lucifer sam

I can hear Charles Ochiltree turning in his grave again. Coventry used to be the model professional speedway club. All the best Rob

I'm sure I saw Rob G and Phil H cuddling each other and exchanging a laugh just after the handbags between Ashley Morris and Nike Lunna's mechanic. And fair play to Phil for going onto the mic at the end... it was obvious he was going to get a reception, but he did it anyway, and wished Scunny the best for the future. It was slightly surreal at times on Friday - I don't think I've ever been to a speedway meeting quite like that one. All the best Rob

Just to point out that Rob Godfrey sacked Ben Powell, after Powell used his speedway bike as a weapon: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/speedway-ben-powell-banned-for-bike-348829 So no, you don't stick up for your rider, if you know he's in the wrong. All the best Rob

Oh my word, Tungate actually speeds up coming out of the bend, before flicking out his wheel out at Auty. All the best Rob

Blimey, that was like a speedway meeting on steroids. Amazing racing, controversy all the place. Most the incidents and handbags were just speedway, but Rohan Tungate's actions after Heat 10 were not. No place for that at all. All the best rob

Exactly. I've trawled all though the riders competing in the 1963 Southern-League-that-wasn't-a-league and can't find the name of a Darcy at all. I wish people would stop going off topic, and we can get back to discussing the relative strengths of the second tier over time. All the best Rob

R/R for Gino Manzares, by the looks of it. Meanwhile, Scunthorpe at full strength for the first time since April 19. Looking forward to tonight's meeting. All the best Rob

Agree Norbold. Only the main league programme counts as a league, rather than any secondary competitions. It gets a bit complicated when you start including e.g. the Midland League from 1980. Although Middlesbrough in 1966 is an interesting one, since they rode in the Northern League only and not the British League. All the best Rob

Have you read the last few pages? All the best Rob

Didn't Peter Collins, Chris Morton and Dave Morton all ride around the same field in Manchester? If so, that field is better than half the teams in the current Elite League, plus 22 Polish sides. All the best Rob

Does anyone? :D Just checked Hawkeye, which reveals: March 16: Lee makes Boston debut, the first of 39 appearances for Boston in 1975. March 28: Lee makes KL debut, the first of 27 appearances for KL in 1975. So Lee was never just a NL rider, as per my original statement. Point overturned. Championship to Lucifer Sam, while TWK says "you cannot be serious" and breaks his racket. All the best Rob

No I didn't. I said he was never just a NL rider, because he was riding for BL KL at the same time. He blatantly rode for Boston - I said as much. TWK, you seem to have just confused. Lee didn't move up during 1975. He was riding for KL from the start of that year, as well as Boson, hence him never being just a NL rider. All the best Rob

Nah, Mike Lee was World Champ at 21 and Tai at 23. But yes, for me, Woffy is definitely more of a natural talent than Ward. Ward throws his bike all over the place, whereas Woffy looks far more in tune and as one with the bike. All the best Rob

The Provincial League is an interesting one. It was considered to be a league consisting of over-the-hill veterans and completes novices when it first sprung up in 1960, but as people have said, it developed quickly and nurtured many riders who developed into stars after the formation of the British League in 1965. So where do you place it? Level with the modern day National League (third tier), or above the Div 2/NL of 1968-1990? And how high should be NL Div One of 1946-1964 be placed? At times, ALL the best riders in the world were condensed into just SEVEN teams. Amazing some of the riders who occupied reserve berths at times in this period.... All the best Rob Mike Lee was actually World Champ at the age of 21 (Peter Craven and Ronnie Moore also achieved this feat; Craven is still the youngest World Champion). But Mike Lee never really rode just NL - he was really a King's Lynn rider, who also rode for Boston in his first year. All the best Rob

There were a few (a certain Mr Mauger for starters), although the old National League riders were like golddust in the British League, hence the introduction of rider control. All the best Rob

Cheers Norbold - so the National League Division Three of 1947 to 1951 was much stronger than the NDL of today then. All the best Rob

Oldace, yes I've posted all that already, you're about half an hour behind. Incidentally, the NNL only existed in 1975; it was called just the NL in 1976, although many programmes still referred to it as the NNL. ALl the best Rob

