Boss delighted with Cheetahs’ victory at Poole
MANAGER Peter Schroeck was full of praise for his riders after SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies took a 46-44 victory at arch-rivals Poole on Wednesday and clinched a semi-final spot in the BSN Series after topping the Southern Group.
For the second successive season, Cheetahs came away from Wimborne Road with a victory. The last team excluding Oxford to win away at Poole was Leicester in June 2022.
And for the second successive season a rider at reserve was instrumental in the win. Last August, Luke Killeen top-scored with 11+3 in Cheetahs’ 49-41 Cab Direct Championship triumph. This time around, 17-year-old Australian Mitch McDiarmid posted a superb 11+1 to back up 16 points from skipper Sam Masters.
McDiarmid’s heroics included a brilliant Heat 6 when both beat Poole No 1 Richard Lawson and Pirates’ skipper Zach Cook, after flying around Lawson on the opening lap.
The one black spot for Cheetahs was a crash for Dan Gilkes in Heat 10, when he suffered a knee injury. The 22-year-old has had a MRI scan on the knee and is awaiting the results.
Schroeck said: “Dan was in a lot of pain with his knee. I told the medical staff to cut off his Kevlars, so that they didn’t have to mess around and they could help him out as soon as possible. It will be a few days before we know the full extent of how badly damaged his knee is.
“After Dan’s accident, we got together and said we needed to finish the job for him. He did a lot of good work in his previous three rides and Dan told me: ‘Don’t make it a wasted trip – make sure the boys win.’
“The delay was quite lengthy and it was tough for the riders to maintain their focus.
“Mitch McDiarmid was unbelievable – to ride like that that in his first meeting around Poole. While Sam Masters led us from the front and got us over the finishing line in the final race.
“Not many away teams win around Poole. We only had five riders at the end and we still beat them. I was really proud of the efforts of all our boys and we showed resilience.
“Jordan Jenkins was still not 100 per cent after his fall at Oxford last week, but he got stuck in and beat Lewi Kerr in Heat 13. That’s one of the first times he’s ridden in Heat 13 – at a time he’s not at his best – but he’s still shown that he can hold his own.
“Last year, the focus with Cheetahs was on Sam and Scott (Nicholls). But I believe we again have a strong team this year, in which everyone can improve, and to go away to Poole and win proves that. No-one is going to run away with the Cab Direct Championship, but I think we’re in good stead. One or two people are going to poke their ears up and realise we’re contenders. We’re not here to make the numbers up.
“It was nice to us to progress in the BSN Series. It’s not a competition in which we’ve excelled in the past, but now we’re through to the semi-finals, we’ve got every chance.”
The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium sees the BetGoodwin Oxford Spires entertain reigning champions Belle Vue Aces in more ROWE Motor Oil Premiership action on Thursday, May 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale at: https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/
PHOTO: Peter Schroeck and opposite number Neil Middleditch lead out the two sides at Oxford (pic: Steve Edmunds)