HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Sheffield's Charles Wright on his way to a 14-point haul in the Tigers Championship KO Cup win at Redcar on Friday night. Picture: COLIN POOLE
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "I'm stoked to have got my biggest score against Leicester. We got the bikes dialed in and they hooked up nice. It was awesome to be in amongst the big points again." Aces reserve Jye Etheridge headed into the Premiership's international break with a confidence boosting paid-12 score the big home win over the Lions on Bank Holiday Monday. NEXT HOME: Speedway of Nations, Tues June 5 (7pm) / British Final, Mon Jun 11 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton (KOC), Mon June 18 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "It was a very disappointing end to what was a hard meeting. We were so close to winning the meeting in heat 14 but no excuses; I said all along that Somerset would be difficult as they proved." The Stars saw their unbeaten home run ended by Somerset in a Heat 15 turnaround last Wednesday, with the Rebels taking maximum points in the last race to the frustration of Dale Allitt's side. NEXT HOME: Rye House, Mon June 18 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed June 13 (7.30)
LEICESTER "If there's an opportunity and we believe it will make us stronger then it's something we will have to look seriously at. At this moment in time I feel like we can get more out of the riders we've got." Lions boss Simon Stead warns the club may look at their options "“ but is confident he can get the best out of the club's septet as they chase a play-off place. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Wed June 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon June 25 (7.30)
POOLE "Once Nicolai is in place I believe we will only grow stronger and I firmly believe we can mount a challenge at the top of the table." Pirates promoter Matt Ford certainly isn't giving up on the 2018 season after a tough start, with Danish star Nicolai Klindt set to rejoin the club after the international break. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Wed June 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed June 20 (7.30)
RYE HOUSE "Hopefully it's a bit of a turnaround for me now, it's not been the greatest start to the season with my knee injury." Unlucky Edward Kennett reacting to his impressive display in the Rockets' televised win over King's Lynn"¦ five days before suffering a broken arm in a Longtrack crash in the Czech Republic. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Wed June 20 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Thur June 14 (7.30)
SOMERSET "We battled well all night and were making better starts which ultimately was the key factor. When it mattered we kept our nerve at the end." Garry May's Rebels went into the international break with one of their best results of the season "“ a dramatic 46-44 win at King's Lynn in a last-heat decider to move into the Premiership's top four. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Wed June 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole (KOC), Wed June 27 (7.30)
SWINDON "Rosco (Alun Rossiter) was good with me last year and gave me four rides when I wasn't scoring. (Jack) just needs to keep his head up and it'll come "“ that's what they did with me last year." Flying Robins reserve Zach Wajtknecht has words of encouragement for recent signing Jack Smith who is looking to establish himself at the Abbey Stadium. NEXT HOME: Rye House, Thur June 14 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Wed June 13 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "I know I have a bigger job to do this year, and while I'm pretty happy overall, I still want to do better. I've been having some tougher times in my last few meetings and it can be hard to get away from that." Wolves No.1 Jacob Thorssell is moderately happy with his season so far "“ but is still chasing improvement later this summer. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue (KOC), Mon June 18 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed June 13 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "We took seven first places out of 15, and really gave a team who are excellent on their own track some real work to do, and I can't complain at that. Oh, we got one League point too which can't be bad at all!" The positive start to the Championship campaign continued for the Bandits at Newcastle, with manager Scott Courtney happy to take four points from the weekend matches. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sat June 7 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Thur June 9 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "Coty fought hard over the two legs and did what we needed from him, we will have options coming up to replace Matt but he is certainly of them." Monarchs boss Alex Harkess admits Coty Garcia's displays in their KO Cup aggregate win over Glasgow could put him in the frame to become a more permanent replacement for Matt Williamson. NEXT HOME: Workington (CS), Fri June 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat June 16 (7pm)
GLASGOW "Last night was my favourite result as a manager so far, because they stuck it out. In the last race I said to Chris (Harris) and Richie (Worrall) that we needed a 4-2 minimum to get a draw - a defeat and we were out. I said that if we were on a 4-2 not to take risks." Tigers boss Cami Brown accepted two Championship Shield points from a draw at Workington, knowing his side now have to wait for results elsewhere to determine their fate in the group. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Fri June 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Sun June 10 (5pm)
