lucifer sam

Looking forward to this. Meetings from Ullevi are normally not very good. But I'm sure Eurosport will fix that, and the racing will be top notch tomorrow. I also think Eurosport's solution to the UK economy will soon see us out of recession, and back as a world superpower. I'm also looking forward to Eurosport's manned trip to Uranus before the end of the year. All the best Rob

BLACKBIRD FLIES IN FOR SCORPIONS DEFENDING PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions have signed 26-year-old Lewis Blackbird. He will replace Josh Bates at reserve, starting with the two Premier League meetings against the Edinburgh Monarchs during the bank holiday weekend. The Scorpions travel north of the border to Armadale tonight (Friday), before entertaining the Monarchs at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm). There are 30 heats of action on Monday, with the Scunthorpe Saints entertaining the Sheffield Prowlers in a National League challenge match in the second half. Both Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey and team manager Dave Peet have praised Josh Bates’ efforts for the club. Godfrey says: “Josh has done a fantastic job while he's been with us and if the rest of the team had performed as we'd hoped, we would not be contemplating making changes. “Unfortunately, we are very weak and vulnerable at reserve and we had to shore that up. Ryan Douglas is on an assessed five-point average and can't be replaced, not that we would want to replace him anyway because we see a long-term future in Ryan. “The signing of Josh was always perceived to be a gamble, by both camps, from his side as well as ours, and it's not worked out due to the fact that while I'd love us to be able to carry one rider, we can't carry two. “We did talk about this before we signed him and although it will be a blow to him, I don't think it should be a shock. He will bounce back, I like the kid, I think he's great and it's just unfortunate for him at this time that in our current position, we have to make a change.” Peet says: “Ryan and Josh have been trying their best, but it was obvious we just needed a bit more strength at reserve. Against Workington in the Sky match, we scored paid 4 at reserve while the Comets scored paid 16. “That, in turn, places extra pressure on the top five. It’s very hard to win meetings, when the reserves are not scoring that many points between them. “Josh is a good lad and we wish him the very best. He’s only 17 and he’s got a big future in front of him in this sport. In some ways, he’s got an old head upon young shoulders. “It’s never a nice thing for a rider to be released, but as one door closes, another can open. I’m sure he’ll still get some opportunities in the Premier League this season – he has been on the pace and has taken the odd prize scalp.” Lewis Blackbird (the son of former Belle Vue rider Carl Blackbird) started this season riding for Leicester, but became available after the Lions moved for Australian Robert Branford. Blackbird scored 10 points for Leicester in the Lions’ 44-46 defeat at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Good Friday. Peet adds: “Lewis will give us that little bit extra at reserve. “Had he not been excluded from Heat 15 of the Good Friday match for exceeding the two-minute allowance, I think Leicester may have won that match, because he was flying.” Godfrey believes Blackbird’s prowess around the Eddie Wright Raceway will suit both rider and club. He says: “Signing Lewis brings to the table a guy who can win races at Scunthorpe and if he can win races at Scunthorpe, then hopefully that will transpose into winning races away because confidence breeds confidence. “If you've got a home track you can do well on, you should push on away. Speedway is all about confidence. “We've seen enough of Lewis to know that, at this time, he is right for Scunthorpe Speedway.” The Edinburgh Monarchs have been one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League in the last decade – winning the league title three times (2003, 2008 and 2010). They are usually highly competitive around the Eddie Wright Raceway, and a Scunthorpe vs Edinburgh meeting is always full of plenty of good racing. After home draws in the Premier League against Ipswich and Workington, the Scorpions will be looking to take all three points from Monday’s clash – and will also be looking for points from the away meeting tonight. Armadale was a happy hunting ground for the Scorpions in 2012. They won 54-39 in the regular league meeting, and then took what proved an invaluable point in a narrow 42-48 loss in a Play-Off group match. Monday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £16. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action. The circuit rightfully won the award last season for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting day of racing is ahead. Premier/National League Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Bank Holiday Monday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Edinburgh Monarchs: 1. Craig Cook, 2. Derek Sneddon (Scotland), 3. Theo Pijper (The Netherlands), 4. Max Fricke (Australia), 5. Claus Vissing (Denmark), 6. Marcel Helfer (Germany), 7. Jozsef Tabaka (Hungary). Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Lee Dicken, 2. Matt Williamson, 3. Benji Compton, 4. Tommy Fenwick (Scotland), 5. Josh Bates, 6. Lee Geary, 7. Conor Dwyer. Sheffield Prowlers: 1. Tamas Sike, 2. Chris Widman, 3. Shane Waldron, 4. Nathan Greaves, 5. Steve Jones, 6. Lee Payne, 7. Jordan Tyrer. Edinburgh Monarchs at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Craig Cook PL 9 39 62 1 6.36 6.46 16 from 6 rides (2011) Max Fricke DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Marcel Helfer DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Theo Pijper PL 4 18 22 3 4.89 5.56 10 + 2 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2012)) Derek Sneddon PL 7 29 23 4 3.17 3.72 7 from 4 rides (2011) Jozsef Tabaka PL 2 10 15 3 6.00 7.20 12 + 1 from 7 rides (2012) Claus Vissing PL 3 9 13 0 5.78 5.78 7 from 4 rides (2012) Other Notes Craig Cook 2012 Premier League Riders Champion. 2009 National League Riders Champion. Member of Workington's Young Shield Winning Teams in 2009 and 2010. Member of Buxton's National League Championship, KO Cup and National Trophy Winning Teams in 2010. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Belle Vue for the 2013 Elite League season. Named as one of the two meeting reserves for this year's British Grand Prix at Cardiff in June. Max Fricke 2013 Australian Under-21 Champion. Riding in his debut Premier League season. Marcel Helfer German international who has ridden for his country at full and under-21 level in World Team Cup competitions. Riding in his first full Premier League season. Theo Pijper Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2003. Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Member of Swindon's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2009. Derek Sneddon Member of Armadale's Conference Trophy Winning Team in 2005. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and Play-Off Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Newcastle's Premier Trophy, KO Cup and Play-Off Winning Teams in 2010. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011. Jozsef Tabaka Hungarian International who is returning for his third spell as an Edinburgh rider. Claus Vissing Member of Somerset's League Cup Winning Team in 2012. Made his British League debut in 2007 at Premier League level with Stoke. Edinburgh Monarchs' 2013 Results 30 March 2013 CH A L Edinburgh 45 Berwick 47 05 April 2013 CH H W Edinburgh 59 Glasgow 31 12 April 2013 KOC H W Edinburgh 58 Leicester 31 13 April 2013 KOC A L Edinburgh 44 Leicester 46 (On agg:- W 102 - 77) 20 April 2013 LC A W Edinburgh 48 Berwick 42 26 April 2013 LC H W Edinburgh 55 Berwick 37 Edinburgh Monarchs' Results at EWR 26 May 2008 PL W Scunthorpe 39 Edinburgh 53 25 May 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Edinburgh 44 11 July 2009 PT SF W Scunthorpe 44 Edinburgh 46 31 May 2010 PL W Scunthorpe 41 Edinburgh 48 02 May 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 46 Edinburgh 44 29 August 2011 PL(Ph 2) L Scunthorpe 50 Edinburgh 41 07 May 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 55 Edinburgh 37 30 September 2012 PLPO SF L Scunthorpe 59 Edinburgh 34 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Just been reading the Scunny twitter... brilliant... especially Rob G's comment... "could b in trouble tommy the gun and the palm tree have missed there bus".. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS AIM TO SHINE IN FRONT OF TV CAMERAS HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions have a big date on Tuesday (April 30th), as they feature in a televised Premier League fixture against the Workington Comets in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the Eddie Wright Raceway (7.30pm) Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey sees it as a big opportunity for the club. He said: “We’re the reigning Premier League champions, and we have the best track in the Premier League - we’ve been voted that three times in recent years. “This is a great chance to showcase the racing we see every week at the Eddie Wright Raceway. “Nine times out of ten we get an excellent meeting here. Every meeting this year has been a good one – our last meeting (a 45-45 draw against Ipswich) was an absolute belter, although it would have been an even better one had we scored another 3 or 4 points! “Around Scunthorpe, it’s not the first guy out of the gate who always wins. We want to give a good account of ourselves, and also do the whole of the Premier League proud.” Godfrey has cut adult admission to £10 for the meeting – and is expectant of a large crowd at the Eddie Wright Raceway. He added: “It’s a big thing for the town of Scunthorpe to get on live television. “It’s not often you get to see your home town on TV – whether it’s a sporting event or whatever. People can come along and get their faces on television. “We packed the place last time we were on Sky against Sheffield in 2009. It’s a novelty, so people who might not usually attend tend to come out and see what it’s all about. “The cut admission is all part of that, to encourage more people along and give the speedway a go. People can have a good night out, watch some cracking sporting action, have a chance to get their face on the TV, and it’s only going to cost them a tenner.” Tuesday is Scunthorpe’s second home Premier League meeting of 2013. After being held to a draw by Ipswich, Godfrey is hopeful of a better result against the Comets. He admits: “The season hasn’t kicked off as we would have liked it to. But there’s a long way to go – we’ve only ridden one league meeting out of twenty-four. “Workington are a quality side. They’ve had some good meetings here, and put us out of the