SPEEDWAY ROUND - UP
10 October 2006 - British Speedway Promoters Association

ELITE LEAGUE LATEST.

TONY Mole says he will leave BELLE VUE having done a strong recovery job in his two years as owner of the Kirkmanshulme Lane club.

Mole, who announced the sale of the Aces to the Highland Group Ltd of Manchester, said: ''I think we have built a sound basis to the club in the time I have been here. We have spent a lot of money on track improvements and equipment, much of it necessary for recovery after stock car meetings, as well as riders.

''We finalised Jason Crump''s deal and signed Joe Screen and Andy Smith to give the club one of the best asset bases in the Elite League. I will leave Belle Vue in good heart.''

COVENTRY co-boss Peter Oakes was delighted to come away from the first leg of the Knockout Cup Final at Belle Vue with a draw, setting up a winner-takes-all Showdown at Brandon on Friday.

Oakes said: ''It''s simply the biggest Cup match Coventry have faced since 1967, and no longer is it an aggregate match.

''Our performance at Belle Vue was superb, but we know that they can come back at us, and we have to be right on Friday. It''s no good us thinking we''ve won the Knockout Cup by drawing up there, because we patently haven''t. We''ve still got one meeting to win.''

EASTBOURNE boss Jon Cook has pledged to build a team for 2007 which will improve the club''s fortunes in their away matches - after some heavy defeats on the road this year.

Cook said: ''If the fans think we think performances like the Coventry one and the ones at Peterborough and Swindon are acceptable they are absolutely wrong.
''We need to go to other tracks and keep the score within ten points whether it is a big or small track, whether it is wet or dry and whether it''s grippy or slick.''
IPSWICH star Mark Loram says that the Witches have failed to live up to their potential this season after falling away dramatically in the closing stages.

Loram said: ''There is no doubt we have under achieved. We have failed to find any consistency and have paid the price with some heavy away defeats.

There is more talent in the side that was has been produced week-in, week-out on the track.

''I am not knocking the commitment or determination of the side, but it has not been good enough. And I include myself in that having made mistakes on Saturday.''
OXFORD: Colin Horton will be involved in a second Elite League club next season after joining Oxford as co-promoter.

Horton will link up with existing Cheetahs boss Aaron Lanney and has also pledged to re-introduce Conference League racing at Cowley.

Lanney said: ''We''ve laid the foundations for the future and now with Colin here I can realise all of my aspirations for the club.''

PETERBOROUGH boss Trevor Swales saluted his side as they came back from the dead to clinch the Elite League Championship in scenes of high drama at the Showground.

Swales said: ''I wish I knew why we always seem to leave it right to the end, I think I started the meeting as a 20-year-old and now feel about 90! But it has to go down as one of the greatest-ever nights at the Showground.

''The riders responded when the pressure was on, and it sums up what we have had all season. Whenever someone has been down, we have had someone else there able to cover for them, and that''s probably the secret of our success.''

POOLE promoter Matt Ford has dismissed as ''pure speculation'' reports that the Pirates have made direct contact with any riders about the possibility of joining the club next season.

Ford said: ''We have made it clear that we would like to sign a world class rider, but there are five or six that would fit the bill.

''It really is a case of waiting for the rules and regulations for 2007 to be finalised though so we know what they allow us to do with reference to team building.''
READING sporting director Sam Ermolenko hit out at referee Ronnie Allen after the play-off final defeat at Peterborough.

''I thought the referee had his own pace to the meeting and caused confusion when certain riders were on two-minutes time allowance,'' said Ermolenko.
''But I''m proud of my riders, we will be back just as strong and determined next season.''

SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter is still optimistic of progression to the Craven Shield Final as the Robins go into the final leg of the semi-final at Reading.

Rossiter said: ''The format keeps the scores very tight in the Craven Shield, making it very difficult for any team to break away and build up a good lead.

Having said that, we are nicely poised and we will be giving it our best shot on the night. It would be great if we could make the final and give our fans something to cheer.''

WOLVERHAMPTON ace Billy Hamill wants to stay with the club next season.
''I''m very, very happy at Wolverhampton,'' said Hamill. ''I am riding for a club run by people I respect and I would like to be back next year, it would be even better if they bought my contract and I became a Wolverhampton asset.''

Meanwhile Hamill will ride in the club''s hugely popular Banks''s Olympique next Monday alongside another former world champion, Mark Loram.

PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST.

EDINBURGH chairman Alex Harkness says the Monarchs worked hard to edge out local rivals Glasgow in the first leg of the Scottish Trophy.

Harkness said: ''We could barely get two bikes to go in some of our races, and this pretty well summed up how the year has gone although it was nice to finish with a win. But I can''t wait until next March as finishing third bottom of the League isn''t the place we should be.''

GLASGOW skipper Shane Parker gave credit to partner Danny Bird as the duo combined to win the Premier League Pairs for the Tigers at Ashfield last weekend.
Parker said: ''I owe a lot to Danny in the last heat, he created so much space for me that I was able to overcome a dreadful gate and once there all we had to do was make sure that there were no mistakes.''

ISLE OF WIGHT chairman Martin Newnham says that the first leg of the Islanders'' play-off semi-final against Sheffield will be vital to their chances of success.
Newnham said: ''We are looking to establish as big a lead as possible on our own circuit to take with us to Yorkshire for the return. It really is crunch time as far as the title is concerned, and we''re aiming to win it of course.''

