lucifer sam

Absolutely key fixture for Leicester now. I can see plenty of their fans making the relatively short journey to Scunny. As for the Scorpions, let's just get the three points and see where it puts us. All the best Rob

This is looking even more of a cracker now. Leicester really needing at least a point from the meeting, while Scunny - on the back of two away wins - trying to keep alive their own faint chances of a play-off place. Yep it's a long shot to reach the play-offs on 40 points, but at the moment it's still just about possible to do it. All the best Rob

Sheffield 44 Scunny 46 :party: Josh Auty passes Richard Lawson in Heat 15. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS LOOKING FOR WINNING STREAK HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions head into a busy few days – knowing that they must win every meeting to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Premier League play-offs. The Scorpions are currently in eighth place in the Premier League table on 27 points. They can score a maximum of 42 points, if they win their remaining four fixtures by seven points or more. 42 points would probably secure a place in the top six; there’s a possibility that 41 points may get the Scorpions into the play-offs, but 40 points probably would not. It looks like Redcar could well finish on 41 points; Leicester will probably also finish around that figure. Workington are already on 39 points, but both their remaining home meetings are difficult – to Newcastle & Edinburgh. With fixtures in hand, Rye House (currently tenth) can’t be ruled out, although a home draw against Ipswich last Saturday dented their chances. Four teams are nailed on for the play-offs – Somerset, Edinburgh, Ipswich and Newcastle. Beyond that, it looks to be a three-way battle between Workington, Redcar and Leicester to fill the other two places, with Scunthorpe & Rye House having outside chances. Scunthorpe’s remaining fixtures are at home to Leicester on Bank Holiday Monday, and away to Sheffield (tonight – Thursday), Plymouth (tomorrow - Friday) and Rye House (a week on Saturday). Promoter Rob Godfrey says: “We won’t give up on the play-offs until they are mathematically out of our reach. “It’s a tough ask. However, the team we are now tracking is very strong. We’re using rider replacement for the unlucky David Howe and he’s second in our averages, which means everyone can take an extra ride for him. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that we could end up taking the results we need from our final four meetings. “Our skipper Ashley Birks has declared himself fit again, following his problems with his scaphoid. We won’t have Ash at Sheffield, because it’s a rearranged fixture, so his Elite League meeting at Swindon takes precedence. We’ve booked Tyson Nelson as a guest for Ash, because he recently top scored (paid 13) for Rye House when they won at Sheffield. Sheffield have a few injury problems and we need to take advantage of that. “Ash is back for Plymouth tomorrow. For that meeting, we will need our gating boots on, but we do now have several riders who are good gaters. “Plymouth have just signed Michael Palm Toft as a replacement for the injured Kalle Katajisto. It’s great to see Michael fixed up again – he’s a great lad. It was in my thoughts to bring Michael back in, in the place of David. But then Plymouth approached me, and really it was in Michael’s best interests to sign for them. They have more guaranteed meetings left, plus a change of home track often does the trick for a rider.” The big event of the weekend for Scunthorpe is the home meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday (3pm) – a double-header featuring the Scorpions in Premier League action against Leicester, followed by a National League challenge match between the Scunthorpe Saints and the Halifax Dukes. Godfrey enthuses: “It’s a big meeting whatever. It’s crucial to Leicester’s play-off hopes, and we hope it’s crucial to ours as well. As long as we get the results from Sheffield and Plymouth, it could be a hugely significant match for us. In any case, it’s our last home regular Premier League match, so we really want to win it. “Leicester are always good value at the Eddie Wright Raceway and we need to be at the top of our game to take all three points. “We have the return of a couple of past Scorpions’ heroes. Magnus Karlsson is part of the Leicester team. Plus in the second half, Wayne Carter (our training officer) is riding for Halifax. That’s going to generate interest both from Halifax, because he comes from there, and also Scunthorpe, because he was the main man for us in the 2005 Conference League, in our very first season at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Hopefully Wayne can attract back a few lapsed fans from that first season. “All-in-all, it promises to be a fantastic afternoon of action.” Monday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £16. