Leicester Hunter

On this particular point I couldn't agree less. When the Phillips' were at Birmingham, the club was run so badly, they were firstly locked out of the stadium by the landlord, secondly kicked out of the EL and finally they were disqualified from ever being involved in speedway again. It's been mentioned on here and other threads that David Hemsley is not the most people friendly person out there. You can see that's a reasonably accurate description by some of the company he keeps, notably the person he appointed team manager a couple of seasons ago. However, he has at least put his money where his mouth is and reintroduced speedway to the city of Leicester after almost 30 years. He has also not been afraid to be ambitious, and has taken Leicester into the top speedway league in this country, admittedly with somewhat mixed results. Personally, I feel his choice of race night is totally wrong for the Lions currently and then there is the ongoing debate as to whether the track is actually any good or not (most fans say it isn't). When all is said and done though, it's his money, his future on the line, he can do what he wants, and largely has. What Mr Helmsley hasn't done though, is declare open warfare on his own club, encourage divisions within his own staff for his own ends and indulge in character assassination, all of which I saw happen with my club, and which nearly condemned it to oblivion. Personally, I wish Mr Helmsley, Leicester Lions speedway team and all their supporters the best for the future. I hope they can survive, speedway can ill afford to lose another team.

The points limit was introduced in 1977 after the combination of Ole Olsen, Charles Ochiltree, Ian Thomas and Brian Larner drove a coach and horses right through the old Rider Control regulations. They were two tier regulations as well. An upper limit of 52 points a team and your heat leaders couldn't exceed 27 points (three 9 pointers). Reading fell foul of these rules and had to release a rider, Boleslaw Proch, as it turned out, to Leicester, and they received the Lions' Doug Underwood in return. Whether or not it weakened the Racers is open to debate, as they finished third in the BL, two points behind champions White City, and level with fast finishers Exeter, but with an inferior points difference. As far as I can remember, the same rules applied in 1978, but were dropped for the overall 50 point limit (including bonus points) for 1979.

Fair comment, but Stoke are not alone in that respect. Eastbourne could also be said to have the same difficulties at present. To label riders who find themselves in that situation 'instant failures' is just not on.

Oh dear.... ....wait for it.... ....looks like he's beat you to it. He's listed as Birmingham's No8 this year.

Yes, that's right. He was a Postmaster, at Wymeswold in Leicestershire, I believe.

Oh, the irony... Talking about yourself again, I see. Ever thought about a career in politics?

Yes, you're right, those two races couldn't possibly be described as boring, but you've highlighted a big problem as well. There were a total of 21 races in that World Final including the runoff for second place between Olsen and Knudsen. How many other races from that Final have been mentioned over the years? Not many, if any, because the racing wasn't that special. There was the usual big Wembley crowd and the atmosphere was terrific, but Bwitcher's right. In front of a typical crowd as attracted at matches today, it would have been described as humdrum at best. In all my years following speedway, I've witnessed the good, the bad, the indifferent and the downright appalling types of fixture. The sport today is really no different to when I saw my first live meeting in September 1976. Leicester v Coventry and the Bees needed a 5-1 to win on the last heat. They got it courtesy of Ole Olsen and 'Mr Coventry' Nigel Boocock, who rode an absolute blinder and went from last to first, all played out in front of a big derby crowd and a great atmosphere. You could say I was hooked from then on.... However, as the years progress, people change, priorities change. I now have to run my own home and have bills to pay. The disposable income has lessened significantly with much increased travel and entrance costs. And I've found over the last year or so, the last thing I want after a long day at work is to rush my dinner, and have a git of a drive over part of the biggest urban conurbation in the Midlands. It's a shame, because there is still some good speedway to be seen out there, and it can occur just when you least expect it.

