(SPEEDWAY 1)
BERWICK are waiting for injury news on No.1 Ben Barker, who crashed out on his Bandits debut at Shielfield Park on Saturday.Barker came to grief in Heat 13 as he looked to take his fourth win of the night and was taken to hospital to assess the extent of a collarbone injury, although more serious damage was prevented by the avoiding action of Ludvig Lindgren.Bandits boss John Anderson said: “To have Ben crash out of the meeting and end up in hospital was a devastating blow to all of us.“We can only hope the news is better than we suspect and we can get him back in action soon, but the doctors will let us know what’s what and until then we’ll just have to cover his absence as best we can.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – SATURDAY REVIEW)
RYE House have moved clear at the top of the Southern League Cup group thanks to a 54-37 win over Somerset at Hoddesdon.Both sides had previously won at Peterborough but the Rockets showed their strength at home with winter signing Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen racing to a 14-point score, headed only by Leigh Lanham in Heat 11, before gaining revenge on the run to the line in Heat 15.Jakobsen said: “I’ve been able to dial into this track early on, and it suits me really well. I had a few problems with the riding lines in my first meeting, but I’ve now found the right set-up.“The team spirit so far is unbelievable. We are talking together, working together and helping each other out wherever we can. I’m really enjoying everything about this club so far.”Lanham top-scored for the Rebels with 13, but manager Garry May admitted his team had suffered an off-night.He said: “Rye House dominated from the off and we were always playing catch-up, but they were the better side on the night, and while we did manage to keep things relatively close early on, Rye turned the screw in the latter stages to which we had no real answer“It was a disappointing defeat especially as I felt beforehand that we could have taken something from this match, but it wasn’t to be and now we will regroup ready for the visit of Plymouth to the Oaktree Arena on Good Friday evening.”Meanwhile Berwick defeated Newcastle 52-38 in the first leg of the Tyne/Tweed Trophy, although the victory was marred by Ben Barker’s Heat 13 crash.Home skipper Kevin Doolan (13+1) and Claus Vissing were both in strong form, although their maximum hopes were ended by two late wins for top Diamonds scorer Steve Worrall.(SPEEDWAY 3 – SUNDAY PREVIEW)
CHRIS Harris celebrates over a decade as a Coventry asset with his Testimonial meeting at Brandon on Sunday afternoon.The Bees skipper has won three Elite League titles with the club and has lined up a programme of over 30 races, including the returns of former national champions Kelvin Tatum, Brian Andersen and Chris Louis.Harris said: “We’ve got the kids on first thing, which I’m looking forward to as they’re the up-and-coming stars and they’re exciting too.“The format of the meeting itself is that there’s going to be a lot of racing. Supporters come to speedway to watch racing, and I want to put a lot of entertaining racing on. It’s great also to have Brian, Kelvin and Chris back on a bike, and I’m sure the older generation of supporters will enjoy that!”Glasgow boss Stewart Dickson says his side must do the business on-track after a winter of positivity at Ashfield.There have been a host of new signings and extensive stadium investment ahead of the Tigers’ new season, and they open against rivals Edinburgh in the first leg of the Spring Trophy.Dickson said: “There's going to be a lot of hype off the track and it's something I need to keep my eye on. For me, it's a speedway match, and I need to get into the riders' heads and get them focused.“One or two will not have raced in a Glasgow-Edinburgh derby before - as with one or two of theirs. All the niceties are something special but the result is the main thing for me, and I've got to make sure that the riders go well.”Newcastle host Berwick in the second leg of the Tyne/Tweed Trophy, with the Bandits 14-points up from the clash between the clubs on Saturday.But the visitors will be without Ben Barker after his crash in the first leg, and boss John Anderson is hoping his side have enough to hold on overall.Anderson said: “It would have been a more comfortable task with our GB International in the side, but the remaining six will give it their all, and 14 points is a good cushion to start with.”Meanwhile Mildenhall open their season at West Row with a major event to mark the beginning of their 40th Anniversary season.The Fen Tigers stage the Palmer Trophy with a line-up featuring nine current or former team members, with interest from their local rivals too, and a host of former favourites including the entire 1979 title-winning side in attendance.Promoter Kevin Jolly said: “This has been a fantastic winter for the club and this will be the icing on cake prior to the start of our league season. The lads are raring to go and are looking forward to showing supporters that they mean business this season. “I feel we have put together a very competitive line-up featuring many faces that are very familiar around West Row and the racing will be fast and competitive. I will leave naming a winner to others! I look forward to seeing many faces, old and new, during the day.”
(SPEEDWAY 4)
EDINBURGH No.1 Craig Cook is to take over as club captain this season.The reigning Premier League champions have named Cook as the replacement for Derek Sneddon, who retired from the sport at the end of the 2014 campaign.Cook said: “We’ve got a good bunch of riders this year and it’s a pleasure to be captain. I think we can do very well again.”
(FIXTURES)
SUNDAY MARCH 29:SPRING TROPHY 1st leg: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pmTYNE/TWEED TROPHY 2nd leg: Newcastle v Berwick 6.30M6 CUP: Stoke v Birmingham OFFPALMER 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
