lucifer sam

SCUNTHORPE SAINTS 35 MILDENHALL FEN TIGERS 56 (NATIONAL LEAGUE) IT PROVED to be a highly eventful evening at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday), with the Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints losing to a very powerful Mildenhall Fen Tigers outfit. The Saints were reduced to five riders, after Danny Phillips (badly bruised leg) and Tommy Fenwick (dislocated shoulder) both crashed out of the meeting, while Mildenhall’s Nathan Stoneman suffered a broken femur (leg). The Fen Tigers showed that they meant business from the off, and flew into a 10-2 lead after two races. Heat 2 was re-run after second-placed Danny Phillips fell at the first time of asking, and he took no further part in proceedings. Gary Irving and Tom Young won their opening outings in Heats 3 & 4 respectively, but a further blow for the Saints came in Heat 6, when both Steve Worrall and Tommy Fenwick (pictured right) came down on the first turn. Fenwick was also withdrawn from the meeting, while the Sain ts were left facing tracking only one rider in several races. The re-run of Heat 6 saw a high crash for Nathan Stoneman and Max Clegg (who was a replacement for Fenwick), for which Stoneman was excluded. Clegg was soon up, but Stoneman was obviously hurt. The resulting broken femur is almost certain to rule Stoneman out of the rest of the 2012 season. With former Saint (and new Scorpions’ signing) Stefan Nielsen in inspired form and only denied a maximum by a fall while leading Heat 4, it was not long before the Fen Tigers were home-and-dry. Nielsen thwarted Irving’s tactical ride in Heat 9. Saints’ Oliver Greenwood, on his return from injury, took a fine second place in Heat 14, after winning a battle with Josh Bates. Post-match quotes: Stuart Parnaby (Saints’ team manager) - “We needed everything to go right to stand any chance at all against Mildenhall, but that didn’t happen tonight. We were reduced to five riders very early on, and that’s far from ideal. “Danny’s taken a bad bang to his leg. He’s unlikely to fit for the match at Stoke (on Saturday), although we’ll see in the morning how he is feeling. “Tommy is definitely ruled out for Stoke. Tommy’s a hard lad; he’s taken all sorts of knocks doing Motocross. With a dislocated shoulder, it depends on the muscle damage regarding how quickly a rider can recover. “Oliver (Greenwood) needs track time, now he’s back from injury. He looked a different rider in his fourth outing tonight, winning a real battle for second place against Josh Bates. “Mildenhall looked very, very impressive tonight – if they ride like that for the rest of the season, they will be league champions. “But it was a real pity to see young Nathan Stoneman suffer a broken femur. I went out to see how he was, and had to turn back around. He’s going to be out for the rest of the season, and that’s such a shame for a young lad.” Full scorers: Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints 35 – Steve Worrall 5 (4), Tommy Fenwick 0 (1), Gary Irving 14 (5) (incl. 4-point tactical ride), Oliver Greenwood 2 (4), Tom Young 9+1 (5), Danny Phillips 0 (1), Max Clegg 5 (7). Mildenhall Fen Tigers 56 – Jason Garrity (guest) 11+1 (5), Joe Jacobs R/R, Lewis Blackbird 9 (5), Daniel Halsey 9+3 (5), Stefan Nielsen 14+1 (6), Nathan Stoneman 3 (2), Josh Bates 10+3 (7). 1: Nielsen, Garrity, Worrall, Fenwick, 59.38 (1-5) (1-5). 2: (Re-run twice) Stoneman, Bates, Clegg, Phillips (fell, excluded), 62.07 (1-5) (2-10). 3: Irving, Blackbird, Halsey, Greenwood (fell, remounted), 60.22 (3-3) (5-13). 4: Young, Bates, Clegg, Nielsen (fell), 61.44 (4-2) (9-15). 5: Garrity, Irving, Blackbird, Greenwood, 58.37 (2-4) (11-19). 6: (Re-run) Nielsen, Clegg, Stoneman (fell, excluded), Worrall (fell, excluded), Fenwick (fell, unable to contest re-run), no time – awarded (2-3) (13-22). 7: Young, Blackbird, Halsey (three riders only), 59.75 (3-3) (16-25). 8: Halsey, Bates, Clegg (three riders only), 60.40 (1-5) (17-30). 9: (Re-run) Nielsen, IRVING (TR), Bates, Greenwood, 58.75 (4-4) (21-34). 10: Worrall, Blackbird, Halsey, Clegg, 58.87 (3-3) (24-37). 11: Garrity, Young, Bates (three riders only), 58.13 (2-4) (26-41). 12: Irving, Blackbird, Bates, Clegg (3-3) (29-44). 13: (Re-run) Garrity, Nielsen, Worrall, Young (fell, excluded), 59.03 (1-5) (30-49). 14: Halsey, Greenwood, Bates, Clegg, 60.40 (2-4) (32-53). 15: Nielsen, Irving, Young, Garrity (ret), 58.37 (3-3) (35-56).

