Ben91

Clifton and Rutherford averaged more in their last CL/NL seasons than their assessed starting averages for this season. Purchase may well have done too thinking about it, no difference whatsoever. Even Luke Bowen's last CL average was probably higher than the figure he started on this year at Kent.

2004 was averages, gradings came in in 2005. The average would have included bonus points in 2004 though. Surely this casts a cloud over the likes of Clifton, Purchase and Rutherford who have come in on assessed averages this season despite having already achieved CL/NL averages in the past.

It's not because it was held at a PL track it's because it was still classed as a PL standard meeting, if it hadn't been then Etheridge and Davey (for the time being) wouldn't have been allowed to ride as they're ineligible for the NL on account of not being British.

Poor teams put out for years, seemingly no effort to rectify that, I could go on. No student prices made it a struggle for me when I was studying and that period of not attending regularly because funds wouldn't allow it was when I began to lose my passion for attending. A few years of letting me in at a more reasonable rate for my level of income and Rye House could have an extra weekly full paying adult now. Once you walk away for a few weeks it's easy to stay away and I never thought I'd feel that way about speedway. For the amount of entertainment you get, roughly 15 minutes, it's a waste of money and to be perfectly honest a weekend evening doesn't fit in with my social life any more, it was a different story when I was at school and couldn't go out drinking. There are so many things to do on a weekend evening that are better value for money than speedway these days. I'm probably going to the Edinburgh meeting on Sunday, purely because I want to see Dan Bewley. Apologies for the tangent on a Berwick thread!

I wonder what would have happened to Kingston's career if he had stayed with Kent rather than moving to Mildenhall.

Attendance figures are never published so how do you know out of interest?

Hugely. If the promoter of my team came out with that kind of sour grapes I'd be embarrassed.

Campbell's kettle's boiled.

When that happened it was also because Rye and Mildenhall had declared graded reserves in the main body of their teams who moved down as Boxall and Armstrong moved up (Jamie Courtney and James Brundle I believe) so the justification was that there would still be two Brits at reserve for both teams. As Peterborough have two eligible number seven riders in their line-up now in Perry and Stokes, perhaps the lower averaged of the two has to occupy the number seven slot? Even if so, that should have been made clear at the start of the season.

Happened plenty of times before, when Stoke signed Lee Complin, when Rye brought Andrew Silver back after 15 odd years away from racing, Mark Simmonds at Plymouth, Stuart Swales at Redcar to name just a few. Lawson would be on a pretty attractive average too I'd imagine.

Edinburgh would be mad to replace Bewley with Davey. Would hope if they tried it'd be blocked in the best interests of the sport.

All well and good having a nice stadium but if the track is pants nobody will want to know. Good to see the promotion have tackled the important issue first.

Yes, it was tried and stopped because it was dangerous. I think that has been quite clearly pointed out. The change in surfaces when going at such high speed would be incredibly dangerous. This wouldn't benefit the sport, it's been tried before and didn't work, because it was dangerous. Yeah, lets completely change the sport just so we can have a concrete strip on each track... Creating an angle could also be creating a ramp, there has to be a lip somewhere still. It has been tried. It didn't work.

Better from the Rockets, Kasper especially. Karger's best score for us I believe but it came from beating a NL second string and a race with only three finishers.

Hume's really kicked on this year, we should have done more to keep hold of him. Could take points from Karger definitely by the looks of things.

Hopefully by the time the next round comes we'll have made some changes, assuming we progress tonight that is.

No reason they couldn't both go. Kasper hasn't improved, that's the name of the game when trying to build a winning team. The only thing that would save him for me over Lanham is that Kasper is our asset.

Rene Bach and Rob Branford would fit in place of Lanham and Karger.

MPT hasn't been that good this season, not sure why he's seen as the answer. That said he'd do better than Karger! I'd go for two changes personally, Karger and another out, Branford and a rider to score some points at the top end in.

Trouble is he's always going to have to fight for his points because he can't gate. Always battling/he's a nice guy, are arguments in the same vein for me. I don't particularly care, I want a bloke who can score the points. Because he's just as good around Rye and in our number one race jacket.

A half decent five pointer in the other reserve spot and we would have won last night. Lanham and Kasper should have pressure on their spots also, Lanham's done enough laps around Ipswich to be doing better than three points. Relied on Kennett going unbeaten yet again. Robbo's scored his average so no issues with his performance for me. Morley with two heat wins away from home, very good for a number seven.

Does he? Never seen anything from him to suggest he does. Seems a case of who you know not what you know as far as Cupitt is concerned.

Good to see him riding in the higher league, riders should be racing in the meetings which will help their development most.

Regardless of the tracks Stoke have been to a rider of Ben Wilson's ability and experience should be nowhere near a six point average at this level.

Rye are in the league to develop riders to progress to the Rockets in future while remaining competitive, Kent as a standalone team are in the NL to win it. Clifton has been a very good signing for them as had Thomas and Verge has clicked in to gear this season when few expected him to do so. That said if the bottom three had struggled then they would have struggled again.