Sings4Speedway

Buxton 2017 - a northern flavour to cut travelling expenses & more than capable of getting near the play offs...... 1. Compton 8.95 2. Terry-Daly 4.57 3. Shuttleworth 6.55 4. Hopwood 5.93 5. Ritchings 7.14 6. Basford 3.37 7. Ruddick 3.10 Total 39.61

I think a lot of people have a soft spot for Buxton and wish every success for them. The efforts that the few put in are mighty and the resilience mightier still especially after such a trying year. Bad luck affects all sides in the sport although some attract/assist it more than others. My views on the effect Pipe has had on Buxton speedway may not be so complimentary but i for one would love to see the Hitmen have a successful season next year and for many years to come.

Quite possibly or his Dad cannot get the time away from work? I rate Harris over Powell anyway in terms of riding ability and nothing to do with his hilarious attempts to lay on the track and get and all 4 back

Sadly it looks like Kent are going out with a whimper rather than a fight? Hopwood is a decent guest but not a match winner like Danny. Clifton has had a disappointing season in my opinion and not being able to keep Thomas in a reserve berth has sunk the Kings season. As for Eastie they have the right to use & name whoever they like at reserve however Harris was fit enough to ride 2 classes at a grasstrack last weekend so cannot be suffering too badly!

Whilst there are obvious some stumbling blocks surrounding the signing of riders to Buxton (Location, facilities, finances etc) they are in essence a NL team and there are riders up and down the country looking / hoping for team places. I have no doubt it is possible to build a solid mid table team at Buxton and not that many years ago they were league winners. What has and will continue to hurt the club is the constant chopping & changing of riders, the old mates of Pipe's being signed and so on. If finances are tight then a look at local talent and keeping them happy has to be they way forward and is what has worked for the club in the past but the number of retired or want away riders this season has to cast huge clouds over future years...

I really hope so but i fear there might not be one. As for who will be in it? Same as this years side as the promotion have very little knowledge of who is progressing up to NL level hence the super long tail that the Raiders have suffered this year which in turn has done little for the image of the NL, the attendances & ultimately the potential for a team next season.......

Whats up with Slugger Chessell? Seems to have been mysteriously absent over the past few weeks? Would like to see Cradley keep this interesting but i think the 2 Toms and 2 Jacks will have enough to put this tie out of reach.

Below is a rough list of clubs from last year & the riders (with familiar names) who competed in most matches. Would make very interesting reading to see if any riders got near the completion rate of last season? (Yes there were a max of 18 matches per club last year vs 12 this season) but with last years mark of 9 matches for 50% completion vs 6 for this year it would be interesting to see how they stack up...... BELLE VUE David Holt 12 Andy Mellish 13 Sam Darroch 9 BUXTON Jack P Blackburn 8 Stephen Whitehouse 8 David Morgan 6 Sam Woolley 5 COVENTRY Kyle Roberts 10 Mitchell Beckett 8 Conor Dwyer 6 Robert Parker 6 KING'S LYNN Jack Thomas 9 Layne Cupitt 8 Ryan Kinsley 6 Josh Bailey 5 LONG EATON Lee Geary 12 Layne Cupitt 8 Robert Parker 6 Alex Wilson 4 MILTON KEYNES Rob Watts 15 Jeremy Pestell 8 Connor King 7 Robert Parker 7 PETERBOROUGH Danyon Hume 8 Alex Wilson 8 Ben Basford 7 Stephen Whitehouse 4 SCUNTHORPE Luke Whitehead 16 Stephen Whitehouse 14 Jamie Halder 9 Sam Chapman 8 STOKE Connor Fletcher 8 Sam Ward 6 Chris Bambury 4 WOLVERHAMPTON Sam Wright 11 Connor Fletcher 10 Mitchell Beckett 7 Adam Sheppard 6

With the introduction of the "squad system" this year and despite the reduced number of matches it is still disappointing that from the potential 12 matches available to riders it sad that from the "deserving" list Cov have 2 riders with 4 appearances & Buxton have 2 riders with only 3. That said hats off to Messers Beckett & Wright for completing 8 each meetings for their respective teams so all is not lost. Will have to look for the great posting from Mimmo last year as im certain riders were more consistently riding for one club than they have this season......

