(SPEEDWAY 1 – THURSDAY REVIEW)
SWINDON moved into the Elite League play-off places with a 55-37 win over Lakeside at the Abbey Stadium.Nick Morris (11+1), Peter Kildemand (10+1) and Dakota North (10+1) were all in double-figures for Alun Rossiter’s side, with Davey Watt (11+1) dominating the Hammers’ scoring.Rossiter said: “I’m really happy because everyone contributed and the boys dug so deep and produced.“Troy (Batchelor) didn’t have the best of nights but was still paid for six, so when we have two paid for 11 and one for 12 we can cope with that. “I’m still sure we’ll make the play-offs, people like to be down about it but I’m still really confident we will make it in.”Ipswich have gone second in the Premier League with another convincing home victory, a 55-40 success over Rye House at Foxhall.Witches’ No.1 Richie Worrall was top-scorer on 11 points with captain Ritchie Hawkins picking up 10+2, whilst Steve Boxall led the way for the Rockets with 12.Ipswich boss Brian Messenger said: “It went more or less to plan with every rider playing their part again. I believed before the meeting that we had the strength in depth to beat them and so it proved. “It's always nice to have several riders eligible and deserving of a place in Heat 15 but I wanted to reward Richie and Ritchie in particular after their efforts.”Rye House promoter Len Silver said: “To score 40 points without our second best rider was not a bad performance at all. I’m not saying that we would have beaten Ipswich with Anders (Mellgren) in the side, but we would certainly have reached 40 without the use of Tactical Rides.”Berwick strengthened their position in the play-off places with a 48-42 win at Redcar for their fifth success on the road in the Premier League this season.Former Bear Matej Kus starred for the Bandits with 12 points from reserve, backed up by 11 from Steen Jensen, with Aaron Summers out on his own for the home side with 14.Berwick boss John Anderson said: “Once again we’ve shown our quality in depth and I was happy with Alex’s (Edberg) first rides of the season, knowing there’s even better to come once he gets right in the swing of things. This win puts us on a +15 rating, and that for us is exceptional!”Sheffield moved off the bottom of the table with a 52-40 win over Workington at Owlerton with the Tigers’ guest riders coming up trumps.Skipper Simon Stead dropped just one point from five rides whilst Kevin Wolbert added paid-13 and fellow stand-in Ashley Birks contributed paid-nine, although the home side saw Josh Bates added to their injury list after a heavy crash although he has reportedly escaped with bruising.Sheffield boss Joe Screen said: “It was a great win for us and a good performance to come away with the win and all three points.“We just hope Josh is OK though because it was a big crash, and we definitely could do without any more injuries at the moment.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – FRIDAY PREVIEW)
LAKESIDE return to Purfleet action after World Cup break with a vital meeting against Elite League play-off rivals Poole on Friday.The Hammers are third in the table after their defeat at Swindon on Thursday, six points behind the Pirates but with one match in hand.Lakeside co-promoter Jon Cook said: “It's action all the way this month and what better way to start than with this must-win meeting. “It's been a long break from racing so the boys are keen to be back on track and securing the points needed to hold onto a top four spot.”Poole promoter Matt Ford said: “The week has gone well so far but we always knew that Friday would be a big test. Confidence in the camp is high and we need to maintain the belief that goes with that. “But let's not kid ourselves, if we can force a result there it will be a big achievement. To do that, we need to be on their case throughout the meeting.”In the Premier League, leaders Edinburgh currently hold a six-point advantage at the top ahead of their home clash with Newcastle at Armadale, with the Diamonds in the final play-off spot.Max Fricke will return for the Monarchs after not riding in the Premier League Fours last weekend having crashed in the Scottish Open, and the match starts a busy run for the Scottish side, who race four times in four days next week.Somerset fans get the chance to welcome back their Fours heroes, and a three-point win over Rye House at the Oaktree Arena will see the Rebels move into second place in the table.Somerset boss Garry May said: “Rye House certainly look a different proposition to the side we faced here previously, but in saying that, we will be back to full strength after having Olly Allen out for last week’s home match against Sheffield, and I would like to think that we can continue our excellent home form by picking up all three league points from the match.”Scunthorpe and Peterborough are both forced into changes for Friday’s clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway, with the Panthers looking to gain ground on the fifth-placed Scorpions with matches in hand.The home side welcome back Josh Auty but are without Nicolai Klindt and David Howe due to commitments elsewhere, with Hugh Skidmore and Taylor Poole deputising.Manager Dave Peet said: “It’s important that we hit back, after not taking any points in our away match at Glasgow on Monday. The Panthers are one of the teams we are battling with for a play-off spot, so this is a very important meeting for us.”Lasse Bjerre has declared himself fit for the injury-hit Panthers, but with Ryan Fisher and Lewis Blackbird on the sidelines and Ulrich Ostergaard absent due to the Danish Final, the visitors bring in Gino Manzares and Carl Wilkinson as guests.Peterborough boss Carl Johnson said: “I’m glad that Lasse has declared himself fit as he is a great character in the pits as well as being a top rider on the track with his lay-it-on-the-line attitude.“Lewis will be missed on and off the track, and we wish him well, but I feel we have the ideal guests to cover for him and Ulrich.”
(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY AUGUST 8:ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Poole 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30, Scunthorpe v Peterborough - OFF, Somerset v Rye House 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 9:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Sheffield 7pm, Rye House v Somerset 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Devon v Coventry OFF, Devon v Stoke OFF
SUNDAY AUGUST 10:PREMIER LEAGUE: Workington v Scunthorpe 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP: Glasgow v Newcastle 1.30, Newcastle v Glasgow 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry 2.30
