Last weekend’s postponed East Midlands Bowl fixture against the Coventry Bees at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium will now take place on Sunday with a start-time of 6.00 pm.
Alan Jones the Co-promoter of the Leicester Lions said: “It was a disappointment to lose the original meeting to the weather as there is a great deal of preparation that goes on behind the scenes in terms of organisation for both clubs. There are so many aspects to consider when a new date has to be found; not least of all whether the riders are available and added to this is staffing an event at such short notice. Thankfully it all fell into place and Coventry were as keen as us to stage the event and we are pleased that they agreed to return on Sunday. It is a rarity to see such an array of world-class talent on show at a Premier League track and the two teams assembled are brimming with exceptional ability so this has all the prospects of a classic meeting and one not to be missed.”
The East Midlands Bowl dates back to the early post-war days at the old Blackbird Road Stadium and it was the traditional season curtain raiser between Leicester and Coventry. Such was the popularity of the event that it continued in the last era of the Lions. “There is nothing like a local derby to whet the appetite of fans and the history between the two clubs made it one of the oldest local derbies in speedway and the vibrancy between both sets of supporters ensured that the meetings attained legendary status” added Jones.
The Coventry Bees Select have confirmed an unchanged line-up and have named a powerful group of riders in Scott Nicholls, the seven times British Champion, Niels-Kristian Iversen who came third in the season long Grand Prix series and the Polish Speedway World Cup Under-21 double gold medallist Grzegorz Zengota. The Leicester Select team make one change to the original line-up, bringing in Nick Morris for the unavailable Lasse Bjerre. The Australian is an ideal replacement as he rides the Leicester track as well as any visitor and will form the opening partnership with Kenneth Bjerre. Joining Bjerre at the head of the team is the Polish International and a rider of high repute, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Hans Andersen who led Swindon to a place in the Elite League play-off semi-finals earlier this month.
Teams
Leicester: 1. Kenneth Bjerre, 2. Nick Morris, 3. Krzysztof Kasprzak, 4. Kenneth Hansen, 5. Hans Andersen, 6. Kevin Doolan (captain) and 7. Jan Graversen
Coventry: 1. Niels-Kristian Iversen, 2. Scott Nicholls (captain), 3. Grzegorz Zengota, 4. Ryan Fisher, 5. Ben Barker, 6. Aaron Summers and 7. James Sarjeant
The second leg of the East Midlands Bowl takes place at Brandon on Friday 25th October.
