Main Man

Castleford put in their best performance of the season tonight at Sheffield speedway, racing their home meeting against play off contenders Rye House Raiders.Every team member contributing significantly to the Kings overall score whilst Rye House relied heavily on Danny Ayres to score the bulk of their points. Alex Wilson had an unfortunate night and it became apparent with the smoke from his bike it was about to blow the engine which it subsequently did ending his nights racing early and reducing Rye House to three riders.Heat 5 saw Rye House rider Layne Cupitt hit the deck a feat repeated by his partner Rob Watts,the race was stopped with Cupitt Excluded as the primary cause of the stoppage and Watts also excluded for not being under power when the race was stopped. Scorers; Castleford (26): Reece Downes 7, Tom Bacon 5+3, Adam Portwood© 7+1, Andy Blackburn 7+2 Rye House (9): Danny Ayres 6, Watts 2, Layne Cupitt 1, Alex Wilson 0 Heat details; heat 1 Ayres Downes Bacon Watts 3-3 heat 2 Portwood Blackburn Cupitt Wilson (ret) 5-1 = 8-4 heat 3 Downes Bacon Watts Cupitt (f) 5-1 = 13-5 heat 4 Portwood Blackburn Watts Ayres (ret) 5-1 = 18-6 heat 5 Blackburn Bacon Cupitt (fx) Watts (x not under power) 5-0 = 23-6 heat 6 Ayres Downes Portwood Cupitt (ns) 3-3 = 26-9

COVENTRY Storm’s National League play-off place is safe after Cradley’s win at King’s Lynn on Wednesday. The City Gearboxes Storm are currently second in the table on 31 points with three matches remaining, two of which take place on Sunday when they visit Buxton and Stoke. Their trip to Devon will not take place before the cut-off, but that is also the case for fellow contenders Mildenhall, Stoke and King’s Lynn. Stoke can only reach 29 points by winning their home matches against King’s Lynn and Coventry, and although Kent and Mildenhall could go ahead of the Storm they would do so by taking further points off King’s Lynn, who therefore would be unable to themselves add sufficiently to their current 22-point total. As league leaders, Cradley will have first choice of semi-final opponents, and the Storm are the only team to have beaten the Heathens so far this season.

it is on ...sent team yesterday and had theirs

Belle Vue 17 Coventry 19 MDL …Monday Sept 1st Belle Vue COLTS 17 CITY GEARBOXES Coventry Mercia-Vikings 19 COLTS : 1. Sam Darroch F 0 0 =0 2. Michael Neale 3 3 R = 6 3. Tom Woolley 3 2 3 = 8 4. Andy Mellish 1 f/x 2 = 3 VIKINGS : 1. Shaun Tedham 2 2 3 2 = 9 2. Scooter Webster 1’ 0 1 1 = 3+1 3. Layne Cupitt R/R 4. Paul Bowen 2 1’ 3 1’ = 7+2 Ht 1 : Neale Tedham Webster Darroch (fell) 3-3 3-3 2: Woolley Bowen Mellish Webster 4-2 7-5 3 : Neale Tedham Bowen Darroch 3-3 10-8 4 : Tedham Woolley Webster Mellish (f/x) 2-4 12-12 5 : Bowen Mellish Webster Neale (ret) 2-4 14-16 6 : Woolley Tedham Bowen Darroch 3-3 17-19

The KO CUP home match for Coventry has been run (24-12) and had the rain not intervened the Stoke v Coventry clash last Sat was for cup + league the Rye House v Kings Lynn clashes are for league and cup as well

MK Knights 19 1. Sam Chapman 3, 3, 2 (8) 2. Niall Strudwick 2+, 0,0 (2+1) 3. Jez Pestell F/Ex, 1+, 1+ (2+2) 4. Shaun Tedham 2, 2, 3 (7) Rye House Raiders 16 1. Danny Ayres R/EF, 3, 3 (6) 2. Rob Watts 1, 0, 1+ (2+1) 3. Tom Bacon 3, 2, 2 (7) 4. Alex Wilson Ex, 1+, 0 (1+1) Heat 1: Chapman, Strudwick, Watts, (Ayres Retired), Time: 65.4, 5-1 Heat 2: Bacon, Tedham, (Pestell F/Ex, Wilson Ex not under power when race stopped), Time: 55.4, 2-3 (7-4) Heat 3: Chapman, Bacon, Wilson, Strudwick, Time: 64.4, 3-3 (10-7) Heat 4: Ayres, Tedham, Pestell, Watts, Time: 61.9 3-3 (13-10) Heat 5: Tedham, Wilson, Watts, Strudwick (F / RM), Time 64.9 3-3 (16-13) Heat 6: Ayers, Chapman, Pestell, Bacon, Time: 61.7, 3-3 (19-16)