Knockout Cup last season. It should be a great meeting, but we would like to take all three league points. “Our top five is as strong as anyone in the league. Our vulnerability is at reserve – we lost Gary Irving to retirement around a month before the season. Ryan Douglas and Josh Bates are giving it their all. “Ryan had a poor meeting against Ipswich. He will become a top rider – I have no doubts about that at all. It’s just a case of when he takes off – it could be next week against the Comets, it could be later in the season. “Josh Bates has been thrown in at the deep end. He may not have scored a lot of points, but he’s ridden he socks off for the club.” A team change sees David Howe and Thomas Jørgensen switch places for the second time in 2013. Godfrey confirmed: “David moves back to No 5, and Thomas the opposite way back to No 2. “David feels he can get more out of Heat 13 than Thomas, where he can bring his experience to bear. “A few weeks ago, David was still finding his feet after his injuries last season. He didn’t want the responsibility of Heat 13, but now he’s asked for that responsibility back – he said he’ll go out and get the points when we need them. “Thomas had a couple of last places in Heat 1 at home at the start of the season, but traditionally it’s a race he’s done well in. The riders themselves wanted to switch back, and we’ve gone along with it.” Workington have had a few recent injury problems. Chris Mills is out with a broken wrist, sustained in a freak post-meeting accident at Derwent Park. In-from Redcar reserve Mickey Dyer takes his place. Comets’ No 1 Richard Lawson crashed out at Birmingham on Wednesday. He was ruled out of Workington’s 35-55 defeat at Ipswich on Thursday. Workington have a number of riders who can perform very well at the Eddie Wright Raceway, most notably former Scorpion Tero Aarnio. Teams for Tuesday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Josh Bates, 7. Ryan Douglas (Australia). Workington Comets (expected): 1. Richard Lawson (if fit), 2. Tero Aarnio (Finland), 3. Rusty Harrison (Australia), 4. Kyle Howarth, 5. Rene Bach (Denmark), 6. Ashley Morris, 7. Mickey Dyer (guest) (Australia). Special reduced admission prices for this meeting: All Adults: £10.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £25 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Workington Comets at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Tero Aarnio PL 39 178 325 33 7.30 8.04 14 + 1 from 5 rides (2010) Rene Bach PL 4 17 24 6 5.65 7.06 7 + 3 from 4 rides (2012) Rusty Harrison PL 6 20 25 2 5.00 5.40 9 from 5 rides (2012) Kyle Howarth PL 4 23 17 2 2.96 3.30 6 + 1 from 7 rides (2011) Richard Lawson PL 8 33 45 5 5.45 6.06 12 + 1 from 5 rides (2012) Ashley Morris PL 3 13 10 2 3.08 3.69 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2012) Other Notes Tero Aarnio Former Scunthorpe Scorpion. Twice Finnish Under-21 Champion in 2004 and 2005. Has ridden in two Speedway World Cup events. Rene Bach Member of Denmark's World Under-21 Team Cup Winning Team in 2011. Winner of 2010 Danish Under-21 Championship. Member of Newcastle's Premier Trophy, KO Cup and Play-Off Winning Teams in 2010. Member of Workington's 2012 Premier League Pairs Winning Duo. Rusty Harrison 2003 South Australian State Champion. 2001 Australian Under-21 Champion. Twice Australian and South Australian State Under-16 Champion (1995/1997). Member of Workington's Premier League Fours Winning Teams in 2001, 2004 and 2006. Member of Workington's Young Shield Winning Team in 2010. Member of Belle Vue's Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2005. Kyle Howarth Rode for the Scunthorpe Saints in 2009 National League. Finished Runner-up in this season's British Under-21 Championship. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Poole for the 2013 Elite League Season. Richard Lawson Member of Workington's Premier League Fours Winning Team in 2009. Member of Workington's Young Shield Winning Team in 2010. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Lakeside for the 2013 Elite League Season. Ashley Morris 2009 British Under-15 Champion. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Dudley's National League Shield and Four-Team Championship Winning Teams in 2011. Member of Dudley's National League Shield Winning Team in 2012. Rode for the Scunthorpe Saints in 2009 National League. Will captain Dudley in this season's National League. Workington Comets' 2013 Results 30 March 2013 CH H W Workington 51 Newcastle 42 31 March 2013 CH A L Workington 40 Newcastle 54 (On agg:- L 91 - 96) 06 April 2013 LC H W Workington 56 Redcar 39 11 April 2013 LC A L Workington 44 Redcar 45 13 April 2013 LC H W Workington 47 Newcastle 43 18 April 2013 PL A L Workington 46 Sheffield 47 20 April 2013 PL H W Workington 62 Sheffield 33 21 April 2013 LC A L Workington 40 Newcastle 53 Workington Comets' Results at EWR 09 May 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 47 Workington 43 03 October 2008 YS L Scunthorpe 51 Workington 39 03 July 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Workington 39 20 June 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Workington 36 22 October 2010 YS S/F L Scunthorpe 47 Workington 43 15 April 2011 PL W Scunthorpe 44 Workington 46 18 May 2012 KOC W Scunthorpe 44 Workington 46 03 August 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Workington 40 07 October 2012 PLPO SF L Scunthorpe 62 Workington 28 (starts courtesy of John Eyre)