IPSWICH "Danyon and Connor are both doing really well in the National League and they need to bring that into the Championship now. You can score double figures in the National League every week but it does not make you a good rider, you have got to be doing it in the two professional leagues. They need to bring that form and confidence into the professional leagues now." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins hopes the big scores being produced by Danyon Hume and Connor Mountain for Birmingham and Coventry respectively translate into results at Foxhall starting this week. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Thur June 7 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur July 5 (7.30)
LAKESIDE "It's pleasing to be in the position we're in right now but we know there's still a long way to go. But making the most of our home track advantage is something we want to do all season long and we've looked really good at the Raceway so far with all the boys getting dialled in." Will Pottinger's Hammers are top of the Championship after their latest convincing Purfleet victory against Workington last Friday. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Fri June 15 (8pm) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Fri June 29 (7.30)
NEWCASTLE "It was a good performance from the side tonight, even more so when Tero, one of our very best, only took one point after engine issues and a seriously bad fall, but the rest of lads rallied and we took a win." Boss George English was pleased with the Diamonds' recovery from defeat at Berwick to win the home return despite problems for Finnish star Tero Aarnio. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sun June 17 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri June 8 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "It's absolutely devastating news, we were very much looking forward to having Edward in the team, and naturally we wish him all the best. The management are already in talks over what to do next." Frustration for the Panthers and co-promoter Ged Rathbone, who had announced the signing of Edward Kennett to replace the injured Emil Grondal "“ only for Kennett to break his arm in a Longtrack crash last weekend. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sun June 10 (5pm) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Fri June 8 (7.30)
REDCAR "I'm quite upset to be honest at having to let Matej go. He has made every effort possible to put things right and I still think that he will come good very soon. He is much better than he has shown so far this year, but both the rider and club are under extreme pressure to perform so I believe this is now the best move for both parties." The Bears have signed Dimitri Berge and Nathan Greaves but boss Jitendra Duffill admits he has sympathy with Matej Kus, who has lost his place in the side. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Thur June 7 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat June 9 (7pm)
SCUNTHORPE "I can't complain with the way any of the boys rode, while Aaron Summers came in and did a good job as a guest. But there was simply too much against us." Injury-hit Scorpions saw Jason Garrity pull out during Friday's away defeat at Glasgow, leaving Rob Godfrey's side unable to take anything from the meeting. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri June 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Lakeside, Sat June 23 (7.45)
SHEFFIELD "The boys have worked well as a team over the two meetings and we never felt too uncomfortable. I was pleased we got the win at their place though because it's something we can take the positives from going forward." Home and away wins over Redcar have set up a KO Cup quarter-final clash with Scunthorpe for Simon Stead's Tigers. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Thur June 14 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur June 7 (7.30)
WORKINGTON "Glasgow were obviously keen to make amends for our recent victory up at their place and the scores were close throughout; but a share of the spoils in heat 15 would have seen us through. Nevertheless, if we can get a draw up at Edinburgh on Friday we can go through on points difference so that now has to be our aim." Comets boss Tony Jackson emphasises that their draw at home to Glasgow does not mean the end of their Championship Shield aspirations. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sat June 23 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (CS), Fri June 8 (7.30)
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE COLTS "It's been a very productive weekend for us. The lads did amazingly well at Plymouth and we've seen some huge positives come out of Buxton. We've just got to keep doing what we're doing." Jack Smith's Colts are clear at the top of the National League table with points on the board, having added four to their total over two close weekend away matches. NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Fri June 22 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed June 20 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "He lost a sense of feeling in his hand and fingers and the problem has been made worse by the fact that it's the same shoulder he dislocated last season. So it's not straightforward at all. He needs to go back to the fracture clinic and they need to assess if he's sustained any muscle damage." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers can't believe the misfortune suffered by recent returnee Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, who was involved in a horror crash whilst guesting at Sheffield last Thursday. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Wed June 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall (KOC), Sun June 18 (3pm)
BUXTON "Cradley have a tricky track here at Monmore on which many riders struggle, and they are a top team and will beat most clubs around their home track and away from home also. All the lads did their best and that is all we can ask for." A philosophical Josh Moss reflects on the Hitmen's 68-22 hammering at Monmore Green in the National Trophy on Monday night. NEXT HOME: Birmingham (NT), Sun July 8 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed June 13 (7.30)