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action. The circuit rightfully won the award last season for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting day of racing is ahead. Scunthorpe will hold their collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund on Monday. Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Monday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Nicolai Klindt (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Leicester Lions: 1. Lasse Bjerre (Denmark), 2. Kauko Nieminen R/R, 3. Kevin Doolan (Australia), 4. Jan Graversen (Denmark), 5. Magnus Karlsson (Sweden), 6. Alex Edberg (Sweden) or guest, 7. James Sarjeant. Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Oliver Greenwood, 2. Arron Mogridge, 3. Danny Phillips, 4. Shane Waldron, 5. Matt Williamson, 6. Sam Chapman, 7. Andrew Blackburn. Halifax Dukes: 1. Wayne Carter, 2. Lee Springthorpe, 3. Danny Hodgson, 4. Paul Burnett, 5. Luke Chessell, 6. Krystian Bialecki, 7. Adam Extance. Leicester Lions at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Lasse Bjerre PL 5 25 41 2 6.56 6.88 11 from 6 rides (2011) Kevin Doolan PL 10 48 79 4 6.58 6.92 14 from 5 rides (2008) Alexander Edberg PL 1 5 6 1 4.80 5.60 6 + 1 from 5 rides Jan Graversen PL 19 83 92 24 4.43 5.59 9 + 4 from 7 rides (2012) Magnus Karlsson PL 68 316 646 45 8.18 8.75 18 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2011)) James Sarjeant PL 1 4 1 0 1.00 1.00 1 from 4 rides (2012) Other Notes Lasse Bjerre 2011 Danish Under-21 Champion. Member of Denmark's World Under-21 Team Cup Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2010. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with King's Lynn during the 2013 Elite League season. Kevin Doolan Member of King's Lynn's Premier League KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2005. Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Premier Trophy Winning Teams in 2006. Member of Workington's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2009. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Lakeside during the 2013 Elite League season. Alexander Edberg First rode in this country, making his Premier League debut in 2011 for Berwick. Jan Graversen Former Scunthorpe Scorpion who won the Kenny Smith Memorial Trophy in 2010. Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009. Magnus Karlsson Former Scunthorpe Scorpion who scored 1300 points for the club. Member of Hull's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2004. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2003. James Sarjeant Rode for Scunthorpe Saints in 2009. Rides in this year's National League with Coventry. Signed to replace his NL team-mate Robert Branford and made his debut in the home meeting against the Scorpions. Leicester Lions' 2013 Results 29 March 2013 LC A L Leicester 44 Scunthorpe 46 30 March 2013 LC H W Leicester 47 Sheffield 43 06 April 2013 LC H W Leicester 52 Scunthorpe 38 11 April 2013 LC A L Leicester 39 Sheffield 51 12 April 2013 KOC A L Leicester 31 Edinburgh 58 13 April 2013 KOC H W Leicester 46 Edinburgh 44 (On agg - L: 77 - 102) 20 April 2013 PL H W Leicester 53 Redcar 37 03 May 2013 PL A L Leicester 32 Somerset 62 06 May 2013 PL A L Leicester 37 Ipswich 53 11 May 2013 PL A L Leicester 40 Berwick 52 12 May 2013 PL H W Leicester 48 Ipswich 44 18 May 2013 PL H W Leicester 53 Workington 40 19 May 2013 PL A W Leicester 49 Glasgow 40 24 May 2013 PL A W Leicester 52 Plymouth 38 25 May 2013 PL H W Leicester 46 Plymouth 44 30 May 2013 PL A W Leicester 46 Sheffield 44 08 June 2013 PL H W Leicester 55 Glasgow 39 22 June 2013 PL H L Leicester 46 Somerset 47 28 June 2013 PL A L Leicester 37 Edinburgh 52 06 July 2013 PL A L Leicester 36 Workington 58 13 July 2013 PL H W Leicester 46 Newcastle 44 28 July 2013 PL H W Leicester 49 Sheffield 44 03 August 2013 PL H W Leicester 46 Scunthorpe 43 10 August 2013 PL A L Leicester 45 Rye House 48 11 August 2013 PL H L Leicester 44 Rye House 45 15 August 2013 PL A W Leicester 47 Redcar 37 Leicester Lions' Results at EWR 08 July 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 53 Leicester 40 16 September 2011 PL (Ph 2) W Scunthorpe 43 Leicester 50 16 March 2012 KSMT L Scunthorpe 46 Leicester 44 10 August 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Leicester 42 29 March 2013 LC L Scunthorpe 46 Leicester 44 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Same heat format (apart from we have one semi instead of two), "every point counts" (i.e. same as GP), lots of the same riders. The only big difference is in prestige - the World Championsip has plenty of history, whereas the SEC has none. I agree I find it pointless - why have a second Grand Prix competition? Why not do something different? Such as a PROPER World Cup (i.e. two teams in each meeting). The SEC is just pointless. Who cares who is European Champion? All the best Rob

