WELCOME to the latest edition of the weekly BSPA bulletins keeping you in touch with news, views and fixtures from the tracks up and down the country.
ELITE LEAGUE LATEST
ARENA ESSEX-LAKESIDE manager Jon Cook was not too downhearted after going out of the Knockout Cup in the semi-finals at the hands of League champions Coventry.
The Hammers lost out over two legs by eleven points and Cook said: "We haven't disgraced ourselves. Fair play to Coventry, they have been superb all season and deserve their place in the final.
"We lost some points in races and that cost us and you can't do that against such a good team. But we're proud of ourselves, that's for sure - it shows how far we've come this season."
BELLE VUE promoter Chris Morton has praised the current form of James Wright and Simon Stead, Wright having won the recent Premier League Riders' Championship at Swindon.
Morton said: "We are delighted for James in winning what is a top title at Swindon. He has had his ups and downs this season for various reasons and has never done that well for us at Swindon. This was a marvellous performance, especially as he had been frustrated at not making the rostrum in the Cumbrian Classic at Workington the night before.
"Simon won that title and it's good to see him finding his real form after having his season interrupted by a couple of crashes. The Simon we want to see in action is back."
COVENTRY co-boss Peter Oakes says everyone at Brandon is focused on securing the Treble after the Bees qualified for the Knockout Cup and Craven Shield Finals over a busy weekend, putting in a particularly strong performance at Wolverhampton.
Oakes said: "I think we showed exactly why we're Elite League champions. The meeting seemed like a formality, but none of our riders ever took their foot off the pedal. It was such solid scoring from everyone that we didn't even lose a single heat advantage.
"We're through to another set of finals, so we have five very important meetings to come, and if we can keep doing what we've been doing for the last three or four months, it could be the most remarkable season in Coventry's history."
EASTBOURNE will stage a rare Sunday afternoon meeting this week as Belle Vue travel to Arlington in the Elite League for a 3.30pm start.
The Eagles have another home match against Reading later in the month to complete the season after being knocked out of the Craven Shield despite giving Swindon a scare by winning the third leg of their semi-final at Belle Vue on Monday.
IPSWICH manager Mike Smillie is relieved to see the back of the Elite League season after seeing the Witches struggle in the lower reaches for most of the campaign.
Smillie said: "It has not been a good season. We were rock bottom in 2003 and this was not much better. One thing is for certain - we need top end strength. It comes at a price, but this is what we need.
"It might not be easy to attract top riders to race in the current Elite League format with the Grand Prix growing and ten Russian League meetings paying as much as a whole English season. I suggest a 16-meeting Elite League when the likes of Jarek Hampel and Tomasz Gollob might be tempted back. It would be Elite in the true sense of the word."
PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales has confirmed that Lukas Dryml was not involved in the Panthers' Craven Shield match at Reading on Monday because of his non-appearance for the club in other meetings this season.
Dryml missed a home match with Coventry and an away trip to Ipswich at a crucial stage of the Elite League campaign shortly before the World Championship qualifying Final.
Swales said: "The decision to not select Lukas is a punishment for the way he missed other meetings. I get the impression he doesn't really want to come over anyway, but Lukas has to learn he can't just keep disappearing."
POOLE promoter Matt Ford was encouraged by the performance of new signing Adrian Gomolski on his first appearance at Wimborne Road - but stressed the Pole still has plenty to prove.
Ford said: "Adrian rode well, but let's not get too carried away at the moment. It wasn't the strongest of opposition, so if we get to the Craven Shield final we will get a much truer picture of how Adrian can perform over here
"We know how hard it will be against Coventry and Swindon in that competition - if we qualify for the final ourselves."
READING still have two more home meetings this season - and promoter Malcolm Holloway expects plenty of excitement from the youngsters he has recently brought into the Racers squad.
Holloway said: "Patrick Hougaard is a very exciting prospect, and with him and our other recent acquisition Krzys Buczkowski also doing well, I think our fans can look forward to some great end of season entertainment at Smallmead."
SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter has revealed that he held talks with Tomasz Chrzanowski after being critical of his Polish contingent's performances in the Elite League Grand Final against Coventry.
Rossiter said: "I took a bit of stick for criticising the Polish lads but I was only saying what everyone else was thinking.
