BIG EVENT LATEST... HOLDERS Poole will be represented by Chris Holder and Bjarne Pedersen at the Elite League Pairs Championship on Saturday, September 4. The Pirates won the title at Eastbourne on a memorable night last season but this year’s event will take place on the newly-shaped Ipswich track. Home hopes rest on the shoulders of Scott Nicholls and Danny King in a star-studded field which is sure to pull in a bumper crowd on a big weekend for the sport.
Hans Andersen, who won the event as a Poole rider last August, will partner Peter Karlsson in a powerful Belle Vue pairing. The meeting takes place the night before the World Under-21 Team Cup Final at Rye House which means Wolves star Tai Woffinden faces two major meetings in as many days.
The Elite League Pairs has the unique scoring system of 4-3-2-0 to encourage team racing which means avoiding last place is the priority. It’s the fifth event in the Super 7even series of meetings which have proved so popular with fans up and down the country. Series Director David Hoggart said: “The line-up at Ipswich means the meeting is too close to call, how can you predict a winning pair with any confidence?
“It’s a bumper weekend for Speedway fans with the Pairs followed by the World Under-21 Team Final when we will be backing the young British boys. We wish them well at Rye House.
“I’m delighted with the success of the Super 7even series so far and we are delighted to be taking it to Ipswich, a new venue for us. We’re looking forward to seeing an entertaining meeting on their new-look track.” POOLE: Chris Holder, Bjarne Pedersen. PETERBOROUGH: Kenneth Bjerre, Niels Kristian Iversen. BELLE VUE: Hans Andersen, Peter Karlsson. EASTBOURNE: Ricky Kling, Cameron Woodward. WOLVERHAMPTON: Freddie Lindgren, Tai Woffinden. LAKESIDE: Adam Shields, Jonas Davidsson. COVENTRY: Krzysztof Kasprzak, Chris Harris. SWINDON: Leigh Adams, Simon Stead. IPSWICH: Scott Nicholls, Danny King. ELITE LEAGUE LATEST... BELLE VUE manager Chris Morton says experienced Swede Peter Karlsson will be a key figure in the Aces' final matches of the campaign. Karlsson recovered from a nightmare meeting at Eastbourne to score 14-points in the Aces' win over Poole in their last outing. Morton said: "It was good to see Karlsson leading from the front. He showed all his skills and experience, and I want the side to continue in this mood in our remaining matches."
COVENTRY boss Alun Rossiter says his side will be looking for a big start when they face Wolves in the Cup on Wednesday at Brandon - trailing by eight points from the first leg. The Bees hit Peterborough early on last Friday, and Rossiter said: "We've got to look to try and make the same sort of start. It's not going to be easy, but we need to hit hard and also take care if and when the tactical rides come in. "I always felt that when we started beating people we'd do it well, and I do think some other promoters are a little concerned about us at the moment."
EASTBOURNE have defended the call-off of last week's scheduled Cup-tie with Lakeside, as it would have been unfair on supporters to go ahead with a below-strength team. Co-promoter Mike Bellerby told The Argus: "We fully appreciate that the postponement is inconvenient for Eagles fans, but as the Knockout Cup provides us with our last chance of a trophy this year, there was no way that we wanted to field a less than 100% full strength team. "To do so, would have been unfair to supporters and would have jeopardized our chances of progressing in the competition."
IPSWICH will be looking to break their win-lose-win-lose Foxhall sequence that has stood throughout the season when they entertain Peterborough on Thursday. The Witches were convincing winners over Swindon in their last home outing so will now be chasing two home wins in succession for the first time.
LAKESIDE have unveiled 16-year-old Marc Owen as a new asset of the club - signing his full contract on his birthday prior to last Friday's Elite League clash with Wolverhampton. Hammers boss Jon Cook said: "Marc is one hundred percent British and a big rising star of the National League destined for an exciting future in the Sport. He has been earning rave reviews at Rye House this season and has caught the eye of our own senior riders when practising before the meetings here. "We have beaten a host of other clubs to his signature on his 16th birthday and I am delighted as over the last few months Marc and his Mum and Dad have become good friends of mine. This is a very big feather in the Club’s cap and I believe Marc will start to feature in the main team towards the middle of next season as well as spending the education years of his career at Rye."
PETERBOROUGH star Rory Schlein had no complaints as a patched-up Panthers side were defeated at his former home track Coventry. Schlein said: "Our backs were really against the wall from the start, with Troy (Batchelor) pulling out last-minute with his shoulder. Fair play to Coventry really, they were pretty fast and we got caught with our pants round our ankles to be honest. "We have to forget about it now and concentrate on next week. We’ve got a big week and we’ve got to make sure that we don’t let our head hit the pillow and let up. We’ve got to keep our wits about us and not let anything slip."
