CS ELITE LEAGUE PREVIEW: Wednesfield look to bounce back in Midlands derby | Round 3

Round 3 of the British Cycling Cycle Speedway Elite League Series sees former champions, Horspath Hammers, back in action at home to Ipswich Eagles. We kick off the preview in the West Midlands though, with a local derby between champions Wednesfield Aces and early league leaders Coventry at Ashmore Park, Wolverhampton.

The Aces let slip an 13 point lead at the half way stage in round 2 away to Ipswich. After a comprehensive performance in the first half, it all fell apart for the reigning champions, after some costly exclusions paved the way for an Eagles come back, which resulted in Wednesfield leaving Suffolk empty handed.

They should be at full strength for the fixture against the early pace setters. Paul Heard has enjoyed a stint in the Polish league and he will be leading the Wednesfield attack. Welshman Ben Mould and Lee Aris will also be key players, as will Under 16 British Champion, Brandon Whetton, who is having a great season so far.

Coventry made it two out of two down in Poole in round 2 and lead the way in the series. A robust side, which heavily features Northern riders, they have proven to be a tough nut to crack thus far. They will be without new South Australian champion, Bobby McMillan, who is currently back home in Australia.

They will welcome back three times British Champion Andy Angell to replace McMillan, while the quick-looking Michael Baldock is also sidelined after surgery, which will pave the way for either Pawel Idziorek or Adam Watson.

This match could easily go down to the final race, with both teams looking strong on paper. It’s more than likely that the team who wants it more will walk away with the league points.

Horspath finally race into action after sitting out round one and two, the former champions boast a formidable line up of British riders, along with the option of flying in some of Poland’s finest, including world champion, Bartek Grabowski.

Mark Boaler leading in the 2015 World Final. Will he appear against Ipswich tomorrow?

Newport riders Mark Carmichael and Jack Harrold return to the Hammers line up after Newport dropped out of the Elite League at the end of the last series. Swindon’s hot prospect, Jake Neighbour, looks set to make his Elite League debut, while the big question is, will Mark Boaler feature? The former British Champion has hinted at retirement, but you never know when the Elite League comes around.

Ipswich will be feeling positive from their comeback against Wednesfield in round two. The Eagles must fix their first half form if they are to come away with any points on Sunday. They made a sluggish start against Coventry in round one, which ultimately cost them the meeting. Although they staged a successful comeback at home in round two, doing so against Horspath at the Village is no uphill task, it’s more mountain climbing.

Ipswich are more than capable of getting a result though and we watch with interest how it will play out. Like Wednesfield v Coventry, it should be a very close match. Tune into Periscope at @aus_cycle to follow the action.

Both matches start at 2pm on Sunday 15th May 2016.

Cover photo by Andrew Parr.