Godfrey confirms appeal
SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey has confirmed that the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions lodged a protest prior to yesterday’s home clash against Edinburgh at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
The Scorpions lost the Premier League encounter by 44-45 in agonising fashion, after conceding a 5-0 in a dramatic final race.
17-year-old Dan Bewley was missing at No 7 for the Monarchs, as he was riding for his National League side Belle Vue at Buxton, and replaced by guest Mitchell Davey, a 26-year-old Australian who has recently taken out an ACU license to be able compete in the National League. Davey, who first rode in the Premier League for Glasgow way back in 2008, netted a vital 4+2 contribution for the Monarchs.
Godfrey stated to our friends at the Scunthorpe Telegraph: “First things first, Dan Bewley should have been at Scunthorpe yesterday. There is nothing in the rules that allows him to ride for a National League club over a Premier League one.
“There is no facility to cover that, so the only way that a team can go after that is to book a National League guest. And Mitchell Davey doesn’t fulfil the criteria.
“He started on a work permit and rode for Glasgow on a five point average. A National League guest is supposed to be a rider who hasn’t had an average over 4.00.”
Rule 18.10 e) reads:
18.10 FACILITIES
e) “No Facility”: NL G*
NL G*: a rider eligible for a NL Team who has never achieved an actual PL MA of 4.00 or above
Not only did Mitchell Davey come in on a 5.00 assessed average in 2008, but his official Green Sheet Average did rise above 4.00 during the 2009 season, e.g. his October 2009 Green Sheet Average was 4.23.
Godfrey adds: “We lodged the protest with the referee at the start of the meeting and we hope to see a swift outcome.
“We have followed the correct procedure, so we will see what happens and hopefully common sense will prevail.
“It’s a shame because it was a brilliant meeting yesterday, with some of the best racing you could hope to see, and we’d prefer that people were talking about that.”
