Cheetahs commence team planning for 2027

OXFORD manager Peter Schroeck has revealed that team planning has already commenced for the 2027 Oxford Cheetahs.

The SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs endured a tough league campaign in the 2026 Cab Direct Championship, but finished on a high with Sam Masters and Anders Rowe winning the Championship Best Pairs at Poole.

Early in the season, the continuation of Oxford Speedway seemed in doubt, after the loss of a greyhound streaming contact at the stadium. But Cheetahs kept going, with Mike Austin and Spencer Timmo joining Jamie Courtney on the Oxford Speedway promotion to provide extra investment.

Schroeck says: “2026 has been a difficult year both on and off the track, and the victory for Sam and Anders in the Championship Best Pairs was an important boost for everyone connected with the club.

“It’s not that the 2026 Cheetahs were a bad team – it’s just that the luck went against us, and the margins between winning and losing are so fine in such a competitive league.

“We’ve now finished at home at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium, except for two meetings for the Real Mini Company Oxford Chargers, and of course, we’ll let everyone know once we have dates for those two matches.

“In a way that’s an advantage, because for Cheetahs, we can already fully focus on the 2027 season and making sure next year is a good one for the club.

“We have already been working on a side that we can believe can challenge on all fronts next season. It’s no less than the supporters of our great club deserve.”

Skipper Sam Masters is aiming for another piece of silverware, when he represents Cheetahs in the Championship League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield tonight (Saturday) at 7pm, where he can become only the second rider – after Sean Wilson – to win the event three times.

Meanwhile, we would like to reassure fans, following a newspaper story last weekend, especially those who did not listen to the excellent Heat 16 radio programme on BBC Radio Oxford on Monday evening.

All supporters will be aware of the troubles at the stadium on the greyhound side, at the start of the season. Any company going into liquidation refers to that time – the key word ‘former’ was missing from the newspaper article. Both Oxford Speedway and the lease-holding company at the stadium are solvent.

The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium will be advised in due course. Real Mini Company Chargers have home meetings left – against Edinburgh Monarchs Academy and Buxton Bulls. For the latest news, please keep an eye out on Oxford Speedway’s social media channels plus the official website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/

STOP PRESS: Luke Killeen will also represent Oxford in the Championship League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield tonight, in addition to Sam Masters. Killeen is a late replacement for former Cheetah Troy Batchelor.

PHOTO: Peter Schroeck with Anders Rowe and Sam Masters before the victory in the Championship Best Pairs at Poole on September 2 (pic: Les Aubrey)