Around the Premier League Tracks 2010

[Merlin]

Sunday, 4 April



Premier Trophy: Newport 51, King’s Lynn 41 .


Only a last lap pass on Linus Eklof by Leigh Lanham for third place in a race won by Tomas Topinka prevented the Stars from taking a first heat lead then a Casper Wortmann win in the reserves race, after the Stars’ Ricky Wallace had been excluded, kept the scores level. However a Mellgren-Legault 5-1 in heat 3 broke the deadlock to put the Wasps four ahead and it became six when Kevin Doolan could only split the Nilsson-Kurtz pairing for a 15-9 score.

A Topinka win in heat 5 stopped the rot but Craig Watson and Leigh Lanham had King’s Lynn struggling with another home 5-1 in heat 7 as Doolan slipped back to third. The Wasps lead now stood at 10 points but they got a fright when Kim Nilsson fell on the first bend of heat 7 and needed an ambulance ride back to the pits. Fortunately he recovered to take his place in the rerun but was clearly out of sorts as he could only drift round at the back as the Stars hit back with a 1-5 from Kozza Smith and Joe Haines who cut the gap to six points. King’s Lynn must have rued not using a TR in the race which would have cut the lead to just three points. Craig Watson and Todd Kurtz took a 4-2 in heat 8 with Wortmann in second so the Wasps took an eight point lead at 28-20.

Kevin Doolan finally came to the party by winning the ninth race for a 3-3 but Watson and Lanham nailed another 5-1 for the home side a race later stretching the lead to 12 points. Conveniently it allowed Tomas Topinka the opportunity to take a Tactical Ride but he finished stone cold last after being passed by the Wasps’ reserve, Alex Davies for third place. Casper Wortmann rescued two points from the race by following Kim Nilsson home so the damage was restricted to a 4-2 as the lead soared to 14 points. Tactical number two was used by the visitors in heat 12 with Kozza Smith entrusted with it. He finished second to Anders Mellgren while Wortmann beat Kurtz for third so King’s Lynn scored a 3-5 advantage with the score now 43-31.

The Stars suffered another blow when Kevin Doolan fell and was excluded from the rerun of heat 13. Tomas Topinka won the race though to share the heat then the Stars gave themselves a chance of earning a point by cutting their deficit to ten points with a 2-4 in heat 14. Joe Haines won the race from Kyle Legault with Wortmann in third after Davies had fallen (twice) and been excluded. The visitors needed a 1-5 for a point in the last race but Leigh Lanham dashed their hopes by passing both Doolan and Topinka for a share of the points.


Scorers: For Newport – Craig Watson 11 (5), Anders Mellgren 10 (4), Leigh Lanham 9+4 (5), Kim Nilsson 8 (4), Kyle Legault 6+3 (4), Alex Davies 4 (4), Todd Kurtz 3+1 (4).

For King‘s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 11 (5), Casper Wortmann 9+1 (6), Kozza Smith 8 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Kevin Doolan 7+1 (5), Joe Haines 6+1 (4), Linus Eklof 0 (3), Ricky Wallace 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow 43, Newcastle 47 .



Newcastle, fresh from their victory at Armadale on Friday night, stormed into an early lead with a 1-5 from the opening race through Kenni Larsen and Derek Sneddon. The race had been rerun with all four back after Lee Dicken had crashed into Derek Sneddon on the first bend. A bad crash in heat 2 involving Dakota North who locked up, Mitchell Davey who ran into him and Adam McKinna following up who ran into the strewn bikes required the paramedics to attend to the injured riders in the pits. Mitchell Davey was excluded from the rerun, won by Jamie Courtney for the Tigers, and was then withdrawn from the meeting. The ambulance was needed again in heat 3 after Jason King fell on the third bend and sent Rene Bach crashing into the fence. King was excluded from the rerun and, although Bach was able to take his place, he couldn’t prevent James Grieves and Robert Ksiezak from taking a 5-1 which levelled the scores. Glasgow took the lead in heat 4 after Josh Grajczonek had beaten Mark Lemon with Courtney third for a 4-2 which took the score to 13-11.

Newcastle hit back with a 2-4 in heat 5 as Larsen won again, this time beating Robert Ksiezak while Derek Sneddon kept James Grieves at the back to tie the match again. Glasgow were back in front again after heat 6 in which Travis McGowan beat Mark Lemon with Lee Dicken in third for a 4-2. Grajczonek won heat 7 from King and Bach then Newcastle levelled the match again in heat 8 as Derek Sneddon won from Jaimie Courtney with Adam McKinna finishing third ahead of Lee Dicken. The 2-4 took the score to 24-24.

The Diamonds took advantage of an engine failure for James Grieves in heat 9 as Mark Lemon led Robert Ksiezak home for a 2-4 which put the visitors back in front again by two points. It stayed that way when Travis McGowan won heat 10 from King and Bach then the two unbeaten riders, Josh Grajczonek and Kenni Larsen, met in heat 11. It was a disaster for Glasgow as Grajczonek suffered an engine failure leaving Larsen and Sneddon to sail home for a 1-5 to put the Diamonds six points ahead. Robert Ksiezak won heat 12 but it was only for a shared race as Jaimie Courtney fell at the start of the third lap causing the race to be awarded. The score now stood at 33-39.

Glasgow stormed back with a 5-1 in heat 13 from McGowan and Grajczonek which gave them a chance of turning the match around by cutting the gap to two points. However Newcastle extended the lead to four points with a 2-4 in heat 14 when Rene Bach won from James Grieves and Dakota North headed Jaimie Courtney home. Glasgow needed a 5-1 from heat 15 for a draw while two points or more guaranteed Newcastle another away win. The question for the Glasgow fans was ‘could McGowan and Grajczonek repeat their heat 13 maximum’ against Larsen and Lemon? Newcastle’s cause wasn’t helped by Mark Lemon missing the two minute time allowance and having to go from 15 metres back leaving Larsen effectively to fight the Diamonds’ cause alone. It did however change the gate positions around. Glasgow had won the toss and elected to go from gates 2 and 4 but they now had to go from gates 1 and 3 as Larsen moved from gate 1 to gate 2 with Lemon having to go from gate 4 from the 15 metre handicap. Was it a deliberate tactical move? Well it seemed to work as Kenni Larsen won the race from McGowan and Grajczonek for a 3-3 which gave Newcastle a four point win. No doubt they will celebrate with a double Scotch.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Travis McGowan 11 (5), Josh Grajczonek 9+2 (5), Robert Ksiezak 9+1 (4), Jaimie Courtney 7 (7), James Grieves 5 (4), Lee Dicken 2 (4), Mitchell Davey 0 (1).

For Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 13 (5), Derek Sneddon 8+2 (4), Mark Lemon 7 (5), Rene Bach 6+2 (4), Jason King 6 (4), Dakota North 5+1 (5), Adam McKinna 2+1 (3).



Premier Trophy: Birmingham 54, Scun’thorpe 41 .

An all action first heat saw Aaron Summers make the gate and head for home untroubled. Behind him David Howe moved into second while Steve Johnston passed Viktor Bergstrom for third. At the end of the second lap Howe suffered an engine failure so the Brummies kicked off with a 5-1. The reserves race won by Justin Sedgmen was shared as was heat 3 in which Magnus Karlsson won from Hart and Lambert. Birmingham eased six points in front through Jason Lyons and Jake Anderson who scored a 4-2 for a 15-9 lead.

Richard Sweetman got the better of David Howe on the opening bends of heat 5 and went on to win from the Scorpions’ number 1. Chris Kerr’s third place gave the side another 4-2 and eight point lead which rocketed to 12 after heat 6 in which Summers won again with Steve Johnston following him home for a 5-1. It was time for Scun’thorpe to use a TR and Magnus Karlsson came out in black and white in heat 7 but was beaten by Jason Lyons. Sedgmen’s third place meant a 4-4 then another 5-1 from Sedgmen and Summers in heat 8 put the home side out of sight with the score now 33-17.

Carl Wilkinson could only separate Kerr and Sweetman in heat 9 so another two points were added to the Birmingham lead. Magnus Karlsson stopped the rot by winning heat 10 for another 3-3 ruining Summers’ maximum hopes then David Howe took Scun’thorpe’s second TR in heat 11 and this time was successful. He beat Jason Lyons and, with Viktor Bergstrom passing Justin Sedgmen for third, the Scorpions managed a 2-7 from the heat. Chris Kerr gated to win heat 12 for a shared race and the score now stood at 45-32.

Johnston and Lyons scored a 5-1 in heat 13 against Howe and Wilkinson but another Karlsson win resulted in a shared heat 14. Finally there was a sting in the tail as Magnus Karlsson and David Howe saw off Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston for a 1-5 in heat 15 to put a better gloss on the scoreline for the visitors.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Aaron Summers 11+1 (5), Jason Lyons 10+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 9 (5), Steve Johnston 8+3 (5), Chris Kerr 8+1 (4), Richard Sweetman 6 (3), Jake Anderson 2+1 (4).

For Scun’thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 16 (5) (incl 4 point TR), David Howe 11+1, Carl Wilkinson 5 (4), Jerran Hart 3+1 (4), Simon Lambert 2+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 2 (4), Joel Parsons 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday 5 April



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 43, Glasgow 47 .


Glasgow had Craig Branney guesting for the injured Mitchell Davey at number 7.

With two away wins already under their belts Newcastle opened their home campaign in the Premier Trophy with a quick fire return match against the Glasgow Tigers. The meeting was delayed by half an hour to allow the track staff to work on the Brough Park circuit which had been affected by rain.

