BIG EVENT LATEST…THE top four riders from eight clubs will contest the Premier League Fours at Peterborough on Sunday July 15 (2.30pm).The showpiece event returns to the East of England Showground for a bumper 28-race programme with the teams split into two groups of four for the eight-heat semi-finals, with the top two teams in each group then contesting the twelve-heat Final.Of this season’s competitors, Workington have dominated the event over recent Premier League history with five wins since 2001, the last of which came in 2009 – whilst Somerset have reached the Final in every year since they won the event in 2005, and Berwick enjoyed one of their greatest days with victory in 2002.The top four riders for each of the competing teams are as follows:SCUNTHORPE: David Howe, Josh Auty, Ashley Birks, Thomas Jorgensen.GLASGOW: Joe Screen, James Grieves, Josh Grajczonek, Mason Campton.LEICESTER: Kauko Nieminen, Magnus Karlsson, Lasse Bjerre, Simon Lambert.BERWICK: Ricky Ashworth, Sebastian Alden, Lee Complin, David Bellego.NEWCASTLE: Stuart Robson, Mark Lemon, Ludvig Lindgren, Claes Nedermark.WORKINGTON: Richard Lawson, Rene Bach, Kenny Ingalls, Adam Roynon.SOMERSET: Claus Vissing, Jason Doyle, James Wright, Sam Masters.PLYMOUTH: Ben Barker, Cory Gathercole, Ryan Fisher, Todd Kurtz.Although supporters can pay on the day, Peterborough are once again offering an online facility for advance sales.Admission prices have been held at last year’s levels – adults £20, concessions £15, children 5-15 years £5, with under-5s free. The magazine programme ‘Tapes Up’ will be available for £4.The Panthers’ online ticket sales facility proved popular when they last staged the event, and can be accessed via the British Speedway website at speedwaygb.co/plfours.*THE twice-postponed National League Fours at Stoke has been re-arranged for Sunday, August 26 with a 3pm start.The meeting, which features all clubs at that level, was washed out on two separate occasions during the month of June, but will now take place on the afternoon following the British Grand Prix at Cardiff – which Potters promoter Dave Tattum believes is an ideal solution.Tattum said: “We looked through the fixture list to see what was the best date when most of the riders would be available, as we want the best from all teams to be racing, and this date stood out by a mile with only Leicester running on this particular day. “It also made sense as we normally run the day after the British Grand Prix anyway and it all just fell into place. It means all the teams will be able to name their best line-up possible and it should prove to be a spectacular afternoon’s racing for the supporters.”

SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOE HAINESPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, Sunday July 15BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton, Monday July 30PREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: Somerset, Friday August 24PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday September 23ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Saturday October 20NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENT DATES:NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Stoke, Sunday August 26NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Mildenhall, Sunday July 22NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 15BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL: AUSTRALIAGRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: CHRIS HARRISWORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Coventry, August 17

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…BELLE VUE manager Jim Lynch believes his revamped side can make a serious trophy bid in the Knockout Cup later this season.Lynch said: “Obviously we have lost too much ground in the league but the signs are that we will be much stronger when the cup comes around.“The delay in riding the Birmingham ties gives us plenty of time to get this side well and truly bedded in. We have been delighted with the impact of the riders we have signed and, because of all the postponements, there will be plenty of matches to get them in top form once the weather improves.”BIRMINGHAM co-manager Phil Morris says the Brummies must learn to close out meetings after seeing points slip away in a 49-41 defeat at Wolverhampton on Monday.Morris said: “To go down 10-2 in the last two races is just gutting again.“We are doing it too often and I can't say why it is happening. We are getting there, we are constantly getting into good positions but we are just letting it slip at the end, so that is very disappointing.”COVENTRY owner Mick Horton says the Brandon club still retain belief that their fortunes will turn, despite slipping to a third home defeat of the season against Eastbourne last Friday.Horton said: “We’re certainly not going to give up. We know we’ve got the riders, they’re not all performing together in one meeting at the moment, and I’m really frustrated and I feel for all the fans. “We’re trying to sort it out, and I just ask people to just stick with us through the good times and the bad times. We will come good, I’m sure of that.”EASTBOURNE boss Trevor Geer believes the nature of his side’s 52-38 win at Coventry last Friday acts as a message to the rest of the Elite Leage that the Eagles are serious play-off contenders.Geer said: “Our convincing win at Coventry sends a warning to the rest of the league that they ignore us at their peril. Four league points was a fabulous result and the team is just getting better and better.