New-look Scorpions look to reach cup semis
ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions welcome new two faces to their ranks when they entertain the Birmingham Brummies in the second leg of a Knockout Cup quarter-final tie at the Eddie Wright Raceway tomorrow evening (Friday, 7.30pm). Scorpions hold a 46-44 lead from the first leg at Perry Barr.
Both Max Clegg and Nathan Ablitt have been signed for Scorpions in place of the injured Zaine Kennedy and the highly unlucky Joe Thompson.
Before welcoming the new signings, Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey paid tribute to the efforts of Joe Thompson in his brief spell with the club. In his last two meetings for Scorpions this week, he scored six points at Plymouth on Tuesday, followed by 9+1 at Birmingham on Wednesday.
Godfrey said: “It really broke my heart to release Joe, because the lad didn’t deserve it at all. He’s put in a great stint for us, and under usual circumstances, we wouldn’t have replaced him, because he was performing up to expectations.
“But the 28-day-faciilty for Zaine Kennedy started on Good Friday, which means it expires on Thursday and is not valid on Friday. We had to make a signing, or we would have been left without a facility and been forced to use riders well below Zaine’s average.
“If there was a like-for-like signing, so we could have replaced Zaine and kept Joe, we would have done it, but there simply wasn’t a rider on the right average who wanted to do it. On the other hand, there are riders available around the 5.50 mark, so it became a case of choosing the best one, and then putting in a two-point rider in for Joe.
“Sometimes speedway turns out to be a numbers game and this one was of those occasions, where a rider who been released from a club through no fault of their own. But speaking to Zaine, I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll see him this year, and we couldn’t get an extension to the facility in any case, because he hasn’t ridden for us this season.
“Joe has scored paid 16 for us across the two meetings this week and I hope that another club will move in for him very soon. While it’s gutting that a young British rider has lost his team place and he didn’t deserve to, the silver lining is that two other British riders now do have a team place in the Championship, and on that score, I’m thrilled to be able to offer them a team place.”
26-year-old Clegg is not an entirely new face at Scunthorpe, since he learnt to ride on the training track at the Eddie Wright Raceway after the tutelage of fellow Yorkshireman Wayne Carter, and – as a 15-year-old – was a member of the Scunthorpe Saints in the 2012 National League.
Clegg started 2022 riding for ill-fated Newcastle, while he completed the season riding for Leicester in the Championship and Kent in the National League. He showed his liking for the EWR for both Lions and in the National League Riders’ Championship, where he finished second.
Ablitt won the British 150cc Championship in 2016 and 250cc class in 2018, before joining Kent in 2019. He won the National League with Mildenhall in 2021 and moved up to ride for Poole in the Championship last season. He started this season without a Championship club and will join Scorpions on average of 2.00.
Godfrey said: “Max will be a great addition to the side. He’s a trapper and he also knows his way around the Eddie Wright Raceway – he certainly did well with Leicester last season.
“He will slot in at No 3 and push Connor Mountain down to reserve. I think Connor will be down there for at least a month or two and he’ll be a real trump card. If Connor moves up later in the season, it pushes another very good rider down to reserve. It’s how we originally designed the team when we had Zaine.
“Nathan Ablitt is a talented young British rider, he contributed to Poole’s success last season, and we know he will come in and score points. He has an initial 28-day spell with the club and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands.
“At the end of the day, it’s been our best start to a season for quite a few years and it was our responsibility to our supporters to ensure we remain in the hunt for the silverware this season. With the addition of Max and Nathan, I believe we’ve got a team that can do that.”
As for the second leg against Brummies, Godfrey commented: “I don’t think we can pretend we’re the underdogs for this one. We’ve already beat Birmingham three times this season and we’ve a got two-advantage from the away leg.
“But it’s certainly not going to be a walkover, while in speedway anything can happen. We cannot afford to be complacent, while the previous home meeting with Brummies contained plenty of decent racing and I’m expecting the same again.
“Not only that, that there will be extra 14 races tomorrow evening, featuring the 500cc and 250cc classes of the British Youth Championship, and they will add additional value to a cracking night’s entertainment.”
For those who cannot make it to the Eddie Wright Raceway, Scorpions are live streaming home meetings for just £11.99 at: https://tv.scunthorpe-speedway.com/
ADMISSION PRICES FOR TOMORROW (FRIDAY):
Adult: £20.00
Student/OAP: £18.00
Child (0 – 16): Free (must be accompanied by paying adult)
Programme: £1.00
Car Parking now free
Pay on the day at the turnstiles by cash or card.
Expected teams for tomorrow (Friday):
Attis Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Ryan Douglas, 2. Simon Lambert (captain), 3. Max Clegg, 4. Jake Allen, 5. Michael Palm Toft, 6. Nathan Ablitt, 7. Connor Mountain.
Birmingham Brummies: 1. Nick Morris, 2. Alfie Bowtell, 3. Zach Cook (guest), 4. Stefan Nielsen, 5. Justin Sedgmen, 6. Ty Proctor, 7. James Pearson.
British Youth Championship:
500cc class: Max James, Jody Scott, Sonny Springer, Ashton Boughen, Max Perry.
250cc class: Ashton Vale, William Cairns, Jamie Ethrington, Cooper Rushen, Stene Pijper, Caydin Martin, Seth Norman.
