(SPEEDWAY 1 - MONDAY REVIEW)
BELLE Vue defeated Swindon 48-42 on a hugely dramatic night of Elite League racing at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Monday.The result lifts the Aces two points above the Robins in the table, but a last-heat 4-2 from maximum man Darcy Ward and Troy Batchelor saw the visitors take a potentially vital point from the meeting, as they still have four matches in hand on the Manchester club.The home side lost No.1 Matej Zagar after a crash in Heat 11 which saw team-mate Max Fricke also brought down, and the latter stages saw numerous re-runs and controversy.Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “It's never nice to see your riders get injured, but the rest of the guys really rallied together and did what they had to do and in the end they got their just rewards for their efforts.“There were a few inconsistent decisions, I felt, from the referee tonight and as you may imagine it had tempers fraying, but it's just a matter of keeping your composure in those situation.”Swindon manager Alun Rossiter said: “I’m pleased we managed to come away with a point, it was a good effort from the boys in a tough meeting and it could prove vital for us come the end of the season.“It was an absolute shambles tonight from the officials, that’s all I can say. We had a pits phone that didn’t work meaning the referee couldn’t hear me, and the opposition manager is ringing him on his mobile but I can’t contact him because I don’t know his number. “Then a rider throws a strop and goes into the changing room to get dressed but gets given ten minutes by the ref to get changed and come back out for the re-run.”Meanwhile Wolverhampton secured a 49-43 win from their Midlands derby with Leicester - who picked up their first away point of the season with a 5-1 in the last race.Wolves led throughout the meeting thanks to three 5-1s in the opening seven heats, with Ricky Wells (12) and Freddie Lindgren (10+1) both taking three wins on the night.Jason Doyle (12) and Piotr Swiderski (8+1) then got the better of the Wolves duo in the last race to give the bottom side some consolation.Wolves captain Peter Karlsson said: “We're delighted to pick up another win and it's an important one too because it opens up a gap between us and Leicester at the foot of the table and we desperately don't want to finish bottom.“It was always going to take a big effort when we lost Lewis (Blackbird) early on but the team did really well and everyone scored some important points.”In the City Gearboxes National League, Eastbourne kept up their pursuit of leaders Birmingham with a resounding 55-37 win at Kent.Recent signing Daniel Spiller was to the fore again as the Eagles reserve clocked up a bumper haul of 17+3, whilst Bradley Wilson-Dean scored 14. James Shanes picked up 13 for the home side.Eastbourne boss Glenn Martin said: “It was a fabulous performance by the team. They fought for every point and helped put on a highly entertaining meeting. Daniel Spiller was outstanding.“We are on a roll now and can't way for Sunday when the league leaders come to Arlington.”
(SPEEDWAY 2 - TUESDAY PREVIEW)
SOMERSET hand a debut to new signing Rasmus Jensen in their Premier League clash with Ipswich at the Oaktree Arena on Tuesday.The Rebels are seeking to recover from their home defeat to Edinburgh last week, whilst the Witches are under serious pressure from Plymouth for a place in the play-offs.Somerset boss Garry May said: “It goes without saying that we will be looking to bounce back from last week’s home defeat in the best possible way with not only a win with a win over Ipswich, but to do so with a good all-round team performance.“In saying that, Ipswich are going to provide tough opposition, as they showed when they came to the Oaktree Arena at the start of the season to earn themselves a draw in the League Cup, and they will be looking to pick up points in order to keep themselves in the hunt for a play-off place, so all-in-all, it promises to be an excellent night of racing.”
(FIXTURES)
TUESDAY AUGUST 18:PREMIER LEAGUE: Somerset v Ipswich 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 20:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Berwick 7.30, Redcar v Plymouth 7.30, Sheffield v Edinburgh 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 21:ELITE LEAGUE: Coventry v Swindon 7.30, Lakeside v Poole 8pmPREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30, Peterborough v Newcastle 7.30, Scunthorpe v Berwick 7.30CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Cradley 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: King’s Lynn v Buxton (follows previous fixture)