POOLE promoter Matt Ford said there were encouraging signs in the ten-point defeat at second-placed Wolves, with the Pirates keeping things tight even with their big guns failing to hit form. Ford said: "We lived with them for much of the meeting but we just couldn't find the killer punch when we needed it, but perhaps this will give us some confidence should we meet Wolves in the play-offs. "Chris (Holder) just couldn't get going early on and Leon (Madsen) had one of those nights but can still learn from the experience. Once again I was more than pleased with the performance that Jason (Doyle) delivered, a further confidence boost for him just at the right time."
SWINDON boss Ronnie Russell is looking forward to the debut of new signing Maciej Janowski, who has joined the club as a replacement for the banned Thomas H Jonasson. Russell said: "When we knew Thomas would get a suspension we seized the opportunity to contact him, to ask if there was any chance of him committing for the rest of the season. He asked for confirmation of our fixtures and then said ‘yes, I can’. "Him signing now is a plus for Swindon because it shows there’s still a genuine commitment and that we are all looking for the future. He comes with lots of credentials and lots of people are tipping him to be very good."
WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams felt his side's 50-40 win over Poole on Monday proves his point that anything can happen in the play-offs, which both teams will be a part of next month. He said: "Poole have been consistently the best team in the league but there is still a long way to go. You never know what might happen in the play-offs. I think it will boil down to how many times we can win races in the away leg of a play-off. It could be interesting. "It was a good result on Monday, all of our boys played their part by chipping in and it was nice to see Freddie Lindgren and Tai Woffinden in such good form." PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST... BERWICK owner John Anderson looked back on a sensational weekend which featured a big home win over title contenders Newcastle, with the Bandits following up by taking an away win at Glasgow. Anderson said: "On Saturday we enjoyed the second-biggest attendance we’ve had since taking over two years ago, they saw us thrash Newcastle Diamonds 61-32 and then contributed a fantastic £1,411 - more than last season’s record return - to the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund Our new man, Polish ace Marcin Rempala, was paid for maximum points as we downed the Diamonds – and now we’ve been up to Scotland and tamed the Tigers and go into eighth place in the Premier League."
BIRMINGHAM are anxiously awaiting news from Thursday's council planning committee meeting which will determine their future at Perry Barr. Brummies chief Gary Patchett said: "The people of Birmingham are superb and they deserve to enjoy their sport at Perry Barr. I would be shocked and stunned if the councillors turn it down now when you bear in mind everything that has been done to meet the planning requirements."
EDINBURGH have given their public backing for recent signing William Lawson, who has been struggling for form since his return to the club. Promoter John Campbell said: "It’s not as easy as people think just to snap back to form after time off, all riders are different. We are all behind William and believe that he will regain the form that made him No.1 two seasons back.”
GLASGOW hope to return to full strength for their home clash with Newcastle on Sunday, with John Branney due to make his comeback after missing out on the Tigers' home defeat by Berwick - which leaves them with work to do in order to move into the Young Shield qualifying places.
KING'S LYNN promoter Buster Chapman is optimistic that his side can arrest their recent run of results when they face Birmingham home and away this week. Chapman posted on the club's Facebook: "On paper Birmingham are a much stronger team than us but we don’t race on paper, the reserve changes should help and I think (manager) Rob (Lyon) has done the right thing pairing Lasse (Bjerre) with Olly (Allen). The team will be giving it 110% so I hope the fans get behind them!"
NEWCASTLE boss George English was pleased with his side's bouncebackability as they recovered from a big defeat at Berwick to secure a comfortable home win over Sheffield. English said: "It’s good to see how quick this team can reverse a very negative night for us into a superbly positive one which means we can pile up as many league points to get up as high as possible in this years League table.
NEWPORT'S big floodlight launch night fell victim to the weather with last Friday's clash with Glasgow postponed. The meeting has been re-arranged for Saturday, September 4 (7pm).
REDCAR star Emiliano Sanchez is likely to miss the rest of the season with bad bruising to his hand. Speaking to Gazette Live, boss Brian Havelock said: "The damage to his hand is worse than we first feared and Emiliano has a sick note which takes us past the end of our league fixtures."
