Scunthorpe 60 Rye House 35

The Silver Ski Rockets are still searching for their first away Premier League points of the season as they stare at the table from its wrong end after being upended 60-35 by Scunthorpe on Friday night.

Edward Kennett (12+1) and Jason Garrity (9) carried much of the Rockets’ points scoring workload as they combined for 21 of the team’s 35 point total. Kennett bagged two race wins in the process, including a 6 pointer as a Tactical rider in Heat 5, with Jason Bunyan picking up a third Rye success, but the away side was unable to secure a single on-track heat advantage all night.

Promoter Len Silver was quick to sum up the problem afterwards. “What was the story of our night? We couldn’t make starts to save our lives. We were on the pace once we got past the first two bends, but we were really struggling from the tapes. That was the story of our night.”

The Rockets will look to re-group when they host Peterborough tonight (7pm start) in Hertfordshire with the benefit of being able to field their chosen seven riders at home since the first time they re-declared back in May.

Rye House scorers:

Edward Kennett 12+1 (5 rides, inc 6 as a TR), Jason Garrity 9 (5 rides, inc 4 as a TR), Jason Bunyan 5 (4), Mathieu Tresarrieu 4+1 (4), Luke Bowen 3 (4), Steve Boxall 2 (4), Marc Owen (guest) 0 (4)

Scunthorpe scorers:

Ryan Douglas 16 (6 rides), David Howe 14+4 (6 rides, max), Thomas Jorgensen 13+1 (6), Ashley Birks 9+2 (5), Nicolai Klindt 6+2 (4), Matt Williamson 2 (4), Josh Auty R/R

Match Points: Scunthorpe 3 Rye House 0

Meanwhile, the Silver Ski Rockets have revamped their roster with Anders Mellgren and Oliver Greenwood set to replace Mathieu Tresarrieu and Stefan Nielsen in a re-declared septet. The changes are subject to final ratification by the BSPA.

23 year old Mellgren will be returning to Hertfordshire after a relatively brief absence. The Rye House asset has enjoyed strong campaigns with the Rockets in 2012 and 2013 - also finishing second in the Premier League Riders’ Championship in the first of those two seasons – and was earmarked for a 2014 spot before being forced out of the reckoning in order to accommodate the signing of Edward Kennett within the points limit.

He was quickly snapped up by Scunthorpe, only to suffer a serious back injury at Redcar in only his second match for the Scorpions at the beginning of April. Just over three months after that accident, Mellgren has not only come through his racing “convalescence” in Sweden but impressed in his comeback meeting in this country by reaching the Final of Luke Bowen’s Testimonial meeting alongside partner Leigh Lanham at Rye House on Sunday. It was a clear sign that he is ready to rumble again.

19 year old Greenwood, meanwhile, is in his first full season of Premier League racing after a number of guest appearances in 2013. He started the campaign with Peterborough, with 12 official appearances netting a solid 4.30 record that included a paid 12 maximum against Plymouth and paid 11 at Rye. Also a second year member of the Coventry Storm at National League level, he has now fully recovered from the broken collarbone that led to the Panthers signing Nicki Barrett as a replacement.

Rye House promoter Len Silver said: “I am delighted that we have now been able to fit Anders into our team following a very satisfactory performance during Luke Bowen’s Testimonial, and I am pleased too that we have been able to negotiate the addition of Oliver, thanks to great co-operation from Mick Horton at Coventry.”

Silver also stressed the fact that outgoing Rockets Tresarrieu and Nielsen were both the innocent victims of the need to strengthen the side after a run of poor results. “I am very sad that Mathieu has had to be sacrificed along with Stefan. Both of these riders are extremely personable and did their best for the club. I was not disappointed in either of them and they leave under no cloud whatever in regard to their ability. I would not hesitate to re-employ either of them if the opportunity arose, and I wish them well in their new fields.”

Subject to sign-off by the BSPA, both Mellgren and Greenwood will join the Rockets for their northern tour to Berwick (next Saturday) and Newcastle (next Sunday) before making their home debuts against Redcar a week on Wednesday (July 30th at 7.30pm).