Scunthorpe Speedway

25.07.12: Scorpions aim for double win

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are targeting double victory this week, as they travel to Redcar on Thursday night, before hosting the Berwick Bandits at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm).

The Scorpions, having completed half of their Premier League fixtures, currently sit in fifth place in the league table. However, just 3 of the league fixtures they have raced so far have been at the Eddie Wright Raceway, with the other 9 meetings having been on the road. In fact, the Scorpions have scored the joint highest number of away points in the division (10), alongside league leaders Newcastle. The team have claimed away wins at Ipswich (4 points) and Sheffield (3 points), coupled with points gained from narrow defeats at Leicester, Plymouth and Somerset.

Scunthorpe have just three away meetings left – Thursday’s visit to Redcar, plus trips to Workington and Edinburgh. At home, they have won all 3 meetings staged – to Edinburgh, Ipswich and Newcastle. Another away win or two, plus a run of home wins by 7 points or more (the margin required to take all three points), would leave the Scorpions riding high in the final league table.

Scunthorpe’s highest-ever finish in the sport’s second tier, was fifth place in the then-titled National League in 1983.

Team manager Richard Hollingsworth said: “If you look at the form shown by teams so far, there are four who stand out: Newcastle, Workington, Somerset and ourselves. We want to continue scoring points away, while not slipping up at home, and finish as high as possible in the league table and qualify comfortably for the play-offs.

“At the moment, though, we’re just taking it one meeting at a time. We believe Thursday’s meeting at Redcar is a match we can score points from. We took a draw from Redcar in the League Cup earlier this season, in a match that I believe we really should have won. David Howe crashed out that night halfway through, but even so, we had chances to win the meeting.

“David is still out this week, so we will be using Glasgow’s Josh Grajczonek as a guest at Redcar, who is a proven performer around the track.”

Hollingsworth continued: “We then host Berwick at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, and we will be using rider replacement for David in this fixture. We beat the Bandits quite comfortably them in the corresponding League Cup match, but we won’t take anything for granted. Ricky Ashworth’s performance in that League Cup match was perhaps the most impressive I’ve ever seen from a visiting rider at the track.

“The Bandits have had a bit of a revamp recently, with both Alex Edberg and Jason King injured and Lubos Tomicek released. Robin Aspegren, Robert Branford and Klaus Jakobsen all come into the side, so the Bandits are a slightly unknown quantity, while they are also on a high after recently winning the Premier League Fours at Peterborough.

“We believe we have the overall all-around strength to overcome the Bandits, but as I said before, we won’t be taking anything for granted.”

To complete the action at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, the Scunthorpe Stags take on the Coventry Mercia Vikings in a Midland Development League match.

Following last week’s abandoned meeting against Glasgow, reduced admission prices apply on Friday for those with a valid re-admission ticket. In the case of children, they will be readmitted for free on production of a re-admission ticket, as a sign of goodwill from the Scunthorpe management.

NOTE REGARDING ADMISSION PRICES FOR SCUNTHORPE v BERWICK FOR THOSE WITH A VALID SCUNTHORPE v GLASGOW RE-ADMISSION TICKET:

Please note that following last Friday’s meeting against Glasgow, which was abandoned after 4 races, that the admission prices on Friday for those with a valid re-admission ticket from that meeting will be as follows:

Adult: £6.00 (£8 deduction)
Student/OAP: £4.00 (£8 deduction)
Child (10 - 16): FREE (£5 deduction)
Family Ticket £15 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) (£18 deduction)

Teams for Thursday & Friday (English unless stated):

Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions (for both matches): 1. Josh Grajczonek / David Howe R/R, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Nick Morris (Australia), 4. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 5. Josh Auty, 6. Gary Irving, 7. Ashley Birks.

Redcar Bears (probable): 1. Ulrich Ostergaard (Denmark), 2. Michal Rajkowski (Poland), 3. Justin Sedgman (Australia), 4. Aaron Summers (Australia), 5. Matej Kus (Czech Republic), 6. Carl Wilkinson, 7. Max Dilger (Germany).

Berwick Bandits: 1. Ricky Ashworth, 2. David Bellego (France), 3. Lee Complin, 4. Robin Aspegren (Sweden), 5. Sebastian Alden (Sweden), 6. Robert Branford (Australia), 7. Klaus Jakobsen (Denmark).

