BIG EVENT LATEST…SWINDON have confirmed the Elite League Riders’ Championship on October 19 will now start at 6pm.The meeting has been put back by an hour due to a home fixture for Swindon Town FC that afternoon, and the revised start-time for the final major event of the season will allow supporters of both clubs the opportunity to attend both.The line-up for the ELRC will be decided on the basis of the latest set of averages and should be available soon, with top stars such as Darcy Ward, Niels-Kristian Iversen and Freddie Lindgren set to battle for the title.Individual titles have now been decided in the Premier and National Leagues, with Olly Allen taking PLRC glory at Sheffield last Sunday.The Rye House man got the better of Magnus Karlsson, Jason Doyle and defending champion Craig Cook with a stunning move in the early stages of the Final.Allen said: “I’m over the moon, I’m so happy. I wanted gate three in the final but I knew that’d be taken, so I wanted four and I knew what I had to do.“It’s a great feeling, I’m delighted for Rye House and for all the fans who supported me today, so thanks to them.”SpeedwayGB Events co-ordinator David Hoggart reflected on another successful staging of the event at the well-appointed Owlerton venue.Hoggart said: “The weather was fine, the crowd was excellent and everyone behaved themselves and rode well. I’m pleased for Oliver because he rode very well and he showed a lot of guts in some of his passing moves.“There were some very good races, in fairness to all the riders they looked after each other and rode fairly, and it was a super finale to a great meeting.”The NLRC was won by Kent’s Steve Boxall, who returned to his former home track Rye House and smashed the NL track record – going close to the senior mark too – and won a run-off for the title after rival Lewis Kerr came to grief. Lewis Blackbird finished third.Boxall said: “I am just so happy at the minute. It’s gone in the record books – that’s another record that I’ve achieved this year – and hopefully I can carry on and break a couple more records next year.“I want to thank everyone that’s backed me this year: my friends and family, my sponsors, Len Silver, Jan Little for starting my fan club and the (Kent) CTA Fire Kings fans for supporting us all year.”A busy weekend of individual events also saw Stefan Nielsen successfully defend the British Under-19 Championship at Coventry, getting the better of Ashley Morris, Ben Morley and Adam Ellis in the Final.And Nathan Greaves is a double British Youth Champion at 500cc level after retaining his title in the final round of the series at Iwade, with Zach Wajtchnecht already confirmed as the winner of the 250cc class.SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2013BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: ROBERT BRANFORDBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: SOMERSETPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: EDINBURGHPREMIER LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: OLLY ALLENELITE LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Swindon, Oct 19NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: DUDLEYNATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: DUDLEYNATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: STEVE BOXALLBRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2: PIOTR PAWLICKIGRAND PRIX CHALLENGE: NIELS-KRISTIAN IVERSEN