As far as I can see, the Eurosport GP coverage is almost identical to that of Sky - both use the same world feed. Only difference is we don't cut back to the studio every four races, and I'm not sure if that is a loss at all. EDIT: Just seen that SCB said the same - but in rather more forceful tones All the best Rob

Two, I think. On the other hand, Coventry are mentioned in about 10-12 of them... because the Heathens always seemed to be beating the Bees in cup finals. It's a history of Cradley, not Oxford. I was bearing that in mind when it came writing about the 1984-1989 period. To be honest, the clubs rarely met in finals. Apart the from aborted '86 finals, the only other ocassion I can recall is the '89 Gold Cup Final. And that doesn't get a mention in this (it did in the equivalent Oxford piece), because Cradley lost. Any feedback is more than welcome. I trebled-checked the information (I knew how committed the Cradley fans were/still are) so I hope it's all present and correct. I enjoyed writing it. Penhall was my childhood hero, I liked (the very likeable) Erik - even though the Gundersen/Nielsen rivalry did get in the way at times - and Jan O was a brilliant rider to watch. All the best Rob

Fantastic meeting last night. Hope the Sky meeting is just as good - but with a Scorpions win! All the best Rob

Mr Love, I see you've lost none of your sarcasm in the last ten years. Quite frankly I don't care who the track would have suited. After a three-hour journey, I just wanted to see some speedway. I'm fully aware that rain-offs are part and parcel of the sport (been to enough over the years, including four at Glasgow's Shawfield stadium and two in Sweden), but I expect the home club to do their absolute all to try to get the meeting on. Last night there was no apparent effort from Ipswich to get the meeting on. I didn't see a single member of track staff on the circuit yesterday. I have been to enough meetings over the years, to know when a track is beyond saving. That didn't look the case last night. I had to ask about four people if the meeting was off yesterday, such was my complete bewilderment and amazement at the decision. Last night, speedway yet again shot itself in the foot. One day, it'll do that once too often and topple over. All the best Rob Peasley

Nope, John kindly supplies the stats for the Press Releases. All the best Rob

Funny I couldn't see a single puddle on the track even after the 6.45pm shower. Stop trying to defend the indefensible... there is no way that meeting should have been called off. All the best Rob Peasley

