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 moved back to top of the Championship table after a 52-38 win over Scunthorpe on Saturday at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena. The Lions are one point ahead of Glasgow, whose match at Berwick was called off, although the Tigers have matches in hand. Picture: STEVE DIXON
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "I think we proved we are a strong team with that performance. We've still got work to do to ensure our place in the top four but as long as we keep this momentum going, I think we can do it." Aces star Dan Bewley made a successful return from injury in Monday's win over Swindon which kept the Manchester side well-placed in the play-off zone. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Mon Aug 19 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Thur Aug 22 (7.30)
IPSWICH "Cam's knee has come on really well and he has taken it upon himself to get his physio sorted. He has had a lot of sessions with Brian Simpson and Cam does not want to miss any meetings. I wouldn't expect anything to hinder him on Thursday and he is someone who is very good at Foxhall and having a good season." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins confirms it's good news over Cameron Heeps, who is expected to return to action against Swindon on Thursday. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Thur Aug 15 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon Aug 26 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "We are currently working on our team plans and looking at what options we have but I must say in a league of seven clubs you don't have many options when it comes to booking guests. Now we need to stick together and get behind the boys. Wolverhampton will be thinking this is a great chance for them to win but we will have other ideas, trust me." Stars boss Peter Schroeck says his side will pull together in adversity with their top two riders Robert Lambert (injured) and Craig Cook (suspended) currently ruled out. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur Aug 15 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon Aug 26 (12pm)
PETERBOROUGH "Even in Heat 15 there, we were on a 5-1 and Scotty (Nicholls) gets a puncture. That's just our luck at the minute, it's hard to take because we're a better team than what we're showing." Panthers boss Carl Johnson was frustrated as the club's losing sequence continued, going down 56-34 at Wolverhampton on Monday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur Sept 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Mon Aug 19 (7.30)
POOLE The Pirates were frustrated by the weather as their top-of-the-table clash with Ipswich was postponed, and they now prepare for next week's home and away matches against Swindon. NEXT HOME: Swindon, Mon Aug 19 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Mon Aug 22 (7.30)
SWINDON "I don't worry too much yet about the big picture. There's still a while to go and we've got a lot of away matches. If we can keep picking up points away and win at home then we'll be OK." Robins boss Alun Rossiter is keeping cool in the play-off battle, having seen his side gain a point in a 48-42 defeat at Belle Vue on Monday. NEXT HOME: Poole, Thur Aug 22 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Aug 15 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "We still haven't had a night where all seven of us go really good, but we're still managing to get these big wins so that can only be good for the future. It's not far away now I don't think, and all we need to keep doing is keep getting as many league points as we can." Wolves star Jacob Thorssell says they have to keep the momentum going in what is looking set to be a tight battle for play-off places over the coming weeks. NEXT HOME: Poole, Mon Aug 26 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Thur Aug 15 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK The Bandits were left inactive over the weekend with home and away matches against Glasgow called off due to bad weather, and they now prepare to host Eastbourne on Saturday. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Sat Aug 17 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri Aug 23 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "The boys battled so, so hard, it was a great team effort, there was a great team spirit in the pits and a draw was the least we deserved. We've again shown what we can do with a full 1-7 and it gives us more hope of working our way up the league table in the final few weeks of the season." A good week for Laurence Rogers and the Brummies, who put five points on the board in the space of 48 hours by beating Eastbourne at home and then earning a 45-45 draw at Scunthorpe. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Wed Aug 14 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri Aug 23 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE The Eagles were unable to improve their Championship away record at Birmingham last Wednesday and now prepare for a three-day Northern tour taking in matches at Edinburgh, Berwick and Newcastle. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sat Aug 24 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri Aug 16 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "The track was actually really hard work, it wasn't super fun but I got 18 so I can't complain. It would have been a lot better if we could have least got a point of it." Monarchs No.1 Sam Masters put on a faultless display at Sheffield with another maximum, but the team as a whole were unable to salvage any league points from the meeting. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Fri Aug 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed Aug 14 (7.30)
