PREVIEW: Cheetahs face reigning champions

MONARCH Oxford Cheetahs – fresh from their stunning victory at Poole last week – host reigning champions Glasgow Tigers in the Cab Direct Championship at Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (7.30pm).

It’s the first of two clashes between the two sides in three days, since they also meet at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium in Glasgow on Friday.

Second-placed Cheetahs are all but mathematically in the play-offs and indeed still have a chance of finishing top of the table. But Tigers are highly likely to need to win at least three out of four remaining league matches to ensure their qualification.

It is the final standard home league match for Cheetahs ahead of the play-offs, before trips to Glasgow, Scunthorpe and Plymouth. Poole took Cheetahs to a Super Heat at Sandy Lane, but Cheetahs have scored at least 51 points in their other six home league matches.

Earlier in the season, Cheetahs defeated Tigers by 93-87 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the Cab Direct Knockout Cup, after overturning a 12-point deficit in the second leg at Cowley.

It was hoped that Adam Roynon would return from injury for Cheetahs, but he is now having an operation. Connor Coles will come in to replace Roynon.

Oxford team manager Peter Schroeck said: “It’s always an exciting meeting when Glasgow visit us – the cup match earlier in the season was a cracking match.

“Our boys are high on confidence after winning at Poole and we want to keep our run going. Confidence and momentum are so important in speedway.

“We’ve still got a chance to finish top. Last season, we led the Cab Direct Championship table for most of the season, only for Poole to take top spot after a late run. This season we have a chance to return the favour and steal top spot from the Pirates just ahead of the play-offs.”

Ashton Boughen, the youngest member of the Cheetahs, celebrates his 17th birthday at Oxford Stadium.

Schroeck added: “It’s amazing how much Ashton has achieved in speedway before he is 17, especially when you consider he hadn’t ridden a speedway bike until a couple of years ago. He’s beaten Jason Doyle around Ipswich and Richard Lawson around Poole and finished third in the British Under-21 Championship and there’s so much more to come from him.”

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.

There will also be a four-heat second half tonight, a Blast From The Past featuring teams from England and Scotland on vintage bikes. A Race Jacket will be raffled to raise funds for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.

Teams:

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

Glasgow Allied Vehicles Tigers: Chris Harris (C), Jack Smith, Anders Rowe, Matic Ivacic, Leon Flint, James Pearson, Tom Spencer (G).

(PHOTO by Les Aubrey)