Oxford Silver Machine's plans for the new speedway season have been thrown into disarray with a dispute over their American signings Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill.

Promoter Nigel Wagstaff confirmed last week that Hancock and Hamill would be riding at Oxford after an agreement with Coventry, for whom they rode last season.

But Coventry have insisted that the riders are only available for transfer, and that Oxford will have to buy them outright.

Wagstaff, however, remained defiant, according to the team's Clubcall line.

"As far as Nigel Wagstaff is concerned, the pair will be lining up for Silver Machine this season," it reported last night.

Coventry released a statement of their own, saying: "Further to the Oxford promotion's announcement that the BSPA have given them permission to announce that Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill will be riding for them this season, we have contested this with the BSPA chairman, who denied giving permission to Oxford.

"The BSPA have no authority over any of its member's assets and, as such, are not allowed under the constitution to give permission, which can be to the detriment of the asset owner.

"Coventry Racing Club is the owner of both riders and, as such, is the only organisation which can give permission on the future of these two riders.

"We have insisted that both Greg and Billy are purchased on a full transfer which is what we understood had been agreed to by Oxford's announcement.

"It has become clear in the last 24 hours that Oxford has no intention of purchasing these riders' contracts.

"We will never give permission for these riders to move to Oxford except on a full transfer, and we will use every avenue to ensure that this occurs."

Meanwhile, what would have been the final piece of the Oxford team jigsaw, was confirmed yesterday, with the announcement that 18-year-old Latvian Kjastas Puodzhuks is joining the team on an assessed average of 3.00 points.