Newcastle looked like heading for a maximum in the opening race but Travis McGowan passed Derek Sneddon towards the end of the first lap restricting the Diamonds to a 4-2. Glasgow quickly nullified that in kind as guest, Craig Branney, won the reserves race from Dakota North with Jaimie Courtney picking up third after Adam McKinna had fallen. A James Grieves win in a shared heat 3 kept the scores level but Glasgow, supplying the third race winner on the trot, took the lead in heat 4 when Josh Grajczonek beat Mark Lemon with Craig Branney picking up third as Adam McKinna’s bike packed up at the tapes. The score was then 11-13.

Travis McGowan made it four race winners on the spin for the Tigers leading home Jason King and Rene Bach for a share of the spoils in heat 5 then Derek Sneddon was excluded from heat 6 for touching the tapes. Newcastle opted to replace him with Dakota North and they levelled the match with a 4-2 as Kenni Larsen beat Josh Grajczonek who had passed Dakota North off the second bend. Glasgow immediately went in front again in heat 7. Adam McKinna again failed to complete a race as he fell on the opening bends and was excluded from the rerun in which James Grieves won again despite a valiant effort by Mark Lemon to catch him for a 2-4 restoring Glasgow’s two point lead. The alarm bells were ringing loud and clear in the home camp when the Tigers doubled their lead to four points after Lee Dicken won heat 8 by outpacing Derek Sneddon with Craig Branney in third for another 2-4 which took the score to 22-26.

Newcastle hit back with a 4-2 in heat 9. Jason King became only their third race winner when he beat Josh Grajczonek while Rene Bach picked up third from Jaimie Courtney. The two unbeaten riders, Kenni Larsen and James Grieves met in heat 10. Grieves triumphed over the Diamonds’ number 1 and the race was shared with Derek Sneddon in third although Robert Ksiezak will be kicking himself for drifting into the third bend fence while sitting on a 1-5 with his partner. Newcastle’s afternoon went from bad to disastrous when they conceded a 1-5, the first of the meeting, to Travis McGowan and Lee Dicken after Mark Lemon who had led from the gate made a complete hash of the first bend impeding his partner, Dakota North, in the process and slipping back to third. Newcastle now trailed by six points and looked down and out. They desperately needed an advantage from heat 12 and their prospects improved when Robert Ksiezak slid off on the second bend and was excluded from the rerun in which they shaved two points from the Glasgow lead when Jason King won from Craig Branney for a 4-2. The score was then 34-38 with just three heats left.

Mark Lemon finally won a race in heat 13 but the last thing Newcastle needed was an engine failure for Kenni Larsen but that’s what they got. McGowan pulled up on the third bend while Grajczonek fell on the second lap and remounted but it didn’t matter as both Glasgow riders finished the race for a share of the points leaving Glasgow four ahead with the unbeaten Grieves due out in both the final two races. However it wasn’t all over yet as Newcastle levelled the scores with a shock 5-1 in heat 14. Rene Bach was the winner while Dakota North took a hero’s second place after James Grieves had clipped the fence and slipped to the back. Craig Branney dived under North desperately trying for second on the third lap but he couldn’t hold it and North reclaimed his second place. It was 42-42 therefore going into heat 15, a score the Diamonds could only have dreamed about a few heats earlier. However there was no fairytale win for the Diamonds as Kenni Larsen’s machine packed up again leaving McGowan and Grieves to lead Jason King home for a fine if unexpected victory for the Tigers.


Scorers: Newcastle – Jason King 11 (5), Mark Lemon 8 (4), Kenni Larsen 8 (5), Rene Bach 6+2 (4), Dakota North 6+1 (6), Derek Sneddon 4+1 (3), Adam McKinna 0 (3).

Glasgow – Travis McGowan 13 (5), James Grieves 11+1 (5), Josh Grajczonek 8+1 (4), Craig Branney 8 (5), Lee Dicken 5+1 (4), Jaimie Courtney 1 (3), Robert Ksiezak 1 (4).



Premier Trophy: Scun‘thorpe 50, Redcar 42 .


Team changes: Redcar had ex-Scorpion Byron Bekker at number 6 for the injured Stuart Swales.

There wasn’t much in it from the opening heats. After two shared races the Scorpions pulled four points in front with a 5-1 from Magnus Karlsson and Joel Parsons. Heat 4 was shared so the score at that stage was 11-7. Scun’thorpe pulled another two points ahead with a 4-2 when Karlsson beat Gary Havelock with Joel Parsons third in heat 5 but Redcar were not about to fold. The next two races were shared then the Bears hit back with a 1-5 when Jan Graversen and Tomas Suchanek stormed from the tapes to head Jerran Hart home to make the score 25-23 after heat 8.

Emilio Sanchez won heat 9 to take his tally to eight from three rides for the match’s sixth shared race but the home side stretched their lead to four points with a 4-2 in heat 10 when David Howe got the better of Ben Wilson while Viktor Bergstrom passed Maks Gregoric for third when the Bear seemed to slow on the last bend. Scun’thorpe scored what looked like a decisive 5-1 in heat 11 when Jerran Hart and Carl Wilkinson saw off Gary Havelock to double the Scorpions’ lead to eight points. Ben Wilson won an entertaining heat 12 but only for a 3-3 so the score at that point was 40-32.

When Howe and Wilkinson added another 5-1 in heat 13 it looked as though the fat lady was about to sing with the home side’s lead now standing at 12 points. The Bears nominated Jan Graversen for a TR in heat 14 when they were still mathematically in with a chance of a point. In the first running of the race Gregoric fell causing Hart and Graversen to come to grief as well but it was an all four back decision. At the second attempt Jerran Hart won the race but Graversen finished ahead of Karlsson for second place so the result was a 4-4 with Scun’thorpe now guaranteed to take all three points. There was a bit of a sting in the tail for the Scorpions (no pun intended!). Ben Wilson and Emiliano Sanchez leapt from the tapes to lead Carl Wilkinson home for a last heat 1-5 for the Bears.

Scorers: Scun’thorpe – David Howe 10 (4), Carl Wilkinson 9+3 (5), Magnus Karlsson 8+1 (4), Jerran Hart 8+1 (5), Joel Parsons 7+1 (4), Simon Lambert 5+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 3+2 (4).

Redcar – Jan Graversen 11+1 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 10+1 (5), Ben Wilson 8 (5), Gary Havelock 7 (4), Maks Gregoric 4 (4), Tomas Suchanek 2+1 (4), Byron Bekker 0 (3).



Premier League: Rye House 47 (2 points), Birmingham 43 (1 point). .


This match, the first Premier League match of the season, was no doubt watched live on Sky Sports by the majority of the speedway fraternity. “It was a perfect start for Rye House” the commentator warbled and who could argue as Chris Neath rocketed from gate 4 to lead Stefan Ekberg down the back straight ahead of Steve Johnston for an opening 5-1. Another blistering start by the Rockets saw Kyle Hughes and Kurt Shields lead Justin Sedgmen from the tapes in the reserves race but this time Sedgmen clearly had more speed than the home men and caught and passed Shields on the back straight of the second lap. He then chased Hughes but just failed to catch him on the run in to the line. The 4-2 to Rye House put them six points ahead. Heat 3 saw a fast start for Chris Kerr who was never headed. Richard Sweetman got the better of the two Rockets off the second bend to lead Luke Bowen home for a 1-5 to the Brummies which cut the gap to two points. Heat 4 had to be rerun after Hughes, Lyons and Sundstrom came together on the first bend with Hughes appearing to come off worst. The referee called for all four back. At the second attempt a third 5-1 was scored this time for the Rockets. Linus Sundstrom stormed from the tapes and was gone while Kyle Hughes rounded Jake Anderson off the second bend. Jason Lyons, who had missed the gate lost a lot of ground round the opening bends and couldn’t get near the home men to mount a challenge. The score after four heats was 15-9.

Back came the Brummies in heat 5. Steve Johnston sailed supremely round the outside of the field on the opening two bends but his partner, Aaron Summers found himself stuck at the back on the back straight shake-out. However Summers put Luke Bowen under a lot of pressure and eventually passed the Rye House man off the fourth bend on the third lap to follow Jordan Frampton home for third and a 2-4 to the visitors who now trailed by four points. Heat 6 was a cracker. Jason Lyons made the start off gate 1 and led from tapes to flag. The battle for the minor places was intense. The two Rockets slotted into second and third but Sedgmen was soon after them. He slipped inside Chris Neath easily at the end of the second lap and chased after Ekberg. Trying the big outside drive round the third and fourth bends he was blocked by Ekberg and found Chris Neath slipping inside to relegate him to the back again. Undaunted he repeated his earlier manoeuvre by slipping under Neath but had to settle for third as Ekberg held on to second. The result was a 2-4 for Birmingham cutting the gap to two points again. Linus Sundstrom shot from the gate in heat 7 for an unchallenged win while the two Brummies were content to settle for the minor places and a share of the spoils so the gap stayed at two. Justin Sedgmen came into heat 8 in place of Jake Anderson to join Aaron Summers. The switch worked as Sedgmen made the gate to win comfortably. Ekberg slotted into second while Aaron Summers passed Kyle Hughes down the back straight and held off the efforts of Hughes to repass him. The 2-4 levelled the match 24-24 with all to race for.

