Newman blow for Scorpions

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions have lost the services of potential star guest Kyle Newman for their Premier League Play-Off Semi-Final group match at Somerset tonight (Wednesday), as their remarkable spell of bad luck continues.

Newman, a former Somerset Rebel and currently in fine form for both Poole and Plymouth, suffered a fall during the King’s Lynn vs Poole Elite League play-off meeting on Monday night, and suffered damage to his knee. He was due to guest for Nicolai Klindt, but has now been forced to pull out.

Both Klindt (out for the season) and Ryan Douglas (not yet ready to return) are sidelined with scaphoid injuries; a third Scorpion who suffered a broken scaphoid, captain Ashley Birks, returned to action last Friday.

Redcar’s Carl Wilkinson – a Scunthorpe rider for a number of years – will now guest for the Scorpions at Somerset in place of Klindt, while Ricky Wells is due to guest for the home match against Ipswich at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm).

Rider replacement will cover Douglas at both meetings, while Matt Williamson will return to the Scorpions’ line-up, riding in both meetings as a National League guest in place of the unavailable Tom Perry.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It never rains, but it pours; I just can’t believe our luck over the last few weeks. We’ve not only had three of our own riders injured, all with a broken scaphoid, but the injury bug is spreading to our guests. We booked Taylor Poole for a meeting last week and he bust his leg, and now Kyle Newman has also been sidelined.

“We were hoping Ryan would be back this week, because he’s young and we were hopefully he would heal quickly. But that’s not happened; he is still in a lot of pain and not ready to return.

“But we’re not beaten yet. It feels like we now need a miracle, but this is speedway and miracles do sometimes happen. We will give it all and see what happens.”

With the issue of the new Green Sheet averages, David Howe moves to No 1 in the Scorpions’ line-up, while other changes see Josh Auty move to cover the difficult No 5 spot and Thomas Jorgensen move to No 3.

FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions’ line-up for Wednesday and Friday:

Wednesday for Somerset v Scunthorpe:
1. David Howe, 2. Rider replacement for Ryan Douglas, 3. Thomas Jørgensen, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Josh Auty, 6. Matt Williamson, 7. Ashley Birks.

Friday for Scunthorpe v Ipswich:
1. David Howe, 2. Rider replacement for Ryan Douglas, 3. Thomas Jørgensen, 4. Ricky Wells, 5. Josh Auty, 6. Matt Williamson, 7. Ashley Birks.