(SPEEDWAY 1)
DEPLETED Birmingham collected a point from their Elite League trip to Eastbourne on Saturday to further enhance their chances of finishing top of the regular table.The Brummies are now three points clear of Swindon with a match in hand after the 44-46 defeat at Arlington in which only three of their regular riders were available.Brummies boss Phil Morris said: Were more than happy with that, its been a tough week for us losing Ben (Barker) and having Martin (Smolinski) and Josh (Auty) missing so to have a team that are unfamiliar with each other and to pull that off was brilliant.The second half of Eastbournes double header saw the home side dent Peterboroughs play-off aspirations with a 53-43 win which leaves the Panthers now sweating on next weeks results if they are to remain in contention for a top-four finish.
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RYE House are through to the Premier League Knockout Cup Final after overturning a six-point first leg deficit against Redcar on Saturday.The Rockets defeated the Bears 55-35 despite going into the second half of their double-header without Pontus Aspgren, who was withdrawn after a crash in the earlier 50-40 win over Scunthorpe.Rye House boss John Sampford said: Losing Pontus earlier on in the night did not bode well, but the rest of the boys really rallied round and got stuck in. It certainly helped that we made such a strong start because that kept the momentum and advantage in our favour, even though it took until Heat 14 to clinch the tie.The boys are absolutely ecstatic to be in the Cup Final. After everything that has befallen us injury-wise this year, our season is still very much alive.(SPEEDWAY 3)
LEICESTERS fight for a Premier League play-off place will go right to the wire after the Lions secured a 50-40 win over Edinburgh at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium.Monarchs No.1 Craig Cook shattered the track record, but the Lions still did enough to take all three points from the meeting to move level on points with direct rivals Redcar with a race points advantage of eight, with both sides having one away match to come.Leicester co-promoter Alan Jones said: It was a make-or-break meeting where nothing less than three match points would be good enough to stand a better chance of a play-off position. That was a tall order against the Monarchs who have picked up at least one match point in every away Premier League fixture so far this season. It was a real team effort that won the day and for once we were not outsmarted at reserve which has been our Achilles heel since we lost Alex Edberg to injury at the beginning of July.
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POOLE promoter Matt Ford knows three Elite League points are a must as his side go up against fellow play-off contenders Lakeside at Wimborne Road on Monday.The Pirates enter their final home match trailing the fourth-placed Hammers by four points, and Ford says they must take the maximum to give themselves a chance ahead of their trip to Belle Vue next week. Lakeside, meanwhile, are boosted by the availability of Piotr Swiderski after checks on a neck injury.Ford said: This is a must-win meeting. That phrase is often bandied around but there can hardly be a truer case of it than this one.I cannot emphasise how much Poole fans can help us in this final push and support the team in this dramatic conclusion. We have never been in the top four all seasonbut that fourth place looks like a shining trophy to us right now.
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RICHIE Worralls 15-point maximum headed up a powerful Newcastle display as a 62-31 win over Berwick enhanced the Diamonds play-off chances.The unbeaten show by Worrall was backed up by impressive displays from reserve Lewis Kerr (13+2), recent signing Anton Rosen (12+1) and Ludvig Lindgren (10+2) with the Bandits not helped by the withdrawal of skipper Kozza Smith who injured a wrist in his first ride.Newcastle boss George English said: We certainly demoralised the Bandits early on with four straight maximum 5-1s off the belt, and it took a good few heats before the visitors finally found some footing on which to score some good points.We go what we wantedthree league pointsand a good points difference to add into the equation which, for now at least, places us in fourth place in the table.(SPEEDWAY 6)
SHEFFIELD picked up their best away result of the Premier League season with a draw at bottom club Glasgow, whose long run without a victory continues.The in-form Ricky Wells led the visitors scoring with 15+1 whilst reserve Joey Ringwood notched 13 for the hosts, including wins in his first four rides as Glasgow scored their first league point for more than three months.Sheffield boss David Hoggart said: I'm delighted with the result and on reflection I believe it was a fair outcome.Ricky was brilliant and Richard Lawson was once again a super guest. We are pleased to come away with two points, it was a good effort.
(SPEEDWAY 7)
IPSWICH skipper Leigh Lanham says his side can overcome the absence of injured No.1 Ben Barker and take Premier League honours this season.The in-form Witches moved to the top of the table with a 62-31 demolition of Plymouth on Saturday but Barker will miss their remaining meetings after suffering a back injury whilst racing for his Elite League club Birmingham last week.Lanham said: It was a blow losing Ben but I feel that the team spirit is so strong here that we can still go on to win something this year. As captain of my home towns team it would be a big achievement in my career to win a trophy for our loyal fans here at Foxhall.
(SPEEDWAY 8)
MILDENHALL have a major doubt over Josh Bates for the remainder of the National League season following their defeat at Buxton on Sunday.Bates was only able to take two rides before withdrawing from the meeting which ended in a 54-35 win to the Hitmen, a result which confirms Dudley as league leaders ahead of the play-offs.Mildenhall co-promoter Chris Louis said: We made too many mistakes and to be honest didnt really turn up. I have no complaints about the track and there are no excuses.Josh probably shouldnt have ridden and will be back to hospital (on Monday), and I have to say I dont anticipate we will see him again this season. Jon (Armstrong) as always battled hard but the most pleasing aspect of the day was the performance of Danny Phillips.
(FIXTURES)
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 7.30, Poole v Lakeside 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Isle of Wight 6.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Dudley v Buxton 7.30, Isle of Wight v Kent 7pm
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Lakeside 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kings Lynn v Stoke 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Kings Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Ipswich 7.30, Plymouth v Newcastle 7.15, Somerset v Berwick 7.30
