NeilWatson

Niels-Kristian Iversen Ryan Fisher TBC Ben Barker Scott Nicholls © Aaron Summers James Sarjeant

I'm fairly sure it was announced yesterday as being on the Saturday, http://www.leicesterlions.co/ confirms this.

There certainly was music being played, we'll discuss the PA with the stadium - apologies for anyone inconvenienced last night. Just in case you missed it - CHRISTMAS CRACKER SUNDAY 29TH DECEMBER!

Coventry Speedway are proud to announce that they will be staging the sport’s Winter outdoor meeting, the Christmas Cracker. The event will take place on Sunday December 29, and full details will be revealed over the coming weeks.

I'm sure I made this point before - that three of the Bees 1-7 are injured....

COVENTRY present the 2013 staging of one of speedway’s most historic events on Friday – the Brandonapolis (7.30pm). Sixteen riders compete over 20 qualifying heats, a semi-final and Final to determine the winner of a meeting which for many years held pride of place in the fixture calendar in the immediate aftermath of the sport’s one-off World Final. Demands on top riders from the increasing international fixture list means club events have also undergone changes, and in recent years the Brandonapolis has become an early-season meeting – only for it to be postponed due to poor weather back in March. However, more than half of the original field are back to contest the meeting on Friday with a healthy mix of current and former Coventry men, top stars and riders looking to impress in order to earn 2014 contracts in the UK. Former winners Hans Andersen (2010) and Rory Schlein (2007) are included in the line-up along with current World No.3 Niels-Kristian Iversen and two other Grand Prix men for next year in Kenneth Bjerre and Krzysztof Kasprzak. The home challenge comes from Buildbase Bees skipper Scott Nicholls and team-mates Grzegorz Zengota and Aaron Summers, whilst club assets Ryan Fisher and Ben Barker also feature. Danish rider Kenneth Hansen is looking to return to the Elite League in 2014 after four years away, whilst up-and-coming Poke Jakub Jamrog earned rave reviews after a recent meeting at Berwick. Coventry promoter Mick Horton said: “It promises to be a great night. We have a good line-up of riders who were all keen to do the meeting, and many of them were due to be here back in March. “I’m expecting some fierce racing and I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the newer faces – it should be interesting to see how they get on. “We’d also like to wish Danny King well after his crash on Tuesday which means he’s unable to take part.” Additional entertainment on Friday comes from local rhythm and blues band Treacle Town, who will be playing a set in the under-stand bar immediately after the meeting. There will be attractions in Speed Square before the racing, including a static trials bike display with riders on-hand, and face-painting for the children courtesy of Flamingo Entertainments. Admission prices for a 22-heat event are £20 for adults, £16 for concessions, £8 for children, under-11s free, and season tickets are valid. BRANDONAPOLIS RIDERS: Hans Andersen, Ben Barker, Kenneth Bjerre, Ryan Fisher, Kenneth Hansen, Chris Harris, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Jakub Jamrog, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Scott Nicholls, Bjarne Pedersen, Rory Schlein, Aaron Summers, Sebastian Ulamek, Ricky Wells, Grzegorz Zengota. Reserve: James Sarjeant.

EAST MIDLANDS BOWL Coventry Select v Leicester Select To be re-staged Friday October 25, 7.30pm Leicester Select v Coventry Select To be re-staged Sunday October 20, 6pm Edited for formatting

This meeting is OFF

Both meetings are OFF

PETERBOROUGH: Kenneth Bjerre, Ryan Fisher, Patrick Hougaard, Krzysztof Buczkowski, R/R (Joonas Kylmakorpi ), Dakota North, Norbert Kosciuch. BELLE VUE: Matej Zagar, Magnus Zetterstrom, Kevin Wolbert, R/R (Kauko Nieminen) , Craig Cook, Ales Dryml, Ulrich Ostergaard. www.peterboroughpanthers.co

Three of our declared 1-7 are out injured of course...

