RoundTheBoards

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Can someone ask Kelvin Tatum who Will Kurns is?

I wouldn't say Belle Vue are too strong at all. But we are suffering from the winter problems caused by the Ipswich/Chris Louis situation and the Northampton late start. Arguably Sheffield were stronger than Belle Vue, and were the favourites for the title pre-season. The difference is that Belle Vue moved quickly to replace the injured Dan Bewley while Sheffield didn't replace Jack Holder and have been running much weaker since his injury. Leicester could still finish top of the league above Belle Vue if they replicate their "A" fixture wins at Ipswich and King's Lynn. King's Lynn are a solid side, with a GP no.1, who pushed Belle Vue all the way at the NSS last week, but don't seem to be getting on with their home track (King's Lynn used to be one of the absolute best, what has gone wrong with preparation these days?) Ipswich were done dirty by Louis, but with the new owners, they won't be this weak next year. Northampton of course were badly hindered by the late start and having to start from scratch. But they have a good set-up, decent crowds, and have had EIGHT matches which they have drawn or lost by less than 6 points. It wouldn't take much to turn them around into wins and they'd be quite successful. So certainly nothing is as black as is being painted here. Let's get a good ITV deal, get back Coventry, Swindon, etc, and build everyone up to the Belle Vue/Sheffield level. Let's not be negative and start weakening.

Absolute piss-take. The claimed to have signed elderly 37-year-old Simon Lambert to help coach the younger riders. Will he also be coaching the more elderly 39-year-old Edward Kennett? How are the BSPL allowing this to happen? They raised the points limit, and allowed in old has-beens who are far too good for NDL, so that some glory-hunters can go on an ego trip, and in doing so they make NDL unviable for the likes of Belle Vue, Sheffield/Scunthorpe and Plymouth who actually wanted to develop youngsters. Utter madness.

Justin Sedgmen

Yes, that's what I meant.

Would be best if it's not shown live. Just make it an hour highlights programme on Channel 4.

An hour and 10 minutes into the Buxton v King's Lynn meeting, and still only up to heat 6? Not good.

Not really sure what all the hysterics here are about. Riders do get ill, like the rest of us. I have no idea what Lawson's illness was, or the severity of it, but it's quite possible to be ill. Ipswich could have used a guest facility. All they need to do is produce a doctors' note within 24 hours of the meeting taking place. (But this would have resulted in Lawson being suspended for 7 days for a non-speedway illness). With it all being at such short notice it looks like it was impossible to get a guest, and the only cover they could find was Freddy Hodder (who lives 10 minutes from the Leicester track). So it made sense to not use a facility for Lawson, and use the only option available (Hodder) who fits well within the "no facility" criteria. (up to 75% of Lawson's average). That way with Ipswich not using a facility, Lawson isn't suspended.

6 Premiership teams means 5 home and 5 away, twice = 20 matches. So 20 is the exact correct number of meetings to get a year's average. The fact that Tom Brennan's average is higher than his current scoring says that he is currently off-form and under-performing, which I'd say is the case at the moment, but he'll battle through it, and regain his true form soon.

Makes you wonder if Buxton are nervous to announce who is riding... Possibly worried that there are plenty like @ArthurRudge around, threatening to stay away from any track where he rides. I would have thought that naming the line-up would get people talking, and that can only be good publicity

Zagar surely can't be far away from a return now?

I heard that @ArthurRudge has bought his ticket already!

Because teans staging open meetings usually invite their own riders. You'd be a bit peed off if the club you rode for staged an open meeting and didn;t invite you!

None of the 6 riders in the Buxton team (still no 7th rider) are under 21 (many not even close to 21) so if that's the standard they're aiming at, then it shouldn't have any conflict with a British Under-21 meeting containing all the youngsters.

A good point that I missed in my summary of why 70s top riders had higher averages. You hear stories of so-and-so being a top rider and always letting his junior partner have gate choice. Those were a rarity (if they existed at all). 99% of the time, the top rider had the best gate. And with no need to sit still at the starts, the referee would often allow the superstar to get a flyer.

My favourite era was the 70s. Crowds were big and the atmosphere due to the big crowds was incredible, even for run-of-the-mill, very ordinary, bottom of the table matches. The racing is far better now than in was then. But today's racing in front of 800 people just can't match the atmosphere of a league meeting in front of 8,000.

Back in those days, bonus points were included in the Green Sheet Averages. This made a huge difference to averages. (remember there are on average 10 extra bonus points in a 15 heat match). Also then, matches were 13 heats so the top riders likely met only once in a meeting. Nowadays with 15 heats including a nominated, top riders will meet at least twice. And with the 4 top riders all meeting in heat 15, someone is going to finish with a zero and take a big dent on their average. In the 70s, a top rider would go into every race with a reasonable expectataion of finishing second at worst. Also back then, leagues had 16 - 18 teams. They met only once all year. Nowadays with fewer teams and fewer riders, teams meet more often, so top riders clash more often. If was also quite common to turn up on a Saturday night in the 70s to find Peter Collins isn't riding tonight or Ivan Mauger isn't riding, because they had a lucrative Grasstrack meeting in Germany on Sunday afternoon. So riders might even miss their only league head-to-head of the entire season. (with no internet. no one knew they were missing until they'd paid their money, and no one seemed bothered). With just one bike strapped to the back of a car, no lower end rider had the equipment to challenge a top rider who may have a workshop at the track. If you want closer racing with a more level playing field, and riders meeting more often, then the current day is for you. If you want a few top stars for publicity purposes with the top stars artificially inflated to appear more dominant than they are, then the 70s are for you.

In that case, need to ask Jack what he had for dinner last night.

We can't read, and we can't write, but that don't really matter. Because we are from Ipswich, and there's no blade on our tractor.

Leon Flint guests for Kildemand, whilst Jye Etheridge is the no-facility replacement for Iversen.

Great news. Would love to have been there for the first meeting, but not possible. Will be there in the coming weeks.

After that, I'm certain you don't know what development means!

Didn't take long for the retired Trigger to re-retire. Middlesbrough have moved to replace him with the upcoming youngster Jade Mudgeway. Can't knock Middlesbrough too much. I doubt very much that they are one of the "win at all costs" teams who pushed the points limit up to a ludicrously high and unsustainable 42. They've just got sucked into it, as the NDL slowly moprhs into the National Veterans League.