lucifer sam

All the Dudley knocking is starting to become a bit tiresome on here. Why knock them? They take a huge number of supporters to each track, and it's a team of youngsters, which is what this league is about. All the best Rob

Stuart P did mention it was a possibility. Maybe it's changed after Tommy's super performance on Sunday; why change Tommy to another number when he's already starting to ride well and score points? All the best Rob

Shadders, it's per the programme. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS OUT TO ATTRACT BUMPER CROWD WITH £10 OFFER…. AND BEAT RYE HOUSE INTO THE BARGAIN! HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are looking to pick up all three Premier League points in their home fixture against Rye House Rockets at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday (7pm), as their continue their push for a top two spot in the regular league table, prior to the commencement of the play-offs in late September. The Scunthorpe Saints are also in action on Friday, taking on the Rye House Raiders in National League action. The double-header features special admission prices, with Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey having lowered admission to £10 for all adults (including concessions), while accompanied children up to the age of 16 will be admitted free. The fixtures are mounting in importance for Scunthorpe Scorpions, as they approach the business end of what is now almost certainly the most successful season in the club’s history, and Godfrey is hopeful that the tempting offer of 30 races for just £10 at one of the best racetracks in the UK will entice a bumper crowd to the Eddie Wright Raceway. While a win on Friday would confirm a Premier League place in the play-offs, the Scorpions are aiming for a top-two place and the chance to have some say in their play-off opponents. A finish of first, second, third or fourth would make it Scunthorpe’s most successful season since speedway started in the town in May 1971. Scunthorpe staged open meetings at their old Quibell Park circuit in 1971, before being accepted to the British League Division Two in 1972. A move to another venue, Ashby Ville, followed in 1979, before the club shut its doors early in the 1985 season. The highest league position obtained was fifth in 1983; the only time in thirteen completed league seasons that the old Saints/Stags finished in the top half of the table. Rob Godfrey, a local garage proprietor, reopened Scunthorpe Speedway at Normanby Road (later to be renamed the Eddie Wright Raceway) in 2005. With the Scorpions initially entered into the sport’s third tier, the Conference League, the club swept the board in 2006 and 2007, picking up successive Conference League titles, as well as numerous other honours. The Scorpions moved up into the Premier League (second division) in 2008, while retaining a Conference League side (the Saints). The club won a third National League (the new name for the Conference League) title in 2011, as a combined Scunthorpe / Sheffield side triumphed in dramatic fashion in the play-offs. Meanwhile, the main team, the Scunthorpe Scorpions established themselves as a mid-table Premier League team with finishes of: 11th (2008), 9th (2009), 7th (2010) and 7th (2011). The start of 2012 saw real optimism that a Premier League championship challenging team had been assembled. A run of injuries, most notably to No 1 David Howe threatened to ruin Scorpions’ season. But the addition of Nick Morris and Gary Irving to the side has turned the Scorpions into an excellent all-around team where all six riders (the club are currently using rider replacement for Howe, who is out for the season) are capable of scoring solidly. The Scorpions have scored 13 points out of 13 from their last four Premier League fixtures, with home wins over Sheffield (51-42), Somerset (50-40) and Plymouth (54-39), plus a highly impressive win at Edinburgh last Friday (54-39). They currently sit in second place in the Premier League. The league table (as of Tuesday, September 4th) sees Somerset on 42 points, just ahead of Scunthorpe and Leicester on 41 points, with Newcastle (with matches in hand) handily placed on 40 points. Also of importance are fifth-placed Workington on 35 points. Somerset have just two home fixtures remaining and can score a maximum of 48 points. With three home wins of 7 points or more (worth three league points each), the Scorpions can overhaul them to finish on 50 points. Newcastle can still reach 62 points, and must be considered as favourites to top the table. But a second-place finish for Scunthorpe, behind Newcastle, is very much possible. Three other teams can reach more than 50 points. But, to do so, Leicester, who have completed their regular home meetings, would have to pick up 10 points from three away meetings, which is a tall order. Likewise sixth-placed Edinburgh could score 54 points, if they picked up a maximum 24 points from their final 7 PL fixtures, but again that would be a monumental task for the Monarchs. Scunthorpe’s main rivals for second place appear to be the Workington Comets. If Workington picked up all 12 points from their remaining four home PL fixtures, then the Comets would move to 47 points. Workington have one away meeting left, a tough trip to Somerset on September 14th. If the Comets were to triumph in that meeting, then they could take second place. Scunthorpe Scorpions team manager Richard Hollingsworth said: “I’m well aware of all the permutations. I feel a top two finish is definitely within our grasp. But it would be foolish if we got too distracted by how other clubs are doing; we just need to concentrate on our own performances. