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THE draw has been confirmed for the Premier League Pairs at Somerset on Friday July 3.The meeting is always one of the most popular of the season, coming just a day before the British Grand Prix at nearly Cardiff.Edinburgh are the defending champions having defeated the hosts in the Final last year, and the two clubs have been kept apart in the group draw.Each club must pick two of their top three riders for the meeting, the full line-up is to be confirmed shortly.GROUP A: Edinburgh, Ipswich, Rye House, Peterborough, Newcastle.GROUP B: Glasgow, Somerset, Workington, Redcar, Berwick.
TAI Woffinden was crowned British Champion for a third successive year on a dramatic night at Monmore Green.The 24-year-old had fortune on his side in the Grand Final when the race was stopped after Jason Garrity was excluded for falling when Craig Cook was leading.But Woffinden would make the most of his second chance to get the better of Cook who sealed his second consecutive wild-card spot at Cardiff after finishing ahead of Danny King in the re-run.Woffinden said: “I was pretty lucky to get the re-run because I made hash of the first one but that's the nature of the sport and I won the race that mattered most. “I've been working really hard this year and it's great to see that it's paying off just lately.“The fans were great with me once again and it was real good to be back at Wolverhampton.”British Speedway Chairman Alex Harkess said: “As always, the 2015 Final had everything and it was a really great race meeting.“The riders gave it their all and the huge crowd were treated to some great speedway.“Our congratulations go to Tai Woffinden on another great achievement and I actually feel for Craig Cook after originally leading the final but he'll be delighted to be going to Cardiff.“Overall it was another really good event but our thoughts are with Ben Barker after that really nasty incident in Heat 1.”
*BIRMINGHAM are the new National League Fours Champions after a tense and dramatic meeting at Coventry on Sunday.Brummies’ No.1 Adam Ellis got the better of the home side’s Dan Greenwood in a run-off for the silverware after both teams had tied on 15 points in the Final, with Kent just two points adrift after a three-way fight for victory.And the result came at the perfect time for the Perry Barr club, almost exactly a year since they raced their final home Elite League fixture before the collapse of their previous promotion.Manager Graham Drury said: “This is absolutely remarkable and when you consider where this club found themselves just 12 months ago, it makes it an even more fantastic achievement.“I'm so happy for our riders, their individual teams, Tony Mole, our supporters - this really does mean so, so much to everyone involved. “Our supporters were outstanding and to beat rivals Coventry in the final and to take the trophy off the hands of our good friends Cradley makes things that little bit sweeter.”
*THE twelve riders to compete in the British 125cc Final at Peterborough on Sunday June 28 have been selected.The event will again be sponsored by ‘Fen Signs Cambridge United Speedway Supporters’ and nine of the competitors have already reached a Final in at least one of their British Youth rounds this season held at Scunthorpe, Eastbourne and Leicester.LINE-UP: Niall Cleaver, Jay Farish, Bailey Fellows, Leon Flint, James Hitchen, Harry McGurk, Sam McGurk, Jack Shimeltt, Mickie Simpson, Dan Thompson, Joe Thompson, Jack Wright.
