BRITISH SPEEDWAY OCTOBER 6, 2024

(SPEEDWAY 1)
 
OXFORD HALF WAY THERE

OXFORD have a 12-point lead at the halfway stage of the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final after a powerful finish to defeat Poole 51-39 in front of a bumper crowd at Cowley.
The Cheetahs’ top two of Sam Masters and captain Scott Nicholls combined for 5-1s in both Heats 13 and 15 to extend the margin into double figures and inflict the Pirates’ heaviest defeat of the season.

Masters, with 12+3, scored a paid maximum whilst Nicholls recovered from a last place in his first ride to notch 10+1, and reserve Luke Killeen was a key figure with 12+1 from his five outings.
Zach Cook was the pick of the Pirates with 9+1 including two race wins from the back, and they will look to hit back at Wimborne Road on Wednesday.

Nicholls said: “The other boys set it up for us in the previous races, but we’ve just seen what a big difference that Heats 13 and 15 can make in the Premiership Final, where Belle Vue did the damage against Leicester in those races.
“I enjoy riding with Sam, and we did the business in those races tonight.

“A 12-point lead is good, but we certainly won’t take anything for granted heading into Poole next Wednesday and we know it will be tough down there.
“But we’ll down go down with the same mentality and same attitude and do what we can to bring the title back to Oxford.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

POOLE boss Neil Middleditch insists it’s all to ride for despite a 12-point defeat in the first leg of the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final at Oxford on Saturday.
The Pirates find themselves in a similar position to last season heading back to their home track on Wednesday, having been unable to turn around a deficit of 14 when they lost out to Glasgow in the 2023 title decider.

And Middleditch admits the closing stages at Cowley, when Sam Masters and Scott Nicholls raced to two 5-1s, were damaging moments for his side.
He said: “It is not exactly a mountain, I would say it is more of a very steep hill. Twelve points is a little bit disappointing especially as we worked so very hard in the early stages to stop them from getting away from us.

“We knew we had to do that because they are always going to be strong in Heats 13 and 15 with Sam and Scotty.
“But it was just one of those nights. Tom (Brennan) had an off night and was sort of left scratching his head as to what happened, and you don’t see Richard (Lawson) drop so many points.

“OK, we lost tonight, but we had the two best teams in the league going head-to-head on a good track, so let’s hope that the weather doesn’t intervene on Wednesday and we can go again. There is all to ride for and one thing is for sure with matches like this, speedway is alive and kicking.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

OXFORD host the best of the country’s rising talent today (Sunday, 3pm) with the re-scheduled staging of the British Under-19 Final.
The home side have five representatives with Luke Killeen in top form after his display against Poole on Saturday, and he will start as one of the favourites.

Ashton Boughen, Jody Scott, Ashton Vale and Senna Summers also race for Oxford at various levels, and 15-year-old sensation William Cairns is also included.
There will be new names on the rostrum today as last season’s top three of Dan Thompson, Nathan Ablitt and Joe Thompson are no longer eligible.

Vale said: “Of course, every rider in the British Under-19 Final wants to end up as the champion. I’ve got this year and another three years after this year to do that.
“I’m looking for a good afternoon at Oxford, to do as well as I can, to figure out where I stand compared to the guys in it who already ride in the Championship, and to give my confidence a further boost.”

(FIXTURES)

SUNDAY OCTOBER 6:
BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Oxford 3pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 7:
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue (50) v Sheffield (39) 7.30
 
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL 2nd leg: Poole (39) v Oxford (51) 7.30