lucifer sam

DOUBLE BLOW FOR SCORPIONS HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS have been hit by the double blow that both Josh Auty and Nick Morris will miss tonight’s (Friday) Premier League play-off meeting at Edinburgh. Both Auty and Morris crashed during the televised Swindon v Birmingham Elite League play-off meeting last night (Thursday), and have been left battered and bruised. Promoter Rob Godfrey and team manager Richard Hollingsworth have secured the services of Poole’s Sam Masters and Sheffield’s Joe Haines as guests for the long trip up north to Armadale. The revised Scorpions line-up for tonight is: 1. Josh Auty R/R 2. Joe Haines (guest for Thomas Jorgensen) 3. Kevin Doolan (guest for David Howe) 4. Ashley Birks 5. Sam Masters (guest for Nick Morris) 6. Michael Palm Toft 7. Gary Irving Hollingsworth said: “Obviously this is a big and untimely blow. “Our thanks go to Sam Masters and Joe Haines for accepting a last minute booking for a meeting up in Scotland. “It’s 50/50 whether Josh and Nick will be fit for the two Workington meetings on Saturday and Sunday. “We are certainly not giving up on the dream of reaching the play-off final, and we will be fighting for every single point over the weekend.”

So should miserable OId Gits. Hold on, I may have to rethink that, I'm a bit of a miserable old git. All the best Rob

None of Scunny's top four are available. Josh and Nick are both at Swindon tonight, while David and the Tommy Gun are injured. All the best Rob

Could be interesting, especially as the Worralls scored 26 points out of 44 for Newcastle in the league match. Meeting will depend on how Robbo and Lemo perform at Beaumont Park this time around. All the best Rob

Both teams missing two riders due to injury. Scorpions are: 1. Josh Auty 2. R/R for the Tommy Gun 3. Kevin Doolan (guest for David Howe) 4. Ashley Birks 5. Nick Morris 6. MPT 7. Gary Irving Looking forward to coming up for this one - come on the Scorps All the best Rob

Richard Hall's two performances for Sheffield have been fine. He probably rides Scunny slightly better than Ricky Wells, not much in it though: League Cup: SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 1 David Howe Ex, 0, 3, 0 = 3 2 Rider Replacement 3 Carl Wilkinson 2, 2, 1, 1, 1', 2 = 9+1 4 Tom Armstrong Ex, F, 0 = 0 5 Josh Auty 3, 1, 3, 3, 3, Ex = 13 6 Michael Palm Toft 2, 2, 1, 1, 2 = 8 7 Ashley Birks F, 2', 3, 0, 2, Ex = 7+1 SHEFFIELD TIGERS 1 Josef Franc 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 = 7 2 Hugh Skidmore 3, 3, 0, 0 = 6 3 Chris Schramm 1, 0, 1', 0 = 2+1 4 Richard Hall 3, 2, 2, 1 = 8 5 Ricky Wells 0, 2', 2', 1', 3 = 8+3 6 Emiliano Sanchez 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 15 7 Joe Haines 1, 1, 2 = 4 Premier League: SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 1 Kevin Wolbert 1, 0, 3, 0 = 4 2 Rider Replacement 3 Nick Morris 3, T, 1, 2, 2 = 8 4 Ashley Birks 3, 3, 3, 1', 0, 2 = 12+1 5 Josh Auty 3, 3, Fx, 3, Fx = 9 6 Michael Palm Toft 1, 2', 3, 1, 1 = 8+1 7 Gary Irving 3, 1, 2', 1, 1', 2 = 10+2 SHEFFIELD TIGERS 1 Rider Replacement 2 Hugh Skidmore 2, 2, Ex, 6^, 1' = 11+1 3 Jason Bunyan R, 1, 0, 3 = 4 4 Richard Hall 2, F^, 2, 2', 1, 3 = 10+1 5 Ricky Wells 0, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 = 9 6 Joe Haines 2, 0, 1', 2, 0, 3 = 8+1 7 Chris Schramm 0, 0, 0 = 0 Yup, it will be tough, but we beat Worky 49-40 last time, despite having a unfit David and Thomas crashing out mid-way. We can beat them again. All the best Rob

Any news on the guest for Craig Cook? Scorpions are: 1. Josh Auty 2. R/R for the Tommy Gun 3. Kevin Doolan (guest for David Howe) 4. Ashley Birks 5. Nick Morris 6. MPT 7. Gary Irving All the best Rob