BRITISH SPEEDWAY MAJOR EVENTS 2015:ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: JASON DOYLEBRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: KYLE HOWARTHBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday July 3PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday August 2PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, Sunday June 14NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: King’s Lynn, Saturday September 5NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 26
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BELLE VUE CEO Chris Morton admits a major break in the fixture list did not come at an ideal time for the Aces, who had shown some impressive form but have gone over a month without a home match.Morton said: “It’s a long time to go without a match on your home track but the boys have all been racing and keeping up their good form, and some of them have shown a great improvement.“So we’re comfortable that we can slot back into where we were. It’s been very frustrating having so many rain offs in succession but that’s the British weather for you.”COVENTRY promoter Mick Horton is looking forward to resuming the Elite League campaign after a fortnight’s break as the Bees travel to Poole on Wednesday.Horton said: “It’s going to be spicy to say the least, and the boys will go down there and give it their very best as usual. They know they’re capable of winning there, and I think if there’s any team Poole would fear it would be Coventry.“We went there and won last time, so the boys will be up for it and we certainly want to come away with something. It’s the same focus for every away meeting, and we have been awesome away so far this season.”KING’S LYNN reserve Lewis Kerr is hoping the Stars can recover from the setback of losing skipper Rory Schlein to major injury at the end of last month.Kerr told Speedway Star: “Rory has been riding very well and he’s a good captain. At the minute we’ve not got a stand-out guy like Rory. He wants to be in there in the pits cheering us on to the play-offs.“We had this injury situation at the end of last year. Hopefully we can finish strongly and do the opposite of last year.”LAKESIDE have re-called Ashley Birks into their line-up after impressive recent Premier League performances, and he will return on Friday subject to BSPA approval.Hammers promoter Jon Cook said: “It's the right time for Ash and us to get reacquainted. He was a popular member of the team at the start of the season, his form is revitalised now and it's the perfect time for him to come back in. Ex Hammer Colin White will be helping him on the night and this should give us back an edge we’ve missed. “My thanks go to Stevie (Boxall) for his efforts, which were blighted badly by a shoulder injury and whilst he would be happy to ride through the pain barrier, and did for us, now’s not the time. When fit we hope he will take the one remaining home clash for Ash.”LEICESTER promoter David Hemsley admits the 2015 campaign has fallen short of expectations so far, with the Lions suffering from riders electing to quit UK racing.Hemsley said: “Obviously it hasn’t been what we were hoping for. The side on paper looked excellent, but it transpired that a couple of riders have let us down and we’ve also had one significant injury in the team.“At the beginning of the season, if you looked at our one-to-seven nobody would have questioned it being a competitive side, and that’s the area of particular irritation.”POOLE promoter Matt Ford has paid tribute to his top two riders with back-from-injury Maciej Janowski and back-to-form Chris Holder leading the Pirates’ charge for honours.Ford said: “Magic has been superb this year and we really missed his points contribution when he was laid-up with that broken knee, but to be honest I think he has come back bigger and stronger from that.“Alongside Chris, who himself has been working his way through a confidence battle caused through lack of racing fitness, I feel we have one of the best double acts in the league in that duo.”SWINDON star Grzegorz Zengota hopes there is even more to come from him in the second half of the season after some impressive displays prior to the World Cup break.Zengota said: “It’s been going pretty well but I still want to be doing better in every meeting. I had a really good meeting against Leicester last month and it was my best score of the season so far and that’s the sort of score and performance I want to give the team every week.“We had a hard start to the season because we had a lot of injuries, including losing Adrian (Miedzinski) and then Peter (Kildemand) at No.1 but we stuck together as a team and thankfully things started working and we are in very good form right now.” WOLVERHAMPTON skipper Peter Karlsson says consistency is the key if Wolves are to break into the top four in the second half of the campaign.Karlsson said: “Away from home at the moment, some of us are scoring big points and some of us are finding it tough.“We need to start finding some consistency somewhere, start clicking all at the same time and we need to start picking up some points.”PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…
