lucifer sam

If IOW take a point on Wednesday, they pip Rye to fourth place, otherwise Radiers are in the play-offs. All the best Rob

Rye House now in 4th, Scunny now out of contention in 5th. A defeat by less than 7 points by the Isle Of Wight on Wedensday will gain them a point, and now them from 6th to 3rd. All the best Rob

Another comfortable 3 points for Scunny... top two (maybe even top of the table) here we come All the best Rob

Lewis Kerr is the guest at No 1 - rest of team per normal. So an identical team to the home match against Rye. All the best Rob

Looking forward to this one. C'mon the Saints. All the best Rob

SCORPIONS AIM FOR THREE POINTS FROM BEARS CLASH THE EDDIE WRIGHT RACEWAY is the venue for an important Premier League clash on Friday (7.30pm), as the Scunthorpe Scorpions seek to score three league points against the Redcar Bears, and continue their push for a top two finish in the regular season table, prior to the commencement of the play-offs. But they must do it without Danish ace Thomas Jørgensen, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder, following a heavy fall during last week’s Scunthorpe v Rye House clash. The Scorpions are already mathematically certain of a place in the top six and a slot in the play-offs. Therefore there will be two additional meetings at the Eddie Wright Raceway in either late September or early October, as the Scorpions contest one of the two mini-groups of three teams, which will determine the finalists of the play-offs. But finishing first or second in the regular table brings the reward of avoiding the other team at the top and also having some say in choosing your mini-group opponents, with the teams finishing first and second picking, in turn, from the third to sixth placed teams. The situation is ever evolving, but still looks good for the Scorpions. If they were to win their final two home league matches – against Redcar on Friday and Glasgow a week on Friday - by 7 points or more, to claim the maximum of three Premier League points from each meeting, the Scorpions would finish on 50 points. That would put them out of reach of everyone except Newcastle (maximum of 55 points), Leicester (maximum 53 points) and Workington (maximum 51 points). Current league leaders Somerset can only reach 48 points. Looking at race points difference should any of the teams finish level, it currently stands at Newcastle (+148), Somerset (+115), Workington (+88), Scunthorpe (+74) and Leicester (+12). There is a good chance of Newcastle reaching 50 points, since one of their remaining away meetings is at bottom club Plymouth. However, with their inferior race points, Leicester would need to reach 51 points if the Scorpions finished in 50. In other words, they would have to win all three of their remaining away meetings, including one by more than 7 points. The Lions have enjoyed an excellent season, but that is a very, very tough ask. Workington’s key match is away at Somerset on Friday. They need a win, preferably by more than 7 points, to keep alive their chances of a top two place. If Somerset were to take all three points from this meeting, it would leave the Rebels on a final tally of 48 points, and the most Workington could score would be 47. In that case, a final total of 49 points would probably gain second place in the table for the Scorpions, enabling them to drop a point against either Redcar or Glasgow. Team manager Richard Hollingsworth keeps spreadsheets containing all this information, but refuses to get lost in all the permutations. He said: “We will just take these final two meetings one at a time, and not get distracted by results elsewhere. “The Redcar Bears are not a team to be under-estimated. They stayed with us during most of the League Cup match here earlier in the season. They have a fine spearhead in Ulrich Ostergaard and Aaron Summers, and also a track specialist in Scunthorpe legend Wilko (Carl Wilkinson). “It is a blow to be without Thomas, who is back in Denmark receiving specialist treatment. Thomas is currently scoring far above his average and difficult to replace. We would definitely like Thomas back in the team in time for the play-offs. “With both David (Howe) and Thomas out, we have a choice how to cover them. As rider replacement scored a paid maximum for David last week, but would be very limited for Thomas, we have decided to use R/R for David and bring in Sheffield’s Hugh Skidmore as a guest for Thomas. “We’ve seen some excellent all-around team performances for the Scorpions in recent weeks, and that’s what we need again on Friday. Riders such as Ashley Birks, Michael Palm Toft and Gary Irving seem to be peaking at the perfect time – when our riders fifth, sixth and seventh in our averages are scoring heavily around the Eddie Wright Raceway, it makes us very hard to beat around here. “Our spearhead of Josh Auty and Nick Morris are also on form at the moment. Another complete team performance from the Scorpions would be very welcome”, Hollingsworth concluded. Friday’s action is concluded by a six-heat Midland Development League match between the Scunthorpe Stags and the Stoke Spitfires. The Stags are represented by Danny Phillips, Tommy Fenwick, Adam Kirby and David Holt. Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. David Howe R/R, 3. Hugh Skidmore (Australia), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. Nick Morris (Australia), 6. