BIG EVENT LATEST…THE Elite League Riders’ Championship has been put back by a week and will now take place at Swindon on Saturday October 19.The final major event of the 2013 season was originally scheduled for the Abbey Stadium on October 12, but the change has been made in order to ease possible fixture congestion at the Wiltshire track.Last year a bumper crowd packed into the venue to witness World Champion Chris Holder adding another big title to his collection, the Australian getting the better of Niels-Kristian Iversen and Chris Harris in a re-started Final.Holder will be absent on this occasion due to injury, but a top-class field is set to be assembled for the meeting which will bring together all of the Elite League’s No.1 riders.Speedway GB Events co-ordinator David Hoggart said: “The Speedway GB Event schedule is put together during the close season at a time when the qualifiers for the Elite League play-offs are unknown.“Whilst there are still meetings to run that could influence the play-off fixtures a picture is emerging that could see Swindon fans facing a number of meetings in a short period of time, including the Elite League Riders’ Championship.“The Swindon Promotion and Stadia UK who operate Greyhound racing on a Saturday have been wholly co-operative to allow this change to happen. I wish to publicly and sincerely thank them, it's not easy to rearrange a Greyhound meeting at such short notice.”Qualifying riders for the ELRC are set to be confirmed after the publication of the final Elite League average, and six clubs will be represented by two riders at the meeting.Man-of-the-moment Tai Woffinden, closing in on the World Championship title after ten of the twelve rounds this season, is sure to feature along with several other GP regulars.Woffinden, his Wolverhampton team-mate Freddie Lindgren (the 2010 winner) and Belle Vue’s Matej Zagar all average over nine points per meeting based on September figures, whilst Iversen (King’s Lynn) and Darcy Ward of Poole are both just under the nine-point mark.Staging club Swindon should be amongst those with two representatives, although it is set to be a close-run thing between Hans Andersen, Troy Batchelor and Peter Kildemand as to which riders form their top two in the averages at qualification time.SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2013BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT BRANFORDBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: SOMERSETPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: EDINBURGHPREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, Sept 22ELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Oct 19NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: DUDLEYNATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: DUDLEYNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, Sept 21BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2: PIOTR PAWLICKIGRAND PRIX CHALLENGE: NIELS-KRISTIAN IVERSEN

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINALSMonday September 23 – Swindon v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Birmingham 7.30Monday September 30 – Birmingham v Wolverhampton 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30

