Cats’ cup bid to upset the Devils

8:54am Friday 4th July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

WEYMOUTH Doonan Wildcats travel to Plymouth tonight (7.15pm) hoping to make the semi-finals of the Knockout Cup.

The return leg, which was originally scheduled as the first clash but was rained off last Friday, sees the Wildcats take a slender 47-45 lead to the St Boniface Arena - a leg in which reserve rider Kyle Newman starred with a 12-point haul.

But with two defeats suffered at the Devils' home track already this season, 57-35 in the Trophy and 61-29 in the Devon & Dorset Cup, the form book doesn't read well for the Radipole Lane outfit.

Wildcats' team manager Jem Dicken believes that adjusting to the Plymouth track could be the deciding factor for his side.

He said: "Although we only have a two point lead I am confident that our luck has changed and we will be able to pull off an unexpected win.

"The riders know they are better than their adversaries and it's just about getting to grips with the tricky track that's the problem.

"Apparently they've put more dirt on the track and that should help our boys a bit, hopefully it might rain a bit as well to wipe out their home advantage, a bit like it did for us last Saturday.

"It's disappointing we couldn't hold on to the 13-point advantage we had at one stage in the meeting but these things happen in speedway and it could go that way against them this time. It's only half-time."

Skipper Karl Mason will not be riding for the Wildcats tonight, in his place comes Andrew Bargh, whose only appearance for the Weymouth side this season saw him score ten paid one in a 62-31 thrashing of Rye House.

Mason though, will return to the line-up tomorrow night when the Wildcats face the Swindon Sprockets in a Challenge meeting at the Wessex Stadium (7.15pm).

Dicken added: "Karl doesn't like riding at Plymouth and although he's on good form at the moment we don't want him to have a bad meeting then see his head go down."

Wildcats (against Plymouth): Lee Herne, Brendan Johnson, Luke Priest, Andrew Bargh, Jay Herne, Tim Webster, Kyle Newman.

Wildcats v Sprockets - Wildcats: Lee Herne, Brendan Johnson, Luke Priest, Karl Mason, Jay Herne, Tim Webster, Kyle Newman.

Sprockets: Charlie Saunders, Tom Brown, Justin Sedgeman, Ben Reade, Ryan Sedgeman, Richard Andrews, Stefan Maunder.