WEEKEND OF EPIC PROPORTIONS FOR SCORPIONS HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions face a weekend of almost epic proportions, as they are involved in three Premier League Play-Off meetings in as many days, with visits to Edinburgh (Friday) and Workington (Saturday) topped by the visit of the Workington Comets to the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday (6pm). The Scorpions got their play-off campaign to a flying start with a 59-34 win over Edinburgh at the Eddie Wright Raceway last Sunday, and will be hoping to take the momentum from that meeting into this weekend. There was an injury concern over the fitness of No 1 Josh Auty, following an awkward fall for Josh during Heat 9 of the Monday’s Elite League play-off between Birmingham and Swindon. But Josh has been cleared for racing for this weekend. Although every single meeting in the play-offs is a tough one, the Scorpions must target all three points from Sunday’s encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway, plus at least one good result from the two away meetings. A single away point could prove absolutely crucial for any one of the three teams in the play-off group. If the Scorpions can reach 10 points by the end of Sunday, they will book their place in the final. If not, they will be left looking at the results of the two meetings between the Comets and the Monarchs, due to take place on October 13th (at Workington) and October 19th (at Edinburgh). Scorpions’ team boss Richard Hollingsworth said: “It really is no exaggeration to say that this is the biggest weekend in the 41-year history of this club. By the end of Sunday, we will either know or have a very good idea, of whether we have done enough to qualify for the play-off final. “The boys really put in a top performance against Edinburgh last Sunday. We asked for them to fight over every point and register a big win, and that’s what we got. “We take tremendous momentum into Friday’s match, having won not only last Sunday, but the previous seven league matches before that, including a win at Edinburgh on the final day of August. “Our five remaining riders - Josh (Auty), Nick (Morris), Ash (Birks), Michael (Palm Toft) and Gary (Irving) - are doing a brilliant job in the absence of David (Howe) and Thomas (Jorgensen). They scored 55 paid 64 between them against the Monarchs. “What we really can’t afford to do is lose any further riders to injury, and our hearts were in our mouths when we saw Josh fall in the televised match from Birmingham, because it was a nasty looking crash and you could see he was in some discomfort as he walked off the track. “Initial X-rays suggested nothing was broken, but Josh was still initially in quite a lot of pain with his wrist. “I can’t tell you how relieved I was to receive the text from Josh to tell me he would be fit to race this weekend.” Hollingsworth and promoter Rob Godfrey have again been scouring the Premier League averages looking for the way to best cover for their missing stars. Hollingsworth explained: “The October Green Sheet averages see David fall to third in our averages, behind Josh and Nick. So this weekend, we’ve gone for guests for David and rider replacement for Thomas. “We’ve booked Ipswich’s Kevin Doolan for David on both Friday and Saturday, and then we have former Scorpion Richard Hall in for the home meeting on Sunday. “We really don’t want Sunday to be our final home match of the season; we’d love to have one more meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway in 2012 – a leg of the play-off final. “Local interest in the team has been building. Last week, we had the BBC TV cameras filming the Edinburgh meeting at the Raceway. “We hope people from across the whole Scunthorpe area will realise that this is a rather special season, and that it is possible for us to pull off a rare sporting triumph for this town. “The Eddie Wright Raceway will be the place to be on Sunday early evening, as we look to book our place in the final”, concluded Hollingsworth. Teams for Sunday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jorgensen R/R, 3. Richard Hall (guest), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Nick Morris (Australia), 6. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 7. Gary Irving. Workington Comets: 1. Richard Lawson, 2. Tero Aarnio (Finland), 3. Rene Bach (Denmark), 4. Kenny Ingalls R/R, 5. Ricky Wells (United States) (guest), 6. Ashley Morris, 7. Kyle Howarth. Scorpions Info Josh Auty has now scored over 100 bonus points for the club (101 to date). Ashley Birks has now scored over 650 points for the club (655 to date). Gary Irving has now scored over 700 points for the club (703 to date). Workington Comets at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Tero Aarnio PL 38 172 317 33 7.37 8.14 14 + 1 from 5 rides (2010) Rene Bach PL 3 13 19 6 5.85 7.69 7 + 3 from 4 rides (2012) Kyle Howarth PL 3 16 12 2 3.00 3.50 6 + 1 from 7 rides (2011) Richard Lawson PL 7 29 42 5 5.79 6.48 12 + 1 from 5 rides (2012) Ashley Morris PL 2 8 6 1 3.00 3.50 4 + 1 from 4 rides (2012) Ricky Wells (Guest) PL 6 28 41 6 5.86 6.71 8 + 3 from 5 rides (2012) Other Notes Tero Aarnio Scunthorpe asset who has made 72 appearances for the Scorpions. 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. Kyle Howarth Rode for Scunthorpe Saints in 2009. Finished 3rd in this season's British Under-21 Championship. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Poole for the 2012 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 Peterborough for the 2012 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 Scunthorpe Saints in 2009. Ricky Wells Twice USA Under-21 Champion (2007 and 2008). Member of Wolverhampton's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2011. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Wolverhampton for the 2012 Elite League season. Workington Comets Premier League Young Shield Winners in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Workington Comets in 2012 Qualified for Premier League Championship Play-Offs by finishing in 4th position in the league table. Scored a total of 43 points during the league season prior to the cut-off date. Have reached the League Cup Semi-finals after finishing top of the Northern Group. Have reached the PL KO Cup Semi-finals after beating Scunthorpe (94-86) and Leicester (104-76). Last 6 Results 22 September 2012 PL H W Workington 56 Leicester 36 20 September 2012 LC SF A L Workington 39 Ipswich 51 15 September 2012 PL H W Workington 44 Glasgow 42 14 September 2012 PL A L Workington 31 Somerset 59 08 September 2012 PL H W Workington 65 Plymouth 29 02 September 2012 PL A L Workington 42 Leicester 54 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 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Why weren't the League Cup semi-finals held months ago? It's time to crack on with the Play-Offs. All the best Rob