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 7. Gary Irving. Redcar Bears: 1. Ulrich Ostergaard (Denmark), 2. Carl Wilkinson, 3. Kevin Doolan (Australia), 4. Aaron Summers (Australia), 5. Matej Kus (Czech Republic), 6. Max Dilger (Germany), 7. Jade Mudgway (New Zealand). PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE (As at Tuesday, September 11th, 2012) M 3W 2W D L 4W 3W D 1L L F A Pts 1 Somerset 23 8 3 0 0 1 2 1 3 5 1111 996 45 2 Newcastle 21 10 1 0 0 1 0 1 6 2 1037 889 44 3 Scunthorpe 22 8 2 0 0 2 1 1 3 5 1042 968 44 4 Leicester 21 7 5 0 0 0 3 0 1 5 970 958 41 5 Workington 20 7 2 0 0 1 1 2 2 5 957 869 38 6 Ipswich 22 6 2 0 3 1 1 0 4 5 1002 982 33 7 Edinburgh 19 7 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 6 890 846 32 8 Glasgow 21 8 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 8 917 977 30 9 Redcar 22 4 2 2 3 1 1 0 2 7 981 1017 27 10 Sheffield 24 6 2 0 4 0 1 0 1 10 1052 1161 26 11 Berwick 21 5 2 0 4 1 0 0 2 7 916 1010 25 12 Rye House 22 5 2 0 4 0 1 1 0 9 971 1041 24 13 Plymouth 22 5 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 12 951 1083 20 Scorpions Info Ashley Birks has now scored exactly 300 Premier League Points for the club to date. Michael Palm Toft has now scored exactly 400 Points for the club. Workington Comets at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Max Dilger PL 2 7 6 2 3.43 4.57 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2010/2012) Kevin Doolan PL 7 35 57 2 6.51 6.74 14 from 5 rides (2008) Matej Kus PL 2 10 13 0 5.20 5.20 8 from 5 rides (2012) Jade Mudgway PL 3 13 6 0 1.85 1.85 4 from 4 rides (2012) Ulrich Ostergaard PL 3 12 25 0 8.33 8.33 18 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2008)) Aaron Summers PL 9 41 60 3 5.85 6.15 10 + 1 from 6 rides (inc 4 pts T/R 2010)) Carl Wilkinson PL 82 366 672 63 7.34 8.03 16 + 1 from 6 rides (PL (2010)) Other Notes Max Dilger 2008 German Under-21 Champion Made his Premier League debut in 2009 for Edinburgh. 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. Matej Kus Has ridden in 4 GPs and 4 Speedway World Cup Events. 2010 Czech Republic Champion. Twice Czech Republic Under-21 Champion (2008 and 2009). 2008 Czech Republic Under-19 Champion. Jade Mudgway Began his British career with Redcar's Conference League team in 2008. Rode in the Premier League with Berwick for the last two seasons and began this season at Glasgow. Ulrich Ostergaard Member of Peterborough's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2006. Riding as a 'doubling-up' rider with King's Lynn for the 2012 Elite League Season. Aaron Summers Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship and Premier Trophy Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-Off Winning Teams in 2008 and 2009. Member of Coventry's Elite League Winning Team in 2010. Member of Birmingham's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2010. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Coventry for the 2012 Elite League Season. Carl Wilkinson Former Scorpion who has made two guest appearances for the club this season. Member of Boston's Conference League KO Cup Winning Team in 2000. Redcar Bears' 2012 Results 15 March 2012 CH H W Redcar 48 Newcastle 36 18 March 2012 CH A L Redcar 43 Newcastle 50 22 March 2012 LC H W Redcar 49 Edinburgh 41 29 March 2012 LC H D Redcar 45 Scunthorpe 45 31 March 2012 LC A L Redcar 35 Workington 60 05 April 2012 LC A L Redcar 40 Sheffield 49 06 April 2012 LC H D Redcar 45 Sheffield 45 13 April 2012 LC A W Redcar 48 Edinburgh 42 27 April 2012 LC A L Redcar 36 Scunthorpe 54 03 May 2012 LC H L Redcar 43 Workington 47 05 May 2012 LC A L Redcar 43 Leicester 50 12 May 2012 PL A L Redcar 28 Berwick 65 17 May 2012 PL A L Redcar 43 Sheffield 47 18 May 2012 PL H W Redcar 48 Sheffield 42 20 May 2012 PL A L Redcar 41 Glasgow 49 24 May 2012 KOC H W Redcar 49 Newcastle 41 28 May 2012 KOC A L Redcar 32 Newcastle 58 (On agg: L:- 81 - 99) 01 June 2012 PL A W Redcar 48 Plymouth 42 07 June 2012 PL H D Redcar 45 Rye House 45 08 June 2012 PL A L Redcar 44 Ipswich 46 14 June 2012 PL H W Redcar 54 Edinburgh 41 21 June 2012 LC H L Redcar 37 Newcastle 58 25 June 2012 LC A L Redcar 35 Newcastle 57 28 June 2012 PL H W Redcar 59 Plymouth 36 05 July 2012 PL H L Redcar 43 Ipswich 47 14 July 2012 PL A L Redcar 39 Workington 53 19 July 2012 PL H L Redcar 43 Somerset 47 26 July 2012 PL H D Redcar 46 Scunthorpe 46 02 August 2012 PL H L Redcar 44 Workington 49 03 August 2012 PL A L Redcar 36 Somerset 57 09 August 2012 PL H W Redcar 48 Newcastle 42 12 August 2012 PL A L Redcar 39 Newcastle 54 30 August 2012 PL H W Redcar 49 Glasgow 40 31 August 2012 PL A L Redcar 29 Edinburgh 52 06 September 2012 PL H W Redcar 63 Berwick 26 08 September 2012 PL A W Redcar 49 Rye House 41 Redcar Bears' Results at EWR 30 March 2008 PT D Scunthorpe 45 Redcar 45 06 June 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 19 June 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Redcar 44 31 July 2009 KOC L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 39 02 October 2009 YS L Scunthorpe 56 Redcar 34 05 April 2010 PT L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 42 02 May 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 57 Redcar 34 09 September 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 07 October 2011 PL Ph 2 L Scunthorpe 65 Redcar 25 27 April 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 54 Redcar 36 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

