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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8: WEEK 24
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, September 6)
FSL leader Kevin Pritchard will be hoping his September transfer pays dividends as he aims to maintain his advantage at the top of the table in the closing weeks of the season.
Newport fan Kevin wasted little time in utilising his September option as he dropped Redcar's Gary Havelock from his Howes The Wasps Doin septet on the first of the month, and brought in Edinburgh No. 1 Ryan Fisher as his replacement. Kevin has also dropped Havelock from his second-placed Can I Do It Again team and snapped up another Edinburgh rider, this time William Lawson.
Nearest challenger Nigel Broome, who had closed the gap between his Eve of Destruction team and the leaders to just eight points last week, but has now slipped 34 points off the pace, has also moved quickly to make a team change. Out goes Workington's Craig Cook, in comes Poole's Jason Doyle. Whose transfers will pay off most? Find out in the next four weeks!
Latest riders added to the rider list this week are Stoke's Jeremia Thelaus (7.00) and Edinburgh's reserve addition Ashley Morris (3.00).

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: WEEK 23
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, August 30)
A LEAD of almost 100 points has been whittled down to just eight as top dog Kevin Pritchard comes under increasing pressure as we enter the penultimate month of the season.
If not home and hosed, Kevin looked well on the way to a successful defence of his FSL title just a few weeks ago but how things can change in a relatively short period of time.
Third-placed Nigel Broome has not given up the chase and although the positions remain the same ? Kevin first and second, Nigel third ? the gap is now down to single figures.
It would appear, though, as if the title is destined to be won by one of those two. With some real-life teams having already finished their fixtures, the points are going to start drying up and with fourth-placed Boomer Entwistle some 91 points off the pace, that looks like a big gap to close at this stage of the year. Mind you, the way Nigel has moved into contention for top spot in the last month, anything is possible!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25: WEEK 22
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, August 23)
KEVIN Pritchard is clinging on to the top two positions but remains under pressure from Nigel Broome at the end of week 22 in what is becoming something of a two-horse race for the 2010 Fantasy League title. Newport fan Kevin is still first and second, but only just as Nigel's Eve of Destruction team has moved to within four points of second place. He is only 21 points away from taking the lead as well, but more worrying for the rest of the field is that there is now a 100-point gap between Nigel in third and fourth-placed Boomer Entwistle. It is looking like the September transfer options are going to be vital!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18: WEEK 21
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, August 16)
MAYBE it isn't such a foregone conclusion as we were beginning to think. Just when it looked as if defending champion Kevin Pritchard had got a stranglehold on top spot in the table and was about to pull clear to clinch back-to-back FSL titles, his table-toppers appear to have run into a sticky patch. A fortnight ago, his lead was around the 100-point mark but last week it was down to 58 and this week third-placed Nigel Broome has closed the gap to a much more manageable 27. While Kevin still has three teams in the top four, promoters like fifth-placed Robert Cherryholme and Boomer Entwistle in sixth are right in contention, and 2008 FSL Champion Marianne Batten also looks a threat in seventh. Perhaps we're in for a much more exciting end to the season than we envisaged a fortnight ago! Meanwhile, latest additions to the rider list are new King's Lynn's signing Lasse Bjerre (7.00) and Swindon's new Pole Maciej Janowski (4.00).