Sedgmen was out again in heat 9, this time with Jason Lyons. Luke Bowen made a fast start but was soon under pressure from Justin Sedgmen. The Brummies reserve came up the inside of Bowen as the riders crossed the line at the end of the first lap but couldn’t turn the bike properly on the first bend as he was clamped by Bowen to the line. He spun round and was hit by Jason Lyons close behind him. Sedgmen was excluded from the rerun in which Luke Bowen made the gate. However he was no match for Jason Lyons who eased round the outside of him for a big win and shared race which kept the scores tied. Heat 10 produced another sparkling race. Stefan Ekberg made the gate and was gone. He was followed by Chris Neath round the first two bends but Neath looked like he was going to be relegated to the back by Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetman going into the third bend. However he grabbed a handful of throttle round the third and fourth bends to ease into the lead ahead of Kerr down the home straight. Despite the strong challenge of Kerr, Neath cleverly blocked the Birmingham man’s every attempt to pass and registered a 5-1 for the Rockets putting them four points up again. Their lead didn’t last long as Steve Johnston and Aaron Summers gated ahead of Linus Sundstrom to register a Birmingham 1-5 to level the scores again. Anderson replaced Sedgmen in heat 12 to take his third compulsory ride just as Rye House produced a really fabulous result. It looked as though Chris Kerr had made the best gate but coming off the second bend Jordan Frampton came through on the inside to pass Kerr and take him wide. Kyle Hughes saw his chance and nipped inside Kerr to join his partner. Hughes held on well to deny Kerr and Rye House had scored another 5-1 which put them four points ahead again. With just three races to go the score was 38-34.

Rye House had the favourable gates 1 and 3 in heat 13 but Chris Neath was beaten to the first turn by Steve Johnston. Jason Lyons came round the outside and the Brummies followed Linus Sundstrom home for a shared heat so the Rockets still led by four with two races left. Justin Sedgmen came into heat 14 in place of Jake Andersen and Kyle Hughes replaced Kurt Shields. This time the Brummies were off gates 1 and 3 but it was the two Rockets who led from the start. They were well on the way to scoring the 5-1 which would have won them the meeting until Luke Bowen suffered an engine failure. Kyle Hughes won the race for a 3-3 so Birmingham were still in with a chance of a draw if they could take a 1-5 from the last heat. Birmingham won the toss for gate positions but Steve Johnston made a poor start off the inside gate. Although Jason Lyons won it for the visitors Ekberg and Sundstrom finished behind him for a share of the points. Birmingham though took a point from the meeting having kept their defeat to just four points.

It was a superb meeting which was a great credit to the Premier League and as good a match as you could hope to have for a televised meeting. Pity though that the pits interviewer (Question: ‘what do you hope to do in the next race?’…Answer: ‘win it!’) asked such inane questions and made a real hash of the toss for gate positions for the final heat. Other than that - full marks.

Scorers: Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 12 (5), Stefan Ekberg 10+2 (5), Kyle Hughes 10+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 6+1 (4), Chris Neath 5+1 (4), Luke Bowen 3 (4), Kurt Shields 1 (3).

Birmingham – Jason Lyons 11+1 (5), Steve Johnston 9 (5), Justin Sedgmen 8 (5), Chris Kerr 6+1 (4), Richard Sweetman 5+2 (4), Aaron Summers 4+1 (4), Jake Anderson 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 7 April



Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 52 (3 points) v. Rye House 41 (0 points)


Both teams were at full strength for this match which seemed to be for Premier Trophy points although the BSPA Official site listed it as a Premier League match! Rain fell prior to the meeting which left the track looking wet and heavy, a contrast to the match at Hoddesdon on Monday night when Rye House beat Birmingham in front of the Sky TV cameras.

As they did on Monday night Chris Neath and Stefan Ekberg gated for Rye House in the opening heat to sit on a 1-5. However Tomas Topinka passed Ekberg to rescue two points for the Stars as the Rockets took a 2-4 for a two point lead. Casper Wortmann won heat 2 for the home side but Kyle Hughes and Kurt Shields shared the race behind him then one race later it was all square again. Joe Haines won the heat after sorting himself out in a second bend tangle with his partner, Kozza Smith. Smith chased the Rockets’ pair and passed Luke Bowen a lap later for the vital third place which produced a 4-2 for the Stars to level the scores. They weren’t level for long! Although Linus Sundstrom made the gate in heat 4 Kevin Doolan soon passed him while Wortmann held off Hughes for third and a 4-2 which took the score to 13-11.

Joe Haines edged his way ahead of Chris Neath to win heat 5 but Kozza Smith fell challenging Neath gifting third place to Ekberg for a shared race but the Rockets slipped six points behind when Eklof and Topinka scored a 5-1 over Sundstrom in heat 6. Doolan won heat 7 for a shared race after Ricky Wallace had fallen, remounted then retired but another home 5-1 in heat 8 had the Rockets struggling with the score then standing at 29-19.

Linus Sundstrom took a TR in heat 9 and he gated from Smith and Haines to win the race giving Rye House a 3-6 which cut the gap to 7. It was back to 9 after heat 10. Tomas Topinka elbowed his way to the front and went on to win the race unchallenged. Behind him Jordan Frampton and Linus Eklof swapped places but Jordan prevailed for second while Luke Bowen retired at the back giving the Stars a 4-2. Heat 11, won by Doolan, was shared as Wallace fell again but Rye House shaved two points from the Stars’ lead with a 2-4 in heat 12 when Jordan Frampton won from Kozza Smith while Kyle Hughes kept Casper Wortmann at the back. The score now stood at 41-34 as the Rockets were proving more competitive than on many previous visits to the Norfolk Arena. Could they sustain their challenge over the last three heats though?

It was a tall ask against Topinka and Doolan in heat 13 and the King’s Lynn big guns duly delivered the expected 5-1 ahead of Sundstrom and Neath to stretch the home side’s lead to 11 points. The Rockets’ hopes were finally extinguished when Joe Haines won heat 14 from Hughes and Wortmann with the disappointing Bowen failing to score again. The 4-2 put the home side 13 ahead. There was some consolation for the visitors in heat 15 when Sundstrom and Frampton made the gate. Doolan took up the chase and, although he passed Frampton on the second lap, he couldn’t quite catch Sundstrom. With Haines at the back the Rockets scored a 2-4 to top the 40 point mark.

Scorers: Home – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Joe Haines 10+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 9+2 (4), Casper Wortmann 7+1 (5), Linus Eklof 7 (4), Kozza Smith 5 (4), Ricky Wallace 0 (3).

Away – Linus Sundstrom 13 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Jordan Frampton 10 (5), Chris Neath 6+1 (4), Stefan Ekberg 5+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 5 (5), Kurt Shields 1+1 (3), Luke Bowen 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday 8 April



Premier Trophy: Redcar 37 (0 points), Birmingham 53 (4 points).


Team changes: The Bears had Gary Irving at number 6 in place of Stuart Swales..

After home defeats at the hands of Workington and Newcastle, Redcar were hoping to record their first home win of the season. They might have hoped for less daunting opposition than the powerful looking Birmingham outfit. However they made the perfect start with an opening 5-1 from Gary Havelock and Tomas Suchanek ahead of Steve Johnston but one race later it was all square again when Justin Sedgmen and Jake Anderson replied in kind heading Jan Graversen home. Maks Gregoric gated and held off Chris Kerr’s challenge to win heat 3 for a 3-3 then the Bears went in front again in heat 4 with a Sanchez win while Jason Lyons passed Graversen for second and a 4-2 which took the score to 13-11.

Once again the lead didn’t last long as Steve Johnston and Aaron Summers were fast away to head Gregoric and Ben Wilson home for a 1-5 which turned round the two point advantage in Birmingham’s favour. Jason Lyons was excluded from heat 6 after blowing an engine on the starting line. Redcar took advantage by cashing in with a 5-1 of their own as Gary Havelock team rode Tomas Suchanek home for the maximum from Justin Sedgmen. This meant that Redcar were now back in the lead by two points and it stayed that way after Richard Sweetman passed Emiliano Sanchez on his way to winning heat 7 with Chris Kerr failing to leave the starting gate. Justin Sedgmen won heat 8 but Aaron Summers threw a chain so the race was shared with Suchanek having a struggle to complete the race. The score now stood at 25-23.

Birmingham levelled again in heat 9 when Jason Lyons won from Ben Wilson but a slowing Gregoric finished behind Jake Anderson giving the Brummies a 2-4. They followed that with a big 1-5 after Richard Sweetman and Chris Kerr had made fast starts to leave Havelock and Suchanek chasing in vain. Birmingham were now four points in front and remained so despite Sanchez winning heat 11. Johnston and Summers filled second and third places for a 3-3 but the writing was on the wall for the Bears when they lost another 1-5 in heat 12 this time to Chris Kerr and Justin Sedgmen. The award of second place to Sedgmen was hotly disputed since it appeared that Ben Wilson had finished ahead of him. The score then stood at 32-40 and the Bears were struggling.

Birmingham were now totally in command now and they added a 2-4 in heat 13. Johnston and Lyons gated while Sanchez suffered an engine failure at the start. Gary Havelock gave chase to the visitors and passed Lyons. He nearly caught Johnston too but the Brummies held on to increase their lead to ten points. Another 1-5 from Sedgmen and Sweetmen guaranteed four points for the Brummies while Graversen’s bike packed up on the second lap. Finally Chris Kerr beat Havelock in the nominated riders’ heat while Richard Sweetman took third for a 2-4 which gave Birmingham a 16 point win. Redcar had scored only six points from the last four races!

Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 10+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Tomas Suchanek 6+2 (4), Maks Gregoric 5 (4), Jan Graversen 4 (5), Ben Wilson 3 (4), Gary Irving 1+1 (3).