BELLE VUE CEO David Gordon has defended the club’s position following their final home league match against Poole, which was abandoned after ten heats with the result standing.Gordon said: “It wasn't the way any of us wanted the last home Elite League meeting to end up, and it wasn't run with any ulterior motives in mind. Our track staff worked tirelessly to get the meeting on, and they should be congratulated for their efforts. “We truly believed we could stage a good race (meeting) against Poole, even though we were not at full strength, but unfortunately the circumstances did not play in our favour.”BIRMINGHAM overcame a strong challenge from King’s Lynn to defeat the Stars 47-43 at Perry Barr and secure first place in the Elite League ahead of the play-offs – which will see the Brummies go up against local rivals Wolverhampton in the semi-finals.Brummies boss Phil Morris said: “We had great support and that always helps, a few incidents also favoured us particularly with Josh (Auty) in Heat 14 but we'll take it and now look forward to the play-offs.“Wolves are a solid side and I'm hoping we can beat them next week and finish off the job at home at Perry Barr in a fortnight’s time.”COVENTRY have put the date of their Brandonapolis individual event back by a week and will now stage the meeting on Friday October 18.The Bees have taken the decision due to a better availability of riders on the new date, but do still have track action at Brandon in the meantime.They stage the British Under-19 Final on Friday with Oliver Greenwood and James Shanes representing the club, whilst the Supporters’ Pairs Trophy takes place on October 4 with a strong National League-level field planned.EASTBOURNE will have to arrange a new date for their last match of the season after last Friday’s clash with Belle Vue was abandoned after six races due to rain.Eagles boss Trevor Geer told The Argus: “It was a shame we had to call it off, but the weather beat us. It was the right decision to abandon the meeting.“We have got to stage the meeting. We now need to look at dates but there is nothing concrete as yet.”KING’S LYNN race the final fixture of their Elite League campaign when they host leaders Birmingham at the Norfolk Arena on Wednesday.The meeting has been postponed twice in recent days due to poor weather, but the Stars did take an away point from their trip to Perry Barr on Monday when they took the Brummies down to a last-heat decider.LAKESIDE’S play-off hopes came to an end with a 38-54 defeat at Swindon on Monday, leaving them fifth in the Elite League table.Polish star Sebastian Ulamek made a successful return to Hammers colours by top-scoring with 10+1 on his old home track, but the Purfleet side were unable to take the four league points they needed to overhaul Poole for fourth place.PETERBOROUGH co-boss Trevor Swales admits early-season dropped points proved crucial in the Panthers eventually missing out on a play-off place despite a stunning run of results since mid-July.Swales said: “I’m proud of the way we turned our season around. We made some changes that worked, but the upturn in form of Kenneth (Bjerre) and Patrick (Hougaard) was a huge part of our late-season run.“Unfortunately we let too many points slip at home in the first two-thirds of the season, and we had too much ground to make up. There were silly points we let go and some questionable decisions, particularly away at Birmingham.”POOLE promoter Matt Ford knows his side now face a big test in taking on Swindon in the play-off semi-finals, with the Pirates’ top four place having been confirmed via Lakeside’s defeat at Blunsdon on Monday.Ford said: “It has been a victory to get this far and although we start next Monday all square at Swindon, we have to acknowledge that over the season the Robins have been better than us.“Deservedly they start are favourites. But the play-offs are all about the time and the moment. We have found this to our cost in 2010 and last season when we finished top of the Elite League table over the season, but were beaten in the final.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter says the Robins’ play-off semi-final clash with Poole next week is part of a mouth-watering sporting programme in the town.Rossiter said: “There’s no fear there at all, we’re up for it. It’s going to be a fantastic fixture and with Swindon Town facing Chelsea the following day to our first leg, it’s great for the town.“Our goal was to make the play-offs and we’ve done that now, now it’s about going and giving it everything to try and finish the job off. Four of the guys in the team were in this scenario last year and they know how much it means.”WOLVERHAMPTON promoter Chris Van Straaten is relishing the prospect of a local derby play-off semi-final against Birmingham, with the first leg at Monmore Green on Monday.Van Straaten said: “We're delighted to be in the play-offs and it's a level playing field for all four teams involved now.“We go against Birmingham who comprehensively beat us earlier in the season, but it’s up to us to make sure that doesn't happen again this time around.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF GROUPSGROUP A: Somerset, Newcastle, RedcarGROUP B: Ipswich, Edinburgh, WorkingtonFixtures will be updated on www.speedwaygb.co as and when advised.

