Around the Premier League Tracks 2010

[Merlin]

Friday, 16 April



Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 55 (3 points), Workington 38 (0 points) .


Team changes: Cal McDade stood in for Edinburgh’s Kalle Katajisto at number 7.

Both teams have a lot to do to get back into contention in their Premier Trophy Group. Edinburgh need all the points from their two remaining home matches and wins at Workington and Glasgow to have any chance of catching runaway group leaders Newcastle while Workington are all but out of it having failed to take a point from their group matches after four attempts, five after this match.

Timing is everything and Kalle Katajisto got it wrong by choosing this week to return home to see Mamajisto and Papajisto just as Iceland’s notorious volcano decided to make an ash of itself. However Kevin Wolbert remained undeterred and set off on a thousand plus mile journey from his home in Germany to get to Armadale in time for the match. Needless to say he was a little below his best after that marathon against the clock arriving just a couple of hours before the meeting start time.

Ryan Fisher blazed to a heat one win in a time just 0.3 outside Theo Pijper’s track record. Behind him though the Monarchs fans watched in horror as Jozsef Tabaka was all over the place at the back on a track which looked a lot grippier than usual. Perhaps not totally unexpectedly Workington’s reserves had no trouble scoring a 1-5 in the reserves race against Max Dilger and Cal McDade to put the Comets four points up but Matthew Wethers and Kevin Wolbert levelled again with a 5-1 in heat 3. Peter Kildemand had to go from 15 metres back after breaking the tapes but made up most of the ground on Wolbert by the finish. Andrew Tully and Cal McDade gated to lead heat 4 but on the fourth bend Adam Roynon fell trying an inside pass and was excluded from the rerun. In the second running of the race McDade again made a good start but was soon passed by Tully then Branney for a 4-2 which put the Monarchs ahead at 13-11.

Edinburgh pulled another two points clear with a 4-2 in heat 5. Richard Lawson made the gate but was passed by Matthew Wethers off the second bend. However he defended his second place well against the pressing Wolbert with Andre Compton stuck at the back. Heat 6 produced another 4-2 with Ryan Fisher winning it but he had an almighty fight on his hands trying to pass Craig Cook who rounded him off the second bend. Adam Roynon made a mistake to let Jozsef Tabaka through to third as Fisher chased after Cook. He finally executed an inside pass of the fourth bend on lap 3 to win the race for a 4-2 as Roynon retired. Andrew Tully gated to win heat 7 for a shared race then, in heat 8, Tabaka and McDade made the gate to sit on a 5-1 until, under pressure from Lawson, McDade went too wide on the second bend and fell. The result was a 3-3 and the score was then 27-21.

Wolbert and Wethers had a comfortable maximum in heat 9 to put the Monarchs ten points ahead. The Comets responded by nominating Peter Kildemand as a TR in heat 10 but he blew his chance of double points by falling on the fourth bend while lying second to Fisher. Schramm moved through to second and Tabaka to third giving the home side another 4-2 and twelve point lead. Rather surprisingly, Andre Compton was not nominated for a TR in heat 11 which was just as well because Compton crashed heavily on the first bend and withdrawn from the meeting. Tully gated to win the rerun but Dilger fell leaving Lawson and Branney (Compton’s replacement) to fill the minor places for a shared race. Chris Schramm took Workington’s second TR in heat 12 in which Kevin Wolbert made the gate. However Craig Cook dived inside Wolbert on the fourth bend bringing down the Edinburgh rider and was excluded from the rerun in which Wolbert again made the better start. Schramm rounded him off the second bend and shut the door on Wolbert to take the full six points. This was only Workington’s second (and last) race winner giving the Comets a 3-6 and reducing their deficit to nine points at 42-33.

Fisher and Tully scored a comfortable 5-1 in heat 13 against the two Comets’ reserves who replaced Compton and Roynon. Matthew Wethers won heat 14 but Dilger, in second place, fell as Kildemand came passed him so the result was a shared race. Finally Fisher and Wethers scored another 5-1 in heat 15, the race of the night, to complete their 5 ride respective maximums to join Andrew Tully on the unbeaten riders list giving the Monarchs a 17 point win. Although Fisher was soon away, Wethers and Kildemand had an incredible race behind them with passing and repassing galore before Matthew Wethers made it stick.