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves, because there is no such thing as an easy fixture in the Premier League, so we need to just take it one meeting at a time. “We still have three meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway in which we need to perform. “Rye House are recent double winners of the Premier League (2005 and 2007). While they are having a poor season by their own high standards, the Rockets still have some quality riders in their ranks, such as their No 1 Charlie Gjedde, a former Danish International. “The good news is that Nick Morris is back on Friday, after missing both meetings last weekend due to the World Under-21 Team Cup Final in Poland. Congratulations to Nick on picking up a silver medal with Australia. “I was impressed by the way the lads covered for the absence of Nick last weekend. It was a real team effort. On Friday at Edinburgh, the five regular Scorpions scored a mammoth 50 (paid 55) points between them. It’s such a plus when we know every one of our riders can go into every single heat capable of winning it. “A prime example was Michael Palm Toft in Heat 15 against Plymouth at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday, when he beat both Ben Barker and Ryan Fisher. When you’ve got reserves capable of doing that, it gives us so many options.” The Scorpions will again be using rider replacement at No 2 for David Howe on Friday. Hollingsworth added: “Rider replacement works well at No 2 – better than it did at No 1. We are still on the lookout for the replacement for David, although time is running short before the transfer deadline. We will only bring in a new rider for David if it makes us stronger; if not, we’ll continue to use rider replacement for the rest of the season.” A preview of the following Saints v Rye House Raiders National League match will follow tomorrow. Friday’s action gets underway at 7pm, 30 minutes earlier than the usual Friday start-time at the Eddie Wright Raceway, to accommodate all 30 heats of action. Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Nick Morris (Australia), 6. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 7. Gary Irving. Rye House Rockets: 1. Charlie Gjedde (Denmark), 2. Luke Bowen R/R, 3. Anders Mellgren (Sweden), 4. Simon Lambert, 5. Kasper Lykke Nielsen (Denmark), 6. Jason Garrity, 7. Jason Bunyan. Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Lewis Kerr (guest), 2. Tommy Fenwick (Scotland), 3. Tom Young (Wales), 4. Max Clegg, 5. Gary Irving. 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Oliver Greenwood. Rye House Raiders: 1. Jason Garrity, 2. Shane Hazelden, 3. Ben Morley, 4. Luke Chessell, 5. James Sargeant, 6. To be confirmed, 7. Connor Coles. Scorpions Info Ashley Birks has now scored over 600 Points for the club (607 to date). Rye House Rockets at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Jason Bunyan PL 5 22 37 1 6.73 6.91 14 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2009)) Jason Garrity PL 1 4 5 0 5.00 5.00 5 from 4 rides (2011) Charlie Gjedde PL 3 13 27 1 8.31 8.62 14 from 5 rides (2011) Simon Lambert PL 44 196 273 49 5.57 6.57 15 + 2 from 7 rides (2009) Anders Mellgren PL 2 9 12 0 5.33 5.33 7 from 5 rides (2010) Kasper Lykke Nielsen DEBUT @ EWR Other Notes Jason Bunyan 7-time New Zealand National Champion Rode as the Wild Card in the first ever New Zealand GP in March of this year. Member of Isle of Wight's Premier League Pairs Winning duo in 2007. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Peterborough for the 2012 Elite League Season. Jason Garrity 2008 British Under-15 Champion. 2011 British Under-19 Champion. 2011 National League Riders' Champion. Member of Buxton's National League Championship, KO Cup and National Trophy Winning Teams in 2010. Charlie Gjedde Member of Danish World Cup Winning Team in 2006. Has ridden in 2 GP's (2003 and 2006). 1995 Danish Under-21 Champion. Member of Newport's 2011 Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Belle Vue for the 2012 Elite League Season. Simon Lambert Has ridden as a member of the Scunthorpe Scorpions and Scunthorpe Saints sides. Twice winner of the Conference League Pairs Championships for Boston (2007 and 2008). Recent signing who replaced Ritchie Hawkins. Anders Mellgren Twice winner of the Swedish 80cc Championship in 2006 and 2007. Member of Newport's 2011 Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Kasper Lykke Nielsen Signing who replaced Jordan Frampton in the Rockets' line-up. Made his Premier League debut at Leicester last month. Rye House Rockets' PL Results at EWR 19 September 2008 PL W Scunthorpe 40 Rye House 53 17 April 2009 PT L Scunthorpe 52 Rye House 43 14 August 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Rye House 41 16 October 2009 YS S/F L Scunthorpe 51 Rye House 42 04 July 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 55 Rye House 37 08 April 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Rye House 38 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

