Oxford Cheetahs entertain arch-rivals Poole at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Friday

SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs stage Friday night speedway at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium for a second successive week, with the visit of reigning champions Poole Pirates in the Cab Direct Championship this Friday (July 31) at 7.30pm.

Last Friday, Cheetahs picked up a convincing 52-38 win over Berwick Bandits at Cowley.

Oxford and Poole first met in 1949 – the first season for Cheetahs – and soon built up a keen rivalry. Oxford defeated Poole by a point to win the Elite League in 2001, while more recently, Pirates defeated Cheetahs in the Grand Final of the Cab Direct Championship in 2024.

Poole are currently unbeaten in the 2026 Cab Direct Championship, with five wins and one draw, and Oxford would like to be the first team to defeat them in the competition.

Oxford will use rider replacement for Mitch McDiarmid – who along with Poole’s William Cairns – is competing in the SGP2 (World Under-21 Championship) at Lodz, Poland on Friday.

Cheetahs have won their last three meetings at Sandy Lane, while overall they have won seven wins out of nine meetings at home so far this season.

Oxford team manager Peter Schoeck said: “There was visibly a bigger crowd last Friday and there was much more of a buzz on the terraces.

“We’re hoping for even more people on Friday, since there’s quite a rivalry with Poole and that always generates plenty of interest. The weather is set fair for Friday, it’s set to be a lovely day, without being too hot, with temperatures in the mid-20s.

“Not only is it a Friday, but it’s the school holidays. We saw more kids last week, and of course accompanied children throughout the season are free at Oxford Speedway.

“We’re also hoping the Friday night will help attract the Poole fans. It’s like a local derby, because we are the nearest track to Poole. The Pirates have a good following and we’re hoping many of them will come up on Friday and help create a terrific atmosphere on the terraces.

“Poole are always tough opposition, but Sam Masters and the boys have won the last three home meetings and we are aiming to keep that run going.”

Oxford Speedway will hold its annual collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund on Friday, the charity that provides funds for both long-and-short-term injured speedway riders.

Tickets are 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. Spectators are also reminded that they will need to pay £2 when booking their ticket if they are planning to park in the Unipart car park. Parking at the Unipart car park is now fully restored and the club thank Unipart for their co-operation.

On Race Day, there is now also the chance to buy tickets by cash or card at the box office from 6pm.

A full preview for Friday evening will follow later in the week.

PHOTO by Steve Edmunds