Kildemand looks a good prospect for the Comets but it’s sad to see Adam Roynon struggle so badly when we know he’s capable of so much more. Workington had no answer to Fisher, Wethers and Tully all of whom went through the card unbeaten.

Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 15 (5) (full maximum), Matthew Wethers 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Andrew Tully 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Kevin Wolbert 8+1 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 5(4), Cal McDade 2+1 (4), Max Dilger 1 (4).

Workington – Chris Schramm 10 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Craig Cook 7+2 (6), John Branney 7+2 (6), Richard Lawson 7+1 (4), Peter Kildemand 5+1 (5), Andre Compton 2 (2), Adam Roynon 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Somerset 47 (2 points), Newport 43 (1 point) .


Team changes: Newport had Justin Sedgmen at number 6 as a guest for Alex Davies.

This weekend’s three group matches (the others are at Rye House tomorrow where King’s Lynn are the visitors and at Newport on Sunday in the return fixture of this match) will go a long way to determine who qualifies as group leader for the semi-finals. Rye House’s draw at Newport had put them on +1 the same as King’s Lynn while Somerset sat on 0 with Newport on -2 so Somerset really need home and away wins to challenge for the top spot while Newport needed to win tonight’s match.

After trailing by four points with just four races left things looked bleak for the Rebels but three consecutive 5-1s turned the match round completely and Somerset led by eight points going into the last race needing only to share it to win all three match points. Alas for them there was a sting in the tail as the Wasps replied with a 1-5 to snatch a point at the death and damage the Rebels prospects of qualifying.

Craig Watson and Leigh Lanham got the Wasps off to a great start with a 1-5 against Brent Werner and Shane Parker. They then added a 2-4 when Justin Sedgmen beat Ritchie Hawkins with Todd Kurt taking third from Tommy Allen for a six point lead. Steve Boxall passed Kyle Legault to win heat 4 with Steve Masters third for a home 4-2 but the gap was extended to six points again with another Wasps 2-4 in heat 4. Kim Nilsson and Todd Kurtz led from the gate but Gathercole worked his way past Kurt on the second lap for second taking the score to 9-15.

Leigh Lanham and Steve Boxall had a close tussle in heat 5 with Lanham prevailing for a shared race then the Wasps pulled eight points ahead with another 2-4 in heat 6 as the sensational Sedgmen led Shane Parker home with Kim Nilssen in third.
Somerset hit back with a 5-1 from Hawkins and Gathercole in heat 7 cutting the gap to four points but another Sedgmen win in heat 8 stretched the Wasps lead to six points again as Watson took third behind Hawkins. The score was now 21-27.

Boxall and Masters scored a 5-1 in heat 9 then a 4-2 from Parker and Hawkins, split by Legault, in heat 10 squared the match at 30-30. Back came Newport with a 1-5 in heat 11 through Craig Watson and Leigh Lanham who relegated Cory Gathercole to third for a four point lead but Masters and Hawkins levelled things up again with a 5-1. Justin Sedgmen retired on the first lap leaving his partner, Todd Kurt, to lead Masters and Hawkins to the last bend where Masters took him wide allowing Hawkins through on the inside. Hawkins and Kurtz came together on the run in to the line resulting in Kurt falling to the dismay of the visiting fans. The score was now 36-36.

Finally Somerset hit the front with a 5-1 in heat 13 from Cory Gathercole and Shane Parker despite the determined efforts of Leigh Lanham. The Rebels four point lead doubled to eight with a third consecutive 5-1 this time from Hawkins and Boxall from Legault and Sedgmen but in the last race Lanham and Sedgmen made the gate to lead Gathercole home for a 1-5 which salvaged a point by reducing the gap to just four points.

Scorers: Somerset – Ritchie Hawkins 13+1 (6), Steve Boxall 10+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 9+1 (5), Sam Masters 7+2 (4), Shane Parker 7+1 (4), Brent Werner 1 (3), Tommy Allen 0 (3).