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11: WEEK 20
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, August 9)
THE manager of the month for July is now known, and it will probably come as little surprise to FSL promoters that this month's award goes to our current leader and reigning champion Kevin Pritchard. Newport fan Kevin appears to be the dominant force in the FSL at the moment and his Howes the Wasps Doin septet, the current pace-setters, were the top scorers for July. There was a source of encouragement for the chasing pack in week 20, however, as third-placed Nigel Broome has made significant in-roads into Kevin's lead this week, cutting the deficit from 97 to 58. Four more riders have been added to the rider list today: Peter Ljung (4.92) of Lakeside, Frank Facher (7.00) of Stoke, Marcin Rempala (6.52) of Berwick and Kyle Howarth (3.00) of Somerset.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4: WEEK 19
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, August 2)
LITTLE change at the top this week, with a smaller than normal number of matches taking place - largely due to the World Cup - and consequently fewer opportunities for any of the chasing pack to make in-roads into leader Kevin Pritchard's sizeable advantage at the top. Kevin still holds down the top two positions and third-placed Nigel Broome is 97 points off the pace. Two more riders have been added to the rider list today: Chris Slabon (4.75) of Ipswich and Rye House recruit Paul Starke (3.00).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28: WEEK 18
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, July 26)
WITH seven teams in the current top 23, reigning Fantasy League champion Kevin Pritchard appears well set to mount a successful defence of his title - especially when you take a look at the top five! Newport fan Kevin occupies four of the five leading positions after week 18 and with his table-topping 'Howes the Wasps Doin' team almost 100 points clear of nearest rival Nigel Broome in third, things are already starting to look a little ominous for the rest of the field as we head into August.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21: WEEK 17
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, July 19)
IS there no stopping him? Reigning Fantasy League champion Kevin Pritchard continues to set a blistering pace at the top of the table in defence of his title. Newport fan Kevin certainly appears to have mastered the art of selecting a top scoring FSL team, demonstrated by the fact that he now has four teams in the top six. Nearest challenger is Nigel Broome, whose Eve of Destruction side have been around 75 points off the pace for the last three weeks. Meanwhile, latest riders added to the list today are Redcar's new Dane Peter Juul (4.00) and Scunthorpe reserve Steve Worrall (3.00).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14: WEEK 16
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, July 12)
A QUIET week in the Fantasy Speedway League, with little change throughout the table thanks to the British Grand Prix at Cardiff. Only 10 matches took place during the seven days in question while the sport concentrated on the annual Millennium Stadium spectacular and it means things are pretty much as you were at the top of the table. Current leader, and reigning champion, Kevin Pritchard remains on top, although nearest challenger Nigel Broome has closed the gap very slightly - from 75 points, to 74!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7: WEEK 15
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, July 5)
A MINI-GLUT of new faces added to the rider list today, with no fewer than four recent arrivals in contention for team places. In the Elite League, Tomasz Jedrzejak (5.71) of Eastbourne joins the list, while from the Premier League we have Chris Mills (5.12) of King's Lynn, Robbie Kessler (5.69) of Rye House and Robin Aspegren (7.00) of Newport now available for selection. There is no change at the top of the table this week as defending champion Kevin Pritchard has tightened his grip on top spot as his Howes The Wasps Doin' team have opened up a 75-point advantage. Newport fan Kevin has lost second place in the table, however, as Sheffield fan Nigel Broome, who was our Manager of the Month in April, has moved up three places from fifth last week.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30: WEEK 14
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, June 28)
DEFENDING champion Kevin Pritchard has pulled clear at the top of the table and is now first and second in the table after an excellent week 14. Kevin is starting to look as though he's on course to become the first promoter in FSL history to land back-to-back titles, having pulled 44 points clear of third-placed Robert Cherryholme with his Howes The Wasps Doing entry. Newport fan Kevin certainly has the knack to putting together winning FSL sides as he is currently first, second and fourth, which is some going! There's a long way to go yet though, and we all know what damage a few injuries can suddenly do to a team's prospects. Plus, there's the small matter of former winners like Marianne Batten and Darryl Gray, to name but two, hovering ominously in the top 10! Latest addition to the rider list today are Peterborough's new Pole Norbert Kosciuch (4.00) and Redcar signing Charles Wright (4.75).

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23: WEEK 13
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, June 21)
WE'RE tied at the top of the table this week as Newport fan Kevin Pritchard and Berwick supporter David Johnston, first and third respectively last week, are now locked together on 1,571 points. Robert Cherryholme is hot on their heels in third place, only 12 points behind, so things are extremely tight at the head of affairs as we approach the halfway mark of the season.
Cal McDade (3.00) of Edinburgh is the latest addition to the rider list today.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16: WEEK 12
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, June 14)
HAVEN'T we been here before? We certainly have! This time last year, Newport fan Kevin Pritchard was top of the Fantasy Speedway League and went onto be crowned champion come the end of the 2009 campaign. Kevin has had several entries hovering around the top 10 for the last few weeks and at the end of week 12 has taken up the running from Wolves fan Robert Cherryholme and his Pescasseroli-Pilgrims team. Kevin, our manager of the month for May, has nosed four points clear of Robert, and five ahead of third-placed David Johnston. No-one has ever pulled off back-to-back FSL wins in the 15 years of the competition but Kevin looks like he could be a serious contender to pull off the feat for the first time. Meanwhile, the latest riders to be added to the rider list are Workington's new American recruit Kenny Ingalls (5.00) and Glasgow reserve Nick Morris (3.00).

