying "How was I to know that?". Sometimes words fail me. Malcolm Vasey

We dont have Tactical Subs now just reserve replacements and rider replacement. Malcolm Vasey

Thank you to the last few posters. I believe that I have watched more speedway at this level than anyone on this planet having been at the first match at Berwick in 1994 not missing a Mildenhall fixture home and away until 2000 when I moved to Boston but still followed Mildenhall whenever there was not a fixture clash. This has continued and even last season when I was at Stoke after my two years at Scunthorpe I still watched a vast amount of third tier speedway. I am disappointed that the financial situation has forced us to move into the National League but it is not the end of the world. Because of what you have all described and the greater degree of unpredictability at this level I have enjoyed all but a very few meetings during this entire 17 year period during which I believe I have attended welll in excess of 1200 such meetings. I am appalled by the short sighted comments of those who denegrate third tier speedway and believe that subsidies should be applied to have tracks in Scotland and now the extreme South West. In that way we might one day produce a British WEorld Champion. Malcolm Vasey

That's the same six or seven Stoke "supporters" repeating their intentions ad nauseum. Malcolm Vasey