Newport – Leigh Lanham 11+2 (5), Justin Sedgmen 11+1 (7), Craig Watson 7 (4), Kyle Legault 5 (4), Kim Nilsson 5 (4), Todd Kurtz 3 (3), Anders Mellgren 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 17 April



Premier Trophy: Berwick 52 (3 points), Glasgow 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick were missing Adrian Rymel and had former Bandit, Josef Franc, in his place at number 1. Lee Complin is still out injured so Rider Replacement was used at number 3 and Anders Andersen was also out - another victim of the Icelandic volcano - so Arlo Bugeja was drafted in as a guest replacement at number 6.

The Northern Group may at present look a runaway success for Newcastle but second place, which may still be a passport to the semi-finals, is still very much up for grabs and Glasgow, who have a decent record at Shielfield Park, were looking for a win against a Berwick side in some disarray. Berwick too though are very much in the hunt and needed the three points on offer to keep in contention.

Glasgow scored a 2-4 in the opening race through McGowan and Dicken but Berwick replied with a 5-1 from the reserves race to turn the two point lead around. They increased it to four with a 4-2 in heat 3 when Michal Makovsky beat Josh Grajczonek while Paul Clews passed Robert Ksiezak for third. The Bandits then scored a 5-1 in heat 4 as Makovsky and Branney both passed James Grieves for an eight point lead at 16-8.

Back came Glasgow with a 2-4 in heat 5 from McGowan and Dicken with Craig Branney separating the Tigers. There were now just six points between the sides but it was ten after heat 6 when Josef Franc was fast away to win the race. Jade Mudgway passed James Grieves for second place so the Bandits took a 5-1 from the race. Immediately Glasgow gave Josh Grajczonek a TR in heat 7. It was Robert Ksiezak who made the gate though but he was passed by both Makovsky and Grajczonek which meant that Glasgow scored a 3-5 from the race cutting the gap to 26-18. The Tigers shaved another two points from the Bandits’ lead with a 2-4 in heat 8 won by Lee Dicken who gated along with Mitchell Davey. Mudgway passed Davey though to rescue two points for Berwick and the score was then 28-22.

Once again the two Tigers gated in heat 9 but both Paul Clews and Jade Mudgway passed Jaimie Courtney as James Grieves won the race for a shared race. Josef Franc won heat 10 from Grajczonek and Ksiezak for another 3-3. Heats 11 and 12 were also shared. Makovsky rounded McGowan off the second bend in the former to win with Dicken third then Josh Grajczonek won the latter from Clews and Branney taking the score to 40-34.

Josef Franc and Michal Makovsky jetted from the tapes for a big 5-1 in heat 13 ahead of McGowan and Grieves putting the Bandits 10 points ahead and so guaranteeing them the win. There was a horrendous smash in heat 14 when Robert Ksiezak picked up grip and smashed into the fence. He was removed from the track by ambulance and excluded from the rerun. Craig Branney won the rerun from Jaimie Courtney as Paul Clews had an engine failure on the starting grid. The result was a 3-2 and Berwick finished with a 4-2 as Josef Franc produced his fourth win of the match beating Travis McGowan while Makovsky took third from Grajczonek giving the Bandit’s a 13 point win.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 15+1 (6), Josef Franc 14 (5), Craig Branney 11+2 (6), Jade Mudgway 5+2 (5), Paul Clews 5 (5), Arlo Bugeja 2+1 (3).

Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 11 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Travis McGowan 10 (5), Lee Dicken 6+1 (4), James Grieves 6 (4), Robert Ksiezak 2+2 (4), Jaimie Courtney 2 (4), Mitchell Davey 2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Rye House 48 (2 points), King’s Lynn 42 (1 point) .


Team changes: Rye House[/color] were missing Stefan Ekberg and used Rider Replacement at number 2. Linus Sundstrom was also absent and Sam Masters was drafted in as a guest at number 5 with Ben Morley nominated as their number 8.

The two group leaders met in this important match at Hoddesdon. Rye House were the current favourites to qualify but King’s Lynn had a golden opportunity in this match to turn things round and a win here would surely have put them in pole position instead.

