Sunday April 12, 2015

(SPEEDWAY 1)

TUESDAY’S British Under-21 Final at Coventry also carries the incentive of qualifying places for the World competition later in the season.Three spots are available to represent Great Britain with the semi-finals to take place in Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in late May.And British Youth boss Neil Vatcher will also be keeping a careful eye on performances with the World Under-21 Team Cup semi-final taking place in Germany in August.Vatcher said: “I am delighted with the progress of so many British riders over the last 12 months, and the whole Under-21 set-up has a very busy summer ahead.“This British Final is one of the biggest showcase meetings of the season, and the 16 riders lined up will have a big say in the future of British Speedway.”British Under-21 Final – Coventry, Tuesday April 14 – Admission prices: Adults £12, Concessions £10, Under-16s FREE.

(SPEEDWAY 2 – SATURDAY REVIEW)

LEICESTER collected their first Elite League win of the season with a 50-40 success over Belle Vue – leaving the Aces point-less from a busy week of three away matches.Skipper Jason Doyle led the way for the Lions with 13 points, a total matched by visiting counterpart Scott Nicholls but it was the home side who were the stronger all-round.Lions boss Norrie Allan: “This was a must win match for us after losing our first home fixture last week and we made a confident enough start which gave everyone a lift. “Belle Vue kept us on our toes and twice reduced our lead to two points and we were unable to relax until we wrapped up the match with one race to go. There was maximum effort from everyone and it was a relief to get our season off the ground and points on the board.”In the League Cup, Edinburgh took over at the top of the Border group with a 50-40 away win at Berwick.Craig Cook scored a 15-point maximum for the Monarchs and Sam Masters dropped just one point to the opposition, and 5-1s in Heats 13 and 15 made sure of not only the victory but also all four points. Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: “It was an outstanding performance by them all especially Craig Cook. It looked like a close match early on but we got on top of them with Rob Branford taking a lot of important points.”Berwick manager Ryan Anderson said: “We were just not strong enough with riders back from injury and still sore and stiff, whilst Edinburgh are a very strong side so we were always up against it, as was proven with the result. “Once Ben Barker and Thomas Jorgensen are back to pain-free full fitness, we will be able to give Edinburgh a good run for their money again - and the rest of the League!”Rye House have gone top of the Southern group after a 66-24 thrashing of Plymouth at Hoddesdon in a spectacular recovery from Monday’s home defeat.Swedish duo Robin Aspegren and Anders Mellgren both went through the card with five-ride paid maximums for the first time for the Rockets, the former in just his sixth match for the club.Mellgren said: “I have been so close to a maximum with Rye before, and it is great to finally get there! It has taken the pressure off because I have always been so nervous before Heat 15 when I was nearly there before.“We are still very much in with a shout in the League Cup. We all believe that we can get through this group and reach the semi-finals. All the boys are on pretty good form, and when we get Kasper (Lykke) back (from a knee ligament injury) we will be even stronger.”Meanwhile Rusty Harrison finally got his Testimonial Meeting raced at Workington at the third attempt after two postponements last season - and it was Harrison himself who emerged victorious, winning all his five rides programmed and setting the fastest time of the night before storming to victory in the Grand Final.He said: “I am just so pleased with how tonight has gone, I couldn’t have asked for more. Everybody put on a great show and all the hard work by everyone was worth it; I thank them all for all of their help and support.“To end up winning the meeting was probably something I didn’t expect but I felt good and my bikes felt fast and it just all fell into place. After the postponements of last season the relief to finally get the meeting raced is huge and now I can re-focus and get on with the rest of the season with Workington.”

(SPEEDWAY 3 – SUNDAY PREVIEW)

THREE important League Cup fixtures take place on Sunday with competitive battles at the top of each of the three groups.Newcastle and Sheffield meet at Brough Park with both teams already having an away win on ther board, and the Tigers with a 100 per cent record from three matches.Lewis Rose returns for the Diamonds after missing their win at Redcar on Thursday with ligament damage, with both sides set to be at full strength.Diamonds promoter George English said: “Sheffield seem to be going very well this year but as Workington found out last Sunday we can perform very well on our own track. “I will be expecting the same level of performance on Sunday and if that happens I will be disappointed if we don’t take all three points.”Sheffield boss Jack Lee said: “Newcastle will be a big test for the lads but we’re in good shape and in a confident mood.“They rode well on Thursday to beat Plymouth, but this will be difficult on Sunday – Newcastle is never an easy place to get a result.”Glasgow will be looking to regain the leadership of the Border group from Edinburgh, who scored one more league point than the Tigers in their respective away wins at Berwick.The Tigers host Workington at Ashfield, and reserve Victor Palovaara is pleased with his improvement so far in his first full campaign with the club.Palovaara said: “My start this year has been better than last year. But I know I can do more, so I just need to work for it.”I'm going to try to focus on the mental side of things, and try to get my head right - then, everything will be good.”In the Southern group, Peterborough skipper Ulrich Ostergaard has called for a repeat performance as the Panthers take on Plymouth fresh from a big away win at the St Boniface Arena on Friday.Ostergaard said: “We are definitely looking for more of the same. We need to pick up from where we left off on Friday. Everyone rode well down at Plymouth. We all made good starts and fought for every point.“Getting such a big result at a tough track was a great achievement and now we need to keep the momentum going. We have given ourselves a chance of getting through the group stage and hopefully we can bank on plenty of support.”Mildenhall kick off their National League Knockout Cup campaign at West Row with a first-leg home tie against local rivals King’s Lynn, with the rider-replacement facility in operation for Jack Kingston.Boss Robert Henry said: “We are under no illusions that this will be a difficult pair of fixtures for the team, the King’s Lynn boys ride our track well and have a couple of ex-Fen Tigers in their ranks. We need to be sharper out of the gate than we have been so far and I feel we need to be looking to build a lead of 10 - 12 points to take with us to the away leg. “This will not be easy without Jack but we will give it our all. Our new reserves will be making their home debuts on Sunday but they showed enough on Saturday at Rye House to tell me they will soon dial into their home track, I was very pleased with what I saw from them at Rye.”Buxton stage their first home meeting of the season with a challenge fixture against a Redcar Select team featuring ex-Hitmen Robert Branford, Jade Mudgway and Stefan Farnaby.Manager Jason Pipe also faces his old club and said: “It will feel a bit strange as I'll be in the opposite corner for the first time and there will be one or two fans wondering if I'm going to be giving Redcar a bit of a chance! “But I can assure Buxton fans that I will be taking this meeting very seriously, like I will with all our meetings and I'll certainly have our lads fired up.”Meanwhile Eastbourne stage the Championship of Sussex with 16 riders competing over the full 20-heat format as they mark the return of regular Sunday afternoon racing to Arlington.Eagles chairman Martin Dugard twice took the title in his riding days, and said: “It is hard to pick out a winner of these events. All it takes is one poor ride, a fall or engine failure and a highly-fancied rider can be out of contention.“A number of boys have the ability to string together a series of wins. They will need to do that on Sunday, just as they will in the National League battles.”

(FIXTURES)

SUNDAY APRIL 12:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Workington 3pm, Peterborough v Plymouth 3pm, Newcastle v Sheffield 6.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Mildenhall v King’s Lynn 3.30CHALLENGE: Buxton v Redcar Select 3pmCHAMPIONSHIP OF SUSSEX: Eastbourne 3.30

MONDAY APRIL 13:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30INVICTA PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent 6.30

TUESDAY APRIL 14:BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Coventry 7.30