HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Scott Nicholls continues to roll back the years. Once again in the points scoring 11+1 for Premiership league leaders in last Thursday's 54-36 win at local-rivals King's Lynn. Picture: DEREK LEADER
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES...
BELLE VUE "There were places where points shouldn't have slipped but the boys who dropped those points are already massively disappointed, so we need to learn from this and move on to the next one. We just didn't find our rhythm as quickly as we normally do, but as a group we pulled together and made sure that we didn't leave Owlerton empty handed." Aces boss Mark Lemon took some consolation from a league point gained as his side finally lost their 2021 unbeaten record in a thriller at Sheffield last Thursday. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Mon July 12 NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur July 8
IPSWICH "Cookie is loving life at Ipswich and that is showing in his performances. It is nice to see him have a very good one tonight. I hope everyone is happy to see us beat King's Lynn again and this time we will need to follow it up with a home win." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins was delighted with recent signing Craig Cook's 12+1 haul in their 48-42 win at King's Lynn on Monday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur July 8 NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon July 19
KING'S LYNN "We got close but we didn't have enough strength as a team. You only have to look at the scorecard for the weak links in the team and we certainly couldn't match their reserves." The frustration continues for Stars boss Peter Schroeck, with two home defeats in the space of five days completed by an Ipswich ride inspired by reserve Paul Starke on Monday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur July 22 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur July 15
PETERBOROUGH "Four points was what we came for, and four points was what we've ended up with. When we got going again the boys just turned the screw, and it was a great performance. We're full of confidence and it's a happy camp." Panthers boss Rob Lyon saw his side pull off another big away win at King's Lynn last Thursday, with a sixth successive victory making their position at the top of the Premiership even stronger. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Mon July 12 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur July 22
SHEFFIELD "We did well early doors containing them, we then sort of lost the set-up a little bit and they hit us hard. We had a chat between ourselves though, we knew if we got it right we could be stronger at the end of the meeting, and that's how it proved." Tigers boss Simon Stead had mixed emotions after Monday's away trip to Wolverhampton, but was at least able to come away with the consolation of seeing his side rescue a league point. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur July 15 NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Mon July 12
WOLVERHAMPTON "We've still got a lot of home meetings to do and surely we should get plenty of points from those so we're sitting in a pretty strong position right now." Wolves star Sam Masters is content with the position the Monmore side find themselves in at this stage of the season, having defeated Sheffield 48-42 on Monday. NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon July 19 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon July 12
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "Again it was a team effort, and with Dany Gappmaier looking so fast tonight along with Leon picking up paid 17 at reserve we have a solid side getting good results, and we can continue to do so." Bandits boss Gary Flint singled out two of his high scorers for their performances in Saturday's hard-fought 51-39 win over Newcastle. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sat July 10 NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri July 9
BIRMINGHAM "We know there are people who aren't bothered about the football who were just desperate to get back to Perry Barr but from the club's point of view it would be a financial disaster to even try and compete with such a huge national event." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers has clear and straightforward reasoning for the decision to put back the club's return to home action by week in order not to clash with England's Euro 2020 semi-final with Denmark on Wednesday. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Wed July 14 NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri July 9
EASTBOURNE "The pressure is not always ideal, but we have come through a good meeting. We are a good side and everyone has a good set-up, and we should be winning by a bit more." Eagles star Richard Lawson hopes future home meetings are slightly more comfortable after playing a vital role in last Sunday's dramatic comeback victory over Glasgow. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun July 18 NEXT AWAY: Kent (KOC), Tues July 6
EDINBURGH The Monarchs are back in action this weekend with home and away clashes against Berwick as they bid to bounce back from their first defeat of the league campaign at Scunthorpe last month. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Fri July 9 NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat July 10
GLASGOW "Eastbourne played around with the track and tried everything they could, but in the Glasgow camp I saw a team coming together. Not many teams will get a point there and we had 10 heat winners, which shows the quality we have in the side." Tigers boss Cami Brown was keen to stress the positives after a narrow defeat at Arlington on Sunday despite his side again holding a clear lead heading into the closing stages. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri July 9 NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues July 20
KENT "It had been our intention to give young Jake Mulford at least three of the rider-replacement rides on Tuesday as we try to bring him up to Championship speed. We now learn that he has a day of driving instruction and his License Test, so will not be able to get here in time. Must say, I feel punctured!" Kings promoter Len Silver reveals an unusual reason for a change of plan for Tuesday's KO Cup tie, as they continue to work towards a long-term replacement for the retired Tom Bacon. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (KOC), Tues July 6 NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri July 9
LEICESTER "The thing I liked was that sometimes when you contact a rider, you get a lukewarm feeling. When I dealt with Hans, he was up for it straightaway. He's ridden with Nick Morris before at Swindon, he's been about the scene for a while and I'm sure he'll slot into our team perfectly." The Lions have pulled off the signing of Danish star Hans Andersen, who will make his Championship debut for the club in this Saturday's home clash with Scunthorpe. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sat July 10 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sun July 18
NEWCASTLE "This was us at our best of the season so far with the team really pulling together with the best team spirit and beating a very, very fancied Scunthorpe side with all our lads looking much more up for it. Our season has really taken off this weekend and our team is a proper team now." Diamonds promoter Rob Grant took great encouragement from his side's weekend efforts with a battling display at Berwick being followed by an impressive home win over Scunthorpe. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sun July 25 NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Fri July 9
