PREVIEW: Cheetahs host fierce rivals in much-anticipated clash

SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies entertain arch-rivals Poole Pirates in their concluding Cab Direct Championship fixture at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (August 20) at 7.30pm.

Cheetahs can no longer reach the Cab Direct Championship play-offs, while they are still hunting silverware in the MAXiCab Knockout Cup and BSN Series. Wednesday’s fixture is bound to be fiercely contested, especially after the highly controversial events in the corresponding meeting at Wimborne Road on July 30.

A malfunction with the starting tapes in Dorset saw three races stopped – two with Cheetahs holding a 5-1. That included the original staging of the decisive Heat 15, where Cheetahs needed a maximum heat win to force a draw and a Super Heat.

In the re-run of Heat 15, Poole No 1 Richard Lawson had made a better start, so the start marshal – instead of leaving the track – ran and grabbed the offending dangling bit of tape. He then stood directly outside the track in a dangerous position to stop the tape dangling back down onto the track.

Neither the referee or trainee referee stopped the race, in which Poole took a 4-2 to clinch a 48-42 victory. The Oxford management spoke to the referee immediately after the race, to request a re-run, but the referee kicked out their protest and the result stood.

Referee Wayne Jarvis was subsequently suspended by the Speedway Control Bureau for three meetings for a breach in health and safety regulations for allowing the race to continue.

But many Oxford fans do not feel that the SCB went far enough, since both the start marshal and the Poole Speedway promotion seem to have escaped without any sanction.

Cheetahs bring in Jacob Hook as a replacement for the suspended Francis Gusts. Hook scored 10+2 for Workington at Cowley on Sunday.

If Cheetahs defeat Poole on Wednesday, it will pave the way for Glasgow to finish top of the regular league standings and prevent Pirates from finishing on top of the table for three successive seasons.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “The SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies started to build up some momentum with our victory over Workington at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Sunday. We want to keep that going on Wednesday, plus it would be nice to conclude our Cab Direct Championship fixtures with a victory.

“We want to take all three points from Poole, especially after the way our league match ended at Wimborne Road. We want to turn that negative into a positive by sending the Pirates home empty handed on Wednesday evening.”

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.

Oxford Speedway will hold its annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund during the interval on Wednesday.

There is also a six-heat second half between Oxford Academy and Poole Academy, with both 250cc and 125cc races between youth riders. Poole won the first leg at Wimborne Road last Wednesday by 18-15, while both Fraser Buckle and Rex Austin were unbeaten for Oxford.

Teams:

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: Sam Masters (C), Jacob Hook (G), Jordan Jenkins, Mitch McDiarmid, Cameron Heeps, Luke Killeen, Jonas Knudsen.

Poole Wessex Marine Pirates: Richard Lawson, Tobias Thomsen R/R, Lewis Kerr, Zach Cook (C), Anders Rowe, Paul Starke, William Cairns.

Oxford Academy: Seth Norman, Oil Bovingdon, Fraser Buckle, Rex Austin.

Poole Academy: Archie Rolph, Ollie Binns, Oscar Berwick, Charlie Fletcher.

PHOTO by Les Aubrey