Sadly it would seem Nathan Stoneman suffered a broken femur tonight and is ruled out for the rest of the season. All the best Rob

GREENWOOD TO RETURN FOR SAINTS OLIVER Greenwood makes his long-awaited 2012 debut for the Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints on Friday evening (7.30pm), as the Saints entertain high-flying Mildenhall Fen Tigers in a National League encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Greenwood suffered a broken collarbone in the British Under-21 semi-final at Stoke in mid-April, just before the Saints’ commenced their 2012 fixtures. The 17-year-old made three appearances for the Saints during 2011, before being rewarded with a full-time place in this year’s Saints team. Team manager Stuart Parnaby said: “It’s great that Oliver can now commence his season with the Saints. “He’s been practicing at Rye House, and also had a ride after Tuesday’s Scunthorpe v Ipswich Premier League match. “I know Oliver is really looking forward to it. Whenever possible, both he and his dad have been in attendance at our meetings, while he’s been out injured. “We actually made Oliver the non-riding captain for our last home match against Buxton, because we had a bit of an unusual line-up and Oliver had been riding for us longer than any of the riders we had out on track.” Parnaby is also pleased to be able to track a team of seven of his own riders on Friday night, without having to track guests or rider replacement. “It’s good to be able to track seven riders”, he commented. “We are still without Adam Wrathall, who has had the pot removed from his arm, and now needs a couple of weeks practising and building up the lost muscle in his arm. Adam has not been kicking his heels; he’s been kept busy being the mechanic for Richie Worrall. “But we can put out seven Saints on Friday night. We certainly need to put out a full team against Mildenhall, who have been flying this season. They are unbeaten in the league, but so are Dudley, and we had the Heathens beaten around here until we suffered a last race engine failure. “Of course, the return of Mildenhall brings back the happy memories of last season’s play-off final. We clobbered them around Scunthorpe in the first leg of that. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll repeat that scoreline (62-33), but I feel we can win the meeting on Friday. “This season, with our very young side, we go out with the aim of winning our home meetings, while we just want the younger riders – such as Danny Phillips and Max Clegg - to enjoy the away meetings.” Meanwhile, Parnaby is delighted that Scunthorpe assets Stefan Nielsen and Tom Young will be sharing a reserve berth for the Premier League Scunthorpe Scorpions, following the reshuffle that has seen Nick Morris join the Scorpions. Ironically Young and Nielsen will be in opposing sides on Friday night. “It’s really good news”, he enthused. “We’ve seen the Worrall twins, Ashley Birks and Gary Irving all graduate from the Saints into the Premier League, and now we have two more in Tom and Stefan. “Stefan was a big gamble when we brought him into the Saints line-up, because no-one really knew much about him. However, as soon as he started riding for us, you could see he was a good kid with plenty of potential. “We were hoping to have him ride for the Saints this year as well. But in the end, he joined Mildenhall, which actually worked out well, because he’s learnt how to ride small tracks. “And then there’s Tom Young. He joined the Saints from Newport at the start of this year on an average of just above three, and he’s amazed everyone with his progress. There’s a great atmosphere around Tom, and he’s definitely a rider who is going places. “I think both riders will do a good job in the Premier League, and I’m sure the supporters will be patient with them while they adapt to racing at that level.” National League Admission Prices: All Adults: £11.