FOUR meetings in six days kick off a very busy May for all three Oxford sides, writes Leon Foster-Hill.

Six Oxford Cheetahs matches, five Oxford Spires meetings and a home Oxford Chargers fixture will give fans lots of opportunities to see how the teams are shaping up.

The Oxford Spires are currently third in the league table, with nine points, the same as Leicester Lions and Ipswich Witches, who are placed higher on points difference.

They are away to Sheffield Tigers tomorrow, when new signing Craig Cook will take his place in the line-up.

Cook is a former British champion and Grand Prix regular, who has been signed as a temporary replacement for the injured Lewis Kerr. He has had a great start to the season with Championship side Workington Comets, and is delighted to have a spot in the Premiership.

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“I’m really grateful for this opportunity and thank Peter [Schroeck, team manager] and the Oxford management for making the call,” he said.

“I’ve put a lot of effort into my preparation for 2024, and so far, the results have been pleasing.

“Oxford has been a real success story since the club reopened two years ago, so to be part of the operation in the coming months is exciting for me and I’m looking forward to Thursday’s trip to Sheffield.”

The Spires will then be back in action on bank holiday Monday when they face another tough test in the shape of the Leicester Lions. The bank holiday fixture is at the normal race time, with tapes up at 7.30pm.

The Cheetahs have only had the one home fixture against Plymouth Gladiators, and two away defeats which they are looking to put behind them. The Championship Knockout Cup quarter final second leg takes centre stage at Cowley tonight, with a 12-point deficit to overhaul.

Schroeck is confident that his side can progress and has called on the Oxfordshire public to get behind the squad.

He said: “For the neutral this tie is perfectly poised, and there’s every chance it could go down to the last race, but our aim is to wrap up a result much sooner.”

Cheetahs captain Scott Nicholls knows the task is hard and will be rallying the team.

He said: “Oxford is a fair racetrack, but we need to dig in and work hard and get some momentum going as a team. With our fans behind us, we can still do it next Wednesday and progress to the cup semi-finals.”

The Cheetahs are also at Plymouth on Saturday night in the BSN Series. For those unable to travel, the match is being streamed online via the British Speedway Network.