Scunthorpe Scorpions Vs Sheffield Tigers ( S G B Championship) - Sunday, May 14th (5.30pm)

[lucifer sam]

DERBY TESTER FOR SCORPIONS

 

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions face a tough test to their SGB Championship play-off aspirations with the visit of local rivals Sheffield Tigers at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday (5.30pm).

 

It’s a fortnight since Scorpions were last in action at home, when they picked up a 56-34 victory over Berwick, with new signing Stefan Nielsen netting an impressive 10+2 on his debut and skipper Michael Palm Toft leading the way with 13 points.

 

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “Sheffield always provide us with one of our toughest tests of the season, and I’m sure they will give us a real run for our money and it will be one hell of a speedway meeting.

 

“It’ll be tough, make no mistake about it, but I feel we can come out on top.

 

“Sheffield always bring plenty of fans up with them along the M18, so we need our fans to be in good voice on Sunday, and help cheer our lads onto the result we need.”

 

Godfrey feels Scorpions now have a side that can challenge for honours for the rest of the season.

 

“I’m looking to see us kick on and string a few wins together”, he says.

 

“We’ve now got a very good team. Barring injuries, I feel we’ve got our 1-to-7 in place for the rest of the season.

 

“Once Stefan Nielsen moves up into the team, it will push another strong rider to reserve. That might be Wilko (Carl Wilkinson) next. And then it could be one of the other lads. But whoever is there should be banging in the points.

 

“All-in-all, I feel pretty positive about the rest of 2017. We’ll take it one match at a time and see where it takes us.”

 

There are 21 heats of action in total on Sunday, including a six-heat second half Midland Development League match between Scunthorpe Stags and Belle Vue Colts.

 

Admission prices for Sunday:

 

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 Sunday:

 

Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Michael Palm Toft (captain), 2. Carl Wilkinson, 3. Lewis Kerr, 4. Ryan Douglas, 5. Josh Auty, 6. Stefan Nielsen, 7. Josh Bailey.

 

Sheffield Tigers: 1. Josh Grajczonek, 2. Todd Kurtz, 3. Lasse Bjerre, 4. Josh Bates, 5. Kyle Howarth, 6. Rob Branford, 7. Jack Parkinson-Blackburn.

 

Midland Development League teams:

Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Chris Bambury, 2. Sam Chapman, 3. Luke Whitehead, 4. Sheldon Davies.

Belle Vue Colts: 1. Sam Woolley, 2. Lloyd Ditchburn, 3. Stephen Whitehouse, 4. Luke McKenna.

 

* HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are also in action at Ipswich on Thursday evening (7.30pm).

[RS50]

Just wondered about Scunny's MDL team. Didn't Sam Chapman ride for Plymouth in the Premier League two years ago? . Would not have thought a rider could drop down from Premier League to MDL.

[lucifer sam]

Just wondered about Scunny's MDL team. Didn't Sam Chapman ride for Plymouth in the Premier League two years ago? . Would not have thought a rider could drop down from Premier League to MDL.

 

Two different riders.

 

All the best

Rob

[IronScorpion]

Douglas withdrawn tonight & mentions concussion. If true, he will be out for 7 days meaning we will need a guest up to 6.18. Just had a quick glance & not a lot of choice out there.

[Guest Scunny2012]

Think I'll give this one a miss now, no Douglas, Nielsen apparently broken collarbone, Wilkinson coming back from injury and Bailey sometimes out of his depth should be a comfortable win for Sheffield.

[2ndbendbeerhut]

I can't believe it's not been announced who's actually riding for Scunthorpe.. 😕

[lucifer sam]

I can't believe it's not been announced who's actually riding for Scunthorpe..

 

Wilko back, R/R for Ryan and a guest for Stefan Nielsen, yet to finalised, although there are two main targets.

 

But maybe we should ask BigCatDiary, since he's probably known since Tuesday.

 

All the best

Rob

[bigcatdiary]

Wilko back, R/R for Ryan and a guest for Stefan Nielsen, yet to finalised, although there are two main targets.

 

But maybe we should ask BigCatDiary, since he's probably known since Tuesday.

 

All the best

Rob

Lol, I think your guest for Nielsen is critical, that and good performances from MPT, Auty and Kerr, I should think Bates is rubbing his hands in anticipation.