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £27 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Friday: Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Steve Worrall, 2. Tommy Fenwick, 3. Gary Irving, 4. Oliver Greenwood, 5. Tom Young, 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Max Clegg. Mildenhall Fen Tigers: 1. Cameron Heeps, 2. Joe Jacobs R/R, 3. Lewis Blackbird, 4. Daniel Halsey, 5. Stefan Nielsen, 6. Nathan Stoneman, 7. Josh Bates. Mildenhall Fen Tigers at EWR Leagues Ave Ave Best Total Pts Max Name Ridden In M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) T/R Pts Performance Scored F P Josh Bates NL DEBUT @ EWR Lewis Blackbird NL 2 9 13 2 5.78 6.67 2 7 + 2 from 4 rides (2011) 17 0 0 Daniel Halsey CL/NL 10 47 45 5 3.83 4.26 2 11 + 1 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2008) 52 0 0 Cameron Heeps NL 1 5 12 0 9.60 9.60 3 15 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2011)) 15 0 0 Joe Jacobs NL 3 14 13 2 3.71 4.29 0 10 + 1 from 5 rides (2011) 15 0 0 Stefan Nielsen NL 9 39 66 12 6.77 8.00 0 14 + 1 from 7 rides (2011 - for Saints) 78 0 0 Nathan Stoneman NL DEBUT @ EWR Mildenhall's Previous NL Results at EWR: 18 June 2005 - CL Scunthorpe 50 Mildenhall 43 26 June 2006 - CL Scunthorpe 59 Mildenhall 34 31 July 2006 - CT Scunthorpe 60 Mildenhall 33 2 May 2009 - NL Scunthorpe 57 Mildenhall 38 29 August 2011 - NL Scunthorpe 51 Mildenhall 39 21 October 2011 - NL POF Scunthorpe 62 Mildenhall 33 Other Notes: Josh Bates 16-year old who is in his debut National League season. Winner of the 2011 Scunthorpe Amateur Summer Series (250cc). Lewis Blackbird Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Daniel Halsey Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Has previously ridden in the Premier League for Rye House and Birmingham. Cameron Heeps 5 times Western Australian Under-16 Champion (2006 to 2010). Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Doubling-up with Ipswich in the Premier League for the 2012 season. Joe Jacobs Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Stefan Nielsen Former Saint who made his National League debut at Belle Vue in 2011 and announced this week as a doubling-up rider with the Scorpions in the Premier League.. Member of Scunthorpe's National League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Nathan Stoneman 2011 British Youth Champion (500cc). 15-year old who is in his debut National League season. Mildenhall Fen Tigers' 2012 Results 08/04/2012 NS H W Mildenhall 47 Dudley 46 15/04/2012 KOC (1) H W Mildenhall 55 King's Lynn 40 02/05/2012 KOC (2) A W Mildenhall 51 King's Lynn 39 (On agg - W: 106 - 79) 06/05/2012 NL H W Mildenhall 62 Scunthorpe 29 15/05/2012 NL A W Mildenhall 49 Isle of Wight 41 27/05/2012 NL H W Mildenhall 49 Rye House 38 29/05/2012 NS A L Mildenhall 41 Dudley 52 (On agg - L: 88 - 98) 04/06/2012 NL A W Mildenhall 50 Rye House 40 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