Oh dear. Not a good night for Speedway. Can't believe how easily that meeting was called off - one brief shower. In contrast, I went to Scunny on October 29th last year (the play-off final), it was obvious that they'd had prolonged rain during the afternoon (the pits was almost underwater!!) but that meeting went ahead. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS COMMENCE LEAGUE TITLE DEFENCE “THE season starts here!” That’s the message from Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey, as the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions commence their Premier League title defence with matches home and away against the Ipswich Witches this week. The Scorpions travel to Ipswich on Thursday evening, before hosting the Witches at the Eddie Wright Raceway in the return fixture on Friday (7.30pm). Godfrey adds: “While it would have been nice to do well in the League Cup and the Premier Shield, it is the league which is our priority. It’s here that the really important stuff begins. “We know from last season what it’s all about. It’s about getting comfortably into the play-offs, and then making sure the team is on top form come the end of the season. “A couple of positive results this week would get our league campaign off to the start that we are looking for.” The Ipswich Witches are looking to make amends for a disappointing 2012 season, in which they were pre-season Premier League favourites, but finished seventh and failed to reach the play-offs. The Witches have brought in Great Britain international Ben Barker as a genuine No 1, and have two young hot shots at reserve in Australian Cameron Heeps and French-born Brit Adam Ellis. Ellis won the 500cc section of the British Under-15 Championship round at Scunthorpe in 2012. Godfrey said: “Ipswich may not have the best record around the Eddie Wright Raceway, but we won’t be taking anything for granted. However, we will be seeking to take all three league points out of the home meeting. “We won in fabulous style at Ipswich last July. It was perhaps the result that really made the rest of the league sit up and take notice. “It’s unlikely to be as easy this time. Somerset went to Ipswich last week in the League Cup and came away without a point. “But we’d love to come away from Foxhall Heath with a good result, and some points to show for our efforts.” Ryan Douglas is set to return to action for the two meetings against the Witches. He damaged his thumb and hand at the Eddie Wright Raceway last Friday, and subsequently missed the meeting at Newcastle on Sunday. Josh Bates - another absentee at Newcastle - is also due to return to the Scorpions’ line-up. A home victory on Friday would be the 16th successive Premier League home win for the Scorpions, as the team close in the second-tier club record of twenty successive home league wins set by the 1983-84 Scunthorpe Stags. The Stags actually went 23 home meetings undefeated (after 20 home wins, there was a draw with Stoke), recording 22 wins and 1 draw, before tasting defeat to Hackney in July 1984. In all competitions, since an Emiliano Sanchez inspired Sheffield won at the Eddie Wright Raceway last June, the Scorpions have won their last 17 official home matches – 11 Premier League, 3 play-off, 2 League Cup and 1 Premier Shield. Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 6. Josh Bates, 7. Ryan Douglas (Australia). Ipswich Witches: 1. Ben Barker, 2. Jari Makinen (Finland), 3. Rohan Tungate (Australian), 4. Morten Risager (Denmark), 5. Leigh Lanham, 6. Adam Ellis, 7. Cameron Heeps (Australia). Admission Prices for Friday: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Scorpions Info Josh Auty has now moved into 3rd place in the all-time Top Scorers for the club (1417 to date). Josh has also moved into 4th place in the all-time list for Bonus Points scored for the club (112 to date). Ipswich Witches at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Ben Barker PL 4 19 41 2 8.63 9.05 15 from 5 rides (2008) Adam Ellis DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Cameron Heeps PL 1 4 1 0 1.00 1.00 1 from 4 rides (2012) Leigh Lanham PL 5 24 44 1 7.33 7.50 14 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2011)) Jari Makinen PL 2 8 8 0 4.00 4.00 5 from 4 rides (2012) Morten Risager PL 3 11 7 0 2.55 2.55 4 from 4 rides (2012) Rohan Tungate PL 1 4 4 1 4.00 5.00 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2012) Other Notes Ben Barker Has represented Great Britain in Speedway World Cup Events. Member of Oxford's Conference League Championship Winning Team in 2005. Member of Coventry's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Stoke's Conference League Four Team Championship Winning Team in 2006. Member of Coventry's Craven Shield Winning Team in 2008. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Birmingham for the 2013 Elite League Season. Adam Ellis Riding in his first full season in British speedway. Appeared in all three major domestic leagues in 2012. Winner of the 500cc class in the round held at EWR of the 2012 British Youth Championship. Will also ride for the Isle of Wight in the 2013 National League. Cameron Heeps 5 times Western Australian Under-16 Champion (2006 to 2010). Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. 2012 Western Australia State Champion. Leigh Lanham 1997 British Under-21 Champion. Member of Exeter's Young Shield Winning Team in 1997. Member of Newport's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Jari Makinen 2007 Finnish Under-21 Champion 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. Made his British League debut with Coventry in 2004. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011. Rohan Tungate Has won multiple Long track and Dirt track titles in Australia and is riding in his 2nd PL season with Ipswich. Named as a 'doubling-up rider with Poole for the 2013 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 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Well done to the Diamonds - the best team over the two legs. And well done to Lewis Kerr - fantastic performance from a young British rider. Pity he couldn't have done that against another team, though, rather than us!! The racing was alright, despite the final scoreline. Had a chat with Tsunami afterwards, which went alright, because neither of us mentioned Mrs T. All the best Rob