COVENTRY and Leicester have named their teams for this Sunday’s East Midlands Bowl double-header – and a terrific day of action looks to be in prospect. The Buildbase Bees host the first clash between the clubs at Brandon at midday, with the return at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium at 6pm. As previously stated, the Bees have built their team based largely on their available squad members and club assets, whilst the Lions have bolstered their Premier League line-up with the addition of no fewer than three established top-flight heat-leaders. Leicester are set to track star Danish duo Kenneth Bjerre and Hans Andersen, as well as Polish international Krzysztof Kasprzak who spent most of the season in Coventry colours. Bees, meanwhile, are led as usual by Scott Nicholls, and 2013 regulars Grzegorz Zengota and Aaron Summers will be supplemented by Coventry assets Ryan Fisher and Ben Barker. Coventry Storm captain James Sarjeant is rewarded for his efforts this season with a place at reserve, alongside guest rider Rohan Tungate. Coventry promoter Mick Horton said: “This should be a fantastic day of speedway and with the line-ups that have been announced it’s looking very tasty indeed. “I’m told the rivalry between Coventry and Leicester back in the day was immense with big, big crowds. Everyone has been waiting for this competition to take place and we’re expecting a good turn-out on Sunday.” Admission prices for the Brandon fixture (midday start) are £15 for adults, £13 concessions and £5 for 11-16s with under-11s free. Season tickets are valid. BUILDBASE BEES: Scott Nicholls, Aaron Summers, Grzegorz Zengota, Ryan Fisher, Ben Barker, Rohan Tungate, James Sarjeant. LEICESTER: Kenneth Bjerre, Lasse Bjerre, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Kenneth Hansen, Hans Andersen, Kevin Doolan, Jan Graversen.

Tai is being interviewed on Radio 4's flagship 'Today' programme as I write.

Bjarne Pedersen Sebastian Ulamek Niels-Kristian Iversen Scott Nicholls Gregorz Zengota Chris Harris Kenneth Hansen Jakub Jamrog Danny King Hans Andersen Ryan Fisher Lewis Bridger Ricky Wells

The line-ups will be announced later today.

For clarity - the Brandonapolis is Friday 18th October (not 12th or 11th) - there is not an England football game scheduled for that day.

Congratulations Tai - 2013 World Champion!

DUDLEY duo Paul Starke and Dan Greenwood were the winners of the inaugural Supporters’ Pairs Trophy at Brandon on Friday. The Heathens pair emulated the success of their team-mates Ashley Morris and Lewis Blackbird, who won the National League Pairs earlier in the season as they finished on 34 points, three clear of their nearest rivals. Neither Starke nor Greenwood ran a last place all evening, which was key to their success – as was the fact that they recorded the only maximum 7-2 of the meeting, that coming in their third outing when they were against Dan Halsey and Ryan Terry-Daley. Starke was the winner in that race, but it was Greenwood who came to the fore later in the meeting with two terrific wins, getting the better of James Sarjeant in a Heat 18 battle which was as good as anything seen at the track all season as the two riders passed and re-passed. Second place overall went to Luke Priest and Shane Waldron, Priest giving a fast and consistent display to win three rides and finish second in his other three – whilst Waldron was able to walk away from an awkward Heat 19 crash when he and Terry-Daley made contact going into the last lap. There were impressive performances, too, from Tom Perry and Ben Morley, but there was no doubt that the individual star of the night was Coventry Storm’s Joe Jacobs, who won all six of his rides for a 24-point maximum. Unfortunately, Jacobs lost his partner Martin Knuckey to injury in an horrific Heat 5 smash, as Halsey spun and fell right in Knuckey’s path on turn three leaving the Cornishman nowhere to go, and his bike actually cleared the air-fence. Knuckey suffered cuts and bruises as well as some elbow pain, and was taken to hospital for a check-up leaving Jacobs to be partnered by the meeting reserves – but he still stamped his authority on the meeting in an individual sense, rounding off a highly impressive season at Brandon. Jacobs said: “I was counting down the rides to my maximum, I’d changed a couple of things on the bike to get out of the starts and tonight it was working awesome. “It was a good night for me, I can’t complain as I was trying an engine as well and it’s nice to leave the season with Coventry with 24 out of 24, that’s pretty cool.” RESULT: 1. Paul Starke 15/Dan Greenwood 19 = 34; 2. Luke Priest 21/Shane Waldron 10 = 31; 3. Tom Perry 20/Luke Chessell 6 = 26; 4. Joe Jacobs 24/Martin Knuckey 0/Jez Pestell 2/Sean Phillips 0 = 26; 5. Ben Morley 21/Marc Owen 4 = 25; 6. James Sarjeant 20/Luke Crang 4 = 24; 7. Dan Halsey 16/Ryan Terry-Daley 7 = 23.