Maybe if the Rebels riders are as complacent as the fans, there could be a shock in store today. All the best Rob

DEVILS VISIT EDDIE WRIGHT RACEWAY AFTER A BREAK OF 14 DAYS, speedway returns to the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday (7.30pm), with the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions hosting the Plymouth Devils in Premier League action. It’s the first PL action at the track, since Ricky Ashworth’s accident brought the Scunthorpe v Berwick match on August 2nd to a premature halt. Ricky is still unconscious and under the intensive care of the staff at Hull Royal Infirmary. Wrist bands to raise funds for Ricky and his family will be on sale at the meeting, at £2 each. The Scunthorpe management are eager to show their support, and they hope fans will purchase the bands. Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We now need to help Ricky’s family. They are travelling from Salford in Manchester to Hull. “He’s got a fantastic family who need our support now. “They are the ones who are sitting there waiting for news. They will be the people who give us the good news when he comes out of it. “The first thing we’re going to do is get wrist bands with ‘pray for Ricky’ on and sell them. “Whether you’re religious or not, that’s a nice thing to say. It means you’re thinking about him and we need to think about him. “Every penny will go to Ricky Ashworth and his family. We’re going to have 500 to sell on Friday.” The Scorpions will be without both David Howe and Ashley Birks for the visit of the Devils. Howe, the club’s all-time top point-scorer, made the decision to take some time out of speedway, after struggling with his confidence. After making that decision on Saturday, the unlucky Howe was injured later during the same day, in a crash in a World Longtrack Championship round in Poland, Howe has broken his left arm, although a hospital visit has revealed that his right wrist (also feared broken) has escaped a fracture. Meanwhile, Birks aggravated his scaphoid injury, after a fall at Eastbourne on Saturday while guesting for Lakeside. In a tweet, Birks said: “With the end of the season coming up and a hand that doesn't seem to be getting better, I'm afraid I'm going to have a week-and-a-half off. “I will only miss two meetings going to go see a specialist this week. I will get it sorted so I can come back and score like I was. “Sorry to everyone. I really want to be racing - I hate seeing Scunthorpe & Swindon race without me.” Frenchman David Bellego, who scored paid seven in place of Birks at Workington on Sunday, will again guest for the Scorpions on Friday, while rider replacement will be in operation for Howe. Admission Prices for Friday: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Nicolai Klindt (Denmark), 4. David Bellego (France), 5. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Plymouth Devils: 1. Mikkel Bech (Denmark), 2. Rasmus Jensen (Denmark), 3. Kalle Katajisto (Finland), 4. Hynek Stichauer (Czech Republic), 5. Mark Lemon (Australia), 6. Jake Anderson (Australian), 7. Todd Kurtz (Australia). There is a six-heat Midland Development League match between the Castleford Kings and Long Eaton in the second half. Scorpions Info Josh Auty has now scored over 1600 points for the club at all levels (1603 points to date). Plymouth Devils at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Jake Anderson PL 4 19 13 2 2.74 3.16 8 + 1 from 7 rides (2010) Mikkel Bech DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Rasmus Jensen DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Kalle Katajisto PL 2 12 24 1 8.00 8.33 15 from 6 rides (2010) Todd Kurtz PL 5 19 12 6 2.53 3.79 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2011/2012) Mark Lemon PL 7 36 72 4 8.00 8.44 18 + 1 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2009)) Hynek Stichauer PL 2 10 17 0 6.80 6.80 11 from 5 rides (2010) Other Notes Jake Anderson Returned to Plymouth to replace Ben Reade earlier this season. Has also ridden previously in the Premier League for Birmingham, Somerset and Glasgow. Mikkel Bech Member of Denmark's World Cup Winning Team in 2012. Youngest rider to ride as a Wild Card in the Speedway GP Series. Finished 3rd in last year's World Under-21 Championship over seven rounds. Rasmus Jensen Danish rider who recently replaced the injured Ty Proctor. Kalle Katajisto Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-Off Winning Team in 2009. Recent signing to replace the injured Cory Gathercole and makes his Plymouth debut at the EWR. Todd Kurtz Member of Newport's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Mark Lemon Member of Exeter's Premier Trophy Winning Team in 2004. Member of Newcastle's Premier Trophy and Play-Off Winning Teams in 2010. Member of Newcastle's Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011. Current Australian National Team Manager. Hynek Stichauer Recent signing who replaced Simon Nielsen and returns to the Plymouth side after a spell at the club in 2011. Plymouth Devils' 2013 Results 29 March 2013 CH A L Plymouth 38 Somerset 54 30 March 2013 CH H W Plymouth 48 Somerset 41 05 April 2013 LC H L Plymouth 40 Rye House 52 12 April 2013 LC H L Plymouth 44 Ipswich 46 19 April 2013 LC A L Plymouth 42 Somerset 48 20 April 2013 LC H W Plymouth 48 Somerset 41 26 April 2013 KOC(1) H L Plymouth 44 Newcastle 46 28 April 2013 KOC(2) A L Plymouth 29.5 Newcastle 42.5 (On agg - L:- 73.5 - 88.5) 16 May 2013 PL A L Plymouth 42 Rye House 51 17 May 2013 PL A L Plymouth 36 Edinburgh 56 18 May 2013 PL H L Plymouth 42 Edinburgh 51 23 May 2013 LC A L Plymouth 32 Ipswich 63 24 May 2013 PL H L Plymouth 38 Leicester 52 25 May 2013 PL A L Plymouth 44 Leicester 46 26 May 2013 LC A W Plymouth 49 Rye House 40 07 June 2013 PL H W Plymouth 59 Glasgow 34 08 June 2013 PL A W Plymouth 46 Rye House 44 13 June 2013 PL A D Plymouth 45 Sheffield 45 22 June 2013 PL A L Plymouth 37 Berwick 56 28 June 2013 PL H W Plymouth 50 Berwick 40 05 July 2013 PL H W Plymouth 48 Rye House 45 12 July 2013 PL H L Plymouth 34 Ipswich 44 19 July 2013 PL H L Plymouth 43 Workington 47 27 July 2013 PL A W Plymouth 46 Workington 44 03 August 2013 PL H L Plymouth 40 Redcar 52 09 August 2013 PL A L Plymouth 36 Somerset 59 10 August 2013 PL H D Plymouth 45 Somerset 45 Plymouth Devils' PL Results at EWR 19 August 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 37 02 September 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 54 Plymouth 39 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

500 wristbands at Scunny on Friday. Let's make sure we sell the whole lot of them. All the best Rob