In the case of the Saints, by adding Steve Jones and Tommy Fenwick to the squad. There are dozens of riders out there looking for slots in the National League. Look at a Scunny Amateur meeting line-up, and you'll see plenty of names. With only one guest and one R/R facility available, there does need to be a way that a team can cover for having five riders out. The young lads at this level can quite often get in the wars, while heat leaders often have PL commitments. All the best Rob

Surely it's time to go back to ten-man squads in the National League. Otherwise what is supposed to happen when a club has five riders out all at once, as happened with the Saints in this case. There needs to be a way that a club can cover for the absence of multiple riders. All the best Rob

However, it was Dennis Sigalos who was the top man at Ipswich in 1983. Sigalos really was a rider who may have been World Champion, but for the serious injuries he sustained early in 1984. All the best Rob

Aren't Great Britain and the USA in different rounds? I thought the USA were competing in the round in Poland. I'm surprised Ben Barker is not in the Great Britain team, after his efforts in 2011. He was Britain's second best rider in the 2011 Race Off, the only one apart from Chris Harris really mixing it with the other riders. All the best Rob

I really, really enjoyed the Saints meeting again today. Great stuff from the whole team. All the best Rob

BIRKS BACK FOR SAINTS, WHILE JONES MAKES DEBUT WITH no fewer than five of their regular squad unavailable, a very familiar name will guest for the Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints for their Bank Holiday Monday clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway against the Buxton Hitmen – that of current Scorpion Ashley Birks. It will be a busy afternoon for Birks, who will also ride in the preceding Scorpions v Sheffield League Cup fixture. Birks, who rides for Stoke in the National League this season, was a member of the Saints’ team who won the National League championship in such unforgettable style in 2011. Experienced Steve Jones (pictured) will also make his Saints debut, while flying Welshman Tom Young will be fit to resume racing, after hurting his wrist last Sunday. Team boss Stuart Parnaby said: “It’s been a tough mission getting together six riders, plus rider replacement, for this meeting. “We will still be without the injured pair of Adam Wrathall and Oliver Greenwood on Monday. Oliver has seen a specialist and he’s not quite ready to return – he’s probably a couple of weeks away. “Gary Irving is riding for Premier League Workington on Monday, and likewise Steve Worrall is riding for Newcastle. “Jerran Hart is going to take a break from speedway for a while. I did try to persuade him to continue riding for the Saints after being dropped from the Scorpions, but he was a long way from home up here. I think he needs a little time to himself, to think things over. “Thankfully Tom Young is OK to ride, despite banging his wrist during the Dudley match last weekend. He was just sensational in that meeting, and fully deserved his first maximum for the Saints. “I’m glad that Tom has also been named as Scorpions’ No. 8 on Monday, and it can’t be long before he makes his full Premier League debut if he keeps up his current form. “We also have Steve Jones coming in on Monday. He impressed at the last amateur meeting at Scunthorpe, winning it in good style by passing Gary O’Hare and Jake Knight in the final, so has earned a place in the Saints’ side on Monday on merit.” Jones is 32-years-old, having made his league debut for Linlithgow Lighting, a former track in Scotland, in 1997. He has much experience of riding in the sport’s third tier, with a handful of appearances for Newport in 2011 marking his return to league racing after a gap of three years. Amateur meeting organiser Richard Hollingsworth said: “I’m very pleased for Steve Jones, who is getting a ride with the Saints on Monday. “Whilst we are always looking for young and inexperienced riders like Oliver Greenwood, Tommy Fenwick, Danny Phillips and Max Clegg to follow in the footsteps of Gary Irving, Stevie Worrall, Richie Worrall, Ashley Birks, etc, his outstanding performance in the last amateur meeting made him an obvious choice when we needed an experienced rider to fill in. “Hopefully Monday will lead to further opportunities for Steve, either with the Saints or another side, and hopefully more riders will realise the power of the amateur meetings at Scunthorpe. “When National League places are available, then they’re almost certainly going to be won at the amateur meetings, with the club promoter and both club team managers watching them.” Teams for Sunday: Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Ashley Birks, 2. Tommy Fenwick, 3. Steve Worrall R/R, 4. Steve Jones, 5. Tom Young, 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Max Clegg. Buxton Hitmen: 1. Robert Branford, 2, Richard Andrews, 3. Luke Priest, 4. Dean Felton, 5. Adam McKinna, 6. Michael Neale, 7. Ryan Blacklock.

