Scorpions’ busy week

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions have a busy time ahead of them, starting at Redcar on Thursday night, with the Scorpions involved in three Premier League meetings and one Knockout Cup meeting in less than a week.

A win or draw in that fixture at Redcar would haul Scorpions off the bottom of the Premier League table, ahead of their opponents.

The Scorpions entertain big-spending Glasgow Tigers at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday (July 10), at the earlier than usual start-time of 4pm. The start-time has been brought forward, to accommodate the supporters, riders and management of the Tigers, heading north after the British Grand Prix in Cardiff the previous day.

Scorpions then travel to Newcastle next Monday (July 11) in Knockout Cup action and Peterborough next Tuesday (July 12) in a further Premier League encounter.

Team manager Dave Peet believes the timing of Sunday’s emphatic 53-37 win over Ipswich, Scunthorpe’s first victory in two months, could not have been better.

Peet says: “The win over Ipswich was a big boost for us, no doubt. One victory can make such a different to the confidence and self-belief of a team. The lads believe in themselves again and that’s so important going into this busy spell.

“We’ll go into the meetings this week believing that we can win them or get something out of them. All our riders can ride Redcar, and we’ll go into that meeting with the mentality of knowing we can come from there with a victory.

“The team was built this season with strength-in-depth in mind, and what we saw against Ipswich was the whole team performing. Josh Auty got a brilliant full maximum and Ryan Douglas  (pictured) got a paid maximum, but what pleased me even more was that the fact we were winning races and scoring points all the way down the team.

“We built our team this season to contain six riders who could knock up the points, and to have a seventh, young Josh Bailey, who could go out and score what he can. I thought young Josh was unlucky on Sunday and deserved far more than a point for his efforts.

“If the whole team performs this week, we will win meetings, it’s as simple as that.”