PREVIEW: Cheetahs look to finish home campaign with a flourish against Workington at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium
SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs are looking to extended their unbeaten home run to six matches, with the visit of Workington Comets in the Cab Direct Championship to the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (August 12) at 7.30pm.
The meeting marks the final official home fixture for Cheetahs in 2026. But it’s far from the end of the season at Sandy Lane, since the Real Mini Company Oxford Chargers still have three home meetings to go in the WSRA National League.
Cheetahs are currently above Workington in the Cab Direct Championship table and a victory would mean they would almost certainly finish above the Comets in the final standings.
There is also an aggregate bonus point at stake, since Workington won the corresponding meeting in Cumbria on June 13 by 48-42.
Erik Riss is due to make his long-awaited return from an illness that has affected his vision. The German last appeared for Cheetahs at Plymouth on April 11. With the return of Riss, Cheetahs have released his temporary replacement, Edward Kennett.
Workington’s Jonas Jeppesen is riding in Denmark, and will be replaced by Chris ‘Bomber’ Harris, while Troy Batchelor has picked up a knee injury and Jason Edwards will deputise.
In recent weeks, Cheetahs have won four of their last five home meetings – against Redcar, Plymouth, Berwick and Scunthorpe, plus been involved in a thrilling draw with league leaders Poole Pirates.
Oxford team manager Peter Schroeck says: “The SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs are out to finish our home fixtures in the Cab Direct Championship on a high. We’ve got some momentum going in recent weeks at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium and we want to keep that going and extend our unbeaten run at home to six matches.
“A few weeks ago I said we wanted to re-establish the feelgood factor at Oxford and I feel we’ve done that – the buzz from the terraces is back and thank you to the supporters for turning up and getting behind the boys.
“We won’t under-estimate Workington by any means, especially since they have two very capable guests in Chris Harris and Jason Edwards.
“We’re delighted to have Erik Riss back with Cheetahs and thank you to Edward for stepping in during his absence.”
Wednesday also sees an almost unique event in the build-up to the meeting – a near total solar eclipse at 7.11pm, the first one in Oxfordshire since 1999. Supporters are advised to arrive in good time to watch this event.
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.
NOTE FOR THOSE TRAVELLING BY CAR: For the majority, parking at Unipart is unaffected by the Watlington Road roadworks. However, season ticket holders with stadium parking, staff, and blue badge holders should note there is likely to be no direct right turn into Sandy Lane from the main road and please adjust your route accordingly – you can still turn left into Sandy Lane.
Teams:
SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs: Sam Masters (C), Luke Killeen, Erik Riss, Mitch McDiarmid, Anders Rowe, Dayle Wood, Darryl Ritchings. Team manager: Peter Schroeck.
Workington GT Tyres Comets: Chris Harris (G), Vinnie Foord, Tate Zischke, Jason Edwards (G), Drew Kemp, Max Perry, Niklas Holm Jakobsen. Team manager: Baz Collins.
PHOTO by Les Aubrey