Ryan Douglas was on fire yesterday - his overtaking move on Rusty Harrison was fantastic. After a slow start, the meeting came to life in its closing stages. Fighting performance by Scunny, although all these 3, 4 or 5 point away defeats are starting to get monotonous. It would nice to win one. Maybe Sheffield or Plymouth away. All the best Rob

Tsunami, for once we're in comeplete agreement. Many other sports are decided by play-offs. And the reason is simple: it's exciting and gets the punters in. Blupanther's Sky argument is a bit bizarre in any case. The PL play-offs are not televised so why would Sky care how the PL is decided. It was the PL promoters who voted in play-offs, no-one else. The play-offs are here to stay to decide the Premier League Championship. All the best Rob Unless Rye House overhaul Workington or Redcar. All the best Rob

Nick Morris wanted a PL team closer to his Swindon base, so he was always Somerset-bound for 2013. Nick was out of the equation and David wanted to return. I don't think I agree with David's "heart never looked in it." More that his confidence is taking a while to rebuild after his various injuries - it's far more difficult coming back from injury when you're 31 rather than 21. He's alright around the larger Longtrack & Grasstrack tracks, but not the tightly enclosed speedway tracks. And the events of last Friday have also had an effect on him - speedway riders are human beings. David is Scunthorpe's leading all-time scorer for a reason. He was the No 1 for three years in sucession. But he's not a robot - injuries and confidence can affect everyone whether former No 1 or reserve. Maybe it was a gamble to include him in the 2013 team plans. But Scunny gambled a few times in 2012 and it paid off. Rob Godfrey never gives up - he's always looking for a way to bolster the team. What really messed our season up was not being able to strenghten up when we wanted to (when the rulebook suggested we should be able to). Nicolai Klindt came in just a little too late, after our hands were tied. But you can't win the league title every year. It's exceptionally hard to win a league title at Premier League level. Workington and Somerset still never have. We've only lost once at home in the league and many of the meetings around the EWR have been fantastic entertainment (Heat 15 against Rye House will live long in the memory - HOW did Josh do that!!!). As long as there's positive news at some point from the hospital at Hull (we're all praying for you, Ricky), I would say it's been an enjoyable season. All the best Rob

Took me a few seconds to work out the identity of The Golden Child Not sure if the Monarchs are the Champions elect, I fancy Somerset or Newcastle. Isn't the Spring Trophy supposed to take place in...well, the Spring? Maybe it's time to bring back the Super Cup (or was it the Cup-A-Soup) instead. All the best Rob

Precisely. Everyone knows the rules from day one. And the play-offs are more exiciting, contrast Glasgow's stroll to the title in 2011 with the 2012 Premier League title which Scunthorpe won on the final lap of the final race. TWK, I know you're old school. Under the old two points for a win and one point for a draw, the 2012 table would have been: Somerset 31, Scunthorpe 31,Workington 30, Leicester 30, Newcastle 29. All the best Rob

Bandits4eva, I didn't hear this one individual, but if I had, I would have pointed out to them how inappropriate it was, especially at this moment of time. Personally, my heart is in my mouth every time a rider falls at the moment - however simple the fall. Even Nicolai's Klindt's almost graceful spin before falling in Heat 7 on Thursday. Everyone is still just a bit subdued at the moment. I didn't even make much noise after Ryan's outrageous exclusion from Heat 12 - normally I would have been makiking sure the ref knew what I thought of that decision! I just want good, competitive speedway meetings in which nobody is hurt. Thursday's meeting did fit that bill. It would be good if we could get to discussing what was a good night's speedway entertainment. It was also nice to see Danny Phillips looking in a class of his own in the second half. All the best Rob

Good meeting, with some good racing, especially towards the end. The exclusion of Ryan Douglas from Heat 12 was unbelieveable - that made a huge difference because Scunny were on the up at that point, a 5-1 there could have led to a win for the Scorpions. But at least Nicolai rounded Micky Dyer in Heat 15 to make sure we got a point. Klindt, Jorgensen and Douglas all good for Scorpions, while Aaron Summers was a cut above the other 13 riders on display. All the best Rob

