A Win For Jim

It’s been a while since I’ve stared at a blank screen and wondered what to write, where to start.

 For the first time this season I find myself lost for words, hard to believe I know!

 2022 so far has been a bit of a rollercoaster on, and off the track and on the most part it has been a blast. The Bullets sit top of the National League and things were going fairly well for the Bandits, until around a fortnight ago.

 We lost Leon Flint to injury just as he was starting to find his groove and a day later, we lost Ty Proctor due to difficult conditions at Newcastle. As such, we lost out in a meeting we ultimately would have won with a full squad.

 Against Redcar we found ourselves reduced to just five riders following a first bend incident which saw Jye Etheridge end his night and again we lost out in a meeting we surely would have won had disaster not struck.

As such, the wind has been taken out of the sails a little bit. We arguably should have secured three, possibly four points at Newcastle and we definitely should have secured three against Redcar. If it wasn’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have had any luck at all.

Despite the return of two of our three injured warriors, we once again fell short against the might of Glasgow but despite that, we went down swinging. No matter how you slice it though, it resulted in another night where no points were added to the board.

 Truth be told though; it was a tough night at the office for more than just the on-track action on Saturday.

 Just prior to the meeting myself and my commentary partner Marty were informed of the sad passing of Glasgow fan and a good friend of ours, Jim Kelly.

 Those of you that knew Jim would know that he had been battling illness for quite some time and despite knowing this day was coming, it really knocked the stuffing out of us. However, knowing Jim, if he had been there he would likely have said something along the lines of “get on with it you pair of (insert expletive here).”

 Jim was always quick with a joke, and he lived his life to its fullest and he was a guy I never heard anyone say a bad thing about. It was simply impossible not to like Jim and he was life and soul of the party.

 Jim had often said that Berwick was always his favourite away trip when following his beloved Glasgow Tigers, and it was always great to see him when he made the trip. As I mentioned before he was usually quick with a joke or a jibe of some sort, but the night, irrespective of the result, would always end with a handshake and wishes of a safe journey up the road. 

Safe to say I think he would’ve enjoyed his teams performance on Saturday and that one was for him.

Jim obviously loved his speedway, but he was also enthusiastic about his football and music too.

He was perhaps most passionate and proud of his family though and it will be them who will miss him the most.

Rest in peace Jim, it was an absolute pleasure to have known you and call you a friend.

Of course if you wish to agree, or disagree with the Mythman, have an idea for a feature, or you simply wish to chew the fat over all things speedway, you can email me jbspeedwaymedia@hotmail.com or get in touch via the JB Speedway Media Facebook page. If your compliments, or indeed gripes can be contained to limited characters you can tweet @Mythman666.

Until next time…and there will be a next time.

Right, I’ll hae’tae gan.

Mythman