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LAKESIDE’S Grand Prix star Andreas Jonsson will miss the rest of the season after a horrifying crash in Sweden on Tuesday.The Hammers’ No.1, who was a last heat hero in picking up a valuable away point at King’s Lynn last week, has suffered a broken collarbone, thumb and ribs when racing in the Swedish play-offs.It means the club will need to find a guest replacement for next Friday’s vital showdown with Swindon at the Arena-Essex track.Club chief Jon Cook said: “I spoke to AJ first thing this morning and of course it's a massive blow to our hopes.“However, given the rather sketchy reports initially coming out of Sweden with regard to a back injury, it's a relief that although he's in great pain at the moment all his injuries will heal.“I know it's been a worrying night for all concerned and the main thing is that he's going to be ok, the effect on track is something I will sit down and discuss with Kelvin Tatum (club coach) and our senior riders later.”
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PLYMOUTH are determined not to be beaten by vandals who destroyed the air fence at the St Boniface Arena last weekend.The Devils have vowed to complete their season by making the necessary repairs and replacements in time for their two remaining home fixtures against Newcastle this Friday and Scunthorpe on Saturday week, September 17.A rallying call for assistance has resulted in sufficient help for Plymouth to keep the season going with one of the sources of assistance being Ipswich, who have made some of their surplus fences available.Plymouth team manager Lee Trigger says: “We came back from the away meeting at Edinburgh and found that all the air fence panels at the track had been badly slashed with about half of them damaged beyond repair.“In the first instance, our main task has been to get something in place so our remaining two meetings could go ahead. In the long term it could be a case of replacing the fence, which could cost something in the region of £15,000 to £20,000. That is an expense we can well do without.“It is hard to take that someone, for whatever reason, wants to jeopardise Plymouth Speedway.”
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CRADLEY gave their confidence a much-needed boost with a resounding 60-30 triumph over Stoke at Monmore Green.The Heathens put in a strong all-around team display to record a comprehensive win and get their National League play-off bid back on track, with Ashley Morris and Max Clegg both unbeaten from five rides. Home boss Will Pottinger said: “We’re delighted with the response from the riders. We had a heavy defeat again at Kent last night (Monday), so it was important for us to get back to winning ways.“We started well, everyone had a good first ride to get themselves going and it was nice to get a big win under our belts.“A performance like that breeds a lot of confidence heading into an important weekend with two away matches.”Meanwhile King’s Lynn’s play-off hopes suffered a setback with a 53-37 defeat at the Isle of Wight.Already without heat-leader Tom Stokes, the Young Stars saw guest No. 1 Darryl Ritchings and reserve Lewis Whitmore both withdrawn from the meeting after two rides apiece on medical advice.Captain Scott Campos said: “Under the really difficult circumstances we found ourselves in, I think it's quite a creditable result in the end.“Having regular team members missing from the off is never ideal but to lose two others during the meeting just makes it even more of an uphill struggle.“I thought we did pretty well with everything taken into consideration but now we just have to move on to the next meeting and try and get some more points on the board because we'd love to make those play-offs.”
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BELLE Vue have vowed there will be no under-estimating bottom club Leicester when the Elite League leaders host the Lions on Wednesday.The Aces have top spot ahead of the play-offs within their grasp if they keep winning at home, but face the East Midlanders without two of their regular riders.Skipper Scott Nicholls and Max Fricke are racing in Sweden, with the Aces tracking Danny King as a guest and utilising the rider replacement facility.Belle Vue star Richie Worrall said: “You can believe Leicester are the weakest club in the Elite League but we’ve had patched up teams come to Belle Vue before now and put on a great show; just look at King’s Lynn two weeks ago!“We’re going to need to be on top form on Wednesday and if the track is in similar condition to how it’s been lately I feel we’ll be unstoppable. The track boys have been doing a great job preparing it.”Leicester expect to be at full strength, and boss Norrie Allan said: “We have gone through a period with at least one of the team missing due to fixture clashes either in Sweden, Denmark or here in the UK. “It is not ideal preparation for my riders who have to get used to a new riding partner whenever we include a guest and of course neither is it ideal for the incoming person to settle into the style of who he is paired with.”Meanwhile Poole will look to kept the pressure on at the top as they host King’s Lynn at Wimborne Road.The injury-hit Pirates are still without Hans Andersen and Krzysztof Buczkowski, who are replaced by Rohan Tungate and Edward Kennett, and still have doubts over Chris Holder. The Stars bring in Chris Harris for the unavailable Niels-Krisitian Iversen, with Robert Branford replacing Simon Lambert.King’s Lynn boss Rob Lyon said: “It obviously goes without saying but we’re looking to do much better than on our last visit to Poole. It’d be very nice to come back with something, and I’m sure the boys will give it 100%.“We know it will be tough, it always is down there, and we have a makeshift team again which is unfortunate.”
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BIRMINGHAM have been dealt a double blow ahead of Wednesday’s Knockout Cup semi-final home leg at Perry Barr against Kent.Teenage sensation Jack Parkinson-Blackburn has been ruled out at reserve for a second meeting running through illness while original guest No. 1 Mitchell Davey has also been forced to pull out of the tie.Coventry racer Davey fell from scaffolding in a nasty work accident over the weekend and has declared himself unfit to ride.Eastbourne’s Ellis Perks will now stand-in at No. 1 while former Buxton man Lee Geary comes in at reserve. The Kings will operate rider-replacement for David Mason, who is still sidelined.Brummies boss Graham Drury said: “These two pieces of news obviously come as a bitter blow, especially coming a day before what is our biggest meeting of the season to date.“Jack hasn’t been himself for a couple of weeks now and has been advised to take a slightly longer break from racing and work than he was first told to.“Mitchell was desperate to race for us again after an impressive showing against the Isle of Wight last Wednesday but he is still feeling the effects of the accident he had at work“The whole situation is far from ideal but we’ve shown on more than one occasion this season that we are more than capable of pulling together as a group and we’re certainly going to have to do just that again on Wednesday.”(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7:ELITE LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Leicester 7.30, Poole v King’s Lynn 7.30NATIONAL LEAGUE KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Birmingham v Kent 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8:PREMIER LEAGUE: Ipswich v Sheffield 7.30CHALLENGE: Swindon Sprockets v Coventry Storm 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9:PREMIER LEAGUE: Edinburgh v Glasgow 7.30, Peterborough v Workington 7.30, Plymouth v Newcastle 7.15, Redcar v Ipswich 7.30, Scunthorpe v Rye House 7.30LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Somerset v Sheffield 7.30TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Buxton 7.30, Coventry v Isle of Wight 7pm, Coventry v Kent (follows previous fixture)
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10:ELITE LEAGUE: Leicester v King’s Lynn 7.30PREMIER LEAGUE: Berwick v Rye House 7pm, Workington v Glasgow 7pmTRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Stoke v Cradley 7pm
