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Post by speedyguy on Jun 21, 2015 14:46:55 GMT
ACES TRUMPED BY LIONS
SUNDAY JUNE 21, 2015
A REVIEW of Saturday's Elite and Premier League action with post-match reaction from the clubs where available.
LEICESTER ended Belle Vue’s winning run with a 52-40 victory over the Aces at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium on Saturday.
Grzegorz Walasek top-scored for the Lions with 12+2, with Jason Doyle (11) and Szymon Wozniak (10) also in double figures, whilst Scott Nicholls picked up 11 for the visitors but No.1 Matej Zagar scored just one.
Leicester boss Norrie Allan said: “We applied ourselves from the off and showed real commitment and enthusiasm throughout.
“Belle Vue demonstrated what a good side they are by winning comfortably at Swindon on Thursday and I was concerned that in such form we would be hard pressed to hold them but the lads rose to the challenge and we were sharper over the first 30 metres which made all the difference.”
Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “It’s exceptionally frustrating, particularly after Thursday, not to see that same powerful team turn up to the races and as a result we were ultimately sent home with our tail between our legs.
“Our No.1, for whatever reason, didn't deliver for us and it’s not the first time it’s happened this year. We expected a lot more from our top man and I’m sure tonight he wouldn’t disagree with that.”
In the Premier League, Berwick and Plymouth fought out an exciting 45-45 draw at Shielfield Park, giving the Devils their first away points of the season.
Amercian star Ryan Fisher overhauled home guest Richie Worrall in Heat 15 to prevent the Bandits from snatching a narrow win, completing an impressive paid maximum for the visiting man.
The meeting also saw an emotional return to the venue for Ricky Ashworth, the former Berwick rider visiting Shielfield Park for the first time since his serious crash at Scunthorpe in 2013 whilst in Bandits colours.
Berwick boss John Anderson said: “It was such a big night for us in so many ways, but topping the night was meeting Ricky again at a place we feared he would never make the journey to again. It was magnificent to see him back.
“After a real see-saw of a meeting where we never had the lead once, but drew level on no less than four times against a Plymouth side who really put the effort in and deserved their just reward, the draw produced some excellent racing and it was the fairest result on the night.”
Elsewhere, Workington moved up to ninth place in the table with a 49-44 home win over Ipswich. Kenneth Hansen top-scored for the Comets with 12+3, whilst Danny King’s 16-point haul helped the Witches secure an away point.
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Post by speedyguy on Jun 23, 2015 14:12:07 GMT
WELCOME to the latest edition of the weekly Speedway GB bulletins keeping you in touch with news, views and fixtures from the tracks up and down the country.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015: -
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…
BELLE VUE completed a mixed week of results with a home draw against Coventry on Monday - following an impressive win at Swindon last Thursday followed by a disappointing defeat at Leicester 48 hours later.
Manager Mark Lemon said: “We've said what we needed to say about Saturday night. That’s over, and our goal tonight was to fend off the challenge of the Bees which I think we managed to the best of our ability.
“Of course a couple of things on the night could have gone better but at the same time there was a certain amount of redemption for us, and the fans were treated to a great night of racing.”
COVENTRY skipper Chris Harris was pleased to salvage a draw for his team at Belle Vue on Monday, as he overhauled Matej Zagar on the second lap of a last-heat decider with the Bees going back to the top of the table.
Harris said: “Obviously we came here for the win so we’re a bit disappointed not to get it, but at least we came away with a draw and got two points.
“It was an up-and-down night for everyone - on Friday it was me and Hans (Andersen) who struggled, and tonight it was others, but we’re there or thereabouts and the results still show the strength in depth we have in the team, and it’s great to be leading it.”
KING’S LYNN have signed Czech Republic rider Vaclav Milik, who rode for Poole last season, to replace long-term injury victim Rory Schlein.
Manager Rob Lyon said: “Vaclav is an exciting young rider that I believe will do well around the Adrian Flux Arena this season. He is a pleasure to deal with and is very keen to get started.
“Having spent last season with Poole, he has ridden all the tracks in the Elite League and that will be an advantage. It shouldn't take him long to dial into our track and start to score some points. We must say thanks to our old friend Tomas Topinka for his help in brining Vaclav to the club, thanks also the Poole promotion for their cooperation.”