GLASGOW "I feel it's a good time for me to go to the UK and race, because it's been a great season for me in Denmark and I am getting much better. I think I should have some more races and get even better on different tracks." Tigers newcomer Sam Jensen is looking forward to his opportunity at Ashfield having come into the side as a replacement for the injured Paul Starke. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Fri Aug 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Aug 17 (6.30)
LEICESTER "It took us a while to get going tonight but in the second half of the meeting we came on strong. I don't think the scoreline flattered us in any way - 14 points was good, we got the three points that we wanted and we never came away with any injuries or casualties which is always a positive." Stewart Dickson's Lions are back on top of the Championship after a weekend win over Scunthorpe, whilst rivals Glasgow were inactive due to the weather. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sat Aug 17 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Aug 21 (7.30)
NEWCASTLE "As has been our downfall this season, we can't get everyone firing at full power all at once, and if all the lads were we'd be having some great wins to look back on, but again tonight the home side were just too strong for us and deserved their victory." Away-day frustration continued for Diamonds co-promoter Martin Phillips, as his side fell short in Friday's local derby at Redcar. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Sun Aug 18 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Aug 23 (7.30)
REDCAR "The Bears are really starting to dominate at home and I haven't seen us do that for a long time. I honestly feel that this is the strongest Redcar line up that we have ever had and the play offs are looking to be well within our reach now." Co-promoter Jitendra Duffill is enjoying life towards the top of the Championship as an excellent summer continues at the Eddie Wright Raceway. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Tue Aug 13 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Aug 16 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "Danny is so difficult to replace, because his average is absolutely nowhere close to reflecting his value to Scorpions "“ you simply have to look at the number of times we've ended up placing Danny into Heat 15. He's not been riding like the rider fifth in our averages." Promoter Rob Godfrey confirms the bad news that Danny Ayres' great season for the Scorpions is at an end after his crash at Mildenhall last Sunday left him with a broken leg. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Fri Aug 16 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Aug 14 (7.30)
SOMERSET "I was determined to prove to myself and others that I can score points when in the main body of the team. It was my goal at the start of the season to try and build an average that would have taken me out of reserve as I never wanted to be the sort of rider who is just happy to stay at reserve all season." Rebels youngster Anders Rowe scored an impressive nine points racing at No.2 in last week's win over Newcastle. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Wed Aug 14 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Aug 24 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "It couldn't have been a better scenario to end up with us getting maximum points out of it and Edinburgh getting none. We covered for Drew (Kemp) well I thought, and to do that and do enough on a night where Kyle (Howarth) has had a tough one is testament to the boys." Tigers boss Simon Stead regarded it as job done against the Monarchs last weekend as his side look to keep pace with the play-off places. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sun Aug 18 (5.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Tue Aug 13 (7.30)
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "There were no easy rides, even without four of the usual Leicester riders, because they brought in some pretty good guests to strengthen themselves up, so it was a challenging night all around. But we all pulled together, everyone scored what they needed to score, and we got the win." Colts star Danny Phillips said it had been a good all-round effort from the Manchester side to move back into the play-offs with victory over leaders Leicester. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Thur Aug 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon Aug 19 (6.30)
CRADLEY "We were very pleasantly surprised by the crowd levels in our last home meeting against Stoke when you consider the British Final was on TV at the same time. It's very encouraging and positive, the aim is to make the event an enjoyable night out during the school summer holidays and it was the obvious thing to do to make the next meeting free for the kids." Heathens co-chief Nigel Pearson confirms the club will continue promotions for youngsters including the chance to meet the riders when they host Plymouth at Monmore next Monday. NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Mon Aug 19 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Aug 17 (8.30)