Can't find a thread on this as yet. I guess the Diamonds start as slight favourites, but the Scorpions will be battling all the way to get their hands on the opening piece of silverware of the Premier League season. My prediction: Newcastle 51 Scunthorpe 45, and the Scorpions to win by one point on aggregate... again!! All the best Rob

Tsunami, hopefully we will bump into each other tomorrow. We'll skip the politics and just talk speedway!! All the best Rob

Sidney, Josh's one gate came in Heat 15 last night - the rest of it involved at least one pass per race (sometimes more, the thing about the Scunthorpe track is that it's possible for the other riders to come back past as well!!). Lewis Kerr did put in a fabulous performance for the Diamonds last night - always great to see a young Brit starting to come of age. As for Scunny's two reserves, Ryan Douglas looked good last night, and would have scored more but for falling in Heat 12 and damaging his wrist. Josh Bates' score last night didn't reflect the fact he wasn't far behind at all last night - it'll come soon for him. All the best Rob

Really enjoyed the meeting tonight. Some great action. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS CHASE PREMIER SHIELD HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions will be looking to pick up their opening piece of silverware of the season this weekend. The Scorpions are involved in the Premier Shield, speedway’s equivalent to football’s Community Shield, featuring the league champions (Scunthorpe) against the current cup holders (Newcastle Diamonds). The first leg takes place at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm), with the return at Newcastle’s Brough Park on Sunday (6.30pm). Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It is a chance to win some silverware. This is a proper Premier League competition. It’s not just a Mickey Mouse home-and-away challenge match; it’s a genuine official competition between the top two sides from last year. “But unless we find some form, it is going to be a battle. We’re not quite performing at our top level so far this season. “At the moment, we’re not riding like league champions. Newcastle have started the season like potential champions, so it’s going to be a tough night on Friday. “But everything could click back into place. I’m sure it will be a good meeting with terrific racing. I hope we fire on all cylinders and get a comprehensive win, because we’ll need to take a good lead to Brough Park to stand a chance of the aggregate win.” Godfrey admits several of his riders have yet to show their top form. He said: “Ash (Birks) and Thomas (Jørgensen) are doing very well and they are our best two riders at the moment, rather than Josh (Auty) and David (Howe). “Of course, Josh & David realise that, and know they’re not quite on the pace yet. Josh is good at home, but not quite there away. We saw that last year with Josh; he’s a slow starter to the season, but once he gets going, he’s well and truly away. “Meanwhile, David has had almost a year off with injuries. He had a day practicing the other day, and he will get back to his best. “As I keep saying, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” One change in Scunthorpe’s riding order sees Howe and Jørgensen swapping places – with Howe moving to No 2 and Jørgensen to No 5. “David loves being out in the first race”, explained Godfrey. “Looking at Thomas’s scoring for our opening two home meetings, he’s finished last in Heat 1, but then only dropped a point in his remaining rides. “We’re hoping the change in riding order will help fire the team up.” Godfrey has paid tribute to outgoing team manager Richard Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth will continue to stay heavily involved with the club, especially in regard to youth development at the Eddie Wright Raceway. He took over the team manager’s reigns from the late Kenny Smith in 2009. “It’s not a complete bolt out of the blue”, admitted Godfrey. “Richard has done a terrific job in the last four years as team manager. He’s has been here as long as I have – he helped me build the place. “He’s taken the kids under his wing, with the Amateur Meetings, the Saints team, and so on. That’s his big passion, and that’s now what he will be concentrating on.” Godfrey also revealed the stress caused by the injury crisis that the club faced throughout much of the 2012 season (making it even more remarkable that the club ended the year as league champions). “Last year, it was Guest City. It was really strenuous. When everyone else was tucked up in bed, Richard and myself would be up until around 1-2am in the morning, trying to book guests. “The pressure was relentless. We had both Josh Auty & Nick Morris injured the night before a play-off match at Edinburgh. I think Richard was up all night securing guests. “It’s not a job where you turn up and go home, it’s full on most days of the