BRITISH SPEEDWAY SEPTEMBER 4

Date: Saturday September 4, 2021

(SPEEDWAY 1)

POOLE booked their place in the Championship play-offs with an emphatic 56-34 win over Glasgow at Wimborne Road.
Danny King and Steve Worrall both scored 12-point maximums for the Pirates, whose attention now turns to securing a top two finish and automatic qualification for the semi-finals.

The Tigers began a busy weekend with their heaviest defeat of the season, Craig Cook top-scoring with 8+2.
Worrall said: “Full credit to everyone involved in the track work, we had a fantastic track tonight.
“I don’t think the score really reflected Glasgow’s effort as we had to work hard, but I am really enjoying riding for Poole.

“We have a very solid one to seven although it is such a shame to lose Stefan (Nielsen). I was really happy riding with him as we had a good understanding. He had just dropped to reserve, and it is such a shame to not have him out there.”
Stand-in Glasgow boss Michael Max said: “It’s a disappointing result but it was always going to be a tough meeting against a very strong Poole side.
“We just didn’t win enough races, and that cost us in the end.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

LEICESTER took a giant step towards the Championship play-offs with a 51-39 win at Scunthorpe to end the Scorpions’ 100 per cent home league record.
The Lions fought back from six-point deficit at the halfway stage of the meeting and finished strongly with three 5-1s in the final four races.

Ryan Douglas once again starred against his former club with 13+1, Aaron Summers proved a perfect guest for Nick Morris with 11+1 and reserve Zaine Kennedy chipped in with 10+1. Guest Connor Mountain scored nine for the hosts.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “The interval gave us time to talk to the riders. We came out hungry and we responded really well to the ideas and thoughts that we discussed during the break.
“The back-to-back heat advantages was the turning point for us. We had the hunger and it was a real team effort.”

Scunthorpe manager Dave Peet said: “We don’t normally have an interval and our riders were struggling after the interval. But that’s not really an excuse, the simple fact is that the best team won tonight and Leicester deserved to win.
“We were doing OK in the first half and made them use a tactical substitute, but none of our riders were getting out of the start towards the end – you can’t do that against a team as good as Leicester.
“It was hard to work out a tactical substitute in Heat 14, because all six riders were struggling by then.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

BIRMINGHAM are now firmly in the Championship play-off equation after a dramatic 45-45 draw at Edinburgh.
The match reached a controversial conclusion with the Brummies’ Erik Riss disqualified from Heat 15 after Sam Masters fell on the first bend.

The Monarchs had scored a 5-1 in Heat 14 to give them the chance of a win, but Chris Harris split Masters and Josh Pickering in the re-run to draw the meeting.
Brummies manager Laurence Rogers said: “To put it simply, we were robbed. Erik was thrown out of Heat 15 when people I spoke to, Edinburgh fans and indeed another referee in attendance said it should have been all four back.
“Everyone was completely stunned by the decision, and it feels like a defeat. I’m still trying to work out how he came to that conclusion now.”

Edinburgh had been hampered by the retirement of Nathan Greaves prior to the event, whilst Kye Thomson crashed out in Heat 9, suffering shoulder and rib injuries.
Monarchs boss Alex Harkess said: “We’ve certainly got Drew Kemp to thank for getting us back into the match, taking four on the trot.

“I’m pretty sure Anders Rowe is going to come good too, and Archie Freeman could have made a major contribution in his third ride but for his bike spluttering.
“I wasn’t happy with the ragged start to Heat 13 but I’m not complaining about the decision to exclude Erik Riss in the last heat. I expected all four. If we had got a decision like that against us, I’d be fizzing mad.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

REDCAR consolidated second spot in the Championship with a 51-39 win over Kent at the Media Prima Arena.
Recent signing Lewis Kerr scored 12 for the Bears whilst Michael Palm Toft (10+1) and Charles Wright (10) were also in double figures.

Troy Batchelor (11+1) and Scott Nicholls (11) led the way for the Kings, who now face an important visit to Berwick on Saturday as they bid to challenge the top six.
The Bears, meanwhile, are eight points clear of Glasgow in the race for automatic semi-final qualification, although the Tigers do have three matches in hand.

(SPEEDWAY 5)

MILDENHALL climbed to second place in the National Development League with an impressive 51-39 win at Belle Vue.
The Fen Tigers moved to within two points of leaders Berwick, who have a match in hand, although fourth-placed Kent have raced far fewer fixtures.

Kyle Bickley made a successful guest appearance with 13+1 for the visitors and Jason Edwards added 10, whilst a second home defeat effectively spelt the end of the Colts’ title hopes. Jack Smith scored 12 for the home side.

Belle Vue’s Jack Parkinson-Blackburn (4) said: “We came here tonight wanting to win in front of our home fans one last time and it was very close for a while.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen but it was a brilliant meeting with some very good, close racing and I think overall the lads can be proud of what we’ve achieved this year.”

(SPEEDWAY 7)

LEICESTER host Glasgow in a repeat of the 2019 Championship Grand Final with both sides looking to enhance their play-off prospects.
A win for the Lions could see them climb from sixth to third above tonight’s opponents, after the two sides experienced contrasting fortunes on Friday.

Leicester bring in Steve Worrall to guest for Nick Morris, who is still out with concussion, whilst former Lions rider Jack Thomas fills the vacant spot at reserve for the Tigers.
Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “We aren’t going to finish top of the table, but I want us finishing as high up the league as we can.“Glasgow started the season on fire who have levelled off a little bit but they’re still a very capable side.

“Our fans will be desperate for us to win this one as I’m sure the Glasgow fans will want them to win too so we should be in for a cracking meeting.”
Tigers co-promoter Michael Max said: “We have another big meeting to look forward to at Leicester and it’s important that we regroup.“Jack will be guesting for us at reserve and hopefully he can continue his good form – but we will be looking for more throughout the team.”

(SPEEDWAY )

BERWICK will be without No.1 Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen for tonight’s (Saturday) home Championship clash with Kent.
Busk Jakobsen is out with illness and the Bandits will use the rider-replacement facility.
The meeting is the first half of a double-header as the clubs also meet in the NDL with both sides chasing the title.

Kent give a debut to new signing Vinnie Foord at reserve but are without Alex Spooner, with rider-replacement in operation.
Manager John Sampford said: “It will be the biggest challenge so far this season for the Royals. We are fully aware that for the majority of our side this will be their first time they’ve even seen, let alone ridden the circuit at Shiefield Park.

“For Dan (Gilkes), who tops the division’s averages and Jake (Mulford) this match will of course follow straight on from their duties for the senior Kings’ side in the preceding Championship match, and on such a big track so many rides can be very draining.
“Both are very fit youngsters but of course being speedway, it’s about both man and machine holding out so that can be an issue on occasions like this.”

(FIXTURES)

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Scunthorpe 6pm

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 6:
PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Sheffield 7.30, Peterborough v Ipswich 7.30, Wolverhampton v King’s Lynn 7.30

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Scunthorpe 6.30
90TH ANNIVERSARY: Plymouth 7pm