Birmingham – Justin Sedgmen 12+1 (5), Richard Sweetman 10+2 (5), Chris Kerr 10+1 (5), Steve Johnston 9 (4), Jason Lyons 6 (4), Aaron Summers 3+2 (4), Jake Anderson 3+1 (3).



Premier Trophy: Sheffield 49 (2 points), Scun’thorpe 43 (1 point).


After successive rain offs since their match against Belle Vue’s season’s opener, Sheffield must have been glad to get some official action under their belts at Owlerton. Scun’thorpe whose scheduled match on 25 March was one of the weather casualties made an early return to fulfil their fixture.

David Howe won the opening race for the Scorpions for a 3-3 but Sheffield took the lead with a 4-2 from Paul Cooper and Arlo Bugeja in the reserves race and repeated that score in heat 3 with a win by Richard Hall from former Tiger, Joel Parsons. Josh Auty took third with Carl Wilkinson pulling out with an engine failure. The Tigers made it a hat trick of 4-2s with another in heat 4 when Magnus Karlsson could only separate Paul Cooper and Josef Franc taking the score to 15-9.

Scunthorpe hit back with a 2-4 in heat 5 as David Howe won again this time from Richard Hall. Viktor Bergstrom took third from Josh Auty so the Scorpions took a 2-4 cutting the gap to four points. It stayed that way with a Karlsson win from Ashworth and 3-3 then a Josef Franc win ahead of Parsons and Wilkinson for another shared race. However in heat 8 Hugh Skidmore and Paul Cooper rattled in a 5-1 to put Sheffield eight points ahead at 28-20.

Another Karlsson win produced a 3-3 but Ashworth and Skidmore added four more points to the Tigers’ lead with another 5-1. Sheffield now led by twelve points so Scun’thorpe gave David Howe a TR in heat 11. This paid big dividends as Howe won the race while Jerran Hart passed Josef Franc to support him in second place for a big 1-8 which cut the gap to five points. However Richard Hall and Paul Cooper replied by scoring another 5-1 for the home side to stretch the lead to nine points again in heat 12 taking the score to 42-33.

David Howe continued his unbeaten run by passing both Franc and Ashworth in heat 13 but, with Karlsson at the back, their was no advantage for the Scorpions. Jerran Hart was excluded after falling in heat 14. In the rerun Paul Cooper was excluded for bringing down Wilkinson so there was a second rerun with just two riders in which Auty beat Wilkinson for a 3-2. Ten points down Scun’thorpe needed a 1-5 in the last race to rescue a point and they got it too1 Howe completed a fine maximum while Magnus Karlsson finished behind him after Paul Cooper had run his partner, Richard Hall, wide on the first bend paving the way for the Scorpions’ pair to score the maximum they required.

Scorers: Sheffield – Paul Cooper 10+2 (6), Richard Hall 10+1 (5), Hugh Skidmore 8+2 (4), Ricky Ashworth 8+1 (4), Josef Franc 6+1 (4), Josh Auty 6 (4), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3).

Scun‘thorpe – David Howe 18 (5) (full maximum) (incl 6 point TR), Magnus Karlsson 10+1 (5), Joel Parsons 6 (4), Jerran Hart 4+1 (6), Carl Wilkinson 3+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 2 (3), Simon Lambert 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 9 April



Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 65 (3 points), Berwick 25 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick again used Rider Replacement for Lee Complin at number 3. They also had John McPhail at number 8.

What can you say about a 40 point home win? Berwick have rarely excelled at Armadale but they usually put up a better performance than this dismal showing; it really was a dreadful effort. It has to be said in their defence though that they suffered when Craig Branney (after heat 4) and then Paul Clews (after heat 12) had to be withdrawn through injury.

Ryan Fisher and Jozsef Tabaka had Berwick on the back foot as early as heat 1 when they scored a 5-1 after both Edinburgh riders had moved out off the first bend blocking Adrian Rymel in the process but both teams were to lose a rider as a result of a crash in heat 2. Kalle Katajisto and Max Dilger sat on a 5-1 when Dilger’s front forks collapsed beneath him entering the third bend, second lap, causing him to fall heavily. Craig Branney coming up fast behind him ran into man and machinery and, although he came out to win the rerun, Branney retired from the meeting after his second ride in heat 4 with a sore shoulder. Dilger was withdrawn with worries that he had broken bones in his hand. In the rerun Kalle Katajisto caught and passed Anders Andersen for second. The 2-4 was Berwick’s only success of the night. Kevin Wolbert and Matthew Wethers scored the first of their three 5-1s as a pairing in heat 3 then Andrew Tully and Katajisto added a 4-2 in heat 4 to take the score to 16-8 with the match all but done and dusted.

A 5-1 and 4-2 in the next two races stretched the Edinburgh lead to 14 points but there was a superb race in heat 7 in which Michal Makovsky took the R/R ride as a TR (Clews looked the more likely to win!). Kalle Katajisto made a storming start to lead Paul Clews but his partner, Andrew Tully got stuck at the back behind Michal Makovsky. Clews gave chase to Katajisto and executed a superb inside pass on the second bend of the last lap. Tully however had passed Makovsky two bends earlier so it still finished a 3-3. A Tabaka win in heat 8 resulted in another 4-2 to the Monarchs which took the score to 32-16.

Another Wolbert, Wethers 5-1 in heat 9 was followed by a 4-2 when Clews who had sailed round Tabaka on the third bend could not catch Fisher in heat 10. In heat 11 Adrian Rymel headed back to the pits as the riders were being called to the line by the starting marshal. He was excluded for failing to beat the two minute time allowance and when he re-emerged went from 15 metres back. Tully and Katajisto looked to be heading for another 5-1 when Katajisto picked up too much drive on the fourth bend and had to shut off allowing Jade Mudgway past for second and a 4-2. Then Paul Clews after brilliantly working his way to the front in an exciting race against both Katajisto and Wolbert crashed into the second bend fence on the second lap. He took no further part in the meeting and Edinburgh scored their fifth 5-1 in the rerun for a 50-22 lead. Anders Andersen replaced Rymel in heat 13 in which Makovsky fell on the second bend while trailing Fisher and Tully leaving the Monarchs to sail home for an unchallenged 5-1.Two more 5-1s resulted from heats 14 and 15 to take the Monarchs’ tally of maximums to eight. Berwick (who didn’t bother with the second TR at their disposal) will want to forget this match (and perhaps have a word with Rymel about commitment) which ended their unbeaten run in the tournament so far while Edinburgh will reflect that they will rarely have an easier points spree than this during the course of the season.

Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 15 (5) (full maximum), Kevin Wolbert 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Kalle Katajisto 11+2 (7), Matthew Wethers 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Andrew Tully 9+2 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 7+1 (4), Max Dilger 0 (1).

Berwick – Paul Clews 6 (4), Michal Makovsky 6 (6), Jade Mudgway 5 (5), Anders Andersen 4 (7), Craig Branney 3 (2), Adrian Rymel 1 (3), John McPhail 0 (2).



Premier Trophy: Somerset 46 (2 points), King’s Lynn 44 (1 point).


Team changes: Somerset had Brent Werner back in the team replacing Jay Herne at number 2. They also had to use Rider Replacement for Steve Boxall who had to withdraw before the meeting with a migraine headache. King’s Lynn brought Darren Mallett into the team to replace Ricky Wallace.

Wow! Another cracker between these two sides with Cory Gathercole having to come from the back in the last heat decider to split Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka for the two points Somerset needed for victory.

Somerset were rocked by a first heat 1-5 for the Stars as Tomas Topinka and Linus Eklof gated to head Shane Parker home but the scores were level again as the Rebels replied in kind with a win from super-reserve Ritchie Hawkins supported by Tommy Allen. The Rebels went in front with a 4-2 in the third race. Cory Gathercole and Sam Masters looked like scoring a home 5-1 until Kozza Smith passed Masters at the start of the third lap to turn it into a 4-2, a score which was repeated in heat 4 but this time in favour of the Stars! Cory Gathercole touched the tapes and was replaced by Tommy Allen in the race won by Kevin Doolan from Hawkins and Wortmann which squared the scores again at 12-12.

Two consecutive heat advantages saw the Rebels open up a six point lead. Heat 5 was won by Hawkins who rocketed from the gate to head Tomas Topinka home while Masters picked up third for a 4-2 then Brent Werner produced a superb ride to pass Kevin Doolan on the back straight of the opening lap before Shane Parker got in on the act by doing likewise on the last bend to produce a 5-1. Cory Gathercole won heat 7 from Joe Haines and Kozza Smith for a 3-3 and heat 8 was shared too. Linus Eklof rounded Ritchie Hawkins on the opening bends to head off for the win and take the score to 27-21.

Somerset stretched their lead to eight points as a result of another 4-2 in heat 9 with Ritchie Hawkins winning again after passing both Darren Mallett then Kevin Doolan on the back straight. Sam Masters made up a lot of ground to pass Mallett too on the third lap for the heat advantage. Shane Parker passed Joe Haines at the end of lap 2 to win heat 10 for a 3-3 then Gathercole kept the Rebels eight in front with a race win and 3-3 in heat 11 after a fast start. Back came the Stars in heat 12 with a win by Kozza Smith after an exciting race with Sam Masters while Darren Mallett condemned Ritchie Hawkins to his one pointless ride from seven outings. The 2-4 took the score to 39-33.

The visitors produced another 2-4 in heat 13 after Kevin Doolan passed Shane Parker on the second bend with Topinka in third place so there were now just four points between the teams. Joe Haines won heat 14 for a shared race to keep the Stars in business leaving them needing a 1-5 for a draw in the last race. They looked like they might get it too as Doolan and Topinka led from the tapes but then came Gathercole’s rescue act and the Rebels were home and dry for a two point win. King’s Lynn at least got a point for their efforts.

