Fourentee

You've been at the Moto-Craze Speedway card game on the flight over, haven't you?!

Depends who's coming from where, though, does it not? As with the Boat Race, you need "clear water" before taking the other competitor's line. Harris, second going into the turn, clearly reckons there's just enough room to get through and that the paths won't intersect. Major misjudgement, rightly excluded, but (IMHO) no malice aforethought. I did think at the time he was rather hard on NKI in their previous race, actually, although that might have stuck in my memory precisely because it was so unHarris-like. Edit: Remiss of me, congratulations to Birmingham on a merited victory and particularly to the oft-maligned Barker. I guess he's never going to wake up on a Monday morning and spring out of bed whooping: " Yes! Racing at Monmore tonight!" but he's found a way to get round and that late pass looked a very brave manoeuvre from where I was standing. Wolves will point, with some justification, to the effect on their campaign of the Woffinden/Proctor/Thorssell injuries (to which the red and yellow are entitled to inquire whether they've watched Jacob at Perry Barr recently) but in a sport as dangerous as this one you play the hand you're dealt.

As opposed to...?

Ah, and you were going so well!

You gotta love this stuff.

You're welcome. Please return in original condition.

Good assessment, Shadowfax, IMHO. Very, very difficult to replace Proctor's scoring as compared to replacing his average.

Really? On what grounds?

I see what you did there.

IThere was a rider in the Comets team of that era who was particularly nervous and regularly threw up before a match. Was that Mark, as I recall?

Mark Dickinson rode for Workington in the late seventies/early eighties, from memory, and also for Barrow in their Furness Flyers incarnation. Bit of a white line rider, but not without talent. I seem to remember him as quite tall for a speedway rider. See: http://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/799

Well-chosen phrase...

I rather suspect that, instead of going for Larsen, they'll decide to remain competitive and retain Skornicki. Edit: Joking aside, this is a huge call for Wolves. Rolling averages have not kept up with Proctor's form and their league position rather precludes them blooding some youngster with a view to next year. It has to be someone they're confident can, at the very least, ride to his average. Proctor's latest is 5.78. So, let the speculation begin!

Press release says Woffinden will not miss any EL matches, so presumably no problem.

Well, yes, that's what I said the first time!

An OK night in which Perry's injury clearly had a big bearing on the outcome. In passing, can't say I was wildly enthusiastic about Paul Starke's repeated wheelies in heat 12 when heading the combined might of Tom Woolley and Hayden Sims, both riders at a somewhat early stage in their careers. A bit of fun to gee up the crowd, with no harm meant? Perhaps. To me, as a bit of a boring old fart, it came across as disrespectful. Back to the slippers and the tartan rug!

I wouldn't argue with your basic premise, but my two immediate questions would be: Who won? And did you care? I've been to grasstrack and it's certainly a spectacle. But after the sixth or seventh race, I found it all a bit ho-hum unless I knew any of the riders involved. I enjoy the odd speedway meeting as a neutral, but am only really engaged when supporting one of the teams involved.

Like 'council' for 'counsel'?

"...they were faced with going into the match without the top three men in their averages. That would have been a PR disaster for speedway if they had gone ahead." A big well done to the Aces management for avoiding a PR disaster.... Sidney, a moment's pause for reflection would surely reveal the gaping hole that lies ahead of your argument. Any club's top rider who is going through a sticky patch would be, in inverted commas, missing their flight and promptly replaced by some in-form hotshot. And the opposition would, quite rightly, be kicking up.

Couldn't have put it better. Need to grind out some three-point home wins and I look at the rejigged Lakeside outfit on Monday as a potential banana skin.

Broadly speaking, I'm with you on this (PK, anyone?) but with the small caveat that Proctor, presumably due to some rolling averages quirk, is now fifth in the team list and his RR rides would therefore be Skornicki and the reserves. Perhaps -- perhaps -- that has had a bearing on the thinking. And given that you (presumably still) are one of the few who travel away regularly, I reckon you've got as big a stake in the line-up as most. Edit: In fact I hadn't realised until now that Proctor actually started fifth in the team averages and has stayed there despite his sparkling start to the season. But he's been riding like a third heat-leader and that's a huge miss right now.

Ah, OK, thanks. I did say it was a vague idea!

I have a vague idea that riders have to demonstrate a proficient laydown before being issued with a licence. Perhaps someone out there can give a definitive answer.

PK would be a fine choice; in-form, good at Eastbourne and, as TNT indicated, riding for Lakeside the previous night so possibly around. Not a bad record in black and gold down the years, either.

Is the case, basically, then that the rulebook cites absolute commitment to British fixtures but the authorities' agreement with SVEMO acknowledges that re-arranged British fixtures do not carry priority? And the hapless rider is stuck in the middle? Is that where we are? Because if so, I would have to sympathise with Lindgren's Twitter declaration: "I'm not paying anything I was in Sweden for Swedish elite league on their day: Tuesdays."