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KENT have confirmed a new date is to be agreed for the British Under-19 Final at Central Park.Fixture clashes for several of the competing riders mean the planned event on September 1 will not take place with Adam Ellis, Josh Bates and Max Clegg all affected.Ellis finished fourth in the meeting last season and will be amongst the favourites for success this year, whilst Bates clinched the British Under-21 Final at Cradley earlier in the campaign.Kent promoter Len Silver said: “With these absentees should the original scheduled date have gone ahead, this would be akin to having a senior British Final without (Tai) Woffinden, (Chris) Harris and (Scott) Nicholls and would have badly damaged the credibility of the meeting. “We waited for confirmation that Elite League fixtures do take precedence in a fixture clash of this kind and now that has been confirmed we have reluctantly acceded to the request to cancel this meeting on September 1.“As soon as an alternative staging date has been confirmed we shall be letting everyone know – I’m hoping to be able to confirm a new date over the next couple of days.“One of those fixtures we clash with on that Monday is Lakeside v Poole – moved to this date as it’s being broadcast live by Sky Sports. “With Lakeside being so close to us here at Central Park and with our own No.1 Ben Morley also riding for the Hammers, we’ve decided not to run a fixture on this date.”Meanwhile the National League Fours at Coventry, which was postponed due to rain earlier this month, will now be re-staged as an end-of-season event on Sunday October 26.The meeting will again have a 2.30pm start-time at Brandon and features eight of the nine National League clubs, several of whom could be in action for the final time in 2014.The Premier League has one major event date remaining on the calendar, that being the PRC at Sheffield on September 21.League matches until the cut-off for September averages on August 23 could have a vital bearing on qualification for the Owlerton showpiece, and all 13 Premier League clubs will be represented in what is always a hugely popular meeting.Somerset’s Olly Allen took the crown last season when racing for Rye House and is currently second to Nick Morris in the Rebels’ averages, whilst 2012 winner Craig Cook is well clear as No.1 for Edinburgh.Ironically the Rebels and the Monarchs currently hold the top two places in the league table, and both have also taken one major event victory already this season as Edinburgh won the Pairs (at Somerset) whilst Somerset were victorious in the Fours at Peterborough.

SPEEDWAYGB EVENTS SERIES 2014:ELITE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Re-staging TBCBRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: JOSH BATESBRITISH FINAL: TAI WOFFINDENPREMIER LEAGUE PAIRS: EDINBURGHPREMIER LEAGUE FOURS: SOMERSETPREMIER RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield, September 21NATIONAL LEAGUE MAJOR EVENTS:NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: STOKENATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Coventry, October 26NATIONAL LEAGUE RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP: Rye House, September 28BRITISH SPEEDWAY FIM EVENT DATES:WORLD UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP Semi-Final: MIKKEL BECHGRAND PRIX QUALIFIER: LINUS SUNDSTROM

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST…

BELLE VUE skipper Scott Nicholls said the correct decision had been made for rider safety after the Aces’ planned double-header against Lakeside and Eastbourne had to be abandoned after 12 races of the first match due to a heavy downpour.Nicholls said: “You could tell by the mannerisms of the riders that nobody was comfortable with carrying on after that. It's disappointing for the fans as it is for us, but I think the correct decision was made.“Of course there are still positives we can take from tonight. We've had two disappointing home losses before now, but we really stepped up our game and brought home a solid win; we just have to keep this form on for the next meeting.”COVENTRY manager Gary Havelock was delighted with his team’s application over the weekend, which ended with a 53-40 home win over Swindon on Monday after they had gained an away point at Eastbourne.Havelock said: “I’m immensely proud of the team – not just tonight, but the way they’ve been riding and the effort they’ve been putting in.“I’ve always felt positive, I think there’s still a lot to come from our team and I think there are a couple up at the top looking down and hoping we don’t make the play-offs!”EASTBOURNE boss Trevor Geer knows the home point the Eagles dropped against Coventry on Saturday increases the pressure on the Arlington club’s remaining away matches.Geer said: “We put ourselves in a position to get the three points but let the situation slip. The Coventry boys got the hang of the track and one or two of our lads were not at their best.“We have always known that we need to get some away wins and this just emphasises the point.”LAKESIDE are hoping for good news on skipper Davey Watt who suffered a foot injury in a last-race crash during the Hammers’ home win over Belle Vue on Friday.Co-promoter Jon Cook told the club website: “Davey’s injury put a dampener on a great evening of racing from the boys, but he’s in a rush to get back and we’ll see where we are after Monday. I wouldn’t rule him out of next weekend’s action at this stage.”LEICESTER encountered mixed fortunes over the weekend with a 48-42 home win over Lakeside followed up by a 37-56 defeat at Wolverhampton in a meeting which saw captain Mads Korneliussen crash out.Manager Norrie Allan said: “Leicester fans may be wondering why I didn't send Jason Doyle out for a tactical ride in the sixth race and the reason for that was because the lads were saying gate 4 was terrible and we would waste the opportunity. “Even 'Woffy' (Tai Woffinden) came last on his own track from that starting position and the best it had yielded was two points when three riders were in the race. So we let that go and then 'Doyley' made nonsense of the information by winning the race from that position and instead of a 7-2 we ended up with a 4-2.”KING’S LYNN promoter Keith Chapman is urging his side to make the most of their opportunity this season, having headed the Elite League table for much of the campaign.Chapman told lynnnews.co.uk: “This year will be the best chance we’ll ever have of the title, but it’s all about the play-offs and what happens on the day. It can be down to a chain snapping, or you can get a puncture. Anything can go wrong for you on the day.“Statistically, we should be up there and abouts. We’ve got as good a chance of anyone of winning the league.”POOLE cut the gap on Elite League leaders King’s Lynn to just six points with an impressive 49-41 win at the Norfolk Arena last Thursday to inflict the Stars’ first home defeat.Pirates chief Matt Ford said: “Results like that are just ones you dream of. It was an incredible turnaround and one to be hugely proud of. “The lads were just magnificent. We had a torrid journey up there but when you witness a team ride like the Pirates did tonight well, you can only think that it was well worth it.”SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter could not hide his frustration after a 40-53 defeat at play-off rivals Coventry on Monday in a meeting which contained plenty of controversy.Rossiter said: “Fair play to Coventry, the first thing I should say is congratulations to them. But I have to be careful what I say about the referee. I'm not making excuses, people watching on TV can make their own minds up, I don't need to say anything more.“Now we move on and we have two big home meetings and we have to gain maximum points on Thursday and Monday, it's as simple as that.”WOLVERHAMPTON reserve Tom Perry was delighted to bag his highest score in the Elite League as the side finally returned to winning ways with a 56-37 success over Leicester at Monmore.Perry said: “Me and my mechanic put a lot of time into things away from the track and it's such a good feeling when you have a meeting like that. My gating was a lot better and it's slowly been getting there over the past few weeks.“I still made a few slight mistakes here and there but the track suited me and I was able to pull it back by making a good couple of passes. I was really happy with my score and performance and I really enjoyed my racing again.”