Scorers: Somerset – Ritchie Hawkins 14+1 (7), Cory Gathercole 11 (6), Shane Parker 8+1 (5), Sam Masters 7 (5), Brent Werner 4+1 (4), Tommy Allen 2+1 (4).

King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 12 (5), Tomas Topinka 8+1 (5), Kozza Smith 7+2 (4), Linus Eklof 7+1 (4), Joe Haines 7 (4), Darren Mallett 2 (5), Casper Wortmann 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: Scun‘thorpe 41 (0 points), Birmingham 49 (4 points) .


Birmingham, riding high after their huge win at Redcar last night, produced another four point away success when they beat Scun’thorpe by eight points. The Scorpions however were most unfortunate to lose David Howe in the opening race when he fell heavily after hitting Steve Johnston’s back wheel. He was taken to hospital leaving the home side to soldier on in what looked like a stiff battle for them.

The Brummies took a 1-5 from the opener after Aaron Summers then Steve Johnston passed Viktor Bergstrom. The reserves race, won by Justin Sedgmen in blistering form these days, was shared then the teams traded 4-2s in heats 3 and 4. Richard Sweetman won the former after Carl Wilkinson had fallen while Magnus Karlsson took the latter from Jason Lyons with Simon Lambert third to take the score to 10-14.

Things brightened for the home side when they levelled the match again with a 5-1 in heat 5 in which Joel Parsons and Carl Wilkinson headed Aaron Summers home after Steve Johnston had fallen. Wins from Jason Lyons and Magnus Karlsson in heats 6 and 7 produced 3-3s then the visitors went ahead again with a 2-4 from heat 8. Justin Sedgmen won again this time from Jerran Hart with Aaron Summers in third taking the score to 23-25.

Sedgmen was out again in heat 9 and won that too but this time Jason Lyons finished at the back behind Parsons and Wilkinson so the points were shared. Birmingham then slipped up a gear. Three successive 2-4s in heats 10, 11 and 12 all but killed off the Scorpions. Viktor Bergman could only split Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetman in the first of them while Magnus Karlsson was the meat in a Sedgeman, Johnston sandwich in the second. Kerr and Sedgmen scored the third with Joel Parsons in second and the score had progressed to 32-40.

Without David Howe it looked far too much for a Scorpions’ recovery and so it proved. Karlsson won heat 13 from the old guard of Lyons and Johnston but a 1-5 from Sweetman and Sedgmen in heat 14 wrapped up all four points for the visitors. Scun’thorpe had the consolation of scoring a 5-1 in the last race with Karlsson and Parsons producing the goods in an exciting race.

Scorers: Scun‘thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 14 (5), Joel Parsons 11+1 (5), Jerran Hart 5 (6), Viktor Bergstrom 4+1 (4), Simon Lambert 4+1 (6), Carl Wilkinson 3+2 (4).

Birmingham – Justin Sedgmen 15+1 (6), Chris Kerr 9+1 (5), Richard Sweetman 9 (5), Jason Lyons 7 (4), Aaron Summers 5 (3), Steve Johnston 4+2 (4), Jake Anderson 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 10 April



Premier Trophy: Berwick 48 (2 points), Edinburgh 42 (1 point) .


After their 40 point drubbing at Armadale last night Berwick were keen to exact revenge on the Monarchs and keep their Premier Trophy top spot challenge on course in this return match. However once again they were hit by injury as Craig Branney was withdrawn after a heat 4 fall leaving the Bandits to fight on with 5 riders. Mind you Edinburgh too had only five effective riders as Max Dilger struggled with the hand injury he suffered last night while Jozsef Tabaka never looked like scoring a point.

The teams traded 4-2s in the first two races with Adrian Rymel winning the first and Kalle Katajisto the second. Berwick then struck with a 5-1 from Michal Makovsky and Paul Clews who both passed Kevin Wolbert but Edinburgh countered that with a 1-5 from Andrew Tully and Kalle Katajisto in heat 4 to tie the scores at 12-12. Craig Branney back in third place fell on the third bend of the last lap. It looked like a simple enough fall as he slid off towards the fence but not so. He was examined by the medics for a good 20 minutes suffering from a foot injury and suspected concussion and was then withdrawn from the meeting as a result of the concussion.

When the action resumed a Ryan Fisher win in heat 5 produced a shared race but Berwick then took another 5-1 in heat 6 as Rymel gated from Tully. An excellent swoop round the boards by the impressive Mudgway took him passed Tully and that was that. Edinburgh hit back in heat 7 though with a tapes to flag win for Matthew Wethers with Wolbert in third for a 2-4 cutting the gap to two points but Berwick increased it to four again with a 4-2 in heat 8. Katajisto gated but Mudgway rounded him on the fourth bend while his partner, Anders Andersen, scored the vital third place point. The score now stood at 26-22.

Edinburgh hit back again in heat 9 after Kalle Katajisto gated and left Paul Clews for dead. Andrew Tully who had lifted at the gate had a race long chase to catch and pass Andersen off the last bend for third. The Bandits’ lead was back to two points and it stayed that way as the next three races were shared. Rymel won heat 10 from Wolbert and Wethers with Mudgway unable to challenge at the back. Heat 11 saw Ryan Fisher gate in a race rerun after Max Dilger had fallen and been excluded then Kevin Wolbert finally won a race by beating Clews in heat 12. Unfortunately for the Monarchs Katajisto made a poor start and could make no impression on Andersen. The score now stood at 37-35.

Edinburgh’s chances of win suffered a fatal blow in heat 13. It’s a pity that referee Barbara Horley didn’t see the start of heat 13 otherwise she would surely have pulled it back. Maybe she was at a tricky point with her knitting. Michal Makovsky got the most outrageous flier and hit the first bend while the others were just about to leave the tapes. It didn’t do Adrian Rymel any favours who got stranded at the tapes after moving back and forward. However at the tight exit from the second bend Andrew Tully ran out of room and crashed into the fence. He was excluded from the rerun in which Rymel and Makovsky gated to sit on a 5-1. Again at the exit from the second bend Makovsky had a problem and Fisher shot down the inside into second in pursuit of Rymel. However he slid off on the third bend and remounted for the third place point as Edinburgh conceded a 5-1 at just the wrong time. Paul Clews gated to win heat 14 from Wethers while Katajisto again made a poor start and could make no impression on Andersen. The 4-2 put the Bandits eight points ahead leaving Edinburgh needing at least a 2-4 to rescue a mach point. They got it too! Again Rymel and Makovsky made the start but like Fisher and Tully in heat 13 came off the second bend together and found there wasn’t enough room. Makovsky backed off and Ryan Fisher seized his chance by diving up the inside passing both the Bandits while Wethers followed him past Makovsky for third and the 2-4 the Monarchs needed.

Scorers: Berwick – Adrian Rymel 13+1 (5), Paul Clews 11+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 11 (5), Jade Mudgway 7+2 (5), Anders Andersen 4+2 (7), Craig Branney 2 (2).

Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 12 (5), Kalle Katajisto 10+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 7+1 (5), Kevin Wolbert 7 (4), Andrew Tully 5 (4), Max Dilger 1 (3), Jozsef Tabaka 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Rye House 67 (3 points), Newport 25 (0 points) .


Team changes: Newport had Tim Webster at number 6 in place of Alex Davies.

Of the three Premier Trophy groups, this one is the most open with away points hard to come by. Only King’s Lynn and Somerset have managed an away point as a result of an away defeat by less than seven points. Rye House needed to take all three points to keep well in contention but it was an opportunity for Newport to go top of the group with success at Hoddesdon in this match. It turned out to be one way traffic as the Rockets rattled up the biggest win of the season by any team.

The statistics show that Rye House scored nine 5-1 heat wins and three 4-2s. The other three races were shared - heats 2 and 11 as 3-3s and heat 9 as a 4-4 when Kim Nilsson took a TR and finished second to Jordan Frampton. Newport didn’t manage a single race winner all match. However it seems that there were a number of good races despite the scoreline but presumably not a lot of interest as far as the outcome was concerned.

Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Jordan Frampton 13 (5), Linus Sundstrom 12 (4) (full maximum), Kyle Hughes 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Stefan Ekberg 8+2 (4), Luke Bowen 7+3 (4), Kurt Shields 4 (4).
Newport – Leigh Lanham 7 (5), Kim Nilsson 5 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Kyle Legault 4 (4), Craig Watson 3+1 (4), Todd Kurtz 3+1 (5), Tim Webster 2 (4), Anders Mellgren 1 (3).




Premier Trophy: Stoke 49 (2 points), Sheffield 44 (1 point) .


Stoke, still looking for their first win of the season, were desperate to open their account against Sheffield although both teams knew that top spot in their Premier Trophy group was almost guaranteed to be filled by Birmingham.

Jason Bunyan retired from heat 1 as Ricky Ashworth and Hugh Skidmore galloped off for a 1-5 for Sheffield. Bunyan did not appear again withdrawing after aggravating a knee injury. Things looked bleak for the Potters as Arlo Bugeja won the rerun reserves race from Mick Poole after James Holder had fallen and been excluded for a 2-4 and six point lead to the Tigers but Stoke hit back with a 5-1 from Hynek Stichauer and Klaus Jakobsen after both Sheffield riders fell on the last bend of the last lap while comfortably sitting on a 3-3! Josh Auty remounted for the third place point. Josef Franc gated to win heat 3 for a shared race and the score then stood at 11-13.

