Scorpions aiming for away victory

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024 season in the BSN Series at Redcar tonight (Friday, 7.30pm).

With Nathan Ablitt out injured – after cracking a bone in his ankle in a crash during the 61-29 cup victory over Plymouth at the Eddie Wright Raceway last Friday – Scorpions will use Jack Smith as a guest replacement both at Redcar tonight and tomorrow (Saturday) at Plymouth for the second leg of the cup tie.

Smith is able to guest, since he has also been added to the joint Scunthorpe and Sheffield National League side that makes its debut at Sheffield against Middlesbrough next Thursday – until Ablitt is fit to resume his place.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey explained: “Although Nathan has competed for Scorpions this season, he hasn’t rode for the National League team we are running alongside Sheffield because we haven’t run a meeting, and therefore a facility wasn’t available for Nathan at that level. So we’ve signed Jack for that side, until Nathan is fit, and that also enables Jack to guest for Scorpions.

“It makes sense for both parties. Jack is a rider who can score and win races at Championship level, and he’s a top rider in the National League, while he has the perfect opportunity to put his name in the shop window by showing what he can do.

“We’re still in complete control of our destiny in the BSN Series group. If you look at it, it’s going to be tough for Redcar now, because they’ve lost both of their meetings, at our place and they also lost at home to Workington. In the meantime, we’d love to win at Redcar to match what Workington did, while we’re definitely in a good place to win the aggregate bonus point against Bears, with a 52-38 lead from the first leg.

“We’ve shown what we can do at the Eddie Wright Raceway this season with good wins over Redcar and Plymouth and this is our first chance to show what we are capable of on our travels.”

Expected teams for tonight (Friday):

Redcar Bears: 1. Danny King, 2. Jonas Knudsen, 3. Connor Bailey, 4. Jason Edwards, 5. Charles Wright, 6. Jake Mulford, 7. Ben Trigger.

Ellis Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Kyle Howarth, 2. Connor Mountain, 3. Simon Lambert (captain), 4. Michael Palm Toft, 5. Jake Allen, 6. Jack Smith (guest), 7. Luke Harrison.

* IN a fixture reshuffle, the next meeting at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway is still on Friday May 10 at 7.30pm, but it is now the visit of Workington Comets in the BSN Series. In the meantime, Scorpions will visit Workington on Sunday, April 28.