INJURED King''s Lynn skipper Tomas Topinka is backing the choice of Jason Lyons to guest for him in the second leg of the Knockout Cup Final against Somerset.
Topinka said: ''I have had an input into who will be taking my place. Jason is a good friend of mine and over the years he has had some great races here, I''m sure he will do us a great job.''

NEWCASTLE were forced to go into last weekend''s Premier League Fours and Pairs without James Grieves, who broke two fingers in an accident at work.

Team manager George English said: ''James was gutted about missing out on both events, especially the Pairs given the many years of experience both he and George Stancl have around the Ashfield track.''

NEWPORT stage an Inter-League Trophy event on Sunday with the club''s Conference League riders taking on their Premier counterparts, who will be racing off a handicap at the start.

Promoter Tim Stone said: ''We ran this a few years ago and it provided plenty of good racing, and as we are staging our end-of-season event the night before it seems appropriate that we have an in-house meeting to bring down the curtain on the season.''

REDCAR boss Brian Havelock is setting his side a first-leg target when they meet fierce rivals Newcastle in the re-arranged first leg of the Tyne/Tees Trophy on Thursday.

Havelock said: ''I can''t see them beating us on our own track, and I''m looking for a cushion of around ten points to take into the second leg. We''re going to need that if we''re going to win the trophy.''

RYE HOUSE are hoping to overcome an injury and illness crisis ahead of their play-off semi-final against King''s Lynn this weekend.
The Rockets were hit by an unprecedented casualty list which caused them to pull out of the Premier League Pairs last weekend with all of their riders unavailable for duty.

SHEFFIELD have moved quickly to re-arrange their Yorkshire Cup clash with Hull for next Thursday, October 19.
The club are hoping to make it through to the Play-off final when they face Isle of Wight over two legs this week. Skipper Andre Compton will ride through the pain barrier after making his track return at the weekend following a shoulder injury.

SOMERSET manager Mick Bell has sung the praises of his riders after three big meetings in as many days last weekend.
They were held to a 45-45 draw by King''s Lynn in the home leg of the cup final on Friday followed by a close call in both the Fours and Pairs.
Said Bell: ''I thought it was a terrific effort by everybody connected with the club and naturally we were disappointed to come away with nothing from the three meetings.
''We blew the cup in the home leg although I was pleased with the recovery and thankfully we were able to avoid defeat on the night.''
WORKINGTON''S management duo Graham and Denise Drury have left the club to join Premier League newcomers Birmingham.
Graham said: ''I believe whoever takes over from me has a golden opportunity to build on things and take the club forward. The racing is excellent, the fans love their speedway and I would like to wish Workington all the very best for the future.''

FIXTURE PICTURE.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 10:
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL 1st leg: Isle of Wight v Sheffield 7.30

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11:
CRAVEN SHIELD SEMI FINAL: Reading v Swindon v Poole 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: King''s Lynn v Somerset 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 12:
CRAVEN SHIELD SEMI-FINAL: Peterborough v Belle Vue v Coventry 7.30
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL 2nd leg: Sheffield v Isle of Wight 7.45
16-LAP CLASSIC: Ipswich 7.30
TYNE/TEES TROPHY: Redcar v Newcastle 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 13:
ELITE LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Coventry v Belle Vue 8pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 1st leg: Plymouth v Scunthorpe 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 14:
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Rye House v King''s Lynn 7pm
CONFERENCE SHIELD: Stoke v Scunthorpe 7.30
LINCOLNSHIRE TROPHY: Boston 7.30

SUNDAY OCTOBER 15:
SCOTTISH CUP: Glasgow v Edinburgh 4pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF FINAL 1st leg:Scunthorpe v Plymouth 3pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Buxton 4.30
INTER-LEAGUE TROPHY: Newport 2.30pm
BRITISH U15 PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP: Newport (follows above fixture)

MONDAY OCTOBER 16:
CRAVEN SHIELD SEMI-FINAL: Belle Vue v Coventry v Peterborough 7.45
BANKS''S OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18:
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: King''s Lynn v Rye House 7.30
CONFERENCE SHIELD: Stoke v Sittingbourne 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 19:
YORKSHIRE CUP: Sheffield v Hull 7.45
SOUTH TEES SILVER HELMET: Redcar 7.30

FRIDAY OCTOBER 20:
CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE: King''s Lynn v Peterborough 7.30
CONFERENCE LEAGUE PLAY-OFF FINAL 2nd leg: Plymouth v Scunthorpe 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 21:
CONFERENCE SHIELD: Stoke v Buxton 7.30

SUNDAY OCTOBER 22:
TYNE/TEES TROPHY: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30
2006 FEN FINALE: Mildenhall 3pm
ASHFIELD CLASSIC: Glasgow 4pm
CONFERENCE LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL 2nd leg: Scunthorpe v Plymouth 3pm

MONDAY OCTOBER 23:
MIDLAND TROPHY: Wolverhampton v Coventry 7.30
CONFERENCE TROPHY: Boston v Scunthorpe 7.30

THURSDAY OCTOBER 26:
CONFERENCE SHIELD: Cleveland Bays v Buxton 7.30

SATURDAY OCTOBER 28:
SAINSBURYS ACE OF HERTS INDIVIDUAL: Rye House 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 29:
CONFERENCE TROPHY FINAL 2nd leg: Scunthorpe v Plymouth 3pm

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