TIGERS NAME SIX & LIONS MAKE IT SEVEN

Sheffield has unveiled six of their 2025 Rowe Motor Oil Premiership side, with the Tigers tracking Speedway GP star Jack Holder and former world champions Tai Woffinden and Chris Holder.

Elsewhere, Leicester announced Aussie internationals Sam Masters and Ryan Douglas as the final two members of their team.

It was Sheffield who stole the show on social media on Thursday evening, with promoter Damien Bates and team manager Simon Stead starring in the club’s very original Love Actually remake to announce their first six stars.

World No.6 Jack Holder, triple Speedway GP world champion Woffinden and 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder join forces with Aussie action man Josh Pickering and British prospects Anders Rowe and Leon Flint, with one final rider still to be announced.

Bates is delighted to have kept his 2024 top four intact, while adding the promise of Rowe and Flint as they bid to regain the Premiership crown they lifted for the first time in the club’s history in 2023.

He said: “We didn’t want to change too much because we weren’t a million miles away last year. Of course we were disappointed we couldn’t defend the league title, but we only missed out by a couple of points in the play-off semis and we won the Knockout Cup.

“Obviously Tai was injured as well but with him, Jack, Chris and Picko as a top four, if they can have an injury-free year and just do what they do, it only needs Anders, Leon and the seventh rider to score their average and we’ll win speedway meetings.”

The club was expected to announce their entire one-to-seven at a club event on Thursday evening, but Bates said: “Something changed very late on with the final rider, but as a management team we’re working on things, and we’ll inform supporters of that signing when the time is right.

“The whole league is going to be competitive next year, and I don’t think any one team is going to run away with it. We’re more than happy with the team we’ve got so far. It has got four proven heat leaders and a couple of British youngsters who can hopefully continue to progress, and we’re looking forward to having another solid year at Sheffield.”

Elsewhere, Masters and Douglas team up with Speedway GP rider Max Fricke, FIM North America champion Luke Becker, former SGP star Craig Cook, Kyle Howarth and Sam Hagon.

Reflecting on his final two recruits, boss Stewart Dickson said: “Sam is very consistent, and he wins big races. I think he had a slow start to the season, but he then picked up his form, and quite often he was asked to go with Max in heat 15 up against some very good riders. He delivered more often than not, and I’m sure the highlight of this season would have been the two heat-15 5-1s in the play-off semi-final against Ipswich.

“I know people said he had a big home-track advantage at Monmore Green and his average could only go one way, but he actually put his average up when he came to Leicester, which shows he’s still very capable of doing a heat-leader job for us.

“He was sought after by a couple of other clubs this winter, which doesn’t surprise me, and I don’t have any problem with that because a rider will go where he wants to go. He’s remained loyal to us, and he said to me he doesn’t like to move around a lot.

“Ryan is another good rider to work with, going back to when he was here before in the Championship, and although others might have had a nibble for him, he wanted to come back, which shows you he’s happy here.

“I think there’s still more in Ryan, he should be aiming to get an eight-point average next season, and there’s no reason why he can’t do it.”