IainB

Yes I thought that too, but I presume that the referee knows the rules better than you and I. It wouldn't surprise me if they've done away with that rule with the constant tinkering that goes on every close season. The trouble with running a professional sport with common sense is that what may be common sense to you or to me or to Buster may be three completely different things. That is why we have rules

The point is, is there a rule that says a team can't start with just 3 riders?

Anybody that still thinks that DU is a good idea should take a look at the "Somerset" team being put out tonight! Unbelievable!

That's the trouble with rules... break one and you may as well break them all

Why are people questioning the ref? The ref is working to the rules... who makes the rules up?

SteveZodiac... please look through the rule book and look for the rule that says "Where 2 teams can't plan out to have enough riders available to start a match, the 2 teams, if in agreement, can just do what they want" Rules are there for a reason and if a promotion can't plan effectively enough to be in a position to start a match with enough riders why have a rule book at all? Like I've said earlier, Wolves were kind of lucky they didn't have the same problem, it could easily have happened to them. It was down to the KL and Wolves promotions to make sure they had enough riders there to complete 2 matches... even more so when both teams were a rider down to start with (even though KL only found out about MPT at 7pm)

No

Perhaps because the rules allowed it? The ref would have had a rulebook to follow... unlike the make it up as you go along promoters

I can't believe that some of you are looking to blame the ref! It's the refs job to make sure that matches are run according to the rules, it's the promotions job to field a competitive and complete team. Fair enough blame the ref if rules were broken i.e. minimum team strength not met, but do we know that this is still a rule? I'm guessing by some of the teams that have been put out this season that it's not. Does anybody know? You can't just cancel a match because you have failed to plan properly. Only an idiot would go into a double header against the same team twice operating R/R and not having any cover... KL were unlucky, yes but it could also have happened to Wolves... either way one thing is for sure, it's the paying punter that is being taken for a mug as ususal

Haha! Thread closed then... next

Anybody any idea what selection of riders can be bothered to turn up for this match?

8 clubs with crowds of 2000-3000 is better than 10 clubs with crowds of 800-1000

Only a matter of time at the current rate! Wouldn't it be nice for a rider to say no I'm not doubling up as I can't show the commitment that is needed to my club... But on the other hand promoters are very quick to drop riders not in form, so it works both ways, why should riders show commitment. I think it just shows what a total mess the game is in

And why is that I wonder? Maybe because a lot of riders are denying opportunities to others by doubling up? It does seem a bit catch 22

But by allowing DU aren't you effectively halving the number of available team spaces? And don't some riders TU (triple up)?

Surely clubs have to look at the bigger picture, why are they running 2 teams when they don't have enough riders for 1?

still has plenty of time... look at Gollob and Hancock

To continue your analogy, it seems to me that clubs are currently at the food bank

I don't know how many riders are licensed to ride in the UK but it's obvious that there are not enough. The first thing I'd do is not allow the likes of Belle Vue and King's Lynn to run National League teams... why on earth should they be running 2 teams when they don't have enough riders for 1! There's 14 riders freed up straight away (assuming they only rider for 1 NL club) I'd also place some sort of cap on who can ride in an NL team, allow 1 "experienced" rider (based on number of official matches ridden) as a coach but the rest have to be inexperienced, no more than say 100 matches unless they continue to ride for the same team There are too many riders in the NL, who to be brutally honest, are never going to make it beyond the level they are currently at and ride as a hobby, these riders should not stand in the way of riders with genuine talent and ambition. It may mean an initial period of rider and pay control.

That may very well be the case for new fans to the sport... but after a while they need more, especially after they've sat through a few sun breaks and farcical matches and then start to wonder why on earth it is they are still going. Surely the whole idea of league team speedway is to field a team, if you can't do this you may as well just put events on like American or Australian speedway or UK Grasstrack

Credit where it's due! Unbelievable news from the Lions... they've put the start back this Saturday until 8pm to counter any possible sun delay! That's the first bit of good news to come from the club in recent weeks... now to sort out the rest of the problems with the sport

... or they could get a job until they're good enough to go professional

What was initially introduced as a way for young up and coming Brits to gain extra experience in the higher league has now turned into a complete farce (a bit like the draft system... whatever happened to that?). It seems to me that too many riders think that they are owed a full time living by Speedway these days. Back in the day, riders held down a job and took time off to ride Speedway and that wasn't too long ago (wasn't Carl Stonehewer also a Postman? While also riding in the GP's?). The current double up system is not sustainable too many riders are doing it, meaning that there's a lack of openings for the youngsters. We are now at a stage where almost every league match seems to be effected by lack of riders. This is making a mockery of the Sport (as always I use the term Sport loosely).

OK, Different Reply... 1 Polish World Champion in the last 43 years

So a few of them are having a good season this season... this is not about the Poles... it's about saving British Speedway!