BERWICK will wrap up their Premier League campaign this Saturday with the visit of Rye House to Shielfied Park.The Bandits then stage a major event the following week with the benefit meeting for seriously injured No.1 Ricky Ashworth, with Sheffield providing the opposition and a host of sponsorship and fund-raising initiatives planned.EDINBURGH boss John Campbell heaped praise on Monarchs No.1 Craig Cook for his 18-point maximum in the 44-51 defeat at Ipswich last Thursday.Campbell said: “Craig was absolutely magnificent; there was never any doubt he was going to win his heats. Jozsef (Tabaka) had his best away match for a long time but it was just impossible to come off gate four in the last heat. I could have put Craig there but by that stage it would have been very hard even for him.”GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson says confidence in the Tigers team is returning since their re-shuffle of riding order which saw them secure a hefty Scottish Cup first leg win over Edinburgh.Dickson said: “It’s all about winning races. Any sport is all about confidence. Joey Ringwood is winning races for fun – just natural, we’re not having to pump him up too much now, he’s there.”IPSWICH are targeting a healthy lead from the first leg of the League Cup Final when they host Newcastle at Foxhall on Thursday.The Witches lost in the Final of the competition last season, missing out by five points against Somerset, and expect to be back to full strength after No.1 Ben Barker missed the trip to Somerset on Monday due to an Elite League commitment.LEICESTER’S Freestyle individual meeting was won by Newcastle star Richie Worrall, who was unbeaten throughout the event. Worrall defeated Rory Schlein and Danny King in an awarded Final after Ben Barker had fallen.NEWCASTLE will go into the Premier League play-offs in a fine run of form with a successful weekend of home racing featuring wins over Edinburgh and Plymouth – the latter with an emphatic 64-29 scoreline.Diamonds boss George English said: “The lads were dominant once again and deserved the win which they took in fine style, and again we have to congratulate our young reserve Lewis Kerr and his spectacular high score of 15 points – pure class which has taken us into third place in the league table.”PLYMOUTH are set to stage the Westernapolis individual event at the St Boniface Arena on Friday, and have also confirmed their outstanding Premier League clash with Newcastle will take place on October 4.Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Devils co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “We will have a number of our regular team members in action along with some leading Premier League riders.”REDCAR are set to contest the Premier League play-offs after holding a top-six position at cut-off time – the Bears’ final fixture at Rye House being postponed, meaning they maintain their place ahead of Leicester on race-points difference.RYE HOUSE stage the National League Riders’ Championship at Hoddesdon on Saturday whilst the Rockets’ senior side visit Berwick in the Premier League.Rye promoter Len Silver said: “We are very proud to once again stage the Championship at Rye House. It is always a night of great excitement and unpredictability, with twists and turns thrown in. I wouldn’t want to pick a winner for Saturday, as so many riders in this field are capable of winning it. Quite frankly, anything can happen on the night.”SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey took an early decision to postpone the Scorpions’ Retro Cup home clash with Sheffield last Sunday due to a poor weather forecast, and immediately re-arranged the meeting for September 29.Godfrey said: “We’d have never got the meeting on. Not only that, but it’s just not safe for people to travel in those sorts of conditions. This saves everyone a wasted journey. We spoke to Sheffield, and we quickly agreed a new date exactly two weeks on – same day, same time, just two weeks later. Hopefully the weather will be kinder to us that weekend.”SHEFFIELD boss David Hoggart had no complaints over his side’s efforts in tough conditions despite suffering a heavy home defeat at the hands of table-topping Somerset at Owlerton.Hoggart said: “Everyone was up for it and that’s why they gave it a go, it was very difficult conditions and the way the weather turned it was never going to be a proper speedway meeting. Somerset were desperate to get all four league points and they took some risks they probably wouldn’t have normally in those conditions, but 100 per cent credit to both teams for giving it a go and trying to entertain the public.”SOMERSET have been confirmed as Premier League leaders ahead of the play-offs after getting the better of nearest challengers Ipswich 46-44 at the Oaktree Arena on Monday.Rebels boss Garry May said: “We were on the back foot for virtually the whole match, but this is a Rebels side that never knows when it is beaten and they proved that by pulling victory out of the fire in those final two heats, though all credit to Ipswich for pushing us all the way and making this the match it was.”WORKINGTON are looking forward to seeing their riders hunting for individual glory this weekend - in addition to the possibility of the Comets getting their league championship play-off campaign up and running.Comets team manager Tony Jackson said: “We are now getting to the business end of the season and as well as contesting the league championship play-offs, which is obviously our main focus and hopefully it is something we can get underway this weekend, it is also a busy time for several team members too. “Kyle Howarth and Ashley Morris will both be lining up at Coventry on Friday in the British Under-19 Championship, and this is the last year that either of them are eligible to take part. Then, on Saturday, Ashley will be representing Dudley in the NLRC at Rye House and of course on Sunday we have both Richard Lawson and Rene Bach in action at the PLRC at Sheffield. Rene reached the final last year before being ruled out of the running following a spectacular crash, while Richard will be able to put all his local track knowledge to good use following the numerous guest appearances that he has made there for the Tigers this season.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F REPLAY 1st leg: Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19:LEAGUE CUP FINAL 1st leg: Ipswich v Newcastle 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20:BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Coventry 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP S/F REPLAY 2nd leg: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30WESTERNAPOLIS: Plymouth 7.15

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21:PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House 7pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22:PREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield 5pmNATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Mildenhall v Isle of Wight 4.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 6: Iwade 12pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Swindon v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Birmingham 7.30SILVER SKI HOLIDAYS CHAMIONSHIP: Kent 6.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Dudley v Isle of Wight 7.30

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Ipswich v Workington 7.30RETRO CUP 1st leg: Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.45

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30CHALLENGE: Plymouth v Exeter Select 7.15

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28:PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Redcar 7pm (provisional)RICKY ASHWORTH BENEFIT MEETING + TROPHY: Berwick v Sheffield 7pmMIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester 7.30

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29:LEAGUE CUP FINAL: Newcastle v Ipswich 6.30RETRO CUP 2nd leg: Scunthorpe v Sheffield 3pmAIR FENCE BENEFIT CHALLENGE: Buxton 3pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30:SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Birmingham v Wolverhampton 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30

TUESDAY OCTOBER 1:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: Isle of Wight v Dudley 7.30