HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Scunthorpe went top of the Championship table for the first time since 2014 following last week's 51-39 win at Birmingham. Picture: CHRIS SIMPSON
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "It was a big blow for us to lose Richie (Worrall) just hours before tapes up, especially given his recent form away from home and it never does you any favours to be a man down. But the rest showed a lot of resilience and dug deep, as they always do, to turn things around and they came away with the victory they deserved as well as all four league points." Aces boss Mark Lemon was pleased with the bounce-back of his side after a home defeat to Wolverhampton, as they won at former league leaders Peterborough on Monday. NEXT HOME: Ipswich, Mon Aug 2 NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Thur July 22
IPSWICH "Paul carried on his brilliant form and he is looking very good and is not looking like a reserve in this league, so I am really pleased to see him hit such good form. I was so happy for Drew tonight. I know it is a place he likes but that was his best performance for us this season and he rode really well. You can see his confidence increasing from doing well in the British U21 Championship and he is scoring points in the Championship and hopefully he can keep building from here." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins was highly encouraged by the form of reserves Paul Starke and Drew Kemp at Wolverhampton on Monday, with fellow youngster Anders Rowe also due back in the near future. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur July 29 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon Aug 2
KING'S LYNN "I love a challenge, and this is certainly one. I'm so looking forward to getting involved with the riders, I know some of them really well anyway and I was at Sheffield in the pits with them on Thursday with the help of our old boss Rob Lyon. I never expected to get this opportunity, but I'm really excited by it. I regard myself as a winner and I want to try and put some belief back into the side." New Stars boss Alex Brady can't wait to get going, even though he faces a tough opening test as they face away-specialists Belle Vue at the Adrian Flux Arena on Thursday. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur July 22 NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur July 29
PETERBOROUGH "Hopefully when we get towards the business end and we're looking at play-offs, we'll have a different strategy to make sure that whoever we ride in the semi-final, if we get there, we'll have some home advantage "“ but that's for the future. The track staff did a great job in all the heat, and it rode really well. It was the same for both teams and we were second-best tonight." Panthers boss Rob Lyon had no complaints over Monday's home defeat to Belle Vue, but already hopes to have a plan in place if the sides meet again this season! NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Thur Aug 5 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur July 22
SHEFFIELD "King's Lynn kept chipping away at us and they just wouldn't let us go. We don't like these last-heat deciders but to grab a 5-1 and get the three points, that's what we needed. We managed to come out on top in the end and get the job done." Tigers skipper Kyle Howarth was a relieved man after his side avoided a dramatic upset against King's Lynn last Thursday, as he combined with Adam Ellis in the last race. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur July 22 NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Mon Aug 2
WOLVERHAMPTON "We're notoriously good in the second half at home but it was good for us three heat-leaders in myself, Sam (Masters) and Nick (Morris) to get stuck into the heat wins when the pressure was on, and even though we had some issues as a team along the way, we still handled it, we got the win and it feels good to be top of the pile." A perfect week for Wolves and skipper Rory Schlein, with a big four-point haul from an away win at Belle Vue followed up by home success against Ipswich to go to the top of the Premiership table. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Mon July 26 NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Thur Aug 12
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "With Kasper finally installed in the team we can release some of the pressure that running rider-replacement has put Leon and Kyle (Bickley) in particular. We have also swapped the reserves around as we look to perm the best combinations from our team now that it is seven strong." Bandits boss Gary Flint says the arrival of new signing Kasper Andersen will very much boost the balance of the side "“ and is now very much hoping that son Leon's scaphoid injury will not keep him on the sidelines for any extended period. NEXT HOME: Glasgow (KOC), Sat July 31 NEXT AWAY: Newcastle, Sun Aug 1
BIRMINGHAM "We need to recover from the two home defeats we've had so far, and we still believe that this team can get into those play-offs. It hasn't been easy for some of the boys who've only got the one team place but the more laps they get under their belts, the more points they're going to score." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers is keeping his fingers crossed that a run to the top four could still be on the cards for his side, despite a heavy home defeat to Scunthorpe last week. NEXT HOME: Redcar (KOC), Wed July 21 NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh, Fri July 30