COVENTRY "Luke gave it a go but he got banged up last night and his shoulder wasn't good, and he had the brains to pull out. He should be back for next week "“ he hit the ground hard and he was just feeling second-hand, so I've advised him to get checked out." Coventry overcame Kent 52-38 at Leicester despite the withdrawal after one ride of Luke Ruddick, who had crashed at Eastbourne 24 hours earlier. Boss Martyn Macdonald said he'd made a sensible move. NEXT HOME: Cradley (NT), Sun June 10 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri June 15 (7.15)
EASTBOURNE "We wanted it sewn up by heat 12 "“ you want any match sewn up by heat 12. It was tight early on and we had a few falls. That happens, that's part of racing. We kept our finger on the button and pressed on throughout the meeting." Eagles' No.1 Georgie Wood scored a 15-point maximum as the Arlington side put Coventry out of the KO Cup to maintain their unbeaten aggregate record in the competition since joining the NL in 2015. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sat June 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed June 6 (7.30)
ISLE OF WIGHT "The team is a bit deflated at the moment because Ben Hopwood has also damaged some of his fingers and Ben Morley has damaged tendons in his hand riding for Lakeside, but to be fair he's lucky to get away with just that after seeing his crash." Warriors man Chris Widman admits fitness concerns for the club's top two riders are a further concern in a difficult season at Smallbrook so far. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (NT), Thur June 7 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri June 8 (7.15)
KENT The Kings were scoreless at Coventry on Sunday as they went down 52-38 in a league match, but did put themselves in a good KO Cup position the following evening by beating Stoke 56-34 at Central Park. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (NT), Mon June 11 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat June 16 (7.30)
MILDENHALL "We are running with four number ones at the moment and with Danny Halsey looking back to his Mildenhall best too, we are scoring points all over the team. We had another good crowd today which is very pleasing and hopefully the word is getting out that Mildenhall is the place to be for your Sunday speedway fix." It's all going according to plan for the Fen Tigers at this stage, with co-promoter James Easter delighted with a 66-24 demolition of the Isle of Wight in the National Trophy on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Birmingham (KOC), Sun June 17 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne (NT), Sat June 23 (7.30)
PLYMOUTH "A win was of course vitally important to us we so needed it; however, from a fans point of view yet again another exciting and entertaining meeting to watch. Our thanks go to Jordan (Bull) for jumping in at the last minute also." Devils co-promoter Stuart Kellie was a happy man after seeing his side edge out Belle Vue in a thriller at the St Boniface Arena despite the late withdrawal of Bradley Andrews. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, Fri June 8 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne (NT), Sat June 9 (7.30)
STOKE "It is half-time in the tie, there are fifteen heats to do at Loomer Road in the second leg and they could have similar luck, and if we have a full team on song it is possible we can turn things around." Potters boss Adam Isherwood was far from downhearted after suffering a 22-point reverse in the first leg of their KO Cup clash with Kent on Monday. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, Sat June 16 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon July 2 (6.30)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY JUNE 5: SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS: Belle Vue 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 6: TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Eastbourne 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 7: CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Isle of Wight v Eastbourne 7pm
FRIDAY JUNE 8: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Peterborough 7.30, Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Edinburgh v Workington 7.30 TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Isle of Wight 7.15
SATURDAY JUNE 9: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Redcar 7pm TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Mildenhall 7pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Eastbourne v Plymouth 7.30
SUNDAY JUNE 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Peterborough v Glasgow 5pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Coventry v Cradley 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 11: BRITISH FINAL: Belle Vue 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30
TUESDAY JUNE 12: TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Plymouth 7pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 13: PREMIERSHIP: Leicester v Swindon 7.30, Poole v King's Lynn 7.30, Somerset v Wolverhampton 7.30 NATIONAL TROPHY: Birmingham v Buxton 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 14: PREMIERSHIP: Swindon v Rye House 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield v Berwick 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 15: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30, Glasgow v Workington 7.30, Lakeside v Berwick 8pm, Scunthorpe v Peterborough 7.30 TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Coventry 7.15
SATURDAY JUNE 16: CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Kent 7.30, Stoke v Isle of Wight 7pm
SUNDAY JUNE 17: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30 CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD: Peterborough v Ipswich 5pm NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Mildenhall v Birmingham 3pm NATIONAL TROPHY: Coventry v Buxton 3pm
MONDAY JUNE 18: PREMIERSHIP: King's Lynn v Rye House 7.30 PREMIERSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30
WEDNESDAY JUNE 20: PREMIERSHIP: Rye House v Belle Vue 7.30, Somerset v Poole 7.30 TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Birmingham v Belle Vue 7.30
