BIG EVENT LATEST... CHRIS Harris's defence of the British Championship will begin next month - with the country's top riders chasing a place in the Final at Wolverhampton on June 6. Scunthorpe and Sheffield are the venues for the semi-finals where an initial 32 riders will be whittled down to the Final line-up as Harris looks to make it four British titles in total, and three in succession. Harris has won two of his titles at Wolverhampton, in 2007 and 2010, and he was also on top at Poole in 2009 - whilst his great rival Scott Nicholls, who has five British Championships to his name, has also won three of the last six Finals. The pair have dominated the event in recent years, but they may well come under more of a threat this time around with the likes of Edward Kennett, Tai Woffinden and Lewis Bridger all starting the season in good form. Scunthorpe's Eddie Wright Raceway stages the first semi on May 13, with Sheffield's event at Owlerton taking place the following week on May 19. Fourteen riders will definitely have their Final places confirmed via those two meetings, with SpeedwayGB Events co-ordinator David Hoggart confirming a tweak to the format for the completion of the line-up. Last season's British Final went ahead without Woffinden, who surprisingly missed out on a qualification place in a rain-soaked semi-final at Sheffield, and organisers will this year have the power to seed two riders to Wolverhampton - not that any will want to take that risk! Hoggart said: "There will be two British semi-finals, where the top seven will qualify. However, we have responded to the criticism levelled at us last year and reserved two Wild Card places for the Final. "Last year's British Final was a fantastic meeting, the atmosphere in the stadium was something else and when Chris Harris developed super-human power to get up and win the title, it was just incredible. "Chris is going for a hat-trick this year, so Monmore Green it is then on Monday June 6 - be there!" *GREAT Britain have two confirmed starters for the World Under-21 semi-finals after Josh Auty and Jerran Hart came through the recent qualifier in Germany - Auty winning the meeting in a run-off. Kyle Newman is still involved too, as he took a reserve position, with Joe Haines just missing out, and coach Phil Morris was delighted with the performances at Herxheim. Morris said: "All four British riders did their country proud, Josh had a fantastic meeting to come out first, and Jerran put a disappointing British Under-21 Final behind him to qualify with a solid performance. "We are very pleased to already have two riders in the semi plus a first reserve, with Steve Worrall yet to race his qualifying round in the Ukraine." SUPER7EVEN SERIES SPEEDWAY GB EVENTS BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: TAI WOFFINDEN ELITE LEAGUE PAIRS: King's Lynn, April 27 BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton, June 6 PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, June 24 PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Leicester, August 7 PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, September 25 ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, October 15 ELITE LEAGUE LATEST... BELLE VUE manager Jim Lynch saw his riding order changes pay dividends as the Aces recovered from two home defeats to get the better of Wolverhampton in a tight Good Friday contest. Lynch said: "I've been asked several times this season about (Ricky) Kling because he wasn't doing too well, but he responded to the No.2 slot. He looked quick, he looked up for it before the meeting and finished with six points plus two bonus. "(Charlie) Gjedde was nothing short of brilliant. We have been vulnerable in Heat 12 but the switch means he'll be riding there. He won it, and hopefully he has cured that problem for us." BIRMINGHAM star Daniel King is set for a CT scan to determine the full extent of an injury sustained in Poland, which could turn out to be a broken vertebrae. Brummies boss Graham Drury said: "Danny took the decision to come back to England and have a CT scan at his local hospital. "They put him in a neck brace in Poland and told him he had probably broken a bone. It's a real blow to both Danny and the team and we wish the lad well." COVENTRY skipper Edward Kennett admitted his dramatic Heat 11 pass on Peterborough skipper Nicki Pedersen - which sparked a frank exchange of views between the riders - served to fire up his side on their way to a 54-38 win on Good Friday evening. Kennett said: "I think he felt I was a bit hard on him, but as I saw it I thought it was a fair ride. I'm sure he'll remember it and try to give it back to me sometime, but at the end of the day I'm out there to do a job for my team and it was just one of those things. "It got the crowd involved and I think it was a turning point in the meeting really. It seemed to fire all the boys up, and then they went out there with all guns blazing, which is good really although I didn't intend for it to be in that way!" EASTBOURNE star Joonas Kylmakorpi feels fellow Finn Timo Lahti could well prove to be the answer to the league leaders' problems at No.7, after an impressive debut at Lakeside on Good Friday. Kylmakorpi said: "I don't really know Timo but I know he's a good starter and I thought he could do a job. It was only the second time he was on a track this year, and his first meeting. "He will get better hopefully, and could be one of the key riders at the end of the year." KING'S LYNN star Mads Korneliussen admits the Norfolk Arena club are now serious contenders in their first season back in the Elite League, their excellent start being backed up by a 50-43 win over title favourites Poole. Korneliussen said: "We've spoken about team spirit all year and that is one of the main things. Before the season, everybody wrote us off and now they are talking about us in the