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9: WEEK 11
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, June 7)
NO change at the top again as Wolves fan Robert Cherryholme and his Pescasseroli-Pilgrims team enjoy a fourth straight week in the sunshine. But it was a good week for Mildenhall fan David Bristow, whose David's Stars septet have become Robert's nearest challenger after surging up from ninth to second. Reigning champion Kevin Pritchard continues to look a real threat with four entries in the top seven at the moment.
There was further good news for Newport fan Kevin when the May Manager of the Month award was announced. His Can I Do It Again side were the top scoring outfit for last month with 660 points, which means he picks up the monthly prize package of a copy of Barry Briggs' book Wembley and Beyond, Jeff Scott's British Speedway Directory and a six-issue subscription to Backtrack magazine. Latest rider to be added to the rider list is Tobias Busch of Edinburgh (7.00).

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2: WEEK 10
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, May 31)
ROBERT Cherryholme makes it three weeks in a row in top spot as his Pescasseroli-Pilgrims team continue to set the pace a third of the way into the season. But just look at reigning champion Kevin Pritchard! The Newport fan is mounting a remarkable defence of his title as he has not one, not two, but three entries in the current top five. He also has another four entries in the top 50, so looks certain to have a big say in the end-of-season shake-up once again, barring any catastrophes with injuries. Meanwhile, more riders have been added to the rider list today: returning Wolverhampton star Adam Skornicki is available for selection on his 2009 average of 6.55 whilst Premier League three-pointers Kyle Newman (Birmingham) and Gary Irving (Redcar) have also made the list.

FRIDAY, MAY 28
TWO more riders have been added to the rider list today:
Peterborough's new signings Mathieu Tresarrieu (3.12) and Kamil
Brzozowski (4.00).

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26: WEEK NINE
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, May 24)
ROBERT Cherryholme has pulled off a first for this season - he's just become the first promoter to hold down top spot for more than a single week! Wolves fan Robert and his Pescasseroli-Pilgrims team were 15 points to the good last week at the end of week eight and here we are at the end of week nine, and he's now 26 points clear of the pack. Moving up into second place is reigning champion Kevin Pritchard, whose Can I Do It Again team led the way a fortnight ago. That team has slipped back to fourth, but Kevin is now challenging with another entry, The Wildcards. Latest rider to be added to the rider list today is Henning Bager of Redcar.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19: WEEK EIGHT
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, May 17)
YOU just can't move at the top of the leaderboard for former Fantasy League champions! This week, our 2008 winner Marianne Batten has moved into second spot in the table, although yet again we have a new leader. Taking up the running at the end of week eight is Robert Cherryholme, a Wolverhampton fan whose Pescasseroli-Pilgrims team has moved 15 points clear of the chasing pack. Remarkably, after eight weeks, no-one has held onto the lead for more than seven days, the closest any promoter has been to that being Rye House fan Darryl Gray, who shared top spot in week two and was clear on his own at the end of week three. Darryl, of course, is another former FSL champion, as is Oxford supporter Tristan Bazylkiewicz, who has had two stints in top position so far. Latest rider to be added to the rider list is Lee Smart (4.00), who has joined Stoke.

MANAGER OF THE MONTH
OUR apologies for the delay in announcing the Manager of the Month for April, but Sheffield fan Nigel Broome won?t mind the wait as he came out top dog in the first month of the season with his eveofdestruction side. Congratulations to Nigel, your prize will be on its way shortly.

MONDAY, MAY 17
NEW riders added to the rider list today are returning Lakeside rider Lee Richardson (8.56), Ales Dryml (4.67), who has rejoined Peterborough, and Glasgow's new Australian signing Michael Penfold (5.00).

