BRITISH Speedway is gearing up for its busiest day of the season - with a total of 14 matches taking place on Good Friday!The Easter weekend is traditionally a time for bumper crowds and the fine weather forecast for Friday means a feast of action is in prospect all over the UK, with opportunities for supporters in some areas to take in multiple meetings.
*The day’s Elite League racing gets underway on the South coast at 11am as Poole and Swindon, the top-flight winners in the last two seasons, clash in the first of two matches which will also determine the 2014 Elite Shield.
The Pirates, with two home wins from two so far, have booked Charles Wright to guest for the injured Kyle Newman whilst the Robins will track in-form Steve Worrall at reserve having secured a flight later in the day for him to reach his evening meeting at Edinburgh in time!Worrall therefore misses the evening Swindon/Poole return at Blunsdon (8pm), with Benji Compton booked to guest as Stefan Nielsen takes over from Wright for the Pirates.Swindon boss Alun Rossiter said: “Stevie has been in fantastic form and we have spent the last 48-hours trying to arrange this. He's riding for Edinburgh on Friday night but we've managed to arrange a flight from Heathrow so he can ride for us at Poole and then arrive in Scotland in good time.”Poole promoter Matt Ford added: “The agreement to double up these league matches to decide the Shield will certainly add some extra spice to the fixtures but without Kyle - who has been in such good form - I think we are going to be facing a really tough task to get the Shield back from the Robins and maintain our unbeaten start to the season.”*League leaders Lakeside also face a double-header of action as they take on Eastbourne, with the opener taking place at Purfleet at 1pm before the sides re-convene at Arlington at 7.45pm.The Hammers’ Mikkel Bech races in the home fixture before returning to Denmark ahead of a championship qualifier the following day, so rider-replacement will operate in the evening at Arlington, whilst the Eagles use Ben Hopwood in both meetings for the unavailable Lewis Blackbird.Lakeside promoter Jon Cook said: “These are amongst the best matches of the season, and we need to keep our home form rolling with the win but this will go down to the last few heats for sure.”Eastbourne manager Trevor Geer said: “We need to maximise our points haul on Friday to ensure Lakeside do not pull further away at the top of the table. We cannot afford to drop silly points through unnecessary mechanical failures.”*Belle Vue’s traditional Easter fixture against Wolverhampton takes place at midday, the Aces already having gained one convincing home win this season whilst Wolves put their record of three straight victories on the line.The home side have skipper Craig Cook available before he heads to Edinburgh later, whilst Wolves bring in Tom Perry to replace Joe Jacobs. The sides meet again at Monmore next Tuesday.Cook said: “Wolves will put up a pretty strong fight with the World Champion (Tai Woffinden) in their team, but it's our home track they'll be riding and we know it better than anyone.”Wolves boss Peter Adams said: “Belle Vue have a very good side this season and I think we are in for two belting meetings. Our meeting with King's Lynn on Monday was brilliant, some fantastic racing and a hard fought win for the boys.”*Coventry and Leicester meet at Brandon (7.30pm) with their local rivalry resuming in official competition for the first time in over 30 years following the Lions’ return to the sport and subsequent elevation to the top flight.Bees promoter Mick Horton is keen to offer no favours to the newcomers, who have Ricky Wells guesting for Simon Stead – whilst in the return fixture on Sunday, Coventry bring in Max Fricke for Kyle Howarth.Horton said: “Our team is riding well, and I don’t think anyone who has watched all four meetings so far could argue with me when I say we deserve more points than we’ve actually got.“These local derbies should be good for everyone and we are pleased to welcome Leicester on Friday, although we very much hope to make it a tough meeting for them!”Lions promoter David Hemsley said: “There is an air of excitement amongst our fans and I am sure that the same aura is being replicated by many Bees supporters who themselves remember the days when Coventry last met Leicester.”*Birmingham promoter Alan Phillips is calling for unity from all connected with the club as they bid to complete a turbulent week on a high against in-form King’s Lynn (7.30pm).Promoter Graham Drury departed the Perry Barr outfit earlier this week and Phillips says now is the time for the Brummies to pull together.He said: “I’m sure there will be a big crowd for what is one of the most attractive fixtures of the season and I’m looking forward to it. A good result against a top side like King’s Lynn would be the perfect tonic for us. We need to show unity, and I mean everyone.”