Must have been a fairly young Tommy Price at that point, Norbold. Were the others all youngsters, or were any established top riders? I think you were on a better bet with the NL2 of the early fifties.... wasn't Ken Le Breton in there alongside Jack Young? And I'm sure a THIRD Division rider qualified for the World Final one year, although it's escaped me who it was... All the best Rob

1932-1964: The "old" National League 1975: Official name - the New National League 1976-1990: The "new" National League 2010 onwards: The National Development League All the best Rob

Technically, he rode for Boston in the 2008 Conference League, which is now the National League. Also, I'm going to pull BWitcher up for calling the National League from the 1970s and 1980s as "the old National League". Nope it was actually called "The New National League" in 1975. The old National League ran from 1932 to 1964. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS HEAD INTO WITCHES CLASH WITH RENEWED BELIEF FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, head into their Premier League clash with the Ipswich Witches at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm) with a renewed sense of belief, following their stunning last-gasp 47-43 victory over the Peterborough Panthers last week. For Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey, it’s been one thing after another this season, but he says the last few days since the Peterborough match have been “enjoyable”. Godfrey reflects: “The victory over Peterborough was simply unbelievable. With three races to go, you would have said we didn’t stand a chance. It was against-all-odds to win it from that position. To win a meeting with three 5-1s in the last three races is just incredible. “Earlier on, when Alex Davies shed a chain while out in front in Heat 9, that seemed so typical of our luck this year, and it did seem we were heading for another defeat. “You couldn’t have scripted those final three races any better. It was almost like a moment of divine intervention – someone was looking down on us at that point. “Those three races could well prove to be a defining moment in our season, and indeed a defining moment for Scunthorpe Speedway. The whole atmosphere around the stadium changed; our fans were going mental on the terraces. “I want to thank everyone who came along to the meeting. I am very grateful. The size of the crowd was a big step in the right direction. I think every last person would have gone home happy, wanting to see more. I hope they also tell their mates how good it was, and we can push the attendance up further against Ipswich on Friday.” Godfrey is the centre green presenter for Scorpions’ meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway, so everyone could see the journey he went through at the conclusion of last week’s meeting. “It was emotional”, he admits. “I’ve put my heart and soul into speedway here, and you get to what seems to be a point of no return, and suddenly something happens that gives you new hope. If we had lost again last week, it would be have so hard to raise spirits again. But suddenly there’s a new found momentum within the team, and a feeling we’re moving in the right direction again.” Although the Scorpions are currently last in the Premier League, Godfrey believes that it leads to entertaining home meetings. He explains: “Every match is tough when you’re bottom of the league, and it’s a battle to win meetings. But it’s perfect for the neutrals and indeed the Scorpions’ fans who like to see close racing. “Peterborough was a fantastic meeting that went all the way, and there’s a good chance that our match against Ipswich, plus several other meetings left here this season, could go the same way. Combined with the fact we have such a good racetrack and that Josh Auty - who I refer to as Mr Entertainment - is back from injury, there are likely to be more brilliant meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway before the season is out. “At the same time, we’re determined that we do not want to finish bottom, and we’ll be fighting to move up the league table. Fingers crossed, we will have our own seven rides from now until the end of the season, because that will help us. “This Friday against Ipswich, every Friday at the Eddie Wright Raceway, is going to be superb entertainment”, concludes Godfrey.

Isn't Nick Morris out for a while now, as well? All the best Rob

I guess it wasn't too shabby that year Norbold All the best Rob

Who? We're discussing team strengths here. All the best Rob

Interesting topic. And one where it is almost impossible to give a definitive answer, because there's always a valid counterpoint. Everyone's opinion is different and equally valid. For me, though: British League - was at its toughest from 1985 to 1990, when the number of teams was reduced from 18 to 20 down to 9 to 11, and yet the league still contained virtually all the world's top riders. National League - much, much harder to answer. In the 1970s and even into the 1980s, it was possible for a novice to make an instant impression in this league. But maybe this is because these days a rider has to tune up their machinery over a number of years, whereas back in 1970, everyone was on cheap and not very good machinery. That's not really an answer, is it? OK then. The modern-day cosmopolitan Premier League is probably now stronger than it's ever been. Probably too strong, because half the teams can't afford to pay the riders competing in it. However, in terms of strength of British riders ONLY: definitely at its peak from 1973 to 1977, maybe that period could be extended from 1972 to 1980. All the best Rob