LAKESIDE enjoyed a successful return to action with two wins at Purfleet in the space of four days.
The Hammers defeated King’s Lynn 50-39 on Friday before racing to a convincing 57-34 success over Wolverhampton in Monday’s televised fixture.
LEICESTER will hand a debut to Polish racer Piotr Swiderski when they visit Lakeside on Friday, with his first home appearance to come in Monday’s televised clash with Swindon where adult admission has been reduced to £7.50.
Hemsley said: “We have left no stone unturned in our quest to bring the team back up to a full complement of riders and I am pleased to say that Piotr has agreed to race for the club.
“He knows his way around the British tracks having recently spent time racing over here in 2013 and will go straight into a heat leader role alongside Jason Doyle and Grzegorz Walasek.”
POOLE star Chris Holder kept up his impressive run of form with a 14-point haul in the Pirates’ 53-37 home win over Coventry - their closest current rivals at the top of the table.
Holder said: “I got lucky in the last one. I made a mistake and Bomber (Chris Harris) took advantage but somehow, with poor Chris breaking down, I got away with it.
“I must admit though I did feel good all night until I made that error and it was a good night for the lads. We put some points on the board early, kept our heads and went from there.”
SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter admitted a home defeat to Belle Vue, accompanied by several mechanical issues, was a blow to the Robins’ play-off aspirations.
Rossiter said: “Belle Vue came at us from the off, and we didn’t get back at them. There was nothing wrong with the track, so there are no excuses there, but we did have a lot of bad luck with engine failures in winning positions.
“We’ve got to get Kyle (Howarth) going because he’s got no speed although he’s riding hard enough, and also sort out the situation with Adrian (Miedzinski). We’ve got to make some big calls shortly and we’ll have to work on that.”
WOLVERHAMPTON promoter Chris Van Straaten could not hide his disappointment after his side went down to a 34-57 defeat to Lakeside in Monday’s televised fixture at Purfleet.
Van Straaten said: “We didn’t do ourselves or the sport justice, and it was very, very disappointing. There was only one real bright spark which was Tobiasz (Musielak), who rode better than we probably envisaged, but apart from that the rest of the team just didn’t seem to fire consistently.
“It was a very poor result, and it’s immensely disappointing – we’ve got to put our finger on exactly what we need to do and look forward to a critical meeting against Coventry on Monday where we need to get some points on the board.”
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK fought back from an early six-point deficit to secure a 45-45 draw with Plymouth and extend their unbeaten home run to four meetings.
Bandits Team Manager John Anderson said: “We never had the lead once but drew level on no less than four times against a Plymouth side who really put the effort in and deserved their just reward.
“We saw Coty Garcia make his debut and he did pretty well; he is right at the start of his British career and will settle in very well.”
EDINBURGH’s top-of-the-table target is still well within their grasp after a comfortable 65-28 home win against Redcar last Friday.
The Monarchs now travel to the Bears this Thursday before hosting Plymouth the following night on what will be known as Legends Night to celebrate the 500th meeting at Armadale.
GLASGOW’s Richard Lawson is targeting an away win when his side travel to Peterborough in front of the TV cameras tomorrow night.
The former Panthers rider said: “We are all pretty fired up for it; David Howe used to race there, I know Nick Morris likes it and obviously I rode there for a couple of seasons so we should do well there.
“They are a strong side, especially at home, so it will be very tough but we stand a really good chance and we’re all up for it.”
IPSWICH picked up three Premier League points from their three meetings in four days.
The Witches battled their way to a league consolation point away at both Workington and Glasgow but a home draw against league-leaders Somerset frustrated Club Director Chris Louis after his side let a late eight-point lead slip.
Louis told the East Anglian Daily Times: “Quite simply I needed the team to be mentally tough and they weren’t – simple as that. They had done the hard work but couldn’t see it through; they were not strong enough.”
NEWCASTLE picked up their first home win in nearly a month with a comprehensive 56-36 victory against Plymouth.
Diamonds Team Manager George English said: “I’m very pleased to win by such a comfortable margin and it is a relief to finally get a home win under our belt after some very difficult home matches.
