(SPEEDWAY 1)
SWINDON moved to within two points of Poole at the top of the Elite League table thanks to a 48-42 win at Coventry.The Robins appeared to be in control only to see an eight-point lead wiped out to a level scoreline with two heats to go - but the pressure was eased when Bees skipper Chris Harris seized an engine on the start-line for Heat 15, with Troy Batchelor and Hans Andersen racing clear for a 5-1.Manager Alun Rossiter said: It was closer than it should have been. We should have put it to bed earlier but a couple of riders made some silly mistakes which made it hard for ourselves.But it was a good all-round display. It didnt help when (Josef) Franc started going well, but I was always confident we could pull it out of the bag. We do have a good record here, and I always thought it would depend on how our reserves went, and they rode very well.Fridays other Elite League action saw Peter Karlsson score a 15-point maximum against his old club as Lakeside defeated Wolverhampton 55-37.(SPEEDWAY 2)
SOMERSET completed a remarkable comeback to edge out Premier League leaders Newcastle 48-45 in a terrific battle at the Oak Tree Arena.The Diamonds led by ten points early on and then by eleven after Heat 8 but a powerful display in the second half of the meeting, led by Jason Doyle (19) saw the Rebels secure victory.Somerset boss Steve Bishop said: Once again, Doyley was in supreme form, but while the first half of the meeting was an absolute nightmare for us, crucially the second half saw the likes of Alex Davies and Kyle Newman come to the fore as we turned things around.Kyles race with Stuart Robson in Heat 11 was worth the admission money on its own, while Alex put in what was probably his best home performance of the season. It was a shame that we couldnt nick all three league points at the end, but from where we stood score-wise at the end of Heat 8, then to get two points was some achievement!(SPEEDWAY 3)
EDINBURGH became the first team to beat Workington for exactly three months having also inflicted the Comets previous defeat back in April!The Monarchs took all three points from the Premier League clash with a 52-41 victory, taking the benefits from a flying start which saw them go 21-9 ahead after five races.Craig Cook and Andrew Tully led the home sides scoring with 12-points apiece with Adam Roynon, who won Heat 15, picking up 11 along with Rene Bach for the Comets.Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: It was a good enough win though it was just as well we made a strong start, because the Comets came back at us very well.(SPEEDWAY 4)
PLYMOUTHS strong finish saw them take all three points from their Premier League clash with Rye House with two late 5-1s giving them a 52-41 win.Ben Barker led the way for the Devils with 12 (paid 14) having stood down as captain in order to concentrate on his own form, with Cory Gathercole taking over the role.Plymouth promoter Mike Bowden said: It was good to get the meeting on after a couple of blank weeks and it was an excellent all-round team performance. Cory responded well, leading by example.Rockets reserve Jason Garrity rode through the pain barrier for four points but now needs his broken thumb to be re-set in plaster after it swelled up, and he could miss the rest of the season.
(SPEEDWAY 5)
JOE Screen is back with Birmingham in a doubling-up capacity after his release from the Kings Lynn squad.Screen will offer cover for Josh Auty having held a similar role with the Perry Barr club last season, the move coming after Lynn brought in Ulrich Ostergaard.Brummies boss Graham Drury said: Joe knows that its only likely to be for a few meetings because obviously the way Josh has been going for us makes him an automatic first pick when hes available. But we need to give ourselves the best possible cover.Belle Vue, meanwhile, now have Josh Grajczonek back in their squad after he was initially released to make way for Claus Vissing who is now ruled out with a broken collarbone.(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY JULY 21:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Workington 7pm, Leicester v Ipswich 7.30, Rye House v Glasgow 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Buxton 7pm, Stoke v Dudley 7.30
SUNDAY JULY 22:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Edinburgh 4pm, Newcastle v Berwick 6.30,PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Workington v Leicester 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Mildenhall 4.30
MONDAY JULY 23:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Kings Lynn v Swindon 7.30, Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30, Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Dudley 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 25:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