“I believe there is still more to come. Confidence is high and there’s no reason why we cannot cause an upset at Poole. We are well in the mix for the Elite League play-offs come the autumn.”LAKESIDE co-promoter Jon Cook says the return of Jonas Davidsson comes at the right time for the club as they look to maintain their title aspirations in the second half of the season.Cook said: “On his day few can match JD around the Raceway and it’s with that firmly in mind that we have made this move. “The lads have done admirably coping with Lee's (Richardson) loss and I can't speak highly enough of them all, however, the cracks have been showing for the last few matches and we felt we dare not wait any longer to make a move or else our League hopes could be damaged. JD will add to the spirit and will be good for Kim (Nilsson) in particular."KING’S LYNN manager Rob Lyon says his side must avoid complacency when they face Coventry on Wednesday, still on a high from getting the better of league leaders Poole last week.Lyon said: “The Coventry team certainly looks well suited to King’s Lynn and will certainly pose a lot of danger. “We mustn’t become complacent after last weeks victory and I will be pushing the team for every single point they can get!"PETERBOROUGH co-boss Jan Staechmann was satisfied with the outcome of the Panthers’ home match against Coventry, with a last-bend move by Michael Jepsen Jensen on Chris Harris securing all three points for the Panthers.Staechmann said: “It was the good night we wanted. Everyone from the track staff to the riders and the supporters did their bit.“It was particularly fantastic to see Kenneth (Bjerre) back to his best and leading from the front again.”POOLE promoter Matt Ford says the Pirates are determined to start another unbeaten run having suffered their first defeat of the season when a much-changed side lost out at King’s Lynn.Ford said: “I would have preferred to have lost our record with a full-strength 2012 team but we have been beaten now and so another chapter in Poole's history has been closed.“Our attentions will be entirely focused on trying to remain unbeaten at home but with Eastbourne next up you just know we are going to be in for a thriller. It's hard to believe that the speedway can get much better than that we have witnessed in recent weeks at the club, but when you look at the two teams on show it hits out at you that Wednesday has all the ingredients of another great show.”SWINDON manager Alun Rossiter says the Robins have their sights set on qualifying for the play-offs with top place in the Elite League table.Rossiter said: “Our goal is to finish top of the pack, and we’ll be doing everything in our power to try and make sure it happens. Sometimes you set a goal and you have re-assess it depending on circumstances, but at the moment there’s no reason for our goal not to be top spot. “That’s what we want to achieve, and it would give us choice of opponents in the play-offs. I very much believe we are capable of doing it, as long as we stay out of trouble and maybe have a bit of luck along the way.”WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams says the team performance in Monday’s 49-41 win over Birmingham proves they are now in a much stronger position than in recent weeks.Adams said: “I’m sure our fortunes will change in the second half of the season. We have been struggling with serious injuries for nine week now, which is a very long time, and no team would have coped with that.“But the team is back together now, and it is in much better shape. You saw the points scoring of (Ty) Proctor and (Freddie) Lindgren when they were back together, and they rode so long together in the last three seasons, so that is a huge boost for us to be able to arrange the side the way we would like to.”PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…BERWICK manager Ian Rae offered no excuses after the Bandits were humbled 56-34 at home to Ipswich, crashing out of the KO Cup in the process.Rae said: “I can only apologise to our fans. We were appalling tonight and never deserved a semi-final place on that performance. Well done and good luck to Ipswich in the rest of the competition.”EDINBURGH gave their travelling supporters a fine afternoon with a 46-44 win at fierce rivals Glasgow in the first leg of their KO Cup tie – with the second leg now re-scheduled for this Friday.Monarchs boss Alex Harkess said: “Our riders had just the right mentality, they knew if they could gate ahead they could stay there. I felt Charles (Wright) had a good chance in his final ride because he had had such a good ride in his previous one for no points, and he did the job with Matthew (Wethers) to put us in front.”GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson admitted his side had given a lop-sided display in the first leg of their KO Cup tie with Edinburgh, as the Monarchs came away with a 46-44 win.Dickson said: “We had a lot of race winners but our second strings were woeful. They take up eleven points in our team averages and only scored one point between them, that’s where the real damage was done.”IPSWICH boss Pete Simmons was delighted with his side’s response to a recent tough spell as they won their final League Cup group tie at Plymouth before travelling up to Berwick the following day for a thumping 56-34 away win to reach the KO Cup semi-finals.Simmons said: “It was a fantastic effort again tonight, the boys carried on where they left off at Plymouth as they were asked. They definitely had their gating boots on and I'm also happy that everyone scored at least one heat win. It was a good all-round performance.”LEICESTER co-promoter Alan Jones was impressed with the Lions’ comeback at home to Sheffield, as they maintained second place in the Premier League table with a 51-39 win despite having been six-ponts down.Jones said: “In footballing terms we were caught flat footed early on and Sheffield fully deserved to be ahead. It took us all of eleven races before we nosed ahead for the first time but once there I thought we were stronger than the Tigers over the remaining heats and so it proved.”NEWCASTLE pulled off a remarkable recovery from a heavy first leg defeat at Sheffield to defeat the Tigers 62-28 at Brough Park and advance to the KO Cup semi-finals – despite having three riders on the injury list after recent crashes.Diamonds boss George English said: “Without Mark (Lemon), Christian (Henry) and Richie (Worrall) and faced with a 26-point deficit we produced the most stunning performance to follow on from a superb display at Workington! To talk of pride doesn’t do the emotions justice.”PLYMOUTH promoter Mike Bowden says he could make further alterations to his team if last week’s displays are