(SPEEDWAY 1)
WOLVERHAMPTON raced to a stunning 52-38 win at Midlands rivals Coventry in their opening fixture of the Elite League season.Skipper Freddie Lindgren banked a paid maximum from five rides whilst former Bees rider Joonas Kylmakorpi reeled off four straight wins after a Heat 1 blank.Wolves led by four points with three heats to go but finished superbly with a 4-2 and two 5-1s to secure all four league points from the meeting. Chris Harris scored ten for the home side.Lindgren said: “I’m mega happy with tonight. It’s still early but it’s obviously really nice to get off to such a great start, not just for myself but also for the team, with an away win.“We really need something good this year and it’s a dream start for us. It’s just what we wanted, it’s a good result and it’s nice to get four points on the board. “We still have to keep our feet on the ground and look forward to the meeting against Swindon on Monday.”Meanwhile Lakeside made it two wins out of two on home shale with a comprehensive 56-34 victory over Leicester at the Arena-Essex Raceway.The Hammers recovered from a shaky start to emerge with another convincing triumph after disposing of King’s Lynn by a similar score line a week earlier.Andreas Jonsson scored a paid maximum for the home side, backed up by Piotr Swiderski (10+2) and Richard Lawson (10+1) whilst former Hammer Adam Ellis top-scored as a guest for the visitors on 11+1.Lakeside coach Kelvin Tatum said: “It wasn’t quite as straightforward as we would have liked, and we got off to a scrappy start with only a couple of points in it after heat six. “We managed to get ourselves organised eventually, and we finished strongly which was very pleasing.“The final scoreline was what we were looking for, so we got there in the end and overall it was a solid performance even though it took us a while to get going.”Lions boss Norrie Allan said: “We have to be disappointed with our performance tonight. “Our two reserves Adam Ellis and Paul Starke together with Patrick Hougaard deserve special mention but we have some work to do if we are to pick up points on the road.”In the League Cup, Peterborough produced a dominant display on home shale to demolish Scunthorpe 64-26.Every Peterborough man won at least one race with Ulrich Ostergaard, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen Emil Grondal completing hat-tricks of heat successes. Ryan Douglas scored 8+1 for the Scorpions, who lost Zdenek Holub with a shoulder injury after a crash in Heat 3.Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “We knew it was vital to make a fast start to the season and we have done that by following up a good draw at Sheffield with a big win against Scunthorpe.“We’ve never been renowned as a team of trappers, but we made fast starts and we pulled off some smart moves against a team who have already picked up an away win this season.“We have showed everyone just how good we can be tonight. The boys were on it from the word go and got their rewards.”Scorpions boss Dave Peet said: "Zdenek (Holub) has abrasions across his right shoulder and right arm. He's battered and bruised - he couldn't move his shoulder much once his Kevlars were removed. We don't think anything is broken."The track took us completely by surprise. We were left chasing set-ups the whole evening. "We were effectively beaten out of the gate in all fifteen races. I can't recall that happening before – normally you get dialled in sooner or later. We were getting very near towards the end."When we come back for the Premier League match in June, we'll be prepared. It's not sour grapes, because Peterborough rode fantastically from 1-to-7 and obviously have a good year ahead. But we can come back here in the league meeting and give a much better account of ourselves."Meanwhile Somerset saw off a Plymouth Select 58-35 showing no mercy to the Devils who have been brought back from the brink of folding.The Rebels provided no less than 14 out of the 15 race winners with skipper Josh Grajczonek and his fellow Australian Rohan Tungate both ending the night unbeaten by an opposition rider, while Charles Wright dropped just a single point from his five rides.Somerset boss Garry May said: “It was an excellent all round performance by the boys - they were electric out of the gate and completely dominated the match.“In saying that, however, the fact it appears that Plymouth have been saved from folding as a club and that the match took place at all is more important than the final score-line.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
COVENTRY promoter Mick Horton issued an apology to his club’s supporters after their heavy home defeat to Wolverhampton on Friday.The Bees went down 38-52 at Brandon to follow on from losing by 20-points at Swindon on Thursday, leaving them with one win from three Elite League matches so far.Horton said: “I want to apologise to the fans, and say that I take full responsibility for the performances, which are totally unacceptable.“The fans have come out in force in cold weather, and what we’ve dished up so far isn’t good enough.“I’m not singling riders out, the riders are disappointed themselves, and it’s clear we’ve been found wanting in various areas. “No rider goes out to under-perform, and our riders as disappointed as the fans and the management are. I built this team, so I take responsibility for it, and clearly at the moment we aren’t up to scratch.”