 

You can always read the oppositions PR for early news on teams, some don't leave it until the last minute like others.

 

All the best

BCD

[thebaron]

_{Has anyone got the foggiest idea where we go with this ?; Wallner out 6 weeks; bring in Stefan now he'll be out at least that I would think ?; Ryan out how long ?; Josh Auty coming back from an injury; Lewis been injured, Josh Bailey coming back from injury ? Wilko injured and coming back from it. Only man actually left in one piece Tofty !.}

 

_{What is going on ?; are we riding two much on the edge these days; are these bikes just two hard to predict. What I mean is back in the 70's at Bradford and 70-80's at Halifax we pretty much ran with the same 1-7 for the entire season. At this rate Scunny will have fielded two teams of riders by the end of June !.}

 

_{Its really sickening and I feel for the Management who work darned hard to put on a fantastic show at Scunny. You always back the team; but two guests and R/R on Sunday can really impact the crowd. The show goes on I know; it has to; but its not the same when the team is so decimated.}

 

_{I do think we have to look at what is happening with riders; and machinery, so many injuries and not just at Scunny; speedway riders are starting to look line nine pins !. It never used to be this bad.}

 

_{Looking further ahead; we are going to have to make changes again !..that's clear. There's US kid Brok Nichol in the Star this week wants a ride in the Championship. Apparently he's "in a phone booth; just the one across the hall" I wouldn't leaving him hanging on the telephone !}

Edited May 12, 2017 by the outsider

[lucifer sam]

Lol, I think your guest for Nielsen is critical, that and good performances from MPT, Auty and Kerr, I should think Bates is rubbing his hands in anticipation.

 

You can always read the oppositions PR for early news on teams, some don't leave it until the last minute like others.

 

All the best

BCD

 

Yeah, releasing the preview for Sunday’s meeting on the Wednesday is really ‘last-minute’

 

But hey ho, if you want to go around criticising the work of others, then that’s up to you. As I said before, I’m just surprised it’s come from someone involved with a club, but whatever floats your boat

 

Getting back to the meeting, it’s certainly tougher for Scunny now, and I’m glad the Sheffield team doesn’t quite as many EWR track specialists as last year’s – we’d have already been sunk if we were racing those pesky 2016 Tigers! As it is, the match is still very much up for grabs, and the guest could tip the balance.

 

All the best

Rob

[psycho3a]

_{looks like some good options for a reserve on Sunday - BWD, Simon Lambert, Cameron Heeps, Coty Garcia, Mason Campton}

_{All these are riding main body of teams and holding there average so potentially game changing reserves}

[IronScorpion]

Cameron Heeps at reserve could be good & we know what BWD can do after his 12 points for 6 earlier this season. Heeps is the man in form though.

 

R/R for Douglas means Kerr, Wilko & reserves to take his rides so the guest has to be a good one.

 

Please, NO Hall or Lambert

edit

 

Heeps is also here the following week so could be a tricky one. Gets track time but doesn't deliver the goods. (Rob, just pay him a bit more money)

[eric i]

BWD would be a good guest, long term we could bring in Adam Roynon.

[lucifer sam]

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions have booked high-flying New Zealander Bradley Wilson-Dean in place of the injured Stefan Nielsen for Sunday's home meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway against Sheffield (5.30pm). Scorpions will also operate rider replacement for Ryan Douglas.

[Guest Scunny2012]

If BWD is riding then I will change my mind and attend this Sunday, was expecting someone like Richard Hall or Scott Campos, and if Wilkinson can get back to some early season form then it should be close after all.

[IronScorpion]

BWD would be a good guest, long term we could bring in Adam Roynon.

I would not be looking long term for replacement unless he is out for the season(which, hopefully, is not the case).

 

Now we have got Stefan, we need to keep him plus with his average being fairly high for a reserve, we should, nearly always, get a decent guest.

 

With the averages changing every 2 weeks, he could move into the main body where r/r is only applicable(I think). Just need Wilko to score 6pts from 4 rides. Anything less & his average will drop below Stefan's.

Edited May 12, 2017 by IronScorpion

[Charlieboy]

Quality guest choice by Scunthorpe we need Branford to be on form.Hopefully the weather doesn't spoil the meeting.Good luck to the Tigers.