"Tomasz was not happy with some of the things I said but I told him maybe if you score more points I won't say things like that. He answered me in the best possible way with his performance at Eastbourne."
WOLVERHAMPTON asset Nicolai Klindt will get some early experience of the Monmore Green track when he appears in next Monday's Marstons Olympique and the following week's challenge match against Birmingham.
He said: "I'm happy with my contract and I really do feel this move will help my career progress, it will help me make a big step forward in the next couple of years.
"I'm looking forward to riding at Wolverhampton and look forward to learning my new home track in the next couple of weeks."
PREMIER LEAGUE LATEST
BIRMINGHAM boss Graham Drury says the improvement of reserve Lee Smart over the 2007 campaign is one of the highlights of the campaign.
Drury said: "Lee put in a match-winning performance with paid-13 at Mildenhall, although everyone has been raving about Birmingham both on and off the track this year, the improvement in Lee since the start of the season has been one of the best things."
EDINBURGH promoter John Campbell says that Scottish Cup success over fierce rivals Glasgow was a small consolation after a below-par season for the Monarchs.
Campbell said: "I can't say it's been an enjoyable year for me, but our fans have stuck by us through some thin times, and I'm very grateful to them for that. To defeat Glasgow was very enjoyable. We'll try even harder next year to make it even better."
GLASGOW will stage their second double header in consecutive weeks this Sunday when Birmingham and Stoke provide the opposition to complete the Tigers' Premier League programme.
Injuries to top men Shane Parker and Craig Watson have severely damaged the club's end of season prospects, but a double win on Sunday would move them into the top half of the table.
ISLE OF WIGHT chairman Martin Newnham took a philosophical stance after seeing the Islanders' title dreams ended by Rye House in the semi-finals of the play-offs.
Newnham said: "We're all feeling disappointed at the moment as we were very much hoping for a bigger winning margin at home. But we can feel rightfully proud of our achievements this year."
KING'S LYNN co-promoter Jonathan Chapman remains hugely confident that the Stars can overcome a 31-point deficit and move into the Premier League Grand Final at the expense of Sheffield.
Chapman said: "My riders' confidence is sky high after winning the Premier Trophy title on Friday, and I know that on the night the Tigers' confidence will come crumbling down around their ears, I'm sure most of the Sheffield fans know that too."
MILDENHALL manager Laurence Rogers had mixed feelings after seeing the Fen Tigers win at Birmingham in the Young Shield - but just miss out on a place in the semi-finals.
Rogers said: "I'm not quite sure what my emotions were- happy but sad probably sums it up. Happy that we had won at Birmingham, something only Rye House and King's Lynn have achieved at Perry Barr, sad that we had missed out on a semi-final by a mere two points. So near yet so far!"
NEWCASTLE defeated Workington by a single point in a thriller at Brough Park on Sunday - but it was not enough to take them into the Young Shield semi-finals after a heavy defeat at Derwent Park 24 hours earlier.
The Diamonds now turn their attentions to their season-ending Tyne/Tees Trophy clashes with local rivals Redcar.
NEWPORT promoter Tim Stone says his side will still give it their best shot when they defend an eight point lead against Somerset in the Knockout Cup semi-finals this Friday.
Stone said: "We felt we could and should have taken a bigger advantage, and we wanted to taka a bigger lead back to their place. But Stoke proved last weekend against Somerset that in a two-legged tie, it's never over until it's over."
REDCAR boss Brian Havelock was ecstatic after the Bears managed to overcome Glasgow both home and away to set up a Young Shield semi-final against Workington.
Havelock said: "I spoke to some fans before the meeting and their heads were down - but I told them there were still 15 heats to go and we stuck at it, and got our reward and it was great to give them something to cheer."
RYE HOUSE are waiting on the result of the Premier League semi-final between King's Lynn and Sheffield with the winners providing the Rockets' opposition in the Grand Final.
The Hoddesdon club overcame the Isle of Wight in emphatic fashion at home on Saturday and again underlined what a tough proposition they are around their own circuit.
SHEFFIELD will bring the curtain down on their season at Owlerton next Thursday, October 18. Tigers will face either Rye House on the Premier League Grand Final or Isle of Wight in an unofficial third place play-off.
Co-promoter David Hoggart said: "We arranged the date as our final meeting so everyone knows there is an event that night. Naturally it would be preferable to be racing Rye House in the final!"