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

BELLE VUE will round off their season with two away matches in two nights next month with dates confirmed for their trips to Peterborough and Eastbourne.The Aces will now visit the Showground on October 11 whilst their match at Arlington, recently abandoned due to rain after six races, will now take place on October 12.BIRMINGHAM boss Phil Morris insists the job is nowhere near complete after seeing his side establish a narrow two-point lead from the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Wolverhampton, with the home leg to come next Monday.Morris said: “It’s only half time as far as I’m concerned. It was a top performance, take nothing away from that, but we now must knuckle down and look to next week with a fresh attitude.“We lead by two points, that can be overturned in one heat so it’s all about remaining focused and getting the job which needs to be done, done.”COVENTRY have confirmed three-quarters of the field for the Brandonapolis which will take place on October 18.Danish stars Niels-Kristian Iversen, Hans Andersen and Bjarne Pedersen are named in the line-up, Andersen having won the event in 2010, and fellow countryman Kenneth Hansen is looking to make a full-time UK return next year.Home riders Scott Nicholls and Grzegorz Zengota will be joined by several ex-Bees including Chris Harris, Ryan Fisher, Sebastian Ulamek and Lewis Bridger.EASTBOURNE co-promoter Mike Bellerby admitted there was no option but to abandon the Eagles’ recent clash with Belle Vue due to rain, and it will now be staged on October 12.Bellerby said: “The exact time the rain would arrive varied and, as has been proved in the past, meetings have been postponed on the basis of a forecast and the rain has never materialised.“It was not a case of the surface being in poor condition due to rain earlier in the day. In fact, it was bone dry when the racing started. If the rain had held off for another 30 minutes, we would in all likelihood have been able to complete the meeting.”KING’S LYNN completed their Elite League season with a 50-40 home win over leaders Birmingham at the Norfolk Arena.The Stars’ victory moved them up to fifth place in the table, meaning they finished three points adrift of a top-four finish.LAKESIDE co-promoter Jon Cook has expressed his disappointment at the Hammers’ failure to reach the Elite League play-offs this season.Cook told the club’s website: “Ultimately it was our on track performances which should have secured us a play-off place, and we felt the expensive mid-season changes we made should have put us in the frame for the play-off Final itself.“That, unfortunately wasn’t the case and we have to look at how we build future teams and who is in them. At the end of the day we can’t ride the bikes for the boys, but we do pick the team so responsibility for our failure on track rests at our door.”PETERBOROUGH will welcome back Joonas Kylmakorpi as a four-time World Longtrack Champion when they stage their final meeting of the season.Panthers star Kylmakorpi retained the crown with fifth place in the last round of the series in Morizes, and has had a successful stint back with the Showground club which is to be completed with the re-arranged clash against Belle Vue on October 11.POOLE are playing catch-up in their bid to reach the Elite League Grand Final as they will have to pull back a ten-point deficit against Swindon at Wimborne Road on Monday.Meanwhile the Pirates have confirmed their intention to revive the Blue Riband Individual event with a strong line-up set to compete on October 11.Promoter Matt Ford said: “I have wanted to re-stage the Blue Riband for some time and after a 10-year spell without it and I am pleased to confirm it will happen this season. I have had an encouraging response of invitations from riders, for what will be the 30th staging of the competition, and it is shaping up to be a truly competitive field.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter is hoping Australian youngster Nick Morris will be fit for the second leg of the play-off semi-final at Poole after a heavy Heat 14 crash at Blunsdon on Monday.Rossiter said: “Nick has concussion and that will mean he’ll have to take a few days off and then get medical clearance before he can race again, but hopefully we’ll see him back next Monday.“It was a good performance, it was looking like it was going to get tight when they got the 5-1 in Heat 13 but Hans and Troy were magnificent in Heat 15 and we’ll take the ten points and go again at Poole next week.”WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams says his side will keep on fighting despite facing a two-point deficit when they travel to Birmingham next Monday after losing the home leg of their play-off semi-final.Adams said: “This type of performance from Birmingham doesn’t surprise me because they haven’t finished top of the league for no reason. They are a very, very hard team to beat and full credit to them although we didn’t help ourselves at times.“It’s fair to say we missed (Tai) Woffinden badly although, of course, we thank Niels (Iversen) for standing in and hope he’s not seriously hurt. Now we will go to Birmingham with no pressure on us and try and see what we can do next Monday.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