COVENTRY stage National League-level action for the final time in 2013 with the Supporters’ Pairs Trophy at Brandon on Friday (7.30pm). The Storm have enjoyed a fine first season, only just missing out on the play-offs after a number of exciting meetings, and several riders who have added plenty to the entertainment value will be on-track again. The fourteen competitors have been split into seven pairings, and they will race over a 21-heat format with a 4-3-2-0 scoring system to encourage team-riding with an evenly-matched contest expected. There are two full home pairings, with Storm heat-leaders Joe Jacobs and James Sarjeant teaming up with Martin Knuckey and Luke Crang respectively, whilst club asset Ryan Terry-Daley joins forces with Mildenhall skipper Dan Halsey. Dudley Heathens won the National League Pairs earlier in the season, an event which featured all eight clubs, and the former Cradley club have two of their regular riders, Paul Starke and Dan Greenwood, in partnership. There will also be a first appearance at Coventry this season for Dudley asset Tom Perry, who rode in last year’s World Under-21 Final at Brandon. Storm boss Laurence Rogers said: “I’m very pleased that we’ve managed to get most of our side together for this meeting, and there should be a lot of close racing. “It’s been a good start for us in the National League, naturally we want to grow on that next year and I’m happy to report that all the lads have expressed a willingness to be back with us, which is great news.” Admission prices are £12 for all adults, a slight increase on regular NL levels due to the extra races, and children are free as normal. Elite League season tickets are not valid, but they will be for the East Midlands Bowl on October 13 and the Brandonapolis on October 18. LINE-UP: James Sarjeant & Luke Crang, Dan Halsey & Ryan Terry-Daley, Joe Jacobs & Martin Knuckey, Paul Starke & Dan Greenwood, Ben Morley & Marc Owen, Tom Perry & Luke Chessell, Luke Priest & Shane Waldron.

