Ommer Mon Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I ask the question because I genuinely don't know the answer. No clever references to Wembley please! Mildenhall won almost everything last year and Craig Cook & Nick Morris' Buxton a few years ago were excellent but who was the best Conference / National League Team of the modern era? Whatever the debate I think this years Heathens side has been magnificent and justified all of the tough / unpopular decisions that the Promoters made in the Winter. How fitting that 30 years after the 1983 team, we have at last produced another highly successful side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I would say Scunthorpe Scorpions 2007 - awesome team who would have finished mid-table in that season's Premier League. They completely and utterly battered us (Oxford) in the final, despite the fact they were without the injured trio of Josh Auty, Andrew Tully and Richie Dennis. Half a team left, yet they still cruised to the title with ease. How many CL/NL teams have contained a future World Champion (Tai Woffinden) in their ranks? No contest really. All the best Rob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganbike Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 (edited) Totally agree. To watch Auty and Wuffy at reserve racking up 25 to 30 points was awesome at the start of the season and then when into main body of team they carried on. Richie Dennis Josh Auty Tai Woffinden Andrew Tully Benji Compton Byron Bekker Scott Richardson Joe Haines Scott Anderson James Cockle Dudley this year were very good. 2 x 250 under 15 champs. Ash and Nath 3 x 500 under 15 champs. Dan, Ash and Nath Some started grass track at age 6 and were very succesful Dan Max Nath Starky Gaz also started on grass in his teenage years and Lewis is just a beast. Remember back in 07 there were about 15 conference teams and riders had many more meetings each month and that is now where National league riders struggle to maintain form. Yet we have reached end of season and Stoke have two fixtures unridden and Dudley one. How bizarre. Edited October 31, 2013 by morganbike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Totally agree. To watch Auty and Wuffy at reserve racking up 25 to 30 points was awesome at the start of the season and then when into main body of team they carried on. Richie Dennis Josh Auty Tai Woffinden Andrew Tully Benji Compton Byron Bekker Scott Richardson Joe Haines Scott Anderson James Cockle Dudley this year were very good. 2 x 250 under 15 champs. Ash and Nath 3 x 500 under 15 champs. Dan, Ash and Nath Some started grass track at age 6 and were very succesful Dan Max Nath Starky Gaz also started on grass in his teenage years and Lewis is just a beast. Remember back in 07 there were about 15 conference teams and riders had many more meetings each month and that is now where National league riders struggle to maintain form. Yet we have reached end of season and Stoke have two fixtures unridden and Dudley one. How bizarre. Morganbike, very much agree, but just to point out, you've put two seasons into one there. Woffy and Auty were at reserve at the beginning of 2006... the first of two sucessive championships for Scunthorpe. In 2007, it was Joe Haines who started off at reserve for Scunny and ended up pushing Byron Bekker to reserve. Scunny were very strong in 2006 and then almost unbelievably strong in 2007, with the likes of Woffinden, Auty, Tully, etc even better than the season before. Woffinden in the 2007 play-off final was sensational, a barely 17-year-old lad who was not only unbeaten in both legs, but also putting in some very good team-riding with Joe Haines. That's not to say that Mildenhall 2012 and Dudley 2013 haven't been fantastic teams, they have, but for me Scunthorpe 2007 has the edge. All the best Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniev123 Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Although Buxton, Mildenhall, Dudley 2012 version, St Austell, Newport Mavericks ably led by Appleton and Neath & Linlithgow spring to mind as superb examples of CL/NL teams but I have to say that the Scunthorpe 2007 vintage edge out this year's Dudley version by a small amount, well Tai!! Perhaps, if there is a NL next year, we may see another team rise and dominate if not I have many fond memories since 1999 watching CL/NL meetings thanks to that wonderful Club CH version of the Heathens who rode anywhere with 7 guests for a couple of years then faded when it got to much for Enoch to arrange!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganbike Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 Yup I do get mixed up but hey that's life. Watching Tai in the final at Oxford coming out of turn two which had a puddle on the inside exit and he just dug his left foot on the puddle every lap he rode to fill the following riders goggles with slop was classic and boy he didn't even need to try that hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I ask the question because I genuinely don't know the answer. No clever references to Wembley please! Mildenhall won almost everything last year and Craig Cook & Nick Morris' Buxton a few years ago were excellent but who was the best Conference / National League Team of the modern era? Whatever the debate I think this years Heathens side has been magnificent and justified all of the tough / unpopular decisions that the Promoters made in the Winter. How fitting that 30 years after the 1983 team, we have at last produced another highly successful side. That neatly spiked any comment from me! I would have added "or Belle Vue pre-war." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ommer Mon Posted November 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Given the 'bib' on you picture I thought you would have given Wimbledon from the 50's a shout too. Thanks Guys. I take the point looking at that Scunthorpe side! Extremely talented bunch of lads, may of whom have gone on to greater things in higher Leagues (especially Woofie). Just one question and I appreciate this may tax the memory somewhat. What was the points average when that team was put together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer sam Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 Just one question and I appreciate this may tax the memory somewhat. What was the points average when that team was put together? There wasn't a points limit as such, it was a grading system, based on age as much as averages. It's how Scunthorpe were able to retain the vast bulk of the 2006 team for 2007. Very strange league in 2007. Scunthorpe, thanks to the grading system, put a team together no-one could get close to. The league's best rider (Tai Woffinden) was only a Grade 6, as was Josh Auty. In turn, Oxford had a side which the next strongest - nowhere as near as strong as Scunny, but more powerful than the rest of the teams. It led to some very lopsided scores - Oxford 71 Sittingbourne 21 and Oxford 70 Cleveland 18 spring to mind. And I think Scunny had the best-ever away win recorded in a league match (at Sittingbourne?). I remember being team manager for Oxford at Scunthorpe in 2007. We got battered. I think we lost 35-58. Rob Godfrey came up to me after the meeting, shook my hand and congratulated us on being the best visitors there that season. Grading systems just do not work - and create more of an inequality than a points limit. Having said that, the 2007 Scunthorpe side were a joy to watch, with so many talented youngsters in one team (which is what the grading system rewarded). The current points limit would prevent a team that strong being assembled in the National League again. All the best Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montie Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 The Scunny League winning side of 2011 wasnt a bad side either when you look at Both Worralls,Birks,Irving Stefan Nielsen etc all who have gone on to do it in the PL, The Heathens team of 2013 is a good team but would have got battered, by the 2006,2007 and 2011 saints I think the best Judge on an NL team is what the indiviuals can go on to achieve after the NL,thats the real measure i think and of that Dudley team Blackbird has cracked it it seems,the rest remain to be seen but the like of Clegg and Greaves should kick on next year 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniev123 Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 The Scunny League winning side of 2011 wasnt a bad side either when you look at Both Worralls,Birks,Irving Stefan Nielsen etc all who have gone on to do it in the PL, The Heathens team of 2013 is a good team but would have got battered, by the 2006,2007 and 2011 saints I think the best Judge on an NL team is what the indiviuals can go on to achieve after the NL,thats the real measure i think and of that Dudley team Blackbird has cracked it it seems,the rest remain to be seen but the like of Clegg and Greaves should kick on next year I have to agree that the 2007 Scunny team may have beat the 2013 Heathens BUT it is what is achieved in THAT specific Season NOT what happens in the future that really matters, as riders move on/stay the same or pack it in through what ever reason so may not ever get to their peak! Just a second thought in 2011 Dudley were torn apart by injury after the 4's............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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