The card has been finalised for the first in the final round of matches in the BAGS/SIS Track Championship with Hall Green the hosts on Monday writes Floyd Amphlett.
Of the four regions, only the Eastern group is settled with Romford running as though they have had blinkers fitted after some hot and cold performances in recent years. Sister track Hove will be required to retrial.
BAGS’ Scott Harvey said: “Overall, it has been the tightest competition we have staged so far and the feedback from the shops has been very positive. There have been some fantastic performances and a few shocks along the way. Going into the last round, three of the regions are on a knife edge.
“In the north, Sheffield are odds-on going into the home leg and you wonder what Belle Vue might have achieved if they had filled their side for every race and taken more dogs for trials. As it stands, Newcastle will probably need a treble to have any chance of reaching the final either as winners or (one of the two) highest scoring seconds. What were the odds on that at the start?
“Personally, I think the two highest placed seconds will probably come from within the Eastern or Western sections, but in neither case can we be sure who will win it. Towcester are odds-on with a complete team of Mark Wallis runners at Hall Green with Monmore likely to be second, though you couldn’t rule out a surprise from the hosts. The Eastern region is a straight fight between Nottingham and Peterborough who go to Henlow and I wouldn’t want to call that one.
“I would like to thank all the connections who have embraced the competition. Apart from the travelling for trials and races, a number of connections have made sacrifices in terms of other competitions to make their dogs available for their home tracks and that is so encouraging to see. We will get through this last round of matches and then give some thought to the final venue.”
