PREVIEW: Table topping Cheetahs face mouth watering tie on the south coast at Poole

The Monarch Oxford Cheetahs face their toughest Cab Direct Championship assignment of the year on Wednesday when racing defending champions Poole Pirates (7.30pm).

Pirates are unbeaten on home shale in all competitive fixtures this season and enter the meeting seven points short of the table topping Cheetahs but with three meetings in hand.

Furthermore, Neil Middleditch’s side have lifted the Cab Direct Championship trophy on both occasions since dropping down to the sport’s second tier at the conclusion of their 2019 campaign.

But Cheetahs boss Peter Schroeck has every faith his side can upset the odds and make a bold statement to the rest of the division at Wimborne Road ahead of this year’s play-offs.

“This fixture has been underlined in our calendar for some time now,” said Schroeck. “Poole is a club stacked with history with an outstanding fanbase and rivalries aside we always look forward to our meetings against the Pirates.

“They’re the most successful club of this millennia, but that only makes us more determined to get the win and cause an upset.

“We dominated the home leg and have a defendable lead with regards to the aggregate bonus point. But we are looking beyond that. We know we have the firepower and travel to Dorset in search of three points.

“As a team, we’ve come on leaps and bounds since our last journey to Wimborne Road so more of our positivity, determination and character will be required when tapes go up.”

Tapes-up at Wimborne Road on Wednesday, August 9, is at 7.30pm with updates available via @OxfordSpeedway across social media.

Monarch Cheetahs: Sam Masters, Henry Atkins, Lewis Kerr, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls, Cameron Heeps, Luke Killeen.

Poole Pirates: Richard Lawson, Kyle Newman, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Steve Worrall, Anders Rowe, Adam Roynon.