(SPEEDWAY 1 – WEDNESDAY REVIEW)
POOLE got the better of Elite League leaders King’s Lynn with a 48-42 victory in an enthralling contest at Wimborne Road on Wednesday.The Stars clawed back the Pirates’ 24-18 lead and went four points up with a 5-1 from Robert Lambert and Niels-Kristian Iversen over Polish duo Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Maciej Janowski in Heat 11.But the home side fought back and moved back ahead with Vaclav Milik and key reserve Kyle Newman taking maximum points over Lambert and Lewis Rose in the penultimate race.Iversen was then disqualified from Heat 15 for bringing down Milik on the second bend, and the resulting Poole 5-1 confirmed their victory, although the Stars still took a league point.Newman said: “It was good to be getting some big points again and doing my bit to really help the side. “They are a very good side so having picked up the win is a good feeling even though we didn't get all the points. I haven't been feeling 100 per cent myself with a bout of flu so you have to be happy with paid 13.”Berwick will take a 12-point lead to Edinburgh for the second leg of their Premier League Knockout Cup tie on Friday after becoming the second side this season to defeat the Monarchs.The Bandits won 51-39 at Shielfield Park with Matej Kus piling up 17-points at reserve, whilst Monarchs No.1 Craig Cook top-scored on nine, turning his night around with important wins in Heats 13 and 15.Berwick boss John Anderson said: “It was great to see how well the Bandits handled these powerful Monarchs and proved what a classy side we really do have, but we know on Friday up at Edinburgh it will be a different kettle of fish and a far tougher match.”Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: “Berwick deserved to win, we had to fight hard to keep the score down, but I’m confident we can overturn the deficit on Friday.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – THURSDAY PREVIEW)
REDCAR and Scunthorpe face home and away Premier League clashes this week with both clubs stressing the importance of the fixtures.The Bears stage the first meeting on Thursday before the teams return to the Eddie Wright Raceway tomorrow, with Redcar looking to bridge the four-point gap to the play-off places – whilst Scunthorpe could establish themselves in second place with positive results.Bears boss Jitendra Duffill said: “We have started the last two meetings worryingly slowly and its something that we need to rectify quickly. For one reason or another we have been slow off the mark all year and we cannot blame it on track conditions as track preparation has been good. “We should be getting dialled in much earlier than the away teams and this will be addressed during the next of our regular team talks.”Scunthorpe boss Dave Peet said: “In our last three or four home meetings we have been very dominant, and that has been very pleasing to see. “But if we’re going to turn into real contenders in the Premier League, we need some consistency in our away performances as well. We need to take the confidence built up by our recent home performances, take that in our away meetings, and start performing on the away tracks as well.”Ipswich currently hold second place, albeit having ridden more matches than their rivals, as Somerset visit Foxhall looking to erase the memories of the Knockout Cup clash between the clubs.The Rebels, who are fourth in the table, lost by 40-points on that occasion and now want to make a good start to a busy period of six matches in eleven days.Manager Garry May said: “It would be true to say that was not one of our better nights, but that is now consigned to the history books and we will be looking to put in a better performance come Thursday night’s match.”Meanwhile Sheffield have three riders on the sidelines as they host Peterborough at Owlerton, with Sam Masters and Tom Perry coming in for Leigh Lanham and Josh Bates whilst the rider-replacement facility is in operation for Ty Proctor – whilst the Panthers continue to utilise r/r for Ryan Fisher.Sheffield skipper Simon Stead said: “This is one meeting I am desperate for us to win. I love riding for my home town club and I want to go into the World Cup with a good performance under my belt for Sheffield.“We've got a tough task on our hands but we will be up for it and hopefully we can get all three points.”Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “It is vital we kick on from the result against Edinburgh and we’re going to Sheffield with the aim of picking up all four points. We will be in bullish mood and Owlerton is a big, fast track that should suit our lads.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
GLASGOW will welcome back French youngster Dimitri Berge in time for their home clash with Berwick on Sunday.Berge has been out of action for three months after a frightening crash in the Tigers’ home match against Peterborough in April, and he has been recuperating in his home country.Berge said: “I'm so happy and excited to be coming back. The crash was horrible. It was the first time it had happened to me and it was really hard mentally.“But I'm good - I have no pain or anything now. A rider always needs supporting fans, and that was the case for me. I want to say thanks to them.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
ADAM Skornicki has been ruled out of racing for the rest of the season after his crash at Birmingham in May.Wolves asset Skornicki fell heavily in the Brummies’ home match against King’s Lynn having made a good start to his year on-loan at Perry Barr, and since Birmingham’s closure he has been keeping in contact with his parent club.Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten said: “Adam went to see a specialist with the hope if being given the all-clear. But a dislocated hip can be complicated and he's likely to be on crutches until October to keep as much weight off the hip as possible.“It's a shame for him because he was looking to race, and no doubt some people have put two and two together and come up with five! I'm sure all Wolverhampton and Birmingham supporters wish him well.”
(FIXTURES)
THURSDAY JULY 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 25:PREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30, Somerset v Plymouth 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Coventry v Buxton 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v King’s Lynn (follows NLKOC fixture)SELECT CHALLENGE: Arena-Essex v Kent (at Lakeside) 8pm
SATURDAY JULY 26:WORLD CUP EVENT 1: King’s Lynn 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Plymouth v Somerset 7.15
SUNDAY JULY 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Berwick 3pm, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30, Workington v Sheffield 3pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Leicester v Mildenhall 4pmBRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Eastbourne 3.30
