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THE final two venues for the staging of this season's major events have been announced - with Premier League newcomers Leicester joining the schedule.The Lions opened up to a 4,500 crowd at Beaumont Park last weekend and they will now host the Premier League Fours on August 7, with Swindon to stage the Elite League Riders' Championship on October 15.Series co-ordinator David Hoggart said: "I was very impressed by the track and facilities at Leicester on a hugely successful opening night and we are delighted to be taking the Premier League Fours there in August."And Swindon is a very worthy venue for a top meeting like the Elite League Riders' Championship in October."
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POOLE made it two away wins out of two by smashing Wolverhampton's unbeaten home Elite League record which had stretched back to September 2008.The Pirates collected a 51-42 victory at Monmore Green with Chris Holder outstanding, dropping just one point from five rides, and the Pirates' strength at reserve was also a major factor.Promoter Matt Ford said: "The lads did us really proud tonight, we came here not at full strength with Darcy (Ward) still out and produced something of a rare result. Few teams have come to Wolverhampton in recent years and taken all the league points and it was a good all round effort."I am not going to single any one of them out tonight, they worked as a team and we have made a great start to the league campaign even though we are a match further in than what we had expected to be."
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BELLE Vue are on top of the early Elite League table after topping the 60-point mark against a depleted Swindon team at Kirkmanshulme Lane.The Robins had gained start permission for their Polish duo Tomasz Chrzanowski and Maciek Janowski - but top man Scott Nicholls did not make the meeting after being stuck in traffic, and Simon Stead was a late withdrawal due to injury.Chris Harris and Rory Schlein both scored paid maximums for the Aces, with Swindon guest James Wright providing much of the resistance with two race wins.Belle Vue boss Jim Lynch said: "It was a convincing win and the boys did a professional job against a side who have been having major problems. I would have been surprised in the circumstances if we hadn't topped 60 points."
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NEWPORT have moved to sign reigning British Under-21 Champion Joe Haines after Alex Davies was ruled out with a broken vertebrae.Davies sustained the injury at Poole last Wednesday and Haines' average places him in the Wasps' top five, meaning Mark Jones moves to reserve.Manager Kevin Brown said: "We obviously missed the points contribution that a rider of Alex's calibre would have brought when the Somerset Rebels defeated us last Saturday."We have plugged the gap with Joe being available and that will assist in our forthcoming fixtures against Sheffield away on Thursday and Ipswich at home on Saturday."
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Swindon 7.30 ELITE SHIELD 1st leg: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 7:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Newport 7.45CHALLENGE: Swindon v Lakeside 7.30, Birmingham Bulls v USA Touring Team 7.30
FRIDAY APRIL 8:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Belle Vue 8pm PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30, Scunthorpe v Rye House 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30CHALLENGE: Plymouth v Team Viking OFF