“30 RACES FOR £10 IS UNBEATABLE VALUE!” DON’T MISS OUT ON THE CHANCE TO ROAR THE SCORPIONS INTO THE PLAY-OFFS ON FRIDAY! SCUNTHORPE Promoter Rob Godfrey has urged the club’s loyal supporters to spread the word regarding the £10 offer for Friday’s double-header against Rye House (7pm) at the Eddie Wright Raceway. The double-header features both Scunthorpe teams, the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions and the Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints, in action against their counterparts from Rye House, who along with Scunthorpe, compete in both the Premier & National Leagues. Admission prices for Friday’s double-header meeting have been cut to £10 for all adults (including concessions), while all accompanied children up to the age of 16 will be admitted for free. The Scorpions are currently riding high in the Premier League table, in second place, just a single point behind leaders Somerset. Godfrey said: “The best way to spread an offer like this is often by word-of-mouth. People tend to be more responsive when told something face-to-face. So it would be great if the club’s fans could talk to their family members, friends and work colleagues, and tell them all about Friday’s 30-heat double-header and why they should come along to see the action. “The Scorpions are on fire at the moment. In the last week or so, we’ve seen off league leaders Somerset at the Eddie Wright Raceway, pulled off an absolutely stunning 54-39 away win at Edinburgh, and also scored an emphatic home win over our old rivals from Plymouth. “A win on Friday would seal our place in the Premier League championship play-offs and confirm 2012 as the most successful season in the history of this club since we started up in 1971. Of course, we don’t want to stop there; we also have serious ambitions of winning the play-offs to clinch the Premier League title. “It’s going to be an exciting run-in to the play-offs. Every league point is important as we aim for a top two place and the chance to have some say in our play-off opponents. Friday is vital, as are the following league matches against Redcar and Glasgow. “On Friday, there’s a chance to roar the team into the play-offs, and witness 30 heats of action for just £10 on one of the best racetracks in the country. That’s unbeatable value. “Our fans are great, and I’m sure they will do us proud, and persuade as many of their friends along as possible”, Godfrey concluded. Friday’s action gets underway at 7pm, 30 minutes earlier than the usual Friday start-time at the Eddie Wright Raceway, to accommodate all 30 heats of action.

Brilliant to see Tommy Fenwick made a real breakthrough this evening... he was so chuffed afterwards Another 3 points for Saints.... and again the young guns went a long way to securing those points. All the best Rob

Well done to Scorps on another three points. Good team performance, but special mention to Michael Palm Toft on passing Ryan Fisher and Ben Barker to win Heat 15. Rod Godfrey on top form on the mic today. All the best Rob

SCUNTHORPE SPEEDWAY have slashed the admission prices for next Friday’s (September 7th) double-header against Rye House at the Eddie Wright Raceway (7pm) – as the club gear up towards the most important couple of months in their 41-year history. The double-header features the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions in Premier League action against Rye House Rockets, followed by a National League clash between the Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints and the Rye House Raiders. Admission prices for this meeting have been cut to £10 for all adults (including concessions), while all accompanied children up to the age of 16 will be admitted for free. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “The brilliant win at Edinburgh on Friday evening just reinforced our belief that we can achieve what has been the unthinkable until this year – winning the Premier League title – and we’d just love as many people as possible to play their part in our challenge. “To see a big crowd and hear them get behind them is such a boost for the riders. “We hope the offer for the Rye House meeting will tempt along some of the old supporters of Scunthorpe from the 70s and 80s, plus some brand new fans. “There will be 30 heats of action on Friday and people have a chance to experience this for just £10. I’m sure people will realise that this is excellent value for money”, added Godfrey. The Scorpions currently sit second in the Premier League, and are almost certainties to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs. This season is proving to be Scunthorpe’s most successful in the club’s history. Scunthorpe’s previous best finish at second tier level was a fifth place in the then-titled National League in 1983.