“Anton Rosen has returned from injury in fantastic form which has delighted me, now we just need Christian Henry to get some consistency.”
PETERBOROUGH are set to unveil a new reserve after announcing Ollie Greenwood will race in his last meeting for the club in their televised clash with Glasgow tomorrow.
Panthers Promoter Ged Rathbone said: “We have understandably been concerned about Ollie’s form for some time and have worked with him in an attempt to find some improvement.
“Ollie has done his utmost to try and turn his performances around, but it just hasn’t happened and he does not want to be in a position where he could cost the team results.”
PLYMOUTH booked themselves a place in the Quarter-Finals of the Knockout Cup with a 47-41 second leg home win over Peterborough.
Devils Team Manager Lee Trigger said: “We had a bit of luck on the night, but you have to earn your luck and Kyle Newman did a good job for us as captain, dropping only one point from his five rides.
“We got through and finished the job we started at Peterborough, but we did not make it easy for ourselves.”
REDCAR have announced the signing of Danish rider Jonas B Andersen.
The 23-year-old joins the Bears on the recommendation of club No.1 Lasse Bjerre, who assisted in negotiations to bring him to Teeside.
Andersen will make his debut in the home Premier League clash with Edinburgh on June 25 and will replace Rafal Konopka in the line-up.
RYE HOUSE will have to wait until July 9 for their next second tier action after Saturday’s scheduled meeting against Peterborough was postponed.
The gap in fixtures means it will be just shy of a month since the last Rockets’ team fixture when they travel to Ipswich in just over two weeks time.
Meanwhile, captain Edward Kennett and World Under-21 Finalist Nikolaj Busk Jakobesen have been named as the duo who will represent the Rockets at the Premier League Pairs Championship on July 3.
SCUNTHORPE suffered a narrow 47-42 home defeat at the hands of Glasgow on Friday – but their riders were praised by the club’s management.
Scorpions Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Glasgow put out a very strong side for the fixture but we pushed them all the way - I couldn’t have asked for any more from our riders.”
The Scorpions face two away fixtures this coming weekend at Workington in the League followed by Newcastle in the Knockout Cup.
SHEFFIELD have booked Somerset’s Brady Kurtz to guest for them in their crucial Premier League clash with Workington on Thursday.
The Australian rider rates the Tigers’ track as one of his favourites and bagged 13-points there against Glasgow at the start of the month.
Tigers Co-Promoter Damien Bates said: “He’s great to watch around Owlerton and hopefully he can play his part in another good win for the team.”
SOMERSET maintained their place at the top of the Premier League table after backing-up an impressive away draw at Ipswich with a classy 59-34 home win against Workington.
The Rebels now have a gap in their fixture list but the Oaktree Arena will host a third tier challenge meeting this Friday when an Exeter Falcons septet take to the track against Cradley.
WORKINGTON are looking to build on an impressive 49-44 home win against Ipswich when they travel to Sheffield on Thursday before hosting Scunthorpe on Saturday.
Comets Team Manager Tony Jackson said: “We have raced less league fixtures than everyone else at present but with a busy schedule coming up, we need to start picking up points on the road to mount a challenge for a play-off place.
“With Rusty (Harrison) back with us and Nicki Barrett due to return from injury this weekend, we feel as if our season is finally getting underway.”
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury was encouraged despite seeing the Brummies’ Knockout Cup campaign brought to an end with a 50-39 defeat at Eastbourne on Sunday.
Drury said: “Obviously it’s disappointing to be out of the Knockout Cup, but for me there is a lot we can take out of today’s meeting.
“We battled all the way despite only having five riders for the majority of the meeting and there’s certainly no disgrace in the scoreline whatsoever.
“Adam Ellis was in a class of his own again, Tom (Perry) enjoyed his best ever meeting at Eastbourne and Zach (Wajtknecht) had some really good rides too.
“Our lower end struggled points wise, but today, on a specialist track like that, it’s all part of the learning process for them and hopefully a meeting like that will stand us all in good stead for the Cradley meeting as well as the rest of the season.”
BUXTON man Tom Woolley was in jubilant mood after his hard-fought 8+3 points haul helped Buxton edge a 49-41 win over Stoke at the Hi-Edge Raceway.
