lucifer sam

Don't worry chaps - no curfew at Scunny (although the main meeting is normally done and dusted by 9.30pm in any case), plus we normally have a spare paramedic who enjoys watching his speedway and is able to help out when required. All the best Rob

Cook was reserve at Cardiff when he did the Pairs, this time he's got a full-blown place. I don't think anyone could really blame him if he misses Somerset; Cardiff is a big opportunity and getting a few points could have a big effect on the rest of his career (places in Poland, Sweden and the rest). He seems ambitious enough and eventually that ambition will mean living the PL behind. All the best Rob

Buxton gave him his first NL chance (he couldn't ride for Scunny because we weren't in the NL last year, although he did ride in several NL challenge matches at Scunny). But he'd rode in Amateur Meetings at Scunny prior to that. All the best Rob

Stags end up with just one point less than Buxton at Cradley. All the best Rob

If Steve Jones had been riding, we'd have smashed you guys, but I think you might nick it now. All the best Rob

Nice to see Tommy The Gun's good form extending to his guest bookings. All the best Rob

Scunny started to look really good. Ipswich are a good PL side, but yesterday they were made to look very ordinary. TJ and JA are now, well and truly, back on the gas. And Matt Williamson is really stating to look the part as well. Only a strange refereeing decision in Heat 14 stopped him scoring paid seven. But he'd already done his job. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS IN TOP-OF-THE-TABLE CLASH THIRD-PLACED FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions take on second-placed Ipswich Witches in a top of the table Premier League clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm). It’s the first meeting at Scunthorpe for the Scorpions since the Knockout Cup clash against Peterborough on Spring Bank Holiday Monday (May 26). Despite their lack of recent home action, the Scorpions have maintained their high league position, thanks to their 49-41 away win at local rivals Sheffield last Thursday, an amazing third win of the season at Owlerton. That win was all the more satisfying thanks to the double return to form for Josh Auty (10 from 4 rides) and reserve Thomas Jorgensen (16, paid 18, from 7 rides), with both mounted on bikes with new engines. Jorgensen went into Heat 15 with a chance of becoming only the second-ever Scorpion to score a seven-ride maximum. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “Both Thomas (Jorgensen) and Josh (Auty) had a great meeting at Sheffield last week. Their mechanical problems are now behind them. “Thomas was really buzzing after the meeting at Sheffield, and Josh was a much happier man too. I never doubted their ability, it was just a case of getting the machinery sorted, and both are fired up to continue from where they left off for the Ipswich home meeting.” Both teams are minus one rider on Friday night. Scunthorpe No 1 Nicolai Klindt is riding in the semi-finals of the Grand Prix qualifiers at Czestochowa in Poland on Saturday night. Danish star Klindt is just ten rides (two meetings) away from joining Tai Woffinden and co in the Grand Prix series. He needs to finish in the top eight on Saturday, to qualify for the ultra-tough Grand Prix Challenge at Lonigo, Italy in September, where just three places for the 2015 GP series are on offer. Fellow Dane Ulrich Ostergaard is the guest replacement for Klindt. Ostergaard scored paid 15 for Peterborough at Scunthorpe in Panthers’ cup visit. Meanwhile, Ipswich are without reserve Adam Ellis, in action for Elite League Lakeside, and bring in Max Clegg as a guest. Youngster Clegg has plenty of experience at the Eddie Wright Raceway, having rode for the Scunthorpe Saints in the 2012 National League. Godfrey adds: “We’re determined to take all three points off Ipswich – with both teams high up in the league table, it’s an important match. “We’re currently four points behind the Witches in the league table with a match in hand; if we take all three points off them on Friday, it becomes just a point behind with a match in hand. “Of course, it makes it more of a challenge being without Nicolai (Klindt), given his form he’s been showing for us. But Ulrich Ostergaard had a fine meeting here with Peterborough, on the strength of that we’ve booked him as the guest. “Ipswich are certainly no pushovers, their current league position is testament to that. But if we pull together, we can take the points on Friday.” Admission prices for Friday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (10 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Friday (English unless stated): FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Ulrich Ostergaard (Denmark – guest), 2. David Howe, 3. Ashley Birks, 4, Josh Auty, 5. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 6. Matt Williamson, 7. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark). Ipswich Witches: 1. Richie Worrall, 2. Cameron Heeps (Australia), 3. Morten Risager (Denmark), 4. Gino Manzares (United States), 5.Rohan Tungate (Australia), 6. Max Clegg (guest), 7. Ritchie Hawkins. Ipswich Witches at EWR Ritchie Hawkins PL 18 80 100 17 5.00 5.85 10 + 2 from 7 rides (2010) Cameron Heeps PL 2 9 12 1 5.33 5.78 11 + 1 from 5 rides (2013) Gino Manzares DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Morten Risager PL 4 15 11 1 2.93 3.20 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2013) Rohan Tungate PL 2 8 10 1 5.00 5.50 6 from 4 rides (2013) Richie Worrall PL 7 33 55 5 6.67 7.27 13 from 5 rides (2012) Other Notes Ritchie Hawkins 2004 British Under-21 Champion. Former Scunthorpe Scorpion Member of Somerset's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2005. Member of Mildenhall's Conference League Championship, KO Cup and Trophy Winning Teams in 2004. Cameron Heeps 2012 Western Australia State Champion. 5 times Western Australian Under-16 Champion (2006 to 2010). Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Member of Mildenhall's 2012 National League Championship, KO Cup, Trophy and Pairs Winning Teams. Gino Manzares Has represented the USA in the Speedway World Cup. 2012 US Under-21 National Champion. Riding in his debut British League season. Morten Risager Member of Coventry's Elite League Championship Winning Teams in 2005 and 2007. Member of Coventry's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2006. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011. Held his Testimonial Meeting at Ipswich earlier this season. Rohan Tungate Has won multiple Long track and Dirt track titles in Australia and is riding in his 2nd PL season with Ipswich. Member of Poole's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2013, though missed the Play-Off Final due to injury. Richie Worrall Former Scunthorpe Saint. Member of Scunthorpe's National League Winning Team in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011 and 2013. Member of Newcastle's Premier League Cup Winning Team in 2013. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Belle Vue for the 2014 Elite League season. Ipswich's Results at EWR: 03 June 2011 KOC1 L Scunthorpe 55 Ipswich 35 01 July 2011 KOC1R L Scunthorpe 53 Ipswich 37 05 August 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 53 Ipswich 39 26 June 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 61 Ipswich 31 19 April 2013 PL D Scunthorpe 45 Ipswich 45 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