RYE HOUSE boss John Sampford believes a top four place is still a possibility despite seeing his side drop two points in Saturday's surprise home draw against Scunthorpe. Sampford said: "Normally, we expect to be defending a lead after the early stages, but tonight there was no lead to defend. We’ve got to try to re-group; to go to Stoke next Saturday and get a result that makes up for the points we’ve dropped tonight. We want to be a part of the promotion play-offs, rather than the Young Shield, and we can still get the results to make that happen."
SCUNTHORPE are considering their options for replacing Jerran Hart, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering breaks to his wrist, ankle and heel in a serious crash at Redcar last week. Scorpions boss Richard Hollingsworth said: "He's in the main body of the team from September 1, so we won't be able to have a guest. Of course we can have rider replacement but that relies on the two reserves going well because they would have to have a minimum of 11 rides between them. The other option is to bring someone else into the side for the Glasgow match and the Young Shield but choices are limited to say the least and not without their own risks."
SHEFFIELD should have three key riders back for Thursday's home clash with Redcar after a series of problems before and during the defeat at Newcastle on Sunday. Boss Eric Boocock said: "We're confident Ricky (Ashworth) will be fit to ride, Richard (Hall) should be available as well and Hugh (Skidmore) just needed that little bit of extra time to get over the shoulder injury. The only long-term casualty is Paul Cooper who won't race again this season."
SOMERSET switch to Wednesday night racing at the Oak Tree Arena this week when fellow Friday night regulars Edinburgh make the trip south. Rebels manager Steve Bishop said: "The last thing we want to do now is to throw away all the good work gained by our win at King’s Lynn. It's not going to be easy, but then what matches are when you reach this stage of the season? We will need to be at our very best if we are to defeat Edinburgh."
STOKE manager Malcolm Vasey has high hopes for new signing Jeremia Thelaus, who has joined the Potters as a replacement for the suspended Claus Vissing and will make his debut on Saturday against Rye House. Vasey said: "He was eager to come to Stoke and has bags of potential and is full of promise. He has very good equipment and also looked quick on the occasions I’ve seen him. After Claus was suspended for the rest of the season we felt that rider replacement was not an option and it was decided we’d bring the lad over.
WORKINGTON remain in contention for a top-four finish and a place in the promotion play-offs having put in their best performance of the season to take all three points against title favourites Edinburgh. Boss Ian Thomas told getnoticedonline.co.uk: "It was a phenomenal result. Edinburgh have only lost two meetings in the League all season until this and they can have no complaints. It was a hard competitive speedway match and with half a team it was a terrific result for us." NATIONAL LEAGUE action continues and you can find all relevant news, reports and other information in the NL section on speedwaygb.com FIXTURE PICTURE... THURSDAY AUGUST 26: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Wolverhampton 7.45, Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, Swindon v Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Redcar 7.45 FRIDAY AUGUST 27: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Ipswich 8pm, Peterborough v Swindon 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Weymouth v Newport 7.15 NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Buxton 7.30 SATURDAY AUGUST 28: PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Workington 7pm, Stoke v Rye House 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Scunthorpe 7pm SUNDAY AUGUST 29: PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v King’s Lynn 6.30, Glasgow v Newcastle 4pm, Newport v Sheffield 2.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Weymouth 3pm, King’s Lynn v Plymouth 7pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Buxton v Weymouth (follows NL fixture) MONDAY AUGUST 30: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 7.30, Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30, Swindon v Ipswich 7.30, Wolverhampton v Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Glasgow 6.30, Rye House v Stoke 2pm, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 5pm, Workington v Berwick 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Isle of Wight (follows PL fixture), Scunthorpe v Buxton (follows PL fixture) TUESDAY AUGUST 31: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Newport (at Wolverhampton) 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Weymouth 7.30 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Peterborough 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Birmingham v Newport 7.30, King’s Lynn v Edinburgh 7.30 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 2: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Ipswich 7.45, Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Sheffield v Somerset 7.45 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Dudley 7.30 STARS OF TOMORROW: Redcar 7.30 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 3: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Swindon 8pm, Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Newport 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Plymouth v Newport 7.30, Weymouth v Buxton 7.15 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4: ELITE LEAGUE PAIRS: Ipswich 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Stoke v Edinburgh 7.30, Newport v Glasgow 7pm TWEED/TEES TROPHY 1st leg: Berwick v Redcar 7pm SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5: WORLD UNDER-21 TEAM CUP FINAL: Rye House 2pm PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Edinburgh 4pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Buxton v Newport 3pm MONDAY SEPTEMBER 6: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Lakeside v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Birmingham 7.30 TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Rye House 7.30 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Plymouth (at Birmingham) 7.30pm