Another 5-1 from Stichauer and Jakobsen from Ashworth without the assistance of a fall by a visiting rider put the Potters two points in front, a lead they kept with a shared race won by the hard-worked Mick Poole in heat 6. Two consecutive 5-1s for the home side in heats 7 and 8 put them ten in front with Ricky Wells and James Holder the heroes in the first and Michal Rajkowski and Mick Poole in the second. The score now stood at 29-19.

The Potters made it three maximums on the trot with another 5-1 in heat 9 from Stichauer and Jakobsen again stretching their lead to 14 points but Sheffield stopped the rot with a 2-4 in heat 10 when Josh Auty hunted down Michal Rajkowski before passing him at the start of the last lap. Richard Hall took third cutting the gap to 12 points. Ricky Ashworth took a TR in heat 11 and scored the full six points. Behind him Wells and Poole both passed Hugh Skidmore so Sheffield had to be content with a 3-6 cutting the lead further to nine points. Sheffield continued their revival with a 1-5 in heat 12 from Hall and Cooper ahead of the previously unbeaten Stichauer and now the Stoke lead was down to five points with the score at 40-35.

The home side were rattled further when the Tigers added yet another 1-5 in heat 13 with Josef Franc and Ricky Ashworth leading Ricky Wells home and now only one point separated the two teams. However Mick Poole and Klaus Jakobsen soothed the home nerves with a 5-1 in heat 14 from Auty and Cooper clinching a win for the Potters. Now the battle was on for the final match point and Ricky Ashworth won the last heat for the 3-3 which gave the Tigers a point for their efforts.

Scorers: Stoke – Taylor Poole 13+2 (7), Hynek Stichauer 11+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 10+4 (5), Ricky Wells 6+2 (4), Michal Rajkowski 6 (4), James Holder 3 (4), Jason Bunyan 0 (1).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 15+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Josef Franc 8+1 (5), Paul Cooper 6+1 (5), Richard Hall 5 (4), Josh Auty 5 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3 (3), Hugh Skidmore 2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Workington 43 (0 points), Newcastle 47 (3 points) .


Workington were still looking for their first Premier Trophy points following their one point home defeat at the hands of Berwick last Saturday. Newcastle on the other hand looked to have one hand on the top spot in the group after away wins at both Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, Glasgow’s win at Brough Park last Monday muddied the waters opening the door to the others in the group to mount a challenge.

Workington produced only four race winners over the 15 heats so were always going to struggle to take anything from this match. Despite the predominance of Diamonds’ heat winners the scores were tied after heat 7 at 27-27. During that time seven of the races had been shared while Workington’s heat three 5-1 from Chris Schramm and Peter Kildemand over Rene Bach had been nullified by a 1-5 in heat 5 by Derek Sneddon and Kenni Larsen against the same Comets’ pairing. Another 1-5 by Newcastle in heat 10 from Rene Bach and Jason King put the visitors four points ahead and this was followed by another two shared races won by Adam Roynon and Jason King respectively taking the score to 34-38.

Workington slipped six points down when Kenni Larsen won heat 13 from Andre Compton and Mark Lemon took third from Roynon but the Comets pulled two points back with a 4-2 from Craig Cook and Peter Kildemand with Bach splitting the home pair. This left the home side four down and needing a 5-1 in heat 15 for a draw. Kenni Larsen put paid to that hope by winning the last race for a share of the points providing Newcastle’s third away win in the group although they are still looking for their first home win! Workington by contrast were left pointless.

Scorers: Workington – Chris Schramm 8+2 (5), Peter Kildemand 7 (5), John Branney 6+2 (4), Adam Roynon 6+1 (4), Craig Cook 6+1 (4), Richard Lawson 5+2 (4), Andre Compton 5+1 (4).

Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 13+1 (5), Mark Lemon 9 (5), Jason King 8+1 (4), Dakota North 7+1 (5), Rene Bach 6 (4), Derek Sneddon 4+1 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 11 April



Premier Trophy: Newport 44 (0 points), Rye House 46 (3 points) .


Team changes: Newport again had Tim Webster at number 6.

Rye House, winners over Newport by 42 points at Hoddesdon last night, completed the double over their Welsh rivals and, in doing so, took a giant step towards winning their four team group and qualifying for the semi-finals. A fantastic four heat burst between heats 11 and 14 saw the Rockets outscore the Wasps by 7-17 to leave the home side needing a 5-1 in the last race to escape with a draw. They didn’t manage it!

The sides swapped 5-1s in the first two races. Leigh Lanham and Craig Watson saw off Stefan Ekberg and Chris Neath in the first but the Rockets took a 5-1 from the reserve race as Kyle Hughes and Kurt Shields left Todd Kurtz trailing in third as Tim Webster fell. Jordan Frampton won heat 3 from Kyle Legault and Anders Mellgren for a 3-3 but Rye House took a two point lead in heat 4 when Linus Sundstrom beat Kim Nilsson and Hughes took third for a 2-4 taking the score to 11-13.

Newport levelled again in the next race with Legault winning from Ekberg while Mellgren consigned Chris Neath to the back for another zero on a track where the Rye House number 1 has enjoyed many big scores in the past. Linus Sundstrom won heat 6 against the Wasps top pairing of Lanham and Watson so it was a valuable shared race for the visitors but the Wasps hit home a 5-1 in heat 7 after Jordan Frampton had run into Kim Nilsson, fallen and been excluded from the rerun. Nilsson and Webster headed Luke Bowen home so the Wasps were four points in front. Stefan Ekberg won heat 8 but Watson and Kurtz kept Hughes at the back for a 3-3 with the score now standing at 26-22.

Linus Sundstrom passed Kyle Legault to win heat 9 and, when Legault’s bike packed up at the end of the third lap, Kurt Shields was gifted a point following Mellgren home for a 3-3. Newport struck what might have been a decisive blow in heat 10. Jordan Frampton fell in the first running of the race as the Wasps sat on a 5-1. He was excluded from the rerun and the home men repeated the maximum 5-1 with Lanham and Watson leaving Luke Bowen trailing at the back. The Wasps were now six points in front but then Rye House hit their purple patch. It began strangely enough with Jordan Frampton being withdrawn from the meeting with blurred vision after his fall leaving the Rockets short-handed. However they took a 2-4 in heat 11 as Chris Neath finally joined the party by passing Kim Nilsson to win the race while Stefan Ekberg took third as Tim Webster fell at the back. Another 2-4 came the Rockets way in heat 12 as Kyle Hughes, who replaced Frampton, passed Anders Mellgren for the win while Kurt Shields had to push home from the last bend for the third place point after Todd Kurtz had fallen. Rye House were now only two behind as the score progressed to 37-35.

The Rockets took a third consecutive 2-4 in heat 13 finally squaring the match again. Linus Sundstrom won an exciting race against Leigh Lanham while Chris Neath took third then the Rockets hit the stunned home men with a 1-5 in heat 14. Luke Bowen, ineffective until then, finally burst into life by winning the race while Kyle Hughes followed him home ahead of Kyle Legault so the Rockets needed just two points from the last race for the three match points. Craig Watson and Linus Sundstrom tussled for the lead in heat 15 until Sundstrom decided to settle for the two points the Rockets needed while Leigh Lanham finished third after Ekberg had fallen and remounted.

Scorers: Newport – Leigh Lanham 11 (5), Craig Watson 10+3 (5), Kim Nilsson 7 (4), Anders Mellgren 6+1 (4), Kyle Legault 6 (4), Tim Webster 2+1 (4), Todd Kurtz 2+1 (4).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 14 (5), Kyle Hughes 9+1 (5), Stefan Ekberg 7 (5), Luke Bowen 5 (4), Kurt Shields 4+1 (4), Chris Neath 4 (4), Jordan Frampton 3 (3).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow 58 (3 points), Berwick 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick had John McPhail at number 7 in place of the injured Craig Branney and James McBain at number 8.

Glasgow duly completed a miserable weekend for the Bandits, who were hammered at Armadale on Friday night and conceded a point to the Monarchs in a last heat decider on Saturday night, by trouncing them by 23 points this afternoon.

Without Lee Complin and with the inexperienced John McPhail covering for the injured Craig Branney, the Bandits were looking down the barrel before the match even started. It didn’t help their cause when Adrian Rymel fell at the start of the opening heat in which Travis McGowan and Lee Dicken got the Tigers off to the perfect start with a 5-1. Jaimie Courtney won the reserves race from Anders Andersen in heat 2 for a 4-2 to put the Tigers six points ahead then Josh Grajczonek won heat 3 from Michal Makovsky (R/R)and Paul Clews for a shared race. Makovsky was out again in heat 4 and finished behind James Grieves with Andersen third for a shared race which took the score to 15-9.

The Bandits got two points back in heat 5 when Adrian Rymel beat Grajczonek while Jade Mudgway passed Robert Ksiezak for third and a 2-4 but Glasgow nullified this with a 4-2 in heat 6 after Travis McGowan had beaten Michal Makovsky with Dicken picking up the third place point after losing his second place off the second bend. James Grieves won again in heat 7 this time from Paul Clews while Mitchell Davey took third from Mudgway and another home 4-2 put the Tigers eight ahead. The lead stretched to twelve points after Mudgway had collided with his partner, Anders Andersen, and fallen leaving Lee Dicken and Jaimie Courtney to head off for an awarded 5-1 which took the score to 30-18.

