(SPEEDWAY 1)
BRITISH Speedway Chairman Alex Harkess says Wolverhampton is the perfect venue for the British Final.Monmore Green has become the established home of the event over recent years and again stages the national championship on Monday with Tai Woffinden going for his third successive title.Harkess said: “The circuit is always very well prepared and Chris Van Straaten, one of the most experienced promoters in the sport, always takes great pride in the appearance of the venue - particularly on British Final night in front of the Sky cameras.“In recent years this meeting really has provided a thrilling sporting spectacle, I’m sure tonight will be very much the same and naturally Tai is the man with the target on his back!“And with a place up for grabs as Wild Card for the British Grand Prix in Cardiff it's a great opportunity for someone to ride on the biggest stage of all.”LINE-UP: Carl Wilkinson (Scunthorpe), Andre Compton (Sheffield), Ben Barker (Berwick), Steve Worrall (Belle Vue/Newcastle), Craig Cook (Belle Vue/Edinburgh), Kyle Howarth (Swindon/Workington), Adam Roynon (Redcar), Scott Nicholls (Belle Vue), Tai Woffinden (Unattached), Chris Harris (Coventry), Jason Garrity (Coventry/Sheffield), Lewis Blackbird (Wolverhampton/Peterborough), Richard Lawson (Lakeside/Glasgow), Danny King (Coventry/Ipswich), Edward Kennett (Lakeside/Rye House), Leigh Lanham (Somerset).
(SPEEDWAY 2)
BIRMINGHAM are the new National League Fours Champions after a tense and dramatic meeting at Coventry on Sunday.Brummies’ No.1 Adam Ellis got the better of the home side’s Dan Greenwood in a run-off for the silverware after both teams had tied on 15 points in the Final, with Kent just two points adrift after a three-way fight for victory.And the result came at the perfect time for the Perry Barr club, almost exactly a year since they raced their final home Elite League fixture before the collapse of their previous promotion.Manager Graham Drury said: “This is absolutely remarkable and when you consider where this club found themselves just 12 months ago, it makes it an even more fantastic achievement.“I'm so happy for our riders, their individual teams, Tony Mole, our supporters - this really does mean so, so much to everyone involved. “Our supporters were outstanding and to beat rivals Coventry in the final and to take the trophy off the hands of our good friends Cradley makes things that little bit sweeter.”
(SPEEDWAY 3 - SUNDAY REVIEW)
EDINBURGH exacted revenge over local rivals Glasgow with a 51-39 win at Ashfield in Sunday’s Premier League encounter.The Tigers had won 48-42 at Armadale on Friday, but the Monarchs produced the reaction which had been called for by boss Alex Harkess in the return fixture.Craig Cook scored a 15-point maximum for the visitors, who had eleven race winners and only five last places as they took the maximum four league points to go second in the table.Harkess said: “It makes such a difference when you win Heat 1. We knew then that we had a really effective reserve in Erik Riss, and in fact Max Clegg also had an excellent day. “With Craig Cook in such great form we were never going to lose and the whole team were excellent.”Peterborough also recovered from a home defeat on Friday by holding on for a 46-44 win at Newcastle.Robert Lambert made a successful return to the Panthers’ ranks with 14 points, including a vital second place in Heat 15 after the Diamonds had made a late comeback with a 5-1 in the penultimate race.That heat had seen a four-man pile-up from which Peterborough’s Michael Palm Toft was disqualified, whilst Simon Lambert faces a week out with concussion and severe bruising after being an innocent victim of the crash.Panthers promoter Ged Rathbone said: “Beating a full-strength Newcastle team, full of riders who are excellent at Brough Park, is no mean feat. Everyone will be well aware of how disappointed I felt on Friday, but tonight I’m very proud of the response from our riders to pick up a fantastic result.“It was great to have Robert back and he again showed what a massive part of the team he is. We have to accept that he will have commitments elsewhere and our job is to work hard with the Lambert family and help them as much as we can.”
(SPEEDWAY 4 - MONDAY PREVIEW)
KENT face Rye House in the National Trophy at Central Park on Monday.An away win for the Raiders could take them to the top of the group, although leaders Eastbourne are currently yet to be beaten, whilst the Kings are looking to make ground on the top two as they trail the Raiders by three points.(FIXTURES)
MONDAY JUNE 15:BRITISH FINAL: Wolverhampton 7.30NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Rye House 6.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 17:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Coventry 7.30, Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 8pmCITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Coventry 7.30, King’s Lynn v Mildenhall 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 18:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Somerset 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle 7.30TRAVEL PLUS TOURS KO CUP 1st round 2nd leg: Plymouth v Peterborough 7.15JULIE LEWIS MEMORIAL: Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 19:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Leicester 7.30, Lakeside v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Workington 7.30