MK Knights 22 1. Jez Pestell 2+, F/Ex, DNS (2+1) 2. Shaun Tedham 3, 3, 2 (8) 3. Connor Mountain 3, 3, 3 (9) 4. Niall Strudwick 2+, 0, 1+, Ex (3+2) Castleford Kings 12 1. Adam Portwood R, 2, F/Ex (2) 2. Tom Bacon 1, 1, 3 (5) 3. Martin Pearce 1, DNS, 2 (3) 4. Danyon Hume F/Ex, 2, F/Ex (2) Heat 1: Tedham, Pestell, Bacon, (Portwood R), Time: 55.3, 5-1 Heat 2: Mountain, Strudwick, Pearce, (Hume F/Ex), Awarded, 5-1 (10-2) Heat 3: Tedham, Hume, (Pestell F/Ex, Pearce DNS), Awarded, 3-2 (13-4) Heat 4: Mountain, Portwood, Bacon, Strudwick, Time: 55.1, 3-3 (16-7) Heat 5: Bacon, Tedham, Strudwick, (Hume F/Ex), Time: 56.0, 3-3 (19-10) Heat 6: Mountain, Pearce, (Portwood F/Ex, Strudwick Ex, not under power), Time 56.0, 3-2 (22-12)‎

MDL Thurs 28th Aug --Sheffield 15 Belle Vue 21 Full details to follow

Must admit lost track of who holds it!!

It has been agreed by the SCB that the cut-off date for the 2014 MDL will be extended from Aug 31st to Sun 21st Sept to allow all clubs to complete their fixtures. Hopefully this will assist those hit by postponements etc.

COVENTRY Storm are looking to move to the brink of the National League play-offs with a double win at Brandon on Friday (7pm). The City Gearboxes Storm face Buxton and then Devon in a packed night of 30 races, and a maximum of six league points is very much the target. Should that be achieved, the Storm will move to 31 points and probably back into second position, and more importantly give themselves a 12-point cushion over the chasing pack. A busy night is in prospect for the riders, as the Storm have to operate the rider-replacement facility for the injured Stefan Nielsen, who will be out for at least four weeks with a fractured arm. Nielsen is third in the averages so all team members with the exception of No.1 Oliver Greenwood are entitled to share his outings. Buxton include the two riders who scored double figures in their recent KO Cup defeat against the Storm, Tony Atkin and Adam Extance, although captain Liam Carr is on the sidelines with serious knee ligament damage. Devon have been hit by a spate of retirements and injuries this season but bring in reigning British Under-21 Champion Josh Bates to guest at No.1. Storm boss Laurence Rogers said: “It seems an age since we had any track action, but with a double-header the boys will soon be back in the swing of things. “With the lull in fixtures, Kent have overtaken us in the league table, but with maximum points we can regain that position and help towards qualification for the play-offs.” The action gets underway at the earlier time of 7pm, and admission is £15 for adults to cover both meetings, with all children free of charge. The Storm riders will also be participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge after the meeting, and supporters are invited to donate £1 to charity in a raffle which will see the winners get to pour the buckets. CITY GEARBOXES STORM (from): Dan Greenwood, Oliver Greenwood, Martin Knuckey, Stefan Nielsen r/r, Luke Priest, James Sarejant, Ryan Terry-Daley. No.8: Conor Dwyer (v Buxton) and Ellis Perks (v Devon). BUXTON (from): Tony Atkin, Ryan Blacklock, Liam Carr r/r, Adam Extance, Stefan Farnaby, Tom Woolley, TBC. DEVON (from): Josh Bates, Sam Chapman, Luke Chessell, Conor Dwyer, Tyler Govier, James Shanes r/r, Adam Sheppard.

