Swindon born Ritchings was a member of the league winning Oxford Chargers in 2025 and after guesting a couple of times for the Cheetahs, as well as a small run with Poole in the Championship, demonstrated that he was ready for a permanent Championship berth in 2026. Ritchings had previously ridden for Swindon, Ipswich and Birmingham before taking some time out of the sport, returning last year for the first time since 2017.

Ritchings is delighted with how his return has gone: “I am looking to build on what has been a great comeback year for me

“I am delighted to be joining the Cheetahs in 2026, I am going to knuckle down over the winter, get the bikes ready and cannot wait for the new season”

31-year-old Australian born Dayle Wood will be returning to ride in Britain for the fourth consecutive year. He rode for the Berwick Bandits in the Championship last season as well as Edinburgh in the National League.

“I am really looking forward to joining the Cheetahs in 2026, I think it will be a good year and the team looks really good” he enthused.

The full 2026 Oxford Cheetahs team is:
Sam Masters, Anders Rowe, Erik Riss, Mitch McDiarmid, Luke Killeen, Darryl Ritchings, Dayle Wood

Words and Feature Image by Oxford Speedway

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Killeen has been a part of the club since their return in 2022 and is the only rider to have represented the Chargers, Cheetahs and Spires! In 2025, he increased his Championship average from 3.85 to 5.28.

Killeen has high hopes for 2026: “It is going to be a big year, and I am looking for lots of progression.”

He further underlined how important Oxford Speedway is to him, “There is no place I would rather be than Oxford”, he concluded.

Two-time Western Australia Champion, McDiarmid joined Oxford in 2025 and made an immediate impact with some real match-winning performances. He also took part in the SGP2 series as a wildcard, finishing fourteenth. At just seventeen, he was one of the youngest riders to be in the competition.

Team Manager, Peter Schroeck, is clearly delighted with his top five “These two guys have so much potential and room for growth

“We have an experienced top three, so we can take some of the pressure off these two youngsters

“It is a combination that can really deliver results, and we are certainly capable of a play-off place” he enthused.

With the top five riders now in place, there are just over five points left for the two reserve spots and a further announcement is expected on Tuesday 16 December.

Words and Feature Image by Oxford Speedway

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Riss joined the Oxford Spires in 2024 and was a consistent performer, especially around Sandy Lane, ending last season with the highest average for the Spires. Sadly, 2025 was curtailed by illness however, that is not a concern for 2026.

A delighted Riss was keen to put the fans minds at rest, “I am sure there are concerns but I can assure you that I am back to full health

“I now have a definite diagnosis and treatment for the problem, and I also know how to avoid it in the future

Riss expressed his delight at returning to Oxford, “I am really happy to be back at Sandy Lane, it is a track I really enjoy riding on, and I think I do fairly well on it!”

Riss will start on an average of 7.12 and joins Sam Masters (10.09) and Anders Rowe (7.38) as confirmed signings and this trio will form the spearhead of the Cheetahs side in 2026.

Team Manager, Peter Schroeck, is really pleased to see Erik return, albeit for the Cheetahs. “He is a talented rider, and we are privileged to have him back at Oxford

“I have known him for many years, and he is great to deal with, and it is always nice to have a fellow countryman in the pits!

“He was gutted to have his season cut short by illness last year, so it is great for him to return fully fit”, 

Team building continues and the fourth Cheetah will be announced on Thursday 11 December at 7am.

Words and Feature Image by Oxford Speedway

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Masters has been inspirational since moving to the Cheetahs in 2023 and led from the front throughout a challenging 2025 campaign for the Championship side. He finished the season with the highest average in the Championship, and was the only rider to achieve double figures at 10.09.

Team Manager Pete Schroeck underlined how important Sam was to the Cheetahs:

“Sam was a constant throughout the year, and could always be relied upon to deliver the points. He was an inspirational captain, which he will retain into 2026. That makes two riders so far for 2026, with Sam Masters and Anders Rowe both confirmed starters.”

Schroeck concluded, “The team is coming together as I had planned and the fans will have a team they can really get behind!”

The club expects to be in a position to confirm the next rider on Tuesday December 9th, 2026.

Words and Image by Oxford Speedway

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Rowe, originally from Weymouth, has lived in Royal Wooton Bassett for many years and moving to Oxford was a natural step for him:

“Oxford has a great set-up and being local and riding on a Wednesday it will enable me to continue growing as a rider

“I hope to have a place in the Premiership and continue to ride in Poland which meant the opportunity came at the perfect time for me

“I have always done well at Sandy Lane, and think I can only get better riding there regularly.”