Mimmo, are you up at Northside on Sunday? If so, I'll bump into you there. All the best Rob

Gustix is a very hard task master, so in order to satisfy his need for the Dons team to contain names with a long association with Wimbledon, could I suggest the following for whenever the new date is: 1. Great Uncle Bulgaria 2. Tomsk 3. Orinoco 4. Bungo 5. Tobermory 6. Wellington 7. Madame Cholet No doubt that Parsloes will then be able to regal us with tales such as the time Great Uncle Bulgaria was excluded for two minutes because his goggles had misted up! All the best Rob

Oh sh*te???? All the best Rob

Well he normally makes his decisions in favour of Wimbledon, so why not? All the best Rob

IT’S CRUNCH TIME for the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions, with promoter Rob Godfrey insisting that the team must take all three Premier League points from tonight’s encounter against the Berwick Bandits at the Eddie Wright Raceway (Friday, 7.30pm). And Godfrey is also looking for a win in an away clash at Leicester’s Beaumont Park on Saturday evening. Scunthorpe, the reigning Premier League champions, have scored the maximum three league points (awarded for a win by seven or more points) in only two out of nine home PL meetings, and have yet to register an away win this season. They have dropped 11 points at home, and gained 3 points away. Boosted by recent signing Nicolai Klindt, the Scorpions need to score maximum points from their last three home meetings, and to pick up at least two (preferably three) away wins. Godfrey said: “This is a do-or-die weekend for us. For starters, we can’t afford to drop a further home point, we need all three points off Berwick. “I’m sure the fans don’t want our season to finish early, and will get behind the boys, as we seek to gain the convincing win that we need. We have to beat Berwick well. “And then we need three or four points at Leicester. Anything else is going to leave us with a mighty mountain to climb in our remaining meetings.” After missing last Friday’s visit to Somerset, No 1 Josh Auty returns to action for the Scorpions. Auty is Mr Entertainment around the Eddie Wright Raceway. Ashley Birks (who scored paid 13 at Somerset) seems to have shrugged off any ill effects from his scaphoid injury and the Scorpions are due to be at full strength for the first time since Klindt signed for the club. Berwick are a good solid side, who themselves have an outside chance of the play-offs. No 1 Ricky Ashworth is one of the classiest performers around the Eddie Wright Raceway, although he is struggling to get back to his usual form until a lengthy spell on the sidelines earlier in the season. Admission Prices for tonight: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for tonight: Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen, 3. Nicolai Klindt, 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Ryan Douglas, 7. Lewis Blackbird. Berwick Bandits: 1. Ricky Ashworth, 2. David Bellego, 3. Robin Aspegren, 4. Matthew Wethers, 5. Kozza Smith, 6. Nicki Barrett, 7. Paul Starke.

Chris Mills & Chris Schramm? Sounds like an Oxford Silver Machine Academy reunion - I always knew Parsloes liked us really Can I suggest Bryn Williams as team manager? All the best Rob

Thank you for your kind offer, but I think we can manage. All the best Rob

Tsunami, have sent you a PM to explain. All the best Rob

I didn't realise that. But the irony is that you've mentioned me by name in your post!! All the best Rob Peasley PS Just checked - and 'outing' is not mentioned in the forum rules. Personally, I prefer to know the identity of other posters.