Scorps up to second after the win at Edinburgh last night. Let's keep it up by taking all the points off the Devils tomorrow. All the best Rob

Yep, I see what you mean, with David Howe and Nick Morris, Scunny would have won by 30. All the best Rob

Maybe because they ARE the better team. All the best Rob

Fantastic performance by Scunny :party: :party: All the best Rob You're heading for a slap from Midnight Lady All the best Rob

SAINTS AIM TO SINK POTTERS JOTUN PAINTS Scunthorpe Saints’ boss Stuart Parnaby is targeting wins for his side in their final two home National League meetings of the season. The Saints face the Stoke Potters at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday, in the second half of a double header also featuring Scunthorpe Scorpions v Plymouth Devils in Premier League action. The Premier League match gets underway at 5pm. Saints then face Rye House in National League action a week on Friday (September 7th) in their final home meeting of the season. Parnaby said: “We’re after a win against Stoke, and have high hopes of achieving it. “It would be nice to get one over the old Saints’ boss Malcolm Vasey, who is now team manager of Stoke. “Despite the fact they’ve had to make a few changes recently, Stoke still have a very good side. They are led by Ashley Birks, who of course we know very well indeed. “We have Byron Bekker as our guest at No 1 on Sunday – Byron has been flying for Dudley recently.” Parnaby was very satisfied with the 50-40 win over third-placed Isle Of Wight on Monday. He enthused: “I was pleased how all the lads performed in that meeting. “I realise Danny Phillips and Tommy Fenwick didn’t score, but they did show signs of improvement. They both had the speed, but just weren’t getting out of the gates. “Tommy, in particular, can be quite tough on himself. We’re going to leave the team as it is for Sunday, but for the final two league meetings, home and away against Rye House, I think I’m going to switch things around, so that Oliver Greenwood moves up into the team, and Tommy rides at reserve. “Tommy has spent nearly the whole year at No. 2 or No. 4 and that’s tough for a rider in his first season. “In normal circumstances, he would have been at reserve, but with us bringing in four 3.00 men in the same season, it’s meant Tommy has spent most of the season up in the team proper. “Oliver has been at reserve for the last few meetings and has ridden brilliantly. All the lads have done well this year, but if I had to pick a rider of the season it would be Tom Young for the first half of the season and Oliver Greenwood for the second half. It’s hard to believe Oliver has rode in relatively few meeting for us this year, because of his collarbone injury in April. It’s even harder to believe that this is his first full season; last season he made just three appearances for the Saints. “It was great that Oliver went in Heat 15 and got the 5-1 with Tom Young that we needed to clinch the final point. “It was going to be Tom Young and Gary Irving, but Gary had been borrowing a bike from Nick Morris, after developing problems with both of his own, and didn’t want to risk doing anything to Nick’s bike. “I then considered our guest Tom Perry, who had done a good job, but then thought: ‘Let’s give it to one of our own.’ Ollie said: ‘I won’t let you down’, and sure enough he went out there and got the 5-1. “Another rider who has come on so much is young Max Clegg, who we have to remember is still only 15 years old. Max did so well earlier in the year that he pushed his way into the top five. We placed him at No 2, because we thought that was the best place for him, but it wasn’t working out. “For last week’s meeting against the Isle Of Wight, we switched Max to No 4 and it worked a treat. Max and Tom Young rode so well together; it was great to see them looking out for each other and riding as a pair. “Recently Michael Palm Toft went with Max to Redcar, and showed and told him a few things. I’d like to thanks Michael, Thomas Jorgensen and Nick Morris for helping the Saints, in one way or another.” The Saints have an outside chance of reaching the National League play-offs, although a finish of fifth place looks more likely. Parnaby said: “At the outset of this season, I just wanted to avoid finishing bottom. To finish as high as fifth out of eight teams would be fantastic, and would exceed our expectations. It