BIG EVENT LATESTBERWICK will defend the Premier League Fours title at Peterboroughs East of England Showground on Sunday July 14.The Bandits secured a dramatic victory in the competition last season with Swedish star Sebastian Alden their hero in the last race, and they are one of eight clubs to do battle again in one of the most popular events on the calendar.There have been several changes to the Shielfield Park side since their 2012 triumph, but recent signing Edward Kennett is available for the Fours and will take his place at the head of the Bandits line-up.Some of the Premier Leagues top star names also feature in the Group A line-up with Ipswich led by Ben Barker, Workington by Richard Lawsona Peterborough rider as recently as last yearand Sheffield by Simon Stead.Meanwhile Group B features Leicester, who have finished as runners-up in the competition in each of the last two seasons, along with Somerset who will be seeking a double following their Pairs triumph at the Oak Tree Arena last month, and Edinburgh and Newcastle who include men-of-the-moment Craig Cook and Richie Worrall respectively.Each group will be contested over eight races, with the top two clubs in each group progressing to the 12-race Final.As in previous seasons, Peterborough Speedway are offering an online advance ticket service for the meeting. Full details are available by visiting www.peterboroughpanthers.co .GROUP A: Berwick, Ipswich, Workington, SheffieldGROUP B: Somerset, Edinburgh, Leicester, Newcastle
*THE line-up has been declared for the National League Pairs at Mildenhall on Sunday June 30.The Fen Tigers defence of the title they won on home shale last season will be carried out by Stefan Nielsen and skipper Dan Halsey whilst Lewis Blackbird, a member of that 2012 Mildenhall success, lines up for Dudley.Last seasons runners-up will also be involved, Charles Wright still being with Buxton where he is joined by Adam McKinna, whilst his partner of 2012 Robert Branford lines up with James Sarjeant for Coventry.GROUP A: Kings Lynn (Darren Mallett/Lewis Rose), Dudley (Ashley Morris/Lewis Blackbird), Isle of Wight (Tom Perry/Ben Hopwood), Stoke (Lee Smart/Luke Priest).GROUP B: Kent (Steve Boxall/Ben Morley), Coventry (Robert Branford/James Sarjeant), Mildenhall (Stefan Nielsen/Dan Halsey), Buxton (Charles Wright/Adam McKinna).
SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2013BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT BRANFORDBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: SOMERSETPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: Peterborough, July 14PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sept 22ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Oct 12NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Mildenhall, June 30NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Stoke, August 18NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Sept 21BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Berwick, August 10GRAND PRIX CHALLENGE: Poole, August 24
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST
BELLE VUE manager Jason Attwood says the influence of high-scoring No.1 Matej Zagar is spreading through other members of the Aces team as they continue a run of home wins.Attwood said: Its nice knowing that we have a No.1 who is going to perform for us, but we need all the guys to back him up. I think what brings them out is the fact that they know theyve got an out-and-out No.1 who will go out and race like a true No.1.I say every week, but you win as a team and you lose as a team and Matej is someone the guys look up to. Hes a good, strong No.1 and he can really bring out the lads confidence.BIRMINGHAM boss Phil Morris is pleased to have maintained the same line-up throughout the season with the Brummies still battling hard at the top end of the Elite League table.Morris told the Birmingham Mail: Other clubs are chopping and changing to try and get things right and in Pooles case theyve tried hard to keep things going without Darcy Ward.But weve got the same riders together who started the season and that's been a factor for us in a good run of results. All we have done is change the riding order on occasions but it's the same seven riders which obviously helps with continuity and team spirit.COVENTRY manager Gary Havelock admits a lack of points on their travels is hampering the Bees bid to put pressure on the top four, following a heavy defeat at Swindon last week.Havelock said: We seemed to have hit a bit of form, and hopefully this is just a temporary setback, but we really need to start winning and getting points away as well.We lost a few early on at home which put us up against it with trying to get into the top four. If you lose at home, youve got to win away.EASTBOURNE boss Trevor Geer has stressed the clubs signing of Kim Nilsson to replace the injured Adam Shields may not be the end of their team changes.Geer said: Last week we explained to supporters the efforts we have been making to find a replacement for Adam and the hours of work that have been put in by Bob Dugard, myself, some of our riders and others we trust to make contact with potential new recruits across Europe. Everyone is chasing riders at the moment.We have been talking to many riders recently and we will continue discussions with them. We still have points to play with. No team place is secure for the remainder of 2013.KINGS LYNN boss Rob Lyon had high praise for recent recruit Richie Worrall following his sensational 18-point maximum in last weeks 53-37 win over league leaders Wolverhampton at the Norfolk Arena.Lyon told lovespeedway24.co.uk: Richie was absolutely outstanding. Hes from motocross and generally the motocross boys can traphes one of the best at it. Hes a great rider and hopefully he will move up the speedway ladder in years to come.LAKESIDE will extend their Kids for a Quid scheme to cover all meetings starting with this Fridays showdown with Elite League leaders Wolverhampton - following on from the Hammers recording their third-highest Friday crowd in seven seasons when they hosted Poole earlier in the month and the scheme for children operated as a one-off reduction.Co-promoter Jon Cook said: Our