DOUBLE DOSE OF ACTION, AS SCORPIONS COMMENCE VITAL MONTH HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are involved in a weekend that promoter Rob Godfrey describes as “do-or-die”, as they start an August which will either make-or-break their Premier League play-off aspirations. The Scorpions entertain the Berwick Bandits at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm), before travelling to Leicester’s Beaumont Park on Saturday. All nine of Scunthorpe’s remaining regular Premier League fixtures - including no fewer than six away meetings - take place in a hectic August: Friday, August 2nd Scorpions v Berwick Bandits Saturday, August 3rd Leicester Lions v Scorpions Thursday, August 8th Redcar Bears v Scorpions Sunday, August 11th Workington Comets v Scorpions Friday, August 16th Scorpions v Plymouth Devils Thursday, August 22th Sheffield Tigers v Scorpions Friday, August 23rd Plymouth Devils v Scorpions Monday, August 26th Scorpions v Leicester Lions Saturday, August 31st Rye House Rockets v Scorpions The current Premier League table (with the next scheduled Premier League matches take place on Thursday, August 1st) is: M 3W 2W D L 4W 3W D 1L L F A Pts 1 Workington 16 5 1 0 2 2 2 1 1 2 783 681 34 2 Edinburgh 14 6 0 0 2 1 2 2 1 0 698 578 33 3 Redcar 16 5 1 2 1 2 1 0 2 2 733 685 32 4 Newcastle 14 3 0 2 0 2 2 1 3 1 668 590 30 5 Ipswich 13 4 1 0 1 1 1 2 3 0 626 544 28 6 Leicester 16 3 4 0 1 2 1 0 0 5 725 738 28 7 Somerset 13 5 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 640 546 26 8 Berwick 15 5 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 5 685 691 20 9 Scunthorpe 15 2 4 2 1 0 0 1 1 4 676 692 19 10 Plymouth 14 2 1 0 4 0 2 1 1 3 610 655 17 11 Rye House 13 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 2 4 556 607 14 12 Sheffield 12 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 1 5 498 619 7 13 Glasgow 17 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 10 641 913 5 It’s interesting to look at the current Premier League form guide, which assumes all teams take all three league points from their home meetings (i.e. any dropped home points are counted as points dropped, while any away points scored are counted as points gained). The teams currently stand as: Workington (+10) Edinburgh (+9) Redcar (+5) Newcastle (+15) Ipswich (+10) Leicester (+4) Somerset (+8) Berwick (-7) Scunthorpe (-8) Plymouth (-4) Rye House (-4) Sheffield (-11) Glasgow (-16) At first glance, this makes slightly grim reading for Scunthorpe fans. However, with more away meetings left than home meetings, there is an opportunity to make up the lost ground and get into the top six. Scunthorpe have 9 more home points available to them, but 24 away points. To get into the top six, the two clubs that the Scorpions are most likely going to have to overhaul are Leicester (currently 6th) and Redcar (currently third), assuming that currently seventh-placed Somerset will go on and qualify. The Scorpions, recently strengthened by the signing of Nicolai Klindt, have away trips to both Leicester and Redcar in the next fortnight. Wins at Leicester and Redcar – or a win at one of these tracks plus the bonus point for a narrow defeat (six points or less) at the other – would move the Scorpions back into contention. A real bonus would be an away win of seven points or more at either Leicester or Redcar – worth four points. At the same time, the Scorpions need to avoid dropping further home points. While scores of 46-44, 47-46 and 45-44 in the last three meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway have made for some epic speedway encounters, the Scorpions really could do with taking all three points against Berwick (August 2nd), Plymouth (August 16th) and Leicester (August 26th). Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It’s a do-or-die week for us. It’s a crunch weekend, we really need to start getting more points on the board if we are going to get into the top six and the play-offs. “We’re expecting to have a full team out this weekend, so we have no excuses. “We need to take all three points off Berwick at the Eddie Wright Raceway, and then pick up an away win at Leicester. “We took a point at Ipswich despite being without Ashley Birks, and nearly took a point at Somerset despite being without Josh Auty. We’ve shown we can be competitive everywhere. “But we’ve stopped looking for the losing bonus point from away meetings – we need to start taking away wins, otherwise our season will be over pretty soon. “I’m not going to pick out a single rider as a key rider, because we now have a line-up in which all seven riders are capable of going out and top scoring for us. “We need to perform collectively as a team and starting picking up the away wins, as well as not dropping home points. We can do it; we now have a strong side. “We also need a bit of luck to start going our way, but I firmly believe we can still make the championship play-offs”, concluded Godfrey. Admission Prices for Friday: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Nicolai Klindt (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Berwick Bandits: 1. Ricky Ashworth, 2. David Bellego (France), 3. Robin Aspegren (Sweden), 4. Matthew Wethers (Australia), 5. Kozza Smith (Australia), 6. Nicki Barrett (Denmark), 7. Paul Starke. Scorpions Info (as at 24 July 2012) Ashley Birks has now scored over 900 points for the club (904 points to date - all levels) David Howe has now moved up to 2nd in the all-time list of appearances made for the club (169 to date). Berwick Bandits at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Ricky Ashworth PL 11 48 87 5 7.25 7.67 18 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012)) Robin Aspegren PL 4 15 21 5 5.60 6.93 11 + 1 from 6 rides (2012) Nicki Barrett DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR David Bellego PL 3 12 10 1 3.33 3.67 5 from 4 rides (2012) Kozza Smith PL 4 22 32 1 5.82 6.00 14 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2011)) Paul Starke DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Matthew Wethers PL 7 28 34 3 4.86 5.29 7 + 1 from 4 rides (2008) Other Notes Ricky Ashworth 2009 Premier League Riders' Champion. A member of Sheffield's Premier League Pairs Winning Team in 2010. Member of Sheffield's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2002. Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012. Robin Aspegren Member of Newport's Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Nicki Barrett Made his Premier League debut for Berwick during the 2012 season. David Bellego Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012. Kozza Smith Queensland State Under-21 Champion 2006. Premier League Championship Winner with King's Lynn in 2009. Paul Starke Member of Plymouth's Conference Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Plymouth's National Trophy Winning Team in 2009. Also rides for Dudley in the National League. Matthew Wethers Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Teams in 2003, 2008 and 2010. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-Off Winning Teams in 2008 and 2009. Member of Edinburgh's Premier Trophy Winning Team in 2008. Berwick Bandits' 2013 Results 30 March 2013 COTN(1) H W Berwick 47 Edinburgh 45 06 April 2013 LC H W Berwick 57 Glasgow 36 07 April 2013 LC A L Berwick 43 Glasgow 46 13 April 2013 KOC(1) H L Berwick 44 Redcar 46 18 April 2013 KOC(2) A L Berwick 44 Redcar 45 (On agg - L:- 88-91) 20 April 2013 LC H L Berwick 42 Edinburgh 48 26 April 2013 LC A L Berwick 37 Edinburgh 55 27 April 2013 PL H W Berwick 51 Sheffield 42 04 May 2013 PL H L Berwick 44 Workington 46 06 May 2013 PL A L Berwick 34 Workington 59 11 May 2013 PL H W Berwick 52 Leicester 40 21 May 2013 PL H L Berwick 41 Newcastle 49 06 June 2013 PL A L Berwick 43 Sheffield 52 08 June 2013 PL H W Berwick 48 Ipswich 45 20 June 2013 PL A L Berwick 40 Redcar 53 22 June 2013 PL H W Berwick 56 Plymouth 37 23 June 2013 PL A W Berwick 46 Glasgow 44 28 June 2013 PL A L Berwick 40 Plymouth 50 06 July 2013 PL H W Berwick 54 Scunthorpe 36 13 July 2013 PL H L Berwick 44 Redcar 45 26 July 2013 PL A L Berwick 39 Edinburgh 51 27 July 2013 PL H W Berwick 53 Glasgow 42 Berwick's Results at EWR 04 July 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Berwick 41 04 September 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Berwick 42 23 April 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 62 Berwick 28 25 March 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Berwick 39 23 March 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 53 Berwick 40 27 July 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 48 Berwick 42 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)