Providing the format stays the same i suspect the Rockets team will look pretty similar to this years. The promotion are limited in terms of contacts & connections which will hamper team building. If it wasn't for John Sampford putting the majority together this year it would have been much worse (look at the Raiders). Think a new number 1 will be needed also as a Saturday night track doesn't fit well with Eddie's grass/longtrack ambitions whereas a Thursday night track would.

Id have my 50p he is anywhere but Mildenhall next season. It appears he is well managed and will be very much sought after in 2017.

Very valid point although the rider costs/wages would be dramatically lower but i do accept that there are a lot of other costs involved. Surely a smaller profit & some speedway is better than neither of each?

Given the current situation with unearthing number 7's it might have made sense to run an individual national league meeting on a blank week? Invite those who are under consideration and see how they fared around the foxhole? Lower costs, lower admission but still some entertainment?

Hate it when actual riding lists aren't declared in advance when its obvious that riders won't be there but clubs still advertise them in the line ups right until the last second. Congratulations to all who competed. Surprised to see Jack Smith included as he was withdrawn on Monday following a head injury which i thought invoked the concussion ruling?

Exactly & any teams with a level of sense will have one or both reserves signed up for next season already.

Delighted for Shanes, feel sorry for Tressarieu as he was awesome all day & gutted for De Jong who i felt was harshly excluded from the final and thats no way to hand over your title.

Would think the Tom Perry would do an excellent job as he has rediscovered his early season form and has plenty of experience riding Leicester.....

I would like to think that was the case but have no idea if it is correct for certain. Personally i would like to see at least 3 of the RR rides taken by a number 8 each time so that riders are given the valuable experience they require.

You have to remember that its not just the teams but the riders also that want to avoid a potentially inflated average. Given the current rolling averages it could be very easy for a rookie to complete 4-5 meetings against struggling opposition and score strongly in each. The rookie would then shoot up to a 6-7 point average and make themselves virtually un-signable for the upcoming season and effectively end their speedway career. The system is floored no doubt about that. With RR It would be nice if other riders were used/given the chances to prove themselves, Maybe these free agents / number 8's shouldn't be able to achieve an average?

"Eryk Borczuch back on the 13 May, when he blitzed King’s Lynn with a 9-point maximum, winning all three races by a country mile, yet strangely he’s never been used since!!" ​I believe this is because he still does not hold a UK passport so was/is ineligible to ride and his points were subsequently removed from the result.

Superb performance from the Brummies last night who ran out worthy winners on both the night and overall. Big lessons in gating were dished out by the visitors and its hard to single out any rider for exceptional praise as Perks, Hume, Bacon, JPB & Perry were all brilliant although i would just give the Captain the nod being his best performance at Central Park and showing some excellent team riding skills. Smith was unfortunate to over ride and end his night early although i still feel the weak link in the team is Ritchings. For the home side the only real opposition came from Bowen. Ayres & Shanes put in plenty of effort but were generally bettered. Verge, Thomas & Clifton were shown the gulf in level last night and Mason (who couldn't be bothered with the away leg) looked largely disinterested last night. All in all the Brummies performance made my visit worth the entry money and although a much improved Kent side this year theres still much to do to catch the leaders and i fear that next season normal service will be resumed. And as an extra point i was yet again dissappointed that the Kent side were not sent out to congratulate the winners on the centre green.

Im certainly not going to state that Central Park is perfect because it certainly isnt although there is quite a lot more dirt down this season but most of all it is becoming consistent. The issue at Mildenhall is that they have to contend with Stock cars and then try and prepare a grippy track which generally results in a patchy surface. If riders don't get a surface they trust then how can they be expected to race side by side and provide the entertainment we desire. The list of injuries occurred at West Row this season must be the highest in the NL and matched by those lucky to walk away.

Think you are right. Eastbourne at home on a good day can cause a lot of damage so i would think Brum will go for Belle Vue/Cradley. A lot will swing on who Birmingham get as guest at number 1? Davey or Wilson look most likely although if the Colts don't make the play offs they can have Bewley!

Yeah im very disappointed with this line up but keeping fingers crossed a few have a good night to keep it interesting. Few riders not that popular at Kent might add some interest? Morris riding for Wolverhampton i assume but where is Clegg?

No mention of Morley on the Kent site? Cradley Bradley Andrews, Richard Andrews, Ben Basford, Luke Chessell, Nathan Greaves, Luke Harris, Rider Replacement for James Purchase Hope he is there though as i see little resistance from a Cradley side without their top 2.