(SPEEDWAY 1 – FRIDAY REVIEW)
LAKESIDE ended the winning run of Elite League leaders King’s Lynn with a dramatic comeback to take a 47-43 victory at Purfleet.The Stars, who had won their previous 14 matches, raced into a 22-14 lead after six races but the Hammers hauled their way back into contention and led after Heat 10.The teams traded 5-1s in the closing stages with Lakeside confirming the win on the night in Heat 14 before Niels-Kristian Iversen and guest Scott Nicholls hit back in the last race to secure a match point for the Stars.Richard Lawson led the Hammers’ scoring with 11 (paid 13) and there were paid double figure contributions from Peter Karlsson, Ben Morley and guest Ben Barker, whilst Iversen, Nicholls and Lewis Blackbird all scored 11 for the visitors.Lakeside co-promoter Jon Cook said: “That was a performance of pure guts, effort and determination from all of the five Hammers and our guest Ben Barker, and it ranks up there as one of the best results in the (Stuart) Douglas/Cook eight-year era in charge of the Hammers.”Coventry and Poole are now level on 27 points, along with Eastbourne, after the Bees defeated the Pirates 47-43 at Brandon.The Pirates dominated the heat wins with Darcy Ward scoring a brilliant 15-point maximum but the home side were the more solid with two early 5-1s giving them control, with Ward’s last race win making sure of a league point for the visitors.Bees boss Gary Havelock said: “What I liked about tonight was that we came out strongly from the start again, as we did last week, and we seemed to be in some form of control for most of the meeting.“It would have been nice to have taken all three points, but when you have someone like Darcy Ward in the away team you have to say that he definitely is something special.”Pirates chief Neil Middleditch also praised Vaclav Milik, who scored 12, and said: “Vaclav rode like a little terrier for us out there and he certainly kept us in the hunt for that most welcome league point. “We knew it was going to be tough without Shamek (Pawlicki) and Magic (Janowski) but with Darcy in imperious form, Kyle (Newman) battling away for his valuable paid nine, Josh (Grajczonek) popping out to win Heat 14 and Vaclav really stepping up to the plate, we were good enough in the end to sustain our top four place in the league.”In the Premier League, Edinburgh made it 20 matches unbeaten with a 57-38 win over Rye House at Armadale.Steve Worrall kept up his remarkable form with a six-ride paid maximum at reserve for the Monarchs, whilst the Rockets gained two 8-1s from the meeting as Edward Kennett and Luke Bowen both won tactical rides.Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: “We definitely weren’t at our best and losing these two heats was a disappointment, but we still had a bit to spare in the end.”Rockets manager John Sampford said: “Edinburgh are a real powerhouse outfit, and a lot of teams will come away from here this season with less than the 38 points that we achieved.”Scunthorpe got off to a flyer against top-three rivals Ipswich, racing into a 28-8 lead after six races to give them control of the meeting.The Scorpions eventually prevailed 55-38 at the Eddie Wright Raceway with a strong all-round effort led by in-form reserve Thomas Jorgensen with four straight wins before he shed a chain in Heat 15 – whilst fellow reserve Matt Williamson also kept up his improvement.Williamson said: “I’ve just been building up my level of experience. I’ve had three really good meetings with Cradley at National League level. In my last meeting, I found something with the bikes, and coming into the meeting today, I knew I’d got something sorted.”Somerset kept up the pressure in fourth place with a commanding 62-30 win over Glasgow at the Oaktree Arena, with five of their six riders hitting double figures.Manager Garry May said: “The boys were really on it tonight, and were in superb form throughout, never letting Glasgow even a sniff of causing a possible upset. “Going into the match without Pontus (Aspgren) and having to use rider replacement is never ideal as it can place additional strain on the other six riders, but they made light of Pontus' absence and were simply too hot for Glasgow to handle and we were more than good value for our 32 point win.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 – SATURDAY PREVIEW)LEICESTER and Swindon are both forced into changes for their Elite League clash at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium on Saturday.Jason Doyle, Mads Korneliussen and Nicolai Klindt all miss out for the Lions due to Grand Prix qualifiers, with Peter Kildemand and Troy Batchelor absent for the same reason for the Robins.Bjarne Pedersen, Rory Schlein and Ashley Birks come in for the home side, whilst Swindon’s plans to use Davey Watt and then Daniel Nermark were both foiled by injuries, with Sam Masters now stepping in.Leicester boss Norrie Allan said: “It is unfortunate that both teams will be without star riders as we are both paying for their success in the competition. I am pleased with our trio of guests who have all shown good form at Leicester and I just hope that we have chosen wisely as we are in urgent need of a win.”Swindon manager Alun Rossiter said: “It’s not ideal going there without two key riders, but Leicester are in a similar position so we will go there and do our best.”A busy night of Premier League action includes four of the top six, with Ipswich travelling to Workington – whilst Somerset could take over in second place if they can win at West Country rivals Plymouth, depending on the Witches’ result.The Devils welcome back Kalle Katajisto and Roland Benko although the rider replacement facility continues to be in operation for the injured Adam Roynon.Plymouth co-promoter Ashley Taylor said: “It will be good to start getting our full squad back together. But we will have to be on top of our game against Somerset.“They have been returning some high scores recently, so it is going to be a big meeting for us in front of our home fans. We have got to get back to the winning groove mentality.”The teams in fifth and sixth placed clash at Shielfield Park as Berwick host Redcar, with the Bandits having collected an impressive 14 points from just five matches so far.Meanwhile Rye House take on Glasgow at Hoddesdon for the second time in two weeks, this time with Premier League points up for grabs.Rockets boss John Sampford said: “Yes, we beat them last week, but now we’ve got to do it all again. It’s a new day, and a new match. “The game plan is different too. Our objectives last Saturday in the Cup were different to our approach to a League fixture, and Tactical Rides will also come into it this time around if we get ten points in front.”
(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY JUNE 21:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Swindon 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Redcar 7pm, Rye House v Glasgow 7pm, Plymouth v Somerset 7.15, Workington v Ipswich 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 22:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Ipswich 3pm, Newcastle v Sheffield 6.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Stoke v Leicester 3pmBRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 3: Northside 1.30pm
MONDAY JUNE 23:ELITE LEAGUE: Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F: Kent v Stoke 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Scunthorpe 7.15NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Cradley v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Birmingham 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
