Unsurprisingly the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions’ meeting against the Reading Racers was called off early on Friday morning with a forecast of rain all day.
The forecast proved to be 100% correct and the meeting has now been re-scheduled for Friday 19th September (7.30pm). The Scunthorpe Saints meeting that was originally scheduled for that night will now take place at a later date.
After Thursday’s meeting at Sheffield was also cancelled the Scorpions will now be hoping it is third time lucky on Sunday night when they travel to the North East to face the Newcastle Diamonds. The meeting has always been targeted as a potential away win and would mean a lot to the club as they have four former Diamonds in the side along with Team Manager Kenny Smith who spent ten years working for the club.
Weather permitting the club will have two sides in operation at the same time on Sunday with the Saints Conference League side facing the Boston Barracudas in the first leg of the Knockout Cup Semi-final at King’s Lynn.
With James Birkinshaw having returned to ride for Birmingham in the Premier League, Stuart Parnaby unavailable and Mike Pickering struggling for form away from home Team Manager Malcolm Vasey has added 2005 Scorpion Chris Widman to the line-up “I tried to sign a couple of riders with Premier League experience but they didn’t come off. Chris has improved this season and has had a few meetings for Boston. He deserves his chance and it will be a tough meeting whatever side we take. However, in speedway you never now what might happen so we will give it our best shot as always and see where we stand after the tie’s thirty heats”.
The Scunthorpe teams for the meetings are:
Scunthorpe Scorpions
1. Richard Hall (England), 2. Viktor Bergström (Sweden), 3. Magnus Karlsson (Sweden), 4. Emiliano Sanchez (Argentina), 5. Carl Wilkinson (England), 6. Ben Powell (Australia), 7. Byron Bekker (South Africa)
Scunthorpe Saints
1. Jonathan Bethell, 2. Rider replacement for Byron Bekker, 3. Scott Richardson, 4. Chris Widman, 5. Ben Hopwood, 6. Gary Irving, 7. Adam Wrathall