If he's in the right place at the right time. There's always an element of luck involved. Absolutely. No, there aren't, but we won't know one way or the other now. Er, I hate to break this to you, but Boston are still in existence. They're known as Kings Lynn Young Stars these days. And Kings Lynn were amply rewarded with the transfer fee they received from Poole during the winter of 2009/10. With that in mind, can anyone on here actually show me where Belle Vue, Coventry, Kings Lynn and Rye House can't sign new assets and put them in the NL? Because it appears there isn't a rule which prevents the Aces, Bees, Stars or Rockets from signing a promising youngster and putting them into their junior team. Yes, to all intents and purposes they might appear as separate entities, if the respective promotions are fully clued up, which they will be, they're not. Welcome to a two tier NL. Like Crazy Jack, my hard earned money will be spent elsewhere this year.

The situation I highlighted and ours in 2007 do not bear any comparison whatsoever. They were two completely different scenarios. You are mostly correct in what you post, we did go on to finish second in the PL that year, but two matches, not one, were completely meaningless. We were at Newcastle on cut-off day, and our rivals for a play off place, Isle of Wight were at Newport. As Newport's match started at around 2pm, one of our number (uk martin, if I remember correctly) was following Updates on his phone, and we knew by 5 o'clock at the latest we were out of the play offs, as the Islanders had won in South Wales. We did go on to win both on Tyneside and at Glasgow and finish second in the League table. So why should anyone have awarded us anything, as a wheel had not been turned in either match. What faced both Coventry Storm and Rye House Raiders on 11th September this year was simply this: Coventry win by more than seven points and qualify for the Gold Cup. The match was the second part of a double header involving Buxton as well. With hindsight, I suppose, and given the importance of the fixture, Mick Horton could, and should IMO, have put the Raiders on first. But he didn't, and suffered the consequences. Rain set in around Heat 6, and the match got to Heat 8 before being suspended. With the Storm leading 32-19 and Rye House having used their tactical ride, Coventry were two races from qualification, and it looks like they wanted to continue, to at least the 10th race, anyway. During the suspension, the rain got worse, leading to an abandonment. Contrast that with the Coventry v Poole fixture some weeks before.... It still doesn't alter the fact that the SCB awarded the match to Coventry some weeks later, presumably after Rye House had refused to go back to fulfil the fixture. Imagine that scenario if the League title was on the line. The team that had all but lost on the night get off on a technicality and qualify. The team that had all but won loose out completely. That can't be right. And neither would the page after page of bitching about it on here be either.

Technically is the operative word here. Of course next season's NL should be 'technically' weaker than this year's, as it's still a development league. That's the whole point. Certain riders should have to move on, others can take the plunge if they feel they can cope in a higher league without recourse to doubling down. Riders such as Adam Ellis and BWD have effectively been barred from NL racing now, and for consistencies sake, I can't see why Rob Branford, Max Clegg and Ben Morley weren't classified the same. They were all No1's for their respective teams, and all averaged over 9.5 points a match. Besides, they've all been around for a fair few years, so if they're not ready to move now, they never will be. It should also be remembered that in Branford's case, he won the Junior Championship some time ago, beating no lesser a person than Jason Garrity, who is now classed as good enough to graduate from the EL draft. This is one reason why I hate the play offs. Imagine the uproar that would have occurred last season if the play offs had existed to determine the League Champions. The Control Board (or whatever they're called this week) stepped in and awarded the abandoned match on which fourth place depended to Coventry, thereby giving them the necessary points to qualify, but crucially after the cut off date. I've no doubt that outcry would have been louder if the Raiders had gone on to win the Gold Cup. This isn't an anti Rye House post, BTW. I'm just pointing out some of the inconsistencies which continue to plague speedway. It's still a reactive sport rather than a proactive one. Something I didn't associate with the National League last season. Sadly, I feel that is no longer the case, with certain decisions that were made at the last AGM.

As for Autrey, Sigalos or Shawn Moran, they didn't get close to anything that Ermolenko achieved. Very very good riders, but Ermolenko was a level above. Not so sure about that. Scott Autrey fell out with the AMA over riding in the American Championship in 1979 when it was a qualifier for the World Championship. He was in many ways the 'stand out' rider in Britain that year, finishing top of the BL averages, if I remember rightly. Dennis Sigalos had that dreadful ankle injury which finished his career early, so who knows what he might have achieved later? Shawn Moran was having too much of a good time to really care. All three, I think, were easily as good as Sam. Barry Briggs Ivan Mauger Ole Olsen Peter Collins Hans Nielsen

Well if it is, it's a bit rich coming from Jolly considering how he slagged the team off on more than one occasion in the press last season.

