(SPEEDWAY 1)
GLASGOW made a flying start to their League Cup campaign with a 56-37 win over local rivals Edinburgh at Ashfield.And captain Aaron Summers, who top-scored for the Tigers with 13 points, insists there is plenty more to come from his team.Summers was joined in double-figures by Richie Worrall on 11+2 whilst Sam Masters scored 17 for the Monarchs.Summers said: “Everyone is chipping in - it's not just our top four that are banging in the points, it's throughout the 1-7. That's what we need - back-up right through. “There's definitely more to come as track conditions aren't ideal and as it dries out, it'll be sweet.“I think that first meeting has shown what we can do, and the boys are going to get better - hopefully more and more points will come in.”Meanwhile Rye House produced a grandstand finish to recover from a six-point deficit to overcome Somerset 46-43 in a last-heat decider at Hoddesdon.Captain Edward Kennett, who scored a 15-point maximum, combined with Stuart Robson for a vital Heat 15 5-1 over Josh Grajczonek and Rohan Tungate, with the Rebels doing enough for what could prove an important point in the group standings.Kennett said: “Our heads went down a bit during the first half of the meeting, but we had a team talk mid-way through and (team manager) Peter (Schroeck) really geed us up – and it worked.“I said to Robbo before the last race, ‘I’ll look out for you’ (on the first bend), but I can tell you I’ve never had to work so hard off gate 3 in my life!”Somerset boss Garry May said: “Of course we are bitterly disappointed not to have come away from Rye House with the meeting win, but at the end of the day, the point we gained from the match could well prove to be vital come the final group standings.“We were unfortunate to lose some points during the match due to mechanical issues and Jake’s (Allen) ‘off’ when leading Heat 8, but that’s speedway and I couldn’t have asked any more from the boys.”The second half of a double header at Hoddesdon saw Kent sweep to a 56-34 away win in their opening Travel Plus National League fixture of the season.Raiders boss Peter Schroeck said: “It was our first match, against a strong Kent side who, as I’ve said before, have built a strong team because it is the only one they’ve got. We’re all about the youngsters and bringing them on, because they will be the future for Rye House Speedway. “We’ve got to grin and bear it on occasion, and see it for what it is. When we get Rob Branford back in the next couple of weeks from Australia and George Hunter returns from his broken wrist, we’ll be able to give people a much closer run.”Newcastle have been declared winners of the Tyne/Tees Trophy after a 61-29 home success over Redcar – the first leg having been abandoned on Thursday when the Diamonds were again well ahead.Steve Worrall raced to his first paid maximum of the season, and six of the seven Newcastle riders collected at least one race win.Boss George English said: “It was an impressive all round performance. It was such a shame for Lewis Rose not to get a paid max because he was going to go out in Heat 15 before the fall. He was magnificent for us and I believe he is going to be key to our success this year.“We know that we are a good team and we hope to add more meaningful silverware to our collection later on in the season. Although the meetings at this time of year are not crucial it is still important to gain confidence before the season starts.”Meanwhile Workington defeated Berwick 37-22 in the first leg of the Border Trophy, in a meeting curtailed after Heat 10 due to rain at Derwent Park.Kenneth Hansen collected 11+1 for the Comets, whilst Kevin Doolan scored seven for the Bandits, who were level after Heat 4 but fell away in the final six races which were possible.Mildenhall promoter Kevin Jolly has reflected on a successful staging of the Fen Fours to open the season at West Row.The ‘Mighty’ Manchetts led by current Fen Tigers star Jon Armstrong and former favourite Josh Bates won the meeting, with plenty of good action from several track experts.Jolly said: “The racing was good, the track rode well and the meeting moved along at a pace, this is exactly how we want to present speedway at Mildenhall and this is the template for the rest of our season. “All the riders helped today by joining in the fun and interacting with the sponsors which is great to see. I must thank again all today’s sponsors for their support and the feedback we have received from them has been excellent.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
KENT stage the semi-final of the British Under-21 Championship on Monday with ten places available for next week’s Final.A place at Sheffield on Thursday April 14 awaits the successful riders – and competitors have an additional incentive at Central Park thanks to a sponsorship deal on the night.The meeting winner will take away the UK Mobile Bars Cup and a top cash prize courtesy of the country’s leading supplier of mobile bar hire solutions.LINE-UP: 1 Kelsey Dugard (Isle of Wight), 2 Luke Ruddick (Mildenhall), 3 Jack Kingston (Cradley), 4 Ellis Perks (Plymouth/Isle of Wight), 5 Connor Mountain (Mildenhall), 6 Nathan Greaves (Sheffield/King’s Lynn), 7 Danyon Hume (Birmingham), 8 Jack Parkinson-Blackburn (Birmingham), 9 Danny Phillips (Newcastle/Stoke), 10 Jack Smith (Birmingham), 11 James Shanes (Kent), 12 Alfie Bowtell (Mildenhall), 13 Danno Verge (Kent), 14 Liam Carr (Berwick/Coventry), 15 Josh Bailey (Scunthorpe/King’s Lynn), 16 Ryan Kinsley (King’s Lynn). Reserves: Jack Thomas (Kent), Connor Locke (Rye House).
(SPEEDWAY 3)
WOLVERHAMPTON will head into their 2016 home opener against Swindon on Monday high on confidence. The Monmore men raced to a tremendous 52-38 win at Coventry on Friday to get their Elite League campaign off to a dream start.Wolves reserve Kyle Howarth, who faces another of his former clubs and is one of five riders making their home debuts, is expecting the Wiltshire outfit to pose a stern test.He said: “It was a massive win for us at Coventry, and that was just what we needed in our first meeting. It’s a long year and there are a lot of matches, so we can’t get carried away and we just have to focus on getting a home win on Monday now.“It’s going to be a tough meeting, especially given most of us haven’t had Monmore Green as our home track before, and Swindon will give us a hard test I’m sure.”Robins boss Alun Rossiter said: “Wolverhampton had a great start at Coventry and with the way their team is set up they look very strong.“We are going to have to be on the top of our game, but we are looking to go there and get something. If we could get a win that would be a bonus, but we are aiming for at least a point.”(FIXTURES)
MONDAY APRIL 4:BRITISH UNDER-21 SEMI-FINAL: Kent 6.30ELITE LEAGUE: King’s Lynn v Coventry OFF, 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
THURSDAY APRIL 7:ELITE LEAGUE: Swindon v Wolverhampton 7.30LEAGUE CUP: Redcar v Workington 7.30, Sheffield v Scunthorpe 7.30VINCE MAPLEY MEMORIAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight 7pm
FRIDAY APRIL 8:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, Lakeside v Poole 8pmLEAGUE CUP: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30CHALLENGE: Somerset v Isle of Wight 7.30
