(SPEEDWAY 1)BIRMINGHAM promoter Graham Drury says his teams hectic home schedule offers them the opportunity to keep alive their play-off challenge.The Brummies trail the top four by six points but have five matches to come at Perry Barr, giving them two home matches in hand over Lakeside, and four over third-placed Eastbourne who still have to visit the Second City venue.Drury said: With seven meetings left and five of them at home we have an opportunity to make a late charge.I will say we have had some poor results of late which may ultimately prove costly to us, but I am not giving up hope, far from it.(SPEEDWAY 2)TIMO Lahti will be promoted to the top five of Eastbournes riding order for their Elite League run-in during September.The Eagles race their final home meeting of the regular season against Belle Vue on Saturday, and Lahtis form has seen him move above Lukas Dryml, who goes to reserve as new averages take effect.Manager Trevor Geer said: Timo deserves his promotion to a full-team place. We all had high hopes for him this year but his scoring has been a revelation even to us. His average is now higher than that of both Denis (Gizatullin) and Lukas and means he has a place in the body of the main team.This is a must win match for us if we are to have any chance of making the play-offs. It is obviously good news that Joonas (Kylmakorpi) and Denis are back with us at this vital time.(SPEEDWAY 3)SHEFFIELD youngster Joe Haines is refusing to write off the rest of the seasondespite suffering a broken scaphoid.Haines crashed in last Thursdays home win over Plymouth and raced on without realising the full extent of the damage.He will miss the home fixture with Berwick on Thursday, but said: It's quite painful at the moment but I'm hoping to be back in 10 days or so, that's the target at the moment.It's got some protection on and I'll rest up for the next week and then see how I feel, but I definitely expect to be back soon.(SPEEDWAY 4)DUDLEYS Darryl Ritchings scored his first paid maximum at National League level as the Heathens moved closer to topping the standings ahead of the play-offs.Ritchings was one of five unbeaten riders as his side stormed to a 55-16 win over Rye House in a meeting curtailed three heats early due to heavy rain.He said: It was really good. I am so pleased to get that first maximum."The track got a little tricky towards the end but I managed to have all my rides before the rain came down so it was okay for me.(FIXTURES)WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE:  Belle Vue v Coventry OFF, Poole v Lakeside 7.30, Kings Lynn v Swindon 7.30THURSDAY 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 7.30FRIDAY 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 7.30SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm, Rye House v Ipswich 6pm, Workington v Leicester 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Isle of Wight (follows PL fixture)NATIONAL TROPHY: Stoke v Buxton 7.30WESTERNAPOLIS: Plymouth 7.30SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Sheffield 4pm, Leicester v Workington 6pm, Newcastle v Rye House 7pm, Scunthorpe v Plymouth 5pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Kings Lynn 4.30, Scunthorpe v Stoke (follows PL match).