Woolley said: “I think that was my best ever performance in a Buxton race jacket - sure I’ve scored paid 11 before but not from 4 rides.
“I’m gating well and it’s all coming together. I feel I’ve turned a corner, it’s just a pity we have to wait so long until our next meeting.”
COVENTRY Storm boss Laurence Rogers admits his side simply could not get going as they saw their impressive away record come to an end with a 52-40 defeat at Birmingham last week.
Rogers commented: “It was quite wet and heavy to start with, and the boys didn’t really get into a rhythm. I thought we could have got something here, but we can’t moan having had twelve points from the five away matches before today.
“Rider replacement for Crangy (Luke Crang) only got us three paid five, and it was also a blow to lose Conor (Dwyer) when he was going quite well.
“Marty (Knuckey) was shattered at the end, I worked him to death with seven rides but all credit to him, and he would have had paid-17 but for that stoppage.”
CRADLEY manager Will Pottinger admitted they were left with mixed feelings after slipping to a 46-41 defeat at Mildenhall on Sunday.
Despite losing Michael Neale to a broken collarbone in heat two, the Heathens led for the majority of the meeting before eventually slipping to a narrow defeat.
And Pottinger said: “We’ve got mixed feelings to be honest, because after leading for the majority of the meeting we are absolutely gutted we’ve lost.
“Unfortunately we just didn’t have enough in the tank after losing Mikey Neale to a suspected broken collarbone suffered in that crash in heat two.
“We were very much up against it, and I suppose we have to be happy we still got a league point despite being down to only five riders.”
EASTBOURNE skipper David Mason believes he still has room for improvement as he aims to score even more points over the second half of the campaign.
The experienced Eagles favourite told the Speedway Star: “I’m struggling for setups myself. I either make a great gate but am not fast enough around the track or vice-versa.
“But the main thing is the team have been winning, and we hope we can keep that going.”
KENT reserve Adam Sheppard has announced he will take a break from the National League in order to rectify problems with his equipment.
Sheppard commented: “In an attempt to turn my season around and after a week of heavy pondering, I have decided to have a spell away from the National League.
“The main aim from this is to focus on my equipment. The latest blown engine is just one of a number of mechanical misfortunes I’ve suffered; and to be honest, it has been very difficult to recover from blowing up my main engine set up to ride the Central Park circuit less than two weeks into the season.”
KING’S LYNN left boss Dale Allitt in a jubilant mood after they stormed to a convincing 57-33 win over local rivals Mildenhall at the Adrian Flux Arena last week.
The Young Stars boss remarked: “That was a great performance from the team, and an excellent win. The rain made conditions tricky, but our guys didn’t let it faze them and that won us the meeting.
“Tonight was a big step forward for Layne (Cupitt), I am pleased for him and I hope he can now push on and continue his development.”
MILDENHALL promoter Kevin Jolly was delighted to see his side respond to his recent criticism in perfect fashion with a hard-fought 46-41 win over rivals Cradley at West Row on Sunday.
Jolly said: “After the hammering I gave the lads after some recent poor performances they showed me a lot of spirit in defeat at King’s Lynn on Wednesday and they carried it into Sunday with an excellent performance.
“They really worked hard for every point against a good Cradley side who had come here to win. Everyone contributed and when the chips were down Danny (Halsey) produced two memorable rides to beat Max Clegg, but special mention must be made of Tom (Bacon).
“He hasn’t had the best of times recently but today showed what can happen if you stick in there and keep doing the right things. A paid seventeen return was fantastic and fully deserved and he covered Stefan’s absence better than anyone could have hoped.”
RYE HOUSE star Kyle Hughes believes he is close to recapturing top form after a confidence-boosting spell.
Hughes has been one of the Raiders’ top performers so far this season, and he told the Speedway Star he is delighted with his form.
He said: “I feel I’ve picked some good form now, and we’ve moulded into a good team where everyone is capable of doing their bit.
“I feel I’m nearly back to where I was when I was in the Premier League, there’s a little way to go yet but I definitely feel I’m getting there.”
STOKE boss Malcolm Vasey could not hide his disappointment after his side slipped to a 49-41 loss at Buxton on Sunday.