Ten points is very little in the GP, especially if Holder and Pedersen don't make it all the way through, so don't dismiss Greg from the equation. Holder, I reckon, though, as long as he keeps his cool. All the best Rob Wasn't Holder further back from Nicki? Nicki seems to have been closer for most of the year than Holder. All the best Rob

Great stuff wasn't it Montie? In particular, the Woodhull brothers were at it hammer and tongs against each other. The great thing about Scunny (well apart from the brilliant racing!!!) is that there's no messing about. Yesterday, including the second half, we had 26 races in 2 hours and 10 minutes. All over by 7.10pm and I was home in good time, despite someone playing silly buggers and closing part of the M42. All the best Rob

Al, hope Craig is OK. Tabaka impressed me this evening - quality rider. All the best Rob

That's a shame. All the best Rob

#yougotstuffed Great performance by the Scorps tonight. Cook completing the meeting would have made it a bit closer, while Scunny had two e/fs with the flag in sight. All the best Rob

As I thought, no evidence at all. Woffinden "would have been British Champion". Not good enough - he could have still won the rerun. Anyway, that was last year's excuse; he should have still gone out and won it this year. If he can't beat Nicholls and Harris, he's got no chance against the World's Elite. I've got nothing against Tai Woffinden, but he will be humiliated in the Grand Prix next year unless he puts his head down and steps it up big time. He's not ready. Maybe in a couple of years, he will be. But let's have a British rider because we deserve one, not just because of politics. All the best Rob

So this year where was Woffinden in the British Grand Prix? Oh, that's right, he failed to quality despite the British Final being on his home track. You are joking that Woffinden is a better rider than MJJ? What has Woffinden ever won? Evidence please. Being the No 1 at Wolves is no qualification (just means he's least worst of your riders) - if he was No 1 for his Swedish and Polish teams, I'd be much more impressed. All the best Rob

Unfortunately I agree. Politics comes ahread of getting the best 15 riders in the world in the GP. Tai still has time to become one of the best 15 if he gets his head down - but at the moment, he's nowhere close. All the best Rob Phil, so are you suggesting Vojens was a fluke? How about MJJ's performances in the World Cup then? Such as Heat 19 in the final. Holder had won Heat 18, with Nicki P only third, and the Aussies were right back in it. But MJJ then provided a wonderfully mature ride to hold back Holder and put the Danes on the brink. MJJ, for me, just edged NKI out as the best rider in the World Cup this year. Please can we have the best 15 riders in the world in the Grand Prix, rather than a hand out to the Brits? All the best Rob

Let's not forget MJJ was the Danish hero in the World Cup as well - I'm sure the final was in Sweden, not Vojens Much rather see him in the Grand Prix, rather than Woffinden - MJJ will stir things up instead of getting humiliated every two weeks. MJJ's credentials are also far better - remind me how many World Cups and Grand Prix rounds that Tai has won? I think the wildcards should be: Hampel Ward MJJ Vaculik But I have a nasty feeling that we will see the final place go to Woffinden rather than MJJ. All the best Rob

Well done to Ashley Birks and Gary Irving - a Scunny 1-3. All the best Rob

So three races to eliminate Batchelor, but now Heat 24 which will decide the final two places... Come on NKI and Ales. All the best Rob

Then use a smilie When you've already made daft statements as "it would be better to use countback" (like they're going to use countback when GP places for the whole year are on the line), it's difficult to tell when you are joking. All the best Rob

Well, no, because they'll have the rules explained to them beforehand. All the best Rob

That's it -although I believe Heat 21 has 3 riders and Heat 22 has 2 riders. All the best Rob

Three races to eliminate just one rider, then Heat 24 will be the key. All the best Rob

I wish I shared your faith in the British weather It is risky, though. If group matches are still being staged on the weekend of Oct 19th-21st, the earliest the finals will take place is the following weekend i.e the last weekend of the season. Depending on the tracks involved in the final, some of which have other use / planning resrictions, it may be one and only one shot to stage their leg of the final. All the best Rob