Kings Lynn Young Stars = 57 (98) 1. Robert Lambert - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 15 MAXIMUM 2. Lewis Rose R/R (SW 1, SW 0, JK 2, DM 2') 3. Darren Mallett - 3, 2', 0, 2', 3 = 10+2 4. Jake Knight - 2', 3, 2, 2, 3 = 12+1 5. Lewis Kerr - 2, 3, 3, R, 0 = 8 6. Shane Waldron - 1, 3, 0, 2', 1, 1 = 8+1 7. Josh Bailey - 2, 1', 1', 1 = 5+2 Mildenhall Fen Tigers = 39 (88) 1. Stefan Nielsen - 2, 1, 6^, 2, 2, 2 = 15 2. Jon Armstrong R/R (JB 0, RTD 0, SN 6^, DH 0) 3. Josh Bates - FX, R = 0 WITHDRAWN 4. Aaron Baseby - 1, 0, 1, 2 = 4 5. Daniel Halsey - 3, 2, 6^, F, 1', 1' = 13+2 6. Ryan Terry-Daley - 2, 0, 1', R, 1, 0, 2 = 6+1 7. Sam Woods - R, F, 1 = 1 SCB Referee: Chris Durno Heat Results Heat 01 (Re-Run): Lambert, Nielsen, Waldron, Bates (Fell, Excluded). 4-2...61.07 Line Up: Lambert, R/R - Waldron, Nielsen, R/R - Bates Comments: Tigers on 1&3. Stopped. Bates falls coming out of bend 2 lap 1. Bates excluded from the re-run. Re-Run: Lambert passes Nielsen on bend 2 lap 1. Riders well spaced out after that with Lambert pulling out a good lead. Sponsored by www.enjaydesigns.co.uk Heat 02: Waldron, Terry-Daly, Bailey, Woods (Retired). (4-2)...8-4...64.92 Line Up: Waldron, Bailey, Terry-Daley, Woods Comments: Woods chain flies off with sparks flying on bend 2 lap 2. Woods was in 2nd at the time. Sponsored by Steve Dixon www.stevedixonphotography.co.uk Heat 03: Mallett, Knight, Baseby, Bates (Retired). (5-1)...13-5...61.94 Line Up: Mallett, Knight, Bates, Baseby Comments: Bates retired on bend 3 lap 3. By the looks of him texter thinks he's not feeling too well. Sponsored by Heat 04: Halsey, Kerr, Bailey, Woods (Fell). (3-3)...16-18...62.12 Line Up: Kerr, Bailey, Halsey, Woods Comments: Halsey out of the gate like a rocket! Kerr not too far behind the whole race. Woods fell on bend 4 lap 4 when at the back. Sponsored by Friends of Edinburgh Speedway www.foes.info/ Heat 05: Knight, Mallett, Nielsen, Terry-Daley. (5-1)...21-9...62.31 Line Up: Mallett, Knight, Nielsen, R/R - Terry-Daly Comments: Stars gate and go! Nielsen chases hard but can't make up enough ground. Sponsored by Splod Heat 06: Lambert, Halsey, Terry-Daley, Waldron. (3-3)...24-12...61.93 Line Up: Lambert, R/R - Waldron, Halsey, Terry-Daley Comments: Waldron was initially in third but drifted too wide on bends 3&4 lap 1. Sponsored by Heat 07: Kerr, Waldron, Woods, Baseby. (5-1)...29-13...61.99 Line Up: Kerr, Waldron, Bates Woods, Baseby Comments: Baseby falls on bends 3&4 lap 1 when in third. Baseby remouts to finish last.....with a spluttering bike. Sponsored by Merlin Heat 08 (Re-Run): NIELSEN, Knight, Bailey, Terry-Daly (Retired). (3-6)...32-19...62.18 Stefan Nielsen takes a Tactical Ride for Mildenhall Line Up: R/R - Knight, Bailey, R/R - Nielsen, Woods Terry-Daly Comments: Woods misses the 2 minutes and is excluded. Terry-Daly comes in to replace him. Stopped. Unsatisfactory start. All 4 Back. Re-Run: Bailey well adrift coming away from the tapes and remained last until Terry-Daly got a puncture on lap 2. Sponsored by Heat 09: HALSEY, Knight, Terry-Daly, Mallett. (2-7)...34-26...63.34 Daniel Halsey takes a second Tactical Ride for Mildenhall Line Up: Mallett, Knight, Halsey, Terry-Daly Comments: Kinght leading until Halsey puts the wind up him on bend 4 lap 3 and slips by in the gap Knight left for him. Mallett at the back the whole race. Sponsored by Heat 10: Lambert, Mallett, Baseby, Terry-Daley. (5-1)...39-27...61.62 Line Up: Lambert, R/R - Mallett, Bates Terry-Daly, Baseby Comments: Mallett passed Baseby on bend 2 lap 1. Sponsored by Heat 11: Kerr, Nielsen, Bailey, Halsey (Fell). (4-2)...43-29...62.00 Line Up: Kerr, Waldron, Nielsen, R/R - Halsey Comments: Halsey fell on bend 2 lap 1. Sponsored by Heat 12: Mallett, Terry-Daly, Waldron. (4-2)...47-31...61.7 Line Up: Mallett, Bailey Waldron, Bates, Terry-Daley Comments: 3 Riders Only. Terry-Daly passed Waldron on lap 1. Sponsored by Heat 13: Lambert, Nielsen, Halsey, Kerr (Retired). (3-3)...50-34...61.18 Line Up: Lambert, Kerr, Nielsen, Halsey Comments: Kerr packed up on lap 1. Sponsored by Art and Stitch – Patchwork & Quilting Specialists www.artandstitch.co.uk Heat 14: Knight, Baseby, Waldron. (4-2)...54-36...63.55 Line Up: Knight, Waldron, Baseby, Woods Comments: 3 riders only. Kinght leads out of the start but lets Baseby through on lap 2. Knight re-passes Baseby on lap 4. Waldron's bike had smoke pouring out of it the whole race. Sponsored by Splod Heat 15: Lambert, Nielsen, Halsey, Kerr. (3-3)...57-39...61.85 Line-up: Lambert, Kerr, Nielsen, Halsey Comments: Kerr misses the 2 minutes and will go 15 metres back. Kerr and Halsey knock elbows along the homestraight during lap 2. Kerr then gets out of shape shortly after getting close to the fence on bends 1&2 lap 3. Read more: http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/thread/12900/kings-lynn-mildenhall-nlposf-2013#ixzz2gbYw62Ge