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12: WEEK SEVEN
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, May 10)
CAN I Do It Again, asks our new leader Kevin Pritchard, who takes up the running this week by five points from Timothy Bohane. Newport fan Kevin, of course, is our reigning Fantasy League Champion so seeing as he's already top, and has two further entries in the top 20, then yes, there seems every possibility that he might well 'do it again'! Meanwhile, the latest addition to the rider list today is Coventry?s new Pole Przemyslaw Pawlicki who comes in on a 4.00 average.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5: WEEK SIX
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, May 3)
THREE new faces have been added to the rider list today and are available for selection with immediate effect. Somerset's two new signings, Lubos Tomicek (8.96) and Mark Baseby (3.04), plus Scunthorpe acquisition Tero Aarnio (4.95) will start scoring FSL points this week. At the top of the table at the end of our sixth week of FSL action, once again we have another new leader as Tristan Bazylkiewicz takes over top spot from last week's incumbent Timothy Bohane. Tristan's Closed 4 the Summer septet have a narrow seven-point lead over Robert Cherryholme's Pescasseroli-Pilgrims, who remain in second place, while defending champion Kevin Pritchard moves into contention in third with his The Wildcards outfit.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28: WEEK FIVE
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, April 26)
NO surprise that we have another new leader, the way the season has been going so far! Taking up the running this week - our fifth different leader in five weeks - is Timothy Bohane, a Swindon supporter, whose Early Leaders septet has pulled three points clear of second-placed Robert Cherryholme and his Pescasseroli-Pilgrims outfit. Last week's leader Chris Robertson slips back to third. Don't forget, the best time to check your Fantasy League team's progress is via the website on Wednesday afternoon/evening or on a Thursday/Friday. That's because we update the league table once a week on a Wednesday lunchtime.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22
WORKINGTON'S new signing Rusty Harrison has been added to the rider list today ahead of his first appearance of the season for the Comets on Saturday and is available for selection on a 5.45 average.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21: WEEK FOUR
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, April 19)
FOUR weeks in, and no-one has managed to make a break for it at the top of the table so far. For the fourth week running, we have a different name at the head of the leaderboard as Belle Vue fan Chris Robertson and his Hughie Pugh septet take over the yellow race-jacket from last week's incumbent Darryl Gray, whose table-topping Rubber Ring outfit have slipped right back in the standings after a bad seven days. Rye House fan Darryl remains in contention, however, with two of his other entries having climbed up to third and fourth positions. In second place is Sheffield supporter Nigel Broome, whose eveofdestruction team are just 13 points off the pace.
A reminder now that the season is in full swing that the best time to check your Fantasy League team's progress is on Wednesday afternoon/evening or on a Thursday/Friday. That's because we update the league table once a week on a Wednesday lunchtime.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14: WEEK THREE
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, April 12)
DARRYL Gray, the 2007 Fantasy League champion, has taken up the running at the end of week three with his Rubber Ring septet. Rye House fan Darryl now leads the way by just five points from Poole supporter Keith Milton while the reigning champion Kevin Pritchard is already mounting a stern defence of his title, having moved into joint third position, just six points off the pace. New riders added to the rider list today are Belle Vue's new signing Tobias Kroner, Brent Werner of Somerset and King's Lynn's new recruit at reserve, Darren Mallett.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7: WEEK TWO
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, April 5)
THERE are some very familiar faces at the top of the leaderboard at the end of week two - as all of the top three are former winners of the FSL! Locked together on 189 points as joint leaders are Tristan Bazylkiewicz, who was crowned Fantasy League champion in 2002; Rye House fan Darryl Gray, who was top dog in 2007; and Belle Vue supporter Mark McGeever, who claimed the first prize in 2003. In fact, all three of them have two teams in the top 10 at the moment, so look as if they could be strong contenders again in this year's competition.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31: WEEK ONE
(Matches up to, and including, Monday, March 29)
THE rain has been throwing a spanner into the works of the early season fixture list, with a number of postponements meaning that only five matches have taken place so far. Our first leader of the new season is Berwick fan Gary Ellis, whose Shale and Space septet hold a one-point advantage over Ipswich supporter Malcolm Stiff.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26
THE first scores of the season are now in and, for what it's worth, seeing as there has only been one completed match so far, we also have our first league table of the new season. The Scunthorpe v Sheffield Premier Trophy match was the season opener as far as the FSL was
concerned and the 14 riders who took part in that fixture now have points on the board. From now on, we will get back into the swing of the regular weekly update on a Wednesday lunchtime so the best time to check your team's progress - or lack of progress, as the case may be! - is on a Wednesday afternoon.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22
The countdown to the start of the new season is now underway and Fantasy League promoters can begin the process of selecting their teams for the 2010 campaign.
There is still plenty of time as the first official fixture does not take place until Friday, March 19 when Scunthorpe entertain Sheffield in the Premier Trophy. The Elite League season is not scheduled to begin until Saturday, March 27 when Eastbourne take on Swindon at Arlington.
Throughout the season, check out all the latest FSL developments by clicking onto the news link on this website. You can also follow the league through the magazine.
To register your team(s) and pay the £3.50 entry fee via secure server, click on the 'log-in' link to the left and follow the simple instructions.
If you entered the 2009 Fantasy League, you will still be able to use your existing username and password. There is no need to create a new account.
Good luck!