lucifer sam

Because these were the reserved dates since the start of the season and should have been kept free. It's already mid-September, and time to get on with the play-offs. Each year, they just about get completed in the last week of October. One year they won't get finished at all. High time for fixed date play-offs in the PL. How would you feel, Skippy, if Plymouth reached the final and then there wasn't time to hold that final? All the best Rob

Surely Nick Morris will get the wildcard, in which case it's Glasgow who will be missing a rider? Anyway, to answer the question, I hope it's Sheffield, because they seem the only PL team interested in getting on with the play-offs!!! All the best Rob

Surely these meetings should be this Friday and Sunday. Just as Peterborough's home leg should be on Friday. All the best Rob

Cheers. No Graham announced blue (Davies) as second. It was just several of us thought Wilko had got it. Seems we were wrong. All the best Rob

No doubt he's getting ready to camera-bomb Rosco's moment of glory, should it come next Monday. All the best Rob

The only fact that is relevant is that Peterborough have tried to turn down a reserved play-off date that has been in Sheffield's fixtures since the start of the season. It shouldn't be allowed... and judging by the fact the fixture is listed on the BSPA website, it hasn't been allowed. All the best Rob

So, that was a league match then, not "a challenge or other meeting of some sort". Sheffield have finished their regular league meetings. They are now ready for the play-offs, and Thursday has been their reserved date for the play-offs since the start of the season. There are six weeks of the season remaining, and it's time to get on with the play-offs, otherwise the PL will be squeezing in the final in the last week of October once more, on a wing and a prayer. Maybe it's high time for fixed dates for the PL play-offs, just as in the EL. That would stop all the nonsense we have from Peterborough at the moment, and from other clubs in other seasons e.g. in 2012, when Workington kept on turning down Edinburgh's dates, and it then got rained off on October 19th, and Denham was hoist on his own petard because the Comets lost out off-track, which was hard to take for their fans. Fixed date play-offs may also gain TV coverage. All the best Rob

I'm sure at one point in the John Chaplin biography that Fundin is quoted that he saw Craven as his biggest rival, although I did read it around 9 years ago so the memory is a little hazy. The contemporary World Rankings, plus more recent recollections, tend to put Fundin ahead. But that's not to say that Briggo wasn't a great rider in his own right, some of Briggo's accomplishments will take some beating. For example the six successive wins in the BLRC, which is outstanding when you think it didn't even happen at the height of his career, and that Mauger was a Belle Vue Ace in '69 and '70. It is possible to have more than one all-time great around at the same time. And Ronnie Moore often gets a little forgotten in such discussions - for three or four years, until Fundin grew in stature, Moore was the man they all wanted to beat. All the best Rob

Just to back up SCB's point: From what I recall, Sheffield only removed the 10th as a reserve date on their website around last Monday/Tuesday. I was checking, because Bellego was guesting for Scunny last week (ended up being Compton as well, after Theo pulled out on Wednesday), and part of the publicity was trying to lure the Sheffield fans across, which would be much easier if they didn't have a meeting themselves last week. The 17th was always there as a reserve date for Sheffield. Sheffield have had two blank Thursdays on the trot; is it really fair to expect them to have a third one? The date has been there since the start of the season. All the best Rob

A quick question regarding Heat 14: After Jack Holder came steaming under Alex Davies on the last bends of this race, Alex went wide, nearly fell, and I'm sure he lost second place to team-mate Carl Wilkinson. I'm not the only one who had Wilko down as 13+1 - for example, this was what was listed on the BSPA website. And yet the referee's programme shows Alex still as second. Live updates also show Alex as second - but they could have simply taken this from what was announced on the night. Which rider do other people have down as second in this race? Obviously it doesn't affect the 53-40 scoreline, it's just a neatness thing!! All the best Rob

Rogero, I think you'll find the majority of Scunny fans are pretty chuffed that you reached the play-offs. It's nice to see a team get in there that hasn't been in there before. Good luck in the play-offs. All the best Rob

Per Jonsson and Jan O Pedersen are the strongest one-time champs from the 1990s... both were stopped from winning multiple titles by injury, whereas Sam did have injuries earlier in his career, but was lucky enough to still be riding in his mid-40s. All the best Rob Briggo was the man in 1958, for sure. Otherwise, the most consistent rider from 1956 to 1963 was Fundin. All the best Rob

Hmmm.... surely Belle Vue are the most famous and glamorous remaining team in British Speedway... despite what Poole and Coventry fans might like to think. All the best Rob

Best of luck to Plymouth tonight! All the best Rob

Yes, as a meeting it didn't have an end-of-season feel to it at all. Scunny, despite having not a lot to race for, were well motivated and went out and did the job. The Devils tried hard, but came up short, and their frustration was there for all to see. Brilliant speedway between Alex Davies and Kyle Newman in Heat 6. All the best Rob

Poor old Lewy, a stressful first week back at school and then a drubbing for the Devils at Scunthorpe. Yes, Rob G made it very clear what had happened with Theo. All the best Rob

Cracking final home meeting of the season last night. Who would have put money from 8-16 that the Scorpions who win the next six races with 5-1s!!! All the best Rob

Cheers - hope that quite a few of the Tigers' faithful come across to see Andre Compton and David Bellego in action tonight. Two solid teams on track tonight - should be a good 'un. And yeah, it would definitely be nice to finish our home fixtures with a win. If we win tonight and then nick a point from Peterborough on Sunday, there's still a chance we could finish tenth. All the best Rob

Lewy, drop it, he's injured - we've not made ourselves stronger, tonight we had a MDL rider at No 2. Some decent guests tomorrow, though, should be a cracker!!! All the best Rob

