Bellevue roar in to second spot

BELLE Vue team boss Chris Morton has fired off a salute to his tail-end gunners who have played a magnificent part in the club's superb start to the season.
The Autogate Aces had their fourth win in five matches when they beat Ipswich 55-37 at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Monday to jump two spots into second place in the Elite League. They face a tough trip to Swindon this Thursday before returning home next Monday to face Essex club Lakeside.
Morton has been faced with a series of problems with the cloud of volcanic ash stranding his Scandinavian big hitters, Hans Andersen, Peter Karlsson and Patrick Hougaard at home because of the flight ban.
But he has been able to bank on real power at the bottom end of the team where reserves Leigh Lanham, William Lawson and Ricky Ashworth have been doing their support roles in fine style.
Lanham has piled up 29 points in three home matches with young Scot Lawson collecting 15 and another seven at Wolverhampton.
And Salford-based Ashworth made a crucial eight-point contribution in the win at Coventry, Belle Vue's first success at the midland track for five years.
Morton said: “It makes such a difference when your reserves are going well. It is crucial to score good points at the bottom end of the team and that is something we have not always managed to do in previous seasons.
“Also, having reserves in form gives a team manager so many extra options to make tactical substitutions during a match.
“Lanham has been brilliant. He is sharing a place with Ashworth as they are doubling up with Premier League clubs but Ricky's chances have been limited with Leigh doing so well. “Ashworth did a great job for us in the win at Coventry and would have got the place at Swindon because he is strong on big, fast tracks.
“But Sheffield had first call on him so Lanham stayed in the team and he'll be in against Lakeside next Monday as well.
“He has proved himself to be very strong on our smaller and tighter track and, in any case, I couldn't leave him out against Lakeside where he rode for so many seasons.” Morton added: “Lawson has won the second race in two of our three home matches to date and he was second to Lanham in the other so he is doing his job.
“He does have the occasional race where he misses out but then he goes out and turns things round again in his next outing.
“There is no doubt that he can make good starts and he can race. He's not off the pace. He has looked impressive on occasions and very good on others.
“There hasn't been a time when I have looked at him and thought 'he's doing it wrong.' I have been very encouraged by the start he has made with us and I am pleased for him because it was a brave decision to move up from Premier League racing.” Morton is hoping Karlsson and Hougaard can find a way of meeting up to travel over together for Thursday despite the problems with flights.
Andersen will be away for the first Grand Prix of the 2010 World championship in Leszno, Poland on Saturday as he needs to be there in time for practice on Friday afternoon. Morton will operate rider replacement for Andersen if Karlsson and Hougaard can make it but another cloud on that scenario is that Hougaard has to be back for a Danish fixture in Vojens on Friday.
The Aces' boss also has a new Ace up his sleeve in German signing Tobias Kroner who made a ten-point debut against Ipswich in what was only his second meeting of the season.
Morton said: “I was interested in signing Toby when Ipswich said they couldn't fit him into their side pre-season. We couldn't manage it either at that time but he was to the front of my thoughts when we needed a replacement for the injured Charlie Gjedde. He is a ride of great potential.”
The Aces are still trying to rearrange their home match against Coventry which was rained off on March 29.