£12 adults, children free

MILDENHALL’S Stefan Nielsen completed a successful defence of the British Under-19 Championship with victory at Coventry on Friday. Nielsen came through the semi-final to achieve his win, and produced a stunning first two turns in the Final to get the better of his rivals in what was his first-ever meeting at Brandon. That spelt frustration for the two riders who had qualified automatically for the Final, Ashley Morris having got there with a 15-point maximum and Adam Ellis having dropped his only point to Morris in Heat 19. But both missed out at the start of the Final with a fast-gating Ben Morley initially in second place as Nielsen swept around the outside, and although Morris passed Morley he wasn’t able to catch Nielsen. Morris and Ellis always looked the likely automatic Finalists, Ellis doing much of his work from the gate whilst Morris was involved in some good battles – including one with his Dudley team-mate Max Clegg who he re-passed to win Heat 15, and also an on-the-line verdict over Morley four races earlier. Nielsen scored a solid 12 with two wins and three second places, but the battle for the remaining semi-final spots was close, with three riders on ten points as Morley was joined by Darryl Ritchings – despite a fall after hectic battle in the early stages of Heat 11 – and Coventry Storm’s Oliver Greenwood, who produced one of the best moves of the night with his outside pass on Liam Carr to win Heat 12. Greenwood and Ritchings, though, missed out to Nielsen and Morley in the semi-final. There was frustration for Josh Bates, who had looked set to put Morley out of the meeting only to suffer mechanical problems at the start of Heat 20 and hand the Kent man a reprieve. There were two withdrawals after crashes, with 15-year-old Daniel Spiller coming to grief on the parade lap and taking just one ride before pulling out with a knock to the head; whilst Nathan Stoneman was taken to hospital with an ankle injury after a clash with Clegg in Heat 10. Pre-meeting favourite Kyle Howarth had withdrawn from the event earlier in the day due to illness, but Coventry asset Ryan Terry-Daley gave a competitive showing as his replacement – and regular Storm reserve James Shanes also impressed, including with a dramatic fourth-to-second effort in his fourth outing. Hard-luck stories also included Carr, who was a late arrival due to traffic and then broke the tapes in his first ride of the night; and Connor Coles, who rode far better than his three points suggested and suffered a broken chain when leading his final outing. But overall it was a night which produced plenty of good racing, especially in the second half of the meeting, and Nielsen also twice broke the National League track record. He said: “I think last year I did exactly the same thing, very consistent in the first five races and finished on twelve points which gave me the semi-final. “I made a good start there whereas in the Final I didn’t get gate one, and I didn’t make the best start because I lifted a bit, I was third going into the corner but I had the momentum around the outside and it worked a treat. “I enjoyed it, it’s the first time I’ve been to Coventry and I’m very happy with the win. I’d like to say a special thank-you to Michael Lee, I borrowed his engine for two meetings before and I felt it would suit this track well from what people were saying, and it was amazing.” QUALIFYING SCORES: Ashley Morris 15, Adam Ellis 14, Stefan Nielsen 12, Oliver Greenwood 10, Darryl Ritchings 10, Ben Morley 10, Josh Bates 8, Max Clegg 7, Liam Carr 5, James Shanes 5, Ryan Terry-Daley 5, Nathan Stoneman 4, Connor Coles 3, Daniel Spiller 2, Adam Kirby 2, Nathan Greaves 2, Reece Downes (res) 2, Adam Portwood (res) 0. SEMI-FINAL: Nielsen, Morley, Greenwood, Ritchings. FINAL: Nielsen, Morris, Morley, Ellis.

SEVERAL of speedway’s top youngsters will be on show at Brandon on Friday as Coventry host the prestigious British Under-19 Final (7.30pm). The meeting has become well-established over the last decade (initially at under-18 level) and the list of previous winners includes riders who have gone on to become regulars in the Elite League. The highest-profile of those is Tai Woffinden, victorious in this event in 2007-08 and now on the verge of becoming World Champion this weekend. Friday’s line-up includes several riders who have impressed at Brandon this season, and a fierce competition is expected – with 20 qualifying races, a semi-final and then the winner-takes-all Final. Swindon and Workington man Kyle Howarth will start as favourite based on his top-flight experience, especially given his impressive paid-11 score when guesting for the Buildbase Bees against King’s Lynn recently. The defending champion Stefan Nielsen is also very highly-rated, whilst Dudley skipper Ashley Morris and 17-year-old Adam Ellis are also expected to be in the shake-up for honours. The meeting features a number of riders who have been successful in the British Youth set-up, and the current FIM 250cc Gold Trophy champion, 15-year-old Daniel Spiller who has done much of his racing so far in Germany. Coventry Storm have two representatives, and current form suggests Oliver Greenwood should be a strong factor in the meeting, whilst it will also provide invaluable experience for 16-year-old James Shanes. Storm boss Laurence Rogers said: “Olly should certainly be looking to make the top six. He knows the track well because of riding there regularly this season and what he’s doing in the Premier League will stand him in good stead. “I’d like to think Olly could be in the mix with the pre-meeting favourites, whilst for James it’s a big chance for him to show what he can do. He does have a lot of potential.” Admission prices on Friday are £12 for all adults with children free, for a full 22-heat programme of racing.

Second leg tonight (11th September) POSTPONED - now Weds 18th with NL fixture TBA