PLYMOUTH The Gladiators have announced new dates for two recently-postponed fixtures, and will now host Birmingham and Newcastle at the Coliseum on August 24 and August 31 respectively. NEXT HOME: Poole, Tues July 13 NEXT AWAY: Poole (KOC), Wed July 21
POOLE "In Ondřej, I feel that we have a rider very much in form and with plenty to offer and I welcome him to Poole where he will begin his British career. Originally he was in Newcastle's plans for 2020 but because of the cancellation of that season he never had the chance to ride for them. I know that he is very keen to forge a name for himself beyond his home country of Czechia and I have a feeling that Poole fans will quickly take him to heart." Pirates promoter Matt Ford has made a team change with Czech rider Ondrej Smetana set to join the club this month as a replacement for Zane Keleher. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (KOC), Wed July 21 NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues July 13
REDCAR "The top and bottom of it was that we just didn't make starts, we raced hard but we struggled out of the gate. Gating has been a little bit of a problem for us this year but we will keep working on things, but when the track is wet you have to make starts." Bears boss Jade Mudgway tells redcarspeedway.com he knows the problems he has to solve after seeing his side suffer a surprise home defeat to Eastbourne last Friday. NEXT HOME: Birmingham, Fri July 9 NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues July 13
SCUNTHORPE "We did have a little bit of bad luck, and I feel we're owed a bit of luck in an away meeting. When we do get that, we'll make sure we take full advantage. Today was disappointing, but we'll re-group and come back stronger. We need to keep on winning at home, while I'm sure the away victories and points will come." Scorpions boss Dave Peet isn't pressing the panic button over away form after seeing his side lose out at Newcastle on Sunday. NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri July 9 NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat July 10
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
ARMADALE "It was another day of forecasts changing all of the time and unfortunately that large band of rain caught us just after start time. The financial aspect of operating a National Development League team is a careful balance. Abandoned meetings are never ideal for this and add to the challenge." Devils promoter John Campbell stressed the frustration at the club after last Friday's NDL fixture with Leicester was abandoned after two completed races. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Sat Aug 28 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat July 31
BELLE VUE "At the end of the day, it was just one of those nights where anything that could go wrong, went wrong for us but we can't dwell on that now. There's nothing we can do to change the result." Colts star Jack Parkinson-Blackburn says the side have to quickly put last Friday's home defeat to Kent behind them. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Fri July 23 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat July 17
BERWICK The Bullets made a long trip to Mildenhall in vain last weekend as the match was called off following heavy rain and track work, and they now prepare to host the Fen Tigers at Shielfield Park in their next fixture later this month. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Sat July 24 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sun Aug 15
EASTBOURNE The Seagulls' clash with the Leicester Lion Cubs has been put back by one week due to a clash with the Euro 2020 Final and, like the senior match between the sides, will now take place on Sunday July 18 "“ with the scheduled visit of Belle Vue the previous night to be rescheduled. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun July 18 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri July 23
KENT "It was great to be back after a while off the bike, with everything just clicking right back into place. And what made it even better was the team getting a huge away win at one of the most difficult away tracks to get a result "“ all the lads dug in, and I was very pleased with our performance." New Royals skipper Ryan Kinsley was buzzing after a superb result for the Royals with Dan Gilkes and Jake Mulford both scoring maximums at Belle Vue. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Mon Aug 30 NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun July 18
LEICESTER "It was absolutely flooded. Jim McGregor waited until 8.15pm to see if it stopped, and the track man said if it did then he could get it right in half an hour, but it just kept drizzling." Lion Cubs boss Dave Howard had no complaints with the decision to abandon last Friday's trip to Armadale after just two completed races "“ even though it means a long trip back to Scotland for the re-staging! NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sat Sept 11 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sun July 18
MILDENHALL "We hope you could see the determination and effort put in to get the meeting on, and Greg and his team miraculously nearly succeeded. There sadly remained two damp areas on the track that made it too dangerous for racing on, and with no real heat left in the afternoon sun to dry the track further the only correct decision possible was made. We will always put rider safety first at Mildenhall." The Fen Tigers issued a website statement to thank supporters for their patience during a lengthy delay after heavy rain immediately prior to Sunday's clash with Berwick, which was ultimately postponed. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sun July 18 NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat July 24
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY JULY 6: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 7: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Birmingham v Redcar OFF
THURSDAY JULY 8: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Belle Vue 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 9: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Berwick 7.30, Glasgow v Newcastle 7.30, Redcar v Birmingham 7.30, Scunthorpe v Kent 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Edinburgh 7pm, Leicester v Scunthorpe 7pm
MONDAY JULY 12: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Wolverhampton 7.30, Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 13: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Redcar 6.30, Plymouth v Poole 7pm
WEDNESDAY JULY 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Scunthorpe 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 15: PREMIERSHIP: Sheffield v King's Lynn 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 16: BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL: Redcar 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30
SUNDAY JULY 18: CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Leicester 3pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Leicester (follows Champ fixture), Mildenhall v Kent 3pm
MONDAY JULY 19: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Wolverhampton v Ipswich 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 20: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Birmingham 6.30, Plymouth v Glasgow 7pm