week, and when you need one, two, even three guests for some meetings, it’s so hard. With that and the weather, it took its toll on both Richard and myself last season. “I think it was trying to secure a guest for Josh Bates at Leicester on Saturday that reminded Richard of all that again. “I totally understand his decision to stand down as team manager. He has been doing so much for the club; he hardly ever had any spare time. “Richard is still a big part of this club, and I thank him for all he’s done so far for Scunthorpe Speedway.” Former Hull boss and ex-SCB referee Dave Peet will take over as team manager for Scorpions’ home meetings, while Godfrey will cover the job for away meetings. This weekend sees Josh Bates return to action for the Scorpions. Bates picked up an ankle injury during last Friday’s Scunthorpe v Sheffield meeting, but a visit to hospital revealed no breaks. Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 6. Josh Bates, 7. Ryan Douglas (Australia). Newcastle Diamonds (probable): 1. Stuart Robson, 2. R/R for Andrew Tully (Scotland), 3. Christian Henry (Australia), 4. Ludvig Lindgren (Sweden), 5. Richie Worrall, 6. Lewis Kerr, 7. Steve Worrall. Admission Prices for Friday: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Scorpions Info Ashley Birks has now scored over 700 points for the club (726 to date). David Howe has now made over 150 appearances for the club (151 to date). Newcastle Diamonds at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Christian Henry PL 5 23 23 3 4.00 4.52 6 from 4 rides (2012) Lewis Kerr PL 1 3 0 0 0.00 0.00 Ludvig Lindgren PL 3 14 31 1 8.86 9.14 14 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2009)) Stuart Robson PL 4 20 42 3 8.40 9.00 11 + 2 from 5 rides (2012) Richie Worrall PL 5 23 38 4 6.61 7.30 13 from 5 rides (2012 (for Scorpions)) Steve Worrall PL 26 109 103 24 3.78 4.66 10 + 2 from 5 rides (2011 (for Scorpions)) Other Notes Christian Henry Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winners in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Lewis Kerr Rode as a Guest rider for Somerset in their 2012 League Cup Winning Team for the injured Tom Perry. Captain of King's Lynn's 2013 National League side. Ludvig Lindgren Member of Wolverhampton's Elite Shield Winning Teams in 2010 and 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Agreed a short-term deal to replace Sam Masters in a 'doubling-up' role with Wolverhampton in the Elite League. Stuart Robson Member of Coventry's Craven Shield Winning Team in 2000. Member of Rye House's Premier League and Premier Trophy Winning Teams in 2005. Member of Lakeside's Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2009. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012. Richie Worrall Former Scunthorpe Saint. Member of the Saints' National League Winning Team in 2011. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011. Qualified for the World Under-21 Finals in 2012, before injury prevented him taking part. Steve Worrall Former Scunthorpe Scorpion and Saint. Member of the Saints' National League Winning Team in 2011. Newcastle's Results at EWR: 04 April 2008 PT L Scunthorpe 55 Newcastle 38 16 May 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Newcastle 36 08 May 2009 KOC (1) L Scunthorpe 65 Newcastle 25 07 August 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Newcastle 45 14 May 2010 KOC (1) L Scunthorpe 49 Newcastle 41 23 July 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Newcastle 39 01 April 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 47 Newcastle 42 30 March 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 46 Newcastle 44 13 July 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 48 Newcastle 42 Newcastle Diamonds' 2013 Results 30 March 2013 ITS A L Newcastle 42 Workington 51 31 March 2013 ITS H W Newcastle 54 Workington 40 (On agg:- W 96 - 91) 04 April 2013 TTT A W Newcastle 57 Redcar 38 07 April 2013 TTT H W Newcastle 58 Redcar 36 (On agg:- W 115 - 74) (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Just to add a few words of my own. Richard is 100% Scunthorpe Speedway through-and-through, as is his wife Anne. I know this can't be a decision that he's taken lightly. But at the end of the day, there's only a certain number of hours in a day. Anyone who has seen one of the amateur meetings at Scunny (and the scale of them) can appreciate the amount of work that goes into such a meeting, with sometimes 50+ riders in a meeting. And that's only one of the many jobs that Richard does for Scunny. He'll always have the satisfaction of team managing his hometown club to the 2012 Premier League championship - he was beaming like a Cheshire Cat that night! Scunthorpe Speedway (and British Speedway for that matter, few people do as much for young riders as Richard) is lucky to have such a passionate and committed person as Richard Hollingsworth at the club. All the best Rob Peasley

