PREVIEW: Cheetahs aim to complete double over Plymouth to return to top
SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies can return back to the top of the Southern Group of the BSN Series, by beating Plymouth Gladiators at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (April 30) at 7.30pm.
Cheetahs have already won by 48-41 at Plymouth on April 19 – coming from seven points from behind to triumph at the tight confines of the Coliseum. Combined with a narrow defeat for Poole at Plymouth over the weekend, it has blown the Southern Group wide open.
The group winner will progress directly to the semi-finals of the competition, while the best scoring runner-up across the three groups will also progress.
Cheetahs are due to be at full strength. Plymouth are missing Nicolai Klindt, who is riding in his native Denmark, but have a more-than-capable replacement rider in Chris Harris.
Team manager Peter Schroeck says: “We’ve already won at Plymouth, after an excellent performance down there. That was a night when the luck seemed to be going against us in the early stages. But the lads didn’t let their heads go down, continued working at it and turned it around.
“Plymouth is not an easy track to ride and I was very impressed at how both Jonas (Knudsen) and Mitch (McDiarmid) adjusted to it on their first visit down there. It was a team effort, led by a captain’s performance from Sam (Masters),
“On Wednesday, any margin of victory will be enough to take all three points, including the aggregate bonus point and further strengthen our position in the BSN Series. But we won’t rest on our laurels or take anything for granted.
“The SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies have been going well so far this season. We haven’t lost over 15 races, and we want to keep up that momentum.”
Tickets are already on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/
Admission is available at the early bird price of £21 for all adults, which increases to £23 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. Spectators are also reminded that they will need to pay £2 if they are planning to park in the Unipart car park.
Teams:
SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: Sam Masters (C), Jonas Knudsen, Jordan Jenkins, Dan Gilkes, Cameron Heeps, Mitch McDiarmid, Luke Killeen.
Plymouth Gladiators: Chris Harris (G), Alfie Bowtell, Mitchell Cluff, Joe Thompson, Ben Barker (C), Lasse Fredriksen, Ben Trigger.
(PHOTO by Steve Edmunds)