Michal Makovsky was given a TR in heat 9 but Grajczonek and Ksiezak gated to leave the Berwick man trailing home in third for another 5-1 which put Glasgow out of sight at 35-19. McGowan and Dicken made it a hat trick of 5-1s in heat 10 with Paul Clews struggling behind them for a 20 point lead but heat 11 was an oasis in the desert for the Bandits! Adrian Rymel took the Bandits’ second TR and won the race from James Grieves. Jade Mudgway passed Jaimie Courtney for third and the visitors scored a 2-7 to cut the gap to fifteen points. Josh Grajczonek had his work cut out to win heat 12 from Paul Clews. With Mitchell Davey again picking up third place the Tigers took a 4-2 which took the score to 46-29.

Travis McGowan and James Grieves added a 5-1 in heat 13 after Grieves and Rymel had fought an exciting battle for second and the home side added a 4-2 in heat 14 with a win from Robert Ksiezak after Paul Clews had been excluded for pushing Ksiezak too wide. Adrian Rymel finally ruined Travis McGowan’s maximum by winning heat 15 while James Grieves’ third place earned a share of the points for the Tigers.

Scorers: Glasgow – Travis McGowan 14 (5), James Grieves 11+2 (5), Josh Grajczonek 11 (4), Lee Dicken 8+2 (4), Jamie Courtney 6+1 (4), Robert Ksiezak 5+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 3 (4).

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 13 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Michal Makovsky 7 (6), Paul Clews 6+1 (5), Anders Andersen 6+1 (6), Jade Mudgway 3 (5), John McPhail 0 (3),



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 50 (3 points), Workington 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Newcastle had Arlo Bugeja riding as a guest for Adam McKinna at number 7.

As was the case last night in the match between these two sides at Derwent Park, Workington just couldn’t produce enough race winners to provide a serious challenge to the high flying Diamonds. Only Chris Schramm, Peter Kildemand (twice) and John Branney won races for the Comets and the home side ran out winners by 9 points. However, the visitors, still in with a chance of a match point right up to the last race, had the consolation of preventing any of the home men from registering a maximum.

Workington started brightly and after sharing the opening heat won by Kenni Larsen when they went ahead with a 2-4 from the reserves race as John Branney won from Dakota North. Jason King fell and was excluded from the rerun heat 3 so Rene Bach’s victory was just for a shared race. Newcastle levelled the scores in heat 4 when Mark Lemon won from John Branney with Adam Roynon falling. The scores were then tied at 12-12.

Consecutive 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 put the Diamonds eight points ahead and Workington in trouble. Bach and King scored the first and Larsen and Sneddon the second. Lemon and Sneddon won heats 7 and 8 respectively but both were for shared races as the two Newcastle reserves finished last. The score then stood at 28-20.

The Diamonds added another 5-1 in heat 9 from King and Bach again to lead by twelve and leave the door open for Workington to use a TR. There was none forthcoming in heat 10 which the Comets must have regretted because Chris Schramm lowered Kenni Larsen’s colours with a race win while Derek Sneddon and Peter Kildemand both fell and were excluded. The result was a 3-2 to the visitors cutting their deficit to 11 points. Lemon won heat 11 but Andre Compton and Richard Lawson shared the points behind him. The Comets then gave Chris Schramm a TR in heat 12 but he could only finish second to Jason King. However Craig Cook took third from Dakota North so the visitors scored a 3-5 from the race shaving another two points from Newcastle’s lead to nine points with the score at 38-27.

Kenni Larsen won heat 13 but Mark Lemon retired so Compton and Roynon shared the race points behind him. Workington were still in with a chance of a match point if they could get to within six points of the Diamonds’ total and Peter Kildemand did his bit for the cause by winning heats 14 and 15. In the former, however, John Branney fell and in the latter Chris Schramm finished behind Larsen and Bach so both races were shared and the home men ran out nine point winners.

Scorers: Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 13 (5), Rene Bach 11+2 (5), Mark Lemon 9 (4), Jason King 8+1 (4), Derek Sneddon 5+1 (4), Dakota North 3+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 1 (4).

Workington – Chris Schramm 10+1 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Peter Kildemand 9+1 (4), John Branney 9 (6), Andre Compton 6+1 (4), Richard Lawson 4+2 (4), Craig Cook 2+1 (4), Adam Roynon 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 12 April



Amended Result:….Premier Trophy: Newport 45 (1 point) Rye House 45(2 points)

Once again speedway looks ridiculous. You could scarcely credit it but after the Rye House Rockets had left Newport last night thinking that they had won by 44-46 they were rocked by the news that the score had been amended to 45-45.

It appears that Linus Sundstrom who finished second in heat 15 for the two points that the Rockets needed for victory has been subsequently disqualified from the race!

The Swede was disqualified for…. (wait for it!!)…. not having a rear wheel disk in place, as is now compulsory in British racing, handing Newport an amended 5-1 result and last gasp draw.

Firstly, would it have made any difference to the last race result if he had? and

Secondly, do referees not know the rules and implement them during the match?

Amended Scorers: Scorers[/b][/color]: Newport – Leigh Lanham 12+1 (5), Craig Watson 10+3 (5), Kim Nilsson 7 (4), Anders Mellgren 6+1 (4), Kyle Legault 6 (4), Tim Webster 2+1 (4), Todd Kurtz 2+1 (4).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 12 (5), Kyle Hughes 9+1 (5), Stefan Ekberg 8 (5), Luke Bowen 5 (4), Kurt Shields 4+1 (4), Chris Neath 4 (4), Jordan Frampton 3 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 14 April



Premier Trophy: Birmingham 65 (3 points), Stoke 29 (0 points) .


Team changes: Stoke without the injured Jason Bunyan had former Birmingham rider, Ludvig Lindgren, standing in as a guest at number 1.

Birmingham are all but home and dry in the Midland Group and were hot favourites to win this match with a good bit in hand since Stoke are bottom of the Group.

The match started with three 5-1s, two of them for the Brummies, the other for the Potters. Things started with a tapes to flag maximum for Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston but James Holder and Taylor Poole levelled with a maximum for the visitors in the reserves race after Justin Sedgmen had retired on the third lap. Another routine maximum for Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetmen put the home side four points up but Stoke replied with a 2-4 in heat 4 after super-reserve Taylor Poole passed both Jake Anderson then Jason Lyons, of all riders, for a great heat win. Ricky Wells also passed Anderson for the 2-4 taking the score to 13-11.

A third home 5-1 in heat 5 put Birmingham six points up. Kerr and Sweetman repeated their heat three outing this time heading Michal Rajkowski home after Ludvig Lindgren had fallen after suffering engine trouble causing the race to be awarded. In heat 6 Summers and Johnston then repeated their maximum success in heat 1 leading home Ricky Wells for a ten point lead. Justin Sedgmen continued to have problems and was excluded under the two minute time allowance in heat 7. He went from 15 metres back but he passed Klaus Jakobsen on the third lap then caught Hynek Stichauer on the line to finish second to Jason Lyons for another home 5-1, their fourth at this stage. Now 14 points in arrears, Stoke gave reserve, Taylor Poole, a TR in heat 8. Anderson was replaced by Sedgmen after failing to beat the two minute time allowance. Poole gated but was soon passed by Aaron Summers who won the race. Poole held on to second though ahead of Sedgmen so the race result was a 4-4 which took the score to 32-18.

Sweetman and Kerr added their third consecutive 5-1 as a pairing in heat 9, Birmingham’s sixth of the match at that stage. Summers and Johnston did likewise in heat 10 for the seventh, with Summers completing a full 12 point maximum, then Sedgmen and Lyons the eighth in heat 11 propelling Birmingham into a 26 point lead even though Taylor Poole had come in for Lindgren who had withdrawn from the meeting. James Holder took a TR in heat 12 and finished second to Chris Kerr. Hynek Stichauer finished third ahead of Jake Anderson so the Potters gained a 3-5 advantage taking the score to 50-26.

Holder was out again in heat 13 for Lindgren but neither he nor Ricky Wells bothered Lyons and Johnston who rattled home Birmingham’s ninth 5-1 of the match for a twenty-eight point lead. The tenth 5-1 came along in heat 14 from Sedgmen and Sweetman then the eleventh in heat 15 in which Aaron Summers completed a brilliant 15 point maximum with Johnston in second. It was a night to forget for Stoke.
Scorers: Birmingham – Aaron Summers 15 (5) (full maximum), Chris Kerr 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Steve Johnston 10+5 (5) (paid maximum), Jason Lyons 10+1 (4), Richard Sweetman 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Justin Sedgmen 9+1 (5), Jake Anderson 1 (3).

Stoke – Taylor Poole 10+1 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), James Holder 9 (6) (incl a 4 point TR), Hynek Stichauer 4+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 2 (4), Ricky Wells 2 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 1 (2), Michal Rajkowski 1 (4).



Premier Trophy: King‘s Lynn 58 (3 points), Newport 34 (0 points) .


Team changes: Darren Mallett made his home debut at number 6 for King’s Lynn replacing Ricky Wallace who has been dropped.

Newport continued with Tim Webster for Alex Davies at number 6.

Rye House sit in pole position in the group following their win…oops…draw at Newport last Sunday. King’s Lynn needed to win tonight by more than 6 points to join them at the top on the seven point mark albeit with only one away point scored. Newport ‘s chances look slim after taking only a point from Sunday’s home match but it’s a tight looking four-team group.

It didn’t take the Stars long to get into their stride as they started with a Topinka-Eklof 5-1 over Leigh Lanham and Craig Watson on what looked like a very grippy track. Darren Mallett won the reserves race but Todd Kurtz passed Casper Wortmann for second while Tim Webster retired from the race miles behind the field. The 4-2 put the home side six up and, after Kyle Legault had temporarily stopped the rot by winning heat 3 for a shared race, the lead stretched to 10 points with another 5-1 this time from Kevin Doolan and Casper Wortmann leaving the Wasps facing a long night ahead with the score standing at 17-7.

