Parsloes 1928 nearly

Not JUST the Premiership but in fact I know of no football league which decides its title this way.. Let's have your theory on why not...

Only if the three rider races were one involving R/R which I'm not sure they were, were they.. Well done to the FTS but in truth shows all that's wrong with the play-offs as yet again a championship leading side has imploded at just the worst possible time, through a combination of injuries and off form riders. Such things even themselves out over a season but not in the play-offs - there they're totally decisive.. I await Mr. V. telling me that the P/Os remain a brilliant concept and that I'm some kind of dinosaur for supporting the traditional league championship idea..!

Rugby League used to do this with an end of season play-off type event called the Premiership. Thus there were proper League champs (ie -shock! horror! - team finishing top of the league) and a separate money-spinning event of considerable status too, comprising the top 8 with a neutral ground cup final. Of course RL have abandoned that in favour of actual play-offs to decide the champions but they only did this to please their Sky TV paymasters which is exactly why Speedway's Elite League do so... Quite why the non-televised National League follows suit I'm unsure.. I don't think the PL do, do they..?

I think it would have to be an NL Young Stars level side as this is the way this tour is pitched and with no 'guests' planned in the tourists' side... Also the article in this week's Speedway Star suggests that's the sort of line-up KL are putting out... Should be a good 'un!

Outdated thinking..? Having a League decided by the team which finishes top after everyone has played everyone else over an entire season..? Funny how Football manages to hold onto such an old fashioned concept isn't it..?

I 100% agree but each time I have expressed such a view on here a certain person who's now the Potters TM has torn me limb from metaphorical limb for so doing... Let's hope he doesn't regret such a position after this latest exercise...

I love the Stepney Green gag! Talking of Stepney, many years ago I worked in the old DHSS office there and one of the claimants had the name, Nicholas Brown-Marks..: now that's a good comedy name!!

And some interesting names at that! Tuff McBride sounds like a character from those British boys comics of the '60s and '70s!! In fact wasn't there actually a strip called 'Tuff of the Track'..?! We've already commented on what a marvellous name Rocco has... It could only get better if it turned out that the no. 4 has a mother who's called Theresa!! Really looking forward to this one... Let's pray the good weather continues and that the no. 7's name in no way proves prophetic!!

Hmm, surely the most obscure link ever posted on the BSF..?! :blink:

Indeed - and possibly two more to do with Scunthorpe/Sheffield or is it just plain Scunny(!) coming to 'Hackney' (at Lakeside) on Friday week and if they both negotiate their P/O semis a possible Championship Final at Stoke..

Sounds like he must have broken the track record!!!

Final score was 51-43. Many thanx to PhilK for updating by text. Sounds like the two P/O matches next weekend will be, er, lively!!

Sounds like the Potters made (almost) the most out of their two TRs - both 7-2s. All kicking off now though!!!

Thanx - though some on here won't have FB accounts so can let you know (again courtesy of our Phil ) that the score's changed dramatically now to 38-19 after ten heats: yes a 5-nil and three 5-1s to the home side! Interval now and one assumes a vital as far as the Potters are concerned TR coming up..

Thanx to Phil K can tell you it's 23-17 to the FTs after heat 7

Thanx for quoting the statement, coz it had reached a point where I began to think I'd imagined this! For in doing progs for a couple of the 'away' tracks I've been mindful all year of following this protocol set - let us remember - by the new clubs concerned.. In my personal opinion it would've been far more sensible to call the team Scunthorpe/Sheffield (or, er, Sheffield/Scunthorpe ) from the outset, but it was their own decision not anyone elses and they have that right...: it's their 'buiness(es)... I guess the logic then follows this into the play-offs where as the semi home leg's at Owlerton the away leg is branded as vs. Sheffield and then if they make the Final a similar approach would be taken; but surely at this juncture common sense (sadly lacking all year so far...) should prevail and they need to go with Sheffield/Scunthorpe (or vice versa). Next year how about trying a 'neutral' name to avoid this...?

A post which 100% sums up the situation. I simply couldn't agree more or certainly couldn't put it better myself..

Okay, so one man's positivity is another's negativity - as your post amply proves.. There's often talk about the NL being for development and a route for young riders to start out, yet here you are decrying the opportunity being given to the best riders shining in a training day to get some invaluable competitive experience... As the league play off positions are now decided, yes, this fixture does not have the importance it might have had, but neither does that make it a "meaningless challenge match".. And I'm sorry, but I'm looking forward to this as a stand-alone fixture with what I personally think is an added attraction of perhaps some riders new to the division making appearances, far more so than I would if it was tagged along as effectively a second half to a PL fixture, as was the 'Hawks farewell's original fate.. Judging by the calls I've had today from people hoping to come along, I think you might find there are others who agree with me....