would show how well our lads have performed, sometimes against far more experienced opposition. “We always saw this as the first year of a two-year plan, and next year as a year when we try to challenge for honours. Ideally I want the nucleus of this side back together. I realise we will probably lose Steve Worrall and Gary Irving because their Premier League averages are likely to be too high, but that means we’ve done our job with them. I’m happy when riders move to the next level. “But I would love to have all the rest of the lads back again, and see what we can do in our second season with them.” Sunday’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. Premier/National League 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 Teams for Sunday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Nick Morris (Australia), 6. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 7. Gary Irving. Plymouth Devils: 1. Ben Barker, 2. Todd Kurtz (Australia), 3. Cory Gathercole (Australia), 4. James Holder (Australia), 5. Ryan Fisher (United States), 6. Jake Anderson (Australia), 7. Ben Reade. Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Byron Bekker (guest), 2. Tommy Fenwick (Scotland), 3. Tom Young (Wales), 4. Max Clegg, 5. Gary Irving. 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Oliver Greenwood. Stoke Potters: 1. Ashley Birks, 2. Richard Andrews, 3. Tony Atkin (Wales), 4. Ben Reade, 5. James Cockle, 6. Liam Rumsey, 7. Liam Carr. Stoke Potters at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Richard Andrews NL 3 12 10 3 3.33 4.33 3 + 2 from 4 rides (2010) Tony Atkin NL 4 14 25 2 7.14 7.71 15 + 1 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2009)) Ashley Birks NL 17 83 162 12 7.81 8.39 18 from 6 rides (2011) Liam Carr NL DEBUT @ EWR James Cockle NL 10 45 69 13 6.13 7.29 15 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2005)) Ben Reade NL 1 7 15 0 8.57 8.57 15 from 7 rides (2012) Liam Rumsey NL DEBUT @ EWR Other Notes Richard Andrews Made his National League debut for Newport in 2009. Recent signing to replace the injured Adam Wrathall after beginning this season at Buxton. Tony Atkin National League Pairs Championship Winner (2009 - for Newport with Grant Tregoning). Ashley Birks Member of Scunthorpe's National League Championship Winning Team in 2011. Doubling-up at Premier League level with the Scorpions. Liam Carr Recent signing who has appeared for Berwick in the Premier League this season. James Cockle Member of Scunthorpe's 2007 Conference League Championship Winning Team. Conference League Pairs Championship Winner (2008 - for Boston with Simon Lambert). Recent signing to replace Simon Lambert, after beginning the season with King's Lynn Young Stars. Ben Reade Made his first appearance in the National League, riding as a guest in 2009 for Plymouth. Liam Rumsey Recent signing who has previously appeared in the National League for the Isle of Wight and King's Lynn. Stoke Potters' 2012 Results 31 March 2012 CH H W Stoke 46 Isle of Wight 44 03 April 2012 St Cup A L Stoke 43 Dudley 47 05 May 2012 St Cup H W Stoke 47 Dudley 43 (On agg:- D 90-90) 07 May 2012 KOC A L Stoke 42 Scunthorpe 47 08 May 2012 CH A D Stoke 45 Isle of Wight 45 (On agg:- W 91 - 89) 13 May 2012 KOC H W Stoke 49 Scunthorpe 40 (On agg:- W 91 - 87) 22 May 2012 NL A L Stoke 42 Isle of Wight 48 26 May 2012 NL H W Stoke 56 Buxton 39 27 May 2012 NL A L Stoke 38 Buxton 50 30 June 2012 NL H W Stoke 57 Scunthorpe 37 07 July 2012 NL H W Stoke 58 Isle of Wight 37 14 July 2012 NL H W Stoke 53 King's Lynn 36 21 July 2012 NL H L Stoke 43 Dudley 47 05 August 2012 NL A L Stoke 45 Mildenhall 47 07 August 2012 NL A L Stoke 35 Dudley 58 19 August 2012 NT A W Stoke 46 Buxton 43 27 August 2012 KOC SF A L Stoke 39 Mildenhall 55 Stoke's NL Results at EWR 26 June 2005 CT L Scunthorpe 55 Stoke 39 18 September 2005 CL W Scunthorpe 41 Stoke 49 18 June 2006 CL L Scunthorpe 64 Stoke 28 23 July 2006 KOC L Scunthorpe 59 Stoke 36 10 September 2006 CS L Scunthorpe 48 Stoke 42 20 May 2007 CT L Scunthorpe 69 Stoke 21 08 July 2007 CL L Scunthorpe 67 Stoke 23 07 May 2012 KOC L Scunthorpe 47 Stoke 42 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Included them in the thread title but didn't know who was in their team, so I couldn't post much about them. So that's one Monarchs fan not yet in hibernation (Nutz) - where have all the rest gone? All the best Rob