Nah, let's win tomorrow and Plymouth can get the points they need from Rye on Saturday. All the best Rob

Final score: Plymouth 62 Scunthorpe 30. It will be far closer at the Eddie Wright Raceway tomorrow. All the best Rob

The 36-point-limit has worked really well, the league is so better balanced this season. The 2015 NL has been the most competitive for years. I hope the 36-point-limit is kept for the next few years to ensure a constant stream of young talent into the league. All the best Rob

A little side discussion: I always thought it was Knutson rather than Knutsson? All the best Rob

SCORPIONS AIM TO GO OUT WITH A BANG FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, are looking to finish their 2015 home fixtures on a high, by overcoming in-form Plymouth Devils in what promises to be a humdinger of a meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm). The home match comes in the middle of a final flurry of activity for the Scorpions, which also seems them involved in away meetings at Plymouth on Thursday (7.15pm) and Peterborough on Sunday (3pm). Scunthorpe have already avoided the wooden spoon position after their victory over Redcar at the EWR last Friday. But with Newcastle, Berwick and Rye House all within reach, there is a chance for the Scorpions to further improve their final league position. Having defeated Newcastle (54-38), Berwick (49-44), Sheffield (49-41) and Redcar (51-39) around the Eddie Wright Raceway in recent weeks, a victory over Plymouth would mean Scunthorpe would finish the season with five successive home victories. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We want to bow out with a victory at home on Friday; it’s as simple as that. No-one wants to lose their final home match of the season in front of their own fans, especially after we’ve build up a nice run of wins in recent weeks. “Plymouth are coming to Eddie Wright Raceway seeking vital points to overhaul Ipswich to reach the play-offs, but if they want the points off us, then they are going to have to fight for them!” The Scorpions find themselves three riders down on Friday, with Zdenek Holub and Theo Pijper out injured, while Andreas Lyager has an under-21 commitment. Godfrey adds: “We knew we would be without Andreas on Friday, but it’s a blow to have both Theo and Zdenek on the sidelines through injury. “We’ve brought in two Sheffield riders in the shape of Andre Compton and David Bellego. Not only are they both quality performers around the Eddie Wright Raceway, but also hopefully their presence will entice a few Tigers’ fans to make the journey up the M18 on Friday, especially as Sheffield don’t have a home meeting this week. “Meanwhile, this is the last chance for supporters to see Wilko, Leigh, Alex and Nike in action around the Eddie Wright Raceway in 2015, and with Plymouth desperate for the points, I think we can see out the season with a fantastic meeting at the best racetrack in the country.” There’s always a bit of extra spice to clashes between Scunthorpe and Plymouth, as the two clubs were arch-rivals in the Conference League days of 2006 and 2007, when the Scorpions swept all before them, and often met the Devils in the final of competitions. A reminder of the special promotion, which sees all accompanied children under the age of 16 admitted for free. Admission prices for Friday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (16 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 15) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 16-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Friday: FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. Rider replacement for Zdenek Holub, 2. David Bellego (guest), 3. Andre Compton (guest), 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Leigh Lanham, 6. Alex Davies, 7. Nike Lunna. Plymouth Devils: 1. Ryan Fisher, 2. Morten Risager, 3. Jack Holder, 4. Todd Kurtz, 5. Kyle Newman, 6. Sam Simota, 7. Linus Eklof. Plymouth Devils at EWR Ave Ave Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Best Performance Linus Eklof PL 4 15 8 1 2.13 2.40 5 from 5 rides (2012) Ryan Fisher PL 6 30 65 2 8.67 8.93 17 from 6 rides (2015) Jack Holder DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Todd Kurtz PL 8 36 45 8 5.00 5.89 12 + 2 from 5 rides (2014) Kyle Newman PL 4 17 14 3 3.29 4.00 7 + 1 from 4 rides (2013) Morten Risager PL 6 23 22 2 3.83 4.17 7 + 1 from 4 rides (2014) Zdenek Simota PL 1 4 3 1 3.00 4 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2014) Other Notes Linus Eklof 2008 European Under-19 Team Champion Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009. Member of Poole's Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Ryan Fisher Has represented his Country in 13 World Cup meetings. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and Play-off Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-offs Winning Team in 2009. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Jack Holder 2011 Australian Under-16 350cc Champion. 2013 New South Wales Under-21 Champion. Todd Kurtz Member of Newport's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Member of Somerset's Premier Shield and Four-Team Championship Winning Teams in 2014. 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 Poole's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Member of Somerset's League Cup Winning Team in 2012. Member of Somerset's Premier League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2013. Member of Poole's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2014. Member of Poole's Elite Shield Winning Teams in 2014 and 2015. Morten Risager Has ridden in 1 Speedway Grand Prix meeting. Member of Coventry's Elite League Championship Winning Teams in 2005 and 2007. Member of Coventry's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2006. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011. Zdenek Simota Has ridden in 2 Grand Prixs and 5 World Cup meetings. Made his British League debut in the 2005 Premier League with Reading. 2004 Czech Republic Under-21 Champion. Plymouth Devils' PL Results at EWR* 19 August 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 37 02 September 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 54 Plymouth 39 16 August 2013 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 34 27 April 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Plymouth 43 * The two teams have also met regularly at CL/NL level and the Scorpions proved to be a constant thorn in the Devils' side throughout Scunthorpe's glorious 2006/07 seasons. (stats by John Eyre)

Two Sheffield riders, David Bellego and Andre Compton, in for the Scorpions on Friday: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=4356 All the best Rob