play-offs. "That is how quickly things can change in speedway, and it can change the other way as well. We believe as a team we can do it. In a lot of other clubs, it's the management who think that - not the riders, and that is a big difference." LAKESIDE have extended their 'kids for a quid' special offer for 6-16 year olds with another Bank Holiday fixture taking place as Birmingham visit Purfleet on Friday. Co-promoter Jon Cook said: "We are working hard on increasing the appeal of Speedway racing to the wider population and we were extremely pleased with the numbers that watched the racing on Good Friday where we recorded our biggest crowd to date in our fifth year of promoting the Sport at our Essex based Raceway. "Whilst not expecting to hit those heights again this week we intend to keep this offer in place so that more families can enjoy a night at the races with us on this second Bank Holiday this month." PETERBOROUGH star Troy Batchelor secured the crucial third place point from an epic Heat 15 decider in the Panthers' home clash with Coventry, with all four riders flashing across the finishing line almost together. Batchelor said: "I didn't honestly know whether I'd finished second or third in that last one but I knew I didn't finish last, and Nicki (Pedersen) was confident he'd won it. It was a pretty special way to end the meeting. "I struggled in my first two but I went back to a set up I was familiar with and I felt really good after that. I was close to winning the last one, but the main thing is that we won the meeting and it was entertaining for the fans." POOLE promoter Matt Ford paid tribute to Swedish reserve Dennis Andersson for his determination to ride in the Pirates' Easter Sunday win over Eastbourne, despite a heavy crash in Poland the previous day. Ford said: "I received a call from a distressed Dennis on Saturday night saying he was in hospital after being run over in Poland. "I feared the worst, but full credit to him. Despite suffering painful rib injuries he still came back to England and rode, winning Heat 2 in a canter. It shows that he is not only a very handy rider, he's a pretty courageous kid too." SWINDON star Scott Nicholls believes the Robins can kick on from a narrow defeat Birmingham, and that they can put a much-needed win on the board in the near future. Nicholls said: "It's so frustrating to lose again because we are so close to getting a win. We are showing signs of improvement but the reserves are still struggling a bit at the moment and it's costing us. "It's been a disastrous start to the season so far, but that first win is close to coming and when it does it will instil a bit of belief that we need - that win will light the fire and we can go on from there." WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams insists the club will continue to back their riders with the trophy-winning stage of the season still some way away. Adams said: "My philosophy hasn't changed on all this, it's not about where you are in April, it's all about where you stand in the table when you get to September and the race for the title really gets underway. "We will keep pushing hard and hopefully we will be there or thereabouts. In the meantime we will support the riders we have in the team and hopefully we can go on a good run of results." PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST... BERWICK co-owner John Anderson is pleased with the form being shown by Czech star Josef Franc, who is back with the club this year after a season away at Sheffield. Anderson said: "Last week he was just electric. Pepe won every race against Scunthorpe, and recorded the fastest race-time we've seen here at Berwick all season, just three tenths of a second outside the track record by Chris Harris, which has stood since 2009." EDINBURGH boss John Campbell admitted the Monarchs' Saturday evening win at Newport had not completely removed his anger at the home defeat by Leicester the previous day. Campbell said: "I would have preferred if we had won at home on Friday and lost at Newport. Still, it was nice to win away from home and pick up all four points in a match I thought we dominated. Every member of our top five did exactly what they had to do at the right time." GLASGOW star James Grieves paid tribute to club skipper Joe Screen, who continued his excellent star to the season in the Tigers' Easter Monday win at Newcastle. Grieves said: "Confidence is such an important part of my game and this performance and result means that we can look to kick on from here, and I can do what I can to help the side. In the meantime I have to say what a job Screenie is doing, his performance tonight, and all season, has been nothing short of sensational." IPSWICH enjoyed a successful Good Friday home meeting against Sheffield, defeating the Tigers in front of a bumper Foxhall crowd the day after being defeated at Owlerton. Promoter John Louis said: "I was very pleased with the result, and it was great to meet up with the excellent Sheffield management team. A special mention should be made about track curator Bob Ellis's efforts both before and during the meeting in such difficult weather conditions." LEICESTER: The Lions pulled off a stunning 45-44 away win at reigning Premier League Champions Edinburgh on Good Friday, and backed that up with their most convincing home performance yet with a 56-35 Beaumont Park victory over Rye House, with Sergey Darkin scoring a paid maximum. NEWCASTLE'S injury problems worsened on Easter Monday with No.1 Mark Lemon suffering a broken collarbone in the home defeat by Glasgow. Manager George English said: "When you have your lose your top scorer, as we did with Mark, that's going to hurt and it certainly did coupled with us having two riders on a home debut. I'm just wondering what evils we've done as now we've lost two number ones to injury in the last three weeks and it's a complete