The beautiful game: generations.

I’ve been to some big games: Wembley playoffs, promotions and championship clinching matches ─ and, being a Notts County fan, more relegation nail biters than I care to remember, but this match eclipsed the lot. The debut of my best friend, partner in crime, and ─ by reason of osmosis ─ a committed Magpie: Arthur … Read more

Bradford bromance.

Leaving base camp at a little after 8am, the train journey north from Reading would traverse to Birmingham New Street, then up to Leeds, and finally across to the promised land: Bradford. As a southern-based Notts County season ticket holder, I guess I could class most fixtures – in terms of distance ─ as away … Read more

Speedway through the looking glass.

Grandmaster, Anatoly Karpov, once quipped, “Chess is everything: art, science, and sport.” Arguably this statement could be applied to many other pursuits, although its perfect fit with speedway is inescapable. The best vantage point to appreciate all three facets of this statement is trackside, but close on the heels of being part of the live … Read more

The curious case of censorship, sewage, and Sunderland, MP.

To paraphrase Lady Bracknell, to lose one WhatsApp message may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two – or, in the Prime Minister’s case, significantly more – looks to be beyond carelessness. Sunak’s WhatsApp mishap points to a bigger question: could this tendency to mishandle communication technology be contagious? Are those that orbit the … Read more

Bionic man: the bouncebackability of Lewis Kerr.

At its heart, speedway is a risky business. Injuries are, unfortunately, par for the course, although the steely resolve of the riders who entertain us often produces an almost unnatural pain threshold. Getting up and dusting themselves down after the most horrific of crashes is commonplace, as are the many occasions when riders knowingly drop … Read more

Playoffs: pride or prejudice?

Proper or pantomime? Fair or unjust? Scintillating or exasperating? The playoffs have been part of speedway hierarchy since 2002 and have often had a habit of causing division across the terraces, especially when the top of the table team fails to be crowned champions. But is this sporadic criticism fair, and are the playoffs vital … Read more

Secrets: a risk worth accepting?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

The question, “can you keep a secret?” caresses intrigue like no other statement can ever hope to do. At its heart there is a burning invitation to indulge in wonder, speculation, or conviction – and occasionally all three simultaneously – with the storyline, more often than not, wrapped in an air of delicious mystery. Personally, … Read more