*League Cup action takes place at six venues, with Ipswich staging their traditional Good Friday afternoon fixture (2.15pm) at Foxhall, this year with Peterborough providing the opposition before the sides return to the Showground at 7.30pm.The Witches, who lead the group with a 100 per cent record from four matches, made early guest bookings in Rene Bach and Chris Mills due to Richie Worrall and Adam Ellis being on Elite League duty; whilst the Panthers are at full-strength in the afternoon but No.1 Ryan Fisher misses the evening clash – and will ironically track Bach as his replacement!Peterborough boss Trevor Swales said: “It is going to be a massive day for everyone – riders, management and supporters. Four points is the minimum we need to give ourselves a realistic chance of catching Ipswich. That means we need to pick up something at Foxhall in the afternoon before targeting maximum points back at the Showground.”*Also in the Southern group of the League Cup, Somerset boss Garry May is demanding maximum points against Plymouth as the sides meet at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday (7.30pm) before the return in Devon the following evening.Former Rebel Claus Vissing steps in for the unavailable Nick Morris, and May said: “To be honest I go to every match with the intention of coming away with the win, there’s no point taking part if you go into a meeting thinking otherwise, but if we can get maximum points from this weekend’s matches, then it puts us right back in the hunt for a semi-final spot.”Plymouth have booked Matthew Wethers to replace Ben Barker and use rider-replacement to cover for the injured Kyle Newman. Promoter Ashley Taylor said: “We had a bad result against Somerset and this will give our riders a chance to redeem themselves. It is up to our boys to up their game against the Rebels this time around.”*Edinburgh are in control of the Border group with 13 points from four matches, and should they defeat Glasgow at Armadale (7.30pm) they will set a club record of seven wins from seven matches at the start of a season.Skipper Derek Sneddon, who faces a fitness test on a back injury, said: “I will be telling the boys in the dressing room not to get too carried away. It’s very early, we need to keep our feet on the ground – if you get too carried away that’s when this sport can bite you in the bum!”Glasgow have been frustrated by the weather so far this season, and boss Stewart Dickson is desperate for some derby pride, with the sides also meeting at Ashfield on Sunday.He said: “We are looking - whether it be on Friday or Sunday - to be the first team to lower their colours. What an incentive for our riders to be the first team to beat Edinburgh all season.”*All four teams in the Northern section of the League Cup are in action on Friday, with Scunthorpe hosting Newcastle at 3pm at the Eddie Wright Raceway, whilst Sheffield visit Redcar at 7.30pm.The Bears lead the table ahead of their Thursday trip to Owlerton – but despite the fact that his side go into the weekend bottom of the four-team group, Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey insists the Scorpions can still make the semi-finals.Godfrey said: “We haven’t given up on the League Cup yet. If we beat Newcastle on Friday and then go to their place on Sunday and also win that one, we could still qualify for the semi-finals. Normally Newcastle are impregnable on their own patch, but they’ve lost at home already in 2014.”*Scunthorpe stage a 30-race programme on Friday as their League Cup match is followed by National League action between the Stags and Mildenhall – who have agreed to visit despite being without several riders.Liam Carr and Darren Mallett stand in for the Fen Tigers, who also operate rider-replacement with their regular heat-leader trio unavailable.Stags boss Richard Hollingsworth said: “It looked like we were going to be left without a Stags’ home fixture on a key date, which would have been somewhat disastrous. After asking every club in the league to help us out, it was Mildenhall who came forward and it is very much appreciated.”Mildenhall co-promoter Chris Louis said: “With so much doubling up and so many fixture clashes there needs to be a certain amount of co-operation between promotions this season. Of course we wouldn’t have agreed to take on a stronger side under these circumstances but Scunthorpe have built a side around giving youth an opportunity.”
(GOOD FRIDAY FIXTURE SUMMARY – BY START-TIME)
ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Swindon 11amBelle Vue v Wolverhampton 12pmLakeside v Eastbourne 1pmBirmingham v King’s Lynn 7.30pmCoventry v Leicester 7.30pmEastbourne v Lakeside 7.45pmSwindon v Poole 8pm
LEAGUE CUP:Ipswich v Peterborough 2.15pmScunthorpe v Newcastle 3pmEdinburgh v Glasgow 7.30pmPeterborough v Ipswich 7.30pmRedcar v Sheffield 7.30pmSomerset v Plymouth 7.30pm
NATIONAL LEAGUE:Scunthorpe v Mildenhall (follows LC fixture)
