Parsloes 1928 nearly

Only 37 times..? As a former Council employee myself I can tell you we never answer until a question's asked 40 times! A schoolboy error on your part there!!

Well stone the crows, after several weeks of being unable to post after the BSF 'upgrade' (sic), suddenly it's allowing me to again!! Am sure I've been missed!!! Can't say I've missed gustix STILL banging on about the biggest 'non-story' in his distinguished journalistic career..:why Connor Coles wasn't in that final (actually never to be...) away team of the KK season.. Hopefully we'll hear no more of that! Rather like it looked you were going to hear no more from me again!!

Can anyone help me out with the full name of the rider who partnered Les Collins in the Edinburgh Pair in this meeting at Arena Essex in 1994. I have it in my prog as V. Vlinen..

Right, well I wasn't actually referring to your one 'throwaway' (barbed though it was..) comment on this thread - more that you'd gone on about the decision to drop Mason all year without seemingly pausing for breath. Happy to hear that actually you understood why it happened all along!!!

Some very interesting contributions especialy from arthur cross. My point was merely observation really, that Romford Dogs is packed out for Friday & Saturday nights - sure BAGS is financially important to the Corals operation but those are real live punters attending the place those nights! And sure, the crowds did considerably increase when the 'Stow closed. I do think too that people in the Romford area like a night out. I sadly never saw Speedway at the old Brooklands (closed just before I got into the sport) but by all accounts they got huge crowds there too.

Hmm, so as you understood this so well all along, one can only conclude that your constant references to the David Mason 'situation' was all along just mischief-making...

For heavens sake gustix - change the bloody record! You've been banging on completely inaccurately about this for months now. The Kent side had a real problem with fitting in riders when Steve Boxall's assessed average was so high. When a rider as talented as Benji Compton suddenly became available early on in the season, the management could either have left it and Benji would've signed for someone else or make a (difficult) decision to temporarily change the side to get Benji in. The latter was the decision made. As soon as Boxall's average reduced, Mason was reintroduced and the Kings won every remaining home league match after that with Compton & Mason actually a formitable partnership. The decision was hard but clearly proven to be correct. Your constant banging on about it shows literally no understanding of how one has to juggle resources and make team management decisions. Is there ANY chance you'll finally understand what happened and why!?

What is the point you're making then?

Not an expert on greyhound racing by any means, but I can tell you that the crowds at Romford (which along with Plough Lane and Crayford is one of only three remaining tracks in Greater London) are absolutely enormous - well they are on Friday & Saturday nights. Incredibly there are weekly meetings on FOUR evenings: the two just mentioned plus Mondays & Wednesdays. Amazing - you name another sport which is staged at the same stadium FOUR evenings (and indeed two lunchtimes too...) every week?!

Yes - the decision to cut the MDL Final was based on a couple of things. Some unavailability of riders but also that two Stoke riders (Payne & Tedham) were due to appear for the Spitfires having already ridden for the Potters in the NL Double Header. As reseves that could possibly mean 10 rides BEFORE the MDL match where they'd have a further three. I think it was thought this could cause problems and I reckon they're correct there...

Don't think Wolves have a fixture on that Monday though I suppose IF the Olympique were rained off tomorrow that might take the Monday as a restaging date..?

IF the IoW win on Weds how on earth are they going to be able to stage a home leg of the Final as Dudley stage their home leg on the only remaining Tuesday..?! The more one looks at this the more one has to question the decision to go for a replay. Surely in the past some KOC competitions have used the run off at the end of the second leg when a tie's drawn. That would've saved us from all of this, this time around...

Now I hear that the MDL KOC Final part of this meeting is not going to happen....

As Danny is NOT in anyone's 1-7 and is a 3-point rider he isn't a 'Guest'... He's 'unattached'..

Yes I understand the KOC Final (if, of course, the FTs get there..) will be Saturday night.. Heaven knows what the plan is IF the semi's rained off today or it's another draw!! Surely there should've been a run off instead of a full-blown replay..?!

Well am sorry can't be there (my daughter's 20th. birthday) - but though circs have determined it, one can't accuse Stoke Speedway of ending the season on a whimper - should be an amazingly good afternoon's entertainment!!

Rearanged for next Sunday - one assumes as part of a double header (Mildenhall match already scheduled for then..)..?

Yes Jack's average higher than Connor's now.

Danny never in the FTs declared 1-7 so available...

This is such sad news - an all-time great and someone I met in 1976 and found to be a true gentleman. RIP legend

Extraordinary comment! Do you really think that little of British Speedway?

No-one has slated Robert at all. I would like you to clarify your comment about the "British Authorities have not helped him in any shape or form" - how do you mean? If by that all you mean is, they wouldn't let Robert compete on a 500cc until 15 years of age, then I'm sorry that's just the rules here. I know a lot of people don't like it, but there does have to an age starting point and 15 it is. This is NOT a prohibition put in place just to annoy the Lambert family. As I said, I can understand why Robert rides on the Continent, but I just happen to think he would've gained more by riding in events like the GB U-19s championship here and in the Play Off semi away leg. We ALL want to see him develop into a top world class rider and am confident he has every chance of doing so.

Feelings are pretty raw even 8 years on - but, as you yourself say, they didn't make any attempt to stick up for us in the dispute with the GRA; and I believe it was they more than the stadium authorities who had the shale lifted and thrown out into the car park the day after our last meeting - so they could hurriedly re-tarmac the track... All in all I'd call that revelling, though I accept it might have been more about allowig the GRA to divide and conquer because they feared for their own position if they'd taken a stand.

Hmm, I wonder about this 'contracts' stuff too... Bearing in mind the chopping and changing we see constantly for British fixtures, especially 'open' meetings, is it really possible that the Veenoor Golden Helmet meeting was something Robert was contracted to ride in from before the time he hooked up with King's Lynn and couldn't get out of..?! Of course the lad can do what he likes - but let's not get buried in all this, it's better for him to ride in these meetings in Germany/Netherlands/Belgium business (hardly Speedway hot-beds!); or that he had signed binding contracts etc. (he's 15 years of age so not sure there's such thing as a binding contract at that age!!). No, he and his advisers have chosen for Robert to have a very truncated NL season because they want the Continental meetings. Personally I think that's a bit of a shame, though King's Lynn might still win the League so let's wait and see!!

Er, now if any of the Stock car racing fraternity dare to criticise us for not mentioning them in future plans/campaigns. let's remember how THEY acted when the Speedway club was thrown out in 2005.. That was the time for fraternity and we gone none of that - only revelling in our misfortune. Personally I'd be happy for a new stadium to include Spedeworth's events too, along with Speedway because I accept that organisation's long association with Plough Lane but trust me they didn't give a fig about us in 2005...