No thread for this one yet - have all the Monarchs fans hibernated for the winter already? Interesting to see if Edinburgh can maintian their 100% home record - not only winning each match, but not dropping a point. Scunny team: 1. Kevin Wolbert (guest for David Howe) 2. Nick Morris R/R (it's the World Under-21 Team Cup this weekend in Poland - Nick will be back for Scunny on Sunday) 3. Thomas Jorgensen 4. Ashley Birks 5. Josh Auty 6. Michael Palm Toft 7. Gary Irving All the best Rob

IMPORTANT WEEKEND AHEAD FOR SCORPIONS HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions face old rivals Plymouth Devils at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday evening (5pm), as they aim to make it nine wins from nine home meetings in the 2012 Premier League. Once again, it’s a double feast of action, as the Scorpions match is followed by a Scunthorpe Saints v Stoke Potters National League match. The home double header on Sunday is not the only action this weekend, as the Scorpions also travel up to Scotland on Friday night for a tricky looking trip to Edinburgh (7pm). That meeting is also a double-header, with an Edinburgh v Redcar clash following in the second half. The Monarchs have a perfect home record in the Premier league so far – not only have their won all six home matches at Armadale, but they have won them all by 7 points or more to claim the extra third league point in each case. However, Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey feels that Fortress Armadale is not completely impenetrable. Godfrey said: “It’s our last away match of the regular season and it’s one we’ve got to be targeting as a potential win. “We’re talking Kevin Wolbert as a guest, who is a former Edinburgh rider; Ashley Birks flies around there; and I would say it’s a Thomas Jorgensen kind of track, because it’s a bit of a ‘turning track’. So we could be all right up there. “Our record at Edinburgh is nowhere as impressive as we’d like it to be, but with the Monarchs losing Craig Cook to injury recently, maybe now’s our chance to improve it a little bit!” The Scorpions will be without Nick Morris at Edinburgh. The 18-year-old is representing Australia in the World Under-21 Team Cup Final in Poland on Saturday, and will be riding in the practice on Friday. Some league points from the Edinburgh trip would certainly help the Scorpions in their quest to finish high up in the Premier League before the commencement of the play-offs at the end of September. Looking at the current Premier League table, fifth-placed Scorpions are sitting pretty to qualify for the play-offs. They currently have 34 points, just five points short of league leaders Somerset, who were defeated 40-50 at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Bank Holiday Monday. The sixth-place team, Ipswich, have 25 points, some 9 points short of the Scorpions’ current total. However, team manager Richard Hollingsworth is keen for the team not to rest of their laurels and push as high up the table as possible, before the commencement of the play-offs. In the play-offs, the top six teams from the Premier League table are separated into two mini-groups of three, with the winners of each mini-league qualifying for the final. The teams finishing first and second in the regular table pick, in turn, their opponents for the play-offs i.e. the top team picks one team from those placed third to sixth, then the second placed team picks one opponent, then the top team picks again from the two teams still to be allocated, and finally the second placed team ends up with whoever is left. Hollingsworth said: “Of course, we’d love to finish first or second. Had we not suffered David Howe’s injury, I’m sure we could have achieved that. We still can, if all the results go our way. “But, at the moment, we just have to take it one meeting at a time, and maximise the number of league points that we score from each meeting. “I see the home match against Plymouth on Sunday as a meeting where we should be looking to score all three league points. Not that it’s going to be easy; the Devils have two of the best riders in the entire league in the shape of Ben Barker and Ryan Fisher. “But we also have a pretty formidable spearhead, led by Josh Auty, who is riding on the crest of a wave after last weekend. “Josh was inspired after being reserve at the British Grand Prix at Cardiff, and his maximum against Somerset was peerless; he was a class apart, and with Jason Doyle in the opposition ranks, that’s no mean feat. When he made the gate or not, it didn’t matter. He calmly worked his way through to the front. It was perhaps the most complete performance we’ve seen from Josh around the Eddie Wright Raceway since he started here as a 15-year-old in late 2005.” Sunday sees a new riding order for the Scorpions. Hollingsworth explains: “With the issue of the September Green Sheet averages, Josh will be moving to the No 1 spot on Sunday, but judging by the performance against the Rebels, he will take that in his stride. “Josh