Northen RIders' Championship ends Sheffield season

Sheffield close their 2003 season tomorrow [Thursday] evening with the staging of the Northern Riders' Championship. A host of names from the Premier and Elite Leagues - and beyond - will compete for a Teng Tools sponsored first prize.

The majority of the successful 2003 Sheffield team make up some of the field including Sean Wilson, winner of the Premier League Riders' Championship a couple of weeks ago plus fast-rising Ricky Ashworth and Andrew Moore.

Wilson might be fancying his chances of adding to that PLRC win but will certainly have his work cut out with the likes of Joe Screen, Adam Shields, Carl Stonehewer and his great friend Gary Havelock in contention.

Add to mix the likes of former winner and former world champion Sam Ermolenko, track specialist Paul Pickering and Trelawny's Chris Harris and it's not easy to forecast a winner.

For that little extra interest, Sheffield promoter Neil Machin has brought in Norbert Magosi from Hungary. Magosi is one of a handful of active Hungarian riders but one desperate to impress with a view towards landing a British speedway berth for 2004.

The top two points scorers from the qualifying heats will go straight to the grand final with the next four highest scorers in a repecharge heat with the first two from that completing the final field. Those four will then race winner-takes-all for the Teng Tools prize.

The full line-up is:
Sean Wilson, Shane Parker, Scott Smith, Joe Screen, Carl Stonehewer, Adam Shields, Norbert Magosi, Gary Havelock, Ricky Ashworth, Andrew Moore, Paul Pickering, Sam Ermolenko, Rory Schlein, James Birkinshaw, Chris Harris, Brent Werner