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST…

BERWICK made it five points from two matches against the top two teams in the Premier League, backing up last Tuesday’s win over Edinburgh with a 49-43 victory over Somerset despite missing several of their regular team.Bandits boss John Anderson said: “Somerset gave us a serious challenge and perhaps one of the toughest this season but even with guests and the like the desire to win was still at maximum power especially with Steen Jensen and his superb performance leading the way getting us two more league points, great stuff!"EDINBURGH manager Alex Harkess was happy to leave Newcastle with two points for a 42-42 draw on Sunday after rain forced the abandonment of the meeting ahead of a last-heat decider – a result which leaves the Monarchs behind leaders Somerset on points difference, but with matches in hand.Harkess said: “I was happy to take the two points and not ask our top two to go out and take risks.”GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson was left frustrated after leaders Somerset plundered a 51-41 win at Ashfield on Sunday – and with a problem to solve at reserve with Dimitri Berge out with a broken wrist.Dickson said: “I played about with my programme before the match and I picked four riders that would need to score double figures - that was my plan.“I knew it was going to be tough but it just shows you how easy to ride our track is. Look at Brady Kurtz - he finished four races and he won three of them and was flying in three of them - yet he couldn't ride Edinburgh's Armadale. He scored one point there on Friday night.”IPSWICH secured an impressive 49-41 win at Rye House to maintain their challenge for a play-off place, with Rohan Tungate (14+1) and Morten Risager (14) both scoring well.Witches boss Brian Messenger told the club website: “I was very impressed with Morten and Rohan both on the track and in the pits. Morten especially was constantly helping and advising the younger riders alongside Ritchie (Hawkins) to alert them to changing track conditions, etc. and keeping the team spirit going.”NEWCASTLE remain sixth in the Premier League table after a 42-42 home draw with Edinburgh, although with the chasing pack having matches in hand manger George English admits the pressure is on.He said: “We’ll take the point for the draw but it’s a shame the weather came in as fast and wiped out the last race. Every point is vital to us now and even one gets us that little bit closer to a possible play off place, although it’s a pretty big ask at the moment.”PETERBOROUGH will race four home matches in an eight day period with Ipswich, Somerset, Berwick and Plymouth all visiting the Showground – the latter two in a double-header next Tuesday.Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “It has been a while since we raced at home so hopefully the fans have been saving their pennies! In all seriousness their support gives the riders a real boost and we'll certainly need them to turn out in force over the next few weeks as we try to reach the play-offs.”PLYMOUTH survived a late revival from Rye House to secure a 54-41 win over the Rockets at the St Boniface Arena, and they are now three points ahead of their rivals in the league table.Devils boss Lee Trigger said: ““We let the Rockets back in with a sniff of getting something from the final heat. Rye House may be towards the bottom of the league, but they have a number of Plymouth track specialists in their team.“It was pleasing that the final score proved to be a comfortable win and it remains our target to take the maximum three points from all of our remaining home meetings.”REDCAR return to league racing this week with a double clash against Sheffield, starting at Owlerton on Thursday.Manager Jitendra Duffill told gazettelive.co.uk: “We’re racing for pride now, and we need to put on some better performances at home.”RYE HOUSE will be without Anders Mellgren for the rest of the season after the Swede gave best to his back injury – and the Rockets now also have concerns over Luke Bowen and Steve Boxall after recent crashes.Promoter Len Silver said: “It is with great reluctance that I have accepted Anders' decision not to race in Britain for the rest of this season. I know that he originally considered that his back injury had repaired fully, and to start with that seemed to be the case. However, it has been obvious that he has deteriorated on a match-by-match basis, and all we can do is to wish him a full recovery during this winter."SCUNTHORPE are gearing up for a Bank Holiday feast of speedway on Monday with 30 heats of action, starting with the Premier League clash between the Scorpions and Redcar – followed up by the visit of Buxton in the National League.Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Our Bank Holiday meetings represent excellent value at just £17 for 30 races. It is a very important fixture for the Scorpions – we do need the three points from this meeting, as every point is vital as we look to make sure we have enough points to be in the end-of-season play-offs.”SHEFFIELD’s trip to local rivals Scunthorpe fell foul of the weather after eight races – just 24 hours after the postponement of the Tigers’ home clash with Edinburgh.Manager Joe Screen said: “It's frustrating for everyone but there isn't anything we can do about the weather. The track was already pretty wet to start with, and when it started raining it created problems. After it stopped and they did some work on it we thought we'd be OK but once the second lot of rain came there wasn't anything that could be done.”SOMERSET fans are set for a busy week of home racing with the visits of both Plymouth on Wednesday and Ipswich on Friday as the Rebels look to cement their play-off place.Rebels boss Garry May said: “The boys had an excellent weekend on our Northern Tour, having secured five league points to keep us at the top of the Premier League, but although we have a 100 per cent home league record, we can take nothing for granted with the visit of both Plymouth and Ipswich to the Oaktree Arena this week.”WORKINGTON reserve Ashley Morris has been ruled out for the remainder of the season following the head injury he sustained at King’s Lynn in June when riding for parent club Wolverhampton.Comets Owner Laura Morgan said: “After visiting a consultant on Monday and undergoing a further CT scan, this was the outcome. I think we all knew that this was very likely to be on the cards and it's clearly in Ashley's interests to follow Doctor's orders, rest up and make sure he is 100 per cent recovered before even considering getting back on a bike.“We now have a very busy spell where, following our home victory over Newcastle last weekend, we have a further seventeen matches to race in twenty-five days if we are to complete our league programme prior to the cut-off for the play-offs. This will involve a lot of travelling but we hope to be able to confirm the details of how the matches are to be fitted into the time available very shortly following discussions with our landlords, Workington Town Rugby League Club. Meanwhile, with Ashley out for the season, we remain hopeful of being able to obtain a replacement ahead of our hectic fixture schedule.”

