(SPEEDWAY 1)
EASTBOURNE old-boy Lewis Bridger played a starring role for his former club with a 17-point haul from reserve to help the Eagles edge out Wolverhampton at Arlington.Bridger, replacing the retired Adam Shields, pulled off a superb third-to-first ride in Heat 14 to take the home side into the last race ahead, with Bjarne Pedersen and Simon Gustafsson then notching a 4-2 to complete a 47-43 win in a meeting which had started with Lukas Dryml suffering a broken collarbone.Eagles boss Trevor Geer said: I dont quite know how we managed to pull that one off. We were already without Cameron (Woodward) and Denis (Gizatullin), but to lose Lukas before a race had been completed - I know Wolverhampton had their own problems in that department, but the signs did look bleak.A special mention has to go to Lewis. He did a terrific job for us throughout the evening but had it not been for that ride in the second to last race, Wolves could well have been celebrating the win.
(SPEEDWAY 2)
POOLE have been boosted by the news that Przemyslaw Pawlicki did not suffer a broken leg in his crash at Lakeside on Friday.Pawlicki, who had initially wanted to continue riding after the Heat 7 spill, returned to Poland for a full examination which returned positive results.His manager Krystian Plech said: He is okay. Unfortunately it was the leg he broke last year so we had to take every precaution.It is not in a good condition, but it should be fine and he hopes to be back racing soon.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
RYE House were stunned by a late Plymouth comeback and injury to No.1 Olly Allen as they slipped to a 46-44 defeat at Hoddesdon.The Rockets were in control of the Premier League fixture, leading by ten points with three heats to go, but Allen suffered possible fractured left forearm in a Heat 13 crash and the Devils incredibly fired in three consecutive 5-1s to win the match.Rye House boss John Sampford said: The injury nightmare continues, doesnt it? To lose Jason (Bunyan) early on in the fixture was a handicap to start with, although we still managed to build a lead after that.It all went pear-shaped after Ollys injury, though. He will be visiting his local hospital when he gets home, so we should know more about the extent of his injury tomorrow (Sunday).
(SPEEDWAY 4)
WORKINGTON came from six points behind after four races to take all three league points against in-form Redcar with a 50-40 win at Derwent Park.Richard Lawson (13+1) and Rene Bach (12) led the Comets scoring with the home side moving to within two points of the second-placed Bears in the Premier League table.Workington boss Tony Jackson said: Fair play to Redcar, who came here and made a real match of it. We were a bit worried early on when we had some bike trouble and a tapes exclusion to contend with as we fell behind. But, once we stabilised the situation the team dug deep and responded in the correct manner to ease their way back into the match, taking all the points on offer, which admittedly looked to be in doubt in the early stages.It was also good to welcome Chris Mills back from injury and not have to use guests on this occasion, but the whole team scored vital points at different stages of the match and thats what you need if you aim to be challenging for trophies at the end of the season.(SPEEDWAY 5)
LEICESTER extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 55-39 win over depleted Glasgow at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium.It was the Lions highest total of the season and their seventh straight win in the league, although home co-promoter Alan Jones had some sympathy with their visitors.Jones said: I thought that for all their problems the Glasgow team rode with great spirit and should be proud of their display. Missing James Grieves, who was stranded due to his vehicle breakdown, they made a real go of it and actually shared the points in the last six races. The margin of the result has helped our points scored for and against difference which may be a deciding factor for a top six finish.
(SPEEDWAY 6)
BEN Barkers faultless 18-point maximum helped Ipswich recover from a poor start to take a point from their Premier League match at Berwick on Saturday.The home side roared into a 17-7 lead after four races but forced a last-heat decider which the Bandits were happy to share 3-3 as Kozza Smith and Robin Aspegren kept Morten Risager at the back behind the flying Barker, for a 48-45 outcome.Bandits boss Ian Rae said: This was a far better show from Berwick and as expected Ipswich really pushed hard, especially the brilliant maximum from Ben Barker.Ipswich co-promoter Chris Louis added: Ben was brilliant tonight - very brave and very fast! If we hadn't got off to such a slow start I'm sure we could have taken even more points off them.
(FIXTURES)
SUNDAY JUNE 9:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Workington 3pm, Newcastle v Ipswich 6.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Buxton v Mildenhall 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 10:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Peterborough 7.30, Wolverhampton v Lakeside 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Buxton 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 11:PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Coventry 7.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 12:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30, Poole v Birmingham 7.30
