BRITISH SPEEDWAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
(SPEEDWAY 1)
PIRATES HOLD THE ADVANTAGE HEADING TO REDCAR
POOLE were held to a 48-42 advantage over Redcar to leave their Cab Direct Championship play-off semi-final against Redcar in a fascinating position at the halfway stage.
Richard Lawson scored another 15-point maximum for the Pirates, but they were kept in check by a resilient Bears side who only had four race wins but picked up the minor places with regularity.
Redcar in fact led the meeting by two points after Heat 8 when impressive reserve Ace Pijper took his second win, and Jake Mulford joined him for a 5-1.
Poole hit back immediately through Lewis Kerr and captain Zach Cook, but the only race advantages in the last six heats came with 4-2s to the home side in Heats 11 and 15.
Lawson was backed up by Kerr with 9+1, Anders Rowe with nine and Cook with 8+1 for the Pirates, whilst Danny King top-scored for a solid visiting side with nine from five rides.
Cook said: “Everyone was working hard in the pits tonight and there were no complaints.
“Redcar are a solid team and they thought they had it there for a minute, and it didn’t look good, so to have these six points – we can be happy with that, and we will just have to go there now and fight them at Redcar.”
(SPEEDWAY 2)
OXFORD host Poole in the second leg of their BSN Series semi-final tie at Cowley tonight (Wednesday) with the home side facing a huge points chase.
The Pirates won the first leg 58-32 last month and are strong favourites to progress to another Final as they defend the silverware.
Whilst the visitors are at full strength, the Cheetahs are without two of their regular side with rider replacement in operation for Jordan Jenkins, who is out injured for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile Darryl Ritchings, who started the season with Poole, guests for Oxford at reserve in place of Jonas Knudsen who has a racing commitment in Denmark.
Cheetahs boss Peter Schroeck said: “I’d love for us to overturn the 26 points from the first leg, but that would require not only a great performance from Cheetahs, but also a very, very bad night for the Pirates.
“But this is speedway and anything can happen. If we get off to a good start, with our supporters right behind the boys, we can rattle Poole, then who knows, we might be able to pull off a famous result.
“On the other hand, I always try to stay realistic and the MAXiCab Knockout Cup is the best chance of silverware for the Cheetahs. The realistic aim is to win on the night and for the boys to have a morale-boosting victory over a strong Poole side who again will be in contention to win the league championship this season.”
OXFORD: Sam Masters, Luke Killeen, Jordan Jenkins R/R, Mitch McDiarmid, Francis Gusts, Darryl Ritchings, Cameron Heeps.
POOLE: Richard Lawson, Tobias Thomsen, Lewis Kerr, Zach Cook, Anders Rowe, Paul Starke, Will Cairns.
(SPEEDWAY 3)
EDINBURGH manager Alex Harkess says his side are wholly capable of producing a full team effort to reach the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final.
The Monarchs will take a 14-point advantage on the short journey to rivals Glasgow next week after an eventful semi-final first leg where their margin of victory could have been even greater.
Harkess said: “Early on we probably gated better than we ever have, and what they put into it, the will to win, seemed greater than it’s ever been at Armadale. The determination to do well was the best it has been all year.
“It was unfortunate that it slipped away slightly. They had a couple of riders who were also determined to do well which is what you would expect, and they made some starts.
In the conditions it was difficult to pass, and we knew that. So that’s what it is, 14 points.
“We’ve scored 32 and 37 on our last two trips to Glasgow, but on both these occasions we didn’t have anywhere near a seven-man team actually doing well.
“I think we have the makings of a seven-man team now and if they show the same determination as they showed in the first leg, I’m sure we’ll be there or thereabouts.”
(FIXTURES)
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17:
BSN SERIES SEMI-FINAL 2nd leg: Oxford (32) v Poole (58) 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF S/F 1st leg: Sheffield v Leicester 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19:
BSN SERIES SEMI-FINAL 1st leg: Glasgow v Redcar 7.30
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Edinburgh (29) v Oxford (61) 7pm, Edinburgh (35) v Leicester (55) (follows previous fixture)
