Birmingham Mail

For all the speedway scribblers who marked the scores down at the meeting, for all those who forsaken Champions League footie to see the racing, for the die hard fans in the shed end, for the suits in the hob nob box and especially to the Brummies themselves I apologise from the bottom of my heart.

Perhaps it was because I lost track of time rowing with a colleague about the merit of messers Mourinho and Benitez, perhaps it was because I fell asleep in the taxi from town and it shot over the Perry Barr flyover and past the speedway.

But I think it might have had something to do with a little inter-office football match in the late afternoon.

It was the first time I had played in four years and though my tubby frame dodged and darted around the pitch, a few hours later and I felt if I had 10 rounds with Bella Emberg.

And I never had chance to get home and pick up my lucky Skidders Corner pants, not that they did me or the Brummies much good last week.

So it was for health reasons I did not make it to the speedway my weary self could not get to Perry Barr but as Elvis never said 'speedway was always on my mind'.

I was delighted to hear that in my absence the Brummies powered to victory in the first leg of a cup tie against the Newport Wasps.

I missed Ulrich Ostergaard and Jason Lyons leading from the front and helping the Brummies take an eight point lead in to Saturday's return leg in South Wales.

I missed the friendly faces, the smells, the sounds, the jokes, the scribblers, the moaners and the expensive Guinness, err well maybe not the last one.

Priscilla never gave Elvis another chance but in the words of the King - speedway, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died.