Thursday, March 12, 2026
OXFORD SPEEDWAY
CheetahsOxford Speedway

PREVIEW: Cheetahs in big cup clash at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium *Meeting now postponed*

RPOxfordSpeedway

* PLEASE note this meeting has now been postponed due to the weather *

OXFORD team boss Peter Schroeck has urged the fans to “be noisy”, as SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies face Redcar Bears in the first leg of their MAXiCab Knockout Cup semi-final at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (September 10) at 7.30pm. It’s the biggest meeting of the season so far at Cowley.

Last season, Cheetahs reached the Knockout Cup Final for the first time since 1997. But skipper Scott Nicholls crashed out in his opening race, leaving an already depleted team no match for a full-strength Poole side.

Oxford last won the Knockout Cup outright in 1985, after a classic final against Ipswich, although they shared the cup in 1986, after their final with Cradley Heath was not completed due to the weather.

Cheetahs missed out on the Cab Direct Championship play-offs, but have reached the semi-finals of both the MAXiCab Knockout Cup and BSN Series. Cheetahs defeated Scunthorpe by 97-83 in the quarter-finals of the cup earlier this season.

Cheetahs will utilise rider replacement for the injured Jordan Jenkins, with all the Oxford riders eligible to take a ride. Last week, Jenkins revealed will be out for the rest of the season, due to knee and rib injuries. He is awaiting surgery on his medial meniscus (a cartilage on the inner side of the knee). Latvian star Francis Gusts will return to ride for Cheetahs, since his 28-day suspension for missing a meeting at Poole has now expired.

Redcar are missing Erik Riss through his ongoing illness and bring in Jake Allen. Bears won the regular Cab Direct Championship league match at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on August 6 by 49-41, but on that occasion, guest Leon Flint was a trump-card with a paid maximum. The rules for the cup prevent Flint from making another guest booking for Bears, since Glasgow feature in the other semi-final against Poole.

Redcar track two very familiar faces to Oxford fans in Charles Wright and Jody Scott.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “Last year we reached the cup final, while this season the MAXiCab Knockout Cup represents the best chance of silverware for Cheetahs and we are aiming to go one better.

“Everything starts afresh at 0-0. Cup speedway is always a bit different. It’s just two meetings and that makes it more unpredictable. Our first aim is to make sure that we win on the night. But really we want more than that. We also need to build up a lead that we can defend in the second leg up at Redcar on September 26. It’s all about winning on aggregate.

“We looked at the available guest options for Jordan and we’ve opted for rider replacement, because everyone can take a ride. We’re using rider replacement at No 3, because it gives me greater flexibility during the meeting with various options, such as when I can give Sam Masters his additional ride.

“There’s no reason why we can’t put in a good performance and build up a decent lead – the boys are up for it. As always, we appreciate the support of our fans and I urge them to turn up in numbers and be as noisy as they can. The riders can hear the supporters, even under their helmets during the race, and it really does spur them on.”

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.

Season Passes are NOT valid on Wednesday. The passes did not include progression in any competition. Except for the re-staging of the meeting between BetGoodwin Oxford Spires and Leicester Lions (date TBC), all 29 meetings (13 Spires, 11 Cheetahs and 5 Chargers) covered by the Ultimate Season Pass have taken place.

Teams:

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: Sam Masters (C), Luke Killeen, Jordan Jenkins R/R, Mitch McDiarmid, Francis Gusts, Jonas Knudsen, Cameron Heeps, Ashton Vale (No 8).

Redcar Agilia Bears: Charles Wright (C), Jake Mulford, Jason Edwards, Jake Allen (G), Danny King, Jody Scott, Ace Pijper.

PHOTO by Steve Edmunds