Double-header to bring down curtain on 2014 season
THE EDDIE WRIGHT RACEWAY stages its final 30-heat feast of speedway of the 2014 season on Sunday (please note start-time of 5pm), before the long break for the winter months, with a mouth-watering double-header featuring both Scunthorpe sides, with Sheffield and Buxton providing the opposition.
There’s local derby action between the FluidAir Power Scorpions and Sheffield Tigers in a Premier League match, with the Scorpions having had the ‘Indian Sign’ over their nearest-and-dearest in recent seasons.
It’s the sixth clash between the two local rivals in 2014. Scunthorpe have won all three meetings at Sheffield’s Owlerton Stadium, while it stands at one apiece at the Eddie Wright Raceway; the Tigers having won a League Cup match at Scunthorpe right at the outset of the season.
Looking at league meetings alone, the Scorpions have a remarkable run against Sheffield, having won every PL encounter home and away against the Tigers since 2012 – a run of seven meetings.
And while the Premier League match normally takes star billing at the Eddie Wright Raceway, the following National League clash on Sunday, between the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Stags and the Buxton Hitmen, is just as highly anticipated.
The Stags are chasing their first win of the 2014 season, against the team just above them in the league table.
They put in a fighting performance at Buxton last week, before succumbing to a narrow 40-51 defeat, and the Stags are looking for revenge against the Hitmen on Sunday.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It’s a long break for the winter months, and it’s going to be over five months, nearly six, until the next speedway meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway. The fans are going to be starved of action over the next few months, so this is the chance for one last feast before the end of the season.
“There should be some fantastic action ahead, during the two meetings in the double-header on Sunday.
“Everyone loves to have the upper hand on their local rivals, and we have a chance to make it four wins out of four in Premier League matches against Sheffield this season. We want to take the bragging rights into the winter.
“Plus we have the young Stags looking for their first win. These lads have improved so much over the course of the season, hitting the 40-point barrier in their last two outings, and it would be great if they could finish the season with a victory over Buxton.”
Nicolai Klindt and Ryan Douglas are both ruled out by the spate of scaphoid injuries that scuppered the Scorpions’ chances in the play-offs, with Somerset’s Todd Kurtz stepping in as a guest, alongside the rider replacement facility. Skipper Ashley Birks is set to return from his scaphoid injury.
Scunthorpe also give another opportunity to club asset Matt Williamson at No 6, who won his first race in Scorpions’ colours last Friday, much to the delight of both management and supporters.
Sheffield are another side who have suffered due to injury, but bring in a number of former Scunthorpe riders, in the shape of Carl Wilkinson, Benji Compton and James Sarjeant, none of whom are slouches around the Eddie Wright Raceway.
Heat 15 of the Scunthorpe vs Sheffield match has special significance, as it will determine the winner of the Kenny Smith Memorial Shield, the former Scorpions’ team manager and co-promoter, who passed away in 2009, after a battle against cancer.
Sunday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £17. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action.
The circuit rightfully has won the award, several times, for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting afternoon/evening of racing is ahead. Don’t miss it – it’ll be a fair few months until the next chance!
Admission prices for Sunday:
Adult: £17.00
Student/OAP: £15.00
Child (10 – 17): £5.00
Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult)
Family Ticket £39 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17)
Match Programme: £1.00
NOTE REGARDING ADMISSION PRICES FOR SUNDAY FOR THOSE WITH A VALID SCUNTHORPE v SHEFFIELD RE-ADMISSION TICKET:
Admission prices on Sunday for those with a valid re-admission ticket from the abandoned Scunthorpe v Sheffield meeting from August 15th will be as follows:
Adult: £15.00 (£2 deduction)
Student/OAP: £13.00 (£2 deduction)
Child (10 – 17): £3.00 (£2 deduction)
Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) (£6 deduction)
Expected teams for Sunday (English unless stated):
FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. David Howe, 2. Rider replacement for Ryan Douglas (Australia), 3. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 4. Todd Kurtz (Australia), 5. Josh Auty, 6. Matt Williamson, 7. Ashley Birks.
Sheffield Tigers: 1. Aaron Summers (Australia), 2. R/R for Taylor Poole (Australia), 3. Ben Wilson, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Leigh Lanham, 6. Benji Compton, 7. James Sarjeant.
Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Sam Chapman, 2. Arron Mogridge, 3. Danno Verge, 4. Reece Downes, 5. Steve Jones, 6. Ellis Perks, 7. Ryan MacDonald (Scotland).
Buxton Hitmen: 1. Liam Carr R/R, 2. Tony Atkin, 3. Adam Extance, 4. Tom Woolley, 5. Ryan Blacklock, 6. Stefan Farnaby, 7. Paul Bowen.
KENNY SMITH 1954-2009
A legend of Scunthorpe Speedway
Kenny Smith died in 2009, after a brave battle against throat cancer. He was both co-promoter and team manager of the Scorpions. Just two days before he passed away, he was taken around the Scunthorpe track on the back of David Howe’s bike for two emotional laps of honour.
Kenny’s grandfather was one of the pioneer riders in the sport’s early days back in the 1920s. Kenny began his own racing career in grasstrack, before taking up speedway in the late sixties at Doncaster.
However, he is best remembered for his involvement on the other side of the speedway fence. After being involved at Middlesbrough, he switched to Newcastle when the Teesside club’s Cleveland Park track closed. Newcastle boss George English, soon made him Assistant Team Manager and Kenny took responsibility for the Newcastle Gems when they entered a side in the Conference League.
With speedway returned to Scunthorpe to 2005 after a twenty-year absence, Kenny offered his services, as the Gems had withdrawn from the Conference League following the 2004 season. He was taken on board as Scorpions’ team manager, and was delighted when the Scorpions carried all before then to sweep to successive Conference League titles in 2006 and 2007.
Kenny’s unswerving passion for the sport and the Scunthorpe club was rewarded in 2007 when he became a co-promoter and the club could have never wished for a greater ambassador.
