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Ben moves up next Sunday. So has one more meeting at reserve. By that point Stoke will have ridden 11 meetings in league and cup. We will have 5 league meetings left, at least 2 KoC, and 6 National Trophy, for a total of 13. So he rides less at reserve than in the main body. As for Jerran, if this were the PL, Scunthorpe would have had a 28 day facility for a retired rider. In the NL, you don't need to provide a reason for a rider missing a meeting, so Scunthorpe can use guests/R/R until such time as they redeclare their team without Jerran in it.

Jerran Hart is Scunthorpe's declared number 1.

Mr Lee doesn't seem happy. Shame.

Let's face it, who will want to pick us? Whoever finishes top will pick whoever finishes fourth, as with respect, I think there are 3 teams, once again, head and shoulders above the rest. Whoever finishes top will pick IoW (Both Dudley and Stoke already have big aggregate victories over them) and whoever is left faces each other. Final will, most probably, be whoever finishes top against one of Mildenhall and Stoke...and they could be some fantastic meetings.

Well that was unexpected! But that's how our team is built. Our top 4 score the big points, and we hope the other three chip in with a couple. Worked well! You always figure that going into heats 13 onwards we are strong!

You will take all 3 against us, barring and silly stuff (For some reason I remember our league meeting last season!) As for the second leg, as I said, Jack Kingston? Young lad, just signed a contract with Lakeside to be their asset, could use the track time. Looked tidy enough against you for us!

You couldn't use Oli Greenwood You can use a 3 pointer who isn't declared in a team, but not a 3 pointer who is. Jack Kingston would be a good shout, for example. If not, run R/R, Tom Perry could take 3 of the rides anyway!

So, when Stoke face Dudley at the beginning of August, the reserves will have a combined real time average of well over 20 (That's reserves on both teams. Reade is around 8.5, Perry around 10, Carr around 3.5, and if we say JWW around 5) That's ridiculous. For any league!

He may be, even considering his bad meeting against Dudley! However, Ben Reade would be above him I would have thought!

How are these calculated? I'm genuinely intrigued now

Bless you Sorry, I just assumed you sneezed...

It has been like this for years. Second is just the first loser.

So, no Birks tomorrow (Confirmed on the Stoke website) with Ben Reade replacing him. Birks has had to withdraw with food poisoning. Kinda throws the meeting open, no real standout favourites. I think Mildenhall will take some stopping though on their own track.

If Morris and Roynon had been there? And Birks had made the end of the meeting? Morris' rides got 2',1',1',2...beaten by Lambert, Reade and Reade (Although the last one Perry would have won, barring the very late EF) Stoke's problem tonight was Atkin not looking at the races, and Birks withdrawing. However, if we meet again, and the meeting is half as good as that one, then I will once again be happy!

Swings and roundabouts. I would have liked to have seen the meeting run with two full teams. As it was, both teams threw away points, but losing Birks after 1 race changed the course of the meeting. Yes, Dudley rode well, but tbh, once Birks withdrew I thought they should have won by a lot more. White-Williams falling and moaning in heat 8 cost you, then Worral falling in heat 13 cost you. Stoke were there for the taking, and Dudley will feel disappointed at not taking full advantage of the situation that they found themselves in. Stoke were a 2 man team, yet they still only just scraped a win. The luck I mean in general is Birks withdrawing, as without that, the scoreline would have been a lot different. (And would it have been different with Roynon? Possibly not. Worrall dropped one point in heat 1, and then fell in heat 13. Other than that he was unbeaten)

Didn't look hard enough then As for the meeting, Dudley must know they rode their luck, but Stoke had too many non performers. The whole point of this Stoke team is that the top 4 score a lot between them, Birks withdrawing with food poisoning, and Atkin being completely off the pace cost us dearly. Still, a fantastic meeting, and a great advert for NL speedway. Some of the races between Reade and Perry were fantastic. And, as Stoke found last season, topping the league means nothing if you don't win the play-offs...hope we see you there

Byron is an enigma at Stoke. I have seen him look untouchable, and have seen him look like he was never going to beat anyone. The whole basis of this Stoke team is that our top 4 (I include Ben Reade in this) have enough about them to score around 40 points minimum (12 each for Rambo and Birks, 8 each for Atkin and Reade) and it is then about the other guys chipping in with the remaining points. It isn't out of the realms of possibility for Birks, Rambo, Reade and Atkin to score 50 between them (13+2,15,14,8 respectively). But if one has an off night, we are in deep trouble!

Looking forward to this one, as long as the weather stays good, it has the potential to be a cracker.

So, Dudley come to Stoke this weekend, looking to keep their 100% record intact. For Stoke, Liam Carr is riding for Berwick, so we have drafted in Jack Kingston at number 6. For Dudley, No Roynon or Morris means Steve Worrall rides at 1, with R/R for Ash at 4. Teams: Stoke: 1) Simon Lambert 2) Adam Wrathall 3) Tony Atkin 4) Ross Walter 5) Ash Birks 6) Jack Kingston 7) Ben Reade Dudley: 1) Steve Worrall 2) James White Williams 3) Tom Perry 4) R/R 5) Byron Bekker 6) Darryl Ritchings 7) Dan Greenwood This meeting could go either way. I can't see anyone other than Perry getting close to Lambert or Birks, so it comes down to the remaining riders. I can see Dudley nicking a point from this.

Even if it were to take the last 6 meetings, for example, our last 6 meetings were all league meetings, and infact, our only league meetings. Reade 8.53, Atkin 8.26! Either way, it makes me happy to be having the discussion that our 3 point reserve is averaging more than our heat leader

Ok, taking into account all meetings ridden by Stoke this season (So adding in KoC and the 4 challenge meetings) Stokes averages are: Birks 9.76 Atkin 7.80 Walter 2.19 Carr 3.58 Reade 7.95 So, the list at the top would still be wrong, as there is no way Atkin could be above Reade. Not sure if sarcasm...Someone had to be dropped, other than Richie, to bring in Rambo. It had to be someone not on a 3, so that's Atkin, Birks or Jaimie. Jaimie had dropped his average by 2 points, seems the obvious decision.

Going off league meetings only, Ben is averaging 8.53. For the record, for league meetings only, Stoke looks like this Birks: 11.07 Atkin: 8.26 Reade: 8.53 Walter: 2.33 Carr: 3.58 Not included Wrathall or Lambert Pickard was averaging 4.83, and needs one more away meeting to gain a new average.

Really? I think Lambert and Birks will have something to say about that! Birks currently riding to a 10 point NL average, and Rambo near on untouchable at Mildenhall...

KL gave Stoke a scare to start with, but they had no answer to Lambert and Birks, with Reade only dropping one point. 12 heat winners for Stoke tells its own story.

Buxton have made a couple of good changes, but they are still not that great a team. Should be more competitive at home, but will still take a few spankings away.