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THE Premier League Riders Championship, abandoned at Sheffield last Sunday, will be re-staged on Sunday, October 14 with a 1pm start.Discussions have taken place with the leagues promoters to agree an alternative date for the Owlerton showpiece, after a halt was called to the original staging due to rain with just four races completed.SpeedwayGB Events co-ordinator David Hoggart said: With the co-operation of the stadium and also regular Sunday track Newcastle, weve been able to arrange the new date swiftly.We acknowledge the difficult circumstances which arose last Sunday and as a consequence were granting full admission value for tickets from the rained-off meeting.The earlier start-time of 1pm will hopefully give everyone the best possible opportunity to return, and Newcastle have agreed to put the start-time back for their fixture that evening.Alternatively, supporters in the South who arent able to make it back will be able to use their tickets as part-payment for the Elite League Riders Championship at Swindon on October 20.It was so frustrating last Sunday because we had a good crowd, albeit not quite as good as it might have been due to the weather forecast, but everything was well-set with excellent track conditions, and then the rain came.There was a good atmosphere in the stadium and over 300 people in the restaurant, and its just a shame that in a season where so many meetings have been wrecked by the weather, its happened again.*BRITISH Youth bosses have reflected on a successful campaign with significant progress being shown by riders at all levels.Stefan Nielsen took the honours in the recent British Under-19 Final at Sheffield, whilst Nathan Greaves became a double British Youth Champion having won his six-round series in both 500cc and 250cc categories, wrapping things up at Sittingbourne in early September.Tom Brennan was the winner of the 125cc British Championship at Eastbourne, whilst earlier in the campaign Joe Haines claimed the British Under-21 title for the second time in his career in an event staged by Dudley at Wolverhampton. Bosses Neil Vatcher and Phil Morris are encouraged by this seasons standards.Vatcher said: At the Under 19 Final, unfortunately there were a few riders missing who if fit would have been in contention of winning the title, but it was a chance for others to show the watching public that British Speedway is on the up.Stars of the show were of course the four finalists, Stefan Nielsen, Ashley Morris, Joe Jacobs and Tom Perry, all of whom during the course of the evening had very fast race wins. In fact, their times were quicker then some of the Premier League heat wins the previous week.The final itself was worth the admission money alone as all four riders were chopping and changing places, and we would like to give many congratulations to all the competitors for putting on a great show.Nathan Greaves took all the honours at Sittingbourne in winning both the 500cc and 250cc Championship to become the first-ever double British Champion in the same year. Nathan turns 15 in February, so we are sure that most National League Clubs will be after his phone number for next season. There are many youth riders to look out for in 2013, including Adam Ellis, Kelsey Dugard and Josh Bailey, along with the likes that have already made their National League debuts, such as Nathan Stoneman, Josh Bates and Danny Phillips.
SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOE HAINESPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: BERWICKBRITISH FINAL: SCOTT NICHOLLSPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: WORKINGTONPREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sunday October 14ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Saturday October 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENT DATES:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: MILDENHALLNATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: MILDENHALLNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Saturday September 29
BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL: AUSTRALIAGRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: CHRIS HARRISWORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: MICHAEL JEPSEN JENSEN
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BELLE VUE boss Jason Attwood is hopeful that the Knockout Cup can provide the Aces with a positive end to a season which has seen them finish with the Elite Leagues wooden spoon.Attwood said: Weve had a dire season in the league but the Knockout Cup gives us a chance to end the year on a positive note and give something back to the fans.We know just how hard it will be to go all the way but weve got to believe that we can do it.BIRMINGHAM promoter Graham Drury says his side will be unaffected by the delay of a week in the staging of their play-off semi-final against Swindon.Drury said: It changes nothing for us, we still believe we can beat Swindon over two legs without a doubt.Our attitude remains the same. It could be so tight over two legs, in fact it wouldnt surprise me if we won at their place and they won at Perry Barr. But the boys are well and truly up for the challenge. COVENTRY completed their home Elite League programme with a 52-40 win over Peterborough to end the Panthers play-off chances and now want to continue their encouraging run in the final weeks of the season.Boss Blayne Scroggins said: It was a perfect performance really, we know the team is capable of this and its what we thought could happen this season. Its a good end to our Elite League campaign at home and were really pleased.We want as good a place as we can get in the league, and to keep the momentum going for the Knockout Cup. It would be nice to get into the Final and pick up some silverware.EASTBOURNE have confirmed there will be no further meetings at Arlington this season after the Eagles fell just short of a place in the Elite League play-offs.Co-promoter Mike Bellerby said: I want to thank the people on the terraces who have backed our campaign this year. A special thank you goes to the band of fans who support us away