Roger Jacobs

If, if, if ...

But why isn't a draw good enough? Why is it different from any other result in a 15 heat League match? I've been at matches in the past where the last heat has been very tense and/or exciting either resulting in a win or a draw - that's the whole point of last heat deciders. Inventing a rule that one particular outcome is different makes no sense. The change in result can have a bearing on League positions, but not every team will be involved in a drawn match - and some might be in more than one - so the rule creates an imbalance, the same way that the tactical joker used to. Ipswich now have 3 more League points than they would have in previous seasons (using the 1pt home, 2pts away format), and those 3 points could be significant in determining the Play-Off line-ups, because they could keep the Witches ahead of Belle Vue, who haven't as yet, been involved in a drawn match, or even Sheffield, who are 1 point down on what they could have previously scored They've already got Golden Heats for knock-out matches - they don't need random, imbalanced gimmicks for League matches. PS: I did watch the Stupid Heat last night, and it was a very good race - but that's just a coincidence. The Witches had already salvaged a draw in a tense last heat, which was fine by me. I'm sure you could see the tension and nervousness in Chris Louis, and he was probably puffing out his cheeks, before the tapes went up in Heat 15.

But why is a draw any different to any other result? A drawn match is normally exciting, or at least tense, in its own right. If you need an extra race because the scores are level, why not an extra race when the teams are only a couple of points apart, to see if one of them can earn a draw or a victory - or an extra race when a team wins by 6 or 8, to give one team a chance to win by more or lose by less to gain an extra League point? It's a 15 heat format for a League match, which produces a result for a League table.

Yes - it was a decent meeting. Witches earned a draw - and then they had the Stupid Heat ... the most pointless rule since the Tactical Joker.

It was just a coincidence that the Stupid Heat was a very good race. It's still totally unnecessary.

The Stupid Heat won the day. Some entertaining racing, and the Witches deserved the draw.

They'll definitely be determined to show they're up to the job

Oystercard's average translates to about 7.30 in the Championship - not many choices ...

Trees - I know that you are a loyal and dedicated speedway fan, yet I'm surprised at how many straws you continue to grasp at.

Apparently the riders are being given two each …

Must be referring to Tungate at Ipswich? Of course, he replaced the injured (in great form) Riss - and Ipswich also took the opportunity to bring in Summers to replace Barker (suspended, and no sign of his return).

Football is absolutely no comparison - even so, the Premier League has positions for Champions League and Europa League, etc. to play for, as well as the race for relegation, and even prize money for final positions, so they have a lot to play for. Speedway’s Prem Champs don’t even get prize money …

That’s all it is though. Don’t think any Champions or other teams in the play-offs in recent years can say their attendances increased as a result - each following year they start from scratch …

Spot on! And many of us have been saying the same for a while now. On Saturday morning, BBC Breakfast interviewed four Primary School aged children about The Hundred cricket. One of them played cricket, and talked about the match - the other three all talked about the noise, music, lights, fireworks, excitement ...

Harris's average is too high ... his days of raking in the guest bookings have gone, until he suffers a slump in form.

I still don’t understand why you go on about Chapman. He’s not the promoter. Perhaps there’s no money available to make changes - or enough space in the points limit, with falling averages. They’ve remained faithful to riders who did them proud last season. Panthers fans were happy to rub everyone’s noses in it when Dads Army proved the critics wrong - now the team is having the season many expected in 2022, you’re blaming the same people who previously could do no wrong.

Wow! This fixture really enthused the BSF's faithful ...

So ... who do you suggest they chose? Andersen 4.96 and Ostergaard 4.87 ...

Who would you have booked as a guest for two riders with comparatively low Green Sheet averages? Apparently Carl Johnson was on the phone to any number of riders just to find someone who was available and prepared to ride. Not sure what Chapman has to do with it? Not a bad score by the three remaining Panthers, when many were predicting KL could hit 60.

And ... the riders will have to accept that they can longer keep up this incessant desire for acceleration which makes the bikes more expensive, more unpredictable and more likely to result in high speed crunches and injuries ...

Because it's a CET sport, with GB on the fringe?

Tatum often sounds totally unprepared - it's as if he forgets that riders are racing on other nights and for other teams, and/or that they're on a good/poor patch of form. Yet again for a Belle Vue match, he said that Blodorn is the Rising Star ... rubbish.

I think there's only one Francis Gusts, rather than a whole team of them Injuries happen, and guests are a necessary way around the problem - it's been like that throughout the modern era of British speedway, i.e. 1965 onwards.

Why take "I very much doubt it" as gospel? There's got to be a chance that the BSPA is waiting to announce because Eurosport will fit it in their schedule ...

The Regulations state clearly that if the British Final is abandoned and a restating is planned, then no result is declared. The BSPA had to nominate a Wild Card for the British GP. Their policy is to nominate the British Champion, who is Adam Ellis.