lucifer sam

This rule reads: 17.4.4 A Rider starting the season with an Assessed MA will have a new Established MA upon completing 4 Home and 4 Away fixtures, which becomes effective 7 days after the last qualifying Meeting. Should an Established MA not be achieved in order to be effective from 1st May, then the MC will issue a revised MA, based upon actual rides if the Team re-declares. Say a team is trying to introduce rider C into a team, in place of rider B. Rider A has an assessed average, but has only completed 5 to 7 league matches. From the above, my reading would be that Rider A would get his average from the 5 to 7 meetings he has completed at this point as his new CMA. Is there any other way of reading this? It seems fairly umambigious to me. All the best Rob Peasley

Don't forget NOT to book the hotel on the Friday night - you can't miss the pairs again All the best Rob

It's off according to the BSPA website. Lucky Rebels - you were going to have your asses kicked tonight. All the best Rob

Ben seems to raise his game for these sort of meetings. He performed well last time in the World Cup (two years ago). Might as well give it to the younger riders - the careers of Nicholls and Harris are in decline. Why not give the younger riders a go? - it worked for Denmark. Another rider who should be under consideration this year is Richie Worrall. And give it more one year, and Ashley Birks will be ready as well. Those six (Woffinden, Cook, Barker, Auty, Worrall and Birks) are the future of the British in a couple of years time, so why not use them now. All the best Rob

Tai Woffinden Craig Cook Ben Barker Josh Auty All the best Rob

Prediction: Somerset 36 Scunthorpe 56 Any weather updates on this one? All the best Rob

Track coniditions stayed about the same throughout the second meeting, although a slick line did start to emerge. I guess it wasn't ideal for either meeting, but with the combination of sun and a strong wind yesterday, I thought the track staff did a great job to keep some bite in the track. None of the riders could complain that passing wasn't possible, there were numerous overtakes in the last third of the PL meeting. Doyle & Grajzconek showed what was possible in Heat 13. It was a great pity about Liam Carr - like Danny Phillips, he's a rider who should be in the NL. Unfortunately I think Liam could be out for a bit, but I hope Danny gets a place soon - he's a different rider to 2012. All the best Rob

