(SPEEDWAY 1)

PETERBOROUGH boss Carl Johnson hailed match-winner’ Bradley Wilson-Dean following Peterborough’s success at Scunthorpe on Sunday.
The Panthers made it an early SGB Championship double over the Scorpions by triumphing 46-44 at the Eddie Wright Raceway, with Wilson-Dean piling up 12 points at reserve.
No.1 Jack Holder added ten points as the visitors sealed the win before a consolation 5-1 for the home side in Heat 15, with Lewis Kerr (11+2) and Josh Auty (11+1) leading the way.
Johnson said: “We couldn’t have asked for any more than winning our first home meeting and following it up with success in our first away fixture.
“It was important to get the season off to a good start and we have managed to go that.
“A couple of guys had off-nights, but in Bradley we had a match-winner. He really stepped up and score the points that ensured we came away with a win.”
Scunthorpe skipper Michael Palm Toft said: “There were a few things that happened and they added up and cost us the meeting.
“The first home meeting is always hard. The track was just a little bit different from last year, but I don’t think we should use that as an excuse.
“I think it’s more a case of the riders needing to take a look at ourselves. It’s up to us to make sure we’re setting up our bikes correctly and then riding accordingly.”
Meanwhile Newcastle established an eight-point advantage over Workington from a competitive KO Cup first leg tie at Brough Park.
The Diamonds won 49-41 with Steve Worrall scoring 13 points and twice getting the better of visiting No.1 Craig Cook, who also scored 13 and produced a stunning Heat 13 effort to defeat Worrall and Robert Lambert.
Newcastle boss George English said: “We were looking for maybe ten points or more to lead for the second leg over in Cumbria, but that said this was a hard-fought match with some tremendous racing, and I have to congratulate Craig Cook for his moves in Heat 13 which was nothing short of pure brilliance.
“The lads know what they have to do, when the second leg is rescheduled, but for now we look for our first League match of the SGB Championship.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

WOLVERHAMPTON will aim to get their home SGB Premiership campaign off to a winning start as they host Leicester at Monmore Green on Monday.
The reigning top-flight champions slipped to a 51-41 defeat at Rye House in their league opener on Saturday night, at the same time as the Lions were starting with a 48-42 home win over Swindon.
Leicester return to full strength as Danny King and Josh Auty make their first appearances for the Lions after being on Championship duty at the weekend.
Wolves co-promoter Chris Van Straaten said: “Obviously it’s our first home Premiership match, so it’s a key fixture for us. Leicester got off to a bright start against Swindon, but we’ll be looking for three points.
“We had a good win against Poole at home, but we know where our weakness has been so far and that’s at reserve.
“The top five have all had their moments, but hopefully either Max (Clegg) or Nathan (Greaves) can get a few points on Monday to help us get a victory.”
Leicester boss Jim Lynch said: “The thing I've tried to get over to everyone is that we need to concentrate our efforts on winning as many meetings we can at home.
“When we head away from home, every single time, I'm just going to tell my riders to enjoy it! There's no easy place to go to in this league and I personally don't think that piling the pressure on the riders will benefit us at all.
“What I do believe is that if they settle down, gel, go out there and enjoy themselves, that's when we may spring a surprise or two.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

REDCAR have named winter signing Jason Garrity as their new team captain for the 2017 season.
Garrity, who joined the Bears from SGB Championship rivals Sheffield, has received the nod from club bosses after impressing at press day and on opening-night at the Media Prima Arena.
Manager Jitendra Duffill said: “Jason is an infectious character and has made a big impression on us already.
“We think he can lead by example and look to set the standard for others to follow.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson is backing his reserves after a tough opening night win over Scunthorpe.
The Tigers took a 53-37 victory in their first SGB Championship fixture on Saturday, but that result didn’t tell the full story as they led by just two points with four heats to go – before reeling off three 5-1s in the closing stages.
Dickson said: “Tom Perry got better as the night went on. I think he struggled a bit with the slick conditions and he was trying hard, but his Heat 12 was the catalyst for the win, and he got the 4-2 with Nike Lunna in Heat 14.
“He was certainly quite frustrated during the evening but was a lot more positive at the end of the meeting – and Jack (Smith) fully understood that I had to take him out his last race.
“As Jack knows, he’s only young and he has a long way to go – he’s a sensible lad and knows how it works. It was nice to see that he went out after the meeting and did a few laps, so hopefully that’ll help him.”

(FIXTURES)

MONDAY APRIL 3:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Wolverhampton v Leicester 7.30

WEDNESDAY APRIL 5:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: King’s Lynn v Somerset 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 1st leg: Poole v Belle Vue 7.30
WEST MIDLANDS TROPHY: Birmingham v Cradley 7.30

THURSDAY APRIL 6:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Swindon v Belle Vue 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Sheffield v Berwick 7.30
CHALLENGE: Redcar v Ex-Bears 7.30

FRIDAY APRIL 7:
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP 2nd leg: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30, 1st leg: Somerset v Leicester 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Scunthorpe 7.30

Results Sunday April 2, 2017

SGB CHAMPIONSHIP
Scunthorpe 44 – Lewis Kerr 11+2
Peterborough 46 – Bradley Wilson-Dean 12
SGB Championship points: Scunthorpe 0 Peterborough 3