FIXTURE PICTURE…

TUESDAY AUGUST 19:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Ipswich 7.30

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Leicester 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Plymouth 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30, King’s Lynn v Scunthorpe (follows previous fixture)

THURSDAY AUGUST 21: ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Redcar 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 22:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Lakeside 7.30, King’s Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Plymouth v Peterborough 7.15, Redcar v Sheffield 7.30, Somerset v Ipswich 7.30, Workington v Glasgow 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 23:ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Wolverhampton 7.30, Lakeside v Coventry 8pm, Leicester v Poole 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 6.30, Berwick v Newcastle (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Kent 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 24:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Newcastle 3pm, Rye House v Berwick 6pm, Peterborough v Somerset 5pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Kent 3pm, Mildenhall v Stoke 3.30

MONDAY AUGUST 25:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 2pm, Leicester v Coventry 7.30, Swindon v Lakeside 7.30, Wolverhampton v Eastbourne 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle v Glasgow 6.30, Scunthorpe v Redcar 3pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Buxton (follows PL fixture)CHALLENGE: Kent v Arena-Essex 3pm

TUESDAY AUGUST 26:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Berwick 7.30, Peterborough v Plymouth (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v King’s Lynn 7.15, Cradley v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Swindon 7.30, Poole v Eastbourne 7.30

THURSDAY AUGUST 28:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30

FRIDAY AUGUST 29:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Plymouth v Workington 7.15, Somerset v Peterborough 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Buxton 7.30, King’s Lynn v Kent 7.30

SATURDAY AUGUST 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Lakeside 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Redcar 7pm, Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Workington v Rye House 7pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm

SUNDAY AUGUST 31:PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Rye House 3pm, Scunthorpe v Workington 3pmNATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v King’s Lynn 3pm, Scunthorpe v Stoke (follows PL fixture)NATIONAL TROPHY: Mildenhall v Leicester 3.30BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 5: Rye House 2pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30, Lakeside v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2:PREMIER LEAGUE: Peterborough v Scunthorpe 7.30, Peterborough v Plymouth (follows previous fixture)NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Devon 7.30

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Rye House v Peterborough 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Cradley 7.30