EASTBOURNE "We seemed to have the gremlins today. There were some bike failures when we were in for points. Tom Brennan broke down on the start line when he was off the inside where he should have got some points from there. When we were at Glasgow we could have won but we ended up carrying three riders. I think they got four points between the three of them and it has been like that most meetings." Lack of consistency is frustrating Eagles boss Trevor Geer, with a home defeat to Leicester increasing the pressure on the Arlington side to add further away wins as the season continues. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sat July 24 NEXT AWAY: Kent (KOC), Tues July 20
EDINBURGH "Big scores for all the boys and we need that confidence boost for a busy month coming up. We need to be on our game and we all are!" Monarchs skipper Sam Masters was pleased with another convincing home win over Newcastle last weekend as his side continue to be strongly-placed for the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Fri July 23 NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Sun July 25
GLASGOW "The fact that home teams have had to use tactical subs against us in several matches is a compliment to the way we've been riding away from home. But we need to keep winning our home matches, where we have a lot of tough challenges ahead, and then I think we'll need another couple of away wins to make the play-offs." Tigers boss Cami Brown is urging caution to those who may feel his side have already done enough to secure a top-four finish, with plenty of points to ride for both home and away. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sun July 25 NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues July 20
KENT "My big green tractor that I use to bring shale onto the track, so troublesome all this year, has been breathed on by the local main agent and this morning was so powerful I could hardly control it! A personal headache has now disappeared, and I can't tell you how good that feels." Happy days are here again for Kings promoter Len Silver, whose track preparation at Central Park has now been made more straightforward by the repair of a key vehicle. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (KOC), Tues July 20 NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri July 30
LEICESTER "Going into the last race we knew we had three points in the bag, but it was pleasing to get the extra point, and a special thanks to Scott for standing in. I know people were wondering if he'd be there after last night's Grand Prix was abandoned, but he was true to his word and his team-riding with Dan in Heat 11 was fantastic." Former Lions favourite Scott Nicholls made a successful guest appearance for the club in their vital win at Eastbourne on Sunday, their first success on the road in the league this season. NEXT HOME: Poole, Sat July 24 NEXT AWAY: Plymouth, Tues July 27
NEWCASTLE "He's in for the season now and the other six Diamonds, from skipper Ben Barker to his fellow reserve, James Wright as all as enthusiastic to have young Archie into the side as we are and have all said they can't wait to work with him and will guide and advise him as he takes his first races in the Championship." Diamonds boss Steve Pate insists the elevation of Archie Freeman into the club's senior side is part of a long-term strategy which will see the 16-year-old gain vital experience. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Sun July 25 NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri July 23
PLYMOUTH "Luke has asked to stand down from the team and I'm delighted to get Jack in as a replacement. Jack has ridden at Plymouth previously and has excellent equipment, so he should boost our bottom-end scoring." Gladiators promoter Mark Phillips is pleased to have completed a move for Jack Smith at reserve after recent signing Luke Ruddick elected to withdraw from his place in the side. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Tues July 20 NEXT AWAY: Poole (KOC), Wed July 21
POOLE "I think Stevie is probably the rider I have ridden with the most out of everyone. Out of my nine seasons in the UK we have been on the same team in, I think, four of them and we have been partnered a fair bit together in the team line-ups just as we are here at Poole for three of our four programmed rides. Stevie is a great gater, so I know he will always be there on the first bend and so I just have to focus on making some good starts too and we can hopefully keep dominating the first few bends." Pirates star Stefan Nielsen is enjoying his combination with skipper Steve Worrall with plenty of familiarity from previous seasons together. NEXT HOME: Plymouth (KOC), Wed July 21 NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat July 24
REDCAR "It was a fantastic evening, the meeting did not disappoint and every heat was great! Tom Brennan was quality, he obviously has that spot in the Premiership and that can only help him. Tom hasn't had the best of luck in previous years, so I am pleased for him. Jordan Jenkins rode amazingly well, these meetings are really tough when you are 100% fit so to be riding with a fractured wrist is quite frankly unbelievable." GB Youth boss Neil Vatcher had high praise for all involved after the Bears' successful staging of the British Under-21 Final last Friday. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri July 23 NEXT AWAY: Birmingham (KOC), Wed July 21
SCUNTHORPE "We just didn't let our guard down all night - we wanted to take all the points from this meeting, and we made sure we kept on going in Heat 13, 14 and 15 until we did that. It's brilliant to go to the top of the league. At the end of the day, a top four place to get into the play-offs is all that matters, but we want to get some momentum going." Scorpions No.1 Adam Ellis played a starring role on his old home track as they won at Birmingham last Wednesday and collected all four league points to go top of the Championship table. NEXT HOME: Poole, Fri July 30 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat July 24
