PREVIEW: Oxford Cheetahs face arch-rivals Poole Pirates in crucial clash

SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs are seeking a victory against the Poole Pirates to kick-start their BSN Series campaign at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday (April 15) evening at 7.30pm.

Recent issues – caused by the termination of a deal between SIS and Oxford Greyhounds to stream racing from the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium – led to the postponement of last Wednesday’s home clash with Plymouth Gladiators.

Now is not the time to go into the nuts and bolts of what has been at times complex discussions, but Oxford Speedway will now continue as planned.

Cheetahs defeated homeless Coventry Bees by 52-38 in a challenge match at Cowley a fortnight ago, but then lost 32-57 in their opening BSN Series Southern Section fixture at Plymouth on Saturday evening, and are keen to bounce back against Poole.

Pirates won both the Cab Direct Championship and MAXiCab Knockout Cup last season, but Redcar – with Oxford Chargers’ skipper Jody Scott in a prominent role – edged them out in the final of the BSN Series.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “It’s always a big clash between Oxford and Poole and this will be no exception. The BSN Series is a short competition, with just four qualifying meetings and you can only afford to have one slip-up and we had that at Plymouth on Saturday evening.

“We’re looking to bounce back against Poole, who have again put together a formidable looking side this season. It’s a mouth-watering fixture and we’re seeking to take a victory.

“We’ve built up something special over the last four seasons, but I’m sure everyone will realise we can’t take anything for granted. Oxford Speedway is a business and, at the end of the day, as with any business, you have work hard to ensure its success and that is what is happening behind the scenes at the moment. We’re still here and we’re still running.

“We would love for the supporters to show in numbers and make a lot of noise and demonstrate the huge support that exists for this club.”

Tickets are already on sale at 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.

Ultimate Season Passes ARE valid for this meeting.

Any tickets for the postponed Plymouth meeting on April 8 have been transferred to the new date (April 22). If anyone would like a refund rather than their ticket transferred, they need to contact Ticket Source using the details in the email they received informing them of the postponement. Ticket Source will then issue the refund.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Erik Riss will be missing tonight due to a virus he picked up at the weekend. Cheetahs are not riding again until next Wednesday, so this should be the only meeting that Erik misses. Our thanks for Oxford track specialist Justin Sedgmen for agreeing to a last-minute booking.

Teams:

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs: Sam Masters (C), Luke Killeen, Anders Rowe, Mitch McDiarmid, Justin Sedgmen (G), Darryl Ritchings, Dayle Wood. Team manager: Peter Schroeck.

Poole Wessex Machine Pirates: Richard Lawson, Kyle Newman, Lewis Kerr, Fraser Bowes, Zach Cook (C), William Cairns, Cooper Rushen. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.