Yes - actually that time it was an event only held that one season (2006 I think it was...) called the Conference Shield: held a little later in the season. Some kind of combo of that and the Trophy for sides unable to commit to a whole NL campaign would be a great idea; and yes, hopefully, 'Sittingbourne' (ie the Iwade-based club) would also be able to take part in that... And how good would it be if Lydd were allowed to as well...

Indeed - certainly I read positive vibes in Cookie's quotes that NL-level racing (even if a full League side might be tricky to fit in...) is still very much on the agenda...

See following link for the details of what is, as the PR says, a proper send off for the Hawks: http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=66737&st=0&gopid=2011985entry2011985

Really positive news that this last Hawks fixture is now at Lakeside. Details of date, reduced admission etc. in following official PR: Press Release Hawks proper send off While all eyes are currently on the build up to the Elite League Play off the Lakeside management have also confirmed that the last meeting involving their joint shared team Hackney - an NL match vs Scunthorpe will revert to the Raceway and will be staged on Friday October 7th. This follows the postponement of the meeting which was being kindly due to be staged by Len Silver at Rye House last weekend. Explains Jon Cook "We had asked Len to take the meeting as the support for NL racing has been poor at Lakeside and we also had a situation where the team had, at the time, a great chance to qualify for the Play offs and were more likely to do that at Rye, with us paying for all the meeting costs. However, following the postponement last week the team has now gone past the cut off date and lost its chance of Play Off qualification due to defeat at Stoke the night before. "At the same time over the summer the training schools at Arena, run by Linda and George Barclay, have gone from strength to strength and not only represent a great step forward for the club in producing our own riders of the future but also an income that covers the cost of our stadium rental and means we can offer reduced admission for this meeting and can consider our very own third tier Young Hammers team if interest is there from the fans." Continued Cook " As a result and with the considerable help of Rob Godfrey at Scunthorpe, we are able to stage the meeting on the 7th with admission at just £8 for Adults and Kids for £1 and both Rob and ourselves will be filling any absent riders with the best trainees at our respective Training Schools giving the meeting a real academy feel. We also want to see the great name of Hackney Hawks out in some style as it deserves that so all ex Hawks and Kestrels will be welcome to attend and we will be giving one of the teams body colours away at the end of the action to the person who is lucky enough to pick up a signed programme. I hope those Hammers fans that have stayed away because they didn't like the Hawks moniker will come out and show there is a level of support for us to consider our own team and that Hackney fans take one, perhaps last chance, to 'make it a date Friday at eight'". Any riders wishing to take part in the afternoon training school can book by calling Linda on 020 8592 3361, with one place to fill on the Hawks team this could be a chance to impress and start a career with the Young Hammers.

Good lord - why is there such a bad attitude to this Hackney idea...? People need to go with the flow more.. The only place I've seen fans turning up this season (sure not in big numbers it has to be admitted) overtly supporting the Hackney idea has been at the few Lakeside-staged Hawks' matches; and I repeat, only at Lakeside was there any attempt whatsoever to brand as Hackney. Rye House direhards hardly give their NL (formerly CL) sides much support anyhow - the idea of Hackney was a far better one than sticking with a poorly backed RH junior side; but no, not for the wreckers who delight to knock it all on here... I've lost count of the number of times over the years, RH have called off a third tier match for no reason and that's what happened again on Sunday.. Yet apparently restaging a dead rubber at a track where they'd actually put the meeting on is considered some kind of national disaster...!!

In what possible way does staging this outstanding fixture at Lakeside "alienate" RH fans!? From the offing it was agreed that the Hackney fixtures would be shared between the two tracks; and all this is, is a continuation (actually a conclusion) of that agreed policy. Personally I'd be more 'alienated' by the totally unnecessary cancellation of the fixture on Sunday - when, of course, if it had gone ahead we'd be having no need to have this conversation! Maybe the Saints folk would prefer the restaghing to be at Lakeside because of the wholly unsatisfactory nature of Sunday's call-off - thank goodness it didn't actually affect the play off positions...

What's going on? Paul's original posting also pointing out that the rearranged match is to be held at Lakeside (which is indeed what the PR on the link states) has been edited to omit that bit. And my posting welcoming this change has been deleted...