replacing David Howe at No 1 in our averages has prompted a reshuffle in the team. On Sunday, we will use rider replacement for David at No 2, while Thomas Jorgensen moves to No 3 and Nick Morris to No 5. Thomas put in a superb performance at Somerset in the pairs, and we have no qualms about placing him in a heat leader position. Likewise we have no doubts that Nick will cope will riding in the tough No 5 position vacated by Josh. “With Ash (Birks), Michael (Palm Toft) and Gary (Irving) also capable of banging in the points, we are pretty solid at the Eddie Wright Raceway. But we can’t let our guard down at any point, because this is a highly competitive league, and any complacency will be punished”, Hollingsworth stressed. A preview of the following Saints v Stoke National League match will follow tomorrow. Sunday’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. Premier/National League 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 Teams for Sunday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Nick Morris (Australia), 6. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 7. Gary Irving. Plymouth Devils: 1. Ben Barker, 2. Todd Kurtz (Australia), 3. Cory Gathercole (Australia), 4. James Holder (Australia), 5. Ryan Fisher (United States), 6. Jake Anderson (Australia), 7. Ben Reade. Jotun Paints Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Byron Bekker (guest), 2. Tommy Fenwick (Scotland), 3. Tom Young (Wales), 4. Max Clegg, 5. Gary Irving. 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Oliver Greenwood. Stoke Potters: 1. Ashley Birks, 2. Richard Andrews, 3. Tony Atkin (Wales), 4. Ben Reade, 5. James Cockle, 6. Liam Rumsey, 7. Liam Carr. Scorpions Info Josh Auty has now scored over 350 Points in the Premier League for the club (351 to date). Josh Auty's maximum v Somerset now takes him level at the top of the list of all-time maximums scored for the club (21). Level with Nicky Allott and Tai Woffinden. Plymouth Devils at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Jake Anderson PL 3 15 19 6 5.07 6.67 11 + 1 from 7 rides (2011) Ben Barker PL 3 14 30 2 8.57 9.14 15 from 5 rides (2008) Ryan Fisher PL 4 19 40 2 8.42 8.84 13 + 1 from 5 rides (2008) Cory Gathercole PL 6 28 37 2 5.29 5.57 12 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2010)) James Holder PL 7 27 26 4 3.85 4.44 5 + 2 from 5 rides (2009) Todd Kurtz PL 4 15 10 4 2.67 3.73 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2011/2012) Ben Reade DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Other Notes Jake Anderson Rode for Birmingham, Somerset and Glasgow at Premier League level in 2010. Ben Barker Has ridden in 2 Speedway World Cup Events. Member of Oxford's Conference League Championship Winning Team in 2005. Member of Coventry's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Stoke's Conference League Four Team Championship Winning Team in 2006. Member of Coventry's Craven Shield Winning Team in 2008. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Birmingham for the 2012 Elite League Season. Ryan Fisher Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship Winning Teams in 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. Cory Gathercole 2007 Western Australia and Victoria State Champion. 2007 New South Wales Under-21 State Champion. Member of Isle of Wight's Premier League Fours Winning Team in 2007. James Holder Made his Premier League debut in 2008 when riding for the Isle of Wight. Todd Kurtz Made his Premier League debut in 2010 when riding for Newport. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Poole for the 2012 Elite League Season. Plymouth Devils' 2012 Results 23 March 2012 LC H D Plymouth 45 Rye House 45 14 April 2012 LC H L Plymouth 39 Somerset 51 20 April 2012 LC H W Plymouth 47 Leicester 43 05 May 2012 LC A L Plymouth 37 Rye House 56 11 May 2012 LC A L Plymouth 44 Somerset 52 12 May 2012 PL H L Plymouth 43 Somerset 47 17 May 2012 LC A L Plymouth 46 Ipswich 47 18 May 2012 KOC H W Plymouth 52 Glasgow 38 20 May 2012 LC A L Plymouth 46 Leicester 47 25 May 2012 PL H W Plymouth 47 Scunthorpe 43 27 May 2012 KOC A L Plymouth 36 Glasgow 54 (On Agg:- L - 88-92) 01 June 2012 PL H L Plymouth 42 Redcar 48 08 June 2012 PL H W Plymouth 51 Leicester 39 22 June 2012 PL H W Plymouth 55 Sheffield 38 23 June 2012 PL A L Plymouth 43 Leicester 53 28 June 2012 PL A L Plymouth 36 Redcar 59 29 June 2012 LC H L Plymouth 41 Ipswich 51 08 July 2012 PL A L Plymouth 41 Glasgow 49 20 July 2012 PL H W Plymouth 52 Rye House 41 27 July 2012 PL A L Plymouth 41 Edinburgh 55 28 July 2012 PL H W Plymouth 57 Edinburgh 36 03 August 2012 PL H W Plymouth 47 Ipswich 43 09 August 2012 PL A L Plymouth 40 Ipswich 53 10 August 2012 PL H D Plymouth 45 Workington 45 18 August 2012 PL A L Plymouth 41 Rye House 52 22 August 2012 PL A L Plymouth 39 Berwick 56 23 August 2012 PL A L Plymouth 43 Sheffield 50 Plymouth Devils' PL Results at EWR 19 August 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 37 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

