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SOUTH AND SOUTH WALES
WESTERN LEAGUE FIXTURES ANNOUNCED - posted 30 March 2010
The Western League are pleased to announce their 2010 fixture list which is due to begin in May when East Newport and Underwood take on Swindon and Filton in a double
header at the excellent Welsh track. The day is designed to allow all riders to meet each other and promote the event.
The League is building pace and looks to be contested by four teams eager to take part in cycle speedway. Swindon have the chance to offer their newer riders extra racing when their big guns are away on Premier League duty while East Newport also have the chance to blood new riders. The League will be Filton's only official competition this year as they rebuild from the ground up.
The competition couldn't have come at a better time for the sport in the area and who knows it may lead to some more disused tracks to become active once more as more riders show interest in grass roots racing. Early signs are the Easton track, once home of top Bristol club Bristol St George, may reopen and similar events staged there. All of these exciting new West Country projects hang on the back of the news that speedway is returning to the city of Bristol once more when the Bulldogs make their home on a site just North of the City.
Western League
Sunday 9th May
East Newport vs Swindon (2pm)
Underwood vs Filton (3.30pm)
Wednesday 19th May
East Newport vs Underwood (7pm)
Thursday 20th May
Filton vs Swindon (7pm)
Sunday 30th May
East Newport vs Filton (2pm)
Underwood vs Swindon (3.30pm)
Wednesday 9th June
Swindon vs Filton (7pm)
Underwood vs East Newport (7pm)
Sunday 13th June
Swindon vs Underwood (2pm)
Filton vs East Newport (2pm)
Wednesday 23rd June
Filton vs Underwood (7pm)
Sunday 11th July
Swindon vs East Newport (2pm)
Severn Bridge Four A Side Tournament
Sunday 1st August
Filton vs Underwood vs East Newport vs Swindon (2pm)
Sunday 5th September
Swindon vs East Newport vs Filton vs Underwood (2pm)
Sunday 26th September
Underwood vs Filton vs Swindon vs East Newport (2pm)
Sunday 10th October
East Newport vs Swindon vs Underwood vs Filton (2pm)
REGION GROWING AND IMPROVING - posted 8 March 2010
With a new year and the start of a new season comes a new opportunity to build on the huge success clubs in the South & South Wales achieved last year. 2009 marked
the start of exciting progress in national success at all levels with an abundance of clubs, teams and riders winning silverware justifying the fact the region is on the up.
The regions youth and junior league looks to be the most exciting ever with six clubs showing real commitment to supplying high numbers of new and existing riders. Last year we saw a regional round of the competition break through the 100 rider landmark and this year who knows what may be achieved? On the domestic front the three league competitions are as strong as ever with eight teams in division one, six in combination and seven in the conference league.
2009 champions, Horspath, will no doubt be hoping to add to their success by building their junior riding squad up to deal with the rigors of regional racing. Horspath have a great reputation for producing quality riders and no doubt this is the year we will see new names come to the forefront supported by the old guard of Steve Harris, Mark Boaler and Wayne Hutt.
Poole have had a quiet winter in terms of attracting riders to their Dorset stable but word is their junior numbers have more than compensated for that. Refreshing to see Premier League clubs building up their junior numbers and taking full advantage of their GoRide statuses.
One of 2009s success stories was the continued success of Swindon and to see them add to the junior squad. The Wiltshire club have a few senior riders missing this
season but the desire to compete remains and will be ably led by Danny Harper, Shaun Rudman and Mark Janes.
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabout and although the region has temporarily lost Filton, we gain Newport in Division One for the first time in over three years. Having signed a few riders on secondary to boost their squad they may prove to be the regions dark horses this year as team struggle to cope with the large
Newport City oval.
In contrast East Newports track has seen many scalps in recent years and their junior riders are now starting to mature and can compete on the big stage in spite of their youthful exuberance. With many new track developments the club are still building strong foundations for years to come and the future of Welsh cycle speedway looks good.
Hellingly have taken the bold step of adding a junior team to the Conference League that only benefit the club in years to come. Having seen other teams benefit from the exciting competition they can add new talent to their arsenal of the Hollebon brothers and Eddie Ridley.
Southampton are still rebuilding a new riding squad and Colin Wheeler's golden touch seems to working yet again with a wealth of new talent gracing the Hampshire track.
With many riders now into their second season they can only gain strength as the season progresses.
Exeter is the club that has been build from a junior club born through the successthe youth and junior league have offered. Now reaping much reward from their
perseverance they have great riders such as Tom Reed, Craig Nethercott and Aaron Herbert.
Finally, to sum it all up, the work continues because the product will never be complete but it's great to say its growing and getting better.
NEW LEAGUE LAUNCHED IN WEST - posted 1 March 2010
Cycle cpeedway in the South-West has been boosted with the exciting news of a new league entering the sport.
Teams from East Newport, Underwood, Swindon and Filton will be racing on Premier League Sundays and midweek days in home and away fixtures and a
fours tournament at each venue boosting the race calendar for many riders who choose to be active on days normally earmarked for the countrys top 56 riders.