HOLLINGSWORTH STEPS DOWN SCUNTHORPE Speedway Promoter Rob Godfrey has announced that Richard Hollingsworth has stepped down from team managing duties for the Scunthorpe Scorpions. Godfrey said: “Quite simply Richard was doing too much and he decided something had to give. I fully understand his decision because he does so much for this club. Nothing else will change and he will continue to organise the Saints’ team, the practices and the amateur meetings, along with a multitude of other jobs that go unseen. “Of course we now have the job of finding a replacement, but the important thing is that Richard will remain involved with the club.” After making the announcement Hollingsworth confirmed: “It is with a heavy heart that I am stepping down. “It has been a tremendous honour and a privilege to manage my hometown club and I have been very lucky to be at the helm when it all came together for the Premier League title last year. “If team manager was my only role at the club, I wouldn’t be making this decision, but I feel losing this aspect of my duties makes the most sense for both the club and me. “I am still extremely passionate about the club and, in particular, the opportunities we offer to riders. I will be able to focus my energies on that, whilst I’m sure the Scorpions are still set for a good season whoever becomes team manager. “I have enjoyed working with the riders and, I believe, the current set is a tremendously talented bunch that will be there or thereabouts when the trophies are dished out at the end of the season.” The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions may not have to wait that long for silverware, as on Friday night (7.30pm start) at the Eddie Wright Raceway, they face the Newcastle Diamonds in the first leg of the Premier Shield.

Castleford Kings 15 – Liam Rumsey 4 (3), Lee Springthorpe 2+1 (3), Max Clegg 9 (3) (MAXIMUM), Freddie Owen 0 (3). Milton Keynes Knights 21 – Conor Dwyer 0 (1), Sam Woods 6+2 (4), Nathan Greaves 7 (3), Danny Phillips 8+2 (4). 1: (Re-run) Woods, Rumsey, Springthorpe, Dwyer (fell, excluded), 68.63 (3-3) (3-3). 2: Clegg, Greaves, Phillips, Owen, 61.68 (3-3) (6-6). 3: Greaves, Phillips, Rumsey, Springthorpe, 61.47 (1-5) (7-11). 4: Clegg, Phillips, Woods, Owen, 61.44 (3-3) (10-14). 5: Phillips, Woods, Springthorpe, Owen (ret), 63.13 (1-5) (11-19). 6: Clegg, Greaves, Rumsey, Woods, 60.59 (4-2) (15-21). All the best Rob

Hi Main Man,, Danny Phillips took Connor Dwyer's ride in Heat 4, not Nathan Greaves. Nathan Greaves finished second in Heat 6, not Sam Woods. Correct MK scorechart: Conor Dwyer FX (0) San Woods 3 1* 2* 0 (6+2) Nathan Greaves 2 3 2 (7) Danny Phillips 1* 2* 2 3 (8-2) All the best Rob

Scunny by 1 would be better All the best Rob

Danny Halsey in for the injured Josh Bates at Leicester. No update on Josh's ankle injury as yet, but in the meantime, he's ruled out of tonight. All the best Rob

Phil, he was going off to hospital for an X-ray on his ankle. Fingers crossed it's just bruised and swollen, rather than broken. Hopefully there will be a positive update tomorrow. All the best Rob