HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Leicester continued their winning ways at the top of the Championship table with a 40-32 win against Redcar at the Paul Chapman & Sins Arena on Saturday night. Picture: STEVE DIXON
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "It's another reality check for us, definitely. It's a kick up the backside that we need to respond to so hopefully we can learn from this and come back stronger against Ipswich next week." Aces skipper Max Fricke calls on his side to respond positively after they lost top spot in the Premiership with a home defeat to Poole. NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon July 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon July 15 (7.30)
IPSWICH "Every one of our riders won a heat and we were extremely solid throughout once again which sums up our team. Three of our next four meetings are away from home so to stay top of the table will be tough. However, we are in such a strong position that with a run of home fixtures we should be able to pull it back." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins says the prospects for his side are very encouraging, after they moved to the top of the table with another win at Peterborough on Monday. NEXT HOME: Poole, Thur July 11 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Thur July 4 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "I'm really pleased about this result, we did well and we made the most of a good start. We were consistent and that was pleasing and I thought Erik (Riss) was excellent." A good night for the Stars and boss Peter Schroeck with a home win over Swindon on Monday to boost their chances of gaining ground on the top four in the Premiership. NEXT HOME: Poole, Mon July 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Thur July 4 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "It's always fast around here and when you have a crash it's never a small one, especially when you collect somebody's back wheel "“ and he came down hard on his head. As for the meeting, one or two riders were off the pace, which is disappointing, and we need to regroup again." The health of skipper Hans Andersen after a heavy crash was the main topic of attention for Panthers boss Carl Johnson following Monday's home defeat to Ipswich. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur July 11 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon July 22 (7.30)
POOLE THE Pirates secured back-to-back wins over Belle Vue to enhance their league position, taking victory in Manchester on Monday despite being without broken ankle victim Richie Worrall and both regular reserves due to injury and illness. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur July 4 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Mon July 8 (7.30)
SWINDON "I'm disappointed but we have nights like this and we have to move on. When we got going it was a little too late and we need to be on it from the start." Robins boss Alun Rossiter saw his side go 25-10 down after six races at King's Lynn before mounting a spirited comeback "“ albeit too late to salvage a league point. NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Thur July 4 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon July 8 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "Jacob is having trouble re-finding his feet on our type of track on which he's always been so dominant in years gone by. It has been a long time since he's been here on a regular and consistent basis though "“ but he is struggling." Boss Peter Adams admits the comeback of Swedish star Jacob Thorssell has not gone entirely to plan so far, with Wolves having suffered two recent home defeats. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Mon July 8 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur July 11 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "I think we honestly deserved the bonus league point, but that too went out of reach at the end, which would have been some consolation." The Bandits suffered a late collapse at Newcastle on Sunday, conceding a run of heat advantages in the closing stages to leave Gary Flint's side without a league point. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sat July 13 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri July 5 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "We were slated by some for not including him in our team at the start of the season so it should make the majority of our supporters happy to have him back. He loves Birmingham, he won the league here a couple of years ago and he's been showing some really good form in the meetings he's had so far this year." Brummies co-promoter David Mason expects the return of Danyon Hume to be a popular move amongst the club's supporters. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Wed July 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed July 10 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE "If we cannot defend a 24-point lead on Friday, we don't deserve to get into the semi-final." Eagles co-boss Will Pottinger makes his expectations very clear after a convincing first-leg win over Leicester in their KO Cup quarter-final tie. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sat July 6 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester (KOC), Fri July 5 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "Our Swedes as usual had some good rides and some really bad ones, you never know from one race to the other what to expect from them. Connor Coles too was a bit frustrating because he made some starts but could not hold on." Monarchs boss Alex Harkess found inconsistency a cause for frustration as his side failed to score from a tough weekend of derby action against Glasgow. NEXT HOME: Caledonian Riders' Championship, Fri July 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat July 6 (7.30)
GLASGOW "The boys have been great "“ that's 11 matches unbeaten now "“ and we want to keep that going. We don't want to stop "“ winning is infectious." Tigers boss Cami Brown saw his in-form side keep their winning run going as they got the better of Edinburgh home and away for local derby success last weekend. NEXT HOME: Redcar (KOC), Fri July 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (KOC), Tues July 2 (7.30)
LEICESTER "We know we have a mountain to climb on Friday but it's not over until it's over. If we were coming back with 35 to 37 points I would have felt it was really game on, but I can't criticise the way everyone battled." The injury-hit Lions suffered a rare heavy defeat at Eastbourne on Sunday in the first leg of their KO Cup tie, leaving Stewart Dickson's side a tough task for this week's return fixture." NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (KOC), Fri July 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat July 13 (7pm)
NEWCASTLE "This was a fair meeting for both sides as they both rode closer to their normal strengths, but our lads pushed that bit harder when it was needed to take the crucial points and take a deserved win." Diamonds boss George English felt his side were worthy winners from Sunday's clash with Berwick at Brough Park. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sun July 7 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (KOC), Fri July 12 (7.30)
REDCAR "Without any doubt they are the favourites for the Championship this year, so to beat them convincingly has put a big smile on my face. Nobody should hold any fears for us at home now and this will send a message to the rest of the Championship and give us confidence to beat anybody; it won't come any harder than that." Bears promoter Jitendra Duffill was in buoyant mood after his side got the better of leaders Leicester in a thriller at the Media Prima Arena last Friday. NEXT HOME: Glasgow (KOC), Tues July 2 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow (KOC), Fri July 5 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "Simon goes well around our track and he will score plenty of points for us at reserve. He will be one of the best reserves in the league "“ he revels down there. We've looked at the figures and we're pretty sure that Simon will stay at reserve for the rest of the season." Scorpions promoter Rob Godfrey expects new signing Simon Lambert to provide strength in depth, whilst in the heat-leader positions Ben Barker has also joined the club as cover for the injured Jason Garrity. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Fri July 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed July 3 (7.30)