With much at stake this is going to be a great competition and hopefully we can pull in large crowds and provide a new venture for riders to hone their skills and fitness
which will lead to them competing in the elite league in years to come said Rob Absalom.
"It also provides a much needed lifeline to clubs such as Filton who can keep the Elm Park track active and they will build up their riding squad with
many first claim riders who can enjoy the excitement cycle speedway provides."
The league is to be named the Western League and it is hoped a significant sponsor can be found to fund the exciting new venture. A full fixture list will be announced
very soon.
ENTER SOUTH AND SOUTH WALES - posted 20 January 2010
The newly named South and South Wales region held a fixtures and rules meeting at Underwood Social Club, Newport on Sunday. All the region's clubs were represented with the exception of Filton, indeed Filton's fortunes dominated early discussions.
Addressing the meeting, committee member Rob Absalom explained that he had received a phone call from Mike Burgess that very morning
saying that Filton CSC still had an interest in competing in Division One in 2010. They needed a little more time to confirm the availability of some riders so it was agreed that the meeting would continue and if Filton CSC did apply to compete then a new fixture list would be sent
out.
Newport CSC were unhappy with Filton CSC as they were considering entering Division One on the promise that the Filton CSC riders would be joining them for the season. At this point the meeting adjourned to allow Newport CSC to contact Filton CSC to find out their intentions.
Once the meeting reconvened Newport CSC made an official application to rejoin the South-West DivisIon One which was then voted on by the current full members and carried unanimously.
The committee explained that at the annual regional conference, Commission chairman Colin Docker has asked cycle speedway to realign its regions with those of British Cycling. As a consequence it was proposed the South-West region would be re-titled South and South Wales.
After much deliberation two proposals were put, the first to retain the South-West name (proposed by Southampton and seconded by Hellingly) or changing it to South and South Wales (proposed Horspath and seconded Exeter) to better reflect the current geographical location of member clubs and to fall in line with British Cycling's wishes. South and South West won the vote by five votes in favour to three against, so from now on the region will be called South and South Wales.
Before the 2010 fixtures were discussed, each team declared its intention for the forthcoming season. The line-ups are as follows
South & South Wales League
East Newport, Exeter, Filton, Hellingly, Horspath, Newport, Poole, Southampton, Swindon
Combination
East Newport, Exeter, Hellingly, Horspath, Poole, Swindon
Conference
East Newport, Exeter, Hellingly, Horspath, Newport, Poole, Southampton
Filton will be given until 24 January to confirm their Division One entry.
The only significant change is the introduction of a new S&SW Club Championships. A copy of the draft rules were distributed and discussed. Riders' gradings were also discussed and it again agreed that each rider would be judged on ability rather than using age and final qualifying as a general guide.
It as agreed to increase all fees by £3 for the under 16s, Open and the new Womens League Individual. Entry fees would come to the committee who would then be responsible for supplying all trophies on the day of the competitions. Entries could be taken on the day if there were any gaps in the scorecard.
SOUTH-WEST REFLECT ON HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SEASON - posted 8 November 2009
Seldom does a league AGM afford a unanimous endorsement of a racing season and the committee performance but that is exactly what clubs in the South West did in their annual meeting at Southampton today. This was highlighted by the successful completion of all events, a major impact at national competitions level and a significant growth in participation levels as the region now accounts for a third of all rider registrations nationwide.
Under the chairmanship of Geoff Gamage, the committee which also comprises Rob Absolom, Mike Legge, Andy Collett and Ian Sizer were returned en bloc with some adjustments to their individual responsibilities. Early indications point to a similar league structure in 2010 but with the strong liklihood of a reversal of the Newport/Filton situation which will once again see a full race programme at the International Sports Village circuit. Meanwhile Filton will concentrate on young riders through participation in the BYJL.
One of the most exciting innovations for 2010 sees the intruction of the South West Club Championship which will be awarded to the club with the highest aggregate performance in SWL Division One, Conference and Combination leagues together with the seven regional BYJL rounds. This is designed to reflect on the importance of the contribution made by riders of all age groups and encourage recruitment and participation levels.
When it came to feedback for the CS Commission, a number of concerns were expressed which will be taken forward to the forthcoming annual conference. Once again the lack of a more direct say in decisions and major developments is still causing frustration and the handling of the Dave Hunting affair came in for considerable criticism as did the facility for riders to change clubs in-year, effectively allowing them to compete in national championships for two different clubs in the same calender year. The recent club facility grading list also caused a stir and and a clearer explanation of the criteria will be sought.
Lively debate about secondary licences occupied a considerable part of the meeting but there was no real support for regional restrictions being applied with the rider grading system prefered as the tried and tested method of ensuring competitive team strengths.
In 2010, the SW Individual Finals day will be staged at Horspath while the Gold Cup goes to Southampton and the Rose Bowl to East Newport. The first four rounds of the BYJL will be staged at Horspath (April 17th), Southampton (May 8th), Newport (June 5th) and Swindon (June 26th). Later rounds will be at Exeter and Poole with the Finals days also at Poole on October 2nd.
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