Swindon’s flaming June continues with vigour as the high flying Robins entertain Eastbourne in more Sky Sports Elite League action at the Abbey Stadium on Thursday, 12th June.
Alun Rossiter’s men still hold top spot in the Elite league and will be targeting a further two points from the meeting against an Eastbourne side who have sprung back into life in the past week.
Re-energized by the return of Lee Richardson from a wrist injury the Eagles repelled the Swindon challenge on Saturday night before narrowly missing out on victory at Belle Vue on Monday.
The Eagles boast an array of top quality riders including Scott Nicholls and Edward Kennett who finished first and second respectively in the recently staged British Final at Blunsdon.
Throw Lee Richardson, Cameron Woodward and Lewis Brider into the equation and the Sussex side have a mouth watering top five that has the potential to test the Swindon guard on Thursday.
Team manager Alun Rossiter was naturally cautious about the power packed Eastbourne attack.
‘The Eagles pose a real threat to us on Thursday and we need to be firing on all cylinders to halt their recent resurgence. We’re seeking revenge from the defeat they inflicted on us last Saturday on their own turf and on paper this looks to be a fantastic meeting.
This will be Manuel Hauzinger’s debut for the club and I will be interested to see how he adapts to Blunsdon. Were hoping Manuel will have an opportunity to practice prior to the start of the meeting so he can become familiar with the correct bike set ups and racing lines.
If Manuel does adapt quickly, then we could arguably boast one of the finest reserve pairings in the Elite league, especially with James Wright enjoying such a rich vein of form’
We’d love to see another big crowd at the Abbey Stadium, the supporters have been brilliant this season and the mood on the terraces is very positive. The team react to a big crowd and of course are now aware of the legendary ‘Blunsdon roar’!
Visitors’ fact file: Eastbourne Eagles
Lewis BRIDGER
DOB: 4 November 1989, Hastings, Sussex.
THE teenager is now in his third season in Eastbourne colours and remains one of the hottest prospects in world speedway. Bridger’s versatility is, perhaps, one of his strongest attributes, along with his exciting style and tenacious attitude. The youngster’s season up to this point has been steady, if unspectacular, and Bridger’s scores at Blunsdon have been erratic over the years. Collected just two points on his last league visit to Wiltshire but proved in the recent British Final he does harbour the ability to sniff out the Abbey Stadium’s faster lines.
James BRUNDLE
DOB: 15 December 1986, King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
BRUNDLE was the final piece of Eastbourne’s team-building jigsaw, joining the club after plying his trade mainly in the Premier League previously. A fresh start this year with the Eagles has given Brundle the opportunity to establish himself in the Elite League and he will look to find his feet in the reserve position. Missed Eastbourne’s last visit to Swindon through an ankle injury but has fully recovered and is starting to collect improved scores
Simon GUSTAFSSON
DOB: 26 May 1990, Kumla, Sweden.
SON of the legendary Henka, who returned to the Eagles’ camp this season after enjoying a brief spell with the club in the latter part 2007. The highly-rated, internationally experienced, youngster is expected to do well from the reserve department. Had an average night on his last visit to Swindon collecting a six point haul from his five rides which included a solitary race win. Definitely harbours the ability to spring a surprise and could be a danger man this evening.
Edward KENNETT
DOB: 28 August 1986, Hastings, Sussex.
AFTER a season on loan with South Coast rivals Poole, Kennett rejoined his parent club for 2008.
Although his form towards the latter part of last year wasn’t as impressive as his early-season showings, there could be no doubting overall that he had benefited from his year with the Pirates.
Kennett has always enjoyed riding Blunsdon and this was demonstrated vividly when he collected second spot in last month’s British Final which therefore secured the youngster a Wild Card berth in the British SGP at the Millennium Stadium.
Scott NICHOLLS
DOB: 16 May 1978, Ipswich, Suffolk.
NICHOLLS’ transfer from Coventry to Eastbourne was one of the most talked-about moves of the winter months. The British rider was a casualty of the reduced points-limit and found himself squeezed out by the Bees, who instead opted to keep Chris Harris.
However, the five-times British Champion now forms a potent spearhead for the Eagles alongside former Swindon ace Lee Richardson. The Ipswich-born rider certainly revels in the wide open spaces of the Abbey Stadium raceway and has consistently ridden well at Blunsdon in the past few seasons. Of course Nicholls recently romped to victory in the British Final held at Swindon.
Lee RICHARDSON
DOB: 25 April 1979, Hastings, Sussex.
FOR the first time in four seasons, Richardson is not wearing a Robins’ race-suit. And it was with a heavy heart that Swindon fans waved a fond farewell to the Hastings-born racer, who, of course, remains the club’s record signing. Richardson started his 2008 campaign impressive style with an array of double figure hauls suggesting he had successfully re-captured some of his old spark. However, the British rider endured a miserable May that saw him sidelined with a broken bone in his right wrist. Thankfully Richardson is now fit and has resumed his place in the Eagles line up.
Cameron WOODWARD
DOB: 8 January 1985, Mildura, Victoria, Australia.
THE Australian youngster returned to the UK from a very productive spell in his homeland and has hit the ground running in 2008. He has noticeably upped his scoring this year and added strength to the Eagles’ top-end as a dependable second string rider.
Woodward is a proven points-scorer at the Abbey Stadium and his ability to use every line Blunsdon has to offer certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. He will be hoping to improve on the paid six points he acquired when last riding at Swindon.
SWINDON MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD
Thursday’s meeting and Man of the Match award is kindly sponsored by Handy Garden Machinery, a long established local family business.
Handy’s Hyde Road showroom houses a wholly comprehensive choice of quality garden machinery with established products from leading manufacturers. With over 60 years of valuable experience you can be sure that the stock on sale has been carefully selected to represent the very best equipment for a range of gardening needs.
You will find a staggering 5000 items, the largest selection of garden machinery in the South of England, and this is accommodated in 40,000 square feet of local warehousing.
VIP PACKAGES
Swindon Speedway pride themselves in offering one of the best VIP packages in sport, where both the ardent fan and the complete newcomer can enjoy a superb evening of fast and furious entertainment, alongside exclusive pre-meeting pit-walks, and a table in the newly refurbished Legends’ Lounge.
Bookings for these packages have increased year-on-year and already a large number of companies have booked team nights out and meeting sponsorships for the 2008 season. Tickets are available by calling Commercial Manager Paul Oughton on 01305 755607 or via e-mail at: paul.oughton@swindon-speedway.co.uk
TEAMS FOR THURSDAY 12th June, Parade 7.20 p.m.; Tapes-up 7.30 p.m.
Eastbourne
1. Scott Nicholls
2. Lewis Bridger
3. Lee Richardson (C)
4. Cameron Woodward
5. Edward Kennett
6. Simon Gustafsson
7.James Brundle.
Team managers: Trevor Geer
Referee: G.Flint
SWINDON ROBINS IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEAM PARTNERS PEBLEY BEACH HYUNDAI, REDCARE LOGISTICS AND A.C. NURDEN LTD.