I make Scunthorpe +14 and Somerset +12 All the best Rob

Phil, so how come the 2010 World No 2 is considered a cert, but the 2011 World No 2 is not? All the best Rob

Coutesy of live updates: Texter: Nige Updater: Youngy Swindon = 17 1. Darryl Ritchings - 2', 2', 1, 1' = 6+3 2. Scott Day - NS = 0 3. Ryan Douglas - 3, 3, 3, 2 = 11 Oxford = 07 1. Brendan Johnson - 1, 2, 3 = 6 2. Ross Walter - 0, 1, 0 = 1 3. Tyler Govier - F, R = 0 Heat Results Heat 01: Douglas, Ritchings, Johnson, Walter. 5-1...69.9 Line Up: Ritchings, Day Douglas, Johnson, Walter Comments: Stopped. Day does a 360 on bend 1 and Walter can't avoid him. Hits him at slow speed so all's ok but Day's bike looks to be bent. All 4 Back. Douglas comes in to replace Day. Sponsored by www.enjaydesigns.co.uk Heat 02: Douglas, Ritchings, Walter. (5-1)...10-2...NO TIME Line Up: Douglas, Day Ritchings, Govier, Walter Comments: Walter slid off on bend 2 lap 2 but remounted. Govier slid off on the same place on lap 4. Red lights straight on so race awarded. Swindon pair were the length of the straight ahead at the time. Sponsored by Steve Dixon www.stevedixonphotography.co.uk Heat 03: Douglas, Johnson, Ritchings. (4-2)...14-4...69.8 Line Up: Douglas, Ritchings, Govier, Johnson Comments: Douglas looks good. Sponsored by Heat 04: Johnson, Douglas, Ritchings, Walter. (3-3)...17-7...71.02 Line Up: Douglas, Ritchings, Walter, Johnson Comments: Johnson shot from the tapes and held on despite some hard efforts by Douglas. Sponsored by Friends of Edinburgh Speedway http://www.foes.info/ Read more: http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ang&action=display&thread=10747#ixzz25jTdLP9r