DANNY PHILLIPS TURNS ON THE STYLE AS SAINTS RUN RAMPANT – LIAM CARR HURT SCUNTHORPE SAINTS 57 MILTON KEYNES KNIGHTS 20 – ABANDONED AFTER 13 RACES – RESULT TO STAND (NATIONAL LEAGUE CHALLENGE) DANNY PHILLIPS sent out a clear message to National League bosses at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Bank Holiday Monday) – come and sign me! The 16-year-old, who was a regular for the Scunthorpe Saints in the 2012 National League, showed both pace and a good racing head, as was unbeaten by an opponent. The Saints scored a comprehensive 57-20 victory over the Milton Keynes Knights, in a challenge match sadly curtailed by a suspected broken leg to youngster Liam Carr. Carr was also flying, and both he and Phillips had 8 paid 9 from three rides heading into Heat 14. Carr nudged the tapes in the first attempt to stage the race, gaining a 15-metre handicap for the re-run. With Phillips out in front, Arron Mogridge (son of former rider Alan) hit the deck on the third turn, and Carr clipped him, before ploughing into the Eddie Wright Raceway air fence at high speed. With Carr needing medical attention and one of the air bags punctured, referee Jim Lawrence called a halt to what had been an entertaining contest, despite the lopsided scoreline. The Saints scored nine 5-1s, plus a 5-0 in Heat 8, after Ethan Ballentyne suffered an engine failure at the tapes and Mogridge then collected Lee Geary on the first corner. Both Max Clegg and New Zealander Hayden Sims came from behind to take a 5-1 in Heat 6. Clegg (like Danny Phillips, a 2012 Saint) and Sims both ended on paid 11. But the best race was Heat 11 – a real cracker. Mogridge was the early leader, but soon passed by Matt Williamson and Phillips. Tamas Sike, in as a tactical ride, then thrust himself around Phillips after two laps, only to drift wide on third turn of lap 3 and Phillips roared back through. The final lap saw Sike throw everything at Phillips, but the 16-year-old held him off. The Saints scored solidly down their order. Williamson (who rides for Buxton in the NL) fell in his opening ride, but showed plenty of pace to remain unbeaten in his last three riders. Brendan Johnson likewise put a poor first ride behind him and registered the fastest time (60.50) in Heat 5. Lee Geary only dropped points to the Knights in Heat 4, and produced a great ride in Heat 12, storming from third to first. For the Knights (2012 champions of the second half Midland Development League), this was their first full match for 21 years and a day, since the final staged meeting at their former Elfield Park home. Sike seemingly had Heat 1 in the bag for them, only to fall on the final circuit. Two of their Aussie trio, Kyle Ballentyne & Dan Winchester both won a race. But machinery trouble for Sike and Kyle & Ethan Ballentyne left the Knights scrabbling around for functioning bikes. Post-match quotes: Rebecca Parnaby (Saints’ team manager) - “The sad news is that Liam Carr has a suspected broken left leg. We think he may have broken his femur. “It was such a massive shame for the meeting to end like that. It’s the second time on the trot that we’ve had a Saints’ meeting come to an unfortunate halt due to one of the riders being injured. It’s a pity because the lads just want to ride as much as possible. “All the lads riding for us did so well today. It was a brilliant overall performance. “If everyone went to plan, I was planning to put Danny Phillips and Liam Carr in Heat 15. Not only because they had done so well, but also because they don’t have National League team places and they need every ride they can get. And you don’t know who is watching and seeing things. “Danny has matured so much from last year. He’s so much more confident. It showed in his ride with Tamas Sike in Heat 11. Last year, he would have been intimidated when another rider started to throw himself around like that. But Danny just stuck with him and ended up beating him. “It’s a shame Danny hasn’t got a National League team place this year. But he’s performing now, and it would be nice if he, at least, got a few guest bookings.” Danny Phillips - “I’m happy with that. I had some speed and was also harder in the first corners than last year. “I’m disappointed I’m not in the National League at the moment. But it’s also been a good thing, because I’ve been able to spend time practising and learn how to start and ride first bends.” Full scorers: Scunthorpe Saints 57 – Max Clegg 10+1 (4), Hayden Sims 8+3 (4), Brendan Johnson 7+2 (4), Liam Carr 8+1 (3) (PAID MAXIMUM), Matt Williamson 8+1 (4), Danny Phillips 8+1 (3) (PAID MAXIMUM), Lee Geary 8+2 (4). Milton Keynes Knight 20 – Tamas Sike 2 (3) (incl. 1-point tactical ride), Ethan Ballentyne 1 (3), Shane Waldron 2+1 (4) (incl. 0-point tactical ride), Dan Winchester 6 (3), Kyle Ballentyne 3 (2), Lee Springthorpe 3 (6), Arron Mogridge 3+1 (5). 1: Clegg, Sims, E Ballentyne, Sike (fell. excluded), awarded - no time (5-1) (5-1). 2: Phillips, Geary, Springthorpe, Mogridge (penalised 15m for touching tapes, then fell), 62.4 (5-1) (10-2). 3: Carr, Winchester, Waldron, Johnson, 62.10 (3-3) (13-5) 4: (Re-run) K Ballentyne, Mogridge, Geary, Williamson (fell, remounted), 63.51 (1-5) (14-10). 5: Johnson, Carr, Springthorpe (fell, remounted), E Ballentyne (penalised 15m for exceeding two minutes, then fell, remounted), Sike (excluded, two minutes), 60.50 (5-1) (19-11). 6: Clegg, Sims, Springthorpe, K Ballentyne (ret), 61.29 (5-1) (24-12). 7: Phillips, Williamson, Winchester, WALDRON (TR), 60.82 (5-1) (29-13). 8: (re-run) Sims, Geary, Mogridge (fell, excluded), E Ballentyne (excluded, not under power), 61.49(5-0) (34-13). 9: Carr, Johnson, Mogridge, Springthorpe, 62.41 (5-1) (39-14). 10: Winchester, Clegg, Sims, Waldron, 62.35 (3-3) (42-17). 11: (re-run) Williamson, Phillips, SIKE (TR), Mogridge (fell), 63.00 (5-1) (47-18) 12: Geary, Johnson, Waldron, Springthorpe, 63.91 (5-1) (52-19) 13: Williamson, Clegg, Sike, Springthorpe, 61.44 (5-1) (57-20). 14: Carr penalised 15m for touching tapes. Mogridge fell, excluded, but re-run unable to take place due to injury to Carr.