crowd against Poole came out of the blue after a very poor run of attendances during the very drab spring and what was evident for all to see was the upsurge in families with young kids enjoying a night of racing. By extending the Kids for a Quid scheme we hope that, with the weather now warming up, we can encourage more families to enjoy an evening with us.PETERBOROUGH coach Ryan Sullivan was frustrated to miss out on a league point at Wolverhampton on Monday despite an impressive 19-point haul from skipper Kenneth Bjerre, and solid support from Kenni Larsen and Ryan Fisher.Sullivan said: We really battled through the meeting carrying too many guys, but the boys started to really perform, we had three guys on it and we came close.Kenneth Bjerre is riding very well, hes certainly got some confidence now and hes starting to come good. We just need a couple of other guys firing like that and the season might begin for Peterborough!POOLE will be without three of their regulars when they travel to Eastbourne on Fridaybut promoter Matt Ford is confident he has booked good replacements for Przemyslaw Pawlicki, Maciej Janowski and Tomas H Jonasson.Ford said: When we accepted the re-staging date for our meeting we only had Magic in the side, and had no idea of the level of disruption it would chuck on us.I do feel that I have been able to secure some decent deputies for Friday with Mikkel Bech, Ben Barker and Richie Worrall all stepping into the breach and I would like to thank all three of them for agreeing to wear the blue and white.SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter described the Robins defeat at Belle Vue on Monday as a match of two halves, as they went down 46-44 despite holding a ten-point lead at the halfway stage.Rossiter said: We started well but it was a meeting of two halves really, and too many errors cost us towards the end.We cant make errors like that when we are in control of meetings. They adapted better than us, and its as simple as that. We should have won and maybe taken all the points, and this is a case of lost points for sure.WOLVERHAMPTON skipper Freddie Lindgren paid tribute to the efforts of Tai Woffinden in riding through the pain barrier for the league leaders during the 51-43 win over Peterborough on Monday.Lindgren said: I'm pleased with the performance from the team, and Tai did a really good thing for the team trying his hardest to ride three heats even though he was in a lot of pain.Everyone had some moments of brilliance that contributed to the win, and I was glad I didn't let the team down and won heats to get us all three points.
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST
BERWICK co-owner John Anderson was pleased with the turn-out and the entertainment on show as the Border Raiders hosted National League club Dudley in a challenge fixture last weekend.Anderson said: A decent sized crowd turned out on not the warmest June night ever, and thoroughly enjoyed the racing and got right behind the teamsand it was good to see a good number of travellers from the Midlands coming up to join the fun.EDINBURGH secured a remarkable KO Cup quarter-final win over Newcastle, taking the second leg at Brough Park 46-44 with Craig Cook scoring a 15-point maximum after losing at home to the Diamonds by a single point two nights earlier.Monarchs boss Alex Harkess said: With five heats to go we mapped out what we needed from each remaining heat, and the riders responded and did exactly as we wanted. A great performance.GLASGOW are hopeful of announcing team changes this week despite being unable to conclude a deal with a former Grand Prix rider to join the club.Co-promoter Colin Hamilton said: The former GP rider was one of several that was close, but for one reason or another it wasnt the right time. But weve certainly got him on the radar. There are a whole list of people available but he would certainly be one guy we would really like to have seen given it a go.IPSWICH co-promoter Chris Louis has given his verdict on the first three months of the Witches season, and has described himself as happy overall with their efforts.Louis told lovespeedway24.co.uk: Obviously its early days in the Premier League and I would rather still be in the KO Cup. But we are in the League Cup semi-finals which is good, and although we lost to Newcastle in the League I dont think any club will have an unbeaten home League record this season.LEICESTER co-promoter Alan Jones admits the Premier League leaders still have plenty of work to do if they are to translate their current position into a play-off place this season.Jones told the Leicester Mercury: We have yet to visit four of the clubs who are currently situated just below us in the table, so you can begin to get a feel of the task ahead. That said, we have the experience in the side to continue to pick up match points on our travels and are well positioned as we enter the second half of the season. NEWCASTLE boss George English reflected on some controversial moments in the first leg of the Diamonds KO Cup aggregate defeat against Edinburgh, believing their away match lead should have been higher.English said: I really dont want it to sound like sour grapes, but no matter what I say, it will. Ive said it before that this tie should have been dead in the water after the first leg, but thanks to those refereeing decisions we could only take a one-point lead and we know by experience the Monarchs cannot be discounted at Brough Park!PLYMOUTH have pulled the plug on plans to stage the Westernapolis individual event at the St Boniface Arena on Friday due to rider unavailability.Co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: We were not prepared to put on what would have proved to be an inferior meeting. We know that supporters want to attend speedway meetings on a regular basis but we decided against going ahead with a meeting in which we were already going to be without at least 25 per cent of the first choice riders.REDCAR boss Jitendra Duffill is confident his side can overcome the injury absence of Matej Kus, who is expected to be out for up to five weeks with a broken shoulder-blade suffered in last weeks Czech Republic v Poland Test Match.Duffill said: