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SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter has heaped praise on his side after the Robins opened their defence of the Elite League title with a 63-27 win over Lakeside.Hans Andersen and Edward Kennett were both unbeaten with Peter Kildemand and Troy Batchelor also in double figuresbut Rossiter is also expecting a tough test when the sides meet again at Purfleet tonight (Friday) with the Hammers keen to hit back.Rossiter said: I'm not accepting the suggestion that Lakeside were poor opposition. We were brilliant, thats all. We were on form and I believe we could have beaten any team in the league last night.And it's going to be different down there tonight. They'll be hurting and we will go there and give it our best.
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DARCY Ward is to seek specialist advice on his wrist injury after he crashed out of Pooles win over Kings Lynn on Wednesday.Ward did not sustain any broken bones in the incident, which occurred when he shed a chain, but he will miss the Pirates trip to Wolverhampton on Monday with Niels-Kristian Iversen booked to guest.Ward said: After the X-rays I have been told that there is nothing broken but to be honest I am not convinced that there has been no damage. I am in quite a bit of discomfort and whilst I am really hoping that it is nothing more than a mighty knock, I will be visiting a specialist to get everything fully checked over.
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BIRMINGHAM bosses have sung the praises of in-form reserve Martin Smolinski.The German star romped to a maximum in the mid-week win over his former club Coventry after carding a stunning 19 when the sides met at Brandon last Friday.But Brummies co-promoter Graham Drury has also taken a swipe at their rivals.He said: Martin has started the season like a steam train, in particular top scoring for us in the two meetings against Coventry. I was disturbed though to hear, after our tremendous win at home, that certain suggestions are being made by members of the Coventry management in relation to the cubic capacity of Martin's engines.I know Coventry have new members in their management staff but there is a procedure in place where a fee is paid to make such a challenge. I suggest Coventry put up or shut up.Brummies co-owner Alan Phillips added: I'm sure he will be key in bringing us silverware this season. I'm sure any suggestions are tongue in cheek and we're just thrilled to have Smoli back on board with the Brummies.
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WORKINGTON have agreed a deal with Chris Mills to join the Comets due to the visa issues suffered by Mason Campton.Mills, who had a spell with Glasgow last season, will link up with Ashley Morris at reserve and is expected to make his debut against Redcar on Saturday.Comets boss Tony Jackson said: The down-side to the situation for both Chris and the club is that he has not had what would be a normal amount of preparation time going into the season, but we are all confident that he will soon get into his stride within a couple of meetings.Naturally through all this we will remain in close contact with Mason back in Australia. Hopefully some sense can be made of the situation and he will be able to get over here as soon as possible, although clearly at this moment in time neither he nor the club have any indication of when that will be.
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SHEFFIELD moved to the top of their League Cup section with an impressive 51-41 home win over local rivals Scunthorpe.Tigers captain Simon Stead won his first four races before falling in Heat 15, and a solid all-round team performance left co-boss David Hoggart satisfied both on and off-track.Hoggart said: It's been a very good night both for the team and for the club overall with a very good crowd. I cannot speak highly enough of Simon Stead, he is a fantastic rider, and it was brilliant to see Facundo Albin pull off his first win in British Speedway.Jake Knight was fantastic, I could talk about all seven - it was a superb team effort and the team spirit is brilliant.
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NEWCASTLE romped to an emphatic 57-38 win at Redcar to put one hand firmly on the Tyne Tees Trophy.The Diamonds were dominant at the South Tees venue, winning all but four of the 15 races with Stuart Robson and Ludvig Lindgren both scoring paid-17, whilst Richie Worrall racked up 13.Newcastle boss George English said: We came here with the full intention of slamming our authority hard on these Bears, and all the lads took that on board and did just that. The result is far better than we'd dare hope for and we now look forward to completing the job at our home on Sunday night.
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STOKE have assembled a competitive line-up for their 40th Anniversary Meeting as they launch their 2013 campaign on Saturday.The Potters returned to the sport in 1973 after a ten-year absence, and the meeting is being staged to celebrate 40 years of racing at the Loomer Road venue.This seasons Stoke riders will face several other National League stars in the individual event, including former favourites Jon Armstrong and James Sarjeant, and the unattached Robert Branford will also be out to impress.Stoke promoter Dave Tattum said: Its difficult to pick a winner as all the riders go well around Loomer Road and are capable of taking victory or gaining a place on the rostrum, and Im sure it will be a very entertaining meeting.(FIXTURES)
FRIDAY APRIL 5:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Belle Vue 8pm, Lakeside v Swindon 8pm, Peterborough v Eastbourne 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Plymouth v Rye House 7.15, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30SPRING TROPHY 1st leg: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30
SATURDAY APRIL 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Wolverhampton 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Leicester v Scunthorpe 7.30, Rye House v Somerset 7pm, Workington v Redcar 7pm40 YEARS AT LOOMER ROAD: Stoke 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 7:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Berwick 3pmTYNE TEES TROPHY 2nd leg: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30NATIONAL SHIELD 1st leg: Mildenhall v Dudley 4.30
MONDAY APRIL 8:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Swindon v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Poole 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 9:TRAVEL PLUS TROPHY 1st leg: Dudley v Coventry 7.30