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
ARMADALE The Devils will be back in action on July 31 when they make the long trip to Eastbourne, having been inactive throughout the month save for an early abandonment against Leicester back on July 2. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Sat Aug 28 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat July 31
BELLE VUE "Having the full leg cast on was frustrating but I'm glad to say that is now off and Mark [Lemon] has put me in touch with a specialist in Manchester to help with my physiotherapy. I'm hoping to do two to three sessions a week with them to get my strength back up so that I can be back in the team for our next home meeting against Eastbourne." Colts youngster Sam McGurk is targeting a return to action this Friday as long as further physio is successful as he recovers from a hairline fracture to his left femur. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne, Fri July 23 NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Aug 8
BERWICK The Bullets take centre stage at Shielfield Park this Saturday when they host Mildenhall with former Coventry Storm rider Luke Crang making his delayed debut "“ after a rain-off when the sides had arrived at West Row earlier in the month. NEXT HOME: Mildenhall, Sat July 24 NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sun Aug 15
EASTBOURNE "We had an option to use rider replacement with Vinnie (Foord) at No 8. However, had we used RR for Richard, he would have been ineligible for NDL matches next Friday at Belle Vue and at home to Kent next Saturday." The best laid plans for the Seagulls and promoter Lee Kilby went awry when they lost at home to Leicester without skipper Richard Andrews "“ an absence exacerbated when key reserve Nathan Ablitt suffered rib damage in a crash during the British U21 Final and also missed the meeting. NEXT HOME: Armadale, Sat July 31 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Fri July 23
KENT The Royals already have two away wins on the board after following up their victory at Belle Vue with another success at Mildenhall last weekend "“ with Ryan Kinsley, Dan Gilkes and Jake Mulford once again in the major points. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Tues Sept 21 NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat Aug 21
LEICESTER It's very pleasing to get the win and pick up the four points, which makes up for the four we've dropped at home with the two draws. It puts us in a good position, it puts us back in the hunt in the league and we can look forward to going to Belle Vue a week on Thursday (July 29)." Lion Cubs boss Dave Howard said his side had ridden superbly in their NDL club record away win at Eastbourne on Sunday to go level on points with league leaders Berwick. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sat Sept 11 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Thur July 29
MILDENHALL "A lack of meetings may have cost us especially out of the starts but there was considerable promise on show from the boys and we have plenty to build on. We will dust ourselves down and go again at Berwick next Saturday." Fen Tigers boss Malcolm Vasey isn't pressing any panic buttons despite a home defeat to Kent in Sunday's long-awaited league opener at West Row. NEXT HOME: Armadale. Sun Aug 1 NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat July 24
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY JULY 20: CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth v Glasgow 7pm CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30
WEDNESDAY JULY 21: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Birmingham v Redcar 7.30, Poole v Plymouth 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 22: PREMIERSHIP: King's Lynn v Belle Vue 7.30, Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 23: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Redcar v Newcastle 7.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Eastbourne 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 24: CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Scunthorpe 7.30, Leicester v Poole 7pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Berwick v Mildenhall 7pm
SUNDAY JULY 25: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 3pm, Newcastle v Redcar 4pm
MONDAY JULY 26: PREMIERSHIP: Wolverhampton v Belle Vue 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 27: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Poole 6.30, Plymouth v Leicester 7pm
WEDNESDAY JULY 28: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Plymouth 7.30, Poole v Leicester 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 29: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v King's Lynn 7.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 30: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Birmingham 7.30, Redcar v Kent 7.30, Scunthorpe v Poole 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Glasgow v Berwick 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 31: CHAMPIONSHIP: Eastbourne v Plymouth 7.30, Leicester v Birmingham 7pm CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 2nd leg: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Armadale (follows Champ fixture)
SUNDAY AUGUST 1: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Berwick 4pm NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Armadale 3pm
MONDAY AUGUST 2: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, King's Lynn v Sheffield 7.30, Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30
TUESDAY AUGUST 3: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Eastbourne 6.30, Plymouth v Edinburgh 7pm
