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BIRMINGHAM skipper Danny King led the qualifiers for next months British Final with victory in the first semi at Edinburgh on Friday.King scored 14 points and was placed ahead of home star Craig Cook who finished with the same total, King having taken the honours when the two met in Heat 11.The other qualifiers for Wolverhampton on May 13 were Edward Kennett, Chris Harris, Richie Worrall, Stuart Robson and James Wright, with the second semi at Sheffield on Thursday.Edinburgh co-promoter Alex Harkess said: Craig did himself proud again and sent the fans home happy. There had been so much build-up to the event he must have felt under a bit of pressure, but it didnt show.(SPEEDWAY 2)
IPSWICH boss Pete Simmons was delighted to emerge from his sides Premier League opener at champions Scunthorpe with a 45-45 draw.The Witches clawed back from six-points down with four heats to go, with Leigh Lanham passing Josh Auty on the line in the decider to snatch two league points from the meeting.Simmons said: A draw was fully deserved. It was a fantastic effort from the boys to take two points at a track that we usually struggle on. I'm very happy with that result!His Scunthorpe counterpart Dave Peet added: I cant fault the effort put in by the lads. It was a bad day at the office for us. But it wasnt all doom and gloom, we didnt lose and we got a point out of it, and well move on.(SPEEDWAY 3)
SOMERSET duo Josh Grajczonek and Alex Davies pulled off a 5-1 in a dramatic Heat 15 to secure victory over Plymouth in a close contest at the Oak Tree Arena.The Australian duo got the better of Ty Proctor and Ricky Kling, who had gated on a 5-1 of their own which would have given the Devils victoryalthough they still took a point from the 48-42 result which leaves the League Cup group open.Somerset boss Garry May said: We knew that Plymouth would be a much tougher proposition than they were when here some three weeks ago for our season opening challenge match, and so it proved. We made things hard for ourselves in not being able to make starts, especially in the early stages and what with Doyley (Jason Doyle) having a rare off-night, we had to dig deep in order just to get the meeting win, let alone worry about getting maximum match points.
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GLASGOW skipper Joe Screen says his side need to adapt quickly to the Rye House circuit to remain in Knockout Cup contention across this weekends tie.Screen accepts Saturdays first leg at Hoddesdon will present the Tigers with a major challenge ahead of the Ashfield return on Sunday.He said: Rye House is a track we tend to only visit once a season and its a circuit which I personally find tough. We have a couple of riders who havent even seen the track, so ideally we need those guys to try and dial in straight away.Being a two-leg cup tie, we must aim to score well at their place on Saturday night and be within striking distance to finish off the tie at Ashfield on Sunday.
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DUDLEY kept up their 100 per cent record at the start of the season with a narrow 46-44 win at Coventry in the second leg of the Travel Plus Trophy.The home side fought back from eight points down to lead by two going into the last race, but Paul Starke and Lewis Blackbird collected maximum points for the Heathens, who had already secured aggregate victory by virtue of their first leg success.Starke said: I'm super stoked with that and I'm sure the whole team is as well. Heat 15 was brilliant and the team rode really well, so it was a really good result.Coventry co-boss Blayne Scroggins said: I was really impressed with the boys, to take Dudley to a last-heat decider, and its just a shame the win eluded us. It was a good night with a good crowd and hopefully everyone enjoyed it.
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SATURDAY APRIL 20:PREMIER LEAGUE: Leicester v Redcar 7.30, Workington v Sheffield 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Rye House v Glasgow 7pmLEAGUE CUP: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm, Plymouth v Somerset 7.15
SUNDAY APRIL 21:PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: Glasgow v Rye House 3pmLEAGUE CUP: Newcastle v Workington 6.30CHALLENGE: Buxton v Stoke 3pm
MONDAY APRIL 22:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30
TUESDAY APRIL 23:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Dudley 7.30SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Kings Lynn 7.30