SOMERSET "The last four or five heats were raceable. The excess dirt had been sorted by then. That's how the track needed to be all way through. We asked the referee to take a look at things and I can understand that he wanted to push on with the meeting. There was a crowd there wanting to see some racing but you couldn't race on it the way it was." Rebels boss Garry May defended the his actions in calling for track work during the Championship defeat at Sheffield last Sunday. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Wed July 3 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri July 19 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "I can only apologise to the supporters for having to hang around when they should have been watching Speedway racing and we thank them for their patience - but it was nothing to do with us. I'm proud of the way our boys didn't let it get to them though and it was a great performance from them all." Tigers boss Simon Stead was in unrepentant mood after a controversial home encounter with Somerset where the two clubs clashed over track conditions at Owlerton. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sun July 7 (5.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri July 26 (7.30)
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "It's been really good but now I've got to keep it up. I probably won't be expected to stay at No.1 for the Colt, Leon Flint or Kyle Bickley deserve it more than me. But I'll give it my best shot." Colts youngster Jordan Palin has completed a remarkable rise from 2.00 reserve newcomer to the No.1 position for the NL title-chasers. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, Mon July 22 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri July 19 (7.15)
CRADLEY "Max was in unstoppable form again, and he had support from other areas of the team tonight which was good to see. The lads lower down the team can take positives out of tonight and full credit to the track staff because that was probably the best it's been this year so we thank them for that." Heathens boss Will Pottinger was keen to focus on the positives after his side got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 47-43 triumph over the Isle of Wight at Monmore. NEXT HOME: Stoke, Mon July 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur July 4 (7pm)
ISLE OF WIGHT "We are very excited about welcoming Scott back to Smallbrook, and looking forward to see him blasting around the boards on Thursday nights and in the meantime thank Ryan for his efforts in 2019 and wish him the very best for the future, and the rest of the 2019 season when we hope that Ryan will be able to make some of our open meetings." Warriors co-chief Barry Bishop confirms a team change with 2018 team member Scott Campos rejoining the club in place of Ryan Terry-Daley. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Thur July 4 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon July 8 (6.30)
KENT "Jordan [Jenkins] should we hope be back for the NL matches coming up "“ Friday away at Plymouth and next Monday home to the Isle Of Wight. And Dan [Gilkes], here cheering us on today and significantly off his crutches, is going to be back from his pelvic injury soon." Kings boss Chris Hunt is finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the injury list which has been a constant thorn in their side so far this season. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, Mon July 8 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri July 5 (7.15)
LEICESTER The Lion Cubs will race two Tuesday evening home matches this month in a bid to avert fixture congestion, with new dates now fixed for matches against Plymouth (July 23) and the Isle of Wight (July 30). NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Tue July 23 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun July 21 (3pm)
MILDENHALL The Fen Tigers were convincing winners over the Thurrock Hammers at West Row on Sunday with Danny Ayres scoring a full maximum and Charlie Brooks making a successful return from injury. NEXT HOME: Stoke, Sun July 14 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight (4s), Thur July 25 (7pm)
PLYMOUTH "I think what was important for us as a club was attracting old Plymouth fans back in and introducing some new fans through the gates. The National League is a great product and I feel we showed that last Friday." Gladiators co-promoter Mattie Bates felt the club's inter-league challenge with Somerset last week had been a highly positive exercise. NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri July 5 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Stoke (KOC), Sat July 6 (7pm)
STOKE "The track was good and I feel we now have a bit of home advantage and it's now working for us. We are getting into a bit of form and riders are racing regularly which is now showing out there on the track." Potters youngster Joe Lawlor was in positive mood after a 51-36 win over Cradley helped the Loomer Road side continue their upward progress in mid-season. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (KOC), Sat July 6 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth (KOC), Fri July 12 (7.15)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY JULY 2: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Redcar v Glasgow 7.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 3: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Glasgow 7.30, Somerset v Scunthorpe 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 4: PREMIERSHIP: Poole v King's Lynn 7.30, Swindon v Ipswich 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Cradley 7pm
FRIDAY JULY 5: CHAMPIONSHIP: Scunthorpe v Berwick 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Glasgow v Redcar 7.30, Leicester v Eastbourne 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Kent 7.15 CALEDONIAN RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 6: CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Edinburgh 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Stoke v Plymouth 7pm
SUNDAY JULY 7: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Scunthorpe 6.30, Sheffield v Redcar 5.30
MONDAY JULY 8: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, King's Lynn v Poole 7.30, Wolverhampton v Swindon 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Isle of Wight 6.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Somerset v Birmingham 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 11: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Poole 7.30, Peterborough v Wolverhampton 7.30, Swindon v King's Lynn 7.30 NICE 2v JAWA CHALLENGE: Isle of Wight 7pm
FRIDAY JULY 12: WORLD UNDER-21 TEAM CUP FINAL: Belle Vue 7pm CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Birmingham 7.30, Redcar v Scunthorpe 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Plymouth v Stoke 7.15
SATURDAY JULY 13: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Leicester 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE FOURS: Stoke 6.30
SUNDAY JULY 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Leicester v Berwick 4pm, Sheffield v Eastbourne 5.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Stoke 3pm BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: King's Lynn
MONDAY JULY 15: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Wolverhampton v Ipswich 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Cradley 6.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 17: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Redcar 7.30, Leicester v Edinburgh 7.30, Somerset v Berwick 7.30