repeated when the Devils undertake a Northern tour to Berwick and Glasgow this weekend.Bowden said: “We had only two riders scoring any real points in both meetings. I will be looking for an improvement because the form of some of our riders was just not good enough and I will not hesitate to make changes.”REDCAR will hand a debut to new signing Michal Rajkowski in Thursday’s home clash with Ipswich, as Mark Jones has announced his retirement following a broken collarbone.Bears promoter Brian Havelock said: “We have acquired the services of a rider who won his first four consecutive races on his debut at the Motorpark as a Newport Wasp in 2006 and has shown his liking for the circuit ever since. Then we have the bustling and brave Carl Wilkinson available to strengthen our reserve line up. This gives us renewed confidence about our prospects of reaching the play-offs during the remainder of our league campaign.”RYE HOUSE promoter Len Silver has laid the Hoddesdon track with new material for Saturday’s British Semi-Final, with a local aggregate supplier having imported a special silver granite from Norway.Great Britain captain Chris Harris has already visited the circuit and believes he could lower the track record of 55.1 seconds recorded by Rockets star Chris Neath in May 2010 in the showpiece event this weekend.SCUNTHORPE boss Richard Hollingsworth said the Scorpions’ point at Somerset on Friday was well-deserved – but admitted he felt they could have had even more.Hollingsworth said: “It was a good performance from our riders, and the meeting could have gone either way. I would have been happy with a draw, but it’s disappointing to lose in such tight circumstances. I guess that a week ago we would have been delighted with a point from here, so it shows how expectations have changed now we’ve revamped our team.”SHEFFIELD co-boss David Hoggard admitted the Tigers’ KO Cup exit at Newcastle on Sunday was a major blow – especially as they had taken a 26-point first leg lead into the meeting.Hoggart said: “It was heroes to zeroes really, and we had our worst night of the season right across the board, but we can't dwell on it. Credit to Newcastle because they were really up for it and they did to us what we did to them on Thursday, just by a slightly bigger margin. We could have done a lot better, of course, but we didn't and that's sport.”SOMERSET are facing a busy weekend of action starting with a home clash against Sheffield on Friday, and then a Northern tour taking in Workington and Newcastle on the following two evenings.The Rebels edged a hard-fought match against Scunthorpe last Friday, team boss Steve Bishop saying: “We got through by the skin of our teeth. We did at least manage to preserve our unbeaten home record, and Claus (Vissing) looked like he had never been away, so there were some positives for us to take from the meeting.”WORKINGTON are on the look-out for a new rider following the shock retirement of Australian star Rusty Harrison, who is second-only to Comets legend Carl Stonehewer in the club’s all time appearance record.Manager Tony Jackson said: “Naturally we were surprised and disappointed to hear of Rusty’s decision to stop racing with immediate effect, especially after such a fantastic start to the season by the whole team. On behalf of the club, and also from a personal point of view, I would like to thank him for his efforts on behalf of the Comets since he first joined us back in 2001 and it goes without saying that we wish him all the very best for the future. “Now the focus must be on finding a replacement for Rusty, which is easier said than done at this stage of the season, but it is important that we find the right rider who can fit in with the team and who can help maintain our push for silverware.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

 WEDNESDAY JULY 4:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Eastbourne 7.30THURSDAY JULY 5:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Coventry 7.30, Swindon v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Ipswich 7.30BRITISH SEMI-FINAL: Sheffield 7.45FRIDAY JULY 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Wolverhampton 8pm, Lakeside v Birmingham 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30, Somerset v Sheffield 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30SATURDAY JULY 7:BRITISH SEMI-FINAL: Rye House 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Plymouth 7pm, Workington v Somerset 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Isle of Wight 7.30SUNDAY JULY 8:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Plymouth 4pm, Newcastle v Somerset 6.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Leicester v Workington 6pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Stoke 4pmBRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Eastbourne 3.30MONDAY JULY 9:WORLD CUP EVENT 2: King’s Lynn 7.30TUESDAY JULY 10:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v King’s Lynn 7.30GOLDEN HAMMER: Dudley 7.30WEDNESDAY JULY 11:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Scunthorpe 7.30THURSDAY JULY 12:PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Leicester 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.45FRIDAY JULY 13:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Plymouth v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Workington 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Stoke 7.30SATURDAY JULY 14:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Sheffield 7pm, Leicester v Glasgow 7.30, Rye House v Scunthorpe 6pm, Workington v Redcar 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Scunthorpe (follows PL fixture), Stoke v King’s Lynn 7.30SUNDAY JULY 15:PREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough 2.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Rye House 3pm, Mildenhall v Isle of Wight 4.30MONDAY JULY 16:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Lakeside 7.30TUESDAY JULY 17:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Scunthorpe 7.30WEDNESDAY JULY 18:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30, Poole v Belle Vue 7.30