Vasey said: “It was a highly entertaining match but a very disappointing result for us. I felt we were definitely worth at least a point or a draw.
“We just didn’t get it although it wasn’t for the want of trying, the lads worked hard and I do feel if we’d have had Shaun Tedham riding we’d have probably won but he wasn’t quite ready.
“Heats one, thirteen and fifteen were the crucial races and when the big guns were out we didn’t seem able inflict any damage points wise on them.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Glasgow 7.30
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 25:
ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Lakeside 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30, Sheffield v Workington 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 26:
ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 7.30, Lakeside v Leicester 8pm
PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30
CHALLENGE: Exeter Select (at Somerset) v Cradley 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 27:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Workington v Scunthorpe 7pm
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Birmingham 7pm
NATIONAL TROPHY: Rye House v Eastbourne 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 28:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30, Peterborough v Plymouth 5pm
BRITISH 125cc FINAL: Peterborough 4pm (prior to PL match)
PALMER TROPHY: Mildenhall 3.30
MONDAY JUNE 29:
ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Leicester v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 30:
LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 1:
ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Poole 7.30
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Mildenhall 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 2:
ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 3:
PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 4:
BRITISH GRAND PRIX: Cardiff 5pm
SUNDAY JULY 5:
PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Redcar 5pm
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v King’s Lynn 3pm
NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Eastbourne 3.30
MONDAY JULY 6:
ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Lakeside 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Coventry 6.30
TUESDAY JULY 7:
TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Glasgow v Newcastle/Scunthorpe 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 8:
ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Lakeside 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Peterborough 7.30
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Stoke 7.30, King’s Lynn v Birmingham 7.30
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Post by speedyguy on Jun 24, 2015 8:35:23 GMT
PREVIEWS: WEDNESDAY JUNE 24
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2015
A LOOK forward to Wednesday's meetings at Peterborough and Cradley with preview comments from the clubs where available.
PETERBOROUGH reserve Simon Lambert has been declared fit to race in Wednesday’s Premier League showdown with Glasgow at the Showground.
Lambert was hurt at Newcastle ten days ago but makes his return against the Tigers, with Brady Kurtz standing in for long-term injury victim Olly Allen at No.1 for the Panthers.
And home co-promoter Ged Rathbone has praised his club’s opponents ahead of the televised clash, with Glasgow having undergone a winter transformation both on and off track.
Rathbone said: “It is brilliant for speedway to have people like the Facenna brothers involved. The sport could certainly do with more. I haven’t made it up to Glasgow myself yet this season, but I speak to Aaron Summers regularly and have heard nothing but good things from him.
“There has been massive investment in the stadium and the club as a whole and they have also put together a really strong team. I’ve got nothing but admiration for the work that has been done at Glasgow, but I’m also hugely proud of what we have achieved here at Peterborough.”
Glasgow star Richard Lawson said: “We are all pretty fired up for it. David Howe used to race there, I know Nick Morris likes it and obviously I rode there for a couple of seasons. We should do well there.
“They are a strong side, especially at home, so it will be very tough but we stand a really good chance and we're all up for it.”
In the City Gearboxes National League, Perry Barr co-tenants Cradley and Birmingham go head to head and enter the meeting in the top two positions in the table.
Leaders Cradley bring in No.8 Tyler Govier to replace injury victim Michael Neale, with rider-replacement continuing for Nathan Greaves, whilst the Brummies have Sean Phillips replacing Harvie Banks.
Heathens boss Will Pottinger said: “It was always going to be tough without Nathan, but now we’ve lost Mikey
“Birmingham have a powerhouse top three who are all flying right now, so we will need to be a solid all-round team if we are to pull this off. I’m sure it will be a great meeting – hopefully with the right result for us!”
Birmingham manager Graham Drury said: “Having Sam (Chapman) back in the team will be a big boost for us and it will take some of the pressure off our other riders too.
“Cradley are yet to lose a home league match this year, but we aim to change that statistic and keep our own good league record going.”
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Post by speedyguy on Jun 25, 2015 10:47:27 GMT
PANTHERS WIN ON THE BOX
THURSDAY JUNE 25, 2015
A REVIEW of Wednesday's action including the televised fixture at the Showground and local derby at Perry Barr.
