Fourentee

Assumed it was something like that, but too good an opportunity to miss!

This may be a hunch, but you're impressed, aren't you?

Indeed, remember it well. Some character.

Pix of MCS being played in Poland. Presence of actual bikes definitely adds a certain something! http://www.mcsgra.co..._id=295&lang=en

How could a committed fan even suggest doing otherwise? What are you, some kind of saboteur?

FWIW, this was on the Wolves site last week: The talented Australian has seen his application for a visa rejected on a technicality and he has launched an appeal. His Premier League club Edinburgh say he has fallen foul of a new regulation which wasn't in force when his previous visa expired last November. And his appeal is supported by the fact that other Australian riders in the same situation have had their visas issued and are already back in the UK for the new season.

I'm told that aspect is unrelated to the Masters situation.

What, the light airy zephyrs wafting in off the sun-drenched Solway coast? Is this another Workington in a parallel universe? The coldest I've ever been at a speedway match was Peterborough v Wolves, pre-season challenge in 2006. Poole v Wolves the previous night had been OK and lulled me into a false sense of security on the wrapping up warm front for my first visit to Alwalton. Picked up a friend from work who had thoughtfully taken cold weather gear to change into and he ended up wearing both sets, one on top of the other. Looked like Jason Bunyan on Saturday after his inflatable suit went off.

I think there was also an element of helping the lower-ranked teams with their sponsors when they could see a few points on the board.

That's simultaneously interesting and worrying! Might be one to bear in mind next year for the betting fraternity.

Which station?

Good assessments, IMHO. I think cautious optimism is where we are currently. Fair point, but in all conscience your seeming obsession with Steve makes his KKS thing look like a mere passing fancy.

The fifth race being....?

That's very helpful, MCS; many thanks. Home track advantage is a neat addition.

As I understand it, 21CH, each player has the same deck to start with and draws randomly from it. However, although all cards played are discarded, the winner of each exchange draws a card to his or her hand. So, for example, if you feel you don't currently have a good defensive hand and it is unlikely that you could fend off an opponent's attack on the straight, you might well be better keeping your powder dry and attempting to re-pass on the bend -- a good parallel with the real thing. We've all seen riders who are better at attacking than defending and vice versa. To quote MCS: "We start to analyze what cards have already been used, what our opponent might do, whether we should start the battle in the bend with our best effect or keep it for later use (or even keep it for the battle in the straight), etc. For the gamer, that would be where the lure lies -- the interplay between opponents and their styles, trying to out-think and second-guess them rather than just trotting out cards in a mechanical manner. I think you are 100 per cent accurate in your analysis. For board and card gamers with an interest in speedway, if the game plays as well as the background info and rule book suggest it should, then we're going to be as happy as pigs in sticky stuff. But for speedway fans who don't come to it from that viewpoint, a harder sell. However, it may be one of those where actually playing it through suddenly produces that light bulb "Oh, I get what they're doing" moment. I suspect that a bit of momentum could really produce results, but that actually getting the ball rolling will be the tough part.

The extra rider was a Jon Cook idea for the Craven Shield, the three-team tournament. "Furious Fives", I seem to remember being the tag. The fifth rider would be from the team not otherwise represented in the heat, so that there would be interest in every race for each group of supporters. But as Bwitcher notes, the riders didn't go for it.

Certain cards will frequently combine well with others and it also helps to figure out your opponent's style of play. To put it at its most simple in speedway terms, if you're leading a renowned 'white-liner' you'll only have to cover that style of overtaking move.

If MCS doesn't do so during the day, I'll have a go tonight.

Excellent, thanks. The last time I looked there was a play overview but no rules booklet.

Any sign yet?

How long have you got?

Actually, that's me being polite...

What particular part of the game do you find pathetic?

Yes, some posters on here have expressed a general interest and a desire to take a look at the game and see what it's like. Just as you put it. Don't know. Perhaps I'll buy a copy and see what the wave of students and 20-somethings who attend games sessions think of it.

It's clear from the overview posted earlier that there is rather more to it; however, that's your view and fair enough. But you, presumably, have leisure interests on which you're prepared to pay £18, be they books, music, cinema tickets, theatre, concerts -- or, indeed, admission to speedway matches -- and regard the return in terms of entertainment as well worth the outlay. Board/card gamers are no different.