from home. We all know the costs in both time and money and their efforts are much appreciated.The riders were not able to say their thanks to supporters in the usual way because of the way our fixtures ended. However, they have all asked the club to thanks the fans for their enthusiastic support throughout the whole season.LAKESIDE will welcome many of the worlds top riders to Purfleet on Friday for the Lee Richardson Memorial meeting.Reigning World Champion Greg Hancock, Jason Crump and Andreas Jonsson will all be making UK returns for the big event, which also includes current GP series leader Chris Holder.Admission is by minimum donation of 10 with all proceeds going to the trust fund set up to benefit the wife and children of the former Hammers captain who tragically lost his life in a racing accident in May.KINGS LYNN will pay tribute to former rider Ashley Jones with the seventh staging of the Memorial Meeting at the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday.The meeting features a number of rising stars including Scunthorpes Ashley Birks, Mildenhall's Stefan Nielsen and Young Stars duo Lewis Kerr and Tom Stokes.PETERBOROUGH boss Jan Staechmann admitted the Panthers had been made to pay the price for dropped points during the season as they just missed out on a play-off place failing to score from their late run of three away matches ending at Coventry.Staechmann said: Theres not a lot I can say, we got beaten by a better team but we shouldnt have been in this position in the first place. It wasnt lost tonight, we lost it during the season and we left ourselves with too much to do.Now that were not making the play-offs our focus shifts to the Knockout Cup, and were going to have to try and do all we can to progress in that competition.POOLE have reduced admission prices for the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Lakeside even though the meeting will not be televised live.The Pirates will charge 13 for adults 10 for OAPs and 1 for accompanied children, and promoter Matt Ford said: The only way to actually see our destiny unfold is to be at the stadium on the night and be part of the excitement.This is a golden era for the club, but we are not in the Final yet and we want as many fans to cheer us into the Final if possible. With children at 1 if accompanied by an adult, we are looking to encourage as many youngsters as possible to see heroes like Chris Holder, Darcy Ward, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Piotr Pawlicki in action live next Monday night.SWINDON co-promoter Gary Patchett insists there will be no war of words with Birmingham ahead of their play-off semi-final after skipper Hans Andersen missed the recent Elite League clash between the sides.Patchett said: The situation with Hans was clear-cut. He crashed in Poland on Sunday and didnt feel right in Sweden on Tuesday as his score suggests.He wasnt fit and needed a few days rest. We will do our talking on the track and look to continue our winning run over Birmingham which has seen us take four wins out of four against them this season.WOLVERHAMPTON star Ricky Wells is targeting a return to the club in 2013 after a positive second season at Monmore Green.Wells said: Hopefully I can get sorted with Wolves pretty quickly at the end of the season because thats where I want to be if possible. I know you cant always be sure in Speedway, but Wolves is where its at for me.I think Ive only had a few bad meetings for them and working with Sam Ermolenko has really got me going and thats been a big help.
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BERWICK will continue their reduced-admission policy of 10 for adults and accompanied children free when they start their Premier Challenge Trophy fixtures against Glasgow on Sunday.Co-promoter John Anderson said: We have to be sensible and realise, especially in this area, that money is a commodity to be looked after carefully, and a family of four cannot always afford to come to speedway on a weekly basis. We have been delighted with the response so far at our past three meetings, when reduced admission charges were applied.EDINBURGH boss John Campbell believes his side have a strong chance of progressing from their play-off group involving Scunthorpe and Workington to reach the Grand Final.Campbell said: We are capable of hammering anyone at Armadale and we could also run anybody close away from home. And any team who can pick something up away from home will gain a big advantage because the scoring system is the same as it is for the league.GLASGOW co-promoter Alan Dick says the Tigers failure to reach the Championship play-offs in order to defend their title has been a disappointment.Dick said: After winning the title in such style last season this is a bit of an anti-climax but we simply havent been good enough over the course. The away form has cost us dearly, but we have to look forward and there are still meetings to be staged which will provide some excellent racing.IPSWICH have swiftly arranged a Premier Challenge Trophy fixture for Thursday at Foxhall where they will face Sheffield.Director of speedway Chris Louis said: Hopefully people will find out quickly about the clash. We hope to have fixtures for the rest of our season confirmed in the next day or so.LEICESTER co-promoter Alan Jones says the Beaumont Park club are unconcerned about the prospect of facing Newcastle and Somerset in the Premier League play-offs.Jones said: Beforehand we were relaxed as to who we wanted. After all, each club has qualified on merit and are all quite capable of topping their respective group. Everyone starts all-square again and it will be so important to collect all three points at home and to go for every heat point as the group could be decided on points gained and conceded at the end of the day.NEWCASTLE are preparing for a busy weekend of fixtures against Somerset with the sides meeting over two legs in both the Championship play-offs and the League Cup.Diamonds boss George English said: On Friday night we travel back down to Somerset, where we were rained off last Wednesday, to race a double header against the Rebels, firstly in the