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EASTBOURNE retained the National League Knockout Cup with a 52-38 win over Birmingham at Arlington on Sunday.The Eagles had trailed by six points going into the meeting but ensured they finished the season with silverware having missed out on the league title to the same opponents.Jake Knight scored 14 points for the hosts with Adam Ellis adding 12+1, whilst reserve Jack Parkinson-Blackburn piled up 19 for the Brummies.Eastbourne chairman Martin Dugard said: “This has made the heartache of losing the league title at Birmingham a little bit easier to swallow.“I have to say we rode well tonight and deserved the result. I am very pleased with it.”Birmingham manager Graham Drury said: “The team battled hard but just found points and race wins in particular hard to come by – all except Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, that is!“The number of points he scored was higher than his age – it’s not often you get to say that in speedway! It was a sensational performance from Jack once again.”(SPEEDWAY 2)

BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury was left fuming after his side rode the second leg of the National League KO Cup Final with no rider at No.1.The Brummies’ planned guest, James Shanes, was deemed ineligible in the build-up to Sunday’s meeting at Eastbourne under the 8-day rule as he had also appeared for the visitors at the same venue the previous week.Drury said: “It’s unfortunate that we’re ending the season on such a controversial matter and that we’re not talking about what a classic cup tie that should and would have been.“It’s not for me to cast any aspersions on anybody why it was left so late to be brought up and objections raised, but it just seems very strange how standard regulations and procedures haven’t been followed in this instance.“Eastbourne should have raised any problems or queries when I sent them our team earlier in the week and the referee certainly should have given us prior notice if he didn’t think James Shanes was an eligible guest.”Eastbourne chairman Martin Dugard said: “We didn’t know anything about it. We were quite happy for it to go ahead. The inkling we got was that all of a sudden, James Shanes was not allowed to ride.“Eastbourne did not protest. I have to say it was lucky for us on the night and I have to say I think Birmingham were treated quite harshly for what they did.”

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GLASGOW have revealed plans to race home fixtures on Saturday nights next season.The Tigers, who have previously raced at 3pm on Sundays, wish to move to 7pm on Saturdays in 2016 and will make an application to do so this week.Owners Michael and Gerry Facenna said: “We are very aware of the fact that we have raced on a Sunday afternoon for the last 17 years and that our proposed change will not suit everyone, but in a city of 600,000 people it would be remiss of us not to explore other options to further bolster our income. We will honour last season’s pledge that there will be no increase in ticket prices next year.“A lot of the initial increase in attendances came from speedway fans coming back, where they had perhaps fallen out of love with the sport or the dilapidated state of Ashfield. We now need to grow our following further and we believe there is a better chance of doing so by moving to evening racing. “It is no coincidence that the vast majority of other speedway teams up and down the country race at night. The consensus is that speedway is a better spectacle under floodlights and unquestionably the track is easier to prepare and maintain, which in turn will create better, more exciting racing, as could be seen last Monday in our KO Cup Final against Newcastle.”

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KENT promoter Len Silver has added his tribute to former speedway commentator Dave Lanning, who passed away at the weekend.Silver said: “I was very sad to learn of the passing of my old friend and colleague, Dave Lanning who I first met in the mid-fifties. He was, with no argument, THE best Speedway reporter and team manager of all time.“He thought ‘outside the box’ and when in charge of Reading he placed a bet with a national bookmaker to win (I think) £30,000 if Reading won the league. The Racers did it and Dave and his riders enjoyed the real fruits of their labour. “I was particularly ‘honoured’ when I recognised myself in his book (‘Cinderfellas’), calling me ‘Ben Silver!’“Like many times during his life, he made made laugh out loud at that... I cherished his friendship and I shall cherish his memory.”