(SPEEDWAY 1)
CRADLEY captain Max Clegg believes his side have what it takes to overcome Eastbourne and lift the Knockout Cup for a third successive season.The 18-year-old will go into Wednesday’s Grand Final first leg at Perry Barr full of confidence after going unbeaten by a King’s Lynn rider in the semi-finals of the competition.Clegg said: “It’s not been the easiest of years for anyone at the club and while we were disappointed to miss out on the league and the Gold Cup, this is still another major piece of silverware and it would be great if we could win it again.“Against Eastbourne, we can’t afford to get off to a slow start – they’ve shown they can ride Perry Barr well and it’s going to be a good challenge for the team.“Our last couple of meetings really have given us a lot of confidence as a team and we’ve suddenly started working much better together.”Will Pottinger’s side have drafted in Danny Ayres and Jack Smith to cover for Nathan Greaves and Michael Neale with rider replacement covering for Ellis Perks at No.2.Meanwhile, Eastbourne include Martin Knuckey as a guest for Georgie Wood at No.4 with rider replacement operating for Daniel Spiller. Eagles director Connor Dugard said: “We had a wonderful party at our awards night on Saturday but it is back to business this week.“Twice the team have tasted the champagne and the huge thrill of winning. We all want more. We go to Perry Bar with the intention of winning and setting up another success in front of our own fans on Saturday night.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
HANS Andersen has agreed to rejoin Poole as the reigning Elite League champions make their first move towards building their team for next season.The Danish star started his British career with the Pirates in 2001 and last rode for the Wimborne Road club in 2009, having spent the most recent campaigns with Swindon and then Coventry. He heads back to Dorset on a 6.45 average, and with a two-year contract option which will earn him a Testimonial campaign in 2017.Poole promoter Matt Ford said: “Hans is an absolute steal on that figure as he has been one of the top speedway riders in Britain over the last decade. I would encourage fans to look beyond the bargain 6.45 he comes back to us on as he had some issues last season which certainly impacted his progress early on. “He is by far a much better rider than that figure suggests. In the two years prior to last year he returned figures of 8.33 and 8.34. I firmly believe that we will be able to bring the best of out of him once again and he will soon be battling out there as one of the top performers in Britain.”
(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21:NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 1st leg: Cradley v Eastbourne 7.30
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24:NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Cradley 7.30
SUNDAY OCTOBER 25:CITY GEARBOXES NATIONAL LEAGUE: Coventry v Eastbourne 4pm, Coventry v Mildenhall (follows previous fixture)