Somerset have confirmed that Nick Morris is back. Should be a cracking afternoon of racing - it's usual price for the double-headers, i.e. just £16 for 30 heats. All the best Rob

Oldtimer, the weather forecast for tomorrow looks fine. I fine you might be confusing it with the forecast for the west of the country, which isn't very good at all. But Sunny Scunny is towards the east coast and the weather is due to be fine. All the best Rob

A very battling "nul points" though. All the best Rob

David Howe rides for Scunthorpe. All the best Rob Peasley

So to cut a long, strory short no rider competing in Sweden should be allowed to double-up in the UK. Seems reasonable - the point of doubling-up was to offer extra opportunites to riders without the extra fixtures elsewhere. While I can't see how you can prevent those riders already doing it this year, this rule does need re-inforcing next year. Meanwhile, Lindgren should pay his fine, or otherwise face suspension. He did miss a UK fixture despite committing not to, when we signed up to double up in this country. All the best Rob

Final score: The All-Singing & All-Dancing Harlem Globetrotter Premier League All-Stars 65 Glasgow Tigers 27 All the best Rob

Cheers mate. All the best Rob

Davy, looks like the BSPA were right, though. Again, no criticism in any way of any updates sites - of which I appreciate the service very much. I don't know how we coped in the days before live updates... well actually I do remember listening to Radio 2 hoping that they included the result of speedway meetings from that night. All the best Rob

Scotland 1314, thanks very much, I thought that might be the case. Do you also have the time for Heat 8? All the best Rob

Cheers guys, but the BSPA website has different scorers. I'm wondering if someone at the meeting can actually confirm who won these two races and also who took third in Heat 15. (Not that I'm knocking anyone who does updates in any way - it's a superb service and the Chatzone is one of the best). All the best Rob

Final score: Monarchs 56 Scorpions 36 Can anyone confirm the results of Heats 14 & 15 please. Who was the winner of these two heats, and also what happened to the Scorpions in Heat 15, who took third and who fell. Thanks very much. All the best Rob

Poor Scott's been left talking to himself. Nae bother, they'll be a few visitors to the thread after the Scorps pull off a win tonight. All the best Rob

