PREVIEW: Cheetahs feature in top of the table clash against Workington, while Celina Liebmann makes history

LEAGUE leaders Monarch Oxford Cheetahs face second placed Workington Comets in a big Cab Direct Championship showdown at Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (7.30pm).

There are three points up for grabs, since there is also an aggregate bonus point on offer, following a tight contest in Cumbria on May 25, which Comets edged by 46-44.

There is plenty of interest in the participation of Celina Liebmann at No 6 for Workington. She has already made history this year by becoming the first female to race regularly for a professional British team, while on Wednesday, the 22-year-old German will become the first female to race in a league match at Oxford.

At the weekend, Liebmann won the first-ever FIM Women’s Speedway Gold Trophy in Teterow, Germany with a maximum, therefore proving she is the best female speedway rider on the planet.

Cheetahs are without recent signing Adam Roynon, a 28-day replacement for the injured Henry Atkins. But Roynon is now injured himself, after picking up ligament damage to his shoulder in a crash in Heat 2 at Redcar on Friday. Despite that, Roynon bravely completed the meeting at the Ecco Arena, scoring 3+1, including taking a vital third place in Heat 14.

17-year-old Jody Scott, fresh from scoring 10+1 for Oxford Chargers at Leicester on Sunday, will guest in place of Roynon.

Oxford team manager Peter Schroeck said: “The boys showed all their battling abilities last week, with both the home meeting against Poole and the away meeting at Redcar going all the way to a Super Heat.

“I would to prefer to avoid one of those this week if we can – they’re not too good for the blood pressure!

“Workington are in second place in the Cab Direct Championship for a reason – they’ve got a strong side. They are led by two very recognisable faces in Craig Cook and Troy Batchelor. We would love to take all three points off them, but there’s no way we will under-estimate them.

“Adam (Roynon) wasn’t right at Redcar after the incident in Heat 2 and our thanks go to him for completing that meeting – we wouldn’t have taken the draw and gained a precious extra point without him. I don’t think he’ll be out for long, but he’s not going to be fit for Wednesday.

“Jody (Scott) has shown himself to be right on the pace and he deserves a shot around Oxford for the Cheetahs.” 

Tickets are already on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

Admission is available at the early bird price of £20 for all adults, which increases to £22 on Race Day. All under-16s go free. A reminder that Oxford Speedway is online ticket sales only – tickets remain on sale on the website until the start-time of the meeting.

Teams:

Monarch Oxford Cheetahs: Sam Masters, Cameron Heeps, Luke Killeen, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls (C), Ashton Boughen, Jody Scott.

Workington GT Tyres Comets: Craig Cook (C), Tate Zischke, Antti Vuolas, Claus Vissing, Troy Batchelor, Celina Liebmann, Sam McGurk.

PHOTO: Sam Masters celebrates after winning the Super Heat against Poole last Wednesday (pic: Steve Edmunds)