BERWICK got back to winning ways with a 51-39 away win at Redcar last Thursday.Team Manager John Anderson said: “We know Redcar are not having a great season, but the Bears are still a side with so much talent that to win is still an achievement to be proud of and we rode well so got the result we deserved.”The Bandits host Plymouth this Saturday but look set to be without No.1 Ben Barker who was involved in a heavy crash at Monday’s British Final.EDINBURGH’s unbeaten home record came to an end on Friday with a 48-42 defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Glasgow; but the Monarchs went and stunned the Tigers two days later with a 51-39 away win of their own in the reverse fixture. No.1 Sam Masters told the Edinburgh Evening News: “Friday was disappointing because our supporters expected so much more from us.“Revenge is probably too strong a word because it’s only league points at stake at the end of the day, but we wanted to put on a show at Ashfield, we did and it’s great to get our winning run back on track again.”GLASGOW ended the unbeaten home run of their rivals from Edinburgh, before slipping to a 51-39 home defeat to the Monarchs just two days later.Tigers Captain Aaron Summers said: “We all know ourselves when it’s one of those days when we think about it and know we need to sort it out.“They were definitely up for it and it just didn’t go to plan for us – we made some silly mistakes.”IPSWICH bounced back from a disappointing home defeat to Newcastle on Thursday by ending Peterborough’s winning home run just 24-hours later with a hard-fought 46-44 victory after coming from eight points behind.Witches Team Manager Phil Hilton said: “After four heats I was thinking ‘not again’, but to their credit all the boys dug in, worked out the track and thoroughly deserved the win.“As a club we desperately needed this result to make sure everyone knows what we are capable of when the whole team works together.”NEWCASTLE suffered a mixed week with an impressive 49-43 away win at Ipswich on Thursday before slipping to a narrow 46-44 home defeat at the hands of Peterborough on Sunday.Diamonds Boss George English said: “As predicted it was going to be one hard match and so it proved, but it was a fair result.”The Byker outfit travel to Sheffield this Thursday before hosting Plymouth on Sunday.PETERBOROUGH suffered their first home defeat of the Premier League campaign on Friday to Ipswich before picking themselves up to continue their recent good form on their travels with a 46-44 away win at Newcastle.Panthers Promoter Ged Rathbone said: “Beating a full-strength Newcastle team, full of riders who are excellent at Brough Park, is no mean feat.“Everyone will be aware of how disappointed I felt on Friday, but I’m very proud of the response from our riders to pick up a fantastic result.”PLYMOUTH will be looking to overturn a two-point deficit against Peterborough in their Premier League Knockout Cup Second Leg fixture this Thursday.Devils Co-Promoter Ashley Taylor said: “We beat Peterborough on our way to the KO Cup semi-finals last season, now it is down to the side to ride as a team again.“It is a very important meeting with a lot at stake and it is up to the guys to show what they can do.”REDCAR have axed Rafal Konopka, but are yet to announce his replacement until the official paperwork is completed and approved by the sport’s governing body.Bears Team Manager Jitendra Duffill told The Gazette: “I am sad to see Rafal go but someone had to make way; Everyone has been saying we need to make changes but the only way to do that was by losing someone.“Making a change is going to make us stronger, there’s no doubt about that.” RYE HOUSE narrowly missed out on a consolation league point at Workington on Saturday in a 50-42 defeat – despite riding the majority of the meeting with only five riders.Rockets Team Manager John Sampford said: “Unfortunately, we lost Steve (Boxall) after his first ride, but I am proud of the boys for their fighting spirit; they never gave up.“The five of them rode their hearts out to get us so close to that match point.”SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey believes their home fixture against Glasgow this Friday will be “the match of the season so far.”Said Godfrey: “In Nick Morris, Richard Lawson and Aaron Summers, they have three riders who are all of No.1 standard and the rest of their side are no slouches either.“But I’m convinced if we ride like we did last week, we can beat them, but it’s not going to be easy by any means.”SHEFFIELD star Jason Garrity suffered last heat heartbreak at the British Final on Monday – but says he can’t complain overall.“Don’t get me wrong I’m absolutely gutted I binned it in the final because I wanted to be British Champion and I wanted to be going to Cardiff, but that’s speedway I guess.“I had another fantastic night though and there’s definitely plenty I can take from the British Final to push me on for the rest of the season.”SOMERSET will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they travel to Ipswich on Thursday and host Workington on Friday.Team Manager Garry May said: “I know that the boys are all raring to get back in action at the Oaktree Arena, but I am sure that Workington will give us a good test.“They might currently be near the bottom of the league table, but with them having only ridden five matches, it’s a bit of a false position so we will not be taking anything for granted come Friday night.”WORKINGTON suffered yet another blow in their home win over Rye House on Saturday with Nathan Greaves becoming the Comets’ latest injury victim.Workington Owner Laura Morgan said: “Unfortunately, Nathan has broken the tibia and fibula of his right leg just above the ankle.“He underwent a successful operation at Carlisle on Monday where they inserted a pint to help his leg heal but nevertheless it seems likely to keep him out of action for some time which is a devastating blow for him at this stage of his career.”
CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE LATEST…
BIRMINGHAM were crowned the new National League Champions on Sunday after a tense and dramatic meeting at Coventry.Team Boss Graham Drury said: “This is absolutely remarkable and when you consider where this club found themselves just 12 months ago, it makes it an even more fantastic achievement.“This is a great way to continue our recent momentum and we’re really looking forward to our important home meeting against Coventry this Wednesday.”BUXTON’s away leg of the National League Knockout Cup tie at King’s Lynn last Wednesday was postponed. It means that the Hitmen have now raced just one meeting in the last three weeks.Their next scheduled fixture isn’t until Sunday June 21, when they host Stoke. COVENTRY will be looking to continue their outstanding away record when they face local rivals Birmingham on Wednesday.The Storm will make the trip to Perry Barr without captain Luke Crang who aggravated a shoulder-blade injury at the National League Fours on Sunday. Boss Laurence Rogers said: “We still feel we can get something from the meeting, and we need to keep up our away record. Crangy being out is a blow, but it does give Dan (Greenwood) and Darryl (Ritchings) an extra ride, and they’ve been in good form.”CRADLEY Team Manager Will Pottinger says it’s important his side bounce back from the disappointment of not being able to defend the National League Fours trophy by maintaining their strong start to the domestic campaign.But they will have to do so without heat-leader Nathan Greaves who broke his right tibia and fibula while on Premier League duty on Saturday.Said Pottinger: “We can’t dwell on the result too much; we’ve got some really big, important league matches coming up and we need to ensure we pick up points in those to keep us in a decent position at the top of the National League table.” EASTBOURNE star Bradley Wilson-Dean was transferred to Brighton hospital on Monday after being diagnosed with internal bleeding and abdominal pains after a nasty incident at the National League Fours on Sunday.Eagles Club Chairman Martin Dugard said: “Brad is sore but feels OK in himself; he’s in good spirits but is only now realizing the potential severity of his injuries.“He had a guest booking for Rye House at Kent and he was more upset about not being able to ride than being hurt!”KENT slipped to a fifth successive defeat after losing 49-38 to Rye House on Monday.It was always going to be tough for the Kings after losing the in-form James Shanes following a crash at the National League Fours on Sunday.The Sittingbourne side now have to wait just under a fortnight until their next opportunity to get back to winning ways.KING’S LYNN will be looking to end a run of three defeats on the trot when they host Mildenhall on Wednesday.The Young Stars have booked former rider Kyle Hughes as a guest for No.1 James Cockle who has been ruled out of the meeting after suffering a shoulder injury in the National League Fours on Sunday.Team Manager Dale Allitt said: “Losing James is a big blow for us; having said that, Kyle can do a good job for us because he knows this place well and I believe he can score some good points against them.”MILDENHALL have revealed the line-up and schedule for the club’s 40th Anniversary meeting for The Palmer Trophy.Fen Tigers Promoter Kevin Jolly said: “I do feel the line-up now is more competitive overall than originally and I certainly wouldn’t like to pick a winner. “The summer is now upon us and hopefully it will be a cracking day weather wise with plenty of fun and excitement both on and off track.”RYE HOUSE picked up an impressive 49-38 away win at Kent on Monday.The Raiders booked Birmingham’s No.1 Adam Ellis to guest for Rob Branford and the selection was justified as Ellis top scored with 11 points.Another stand out performance was that of young reserve Alfie Bowtell who scored 10+3 from five rides in arguably one of the best meetings of his short career to date.STOKE Team Manager Malcolm Vasey was unhappy to see his side miss out on qualification to the National League Fours, which featured eight out of the ten clubs.Vasey told The Sentinel: “It’s bitterly disappointing, particularly as we have supported the competition ever since we came into the National League.”
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JUNE 17:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30, Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 8pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Coventry 7.30, King’s Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 18:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle 7.30TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Plymouth v Peterborough 7.15JULIE LEWIS MEMORIAL: Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 19:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 7.30, Lakeside v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Workington 7.30
SATUDAY JUNE 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Plymouth 7pm, Rye House v Peterborough 7pm, Workington v Ipswich 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 21:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Ipswich 3pm, Newcastle v Plymouth 6.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Stoke 3pm, Mildenhall v Cradley 3.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Birmingham 3.30
MONDAY JUNE 22:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Lakeside v Wolverhampton 7.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Glasgow 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 25:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Edinburgh 7.30, Sheffield v Workington 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 26:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 7.30, Lakeside v Leicester 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Plymouth 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Workington v Scunthorpe 7pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Birmingham 7pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Rye House v Eastbourne 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Sheffield 3pm, Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30, Peterborough v Plymouth 5pmBRITISH 125cc FINAL: Peterborough (prior to PL match)PALMER TROPHY: Mildenhall 3.30
MONDAY JUNE 29:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Leicester v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
TUESDAY JUNE 30:LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30