That was said about Adam Ellis on more than one occasion last year. To the lad's eternal credit, he turned down invitations from six PL clubs to honour his contract with Birmingham. I can't see Ashley being any different. He'll be riding against the same opposition (more or less) in both the EL and NL, so to go Premier makes no sense. I don't think Cradley have any worries on that score.

Yes, you're right, it's six by my calculations (two of them in our first season alone) and we've blown the lot. Like some other posters here, I really do hate the play offs with a passion, and can't see any point of them whatsoever at this level of speedway. Why should any team have to win it again after finishing top of the pile over a whole season? It's not as though there is any television coverage with this league. To bring them back is an exercise in futility as far as I can see. Where the AGM has missed a trick is by not making the Fours a qualifying tournament, three groups of four, three group winners plus highest scoring runners up go into a full blown final at a neutral venue, like say Peterborough, for example. So the National Trophy isn't popular? I'm not surprised with the way it's been handled. Simply make every team enter it by making it a straight knock-out competition. I also think the points limit has been set a tad high. 38 would have been a more realistic figure IMO, two 3 pointers at reserve, and 32 for the rest of the team. This is still a development league, right? I suppose with the higher standard set by Birmingham and Eastbourne joining last year, some promoters have thought 'how can we follow that?' and this is the result. The stipulation of having to name a #8 and #9 wouldn't have gone amiss either, these to be used when other team members weren't available or injured, thereby cutting down on the dreaded guest appearances and R/R. Still, you can't have everything, can you? One final thought. Eastbourne didn't clean up at EL level because they decided to operate on a Saturday. You can't get top class riders to come here on that day of the week on a regular basis - as Leicester are now finding out.

No, not since Ben Hopwood was signed by Buxton. I would think Andrew Silver is going to announce the team like his dad does, ie all seven in one go.

Could be the old memory playing tricks on me, I admit that. TBF, I didn't watch many BL matches after '84 anyway, as my club, Birmingham reinvented itself at NL level. And after they closed at the end of '86, I was pretty much out of speedway until 2007. One thing I did notice upon returning to the sport, was that generally the top riders' averages were lower. I think a number of factors are in play with that: Fixed gate positions, the nominated race, but most importantly, no bonus points being included to bump up the CMA.

Mmmm, that's an interesting one, but taking the physical handicap Tony Davey had to overcome after his awful crash on Good Friday 1972 into account, it was a wonder he ever rode again, let alone become a heat leader at BL level.

From what I can remember, fixed gate positions came in with the three ride minimum per meeting for everyone for the 1985 season after the big split, when the British League and National League went their separate ways. Those rules were implemented at BL level only. Yes, that's right. As the top riders could monopolise the best gate positions if they wished, they were rarely beaten by opposition second strings unless they suffered mechanical problems or a fall. Let's also not forget that bonus points helped to inflate averages as well. One rider who bucked the trend was Briggo, who over the first eight seasons of the BL from '65 to '72 raced in 247 matches but only picked up 14 bonus points over that time, so his CMA was fairly representative as it stood. However, on the other hand, a workaday rider such as Arnold Haley picked up a fair number of bonus points during his career, and in 1974 alone collected 55 of them, scoring no fewer than eight maximums (four full, four paid) on the way to achieving a CMA of 6.98. Take off those bonus points and that average drops to 5.61, and he still scored four maximums. That's without fixed gate positions and 'like for like' racing. I do think the BL of forty odd years ago was tougher than the EL is today, BUT - if you cut the number of teams in half and include fixed gate positions and 'like for like' as happens now, you would end up with stats and figures which are largely like the ones we see today.

If that's right, we've got the makings of an excellent team for next year. And exactly 4 points left for the last rider.