nightmare of a situation now to plug the gaps." NEWPORT: The Wasps will be looking to climb the Premier League table with this weekend's back to back fixtures against Workington. The Comets visit South Wales on Friday evening, with the return in Cumbria the following day. PLYMOUTH: The Devils race their first Premier League fixture at home to Sheffield this Friday, with a busy weekend also taking in trips to Berwick and Glasgow. REDCAR manager Jitendra Duffill says an all-round performance will be essential this week if the Bears are to take points against much-fancied Ipswich, with the home meeting taking place on Friday. Duffill said: "The Ipswich management have put together a very exciting team and in riders such as Taylor Poole, Lasse Bjerre and Jerran Hart they have teenagers who don't care about their opponents' reputation - they just want to get stuck in and score points. It's going to be tough but intriguing!" RYE HOUSE skipper Chris Neath heaved a sigh of relief as the Rockets defeated Leicester at Hoddesdon on Easter Monday, gaining some revenge for a heavy defeat at Beaumont Park two days earlier. Neath said: "We needed that big time. Our gating has been very poor recently, but it really came together today. We also rode together as a team again, which was vital given the fixtures we have coming up." SCUNTHORPE star Tero Aarnio says his recent injury problems are not causing any problems when he is racing, as he looks to enjoy a consistent season for the Scorpions. Aarnio said: "I don't feel my injury anymore when I ride so I can't hide behind it. At Somerset I was very nervous and was almost physically sick before the meeting but on Monday I was feeling ok. I still feel quite sore after the meeting and between heats but I don't feel it when I ride. I don't feel any limited movement or anything, so I can't blame anything on it." SHEFFIELD boss Eric Boocock had no complaints about the outcome of the Tigers' trip to Ipswich, which resulted in a defeat less than 24 hours after a convincing Sheffield win over the same opponents at Owlerton. Boocock said: "It's disappointing for us to come here and not collect anything for our efforts because after we beat them so well on Thursday our hopes were high. But people have to remember Ipswich are a good side and they have been very astute in the way they've put their team together this season." SOMERSET are set to be without Travis McGowan for their forthcoming fixtures after he suffered a suspected broken wrist at Scunthorpe on Monday. The Rebels, who were beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season, return to action at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday when they face Newcastle. WORKINGTON will recall American rider Kenny Ingalls for their weekend clashes with Newport, as he has now had surgery to remove screws from the plate in the leg he broke last year. Ingalls' return means short-term signing Gary Irving has been released. Comets owner Keith Denham said: "We look forward to Kenny carrying on and improving from where he left off last season." FIXTURE PICTURE... WEDNESDAY APRIL 27: ELITE LEAGUE PAIRS: King's Lynn 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Isle of Wight 8pm THURSDAY APRIL 28: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30, Swindon v Poole 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Redcar 7.30, Sheffield v Glasgow 7.45 FRIDAY APRIL 29: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Swindon 7.45, Lakeside v Birmingham 8pm PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7.30, Newport v Workington 7.30, Plymouth v Sheffield 7.30, Redcar v Ipswich 7.30, Somerset v Newcastle 7.30 SATURDAY APRIL 30: PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Plymouth 7pm, Leicester v Somerset 7.30, Workington v Newport 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Hackney v Belle Vue (at Rye House) 7pm SUNDAY MAY 1: PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Plymouth 4pm, Newcastle v Sheffield 6.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Buxton v Stoke 3pm CHALLENGE: Birmingham Bulls v Dudley 6.30 MONDAY MAY 2: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Birmingham 3pm, Swindon v Eastbourne 8pm, Wolverhampton v Lakeside 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Rye House 2.15, Rye House v Ipswich 7pm, Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 5pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Newport v Buxton 2.30, Scunthorpe v Hackney (follows PL fixture) TUESDAY MAY 3: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Scunthorpe 7.30 BEST PAIRS: New Holmwood Cup, Isle of Wight 7.30 WEDNESDAY MAY 4: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30, Poole v Lakeside 7.30 THURSDAY MAY 5: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v King's Lynn 7.30 FRIDAY MAY 6: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Wolverhampton 8pm, Lakeside v Poole 8pm PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Ipswich 7.30, Plymouth v Redcar 7.30, Somerset v Newport 7.30 SATURDAY MAY 7: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v King's Lynn 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Leicester v Redcar 7.30, Newport v Scunthorpe 7pm, Workington v Edinburgh 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Hackney v King's Lynn (at Rye House) 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP 2nd leg: Stoke v Buxton 7.30 SUNDAY MAY 8: PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Rye House 4pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Belle Vue 4.30 MONDAY MAY 9: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30, Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Mildenhall 7.30 TUESDAY MAY 10: NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Isle of Wight v Newport 7.30 WEDNESDAY MAY 11: NATIONAL LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Buxton 7.30