PRESS RELEASE from Milton Keynes KNIGHTS Speedway : 22 years after the doors closed on speedway at Milton Keynes , fans of the Knights can be encouraged that moves are afoot to revive the sport in the town. The Knights have kept the team name alive in the last few years running a Milton Keynes side in the Midland Development League being based at Rye House previously and Mildenhall in 2014. The side were crowned MDL champions in 2012 and are currently top of the 2014 league. The sport ran from 1978 to 1988 at The Groveway before moving to Elfield Park in 1989 until the final meeting in 1992. Now suitable land has been sourced in the area for speedway to return and a Promoter and backers are in place. The BSPA have met the prospective promotion and an in-principle agreement is in place to see a return of the sport to Milton Keynes in 2015.

COVENTRY Storm now face two big days of action as they look to secure their place in the National League play-offs. The City Gearboxes Storm are back in action at Brandon on Friday for a double-header against Buxton and Devon (7pm start). Six points from those meetings would go a long way towards securing a top four spot, but should more be required then Sunday September 7 will provide two more opportunities! The Storm were always due to visit Buxton on that afternoon at 3pm, but one of their outstanding meetings against Stoke has now been re-arranged for 7pm – so the Storm will race at Buxton before making the trip from the Hi-Edge Raceway to Loomer Road for their second match of the day. There is no re-arranged date as yet for the trip to Devon, with several of the other play-off contenders also awaiting a date to visit the St Boniface Arena.

No Polish fixtures

City Gearboxes Coventry v MK Knights --OFF

MK Knights 25 1. Niall Strudwick 1, 2+, 3 (6+1) 2. Conor Dwyer 3, 3, 3 (9) 3. Connor Mountain 3,3 (6) 4. Martin Pearce 2+, 2+, DNS, DNS (4+2) Sheffield Tiger Cubs 9 1. Ben Holloway R/R 2. Alex Wilson 2, 1, 2, 2 (7) 3. Liam Sanderson F/Ex, F/Ex, DNS 4. Lawrence Fielding 0, 1, 1, R (2) Heat 1. Dwyer, Wilson, Strudwick, Fielding. Time: 56.9. 4-2 Heat 2. Mountain, Pearce, Fielding, Sanderson F/Ex. Time: 54.5. 5-1 (9-3) Heat 3. Dwyer, Strudwick, Fielding, re-run after Sanderson F/Ex. Time: 56.2. 5 - 1 (14-4) Heat 4. Mountain, Pearce, Wilson. Time: 55.5. 5-1 (19-5) Heat 5. Dwyer, Wilson, Fielding F/DNF, Pearce DNS. Time 56.2 3-2 (22-7) Heat 6. Strudwick, Wilson, Pearce DNS, Sanderson DNS. Time: 56.1 3-2 (25-9)

Buxton Jr Hitmen 14 Long Eaton Invaders 21 Jr Hitmen 14 Tom Bacon 2, 2 F =4 Bradley Seal F, NS, NS =0 Scooter Webster 2, 1, 3, 2= 8 Luke Whitehead 1*, 1* 0, 0= 2+2 Invaders 21 David Holt 3, 3, 3 =9 Robert Parker 1, 2* 2= 5+1 Cameron Hoskins 3, 3 R =6 Sam Darroch 0, F, 1*= 1+1 Heat details 1. Holt, Bacon, Parker, Seal (F) 2-4 AWD 2. Hoskins, Webster, Whitehead Darroch 5-7 60.8 3. Hoskins, Bacon, Whitehead, Darroch (F) 8-10 AWD 4. Holt, Parker, Webster, Whitehead 9-15 60.2 5. Webster, Parker, Darroch, Whitehead 12-18 63.6 6. Holt, Webster, Bacon (F) Hoskins ® 14-21

Rye House 22 ( Aaron Mogridge 9, Luke Harris 6+1, Couzins 4+1, Rob Watts 3+1) Castleford 14 ( Adam Sheppard 9, Adam Portwood 4+1, Chris Neame 1, Layne Cupiitt R/R)