ISLE OF WIGHT "It was not to be but we can celebrate more great work again from Ben (Morley) and a magnificent day for Connor (King) who fully deserves a huge amount of praise, not only for today which was great, but for his terrific commitment to the Warriors this season so far." IOW chief Barry Bishop managed to find some positives from a pair of defeats for the Warriors against Mildenhall, as the Fen Tigers moved into the play-off places. NEXT HOME: Handicap Individual Challenge, Thur Aug 15 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Stoke, Sat Aug 31 (7pm)
KENT The Kings took an early decision to call off Monday's Challenge match against a Sussex Select, and now return to action at Mildenhall on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Mon Aug 19 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Aug 18 (3pm)
LEICESTER "Once we are back at full strength I think we are a very strong team. It's just about getting into the play-offs and start again. But I genuinely feel we have a really great side and we can go all the way to see the job out." Lion Cubs skipper Danyon Hume says a 50-40 defeat at Belle Vue last Thursday shouldn't do major damage in the overall picture of top-four qualification. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Sat Aug 17 (8.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur Aug 29 (7pm)
MILDENHALL "Ryan is in our opinion the best option by far for us, he impressed greatly against Thurrock earlier this season showing he still knows the fastest way around our track, and is desperate to ride for us again after his success last season. He loves it at Mildenhall and is a real crowd favourite." Fen Tigers co-owner Phil Kirk confirms Ryan Kinsley is set to step into the breach after No.1 and captain Danny Ayres suffered a broken leg in last Sunday's home win over the Isle of Wight. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sun Aug 18 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Kent, Mon Aug 26 (4pm)
PLYMOUTH "I'm truly gutted for Adam, for his season to end like this is nothing short of a tragedy, but unfortunately it's the dark side of racing and these things happen. The most important thing now is Adam and Danno (Verge) make full recoveries and are back racing in the not too distant future." Gladiators boss Mattie Bates confirms Adam Extance won't race again this season following his crash at Kent last Monday. NEXT HOME: Stoke, Fri Aug 23 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Cradley, Mon Aug 19 (7.30)
STOKE "We have only rode three home league matches this season and providing we can win those meetings it will put us into contention, and we still have to go to Plymouth in the reverse fixture so hopefully we can get something out of that meeting also." Potters boss Adam Isherwood isn't giving up on a late push for the play-offs as the Loomer Road side look to catch up on home fixtures. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sat Aug 24 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Fri Aug 23 (7.15)
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY AUGUST 13: CHAMPIONSHIP: Redcar v Sheffield 7.30
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Scunthorpe 7.30, Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 15: BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Redcar 7.30 PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Swindon 7.30, King's Lynn v Wolverhampton 7.30 HANDICAP INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE: Isle of Wight 7pm
FRIDAY AUGUST 16: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Eastbourne 7.30, Glasgow v Sheffield 7.30, Scunthorpe v Redcar 7.30
SATURDAY AUGUST 17: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Eastbourne 7pm, Leicester v Glasgow 6.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Cradley (follows Championship fixture)
SUNDAY AUGUST 18: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Eastbourne 6.30, Sheffield v Glasgow 5.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Kent 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 19: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 7.30, King's Lynn v Peterborough 7.30, Poole v Swindon 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Plymouth 7.30, Kent v Belle Vue 6.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 20: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Isle of Wight v Belle Vue 7pm
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 21: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Scunthorpe 7.30, Birmingham v Leicester 7.30, Somerset v Sheffield 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 22: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Peterborough 7.30, King's Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Swindon v Poole 7.30
FRIDAY AUGUST 23: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Birmingham 7.30, Redcar v Berwick 7.30, Scunthorpe v Newcastle 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Stoke 7.15
SATURDAY AUGUST 24: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Birmingham 7pm, Eastbourne v Redcar 7.30, Leicester v Somerset 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Belle Vue 7pm
SUNDAY AUGUST 25: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Birmingham 6.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS: Sheffield 5.30
MONDAY AUGUST 26: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King's Lynn 12pm, Swindon v Ipswich 7.30, Wolverhampton v Poole 8pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Kent v Mildenhall 4pm
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 28: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Berwick 7.30
