crescent girl

It isn't the first time a promoter has "done a runner" and left a financial mess. But when a track has been viable before the carpetbagger came to town, it can be so again under better, more-prudent stewardship. Hopefully, a responsible promoter can step up, forge a deal with the stadium ownership and BSPL, and allow speedway to continue -- perhaps at a less-ambitious level -- at Charlie Dugard's lovely little stadium in Sussex for many years........

Yes, the latter part of October has been exceptionally wet. However, there is too much hysteria over the clogged-up Championship play-off schedule. In any normal season, Championship clubs would all have been running matches from around the fourth week in March. Because of Covid, the first Championship matches were not run (at Glasgow and Scunthorpe) until May 21st. This means these clubs lost around eight dates on which league matches could have been presented -- two-thirds of their home schedule! Worse, Plymouth, Kent, Birmingham, Poole and Newcastle did not stage a home league match until June -- losing another two or three race nights. All of this was down to Covid. Not the BSPL, not clubs being guilty of calling off matches too soon (although this may have happened) and not because of any poor scheduling. As most understand, the need for a play-off schedule remains a necessary part of speedway promotion, with profitable crowds the norm (look at the Premiership finals) and any efforts to return to the old, sadly-sometimes-boring "first past the post" system wouldn't be a good idea in a time the sport needs every big attendance it can attract. The Covid pandemic has been the worst, most-disruptive and world-changing influence of our lifetime. To blame any other factor for this unseemly struggle to run off the last few meetings, in this truly exceptional year, is a senseless knee-jerk reaction. IMO

Plenty of precedent to elongate the season if weather has intervened. Edinburgh/Berwick KO Cup Final was rained off (l think) three times and finally staged on November 6th!

Grobauer's travel costs wouldnt add up to much, he was hardly ever there.....

Zach Cook was at Edinburgh on Saturday with Ben

Bomber's debut as a Berwick representative will be at Redcar tonight, alongside Leon, Jye and Spud (in his final meeting)......

What makes you think that? I've found the NDL to be an exciting, refreshing and innovative competition this season, having watched meetings at Armadale and Berwick, both standalone and as part of double-headers. The young riders involved have made giant strides since the season began on May 1st and I'm already looking forward to 2022, when there will be at least one brand-new standalone circuit applying to join the NDL. On its knees? Don't you believe it!

Always happy to have a good discussion on here.... My point is that play-offs attract people to speedway, create considerable revenue and keep the sport viable. Regarding the "top team wins the title" argument, the rules are laid down before the season, so everyone knows what's what. Taking it a stage further, what about this past weekend? Are Poland the "real" World Champions, with Denmark on the silver medal? Or were those last two races not worth the admission, or TV money alone?

Did nobody clock the crowds at Belle Vue and Peterboro last week? These massive roll-ups will have doubled, even trebled, the respective promotions' revenue over a regular meeting. Similarly, what about the huge interest in the soccer play-offs each year as clubs battle for promotion in their various leagues? Or the full-house attendances at ice-hockey play-offs at Nottingham every season? The revenue from being involved in play-offs is a massive boost to any club's financial year, and in some cases could make a difference between failing or surviving. Regardless of the "fairness" of it, they are here to stay, and the season-long league table is a qualification process, no more, no less. It is up to the promotions at every track to make their regular matches bright and entertaining enough to keep them close to their budget, while aiming for a shot at glory in the play-offs to put icing on the cake. Yes, speedway is a sport. It is also a business. Run a straightforward league with only one winner and see if you can stay in business. Money talks.

On Sunday at the Son, all four riders in the Final were still gardening as the clock ran down. Would the referee have survived with his life, had he disqualified Lambert (again) or Zmarslk and decided the gold medal?

There is also the little matter of Keynan Rew not currently qualifying for an kind of work permit/visa to race in these sceptered isles.......

She isn't, but you still don't want to mess with her! Or with Leon's mum, come to think of it.....

You have to think Sedgy might have been better......

Going to be a big day in Glasgow! As well as the Test, Celtic are now playing Ferencvaros (Europa League) on Tuesday afternoon at 3.30!

Long John Silver?

Ben Barker on standby in case of finger trouble

Kings and Cubs meeting will be without the Thompsons and Ryan Kinsley, who are on CL play-off duty. Play-offs take precedence.

Nae luck, Roo-boy!

Yes. But with Wolves!

Whoosh....

I rather think Michael gets more than one pie..........

As was proven by the huge crowd at the GB/Australia Test, people will turn out in their droves to see top names they cannot expect to watch in regular action. The names of Tai and Bartoz (five World titles!) alone will pull them in, and having the rest of their nations' SON squads on parade as well is just icing on the cake. Full marks to Allied, and to Team GB for honouring their sponsorship. Can't wait!

That's correct -- but it is Leon (and Jordan Palin's) successes that have proven the success of the RS concept. Moving on, next year's crop (which will presumably exclude these guys, plus the ridiculous "RS" like Josh Bates, have targets to aim for. No RS idea can be expected to create more than a couple of real "finds" in any one season -- on this basis, it has worked, and worked well in 2021.

Leon's 20-meeting rolling average is 6.04. He is fractionally above Aaron Summers (6.02) in Berwick's final figures. NBJ is still No 1, on 6.34. The total average for all seven riders is only 39.16. From the 2021 matches only, Leon is second with 6.40, with Kasper Andersen the top man on 6.50.

Drew Kemp won the U19 title last month, Leon Flint was 4th. Both are rated as 3* -- how is using him as a guest for Kemp cheating?