BRITISH SPEEDWAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

(SPEEDWAY 1)

LIONS ON THE POINTS CHASE

LEICESTER require 34 race points from their trip to Peterborough tonight (Thursday – UK time) in order to take the final place in the Sports Insure Premiership play-offs.
The Lions are level with Ipswich prior to their final regular fixture tonight but trail the Witches on points difference, and therefore need one more league point to make in back into the top four.

They lead the Panthers 57-33 from the reverse fixture meaning the aggregate point is their initial target against an in-form home side, who have Niels-Kristian Iversen returning from injury. Leicester are set to operate rider replacement for Richie Worrall.

Lions boss Stewart Dickson said: “This is a massive night for us. Leicester came bottom four years out of five, and third from bottom in the other year the last time we were in this league, and our target for this season was always to finish in the top four.
“The camp was buzzing after Monday at Wolverhampton, and it’s now in our own hands, which is what I wanted. We now have the opportunity to go and get what we need on Thursday night.

“Peterborough have got a very good team now – when (manager) Rob Lyon sent it through I looked it and thought ‘wow, that’s strong’, so we know they’ll come out with all guns blazing and it’s going to be tough.”
Lyon said: “We want to finish on a high for the team, for the fans, the sponsors and the promotion – that’s what it’s all about now, and so far that’s proving to be the case.
“We need to win the meeting, and that’s our first priority. We’re 24 points down for the aggregate so it’s a big ask to get that, and we know what Leicester will be coming for, but we’ll be trying hard.”
 
(SPEEDWAY 2)

POOLE raced to an emphatic 55-35 win over Edinburgh to take over at the top of the Cab Direct Championship at the end of their regular programme.
The Pirates must now wait to discover whether they have done enough to remain in first place and gain choice of play-off opponents, which will be decided when rivals Oxford visit Glasgow on Friday.

Richard Lawson (13+1) and Steve Worrall (11) both enjoyed multiple wins at Armadale whilst reserve Kyle Newman picked up a four-ride paid maximum with 8+4.
Josh Pickering racked up 17 for the Monarchs, whose play-off destiny will be decided in Friday’s double header against Plymouth and Birmingham.

Poole boss Gary Havelock said: “It was an important win, and a difficult win too. We had it in the bag last time we were here, heading for a 26-10 lead and I looked down at the
programme after just five heats tonight and we were only two up this time, but the boys smashed it with three 5-1s in four heats and that did it.

“What a fabulous team. You look right through the team and we had just four last places all night and apart from Zach’s (Cook) crash it was a perfect night really.”
Pickering said: “Poole are a top team and we were not fielding our full team so we knew how hard it would be.
“I go into every match to win but I am a realist, and I know that it is Friday’s matches which are more important right now for us. I believe we can make the play-offs.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)
 
BIRMINGHAM moved back into the Cab Direct Championship play-off places after beating Plymouth 50-40 at Perry Barr.
It was just a second win of the season in the Second City for the Brummies who claimed all three league points after securing a 97-82 aggregate success.

And it means they head to Edinburgh for their final regular fixture on Friday still in with a chance of extending their season.
Troy Batchelor (12) and Justin Sedgmen (10) headed up a solid Brummies team effort against an injury-hit Gladiators side, whose top scorers were Kyle Howarth with 12+1 and guest Rory Schlein on 11+1.
Birmingham boss Stewart Dickson said: “That was the result we wanted and needed as a team and as a club, and it was one the supporters deserved as well.

“It was a much better performance right through the team with everybody scoring; we had a good couple of really strong individual performances and also one or two of the riders, they know who they are, bucked up their ideas and contributed what we’ve been expecting of them much more than of late.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

OXFORD are five points clear at the top of the National Development League table after a crushing 64-26 win over Kent at Cowley.
Teenager Jody Scott registered a four-ride paid maximum (9+3), whilst skipper Jordan Jenkins (12) and Henry Atkins (11+1) were denied full houses of their own by a retirement and a disqualification respectively.

Luke Killeen added 10+1 for the dominant Chargers, whilst Ben Morley top-scored for the Royals with 10.
Oxford boss Peter Schroeck said: “The boys were outstanding tonight. They did the job required and more, so we’re really happy with the end result.

“Credit to Kent because they travelled to us under difficult circumstances tonight missing three of their riders which is tough for any team. But we kept it professional and moved that bit closer to confirming a place in the Grand Final.
“There’s still work to do, and we can’t take our eyes off the ball. But the signs are positive and I have every faith in this squad to beat any team in this division when we’re firing on all cylinders.”

(SPEEDWAY 5)

SHEFFIELD and Wolverhampton are both forced into changes for tonight’s (Thursday) Sports Insure Premiership clash at Owlerton.
The meeting between the two play-off qualifiers may turn into a dress rehearsal for the semi-finals should they remain in second and third places.

Tigers reserve Claus Vissing crashed in Denmark last night and is replaced by Jye Etheridge, whilst for Wolves Zach Cook is ruled out after coming to grief at Edinburgh on Wednesday, with Luke Killeen stepping in.
Sheffield are also without No.1 Tai Woffinden after his Cardiff crash, and boss Simon Stead has explained the decision to operate rider replacement tonight.

Stead said: “We’ve only got big meetings left at Owlerton after Thursday, so with that in mind we have decided to run R/R at No.1.  “People know I never find that ideal, but with our play-off place confirmed and with the Cup Final coming up followed by the play-off semi-final, we felt giving some of our lads some bonus track time would be more beneficial than picking a random guest for this occasion.”

Wolves star Steve Worrall said: “We see it as very important. We’ve got to make sure that even if we don’t win, we take as much from it as we can.
“This is a time to try anything we want to try, figure anything out there because we know there’s a very good chance we’ll be going back there in the play-offs, so we need to make Thursday count one way or another.”

(FIXTURES

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 7:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP R2: Peterborough (33) v Leicester (57) 7.30, Sheffield (35) v Wolverhampton (55) 7.30

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 8:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (46) v Plymouth (44) 7pm, Edinburgh (54) v Birmingham (36) (follows previous fixture), Glasgow (38) v Oxford (52) 7.30, Scunthorpe (43) v Berwick (47) 7.30
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue (39) v Leicester (51) 7.30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick (44) v Plymouth (45) 7pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Leicester (39) v Workington (50) 6.30
NDL KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Leicester (53) v Workington (37) (follows previous fixture)

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 10:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar (39) v Glasgow (51) 5pm
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent (37) v Edinburgh (52) 12pm, Mildenhall (49) v Workington (41) 4pm