The boys are on good form plus have covered for the absence of Matej through injury in a more than satisfactory manner. We come into this fixture off the back of a home and away victory over League Champions Scunthorpe in the KO Cup and looking at the current spot in the league table we intend to sustain a top three status.RYE HOUSE boss John Sampford says determination in the Rockets camp remains high as they bid to overcome their injury problems, starting at Ipswich on Thursday.Sampford said: Ipswich are a very good side but we will go there in a positive frame of mind to get a result, the same way we approached things on Good Friday. It will be a hard match, just as it will be this Saturday when we entertain Newcastle, but we are determined to turn our League season around after our recent results against Somerset and Plymouth.SCUNTHORPE No.1 Josh Auty says the Scorpions have to remain positive following their KO Cup exit to Redcar, as they look to make ground on the play-off places in the Premier League.Auty said: It was always going to be hard to replicate last season. It was brilliant to be champions. Gary (Irving) retiring just before the season did hit us hard, but thats speedway. Weve just got to dust ourselves down and work harder to achieve better things. Its not too late for us this season.SHEFFIELD skipper Simon Stead has praised reserve Damien Koppe for his much-improved performances in the Tigers last two home matches.Stead said: Damien has worked extremely hard and hes getting his rewards now, his last two performances have been excellent and weve needed them. Its tough coming in to a new league when you dont know most of the away tracks, and they are so different in the Premier League, but hes showed that hes learning.SOMERSET boss Garry May admitted the outcome of the first leg of the Rebels KO Cup tie against Workington was a satisfactory one for his side.May said: I said beforehand that we were looking to come here and win, but if not, then to keep things tight ahead of the second leg. If you had offered me a six-point loss before the match got underway then I would have happily taken that, the boys fought well to keep things in check after Workington started to get up a bit of a head of steam.WORKINGTON are looking forward to their home and away fixtures with in-form Edinburgh this weekend, which they hope will bring another good crowd to Derwent Park on Saturday when two West Cumbrian-born riders, currently flying high in the Premier League averages, will go head to head.Comets team manager and co-promoter Tony Jackson said: Our matches against Edinburgh are always keenly contested affairs and these days they have extra spice with ex-Comet Craig Cook riding for the Monarchs. Both Cookie and Richard Lawson come from a background of moto-cross, and they both started out at the same time with the Comets so it is great to see them both doing so well now. I am sure a lot of fans will turn up to see Craig and Richard going head to head around Derwent Park on Saturday, but of course the Monarchs are not just about Craig Cook. They have proved over the past week or so that they can score points from anywhere, so we will have to be firing on all cylinders to claim the points. We are also hoping to have Tero Aarnio back from injury at the weekend and I am sure Saturday night will have some great speedway for the fans of both clubs to enjoy.
FIXTURE PICTURE
TUESDAY JUNE 18:PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Somerset v Workington 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 19:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Poole 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Kings Lynn v Stoke 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 20:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Rye House 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.45
FRIDAY JUNE 21:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Swindon 7.30, Eastbourne v Poole 7.45, Lakeside v Wolverhampton 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 7.30WESTERNAPOLIS: Plymouth OFF
SATURDAY JUNE 22:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Plymouth 7pm, Leicester v Somerset 7.30, Rye House v Newcastle 7pm, Workington v Edinburgh 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Coventry 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 23:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Berwick 3pm, Newcastle v Plymouth 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Isle of Wight 4.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: Buxton v Dudley 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 24:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st leg: Kent v Isle of Wight 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 25:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Mildenhall 7.30, Isle of Wight v Stoke 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 26:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Swindon 7.30, Poole v Belle Vue 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 27:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Swindon v Kings Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Glasgow 7.30, Redcar v Workington 7.30OZCHEM TROPHY: Sheffield v Dudley 7.45
FRIDAY JUNE 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Leicester 7.30, Plymouth v Berwick 7.15, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Newcastle 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Mildenhall 7.30
SATURDAY JUNE 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Somerset 7pm, Workington v Ipswich 7pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Stoke v Buxton 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 30:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Ipswich 3pm, Newcastle v Rye House 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Mildenhall 4.30
MONDAY JULY 1:GARY PETERSON MEMORIAL TROPHY: Wolverhampton v Dudley 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 2:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Coventry 7pm
WEDNESDAY JULY 3:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Birmingham v Swindon 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30