(SPEEDWAY 3)
LEICESTER and Lakeside clash in the Elite League on Saturday in a rapid return from last night’s meeting at Purfleet.The Hammers won 56-34 on home soil and the Lions are now looking to turn the tables in their opening home fixture of the league campaign.Boss Norrie Allan said: “It is important that we get our home form right from the very start. We have never started with a win at home since we joined the Elite League and that has to be put right with the visit of Lakeside. “A good performance will give the team a lift in preparation for the challenges ahead. We are under no illusion that the Hammers will be a pushover. Far from it, as they are a good team in the making.”Hammers coach Kelvin Tatum said: “We’ve won twice at our place and given King’s Lynn a good meeting in our only away fixture, so it’s been a positive start and it would be great if we could build on that with a good result at Leicester.“It’s another quite technical type of track that I’d like to think will suit us and give us a chance to come away with a victory.”In the League Cup, Ipswich are looking to pick up their first home victory after dropping points at Foxhall against Scunthorpe.The Witches welcome back Morten Risager for their match against Sheffield, but operate rider-replacement for Lewis Kerr who is on Elite League duty.Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “If we want to progress from the group then we've got to win on Saturday. It's a loss to be without (Kerr) but hopefully others can step up on the night.“They've got a good side on paper and they've got one of my favourite riders in their team in Jason Garrity. They've got Steady (Simon Stead) there too and they're an exciting team to watch and its going to be another tough match for us.”Sheffield co-boss Eric Boocock said: “As with the meeting with Peterborough on Thursday, I feel ourselves and Ipswich are two very evenly matched sides on paper so it should be a good night of racing.“We were slightly disappointed to not pick up the win on Thursday but now we look forward and hopefully we can pick up at least another point to add to our total in this competition.”Meanwhile Berwick are set to open their home season at the second attempt with the visit of Redcar in the second leg of the Tweed/Tees Trophy, which was postponed last week.Bandits chairman John Anderson said: “It was a heartbreaker after a winter's hard work by so many good people, revitalising interest in speedway at Shielfield Park and getting everything ready to rock and roll last Saturday, only for a ferocious downpour to sweep over Tweedmouth.“Quite simply, everything we hoped would be happening last week will still be taking place, seven days on. With helpful co-operation from Brian Havelock, as well as great help from Tony Jackson over at Derwent Park in Workington and Scunthorpe's Rob Godfrey, a series of Monday-morning calls got it all sorted.”(FIXTURES)
SATURDAY APRIL 2: ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v Lakeside 7.30 LEAGUE CUP: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30TWEED/TEES TROPHY 2nd leg: Berwick v Redcar 7pm
SUNDAY APRIL 3:LEAGUE CUP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pm, Rye House v Somerset 3pmTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Rye House v Kent (follows LC fixture)TYNE/TEES TROPHY 1st leg: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30BORDER TROPHY 1st leg: Workington v Berwick 7.30FENLAND FOURS: Mildenhall 3.30
MONDAY APRIL 4:BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: Kent 6.30ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30
WEDNESDAY APRIL 6:ELITE LEAGUE: Poole v Lakeside 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Eastbourne 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP 1st round 1st leg: Birmingham v Rye House 7.30