Another graduate of the Pete Schroeck training school, Rowe has always wanted to ride for his old mentor

“I always said I would ride for him and can’t wait to work with him in 2026”.

Moving to a new club does mean that Anders is looking for some local support as he prepares for the new campaign, “It would be great if anyone who wants to come on board contacts me via my Facebook page, Anders Rowe 111”, he concluded.

Anders finished second in the Poole averages for 2025, with an average of 7.57 ahead of Zach Cook and Lewis Kerr.

Team Manager Pete Schroeck is really excited by how the team is coming together, “We are assembling an exciting side, bursting with potential, which will be pushing for honours in 2026

“Anders is a great guy, who has shown fantastic form in the Championship and will bring something new to the team”.

There will be further rider announcements throughout December, with the next rider being revealed on Thursday morning.

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These five join the previously announced Sam Masters and Luke Kileen in a potent-looking septet.

Images courtesy of Mark Lee-Sing

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Masters and Scott Nicholls have been a fearsome Heat 13/15 combination in the Cab Direct Championship in the last two years, but that pairing will be split in 2025 due to injury for Nicholls.

READ MORE: OXFORD CHEETAHS NEWS

Said Masters: “I didn’t need to think about it, I love turning up at Sandy Lane and racing for the Cheetahs on a Wednesday.

“Pete (Schroeck) and Jamie (Courtney) are so easy to deal with and we have a great relationship, this is a real family club.

“I hope I can be half the captain that Scott is, and I hope he is back quickly as he’s one of the best team-mates I have ever had – a massive part of the Cheetahs set-up.”

Words and Images by British Speedway

The post Sam Masters confirmed as Oxford Cheetahs 2025 Number 1 appeared first on Speedway Hub UK.

Nicholls rolled back the years in 2024 with some superb performances while guesting in the Premiership and leading the Oxford Cheetahs to the Championship Playoff and KOC Finals against the Poole Pirates.

Nicholls crashed out of the KOC final and dislocated his left shoulder. He will be operated on on November 26th, which will mean he will miss the start of the season, which will be a huge blow for the Cheetah’s who were likely to have him as their spearhead again in 2025.

His full statement reads as follows:

🚨Let’s pause for a minute 😞
Hey all, not really the news I wanted to be delivering, but I’d like to share where I’m at. As you’ll know my season ended with an unfortunate crash where I dislocated my left shoulder. As we all do, I was sure it would just be a case of a couple weeks rest and a bit of physio and I’d be back to business….sadly, that isn’t the case and I have to have surgery on 26th November. It’s a race against time to be fit and I will work hard to be back as soon as I can, but sadly, I won’t be ready to start the season. I have informed Oxford Speedway of the situation and they will be doing what they can build the best team possible for the start of the season without my presence. I’m truly devastated by my current situation, but as you all know, I’ll do my best to be back to my best asap!!
Thank you for all the love and support this year, had a cracking year just a shame to round it out like this 🙏❤️

Feature Image courtesy of Mark Lee-Sing

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Boughen had a promising season for the Cheetahs and the Spires, with some fantastic performances at points during the year. However, he did seem to lack confidence in the Cheetahs’ Playoff fixtures. He has already been confirmed as the Rising Star for the Kings Lynn Stars in the Premiership rather than Oxford, so it remains to be seen where he will end up in the Championship next year.

A club statement said, “Unfortunately, Ashton Boughen will not be riding for the Oxford Cheetahs in 2025, despite agreeing originally to return.

We wish him well in the future. Ashton has plenty of potential to become a successful British Speedway rider.”

Feature Image by Mark Lee-Sing

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However, the result came at a potential cost for the Cheetahs with Jordan Jenkins crashing out in Heat 14, and he is due to have X-rays on a wrist injury today.

Bears heat-leader Danny King was also in the wars, hurting his foot in a Heat 13 spill meaning he did not race in Heat 15.

Sam Masters (12+1) and Scott Nicholls (11+2) led the Oxford scoring with youngster Ashton Boughen picking up 10+1.

Charles Wright kept the visitors in contention with 12 and reserve Jake Mulford impressed with 9+1, and the tie will be concluded at the ECCO Arena on Friday.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “Better ten points (lead) than no points. Last time we had a draw (at Redcar) without Ashton, if we are missing Jordan then we can look for a guest or use rider replacement.

“Jordan has been working so hard to get things right, it is a little upsetting at the moment.”

Scorecard

Pictures by Mark Lee Sing – Words by British Speedway

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