SAINTS LOOKING TO MOVE UP TO THIRD JOTUN PAINTS Scunthorpe Saints will move up to third place in the National League table - for 24 hours at least - if they can clinch all three points against the Rye House Raiders at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday night. The match forms the second half of a double-header also featuring a Premier League clash between the same two clubs, with admission prices lowered to £10 for all adults (including concessions), and any accompanied children up to the age of 16 admitted free. The Premier League meeting starts at 7pm. Saints team manager Stuart Parnaby said: “If someone had told me, back in April, that we had a chance of moving up into third in the league table in September, just a matter of weeks before the play-offs, I would have said that they were joking. “That we can do that if we take all the points on Friday, even if we only stay third for 24 hours (Stoke ride Mildenhall at home on Saturday), just shows what a terrific job our lads have done this season. “I have to take my hat off to our riders. If we do manage to qualify for the play-offs, I would consider that an equal achievement to us winning the league last season, simply because we have so much fresh blood in the team this year. “We have stuck with our riders all season, as we are not a team that drops riders. And it’s paid off - as we’ve seen our riders improve. “Also I’ve given our lads four rides whenever I can. I can’t think of an occasion this season where we’ve taken a rider out of a race for tactical reasons. The only time we’ve done it is due to exclusions or bike problems. Riders don’t learn from rides they are taken out of”, Parnaby stressed. Parnaby says one of the most enjoyable aspects of the season has been to see the improvement of the riders. He added: “All the lads have improved. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen Max Clegg gain in confidence and come forward in leaps and bounds. “Oliver Greenwood missed the first half of the season with a collarbone injury, but since he’s returned, he’s just been dynamite. “Tom Young has blown my mind; he’s more than doubled his average this season. He was a reserve at Newport last season, but a heat-leader with us this season. His progress has been astounding. “Tommy Fenwick was beating himself up and was downhearted about his performances, so his paid ten against Stoke on Sunday was great to see. He took two very fine race wins. “As for Danny Phillips, the signs of improvement are already there, and I’m convinced we’ll see his first race win on Friday. “I see my job as getting all these riders into the Premier League, either with the Scorpions or with another PL club. “That’s the ambition – to get them in the Premier League. We’ve already seen the Worrall twins, Ashley Birks and Gary Irving all progress to Premier League level. And those riders are always welcome to contact me; I’m always there for any of our riders who have graduated to Premier League level. That also includes the likes of Ashley Morris and Kyle Howarth.” With Steve Worrall still out injured, the Saints will use Lewis Kerr as a guest at No 1 on Friday against the Raiders. Parnaby will also stick with Tommy Fenwick at No 2 and Oliver Greenwood at No 7, having considered whether to swap them. “I spoke to Tommy after the Stoke match to see if he wanted to ride at reserve”, said Parnaby. “He told me he’s not bothered at which number he rides, because he’ll try to win his races either way. So I will stick with him at No 2, since it worked so well on Sunday.” 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. Rye House Raiders at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Luke Chessell NL 3 16 22 1 5.50 5.75 14 from 7 rides (2010) Connor Coles NL DEBUT @ EWR Jason Garrity NL 4 21 43 7 8.19 9.52 17 + 3 from 7 rides (2010) Shane Hazelden NL 2 12 13 1 4.33 4.67 7 + 1 from 6 rides (2010) Ben Morley NL 2 8 6 2 3.00 4.00 5 + 2 from 5 rides (2009) James Sarjeant NL 11 44 36 8 3.27 4.00 5 + 2 from 4 rides (2009) Other Notes Luke Chessell Rode for Scunthorpe Saints in 2010. Member of Dudley's National Shield Winning Team in 2011. Connor Coles Recent signing for the Raiders to replace Tom Braddock. 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. Shane Hazelden Made his National League debut for Newport as a Guest in 2009. Ben Morley Made his National League debut for Rye House in 2009. Has ridden for Rye House at Premier League level. James Sarjeant Rode for Scunthorpe Saints in 2009. Has made several guest appearances in the Premier League this season. Rye House Raiders' 2012 Results 06 April 2012 KOC H W Rye House 49 Isle of Wight 46 14 April 2012 CH H W Rye House 58 USA Tourists 28 01 May 2012 KOC A L Rye House 31 Isle of Wight 58 (Agg:- L - 80-104) 27 May 2012 NL A L Rye House 38 Mildenhall 49 02 June 2012 NL H W Rye House 51 King's Lynn 39 04 June 2012 NL H L Rye House 40 Mildenhall 50 16 June 2012 NL H L Rye House 38 Dudley 53 19 June 2012 NL A L Rye House 42 Isle of Wight 51 30 June 2012 NL H W Rye House 53 Buxton 42 15 July 2012 NL A L Rye House 33 Buxton 60 28 August 2012 NL A L Rye House 16 Dudley 65 01 September 2012 NL H W Rye House 50 Isle of Wight 40 Rye House Raiders' Results at EWR 24 April 2005 CL L Scunthorpe 55 Rye House 38 16 July 2006 CL L Scunthorpe 67 Rye House 24 04 September 2006 KOC S/F L Scunthorpe 52 Rye House 36 08 October 2006 PO S/F L Scunthorpe 62 Rye House 32 10 June 2007 KOC L Scunthorpe 59 Rye House 31 12 August 2007 CL L Scunthorpe 61 Rye House 28 30 May 2008 CL L Scunthorpe 58 Rye House 34 14 August 2009 NL L Scunthorpe 45 Rye House 43 04 July 2010 NL L Scunthorpe 40 Rye House 36 (Amended from 40-53) (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