Midland Development League teams:
Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Adam Kirby, 2. Michael Faulkner, 3. David Holt, 4. Marty Rathbone
Coventry Mercia Vikings: 1. Josh Bates, 2. Adam Portwood, 3. Martin Knuckey, 4. Conor Dwyer

Scorpions Info (as at 24 July 2012)

The Berwick meeting will be Josh Auty's 100th appearance for the club (the Redcar meeting will be No. 99).

Other Notes

Sebastian Alden
Member of Swindon's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2008.
Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012.

Ricky Ashworth
2009 Premier League Riders' Champion.
A member of Sheffield's Premier League Pairs Winning Team in 2010.
Member of Sheffield's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2002.
Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012.
Scored an 18 point maximum in the League Cup meeting earlier this season.

Robin Aspegren
Made his Premier League debut for Newport in 2010 at Edinburgh.
A recent signing to replace the injured Alex Edberg.
Started the 2012 season riding for Swindon in the Elite League

David Bellego
Member of Glasgow's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2011.
Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012.

Robert Branford
Member of Buxton's National League Championship, KO Cup and National Trophy Winning Teams in 2010.
Signed earlier this week following the injury to Jason King.
Started the 2012 season riding for Redcar in the Premier League.

Lee Complin
Member of Sheffield's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2002.
Member of Sheffield's Conference League Championship Winning Team in 2001.
Member of Berwick's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2012.

Klaus Jakobsen
Made his Premier League debut in 2008 whilst riding for Stoke.
Signed earlier this week following the injury to Jason King.
Started the 2012 season riding for Sheffield in the Premier League.

Berwick Bandits at EWR

Ave Ave Best
Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance
Sebastian Alden PL 2 10 18 0 7.20 7.20 15 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2011))
Ricky Ashworth PL 10 42 74 4 6.38 6.81 18 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012))
Robin Aspegren PL 2 5 4 2 3.20 4.80 4 + 2 from 4 rides (2011)
David Bellego PL 2 8 5 1 2.50 3.00 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2012)
Robert Branford PL 2 10 5 0 2.00 2.00 3 from 5 rides (2011)
Lee Complin PL 5 22 32 3 5.82 6.36 10 + 1 from 5 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2009))
Klaus Jakobsen PL 6 24 22 3 3.67 4.17 9 + 2 from 5 rides (2010)

Berwick Bandits' 2012 Results

23 March 2012 LC A L Berwick 40 Scunthorpe 53
24 March 2012 TTT(1) H W Berwick 54 Newcastle 39
25 March 2012 TTT(2) A L Berwick 41 Newcastle 54 (On agg - W:- 95-93)
31 March 2012 COTN(1) H W Berwick 50 Edinburgh 39
07 April 2012 LC H W Berwick 51 Glasgow 42
08 April 2012 LC A L Berwick 35 Glasgow 56
14 April 2012 LC H W Berwick 52 Scunthorpe 38
22 April 2012 LC A L Berwick 41 Newcastle 53
28 April 2012 LC H W Berwick 50 Newcastle 43
04 May 2012 LC A L Berwick 33 Edinburgh 59
05 May 2012 LC H W Berwick 46 Edinburgh 44
12 May 2012 PL H W Berwick 65 Redcar 28
26 May 2012 PL H W Berwick 49 Glasgow 41
02 June 2012 PL H W Berwick 56 Scunthorpe 37
09 June 2012 PL A L Berwick 34 Rye House 59
14 June 2012 LC A L Berwick 42 Sheffield 54
23 June 2012 LC H W Berwick 50 Sheffield 39
28 June 2012 KOC(1) A L Berwick 42 Ipswich 48
30 June 2012 KOC(2) H L Berwick 34 Ipswich 56 (On agg - L:- 76-104)
13 July 2012 PL A L Berwick 36 Edinburgh 56
14 July 2012 PL H L Berwick 46 Sheffield 47
21 July 2012 PL H W Berwick 46 Workington 43
22 July 2012 PL A L Berwick 39 Newcastle 55

Berwick's Results at EWR

04 July 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Berwick 41
04 September 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Berwick 42
23 April 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 62 Berwick 28
25 March 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Berwick 39
23 March 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 53 Berwick 40

Photo: Josh Auty (red) and Michael Palm Toft (blue) lead Lee Complin (white) during the League Cup meeting between the Scorpions and Berwick at the Eddie Wright Raceway in March