I was glad the NL meeting was run quickly (55 minutes, I think) - the rain was on its way. There were a few spots around Heat 12/13, and then the rain started properly after the completion of the meeting. If there was any hanging about, we wouldn't have got to the end of the meeting. Really enjoyed the NL meeting on Monday. Nice that Oliver and Tom got to strut their stuff in Heat 15, while Max Clegg is such a talent - he is so steady on the bike. All the best Rob

I'm still not sure the point you're trying to make. The Saints are having to use guests, due to the broken leg sustained by Steve Worrall. The fact that the guests actually have to be for Jerran Hart is down to the rules regarding NL squads, which the Saints can't do anything about - we don't write the rules. But, at the end of the day, it is because a rider is injured (Steve Worrall) that the Saints need to use guests. All the best Rob

As I've already said, IMO a period of silence at this point is not appropriate. The right time to do that was the GP immediately after Rico's death and that was done. That was the time to grieve. Saturday should have been the time to celebrate the speedway career of Lee Richardson. They should have had a couple of minute's "noise" for Rico. Show a replay of the final of the 2004 British Grand Prix, plus footage of a couple of World Cup races, and ask the fans to blow their air horns and wave their flags throughout ("Let's raise the roof for Rico!!"). Would have probably produced the biggest noise of the night. It's a real pity it wasn't done. All the best Rob

I agree that a tribute film would have been nice. It could have played in the interval, instead of having some bloke who nobody had ever heard of, coming on and singing. All the best Rob

Holder vs Sayfutdinov reminded me a little of Penhall vs Olsen in 1981. Two riders rearing all over the track, but somehow keeping the gas on, and providing an incredible race in the process. Of course, it's not quite the same, because the whole World Championship wasn't on the line in that race last night, but still stunning speedway that you want to show your friends and say "And that's speedway!!" Probably the best Cardiff in terms of racing. I think 2010 was more dramatic (two sets of handbags for starters), but in terms of pure racing, I would just about give it to last night, simply because there was racing from Heat 1 onwards, instead of the track taking a few races to dial in. In any case, it was a welcome improvement after a very disappointing Cardiff 2011. The crowd did seem a bit subdued last night compared to usual, but that's maybe because there wasn't a single British heat winner to cheer on and wave our flags at. I just like good racing, though, and last night provided that. Third time in four years (2009, 2010 and 2012) we've had decent racing at Cardiff. It used to be the case that the racing was sh*te, but you put up with it simply because it was Cardiff. All the best Rob

I would approximate someone in one in 4 or one in 5 had Rico T-shirts on, i.e. around 7000-8000 people. Not a bad number considering a lot of non-regular fans attend Cardiff. As for the minute's silence, it was observed at the GP following his death. That was the right time for it. All the best Rob

Get in The Who then. Everyone likes them. I think I'll go in around 5.50pm tomorrow - I don't want to be entertained by someone I've never heard of. Might as well have SCB out on the centre green. All the best Rob

Nice to see Danny Phillips top score for the Stags. And yet another max for Ollie Greenwood at MDL level. All the best Rob

Who are Flawless? Never heard of them. All the best Rob