Scunthorpe Scorpions vs Plymouth Devils preview
SCORPIONS AIM TO GO OUT WITH A BANG
FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, are looking to finish their 2015 home fixtures on a high, by overcoming in-form Plymouth Devils in what promises to be a humdinger of a meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm).
The home match comes in the middle of a final flurry of activity for the Scorpions, which also seems them involved in away meetings at Plymouth on Thursday (7.15pm) and Peterborough on Sunday (3pm).
Scunthorpe have already avoided the wooden spoon position after their victory over Redcar at the EWR last Friday. But with Newcastle, Berwick and Rye House all within reach, there is a chance for the Scorpions to further improve their final league position.
Having defeated Newcastle (54-38), Berwick (49-44), Sheffield (49-41) and Redcar (51-39) around the Eddie Wright Raceway in recent weeks, a victory over Plymouth would mean Scunthorpe would finish the season with five successive home victories.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We want to bow out with a victory at home on Friday; it’s as simple as that. No-one wants to lose their final home match of the season in front of their own fans, especially after we’ve build up a nice run of wins in recent weeks.
“Plymouth are coming to Eddie Wright Raceway seeking vital points to overhaul Ipswich to reach the play-offs, but if they want the points off us, then they are going to have to fight for them!”
The Scorpions find themselves three riders down on Friday, with Zdenek Holub and Theo Pijper out injured, while Andreas Lyager has an under-21 commitment.
Godfrey adds: “We knew we would be without Andreas on Friday, but it’s a blow to have both Theo and Zdenek on the sidelines through injury.
“We’ve brought in two Sheffield riders in the shape of Andre Compton and David Bellego. Not only are they both quality performers around the Eddie Wright Raceway, but also hopefully their presence will entice a few Tigers’ fans to make the journey up the M18 on Friday, especially as Sheffield don’t have a home meeting this week.
“Meanwhile, this is the last chance for supporters to see Wilko, Leigh, Alex and Nike in action around the Eddie Wright Raceway in 2015, and with Plymouth desperate for the points, I think we can see out the season with a fantastic meeting at the best racetrack in the country.”
There’s always a bit of extra spice to clashes between Scunthorpe and Plymouth, as the two clubs were arch-rivals in the Conference League days of 2006 and 2007, when the Scorpions swept all before them, and often met the Devils in the final of competitions.
A reminder of the special promotion, which sees all accompanied children under the age of 16 admitted for free.
Admission prices for Friday:
Adult: £15.00
Student/OAP: £13.00
Child (16 – 17): £5.00
Child (0 – 15) Free (accompanied by paying adult)
Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 16-17)
Match Programme: £1.00
Expected teams for Friday:
FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. Rider replacement for Zdenek Holub, 2. David Bellego (guest), 3. Andre Compton (guest), 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Leigh Lanham, 6. Alex Davies, 7. Nike Lunna.
Plymouth Devils: 1. Ryan Fisher, 2. Morten Risager, 3. Jack Holder, 4. Todd Kurtz, 5. Kyle Newman, 6. Sam Simota, 7. Linus Eklof.
Plymouth Devils at EWR
Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Best Performance
Linus Eklof PL 4 15 8 1 2.13 2.40 5 from 5 rides (2012)
Ryan Fisher PL 6 30 65 2 8.67 8.93 17 from 6 rides (2015)
Jack Holder DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR
Todd Kurtz PL 8 36 45 8 5.00 5.89 12 + 2 from 5 rides (2014)
Kyle Newman PL 4 17 14 3 3.29 4.00 7 + 1 from 4 rides (2013)
Morten Risager PL 6 23 22 2 3.83 4.17 7 + 1 from 4 rides (2014)
Zdenek Simota PL 1 4 3 1 3.00 4 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2014)
Other Notes
Linus Eklof
2008 European Under-19 Team Champion
Member of King’s Lynn’s Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009.
Member of Poole’s Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2012.
Ryan Fisher
Has represented his Country in 13 World Cup meetings.
Member of Edinburgh’s Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and Play-off Winning Teams in 2008.
Member of Edinburgh’s Premier League Play-offs Winning Team in 2009.
Member of Edinburgh’s Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2010.
Jack Holder
2011 Australian Under-16 350cc Champion.
2013 New South Wales Under-21 Champion.
Todd Kurtz
Member of Newport’s Premier League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011.
Member of Somerset’s Premier Shield and Four-Team Championship Winning Teams in 2014.
Kyle Newman
Winner of Queensland State Under-21 Championships in 2011.
Member of Weymouth’s Conference League Championship Winning Team in 2008.
Member of Bournemouth’s National League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009.
Member of Newcastle’s Premier Shield Winning Team in 2011.
Member of Poole’s Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2011.
Member of Somerset’s League Cup Winning Team in 2012.
Member of Somerset’s Premier League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2013.
Member of Poole’s Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2014.
Member of Poole’s Elite Shield Winning Teams in 2014 and 2015.
Morten Risager
Has ridden in 1 Speedway Grand Prix meeting.
Member of Coventry’s Elite League Championship Winning Teams in 2005 and 2007.
Member of Coventry’s Elite Shield Winning Team in 2006.
Member of Ipswich’s Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011.
Zdenek Simota
Has ridden in 2 Grand Prixs and 5 World Cup meetings.
Made his British League debut in the 2005 Premier League with Reading.
2004 Czech Republic Under-21 Champion.
Plymouth Devils’ PL Results at EWR*
19 August 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 37
02 September 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 54 Plymouth 39
16 August 2013 PL L Scunthorpe 56 Plymouth 34
27 April 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Plymouth 43
* The two teams have also met regularly at CL/NL level and the Scorpions proved to be a constant thorn in the Devils’ side throughout Scunthorpe’s glorious 2006/07 seasons.