PETERBOROUGH got the better of Glasgow 48-45 in a nail-biting televised Premier League encounter at the Showground on Wednesday.
The Tigers needed a 5-1 from the last race to complete a dramatic turnaround win, but home guest Brady Kurtz and Robert Lambert packed the minor places by moving past Richard Lawson.
Reserve Simon Lambert marked his return with a 14+1 haul for the home side, whilst Lawson scored 11 and Dimitri Berge 10+1 for the Tigers who were left frustrated by running last places in 12 of the 15 heats, although they did take a league point.
Panthers co-boss Carl Johnson said: “It was probably a bit too close for comfort in the end, but the character of the riders was clear to see.
“There were a few stern words said at times when things were not going our way, but we got the job done in the end and picked up the result we needed against another very strong team. It was a night that ended up being good for us, good for the fans and good for the TV cameras.”
Glasgow manager Stewart Dickson said: “We're inconsistent in races, never mind meetings. We are inconsistent from start to finish, unfortunately.
"For three races to be on 5-1s and get swallowed up is a bit of a disappointment. We gave some points away. We got a point, but when you're in a 5-1 position in Heat 15 to get all three, and you only get one, it's little consolation.”
Meanwhile Birmingham moved to the top of the City Gearboxes National League with a 49-40 win over Cradley in the battle of the Perry Barr co-tenants.
And as it was the ‘away’ fixture for the Brummies, they took all four points from the meeting by inflicting the Heathens’ first ‘home’ defeat in a league match since August 2011.
Teenage sensation Zach Wajtknecht dropped just one point from five rides and set a new National League track record in Heat 3, and the Brummies finished with two 5-1s with reserve Adam Kirby enjoying his best meeting of the season, pairing up with Wajtknecht for maximum points in Heat 14.
Skipper Tom Perry said: “That was another really important win for us and to see what it meant to the fans again was great.
“Cradley pushed us all the way but we stuck at it and got the job done. This could be a massive result come the end of the year, but for now we're delighted to keep our 100 per cent league record going."
Heathens boss Will Pottinger said: “We are immensely disappointed with the result – we weren’t far away again, we were just a point or three behind the whole meeting until the 5-1 in heat 14 killed us.
“There was no comeback from that, and it was really disappointing to lose out at the end after working so hard to keep in the meeting.”
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Post by speedyguy on Jun 25, 2015 10:50:00 GMT
PREVIEWS: THURSDAY JUNE 25
THURSDAY JUNE 25, 2015
PRE-MATCH comments from several clubs ahead of Thursday's fixtures at King's Lynn, Sheffield and Redcar are available here.
KING’S Lynn boss Rob Lyon has altered his riding order for tonight’s Elite League clash with Lakeside at the Adrian Flux Arena.
Vaclav Milik makes his Stars debut and takes the No.5 berth with Kenneth Bjerre switching to No.3, whilst Niels-Kristian Iversen will now be partnered by Nicklas Porsing in Heat 1 as Porsing exchanges places with Robert Lambert.
Lyon said: “I have decided to move the team line-up around for this match and freshen things up to see how best we accommodate our new signing.
“Hopefully the move will work out well for us and we can get our season back on track once again.”
In the Premier League, Sheffield look to keep their play-off challenge on track when they face Workington at Owlerton.
Australian youngster Brady Kurtz deputises for the injured Simon Stead for the Tigers, with the Comets naming a full-strength line-up with Nicki Barrett making his return from a shoulder injury.
Sheffield star Ashley Birks said: “We’ve picked a good guest for Simon in Brady, who has to be the closest you can get to Steady for ability and points scoring around Sheffield. The management at Sheffield have done a great job to keep our season going by booking the right guests.
“Workington have some good riders who can get around Sheffield, but I’m confident we can keep it going and push towards the play-offs.”
Workington boss Tony Jackson said: “To actually have a full team and no guests makes a pleasant change and it certainly helps keep team spirit high.
“Obviously Nicki will take a little time to get back up to speed, and of course Rusty Harrison is just feeling his way back too after his time on the injured list. But, while Owlerton may not be the easiest of places to make a return from injury as a visiting rider, you have to come back somewhere!”