[thebaron]

Been thinking about our sickening injury plight ?. What is at the bottom of this ? Riders racing on the edge ?, unpredictable machinery ? poorly prepared track surfaces ? just plain rotten luck ?. There could be anyone of things. But one thing that does not help is the requirement for riders to take extra non programmed rides filling in for missing team mates - rider replacement.

 

This has happened over years I know but it's happening more and more these days it seems ?. Tomorrow we have r/r v Sheffield for Ryan which means any Scorpion below Ryan's average in the team can take one of his 4 programmed rides. By nature this facility places an onous on the incoming 'lower average rider' to try to make up for Ryan's points. Acknowledging that most riders want to be racing it's still added pressure within the race meeting for the riders. They probably welcome it ? but sometime you have to protect the rider's from their own bravado and think about the bigger picture ?.

 

For that reason I am moving away from thinking that rider replacement works in the interests of the club and riders. I have mentioned 'the good old days' in the 70s-80s at Bradford and Halifax and the team's managing to go through the season with the same 1-7. I can remember seeing Flying Dutchman Henny Kroeze knock out a 7 ride 21 point maximum at the Shay. He was the first to do that not because he was the first rider to appear on 7 races in the same meeting. But non the less 6-7 rides in the same meeting were indeed rare. Nowadays 5-6-7 rides are normal and that has to increase the chances of hazard for all riders.

 

Let's not forget a team speedway meeting is just 15-20 minutes long in reality that's intense for the competitors and 4 programmed rides with a possible fifth is probably about right on man and machine.So I am concluding that we need to manage the riders better and almost protect them from themselves I am sure the management do their upmost to look after the team and Ipswich was just one of those nights. But for me I think we need to seriously consider whether rider replacement actually works against us in the long run and that fielding 7 riders in each match is key in order to give Dave Peet the best chance of managing the team across the 15 heats, and if we need use the extra guest rider then let's do so.

Edited May 13, 2017 by the outsider

[allthegearbutnaeidea]

You've only had 2 broken bones, it's speedway it's going to happen

[Guest Scunny2012]

Been thinking about our sickening injury plight ?. What is at the bottom of this ? Riders racing on the edge ?, unpredictable machinery ? poorly prepared track surfaces ? just plain rotten luck ?. There could be anyone of things. But one thing that does not help is the requirement for riders to take extra non programmed rides filling in for missing team mates - rider replacement.

This has happened over years I know but it's happening more and more these days it seems ?. Tomorrow we have r/r v Sheffield for Ryan which means any Scorpion below Ryan's average in the team can take one of his 4 programmed rides. By nature this facility places an onous on the incoming 'lower average rider' to try to make up for Ryan's points. Acknowledging that most riders want to be racing it's still added pressure within the race meeting for the riders. They probably welcome it ? but sometime you have to protect the rider's from their own bravado and think about the bigger picture ?.

For that reason I am moving away from thinking that rider replacement works in the interests of the club and riders. I have mentioned 'the good old days' in the 70s-80s at Bradford and Halifax and the team's managing to go through the season with the same 1-7. I can remember seeing Flying Dutchman Henny Kroze knock out a 7 ride 21 point maximum at the Shay. He was the first to do that not because he was the first rider to appear on 7 races in the same meeting. But non the less 6-7 rides in the same meeting were indeed rare. Nowadays 5-6-7 rides are normal and that has to increase the chances of hazard for all riders.

Let's not forget a team speedway meeting is just 15-20 minutes long in reality that's intense for the competitors and 4 programmed rides with a possible fifth is probably about right on man and machine.So I am concluding that we need to manage the riders better and almost protect them from themselves I am sure the management do their upmost to look after the team and Ipswich was just one of those nights. But for me I think we need to seriously consider whether rider replacement actually works against us in the long run and that fielding 7 riders in each match is key in order to give Dave Peet the best chance of managing the team across the 15 heats, and if we need use the extra guest rider then let's do so.

In reality it is probably all the above reasons why injuries happen although sometimes I think the air fences give a false sense of safety and some riders take that extra risk although they have improved overall safety unlike the none forgiving concrete walls of years gone by, I can't really agree with the riders not doing 7 rides as to win a Grand Prix you have to do 7 rides in a much more intense atmosphere + most matches are around 90 mins long so there is ample breathing space between races. Edited May 13, 2017 by Scunny2012