(SPEEDWAY 1)
PETERBOROUGH were held to a 45-45 draw by Coventry in the only Elite League fixture to beat the weather on Monday.The play-off chasing Panthers went into the meeting without three regulars due to injury, and their six-point lead with three heats to was chopped back by Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris, Nicholls winning the final race for the Bees.Panthers co-boss Jan Staechmann said: We have battled against the odds in meetings before and managed to come through. But there was always going to be a time when we would come unstuck and unfortunately it happened today.The return fixture at Brandon in the evening was postponed due to rain, with meetings at Swindon and Wolverhampton suffering a similar fate.(SPEEDWAY 2)
KINGS Lynn will have the opportunity to climb into the Elite Leagues top four if they can gain maximum points at home to second-placed Swindon on Wednesday.Stars boss Rob Lyon believes his side are still very much in the hunt thanks to their wins over Belle Vue last week, with the Norfolk Arena side helped by Peterborough dropping home points on Monday.Lyon said: As far as Im concerned its all to race for as we are still within touching distance of play-off qualification. Looking at the remaining fixtures, Lakeside have some tough home and away matches with Poole and Peterborough ahead, while Eastbourne literally only have one home match left and the rest away. Therefore I believe the race for the play-offs will go all the way to the final week of the season, and I wouldnt be surprised if we are part of it.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
LEICESTER took a giant stride towards the Premier League play-offs by coming from ten points down to snatch victory at Rye House.It was the Lions third away win of the season and the 47-43 result moves them back to second in the table ahead of home and away clashes with Workington this weekend.Co-promoter Alan Jones said: The writing looked on the wall for us after six heats but each and every one of the team contributed at different times to make the win possible. Rye House have a very good home record and to come back from ten points down without the use of a tactical ride speaks volumes for the team. Difficult as it seemed, we had to get a result to keep pace with the leaders and we did just that. There are still challenges that lay ahead and we have to keep believing and working hard to ensure that we will be one of the six clubs that reaches the play-offs.
(SPEEDWAY 4)
SCUNTHORPE strengthened their position in the Premier League play-off zone with a 50-40 win over leaders Somerset.Josh Auty scored a full 15-point maximum for the Scorpions at the head of a solid all-round performance as the home side overcame an early four-point deficit to secure maximum points.Auty said: Somerset are a tough side; theyve got Doyley (Jason Doyle), who has been on fire all season. So it was good to beat them. It couldnt be much better really for me today the team won, and I scored a maximum.Its going well for us at the moment. We look like were set to qualify for the play-offs, while Thomas (Jrgensen) and myself finished second in the pairs. Weve got a young bunch of lads who are hungry to ride bikes and it think its now paying off.
(SPEEDWAY 5)
MILDENHALL have the upper hand in their National League KO Cup semi-final against Stoke but Mondays 55-39 win at West Row came at a cost.The Fen Tigers, who had Stefan Nielsen unbeaten from six rides, saw teenage reserve Josh Bates crash out with a suspected broken arm, and skipper Lewis Blackbird suffered wrist damage in a last-race fall.Co-promoter Michael Lee said: By my reckoning we dropped eight perhaps even ten points, which would have made a big difference. Sixteen is not a bad lead to take to their place, but the Stoke management are very experienced and will already be looking for ways of clawing their way back into the match. Make no mistake, this tie is far from over.
(FIXTURES)
TUESDAY AUGUST 28:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Rye House 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 8pm, Poole v Lakeside 7.30, Kings Lynn v Swindon 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 30:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Wolverhampton 7.30, Swindon v Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Glasgow 7.30, Sheffield v Berwick 7.45NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 31:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Wolverhampton 8pm, Lakeside v Poole 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7pm, Edinburgh v Redcar (follows previous fixture), Somerset v Plymouth 7.30, Workington v Berwick 7.30