BUSY WEEK FOR SCORPIONS DEFENDING PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions are involved in no fewer than four league fixtures within the next week – including a mouth-watering clash against the Somerset Rebels at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm). The Scorpions also face tough away trips to Edinburgh (tonight – Friday), Newcastle (Sunday) and Somerset (Wednesday). There are 30 heats of action on Monday, with the Scunthorpe Saints entertaining the Milton Keynes Knights in a National League challenge match in the second half. Scunthorpe currently boast the only unbeaten record in the 2013 Premier League, although it is a somewhat unusual record – with one win and three draws! The Scorpions’ only win was a 49-45 home win over Edinburgh, while there have been home draws against Ipswich and Workington, and an away draw at Glasgow. Promoter Rob Godfrey has realistic expectations of the forthcoming week’s meetings. He said: “I’ve been in this game long enough to realise the away meetings are Edinburgh, Newcastle and Somerset are perhaps our toughest three matches of the season. We do need to pick up some away wins at some point, but it’s unlikely to be from these three meetings. “Edinburgh are a team I really fancy to do well this year, Newcastle is our bogey track, and Somerset are also strong. It would be a miracle if we were to win any of these meetings. “I’ll treat any points we pick up from these meetings as a bonus. That’s not to say we won’t go into each meeting with the mindset to win it. “Miracles do happen in speedway, such as when we picked up a point at Edinburgh last season in a play-off match without any of our top four. We also won at Armadale earlier in the season, when we thumped them on a wet track. So we’ll win looking for another miracle or two. “But what I really want is for us to score the maximum three points from our home meeting against Somerset on Monday. “We have yet to score all three points from a home match. It’s what we need to start doing. “Our best move this season has been to bring in Lewis Blackbird at reserve – he’s only had a couple of meetings so far for us, but already we can see the difference. “We’ve also been working with Ryan Douglas to get his machinery right. I’m confident that we’ll see a massive improvement in Ryan sometime very soon. He has the ability. “If we can get Ryan to click, then we’ll have one of the best reserve pairings in the league to back up a strong top five.” The visit of the Somerset Rebels next Monday is a re-match between the two teams who contested the 2012 Premier League play-off final, which the Scorpions won in dramatic fashion by a single point. One Scorpion from that night, Nick Morris, now rides for Somerset. The Australian is due to return from injury next Monday, and his clashes against Josh Auty and David Howe will be eagerly anticipated. Somerset also have Jason Doyle (another Australian), one of the best riders in the Premier League, in their ranks. The Scorpions will have to race all four meetings in the next week without Dane Thomas Jørgensen, who broke his shoulder in three places in a crash in Denmark. ‘Tommy The Gun’ has also been ruled out of the Premier League Pairs at Somerset a week on Friday, in which the Scorpions will be represented by Josh Auty and David Howe. Godfrey said: “Thomas is due to go back to see the specialist next week. “Thomas is going to look into the possibility of laser treatment to speed up his return. “He’s remaining positive about things. Last season, when Thomas hurt his shoulder, I knew he wasn’t coming back any time soon, because he wasn’t confident about a return. This is different. He’s remaining optimistic about things. “After he goes to see the specialist, we’ll have a better idea of exactly how long he will be out for. “It’s a shame that Thomas is in the wars again this season. Given a trouble-free run, I’m sure he would have been pushing for the No 1 spot by now – there were signs at the start of the season that was starting to happen.” In Jørgensen’s absence, the Scorpions will operate rider replacement at No 2. He is third in the club’s averages, so with the exception of Josh Auty, all the riders can take one of his rides. Scunthorpe had another injury scare when David Howe pulled out of his own testimonial last Sunday with a hand injury. Howe went for X-rays the following day, which revealed no break, and he is fit to resume racing for the Scorpions this week. Monday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £16. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action. The circuit rightfully won the award last season for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting day of racing is ahead. Premier/National League Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Bank Holiday Monday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. R/R for Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Somerset Rebels: 1. Jason Doyle (Australia), 2. Kyle Newman, 3. Nick Morris (Australia) or R/R, 4. Alex Davies (Australia), 5. Josh Grajczonek (Australia), 6. Stefan Nielsen, 7. Tom Perry. Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Max Clegg, 2. Hayden Sims, 3. Brendan Johnson, 4. Liam Carr, 5. Lee Geary, 6. Danny Phillips, 7. David Holt Milton Keynes Knights: 1. Tamas Sike, 2. Ethan Ballentyne, 3. Shane Waldron, 4. Dan Winchester, 5. Kyle Ballentyne, 6. Ryan Terry-Daley, 7. Arron Mogridge Somerset Rebels at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Alex Davies PL 5 22 32 7 5.82 7.09 11 + 1 from 7 rides (2011) Jason Doyle PL 5 25 48 1 7.68 7.84 12 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2011)) Josh Grajczonek PL 8 27 47 1 6.96 7.11 11 from 5 rides (2009) Nick Morris PL 17 85 168 11 7.91 8.42 15 from 6 rides (2012) Kyle Newman PL 3 13 7 2 2.15 2.77 5 + 2 from 6 rides (2012) Stefan Nielsen PL 2 6 4 1 2.67 3.33 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2012) Tom Perry PL 1 5 3 2 2.40 4.00 3 + 2 from 5 rides (2012) Other Notes Alex Davies Member of Somerset's League Cup Winning Team in 2012. Jason Doyle Member of Somerset's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2008. Member of Poole's Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2010. Member of Newport's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Member of Poole's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Member of Swindon's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2012. A Premier League Cup Winner with Somerset in 2012. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Birmingham for the 2013 Elite League season. Josh Grajczonek Twice Queensland State Champion in 2009 and 2011. A Premier League Championship Winner with Glasgow in 2011. Nick Morris Twice Queensland Under-16 Champion in 2008/09 and 2009/10. New South Wales Under-16 Champion in 2009/10. Member of Buxton's National League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Member of Swindon's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2012. Member of Scunthorpe's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2012. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Swindon for the 2013 Elite League season. Kyle Newman Winner of Queensland State Under-21 Championships in 2011. Member of Weymouth's Conference League Championship Winning Team in 2008. Member of Bournemouth's National League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011. Member of Somerset's League Cup Winning Team in 2012. Stefan Nielsen 2012 British Under-19 Champion. Former Scunthorpe Saint who was a member of the 2011 National League Winning Team in 2011. Member of Mildenhall's NL Championship, Fours, KO Cup and National Trophy Winning Team in 2012. Will also ride in 2013 for Mildenhall in the National League. Tom Perry Member of Dudley's National League Shield Winning Team in 2011. A Premier League Cup Winner with Somerset in 2012. Will also ride in 2013 for Isle of Wight in the National League. Somerset Rebels' Results at EWR 05 May 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Somerset 39 13 April 2009 PT L Scunthorpe 53 Somerset 40 05 June 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 47 Somerset 43 03 May 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Somerset 40 02 October 2010 YS L Scunthorpe 70 Somerset 20 25 April 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Somerset 41 04 September 2011 PL Ph 2 L Scunthorpe 49 Somerset 41 27 August 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 50 Somerset 40 29 October 2012 PL POF L Scunthorpe 48 Somerset 42 Somerset Rebels' 2013 Results 29 March 2013 CH H W Somerset 54 Plymouth 38 30 March 2013 CH A L Somerset 41 Plymouth 48 05 April 2013 LC H W Somerset 57 Ipswich 37 06 April 2013 LC A D Somerset 45 Rye House 45 11 April 2013 LC A L Somerset 44 Ipswich 51 12 April 2013 LC H W Somerset 54 Rye House 42 19 April 2013 LC H W Somerset 48 Plymouth 42 20 April 2013 LC A L Somerset 41 Plymouth 48 03 May 2013 PL H W Somerset 62 Leicester 32 16 May 2013 PL A L Somerset 43 Ipswich 50 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

No thread on this one, so I thought I'd start one. Clash of the 2010 champs v the 2012 champs. Thomas Jorgensen is missing, but Scunny still have a number of riders who can ride Armadale. Scunny are the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League, with one win - against Scotland's No 2 team - and three draws. Prediction: Edinburgh 45 Scunthorpe 45. All the best Rob

Just to let the Sheffield fans know that Andre Compton has been tempted out of retirement and is riding in the David Howe testimonial at Scunthorpe this afternoon. All the best Rob

Jim, did I imagine Tommy flying around Adam Ellis on the opening lap of Heat 11 then? True, the rest of that race then went a bit pear-shaped for him, but he's still had very little experience of riding a speedway bike. Last year he pretty much went straight from Motocross into the Scunthorpe Saints, after just a couple of appearances in Amateur Meetings at Scunny. All the best Rob

Nice to meet you again last night Gemini. One note, regarding Tommy Fenwick, the Falkirk Flyer. His surname is pronunced FEN-ICK (i.e. slient W) not FEN-WICK. It would be nice if the announcer could get this right for subsequent meetings. All the best Rob