I'm the same. I thought he was brilliant when I saw him in 2006 and 2007. In the 2007 CL play-off final, it wasn't just the fact he was effortlessly winning, he could also team-ride extremely well, and all at the age of 17! I considered him a future World Champion. Then around 2012 I was wondering if he career had stalled a little and I was sceptical how well he would do in the 2013 GP series. So yes I was intially right but then subsequently wrong as well. Even top-line riders can have lulls at certain points of their career. Another was Hans Nielsen - brilliant as a teenager (Danish hero in the 1978 WTC as an 18-year-old), had a couple of more ordinary seasons in 1981 and 1982 (average dropped back below 10.00), and then rising right towards the very top in 1983. Riders make a surge forward at different points in their career. All the best Rob Pedaler, I'm over 40 and at a guess, I'd say you are as well. Yes I would definitely send Tai to a fete. The kids love Tai. All the best Rob

Well done to the Scunny boys... great result. All the best Rob

Lucky Heathens saved by the weather. All the best Rob

From the official SCB rulebook: 19. NATIONAL LEAGUE MEETING REGULATIONS Known as the National League, it’s official name is the National Development League to clarify that this is the entry level league dedicated to the training and development of young home grown Riders. Looks like Scunny have entered the right league then. (Please can we avoid yet another discussion about the relative team strengths of Cradley and Scunny - the NL is contested with different teams with different agendas, it's worked successfully like that for a long time, end of). Tough night ahead for the Stags' lads, but as long as they come out of it, having gained from the experience. Prediction: Cradley 44 Scunthorpe 46. All the best Rob

Just Glasgow's luck with the weather. It's been beautiful down here all day. All the best Rob

Surely it's time to move this to Pardubice, one of the best racetracks in the world. Prague: nice city, but crap speedway track. All the best Rob

You lot have peaked way too early. The league is won in October, not April and May. Glasgow last won the league in 2011, Edinburgh in 2010. So Glasgow are still officially Scotland's No 1 team. All the best Rob

Too long a journey for a one-off league match - but I'll be up for the play-off final later in the year instead All the best Rob

While Paulco is recovering from Glasgow's latest battering at the Dump against the Smug Moanarchs, I thought it was time to start this thread. No doubt Paul will do his usual preview, so I'll keep this brief. Not sure what team the Tigers are putting out, but Scunny are the same as Somerset on Friday, but with the issue of the June averages, Nicolai and Josh swap places. After two pointless away meetings at Plymouth and Somerset, the Scorpions need something out of this... preferably a win. Forecast for tomorrow keeps on changing - at the moment, it looks OK. All the best Rob

Good racing last night, although the final scoreline was a bit disappointing from a Scunny viewpoint,especially after being 24-24 mid-meeting. But Somerset are very, very good around their own track. At least we stopped 'em getting 60 again. Worst refereeing decision I've seen for a long time in Heat 4 Olly Allen clatters straight into Ryan Douglas on second bend and knocks Ryan off. Allen should be excluded, although ref has option of all 4 back if he's feeling generous. But somehow Ronnie Allan excludes Ryan. Preposterous. All the best Rob

And in Scunthorpe's latest declared line-up, Reece Downes and Ryan MacDonald were 6 and 7, and that's why they rode yesterday at reserve, in accordance with the rulebook. I thought you'd be trying to work with Scunthorpe, in trying to get a more reasonable points limit for future seasons (e.g. 35) to benefit both clubs. But all you want to do is try to pick holes with the Scunthorpe line-up. I've always been very impressed by the set-up at Buxton. But Jayne, I have found one or two of your comments on here disappointing. Personally, what concerned me more yesterday was that one side was using a 40-plus year-old rider as a guest, rather then promoting one of their lads from their MDL line-up. Different teams have different agendas in this league, I accept that, but Coventry are running a second team to find stars of the future. Why book a guest in his 40s? They could have used a junior and still won the match comfortably. All the best Rob

Brilliant speedway meeting... leading up to a stupendous Heat 15. Bit gutted Scunny lost by a single point, but well done Peterborough. All the best Rob

Devildodger, thanks very much for the updates on Friday, it's a great service. But I don't think the initial person was criticising you as such, simply pointing out they'd seen it differently. In the meantime, please could with the updates - they are much appreciated by many people. All the best Rob

I think we can take that as a "no". All the best Rob

http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=1191 All the best Rob

Sad news - RIP Simmo. All the best Rob

It's off All the best Rob