(SPEEDWAY 1)AUSTRALIAN Speedway chief Mark Lemon has called on his big-track specialists to do a job at Sheffield on Thursdayand keep them in the Test series.World Cup hero Cameron Woodward, who top-scored for Elite league Eastbourne their narrow defeat at Birmingham on Wednesday, spearheads the side just days after winning a World Cup bronze medal as Australia look to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit.Lemon said: It's crunch time for us, GB got the better of us at Ipswich and snatched a narrow win at Rye House to take a 2-0 series lead out of the five matches to be contested. I am calling on our big track specialists to do a job to keep the series alive. The team is fired up after successfully knocking Team GB out of the Speedway World Cup and winning a bronze medal.
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POOLE boss Neil Middleditch hailed a strong all-round performance as his side defeated Belle Vue 57-34 at Wimborne Road to close in on the Elite League play-off places.Polish star Maciej Janowski followed up his World Cup-winning exploits with 17 points from six rides for the home side, who are now just three points behind fourth-placed Lakeside in the table.Middleditch said: I asked for all three league points and the boys delivered them. Its a perfect response.Belle Vue made us work though, particularly in the first half of the meeting, but we were always able to hold a decent lead over them and then finished very strongly over the final four heats. I was pleased with the way all the lads rode, you can't ask for much more than that.
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EASTBOURNE manager Trevor Geer was delighted with the character showed by his team as they took a point from title-chasing Birmingham at Perry Barr on Wednesday.The Eagles trailed 23-37 after ten races but set up a last-heat decider with 5-1s in Heats 13 and 14 and the home side were indebted to a crucial first-lap move by Martin Smolinski as they edged to a 48-46 victory.Geer said: It seemed that few gave us a chance of getting any sort of result here and indeed, at the end of Heat 10 that thinking might have had some credence. In the end, we came, we saw and we maybe could have conquered, but to take an away point from the team who could well have gone top of the table had it not been for us - we shall certainly settle for that!Peterborough were another club to gain an away point on Wednesday, the Panthers scoring for the first time on the road in 2013 after a narrow 43-47 defeat at Kings Lynn, for whom Niels-Kristian Iversen won a last-heat decider to secure two points.
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LEICESTER skipper Kauko Nieminen has been ruled out of his sides Premier League clash with Sheffield on Saturdaybut reports on his knee injury are encouraging.Nieminen requires a special brace prior to resuming practice in Finland and plans to return next weekend, with David Howe booked as a guest to replace him against the Tigers. Meanwhile Lions reserve Alex Edberg has been ruled out for a further fortnight.Leicester co-promoter Alan Jones said: Kauko had a scan on Tuesday and e received the results which confirmed that he does not require surgery. It is a relief for Kauko and good news indeed for us as we feared the worst. His absence would have left a massive void in the team in terms of his scoring and leadership qualities.
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GLASGOW have signed Australian star Dakota North - who will now race for the Tigers as well as doubling-up with his present Elite League club Peterborough.North comes in for the Ashfield club in time for Sundays home meeting against Plymouth, following the completion of Andre Comptons short-term deal.Glasgow boss Sean Courtney said: Dakota was one of the riders we tried to get in the winter when we found out he was doing Elite League, but then he was going to Poland on a Sunday as well. Hes freed-up from Poland now.I think he's an exceptional talent. He's been doing well for Peterborough. I think the fans will take to him well and to me, he can go as far as he wants in the sport.
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THURSDAY JULY 25:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Newcastle 7.30LEAGUE CUP S/F 2nd leg: Ipswich v Edinburgh 7.30TEST MATCH: GB v Australia, Sheffield 7.45
FRIDAY JULY 26:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Birmingham 7.30, Lakeside v Kings Lynn 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Somerset v Scunthorpe 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 27:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Leicester v Sheffield 7.30, Workington v Plymouth 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Rye House v Redcar 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm
SUNDAY JULY 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Plymouth 3pm, Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Scunthorpe 3pm