You lightweight, I was looking for you yesterday. All the best Rob

Given the temperature yesterday, the shorts were a necessity. Nice to see you yesterday, and well done for putting the ref right over the KL participants in Heat 15. I agree with you about the meeting, it was also the best meeting I've seen this year by a long way. All the best Rob

Great couple of speedway meetings. It was a shame Gary's bike expired entering the third bend of the final lap, but that's Speedway. So much to enthuse about today - great to see young riders taking their first win or first paid win And Tom Young was just sensational. All the best Rob

Nicki was top entertainment last night, including comedy tash. All the best Rob

Yep, great to be able to travel up knowing that the sun is out for the whole day. Hope a lot of people take advantage of the offer to see 30 heats of speedway for just £14 today. All the best Rob

That was a major problem last night. Maybe they need a referee as one of the studio guests, who can clarify the rules in such cases. Last night, the rules were applied perfectly, but because the wrong information was given on Sky, many fans were confused. Anyway, let's get away from that and say what a great Grand Prix it was. There have been some shockers at Ullievi in the past decade, but last night's meeting was a classic. All the best Rob

The rule has been the same for nealry 40 years, and is perfectly clear... Craig Ackroyd applied that rule as it should be today. All the best Rob

SCB, please note this. All the best Rob

Cheers Neil - just proves what I was saying. Spot on refereeing from Craig Ackroyd. All the best Rob

He doesn't have to. There's so many volumes of the FIM rulebook for me to find it tonight, but it's all in there. As long as the race is completed by at least one competitor, then the ref can award the race based on the positions at the time of the incident. I'm surprised you're taking so long to latch onto this one; you're normally very quick to assimilate the rules. All the best Rob

I guess it is similar. The difference at FIM level is that at least one rider has to complete the race before it is stopped. The current rules came about following a very controversial incident in the 1973 World Final, which denied Zenon Plech a place in the run-off for first place. All the best Rob

But the race wasn't stopped mate. All the best Rob

There are 12 volumes of the FIM rulebook (I won them in a quiz) and such an eventuality is covered. Basically if one (or more) riders have completed the race, then the ref can award the positions based on the positions at the time of the incident. That's waht happened tonight. I wish the SKy TV crew knew the rules, and then there wouldn't be all the confusion on here. All the best Rob

I don't think the race was stopped. All the best Rob

Vog, I hope the Potters do have a good season, it was a shame when you fell away at the business end last season and ended up with nothing. Birks and Worrall are a great spearhead, although they often are not going to be available due to other commitments. It will be interesting to see how Stoke go once Reade moves up into the top five, Back onto topic, and really looking forward to tomorrow's double-header at Sunny Scunny. All the best Rob Jason King and Steve Worrall were in the start of season team, which was always supposed to have a couple of more expereicned guys at the top to help out the likes of Max Clegg, Danny Philipps and Oliver Greenwood. Oliver is already out injured (will be back soon), and Tommy Fenwick has also been given outings for the Saints. Also Simon Allen was used at Stoke, while Adam Kirby (Stoke) and Martin Wrathall (on Sunday) have been No. 8 for the Saints. So plenty of guys from the Amateur meetings / training schools in the mix. But it's necessary to have more experienced guys there at the same time, the National League is both a competitive league AND a training ground at the same time. All the best Rob

It is all hindsight. But the Stoke side I saw in the second leg did not look much like potential league champions. Maybe they just had a bad day and fair enough that they were missing Richie Worrall, but the Potters need to ride much better when they ride Dudley or Mildenhall. All the best Rob