I did actually get to Earl Street, Crewe, but to see F1/F2 Stock Cars. What a wild old place it was. Railway sleepers everywhere, they even used them to make the terracing. The programme stated the track was 440 yards long, but it looked much bigger than that. Still a very sad time when the stadium finally closed at the end of 1993, though. I've also seen Stock Cars at Bradford (Odsal), both the shale and tarmac versions of Skegness and Brafield near Northampton, which I understand hosted speedway briefly in the early '50's. I managed to get a look round Ellesmere Port's Thornton Road track, but there wasn't a meeting going on at the time. Is it correct that the track is still there? Blimey. Got a warehouse to store 'em all in?

I'm talking about the time I started watching speedway in 1976. That year, there were 19 teams in the British League and 18 in the (New) National League. By 1978, that total had increased by a further two as the National League had 20 teams in it. Taking into consideration the amount of doubling up and even trebling up which occurs these days, and which didn't happen then, you can see how much the sport has contracted since then.

Since September 1976, I have visited the following tracks which are no longer operating as speedway venues (and in some cases not even existing now). Birmingham (Ladbrokes Perry Barr) Birmingham (Wheels) Leicester (Blackbird Road) Long Eaton Cradley Heath Hull (Boulevard) Halifax Middlesbrough/Teesside Berwick (Berrington Lough) Glasgow (Blantyre) Edinburgh (Powderhall) Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville) Boston Oxford Newport (Hayley Stadium) Reading (Smallmead) Hackney London White City Wembley Wimbledon Canterbury Exeter Weymouth (Radipole Lane - the original one) Isle of Wight Edited to add: Belle Vue (Hyde Road) Milton Keynes (Groveway) I make that 26. Just shows how the sport has contracted on itself over the years, I visited most of those tracks up to the end of 1986.

It must have been at the end of 1983 to coincide with the introduction of the new starting procedure for 1984. As far as I'm aware, until then, a tapes exclusion was included in a riders average calculation, but a time exclusion wasn't, primarily because they had come under 'starters orders', that is, the green light illumination. Another factor probably being considered too was the 'two ride minimum' rule which applied to reserves, but not riders in the main body of the team. Certainly prior to 1980, a rider programmed between No's 1-5 did not have to take an outing at all if the team manager wished, but a reserve had to make two starts. On more than one occasion I witnessed teams at British League level who turned up with one good reserve and one virtually out of a training school who surprise, surprise, went through the tapes second time out and was replaced by the good reserve and it was all in the rules. Taking the tapes exclusions out of the calculations closed another loophole which was exploited by more astute team managers. The three ride minimum rule introduced for the 1985 season at British League level only further tightened up on that. That's purely my interpretation btw, but it makes sense to do it that way.

Oh, come on, everyone who knows their speedway history knows that those two were far from unknown when Cradley signed them in 1978 & 1979 respectively, in fact they were both targets for Wolves in early 1977. But seeing as you are a commited Heathen, I can understand your reluctance to acknowledge that fact. Thank you, kind sir. Best of luck to Cradley too. The horizon is looking very bright for both clubs next season.

Aye, and at that rate, those 40 exclusions amounted to over one a match even if he did a full programme! Erik still amassed enough points to achieve an average of over 9 points a match. Shows what a class act he was back then. It wasn't really a bad rule to bring in at the time though. Some matched in 1983 descended into farce with certain riders' tactics at the starting gate. Neil Evitts was one in particular. Although he went from No7 to third heat leader at Birmingham that year, we had to endure some interminable b*ggering about at the tapes from him that season. He just didn't need to do it. All he did was put himself at a disadvantage as the referee would let him nudge the tapes twice and generally let them go up when he was rolling backwards from them the second time. It was a shame for Michael Lee though, as he enjoyed something of a renaissance at Wimbourne Road, going from speedway's Public Enemy Number 1 to basking in the sort of popularity he amassed in his first three to four seasons after he exploded onto the scene at the beginning of 1975. But by the beginning of '84 it was starting to unravel again, and as John Berry wrote in his first book, Mike was largely out of control by then, as he had fallen in with the wrong and totally inappropriate crowd. A great shame, as he and Kenny Carter could have carried the British flag in World Speedway for years ahead. Both terribly flawed characters, but immensely exciting to watch on their day.