SPEEDWAY POSTPONEMENTS - THURSDAY JUNE 8:

SGB CHAMPIONSHIP
Sheffield v Newcastle - OFF

SGB CHAMPIONSHIP
Redcar v Peterborough - OFF

(SPEEDWAY 1)

WOLVERHAMPTON boss Peter Adams took the positives after a last-gasp SGB Premiership defeat at Poole on Wednesday.
Adams’s league leaders were never headed at Wimborne Road until Brady Kurtz – completing his first-ever top-flight 15-point maximum – and Hans Andersen combined for a Heat 15 5-1 to snatch a 46-44 victory for the Pirates.
Wolves had led 41-37 with two heats to go but Kurtz won both of the last two races with guest Josh Bates taking what turned out to be a vital third place in Heat 14.
Poole skipper Andersen scored 11+1 as the home side moved up to second place in the table due to the inactivity of King’s Lynn and Rye House; whilst Rory Schlein scored 11+1 for Wolves with Kyle Howarth adding 10.
Adams said: “It was disappointing to lose but they made the better start in Heat 15 and the track was very difficult to ride. There was very little passing so once we missed the start, it was curtains.
“There were plenty of positives, though. We took a point from a very difficult meeting which stretches our lead at the top of the table, this hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for us for a very long time so the performance was encouraging.
“The team hadn’t been together for a while but the spirit and togetherness were there, everybody did their best and it was a case of so near yet so far.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

BIRMINGHAM staged a dramatic recovery from ten points down to salvage a 45-45 draw from a National League thriller with Eastbourne.
The visitors led 41-31 with three races to go, but 15-point maximum man Liam Carr twice combined with guest Max Clegg for 5-1s in Heats 13 and 15, sandwiching a 4-2 in the penultimate race.
Clegg scored 12+2 as he stood in for Jack Parkinson-Blackburn with Tom Bacon adding 10, whilst Jake Knight made an impressive return to action for the Eagles with 13 in a meeting which was completed despite steady rainfall.
Birmingham boss Graham Drury said: “When the rain came down I thought 'oh no, here we go again.' But not one single rider was fazed by the conditions and not one single complaint was heard.
“While the final result was a draw, third tier speedway was the winner tonight so well done to both sides.
"We actually let a couple of points slip here and there so we could have actually won, but I think a draw was about the fair result in the end.”

(SPEEDWAY 3)

IPSWICH will look to close the gap on SGB Championship leaders Edinburgh with the sides meet at Foxhall tonight (Thursday).
The Witches go into the meeting in third place, six points behind the Monarchs and with a match in hand, and having won all six of their home league matches so far this season.
Home boss Ritchie Hawkins has stressed the importance of not only extending that record, but also ensuring their opponents leave without a point.
Hawkins said: “They have had a good start to the season and being top of the league their confidence will be high.
“We have got more than enough to beat them. It’s the same every week now against play-off contenders, we don’t want to be giving them points and we need to make sure we win by a minimum of seven.
“We have had more away matches than at home, so we are catching up on them in the next few weeks. It’s nice to be riding at home nearly every week, you want that continuity, and we have been brilliant round our own place this season.”
Meanwhile Redcar can move back into the top four with a home win over Peterborough – who are seeking to give their season a kick-start after a spate of recent postponements.
Ellis Perks moves up into the top five for the Bears after an impressive start to the campaign, whilst Coty Garcia drops to reserve and Danny Ayres misses the meeting as he is still suffering the effects of a crash last week.
The Panthers travel at full-strength, with Media Prima Arena track record holder Chris Harris making his official debut after last Sunday’s abandoned Cup-tie at Scunthorpe.
Redcar boss Jitendra Duffill said: “There is a big shake-up in our riding order as Ellis has moved up into the main body of our team. He's put almost four points on his average which is a massive achievement!
“A drop to reserve should help Coty and I feel that we still look very strong in that department.
“It almost feels like a local derby when we face Peterborough nowadays due to the strong Teesside connections that the Panthers have. We will need a strong performance from every one of our riders as Peterborough have strength in depth.”
Panthers promoter Ged Rathbone said: “It's great to be in a position to be able to track a full one-to-seven. We've been hit hard by injuries and unavailability lately and I have no doubt that has contributed to some disappointing results.
“But we're looking forward and the aim is to string a few results together. If that happens our season will turn around quickly, and hopefully the process can start tonight. I'm confident we will come good.
“We've done well at Redcar in recent times and it's a track that seems to suit us. Chris is the track-record holder and we've got other guys who tend to score well there, but Redcar they have a strong team and will be fired up.”

(SPEEDWAY 4)

WORKINGTON owner Laura Morgan has praised the improvement shown by Matt Williamson, who moves out of the reserve berth this weekend.
Williamson goes into the top five for the first time as the Comets face home and away SGB Championship clashes with Glasgow, having raised his average from 3.58 to 6.23 in the opening weeks of the season.
Morgan said: “Matt has been picking up points home and away, and with the exception of the reserves race, Heat 2, he has been beating many of the same riders that he will meet now that he is in the main body of the team.
“This is the next step in his speedway education and it was one of the targets that he set himself at the beginning of the season, so to achieve it this early is a great reward for all the hard work that he puts in to his racing.
“With Matt you get one hundred percent effort in every race and knowing Matt as we do; now he is in the top-five he will be determined to stay there and continue to progress, which is a great attitude to see in a young British rider.”

(FIXTURES)

THURSDAY JUNE 8:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Ipswich v Edinburgh 7.30, Redcar v Peterborough 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle OFF

FRIDAY JUNE 9:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v Poole 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Redcar 7.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Lakeside v Kent 8pm, Plymouth v Stoke 7.15

SATURDAY JUNE 10:
SGB PREMIERSHIP: Leicester v Somerset 7.30
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Newcastle 7pm, Workington v Glasgow 7pm

SUNDAY JUNE 11:
SGB CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Workington 3pm, Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30, Peterborough v Berwick 5pm, Scunthorpe v Sheffield 5.30
TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE: Buxton v Mildenhall 3pm
BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4: Rye House 3pm
Results Wednesday June 7, 2017

SGB PREMIERSHIP
Poole 46 (Brady Kurtz 15)
Wolverhampton 44 (Rory Schlein 11+1)
SGB Premiership points: Poole 3 Wolverhampton 1

King’s Lynn v Rye House - OFF

TRAVEL PLUS NATIONAL LEAGUE
Birmingham 45 (Liam Carr 15)
Eastbourne 45 (Jake Knight 13)
National League points: Birmingham 1 Eastbourne 2