(SPEEDWAY 1 - SATURDAY REVIEW)
EDINBURGH moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a convincing 54-38 win at Berwick on Saturday.The Monarchs took all four points from the meeting to go three clear of Peterborough, with Craig Cook dropping just one point in five rides whilst Kevin Wolbert added 10 and guest reserve Liam Carr notched 7+2 against his parent club. Kevin Doolan (11) led the way for the Bandits.Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: “We could not have asked for any better than that, the track was difficult but it affected their riders more than ours who just got on with things. Our guests Richie Worrall and Liam Carr were a pleasure to work with.”Berwick manager Dennis McCleary said: “Edinburgh are always a hard prospect, but we've done them here before - but sadly the points weren't coming from certain parts of the team tonight where they should have done.“I have to congratulate young Coty (Garcia) who picked off some good points and our new star Mathias (Thornblom) who was getting faster the more he got used to his new track, so he has potential that's for sure.”Edinburgh’s Scottish rivals Glasgow were also big winners on the road, taking a 51-39 victory at Rye House to move level on points with fourth-placed Sheffield.The home side were limited to just five race wins, three of them from Edward Kennett who scored 12+1 - but the meeting was dominated by Tigers trio Richard Lawson (14+1), Aaron Summers (13+2) and reserve Victor Palovaara (12).Glasgow boss Stewart Dickson said: “We threw away so many points at the start of the meeting but it was a great team effort and we took the points, so I'm very happy.“We went back to the hotel last night (after defeat at Somerset) and we were a wee bit down, but we came back again. I said to them, in 24 hours time, we will be heroes again - because we were quietly confident we were going to take something from this.”Rye House manager John Sampford said: “It was obviously not the result we wanted – not at all – but it was the result that we got, as we were beaten by the better team on the day. It was as simple as that.“We desperately need Kasper (Lykke) back. By our next home match against Newcastle on August 1, he will be – and that will take the pressure off the other guys.”Meanwhile Workington staged a second half recovery to come from ten points behind to defeat Newcastle in thrilling fashion at Derwent Park, with the visitors having initially opened up an eight point advantage by taking maximum points from the first two heats.The Comets won 50-43 to move up to ninth place in the table with Ricky Wells leading the way on 14 points.Manager Tony Jackson said: “It really was a match of two halves. In the first nine heats we only produced two race winners but we went on to provide the first across the line in all of the next six heats. “The turning point was definitely when Kyle Howarth and Rusty Harrison combined to take an 8-1 in Heat 10, with Kyle wearing the black and white. That gave everyone a lift and the belief that we could go on to win, but we cannot afford to give visiting teams a start like that as it will catch us out.”In the City Gearboxes National League, Stoke and Eastbourne fought out a dramatic 45-45 draw at Loomer Road with a late comeback from the Eagles seeing them snatch two points.Stoke led by six points with four heats to go, but the visitors levelled the scores over the next two races before the Potters edged back in front at 43-41 - and looked set to complete victory in Heat 15 until race leader Jon Armstrong suffered a blown engine enabling the Eagles to take a 4-2 from Bradley Wilson-Dean and Ben Hopwood with the latter re-mounting after falling.Stoke boss Malcolm Vasey said: “It was a very entertaining meeting and I have to congratulate Eastbourne for a fine team performance, although I do feel we were unlucky not to win. “We had chances to win and lost points when we shouldn’t have done and unfortunately it finished as a draw, and I take my hat off to young Georgie Wood of Eastbourne who was tremendous.”(SPEEDWAY 2 - SUNDAY PREVIEW)
GLASGOW can make further progress towards the play-offs with a home win over Berwick at Ashfield on Sunday afternoon.The Tigers complete a hectic schedule of four matches in four days with the visit of the Bandits, who were beaten at home by Edinburgh on Saturday.Glasgow boss Stewart Dickson said: “We're trying to stay with Edinburgh and Somerset. We're trying to stay on their coat tails because you just never know.“We know we need more away wins. But we are also wary of Peterborough, Ipswich, and other teams around us. We're just trying to build as many points as possible and away we go.”Elsewhere, Newcastle host Scunthorpe with Tero Aarnio making his debut for the Diamonds as a replacement for the injured Lewis Rose.In the City Gearboxes National League, Eastbourne give home debuts to Ben Hopwood and Gary Cottham in the Arlington clash with Coventry, who are without both of their reserves.Conor Dwyer (ribs) and Jamie Halder (foot) were both hurt in the Storm’s home match against Birmingham on Friday, with Matt Saul and Sean Phillips coming in as replacements.Eastbourne director Connor Dugard said: “Ben and Gary can’t wait to make their (home) debuts for the club and look forward to meeting the Eagles’ fans.“They have heard how supportive the fans are to the riders and cannot wait to come and taste the atmosphere at Eastbourne.”Coventry boss Laurence Rogers said: “We’re still going to need everyone firing on all cylinders to get something out of this.“A lot of it could well come down to the reserves, and that’s going to make it very hard for us especially being without Conor.”Buxton race the first leg of their Knockout Cup quarter-final tie with King’s Lynn in the first meeting at the Hi-Edge Raceway for a month.Young Scotsman Dale Lamb makes his first home appearance for the Hitmen and boss Jason Pipe is expecting a close aggregate battle against the Young Stars.He said: “In the past I've had some good exciting meetings over two-legged ties against my good friend Dale Allitt, who was then in charge of Boston, now King's Lynn. I can see this tie not being settled until the last couple of races in Norfolk in the second leg! “I'm looking at us taking at least a 10-12 point lead into the second leg. Since King's Lynn scored 52 at Mildenhall way back in April, they've only scored 24, 40, 38 and 37 on their travels so I'll be left very disappointed if we can't take that lead with us, where hopefully we will progress in to the semi-finals against Cradley.”In the National Trophy, leaders Rye House travel to Mildenhall who can move off the foot of the group table with a win.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
STOKE skipper Jon Armstrong admits he may well have ridden his last race in the sport due to a catastrophic series of engine failures.Armstrong suffered a further breakdown in Heat 15 of the Potters’ 45-45 draw against Eastbourne, and says the cause of the problems is a mystery.He said: “If I’m being honest it looks like the engine blow-up tonight is the final straw. I just haven’t got any more money to throw at it, I’m £12,000 out of pocket now and I just cannot do it anymore as much as I would like to.“I’m still waiting for answers with regard to my first engine blow-up on which I had just 13 minutes racing before the conrod came right through the casing, doing the barrel and the pistons and all these bits are around £300 apiece. I’d done just 13 minutes on the bike which is 13 races and these parts shouldn’t keep going as they are. “You could say I’m in a little bit of a mess at the minute and at this moment in time I’m not in a position to continue racing.”
(FIXTURES)
SUNDAY JULY 19:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Berwick 3pm, Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Coventry 3.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Buxton v King’s Lynn 3pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Rye House 3.30
MONDAY JULY 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v King’s Lynn 7.30, Wolverhampton v Poole 7.30THE LAURELS: Kent 6.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 22:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Buxton 7.30
