(SPEEDWAY 1 – MONDAY REVIEW)
WOLVERHAMPTON slipped to their first home defeat of the season at the hands of league leaders King's Lynn in an action-packed clash at Monmore.The home side suffered a late collapse in the 53-37 defeat, conceding 5-1s in Heats 12, 13 and 14 as the Stars extended their lead at the top of the Elite League table to a massive 17 points.Wolves skipper Tai Woffinden led the way for his team with 13 points but lacked support, whilst Lewis Blackbird proved a fine choice of guest for the Stars with 12+2, heat-leaders Niels-Kristian Iversen and Rory Schlein adding 10+1 apiece.Woffinden said: “It was a tough night for us - we should have really won being at home but that's just the way it goes sometimes. I don't think all the boys were scoring the points they needed to, and against a strong side like King's Lynn that's what happens.“We've just got to put it behind us now, put it down to a bad night and just look to move on as quickly as possible.”Meanwhile Stoke are in pole position to reach the National League KO Cup semi-finals after an impressive 50-40 first leg away win at Kent.The Potters produced ten heat winners at Central Park with Ben Wilson top-scoring on 13 points, whilst Simon Lambert picked up 12 for a disappointed Kings side.Kent boss John Sampford said: “I felt the exclusion of Aaron Baseby from Heat 8 was a poor decision, when it was obvious to me that Adam Kirby turned left on him as they came out of the second bend but the referee didn’t see it that way. “We did have heated words over it, after what had happened in Heat 4 when Kirby had lifted off the inside and wiped the other three riders out only for all four to be put back in. You can only push things so far as a Team Manager though and in the end we have to accept the decisions that were made, as frustrating as it is.”(SPEEDWAY 2 – TUESDAY PREVIEW)
CRADLEY host 30 heats of racing at Monmore Green on Tuesday with a double header clash featuring both National League and KO Cup action.The Heathens take on Scunthorpe in the league first before aiming to secure Cup progression against Mildenhall, taking a ten-point lead into the quarter-final second leg tie – and supporters arriving early will be able to watch England’s final World Cup game in the bar from 5pm.Cradley boss Will Pottinger said: “We won’t be complacent and we won’t allow our standards to slip, we will go for it in both meetings. It’s nice to be top of the league, but there is a long way to go and anything can happen.“Mildenhall will give us a test. We always have good meetings against them and the boys are well and truly up for the challenge. It would be nice to go through but just because we have a cushion from the first leg it doesn’t mean we will be taking it easy!”Scunthorpe boss Richard Hollingsworth said: “Sadly our one experienced rider, Steve Jones, can’t get the day off work to ride at Cradley on Tuesday; but despite not having one rider who was in a team last year, we’ll be battling all night to score as many points as we can.”(SPEEDWAY 3)
SCUNTHORPE have confirmed recent signing Nicolai Klindt will remain with the club for the rest of the Premier League season.Klindt had been signed as a 28-day replacement for the injured Anders Mellgren, but the Dane’s impressive form which has seen him average 9.47 from six matches, means he stays in for the Scorpions.Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We’ve done a deal for Nicolai to ride for us for the rest of the year. It was a no brainer, really, the way he’s been riding for us. He is a quality act and has been scoring double figures in every meeting.“There’s no doubt his introduction into the team went a long way to helping kick-start our season after an inconsistent start.“It will be a few weeks before Anders is fully up to speed. He’s just started on the comeback trail. We’ll continue to assess the situation, but we’re in no rush. Once Anders declares himself fully fit, we’ll make the decision that is in the best interests of Scunthorpe speedway, especially as I feel we’re in a shout of taking league honours this season.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
BRITISH Youth co-boss Neil Vatcher has delivered another positive report on the latest round of the national championship for the country’s developing talent.A total of 35 riders completed in round three of the series at Northside on Sunday in blisteringly hot conditions, and there were first wins in their respective classes for Luke Ruddick (500cc), Jack Parkinson-Blackburn (250cc) and Kean Dicken (150cc), whilst Kyle Bickley was again successful in the 125cc class.Vatcher said: “It was not an easy day for the Northside track staff to keep the dust down, because with the temperatures being so hot as soon as the water was laid on the track the bright sunshine dried the track out almost as soon as the water went down.“Even though the conditions were tough and there were quite a few falls and re-runs, there was also some very good racing and some brave young boys bouncing up from having falls, to getting back on and finishing the day racing as hard as they started.“None more so than 10-year-old Dan Thompson who had a big fall and was carried off the track by his Dad, yet came out in the re-run and amassed enough points to qualify for the 125cc final.“The most pleasing factor from the Young Lions Management point of view is the improvement that we can see so from so many of the riders in a short space of time, from the first round in March until now.“All four finals were worth the admission money alone, none more so than the 125cc final where Kyle Bickley was the clear leader, but the remaining three Sam Stead, Joe Thompson and his twin Dan Thompson were never a few inches apart during the whole four laps.”The series continues at Eastbourne on Sunday July 27.
(FIXTURES)
TUESDAY JUNE 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Scunthorpe 7.15NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Cradley v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 26:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30, Swindon v Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Rye House 7.30, Redcar v Peterborough 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: Sheffield v Berwick 7.45
FRIDAY JUNE 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Peterborough 7.30, Plymouth v Redcar 7.15, Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30, Somerset v Berwick 7.30TRAVEL PLUS TROPHY 2nd leg: Coventry v Cradley 7.30
