(SPEEDWAY 1)
PETERBOROUGH are anxiously awaiting news on No.1 rider Olly Allen after a second-ride crash at the Showground on Friday.Allen was taken to hospital with a suspected broken right leg and ankle having come to grief when attempting to pass Rye House’s Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen in Heat 6 of the League Cup clash with Rye House.Manager Carl Johnson said: “The luck we are having is laughable, I’ve never experienced anything like it and hopefully it will change.“Losing Olly was a massive blow for everyone. He was in a lot of pain and sadly it looks like he will be out long-term so we will have to consider the options open to us going forward.”(SPEEDWAY 2 – FRIDAY REVIEW)
PETER Karlsson delivered a vintage display at Coventry on Friday – but it wasn’t quite enough to help Wolverhampton to a point from their Elite League opener.45-year-old Karlsson piled up a remarkable 20-point score, beaten only by Danny King in Heat 14, but the all-round strength of the Bees took them to a 50-42 win at Brandon.Wolves were left to rue the events of Heat 13, where both Jacob Thorssell and Freddie Lindgren crashed out, and home skipper Chris Harris then denied the visitors a league point by passing Lindgren for second place in Heat 15.King said: “PK was flying but I knew if I could get in front of him on the first corner I could win, I concentrated on getting there first and I like riding wide out there. I couldn’t have gone much further, but that’s where you’ve got to be!“I think we showed a lot of strength, and when they pulled it back to one point we kept our cool, had a bit of a chat and it just goes to show the team we’ve got, to respond like that.”Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten said: “We are obviously disappointed to come away empty handed, but there are very much positive signs for us to take out of it. When you think that Tobiasz’s (Musielak) rider replacement rides only accounted for four points and we were without Lewis Blackbird, it was a pleasing effort to go so close.“We looked at one stage in Heat 15 like we might snatch a point, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be and in the end those two falls in Heat 13 were costly for us.”Elsewhere in the top flight, Lakeside roared to a 59-31 win over Leicester in their Purfleet opener, doing their hard work in the first half of the meeting as they were 22-points up after seven races.Mikkel Bech marked his return to the Hammers with a four-ride paid maximum and he was joined in double figures by Edward Kennett (11+1), Andreas Jonsson (11) and Kim Nilsson (10) as the home side took firm control.In fact, the Lions had to wait until Heat 15 for their sole race advantage of the meeting as Jason Doyle (10) and Ben Barker ended Kennett’s aspirations of a maximum with a 4-2.In the League Cup, Rye House stunned Peterborough with a 51-40 win at the Showground to score a maximum four-point haul from an away match.The Panthers lost Olly Allen to injury in his second ride and a further array of crashes and retirements marred their evening, whilst a remarkably solid effort from the Rockets saw each of their riders be paid for at least eight points.Rye House stand-in skipper Luke Bowen said: “It was an awesome night again for the team, and really encouraging for all of us. Hopefully we can carry on in the same vein for the rest of the year.“I was pleased with my own performance too, but more importantly I was proud of all the boys, proud to be captain and proud that we got the win.”Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “We have to address our home form because being beaten twice at the Showground in the space of a few days is unacceptable despite the problems we’ve had.“We owe it to the management who worked so hard during the winter and to our supporters to be getting results on our own track.”There was an opening-night challenge match share of the spoils at the Oaktree Arena as Somerset and a side representing Elite League champions Poole fought out a 45-45 draw.The Rebels’ Australian duo of Josh Grajczonek and Brady Kurtz pulled off a last-race 5-1 to complete the comeback from eight points down, although Charles Wright suffered a finger injury in a Heat 14 crash.Somerset boss Garry May said: “I was pleased with the way the boys battled back after Poole built up that 8 point lead. Both Richie Worrall and Charles Wright had problems with their set-ups early on, but once they had got those sorted out, we were a different proposition.”“Josh and Brady were superb and after having combined for a 5-1 in Heat 13, they did the same again in the final heat to give us what I feel was a well-deserved draw.”
(SPEEDWAY 3 – SATURDAY PREVIEW)
RYE House and Somerset face an early battle for League Cup supremacy when they meet at Hoddesdon on Saturday.Both sides already have away wins at Peterborough on the board and the winners of their clash will therefore establish themselves as front-runners in the Southern group.Captain Edward Kennett returns for the Rockets after missing Friday’s victory, whilst the Rebels have a doubt over Charles Wright after a crash in Heat 14 of their first home match of the season.Rye House boss John Sampford said: “It’s going to be another tough fixture – they’ve put together another strong side and they’ve also got a good record around our circuit – but we’re determined to make sure they don’t improve it.“Last Saturday’s victory over Ipswich meant a lot to the new owners, to Len (Silver), the boys and myself, and we’ll be looking to build on that positive start race-by-race and match-by-match.”Berwick stage their first meeting of the season as the Bandits face Newcastle in the first leg of the Tyne/Tweed Trophy, with a rapid return at Brough Park on Sunday.Slovenian newcomer Matij Voldrih is set to take his place in the side after treatment on a shoulder injury sustained in a crash at Edinburgh last week, with co-operation between the club and their co-tenants Berwick Rangers FC enabling the rider to visit the football club’s physio.Newcastle boss George English said: “It’s important to begin the season with a home win on Sunday, whether we win the trophy on aggregate or not we will have to see.“It’s not vitally important to win the trophy but it would be nice to build up some momentum ahead of the season.”Workington are also in action at home for the first time, as they host Redcar in the second leg of the A66 Trophy at Derwent Park.The Comets are firm favourites for the aggregate win after an impressive 56-36 win in Thursday’s first leg, and the Bears will be without Stuart Robson who was concussed in that fixture.Opening-night at Plymouth features the Skills Group Spring Classic individual event including the full home team along with five visiting riders including Scunthorpe captain David Howe and former Devils Ty Proctor and James Wright.
(SPEEDWAY 4)
BELLE Vue skipper Scott Nicholls is desperate to bring success to Manchester in the club’s final year at Kirkmanshulme Lane.Nicholls has started the season well with victory in the Bob Kilby Memorial at Swindon on Thursday, but the Aces have been waiting for a decade to make an appearance in the Elite League play-offs.Nicholls said: “I think having some new blood in the team will shake things up for us, and Mark Lemon coming in as our new manager is brilliant because he can look at a meeting with a racer’s head.“We’ve got a completely new outlook from top to bottom this season and I feel it’s a very positive one. The team has been well received by the fans and we can’t wait to get racing!”
(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY MARCH 28:LEAGUE CUP: Rye House v Somerset 7pmTYNE/TWEED TROPHY 1st leg: Berwick v Newcastle 7pmA66 TROPHY 2nd leg: Workington v Redcar 7pmSKILLS GROUP SPRING CLASSIC: Plymouth 7.15
SUNDAY MARCH 29:SPRING TROPHY 1st leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pmTYNE/TWEED TROPHY 2nd leg: Newcastle v Berwick 6.30M6 CUP: Stoke v Birmingham 3pmPALMER TROPHY: Mildenhall 3.30CHRIS HARRIS TESTIMONIAL: Coventry 2pm (1pm for British Youth races)
MONDAY MARCH 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
TUESDAY MARCH 31:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Lakeside 7.30
