(SPEEDWAY 1 – MONDAY REVIEW)
WOLVERHAMPTON have gone second in the Elite League after getting the better of leaders Coventry 48-42 in a thrilling local derby at Monmore Green.Home No.1 Freddie Lindgren scored a 15-point maximum with veteran Peter Karlsson keeping up his remarkable form with 13+1, and the Swedish duo combined for a last-heat 5-1 to secure the win for their team.The Bees had battled back from eight points down to narrow the gap to just two with conditions worsening due to rain, and their top scorer was Hans Andersen on 9+1 as they took a point from the meeting to maintain a seven-point lead at the top of the table.Lindgren said: “I felt really good all night, and although I’ve had glimpses of that form in the first few meetings it was great to put it together in all five rides.“It was much needed against a strong Coventry side, and we managed to beat them and get the three points which was great.“We knew beforehand Coventry were going to be a really tough nut to crack because they’ve been so dominant this year. It was brilliant that we were able to come away with the win, and it’s a great feeling because we had to work really hard for it.”Coventry boss Gary Havelock said: “We weren’t really at it from the start tonight, nobody in particular, but you can pick several incidents and accidents that went on and we might have got more from it.“We’ve lost our first away match but we’ve still got a point, and that keeps us well at the top of the league with two more tough away matches this week, so we’ll regroup for that.”In Manchester, Belle Vue stunned King’s Lynn with a devastating early burst of scoring to go 14-points up after just four races, and they extended that margin to 20 in the next four.That wrapped up their victory before the Stars mounted a late rally with the final score at 52-38, Craig Cook leading the way for the home side on 13+1 whilst youngster Robert Lambert picked up 9+1 for the visitors.Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “I was expecting a tough job against King’s Lynn because they have been a formidable team so far this season, but every team is there to be beaten and we beat them convincingly.“We made an absolutely blistering start to the meeting, which is something we haven’t really been doing lately, and the boys were able to maintain a healthy momentum all evening.“It’s still early in the season but if what I witnessed tonight carries on throughout the year I wouldn’t veto the possibility of a top four finish.”In the National League, Cradley maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 45-38 away win at Kent, despite the early withdrawal of Luke Harris with a shoulder injury.An incident-packed meeting was brought to a halt one race short due to the curfew, with the Heathens taking all four league points thanks to a 5-1 from their reserves Ellis Perks and Michael Neale in the last heat of the evening.Max Clegg, Neale and Perks all scored 9+1 for the visitors whilst Ben Morley (12) and James Shanes (10) were both in double-figures for the Kings.Cradley boss Will Pottinger said: “It was another great win for the team and everyone chipped in with some important points.“You've got to give our riders a lot of credit, especially our reserves who stepped up to the task superbly after losing Luke Harris early on. We'll take this confidence into Sunday's meeting at Buxton where we go in search of another win on the road.”Kent boss Chris Hunt said: “We showed great fighting spirit out there – I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s a shame that we’ve lost out now twice in narrow defeats which would have certainly been wins had Danny (Ayres) been fit to ride.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
RYE House have named Dan Greenwood as their replacement for Luke Bowen – and he is set to make his debut at Redcar on Thursday.Bowen announced his decision to take time out of the sport shortly after the start of the season, and Greenwood comes in after a string of high scores at National League level where he rides for Coventry Storm.Rockets boss John Sampford said: “We liked the look of him when he guested for us recently at Somerset – he had a great attitude and really got stuck in.“He’s scoring really well in the National League, and he certainly deserves his chance at this level. He has jumped at the chance of joining us, and hopefully we can fulfil his aims, and ours, in the process.”(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY APRIL 29:ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Belle Vue 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Stoke 7.30
THURSDAY APRIL 30:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Redcar v Rye House 7.30, Sheffield v Ipswich 7.30
FRIDAY MAY 1:ELITE LEAGUE: Lakeside v Coventry 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7.30, Plymouth v Peterborough 7.15, Somerset v Sheffield 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Buxton 7.30