Championship Play-Off followed by the League Cup semi-final first leg, then in reverse repeat the whole process with a double header at Brough Park this coming Sunday the 30th against the Rebels twice again.PLYMOUTHS season came to an end with a narrow 44-46 home defeat by Newcastle which condemned the Devils to the wooden spoon position in the Premier League.Promoter Mike Bowden said: The riders knew what they had to do if they wanted to extend their season. But we were beaten by the better team on the night and Newcastle showed why they are top of the league.REDCAR boss Jitendra Duffill believes his side face a far tougher opening to the Premier Challenge Trophy against Berwick this Thursday than in their previous home clash with the Bandits, which they won 63-26.Duffill said: Last time the Bandits only had three of their normal team available and had to fill with three guests who did not prove to be effective, plus the rider replacement rule. This time their top-class Swedish riders Sebastian Alden and Robin Aspegren are available and they are covering the continued absence of their number one Ricky Ashworth by booking Nick Morris who is a real handful around the Motorpark. Fans should not presume this is over before it starts - far from it.RYE HOUSE kept up their good record against Edinburgh this season with an impressive 58-35 win over the Monarchs at Hoddesdon in their final regular Premier League fixture of the campaign.Rockets star Anders Mellgren said: It was a real team effort tonight. It was particularly good to see Simon (Lambert) do well. He has been through a number of engine problems, but he has just got them sorted by Sean Wilson, and came good tonight to show what he is really about.SCUNTHORPE boss Richard Hollingsworth is looking to get off to a good start in the play-offs when they travel to Edinburgh scene of a previous away win on Friday.Hollingsworth said: We won at Armadale by 15 points (54-39) in the regular league match. It may be tougher this time, but we will still be approaching this meeting in a positive frame of mind. Including our guest Kevin Doolan, all six of our riders on Friday are capable of scoring solid points at Armadale.SHEFFIELD skipper Richard Hall wants to see Sheffield finish the season on a high- as they approach the end of season Premier Challenge Trophy meetings to try to win some consolation silverware.Hall said: We have had a very disappointing year for the whole team. We went into the season with high hopes but it just hasn't come together. On the whole I have had a good season personally and hit good form. I just need to try and keep that going through to next year.SOMERSET promoter Debbie Hancock says the decision to stage a double-header against Newcastle on Friday was a sensible move with the two sides having to meet in two separate competitions.Hancock said: Whilst normally we would try to avoid double-headers, with Newcastle picking us in their Play-Off group as well as having to return for the re-staging of the League Cup semi-final, then in this instance it made sense to utilise that option. With the Diamonds scheduled to return here on Friday for that League Cup semi, then it did seem pointless to have them here one Friday only to have them having to travel back down a week or two later for the Play-Off match.WORKINGTON are eagerly anticipating their Premier League play-off fixtures having been selected, along with Edinburgh, by Scunthorpe in their three-team mini-group.Comets manager Tony Jackson said: If you look back at our Premier League fixtures you will find that we achieved aggregate successes over both Scunthorpe and Edinburgh, which shows we have nothing to fear if we are to face those two sides in order to reach the Premier League Grand Final. With Kyle Howarth making a sensational return to action last weekend and Tero Aarnio also returning to the saddle we are starting to get our team back together at just the right time, and if Adam Roynon can also make it back on track in time for the play-offs then I think we will be a team that can cause problems for anyone.
FIXTURE PICTURE
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26:ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Belle Vue v Birmingham 8pmASHLEY JONES MEMORIAL: Kings Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27:PREMIER CHALLENGE TROPHY: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7.30, Somerset v Newcastle 7pmLEAGUE CUP S/F 1st leg: Somerset v Newcastle (follows previous fixture)LEE RICHARDSON MEMORIAL: Lakeside 8pmMIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE RIDERS FINAL: Leicester 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29:PREMIER CHALLENGE TROPHY: Berwick v Glasgow 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF: Newcastle v Somerset 5pm, Scunthorpe v Edinburgh 5pmLEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Newcastle v Somerset (follows previous fixture), Workington v Ipswich 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Mildenhall v Isle of Wight 4.30ASHFIELD CLASSIC: Glasgow 4pm
MONDAY OCTOBER 1:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Poole v Lakeside 7.30, 1st leg: Birmingham v Swindon 7.30SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30
TUESDAY OCTOBER 2:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7.30, Stoke v Dudley 7.30
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 8pm
THURSDAY OCTOBER 4:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Swindon v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Ipswich v Edinburgh 7.30PREMIER CHALLENGE TROPHY: Redcar v Glasgow 7.30, Sheffield v Rye House 7.30
FRIDAY OCTOBER 5:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF: Somerset v Leicester 7.30
SATURDAY OCTOBER 6:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF: Leicester v Newcastle 7.30PREMIER CHALLENGE TROPHY: Rye House v Ipswich 7pm
SUNDAY OCTOBER 7:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF: Newcastle v Leicester 7pm, Scunthorpe v Workington 6pmPREMIER CHALLENGE TROPHY: Glasgow v Redcar 4pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Stoke 4.30
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Rye House 7.30