Joe Haines held off Leigh Lanham for a shared heat 5, but King’s Lynn hit the 5-1 trail again through Eklof and Topinka who led Kim Nilsson home, in heat 6 rerun after Webster had fallen and been excluded, in the first running of the race. Now 14 points in arrears, Kyle Legault took a TR in heat 7. The Wasps’ fortunes improved when Anders Mellgren made the gate and Legault passed Doolan into second. Doolan chased the Newport team-riding pair but fell on the third lap causing the race to be awarded as a rare 1-7 after Mallett had laid his bike down. Newport had more joy in heat 8 when Craig Watson held on to beat a strongly challenging Linus Eklof. Casper Wortmann pulled up with engine problems so Kurt Todd took third for a 2-4 which cut the Stars’ lead to just six points with the score reading 28-22. However a 5-1 from Smith and Haines stretched it to ten points again in heat 9. King’s Lynn were well and truly out of sight with two more 5-1s in heats 11 and 12 the former at the expense of Lanham who was on a TR at the time. The score was then 43-25.

Doolan and Topinka added King’s Lynn’s seventh 5-1 of the match in heat 13 but Kyle Legault gave the Wasps a breather by winning heat 14 from the back for a shared heat ensuring that the home side could not hit the 60 point mark. In the last race Tomas Topinka completed his maximum beating Leigh Lanham while Linus Eklof finished third after Kyle Legault had pulled up on the second lap. The 4-2 gave the Stars a 24 point win.

Scorers: King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Linus Eklof 10+2 (5), Darren Mallett 9 (4), Kevin Doolan 8+1 (4), Kozza Smith 8 (4), Joe Haines 7+3 (4), Casper Wortmann 3+1 (4).

Newport – Kyle Legault 11+1 (5) (incl a 4+1 point TR), Leigh Lanham 7 (5), Todd Kurtz 5+1 (5), Anders Mellgren 5 (4), Craig Watson 4+1 (4), Kim Nilsson 2 (4), Tim Webster 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday 15 April



Premier Trophy: Redcar 51 (3 points), Stoke 44 (0 points) .


Team changes: Stoke had Berwick’s Michal Makovsky guesting for the injured Jason Bunyan at number 1.

It’s been a mixed week for Stoke who (contrary to what I wrote last night!) finally got a win under their belts by beating Sheffield last Saturday (effectively without Jason Bunyan, too!) then were on a real pasting last night at Birmingham where they shipped 65 points. They were out to turn the tables on the Bears who beat them by 12 points at Loomer Road last month. The Bears haven’t had any success in their home campaign in the Group having lost both home matches to date despite their 4 point away success. So who would be consigned to the bottom of the Group after tonight’s match?

Stoke’s guest, Michal Makovsky won the opening race and, for a while, Michal Rajkowski supported him in second place but Rajkowski was passed firstly by Gary Havelock and then by Tomas Suchanek so the points were shared. Stoke were soon in trouble though. Stuart Swales won the reserves race While Taylor Poole came from the back to slip into second for a 4-2 before the Potters lost a 5-1 to Ben Wilson and Maks Gregoric. Emiliano Sanchez then came from the back to win heat 4 while Taylor Poole took second from Jan Graversen for a 4-2 taking the score to 16-8.

Heat 5 needed two reruns, the first after Gregoric and Makovsky had collided on the first bend, the second when Rajkowski and Gregoric came together with the Redcar rider excluded. At the third attempt Makovsky passed Ben Wilson to win the race. With Rajkowski picking up the gift third place point Stoke scored a 2-4 to cut their deficit to six points. They shaved another two points from the Redcar lead when Ricky Wells beat Gary Havelock while James Holder kept Suchanek at the back for another 2-4 to cut the gap to just four points. However they lost the ground gained in one fell swoop when the Bears scored a 5-1 in heat 7 from Sanchez and Swales. Taylor Poole rode a great race to beat Suchanek and Swales in heat 8 for a 3-3 which took the score to 28-20.

Ben Wilson gated to win heat 9 and didn’t see the race behind him for second between Gregoric and Holder with the riders passing and repassing each other. Gregoric prevailed so the Bears scored another 5-1 stretching their lead to 12 points. Stoke passed up the chance to use a TR and may have regretted it as Taylor Poole rode a fabulous race to pass both Havelock and Suchanek to win heat 10 but it was only to share the points. Michal Makovsky took a TR in heat 11 but he could only finish second to Emiliano Sanchez. Taylor Poole fell on the last bend of the third lap so the result was a 4-4 leaving the Potters able to use another TR. None was forthcoming in heat 12 in which Ben Wilson won from Stichauer and Holder with Graversen crashing into the fence on the finishing line. The 3-3 took the score to 43-31.

Stoke now needed to pull back at least six points from the last three races. Michal Makovsky won heat 13 from Gary Havelock and Emiliano Sanchez for a shared heat so there was no joy there. Stoke used their second TR in heat 14 with Taylor Poole wearing the black and white helmet colour. The Potters took their chance by scoring the big 1-8. Taylor Poole gated to win the race while Klaus Jakobsen supported him in second place ahead of Maks Gregoric and Stuart Swales. There were now only five points between the two sides so, although Stoke couldn’t win the match, they could at least rescue a point. Taylor Poole was out again in the final race, on merit, to partner Michal Makovsky against Wilson and Sanchez. Heat 15 was a stormer but Ben Wilson won it from Michal Makovsky while Emiliano Sanchez got past Poole for the third place point which gave the Bears the 4-2 they needed for a seven point win and all three match points. Stoke, as Anne Robinson might say, “left with nothing”.

Scorers: Redcar – Ben Wilson 14 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (5), Gary Havelock 8 (4), Stuart Swales 7+2 (5), Maks Gregoric 5+2 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+2 (4), Jan Graversen 2 (3).

Stoke – Taylor Poole 16 (7), Michal Makovsky 15 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Hynek Stichauer 4 (4), Ricky Wells 3 (4), James Holder 3 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 2+1 (3), Michal Rajkowski 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: Sheffield 41 (0 points), Birmingham 52 (4 points) .


It was Sheffield’s turn to face the might of the unbeaten Brummies tonight at Owlerton. Birmingham with two 4 point away wins to their credit in addition to the two 3 point home wins look like going through the Group unbeaten but Sheffield are no pushovers on their own track and this was expected to be a close fought match. A win tonight for the Tigers would make them strong favourites to finish Group runners-up which might yet see them qualify for the semi-finals.

As they did last night Johnston and Summers got the Brummies off to a perfect start by gating to a 1-5 in the opening heat despite the efforts of Josh Auty to pass Summers. Justin Sedgmen passed Paul Cooper to win the reserves race for a 3-3 then Chris Kerr gated to a heat 3 win from Richard Hall and Hugh Skidmore for another shared race. Jason Lyons made it four Birmingham race winners on the trot in heat 4 for another shared race and the score was then 10-14.

Sheffield just couldn’t win a race as Steve Johnston won heat 5 from Hall and Skidmore while Aaron Summers suffered an engine failure. This produced the fourth shared race on the spin but the Brummies added another 1-5 in heat 6. Jason Lyons and Justin Sedgmen led Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty home to double their lead to eight points and already Sheffield looked to be in big trouble. Things didn’t get any better for them when they conceded a 2-4 in heat 7 after Richard Sweetman soared round the field on the opening bends with Chris Kerr picking up third behind Josef Franc. Sheffield now trailed by ten points so Josh Auty took a TR in heat 8. Birmingham countered that by replacing Jake Anderson with Justin Sedgmen but Josh Auty won despite Sedgmen’s efforts. Arlo Bugeja did his bit by keeping Aaron Summers at the back so the Tigers took a 7-2 from the race to trail 23-28 at the half way stage.

Justin Sedgmen passed Hugh Skidmore to win heat 9 while Jason Lyons took third from Richard Hall for a 2-4 which put Birmingham seven ahead. Richard Sweetman kept it that way by heading home Ashworth and Auty for a shared heat 10. Both teams gave their lower average reserve a chance to take their third rides in heat 11 with Bugeja replacing Cooper for Sheffield and Anderson replacing Summers for Birmingham. The result was a 2-4 for the visitors as Johnston won from Franc with Anderson third putting the Brummies nine points ahead. There was no change in heat 12 in which Richard Hall produced only the second home race win of the match by beating Kerr and Sedgmen as Cooper had an engine failure at the starting gate to take the score to 33-42.

Sheffield pulled two points in heat 13 as Ricky Ashworth finally won a race by beating Steve Johnston. Josef Franc headed Jason Lyons home for third and the Tigers now trailed by seven points. It looked too little, too late and so it proved as they lost another 1-5 in heat 14 to Sweetman and Sedgmen to trail by 11 points which guaranteed Birmingham all four points again. Richard Hall won the last race from Sweetman and Johnston for a 3-3 and eleven point win for the visitors.

Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 10 (5), Josh Auty 8+1 (4) (incl a 6 point TR), Josef Franc 7 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6 (4), Hugh Skidmore 5+2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3+2 (4), Paul Cooper 2 (4).

Birmingham – Justin Sedgmen 13+3 (6), Steve Johnston 12+1, Richard Sweetman 11 (5), Jason Lyons 7 (4), Chris Kerr 6 (4), Aaron Summers 2+1 (3), Jake Anderson 1 (3).