Meanwhile second-placed Edinburgh travel to bottom club Redcar, with the home side giving a debut to new Danish signing Jonas B Andersen, in a move which also means Adam Roynon goes into a reserve berth.
Bears boss Jitendra Duffill said: “These changes can only make us stronger and hopefully we will see an improvement in our performances which have been well below par all season.
“It will be a big challenge for us but one we must rise to if we are to get away from the basement position in the league. That is my aim for now in what has so far been a very frustrating season for everybody.”
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Post by speedyguy on Jun 26, 2015 11:01:11 GMT
PREVIEWS: FRIDAY JUNE 26
FRIDAY JUNE 26, 2015
A LOOK ahead to Friday's action with four meetings taking place and preview comments from the clubs where available.
TWO of the Elite League’s top four clubs meet at Brandon on Friday as leaders Coventry host Belle Vue in their second clash this week.
The sides fought out a thrilling 45-45 draw at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Monday, and the return fixture sees Lewis Rose step in at reserve for the Bees with James Sarjeant not fit to resume after a crash at Poole last week.
The Aces, meanwhile, bring in former Bees rider Aaron Summers to guest for the unavailable Max Fricke whilst rider-replacement is in operation for Craig Cook.
Coventry boss Gary Havelock said: “Aaron certainly knows the fastest way around Brandon, and the Leicester match last week proved that you can’t really take anybody for granted.
“It will be tough, but we just need to keep winning at home. We have to try and keep the pressure on Poole for finishing top, because if we start losing a couple of matches it will become much easier for them to pull away.”
Belle Vue co-promoter Chris Morton said: “We chose to use the R/R facility for Craig because we felt that, given the available guests, it would be of far greater benefit to share his rides amongst our own rather than bring in inadequate cover.
“Our target will certainly be to come away with at minimum a point from this match but that shouldn’t suggest we don’t expect to aim higher, and we will certainly be aiming to win the meeting.”
Lakeside are going for a third successive home win when they host Leicester at Purfleet.
The Hammers have beaten King’s Lynn and Wolverhampton at home in the last week and club chief Jon Cook wants to see that form continue against a Lions side who hand a debut to former Lakeside man Piotr Swiderski.
Cook said: “We've shown huge improvement in the last two home meetings and need to take that level of performance into the clash with the Lions who will be no pushovers.
“With Grand Prix star Jason Doyle and Piotr, who'll have a real point to prove having been in our plans before we decided against a fourth commuting rider, it promises to be an exciting match to sign off this busy period for the club.”
The Lions have Richie Worrall and Josh Bates making guest appearances, and boss Norrie Allan said: “Across the two meetings (last weekend) there were some positive signs overall and the inclusion of Grzegorz Walasek again was a big plus and a boost to morale in the team.
“I am not saying that we are suddenly going to march up the league table as that would be folly, but we should at least be aiming for consistency at home and working on our away form and then that elusive first Elite League win on the road will become a reality and hopefully we can get something out of our visit to Lakeside.”
In the Premier League, second-placed Edinburgh host Plymouth in the 500th senior meeting since the opening of Armadale in 1997.
The Monarchs bring in Nick Morris and Theo Pijper to fill the gaps left by Sam Masters and Kevin Wolbert being en route to Grand Prix qualifiers, with rider-replacement in operation for Rob Branford who is still ruled out.
The Devils have called up Liam Carr to guest at reserve as Roland Benko is absent on compassionate leave.
Meanwhile Somerset stage a challenge fixture between an Exeter Select side and Cradley, with the Falcons - who have been without a home for the last decade - having previously staged events after the Rebels’ main meetings this season.
Exeter’s Alan Spencer said: “We are really excited about this match and would like to thank the Somerset promotion for their support and assistance they have given us this year by allowing an Exeter side to run a number of second half events at the Oaktree Arena.
“Interest really seems to have taken a hold as far as Friday’s match against Cradley is concerned, so we are hoping for a good number of Falcons fans to make the trip up the M5 to see a full Exeter team finally take to the track again.”
Cradley co-promoter Gary Patchett said: “It promises to be an entertaining meeting supporting a very worthy cause. We can only hope that the outcome for Exeter is the same as it was for us!”
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