Belle Vue v Rye House at Stoke ------- cancelled due to curfew

MDL : CITY GEARBOXES Coventry Mercia-Vikings 14 Rye House Raiders 22 VIKINGS : 1. Ryan Terry-Daley 2 2 2 2 = 8 2. Adam Sheppard RR 3. Conor Dwyer 1’ 2 0 0 = 3+1 4. Ellis Perks f/x 1’ 2 f = 3+1 RAIDERS : 1. Danny Ayres 3 3 3 3 = 12 2. Rob Watts RR 3. Jason Garrad 3 3 1 1 = 8 4. Luke Harris 0 1 0 1 = 2 Ht 1 : Ayres Terry-Daley Dwyer Harris 3-3 3-3 65.2 2 : Garrad Dwyer Harris Perks f/x 2-4 5-7 65.8 3 : Garrad Terry-Daley Perks Harris 3-3 8-10 65.0 4: Ayres Perks Garrad Dwyer 2-4 10-14 64.5 5 : Ayres Terry-Daley Harris Perks (fell) 2-4 12-18 64.8 6 : Ayres Terry-Daley Garrad Dwyer 2-4 12-18 63.6 125cc races : 2a : Dan Thompson , Joe Thompson, Kyle Roberts, Stephen Whitehouse 73.1 4a : Dan Thompson, Joe Thompson, Kyle Roberts, Stephen Whitehouse 72.0 6a : Joe Thompson, Dan Thompson , Kyle Roberts, Stephen Whitehouse 70.8 The Rye House Raiders maintained their bid to make the end of season play offs with a 22-14 win at Coventry over the Mercia-Vikings. Both sides were reduced to three man teams with Vikings Adam Sheppard and Raiders Rob Watts caught up in massive motorway hold ups. Credit is due to both for actually making it through to Brandon with Sheppard having a 7 hour journey but both too late to ride in the match. The Raiders had Danny Ayres in top form coming through in all his rides to record a 12 point maximum whilst he got good backing from Jason Garrad , who has also been riding in Vikings colours this year, who had two wins in his eight point haul. For the home side No. 1 Ryan Terry-Daley , rusty after not having ridden since Coventry Storm’s meeting on August 1st, notching 8 from his 4 rides. Local lad Conor Dwyer started well with a superb on the line third spot in heat 1 and a second in heat 2 but his lack of recent track action saw him tail off in his last two outings. 2014 debutant Ellis Perks had a mixed night coming down in heat 2 when challenging Garrad for the lead then picking up a third and a second before falling in his last ride but showed lots of promise. The Vikings have a busy Bank Holiday Monday with a hoe clash against runaway league leaders Milton Keynes in the afternoon after the Bees clash with Leicester then travelling the short distance to face Long Eaton in the evening after the Lions v Bees return clash. Teams : VIKINGS : 1. Conor Dwyer 2. Adam Sheppard 3. Layne Cupitt 4. Ellis Perks MK KNIGHTS : 1. Shaun Tedham 2. Niall Strudwick 3. Sam Chapman 4. David Holt LONG EATON INVADERS : 1. Lee Geary 2. Alex Wilson 3. Layne Cupitt 4, Adam Portwood VIKINGS : 1. Shaun Tedham 2, Scooter Webster 3. Adam Sheppard 4. Ellis Perks

Still a few spaces left for Sun Aug 31

Sheffield v Castleford Thurs Aug 21st cancelled due to lack of medical cover after Liam Carr's crash in PL meeting .

Due to fixture backlogs it has been agreed by all parties concerned that the Stoke V Coventry and Rye House v Kings Lynn MDL clashes will count for both league points and the KO Cup.

Up to and including Saturday, August 16, 2014 M W D L W D L F A Pts 1 Milton Keynes 13 5 0 0 6 0 2 279 171 22 2 Belle Vue 12 5 0 1 3 1 2 240 173 17 3 Rye House 10 5 0 1 2 1 1 200 157 15 4 Stoke 14 4 0 3 3 0 4 252 239 14 5 King's Lynn 12 4 0 4 2 0 2 225 181 12 6 Castleford 10 3 0 1 3 0 3 156 151 12 7 Coventry 9 3 0 2 2 0 2 145 115 10 8 Long Eaton 15 3 1 4 1 0 6 236 295 9 9 Sheffield 11 1 1 3 1 0 5 131 238 5 10 Buxton 12 0 1 4 0 1 6 130 274 2

due to rider unavailability MDL match OFF