BRITISH SPEEDWAY OCTOBER 4, 2023

(SPEEDWAY 1)

WITCHES MOVE CLOSER TO GRAND FINAL WIN

IPSWICH put themselves in the driving seat at the halfway stage of the Sports Insure Premiership Grand Final with a 54-36 win over Sheffield in the first leg.
The Witches matched the margin they achieved at home to Belle Vue in the semi-final thanks to a burst of scoring in the closing stages, securing 5-1s in three of the last four races.

Their spearhead of Jason Doyle (15) and Emil Sayfutdinov (13+2) both recorded maximums, and with skipper Danny King chipping in with ten, the Tigers were reduced to just four heat wins.
Guest Robert Lambert scored nine for the visitors whilst Josh Pickering (8) produced a brilliant effort from the back to win Heat 14.

Ipswich boss Ritchie Hawkins said: “I’m really happy with the result, it was a really tough battle. We managed to come through it and get a decent lead, so I’m delighted with all seven of them on a tricky track tonight due to the weather we had last night.
“I’m delighted with the boys, and it is a good lead, but we know Sheffield are going to come strong on Thursday.
“It was a brilliant performance from our three heat leaders, they won a lot of races. Heats 13 and 15 were crucial 5-1s, that is eight points up in two heats and they could easily have been shared heats.

“They have been superb all season and we have talked a lot about it, you can’t put into words the job they have done, and they have come up trumps again and what a pleasure they have been to work with.
“It was tough out there tonight, 13 out of the 14 riders attacked the track and battled hard. It felt like a battle, and it wasn’t enjoyable conditions for anyone to ride in, but it couldn’t be helped.
“The weather played its part which it does at this time of year, and it was a proper Final with two teams battling their hardest. I’m sure it will be the same on Thursday.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead is adamant his team can still turn the Sports Insure Premiership Grand Final around on home shale this Thursday.
The Tigers went down to an 18-point defeat at Foxhall in the first leg, which therefore means they need to improve on past Owlerton results against the Witches this season which have seen them twice win 51-39 before a narrower 48-42 victory in the KO Cup.

Stead said: “Obviously I’m disappointed we weren’t able to keep it closer, and the lads feel the same.
“There’s no real excuse for a couple of the decisions that went against us in the first few races and they definitely worked in Ipswich’s favour.
“We were still able to keep things pretty tight for the first eight races though – it was just a shame we let them pull away the way they did in the second half of the meeting.

“But while we would’ve liked to have kept it much, much closer, we’re far from giving up on that league title just yet because at the end of the day, we’ve still got 15 races at our place to turn it all around.
“Looking back on historic visits of Ipswich to Owlerton and knowing what those riders who will be representing Sheffield are capable of around there, let me tell you now that this contest is far from over and it’s by no means finished.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

GLASGOW made it into the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final as their crunch group decider against Oxford came down to a thrilling finale at Ashfield.
The Tigers needed to win the match by more than ten points and eventually triumphed 52-38, a result which appeared wholly unlikely when they trailed 9-15 on the night after four races.

Both teams used tactical substitutes during the meeting but the crucial phase was Heats 12-14 when Glasgow raced to three successive 5-1s, two of them featuring reserve Lee Complin.
Oxford needed a 5-1 from Heat 15 to force a Super Heat but although Sam Masters took the win, Scott Nicholls spun on turn three as he tried to move inside the Tigers duo.

Benjamin Basso led the scoring for the hosts with 13 whilst Tom Brennan added 11+1 with Chris Harris on 10+2, and Complin chipped in with a crucial. Nicholls had earlier scored 13 for the Cheetahs.
Glasgow boss Cami Brown said: “We had a team meeting just before Heat 11. I said to the boys we need four heat advantages. We can do this, we’ve done it all season.

“To be honest, I didn’t see us getting a 5-1s in Heat 12 and 13. Before we knew it, we were in the box seat.
“I think Oxford rode really well all night. Towards the end they wobbled a tad because that was the first time we had put pressure on them over the two ties.

“They played Scott Nicholls early in the rider replacement. It certainly didn’t backfire because they got the 5-1. But it perhaps made them weaker later in the meeting.
“We never gave up. This team never gives in. They have proved they have the character to go all the way.”
Glasgow will now host Poole in the first leg of the Grand Final on Friday (October 6) with the return at Wimborne Road on Wednesday October 11.

(SPEEDWAY 4)

OXFORD manager Peter Schroeck was magnanimous in defeat as the Cheetahs’ Cab Direct Championship hopes were dashed at Glasgow.
The Cowley side battled for top spot throughout the season but were denied a Grand Final showdown with Poole after scoring 38 points at Ashfield on Tuesday, falling just short of their target for the aggregate point to win play-off Group B.

Schroeck said: “It’s a tough result to take and as you’d expect the boys are devastated. But when the dust settles, we can proud of the team’s achievements this season in what is only our second year back.
“We knew Glasgow wouldn’t go down without a fight, and so it proved. They got better as the night went on and we wish them every success in the Final.

“I know how desperate the boys were to get back on home shale on Sunday, but it wasn’t to be and as a club we’ll pick ourselves up from this before starting planning for 2024. A big thank you to riders, everyone at the club behind the scenes who commit themselves to our operation and, of course, the supporters.
“They’ve been first class this season and sit at the heart of our success story. We couldn’t do what we do without them, and we’re forever thankful.”

(FIXTURES)

THURSDAY OCTOBER 5:
SPORTS INSURE PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL 2nd leg: Sheffield (36) v Ipswich (54) 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 6:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINAL 1st leg: Glasgow v Poole 7.30
CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Redcar (36) v Scunthorpe (54) 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 7:
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Workington v Kent 3pm
FAREWELL TO THE SHOWGROUND: Peterborough 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 8:
NDL KO CUP FINAL 1st leg: Mildenhall v Leicester 4pm