(SPEEDWAY 1 – FRIDAY REVIEW)
COVENTRY staged a dramatic late fightback to get the better of Birmingham 46-44 in a tense Midlands derby at Brandon.The Brummies led by eight points with three heats to go but the Bees finished the meeting strongly with a 4-2 and two 5-1s, Chris Harris combining with Hans Andersen for the crucial maximum in the decider.Both sides saw a rider withdrawn after Ryan Fisher (shoulder) collided with Josh Grajczonek (facial injuries) in Heat 6, and Daniel Nermark won four races for the Brummies on his way to a 15-point score.Bees boss Gary Havelock said: “We certainly didn’t panic at any stage but we aren’t making things easy for ourselves, and I think this result showed the fight and the spirit in this team. “Last season we would have lost that match, but tonight the boys kept fighting and battling for every point. (Guest) Lewis Blackbird was very impressive, and that was a real captain’s performance from Chris – he and Hans really did it for us in that last race.”Brummies skipper Danny King said: “I really felt we deserved to win, especially with losing Josh so early on, but we didn’t give up fighting. We tried our hardest and at least we got a point out of it.”In the Premier League, Berwick notched another impressive away win with a 52-43 victory at Plymouth to take all four points from the meeting.In-form reserve Steen Jensen won his first four races for the Bandits and finished on 13 points with Claus Vissing adding 10+2, whilst Ben Barker (18) and Rasmus Jensen (13) dominated the Devils’ scoring.Berwick boss for the night Dennis McCleary said: “This is an absolutely dream of a start to the League season for the Bandits who seem unstoppable at the moment, and I have to say are surprising even us with their superb resolve for success.”Plymouth co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “We had too many non-scoring rides for a home team with last place in 12 of the 15 heats. We struggled to get out of the gate and were beaten by a Berwick side who performed well as a team.”Somerset kept their winning run going but faced a tougher fight than of late at the Oaktree Arena, as opponents Scunthorpe led early on and were still level at 24-24 after eight races.But the Rebels were in dominant form over the second half of the meeting and eased to a 55-35 victory, skipper Olly Allen scoring a paid maximum from four rides.Somerset boss Garry May said: “I said in the lead-up to this meeting that Scunthorpe had the riders who could pose us problems and so it proved, but after a sticky first half of the match, the boys upped their game and that proved too much for Scunthorpe to handle.“But in saying that we certainly had to work hard for our win and Scunthorpe certainly made a match of it. We showed our class, especially in the second half of the match, to pull away and take all three league points.”Scorpions boss Dave Peet said: “We started off well, and we had the odd bit of bad luck here and there. But Somerset then put it together. We did alright up to Heat 8, but then struggled. Fair play to Somerset, they are a strong team and you can’t take anything away from them.”Edinburgh moved five points clear at the top of the table with a dominant derby win over Glasgow, the Monarchs getting the better of the Tigers 58-32 at Armadale.Skipper Craig Cook scored a paid maximum for the home side and Justin Sedgmen was only beaten in Heat 15, with Mark Lemon’s 8+1 score the best for the Tigers.
(SPEEDWAY 2 – SATURDAY PREVIEW)
EASTBOURNE will field a full-strength side against Leicester on Saturday with No.1 Bjarne Pedersen fit to take his place at Arlington.The Dane crashed out of the Eagles’ defeat at Wolverhampton earlier in the week but will resume his position against the Lions, who are expected to provide a tough test on their second visit of the season.Eastbourne boss Trevor Geer said: “We beat both Coventry and Swindon comfortably, as we should have done, but there was something lacking, I feel.“There’s no doubt we will need to be on top of our game and make sure we do not throw points away through unnecessary falls or bike failures.”Leicester bring in Rory Schlein to guest for Patrick Hougaard, and boss Norrie Allan is looking for an all-round display as the East Midlanders try to take something from the meeting – as they race for the first time since May 3.Allan said: “Eastbourne never give much away on their home track and therefore we need everyone to contribute points. We pushed them hard at their place in April and with Rory in the side I believe that it will be another close contest again.”Workington No.1 Josh Grajczonek has been ruled out of the Comets’ clash with Redcar at Derwent Park after suffering a crash when guesting for Birmingham at Coventry on Friday.Comets boss Tony Jackson said: “Josh was taken away by ambulance and initial reports suggest that he has suffered a fractured eye socket and has had his nose broken in several places.“We are still awaiting further details of his condition but he is obviously out of tonight’s home fixture with Redcar and we are very grateful for Newcastle's Stuart Robson who has agreed to stand in as a guest for us at very short notice.“This is terrible news not only for the Comets but for Josh, who is in the form of his life right now. Hopefully he will not be out of action for too long.”Rye House have received good news over Edward Kennett and Mathieu Tresarrieu, who are both fit to face Ipswich at Hoddesdon after a hand injury and illness respectively, whilst Ben Morley stands in for Stefan Nielsen.Rockets boss John Sampford wants a repeat of last week’s win over Plymouth, and said: “It showed what we are capable of when everyone rides to their potential, and that is what our match against Ipswich needs to be about as well, because the Witches are also a good team when they are all firing.”Stoke host Mildenhall in the National Trophy with the Potters seeking to strengthen their position at the top of the group table with a trip to Leicester also ahead for Sunday.Boss Malcolm Vasey said: “These lads are so keen to make a good mark in all competitions this season and the matches against Mildenhall and Leicester are pivotal with Kent having a lot of ground to make up.“Mildenhall always bring excitement and entertainment to West Row and we are ready for the inevitable battle.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
BIRMINGHAM have confirmed teenage Pole Bartosz Zmarzlik will finally make his debut on Monday against Swindon.Zmarzlik has been given start permission by the Polish Federation and has a contract in place until July 3 as a replacement for Adam Skornicki.Brummies promoter Alan Phillips said: “It's taken a lot of effort and I seem to have spent 48-hours on the phone, but it's been resolved and we are delighted.“I'm looking forward to seeing Bartosz in action, he's a spectacular rider and the fans will love him.”
(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY MAY 31:ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Leicester 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Ipswich 7pm, Workington v Redcar 7pmNATIONAL TROPHY: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 1:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Scunthorpe 3pm, Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Kent 3.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Leicester v Stoke 4pm
MONDAY JUNE 2:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Eastbourne 7.30, Birmingham v Swindon 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Coventry 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 3:PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Peterborough v Plymouth 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Cradley v Mildenhall 7.15NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Scunthorpe (follows KOC fixture)
WEDNESDAY JUNE 4:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