SOMERSET expect to have stand-in skipper Simon Walker fit to ride in the second leg of their Knockout Cup semi-final against Newport on Friday.
Walker aggravated a rib injury in a fall in the first leg last weekend, but the Rebels described his replacement by reserve Stephan Katt in his final ride as a precautionary measure.
STOKE promoter Dave Tattum has booked Tony Atkin as a guest for the injured Glenn Cunningham as the Potters face Birmingham in the semi-finals of the Young Shield.
Tattum said: "You know what you are going to get from Tony and we will need everyone chipping in and working their socks off if we are going to come through this."
WORKINGTON will have reserve Charles Wright back in action for their Young Shield semi-final with Redcar this week after the teenager escaped serious injury in a crash last weekend.
Wright, who initially felt he may have suffered back and ankle injuries, said: "I would have been unable to ride at Newcastle the following day but I'm looking forward to getting back into action at Redcar."
FIXTURE UPDATE...
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10: PREMIER LEAGUE PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL: King's Lynn v Sheffield 7.30 YOUNG SHIELD SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Birmingham v Stoke 7.45
THURSDAY OCTOBER 11: 16 LAPPER INDIVIDUAL: Ipswich 7.30 YOUNG SHIELD SEMI FINAL 1st leg; Redcar v Workington 7.30
FRIDAY OCTOBER 12: CRAVEN SHIELD: Arena Essex-Lakeside v Peterborough v Poole 8pm PREMIER LEAGUE: King's Lynn v Isle of Wight 7.30 PREMIER LEAGUE KOC: Somerset v Newport 7.30 CONFERENCE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL: Boston v Scunthorpe (follows King's Lynn fixture) CONFERENCE TROPHY: Plymouth v Oxford 7.30
SATURDAY OCTOBER 13: YOUNG SHIELD SEMI FINAL 2nd leg: Stoke v Birmingham 7.30, Workington v Redcar 7pm CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Rye House v Boston 7pm
SUNDAY OCTOBER 14: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Belle Vue 3.30 PREMIER LEAGUE: Glasgow v Birmingham 2pm, Glasgow v Stoke (follows previous fixture) TYNE/TEES TROPHY: Newcastle v Redcar 6.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Buxton v Stoke 3pm SHAREHOLDERS JUNIOR TROPHY, Mildenhall 4.30
MONDAY OCTOBER 15: ELITE LEAGUE KOC: Reading v Swindon 7.30 MARSTONS OLYMPIQUE: Wolverhampton 7.30 CONFERENCE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL: Oxford v Plymouth 7.30
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 17: PRIDE OF THE EAST: King's Lynn 7.30
THURSDAY OCTOBER 18: SWINDON: Reserved (Craven Shield) 7.30 SHEFFIELD: Reserved 7.45 SOUTH TEES SILVER HELMET: Redcar 7.30
FRIDAY OCTOBER 19: COVENTRY: Reserved (Craven Shield) 8pm SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Arena Essex-Lakeside v Eastbourne 8pm CONFERENCE KO CUP FINAL: Plymouth v Scunthorpe 7.30 (PROV)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 20: SKY SPORTS ELITE LEAGUE: Eastbourne v Reading 7.30 CONFERENCE LEAGUE: Stoke v Buxton 7.30
SUNDAY OCTOBER 21: ASHFIELD CLASSIC: Glasgow 3pm BIG BANG 2: Mildenhall v Boston v Peterborough v East Anglian Select 4.30 SPRAYTEX FOURS: Sittingbourne 12pm
MONDAY OCTOBER 22: MIDLAND SHIELD: Wolverhampton v Birmingham 7.30 DENNY PYEATT MEMORIAL: Reading, 7.30
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 24: MIDLAND SHIELD 2nd leg: Birmingham v Wolverhampton 7.45 PREMIER LEAGUE KO CUP FINAL: King's Lynn v Newport/Somerset 7.30
THURSDAY OCTOBER 25: TYNE/TEES TROPHY: Redcar v Newcastle 7.30
FRIDAY OCTOBER 26: COVENTRY: Reserved 8pm
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27: ACE OF HERTS: Rye House 7pm GARRY STEAD BENEFIT: Stoke 7.30
SUNDAY OCTOBER 28: KING OF BRANDON: Coventry 1pm HEATHERSFIELD GOLDEN HELMET: Glasgow 3pm