UPDATE: 16-year-old Tyler Govier from Exeter rides for Oxford Cheetahs at No 3 tomorrow (Thursday) in the Swindon v Oxford South-West Development League second half match. Oxford Cheetahs: 1. Brendan Johnson 2. Ross Walter 3. Tyler Govier

FORMER CHEETAH JOHNSON TO LEAD OXFORD AT SWINDON BRENDAN JOHNSON will lead the Oxford Cheetahs in a second half match at Swindon’s Abbey Stadium in Blunsdon on Thursday evening (September 6th). The Cheetahs are competing in a new South-West Development League alongside Swindon and Newport, with all three fixtures of the mini-league taking place at Swindon. The opening match on Thursday is Swindon v Oxford. Matches take place between two teams consisting of three riders, over four heats. Each rider gets two programmed riders, plus there is a nominated Heat 4. Brendan Johnson rode for the Cheetahs in 2007, in the final year of the sport at Oxford Stadium in Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and helped Oxford to runners-up spot in the Conference League. He was 15 at the time. Johnson is now 20 and rides for the King’s Lynn in the National League. He is joined in the Oxford team by Ross Walter, with a third name to be announced on Wednesday evening. Bournemouth-based Walter is 24-year-old, and switched from road racing to speedway a couple of years ago. He started the season in the Stoke Potters National League team. Team manager Rob Peasley said: “It’s great to get the Oxford Cheetahs back on track for a couple of second half matches at Swindon. “Thanks go to the Oxford Speedway Supporters’ Club, who have funded this venture, and have provided a brand new set of Oxford Cheetahs race-jackets. “A big thank you also goes to Swindon co-promoter Gary Patchett. Once the Supporters’ Club contacted Gary regarding the possibility of Oxford riding in a second half at Swindon, he came up with the idea of the South-West Development League, which means not only do we get to ride Swindon on Thursday, but also against Newport in a couple of weeks as well. “Gary has been very supportive of Oxford Speedway the last few years, featuring us in four team tournaments at Swindon in 2008 & 2009, and also having an Oxford team in the Bob Kilby Memorial Meeting in 2011. We hope that one day Oxford Cheetahs will return in a full capacity, and the healthy local rivalry between Oxford and Swindon can re-commence. “Brendan Johnson jumped at the chance of riding for the Cheetahs again. To be honest, he has progressed beyond riding in second halves, as he is now third heat leader for National League King’s Lynn. But he couldn’t resist turning out for Oxford again, as we were his first professional club back in 2007, when he was first establishing himself in league racing. “Brendan is likely to have some good scraps against his opposite number, Darryl Ritchings, who is the No 1 for Swindon. “Ross Walter was very unlucky to lose his National League place with Stoke. He was placed in the main 1-5, instead of being given a run of reserve, and then dropped just as he was scheduled to drop to reserve. Nevertheless, he took some big scalps riding for the Potters, and showed real potential. I’m sure he will take his two appearances with the Oxford Cheetahs to show that he deserves a place with a National League side. “Regarding the third rider, we were hopeful in tracking former Cheetah Jason Newitt, who was keen to come out of retirement to ride for Oxford. But we hit one or two problems. I’m still hopeful that Jason will line up for the Cheetahs at some point in the future, because he is Oxford through-and-through. In the meantime, we do have a couple of ideas regarding a third rider, and should be able to announce something on Wednesday evening.” The second half match on Thursday follows a Swindon v Belle Vue Elite League encounter which commences at 7.30pm. The Cheetahs’ other fixture in the South-West Development League takes place on Thursday, September 20th, when they face Newport.

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)