With Plymouth getting a 28 day guest facility to cover for the injured Nico Covatti, it reminds me of 1969 at Newcastle. Ivan Mauger had won the World title the previous year but had fallen out with promoter Mike Parker big time and was refusing to ride for Newcastle ever again. In fact he was refusing to ride fir anyone other than Belle Vue! And so it happened, he got his wish and joined Belle Vue. But who would replace him at Brough Park? 1969 was the year a number of high profile riders, and a few lesser ones too, refused to move in line with the Rider Allocation Committee's directives. Charlie Monk, Jim Airey, Olle Nygren and Bert Harkins were all pencilled in at one time to ride fir the Geordies but were then rubbed out. In the end the Damonds got Garry Middleton, hardly a fair swap but at least he was prepared to head north. However he had extensive weekend commitments on the Continent and was scrambling to get back in time for home meetings on a Monday and at times a bit bashed about too. In the end Mike Parker accepted a season long guest facility and released Middleton to Hackney who in turn sent Tommy Sweetman to Parkers Wolverhampton allowing Cyril Francis to become a Newport Wasp. The Main beneficiaries seem to have been Jim Airey and Bert Harkins, two who declined the chance to become  Diamond. They were regularly booked as guests for the the Diamonds, 

Sad to say the team didnt have a great season and its fortunes went into a tail spin. Parker sold out at the end of the season to Allied Promotions, who only managed a year before transferring the licence down to Reading.