(SPEEDWAY 1 – SUNDAY REVIEW)
SOMERSET moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 50-43 win at Peterborough on Sunday.Captain Olly Allen scored a 15-point maximum for the Rebels and reserve Todd Kurtz added 14+2 as the visitors pulled back from an early ten-point deficit and secured maximum points from the meeting with a Heat 15 5-1 from Allen and Nick Morris.Rebels boss Garry May said: “It is always difficult to go into a match when you have a rider out injured, especially when it is someone like Brady (Kurtz) who has been riding really well.“But the boys really stepped up to the plate today, none more so than Todd, who was just superb, as was Olly who really led from the front, even though he was still feeling the after-effects from the heavy fall he took in our match against Ipswich on Friday night.”Peterborough manager Carl Johnson said: “It is a meeting we wanted to win and a second successive home defeat is obviously a big disappointment.“We put ourselves in a great position early in the meeting, but let it slip. The tactical ride changed the meeting and our gating from then on was not good enough.”Glasgow edged out Newcastle 46-43 in a close contest at Ashfield with the Tigers moving to within six points of the Diamonds in the race for sixth place, with five matches in hand.The home side’s top-scorers Theo Pijper and Kevin Wolbert packed in behind Newcastle’s Stuart Robson in the decisive final race after the visitors had lost Lewis Rose and Simon Nielsen during the meeting after crashes.Glasgow reserve Kasper Lykke scored 8+2 and said: “The track was absolutely awesome - it suited me so well. I started to use the outside a bit more than I used to. “I'm just a little bit annoyed that I was so close to getting a few more points but that's just part of it.”Newcastle boss George English said: “It was tight throughout, but losing two key men by the eighth race really stretched us although our lads really raced well afterwards to make a comeback and almost sneak the win, but Robbo's fine Heat 15 win at least got us one point which is better than nothing. “Now we have to get the Tigers back on Monday when they come to us at Byker in the return match at 6.30pm.”Rye House turned the tables on Berwick as just a day after a heavy defeat at Shielfield Park, the Rockets raced to a 58-37 win back at Hoddesdon.Edward Kennett (17) and Steve Boxall (15+1) were high-scorers for the home side, with the Bandits restricted to just two heat wins.Rye boss John Sampford said: “It was a powerful performance against very strong opposition. 13 out of 15 heat wins says a lot.“Edward and Steve were in dominant form, and Jason Garrity would have joined them with more than the paid 11 he finished with but for an exclusion for bringing down Kevin Doolan; we argued that there wasn’t contact between the two in that one.”Berwick promoter John Anderson said: “It may have been a sizeable defeat for us, but at least there were plenty of moments where we were competitive and looked like we were trying to get some good points which wasn't really the case at Edinburgh on Friday. “We would have liked to have taken a league point or two, but we're still in the hunt for a good end of season Championship play-off place and we can still climb a place or more before the cut off date.”In the National League, Mildenhall hit back to top form with a 64-29 home win over Stoke – with Connor Coles scoring the 500th maximum in club history by being unbeaten in his four programmed rides.That soon became 501 as captain Danny Halsey went through the card from five outings, whilst reserve Connor Mountain clocked up 13+4 after colleague Sam Woods had been withdrawn following a crash.Mildenhall chairman Kevin Jolly said: “This is why I have been so frustrated recently with the lads, this is what they are capable of, and if Cradley had been here today with us on this form I am positive we would have beaten them. “Stoke are a good side but for once we were fast out of the starting blocks, we hit them hard and early, and they were worrying about Tactical rides whilst we just went about the business of racking up a big score.”Meanwhile Kent strengthened their play-off position with a 56-32 win at Buxton, who could take consolation from Ryan Blacklock’s successful return from injury with three race wins.Buxton manager Jayne Moss said: “We just ran out of steam. Kent had strength in depth but we tailed off towards the end - it was, however, good to see Ryan back to his best. He’s been practicing this week and you could tell.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – MONDAY PREVIEW)
COVENTRY and Leicester are scheduled to complete home and away Bank Holiday Monday fixtures in the Elite League with the Bees looking to move into the play-off places.The Brandon opener is at 2pm and the sides then meet at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium at 7.30pm, with Coventry having already taken seven points from Lakeside this weekend.Bees boss Gary Havelock said: “It’s another big day for us, and it’s nice that again we are due to be at full strength for both meetings. Like I’ve been saying all season, when the boys all click together they can beat anyone on any track.”Leicester manager Norrie Allan said: “We gained our first away point of the season at Coventry back in April and I genuinely think that there is every reason to believe that we can at least equal that performance this time around.”Meanwhile Peter Kildemand is back from injury for Swindon as the Robins also look to move back into the play-off places, with a home match against fourth-placed Lakeside.Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “This is a massive meeting for both sides, Lakeside need to win after their home defeat by Coventry on Saturday and we need to keep things ticking over at home.“I’m naturally delighted to have Peter back in the side and it’s a timely boost for us. Hopefully we can claim all three points.”In the Premier League, Newcastle and Glasgow are both chasing a play-off place as they meet for the second time in two days.The Diamonds are sixth in the table but only have three fixtures remaining, whilst the Tigers are six points behind with five matches in hand and won at Workington on Friday.Meanwhile Kent take on Arena-Essex in a special challenge at Central Park with the visiting Hammers including a first speedway appearance in three years for Mark Baseby, elder brother of Kings rider Aaron.Wolverhampton’s Elite League match against Eastbourne has been postponed and re-arranged for September 8, whilst Scunthorpe will now face Redcar in the Premier League this Wednesday, August 27.(FIXTURES)
PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Berwick 7pm, Peterborough v Plymouth (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v King’s Lynn 7.15, Cradley v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Swindon 7.30, Poole v Eastbourne 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 28:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Plymouth v Workington 7.15, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Buxton 7pm, Coventry v Devon (follows previous fixture), King’s Lynn v Kent 7.30