BERWICK’S Shielfield Park season concludes on Saturday with a Benefit Meeting for seriously injured Ricky Ashworth, as the Bandits take on Ashworth’s parent club Sheffield in a special challenge match.Co-promoter Dennis McCleary said: “It is a meeting we wish we weren’t having to stage. However, we will make it a corker. There are ten nationalities spread over the two teams, and some very interesting names are turning up to pay their respects to our stricken star.”EDINBURGH boss Alex Harkess admitted he was disappointed to see his side exit the KO Cup in last week’s replay against Somerset, with a 26-point first leg deficit proving too much to reel in back at Armadale.Harkess said: “I believed we could push them a lot closer but we needed everyone on form and also a bit of luck. We didn’t get either.”GLASGOW will make another attempt to stage their final Premier League fixture of the season against Plymouth at Ashfield on Sunday, after the planned September 15 clash between the clubs was postponed.Co-director Derek Smith told Speedway Star: “There are a couple of meetings we are talking about and working on for October. Neither are yet mature enough to publicise. One of them we are hoping will at least be a fence fund-related meeting.”IPSWICH co-promoter Chris Louis was satisfied with the outcome of the first leg of the League Cup Final, with the Witches emerging as 51-39 winners over Newcastle ahead of this Sunday’s return.Louis said: “Overall it was a good result. When the track conditions are so different to what the home team expect it is always a big leveller and we did well to finish twelve points ahead. Now we need to finish the job when we travel to their place.”LEICESTER will stage the Midland Development League Riders’ Championship for a second time on Saturday as competitors look to emulate 2012 winner Dan Greenwood, with the legendary Peter and Les Collins guests of honour at the event.MDL co-ordinator Laurence Rogers said: “Having Peter and Les present on such an occasion as this adds a great deal of prestige to the MDL Championship Final. Without doubt the two brothers are highly respected people in World Speedway and role models for aspiring novices who are setting their sights on becoming a speedway rider. Both Peter and Les will be on hand for photo opportunities during the course of the evening for a small charge of one pound ‘per click’ and the proceeds will be shared between two worthy causes, the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund and the Ricky Ashworth Fund.”NEWCASTLE boss George English says a fast start is vital if the Diamonds are to get the better of Ipswich in the League Cup Final on Sunday, facing a 12-point deficit from the first leg.English said: “If we can hit them hard from the start and dish out some demoralising defeats over the opening four races and get the Witches’ heads down then we’ll have the control of the match and the result could well go our way. However, Ipswich are a quality side bristling with talent and we – as I have said many times – would be foolish to take anything for granted.”PLYMOUTH will welcome Cornishman Chris Harris to the St Boniface Arena for the first time on Friday and he will take on former Devils favourite Ben Barker as they line-up on opposite sides in the challenge match against an Exeter Select.Co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “Chris is one of the top British riders and comes from Cornwall but has never ridden at the St Boniface Arena before, so it will be really interesting to see how he shapes up on our track.”REDCAR boss Jitendra Duffill is expecting a fierce contest when the Bears go into play-off action against local rivals Newcastle on Thursday.Duffill said: “There is no doubt that we have drawn a tough group but all the better for the paying public. The matches will be close and with Max Dilger returning to the side - he forms a strong reserve partnership with Carl Wilkinson and that could prove vital.'RYE HOUSE expect to be without Tyson Nelson for the first leg of the Knockout Cup Final at Somerset on Friday due to his involvement in the World Under-21 Team Cup – but boss John Sampford says the Rockets are still optimistic.He said: “We are going there to score as many points as possible, to keep it as close as we can for the return leg. Tyson’s likely absence leaves us not as strong as we would be if he was there, but Somerset’s own absences will even things out up to a point.”SCUNTHORPE plan to stage a Scorpions Present v Past fixture at the Eddie Wright Raceway on October 11 for the final meeting of the season – with 2012 title-winner Gary Irving set to make his comeback.Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “I don’t know whether this could lead to Gary making a full-time return to speedway next season. I know he’s up for it, and would like to come back if he could. He’s had a year out working, but I don’t know what his financial status is like now. It must be better than it was.”SHEFFIELD owner Neil Machin is prepared to listen to offers for the club after 21 years at the helm – and will hand full-paying adult supporters a £3 drinks voucher for what could well be his last home meeting in charge against Scunthorpe on Thursday.Machin said: “I could not have done this job for so long without the support of those many people who have been present through thick and thin, rain or shine, home or away, and this occasion marks a remarkable journey which has twisted and turned throughout.”SOMERSET co-promoter Debbie Hancock is relishing the prospect of this Friday’s KO Cup Final first leg against Rye House, with the Rebels having booked their place in an epic semi-final contest with Edinburgh.Hancock said: “It seems like every match between now and the end of the season is a ‘big one,’ but it is a measure of how this team has performed that we are still in with the chance of two further trophies, what with the KO Cup and the Championship crown itself. With Rye’s Olly Allen winning the PLRC, beating our own Jason Doyle in the Final, it will add some ‘spice’ to Friday’s meeting, as if a Cup Final needed any more ‘spice’ to stir the fans’ emotions.”WORKINGTON made a winning start to their Premier League play-offs with a narrow victory over Edinburgh in the first match of a double-header at Derwent Park last weekend - but now face the prospect of racing all of their play-off matches without the services of Finnish second-string Tero Aarnio.Comets manager Tony Jackson said: “I couldn’t believe it when Tero got in touch the night before our first play-off fixture to say that he had picked up a shoulder injury while racing in Sweden. It meant we had to face Edinburgh with rider replacement for him and with a guest for Ashley Morris, who was competing in the NLRC at Rye House. However, our guest, former Comet Chris Schramm, did a fantastic job for us against the Monarchs, taking 14 rides over the two matches, which is probably unheard of, but we were very grateful that he had the stamina to do it!“It now looks as if Tero’s shoulder injury is worse than originally feared and the chances of him racing in any of our remaining play-off matches, which take place on three successive days later this week, are slim. But, we’ll just dig deep and see what happens.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

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

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25:NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Dudley 7.30

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

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 1st leg: Somerset v Rye House 7.30CHALLENGE: Plymouth v Exeter Select 7.15

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Workington v Ipswich 7pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Redcar 7pm RICKY ASHWORTH BENEFIT MEETING + TROPHY: Berwick v Sheffield 7pmMIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester 7.30

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Plymouth 3pmLEAGUE CUP FINAL: Newcastle v Ipswich 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Mildenhall v King’s Lynn 4.30RETRO 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

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2:NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAY-OFF S/F 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 3:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Ipswich v Edinburgh 7.30, Redcar v Somerset 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 4:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Edinburgh v Ipswich 7.30, Somerset v Redcar 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Plymouth v Newcastle 7.15SUPPORTERS’ PAIRS TROPHY: Coventry 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 5:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pmCUMBERLAND OPEN: Workington 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 6:PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFFS: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Rye House v Somerset 2pmSUSSEX CHAMPIONSHIPS: Eastbourne 3.30JUNIOR GOLDEN HELMET: Glasgow 3pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 7:ELITE LEAGUE GRAND FINAL 1st leg: TBC v TBC 7.30

TUESDAY OCTOBER 8:NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Isle of Wight v Mildenhall 7.30DUDLEY: Reserved 7.30