The teams traded 5-1s in the first two races. Chris Neath and Luke Bowen scored the first for the Rockets in a fast time but the reserves race had to be rerun without Kyle Hughes who crashed at the end of the third lap. In the rerun Darren Mallett and Casper Wortmann gated to head Kurt Shields home to level the match. Undaunted the Rockets struck another 5-1 in heat 3 through Jordan Frampton and Luke Bowen who passed Kozza Smith while Joe Haines got on the wrong side of the second bend camber to finish at the back. Back came King’s Lynn with a 2-4 in heat 4 as Kevin Doolan won from Kurt Shields who passed Wortmann for second. The score now stood at 13-11.

In heat 5 Tomas Topinka clipped Luke Bowen and the pair locked up and crashed at high speed into the fence. Topinka was excluded from the rerun which was delayed for a ling time in order to repair the fence was in need of a lot of attention. When the rerun did take place Luke Bowen and Jordan Frampton scored a 5-1 at the expense of Linus Eklof so the Rockets now led by six points. Back came the Stars with a 2-4 in heat 6, won by Doolan from Neath and Mallett after Hughes had retired. The gap was back to just four points now and it stayed that way when Joe Haines won heat 7 from Masters and Shields for a 3-3 but King‘s Lynn‘s chances suffered a blow when Topinka had to withdraw from the meeting with a hand injury. Heat 8 was won by Linus Eklof for a 3-3 the score now standing at 26-22.

Kevin Doolan won heat 9 from Jordan Frampton while Darren Mallett took third from Luke Bowen. The 2-4 for the Stars got them to within two points of the Rockets but Frampton and Neath beat Joe Haines for a 5-1 in heat 10 so Rye House were six ahead again. King’s Lynn though just wouldn’t lie down and they replied with a 1-5 in heat 12 through Eklof and Mallett to cut the gap to just two points again. However Rye House doubled it to four with a 4-2 in heat 12 with Frampton winning it from Kozza Smith while Kyle Hughes passed Darren Mallett for third. This took the score to 38-34 with three races left.

Heat 13 was shared with Chris Neath winning it from Doolan and Wortmann after Masters had fallen. The Stars scored a 2-4 in heat 14 after the race had to be rerun without Luke Bowen who was excluded after bringing down Casper Wortmann. Joe Haines won the race from Shields with Wortmann third and the score was now 43-41 with everything depending on the last race. Neath and Frampton gated and there was nothing that Doolan and Haines could do so the Rockets finished with a 5-1 for a 2 point win which keeps them in pole position in the group.

Scorers: Rye House – Jordan Frampton 15+2 (6), Chris Neath 13+1 (5), Luke Bowen 7+2 (5), Kurt Shields 7+1 (5), Sam Masters 4 (5), Kyle Hughes 2+1 (4).

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



Premier Trophy: Stoke 32 (0 points), Birmingham 60 (4 points) .


Team changes: Stoke were again without Jason Bunyan and had Gary Havelock at number 1 instead as a guest.

Birmingham had Tom Perry at number 7 in place of Jake Anderson.

Birmingham set out to make it a clean sweep of away matches by winning this fixture at Loomer Road. A win by six or more points would give them the maximum 16 points on the road which would have probably be a record. They faced a Stoke side who were bottom of the group with only one win to their credit.

Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston seem to have made a habit of scoring a 1-5 for the Brummies in the opening heat and they did it again heading home Gary Havelock for an early four point lead but Stoke hit back with a reserves race 5-1 from Taylor Poole and James Holder ahead of Justin Sedgmen to level the scores again. Birmingham went in front again with a 2-4 in heat 3 from Richard Sweetman and Chris Kerr separated by Klaus Jakobsen. They then doubled their lead to four points thanks to a Jason Lyons win from Ricky Wells while Tom Perry took third after Taylor Poole fell on the fourth bend while lying second. The scores were then 10-14.

Hynek Stichauer won heat 5 from Summers and Johnston and a shared heat but Birmingham scored another 1-5 in heat 6 when Sedgmen and Lyons outgated Havelock to lead by eight points at 14-22. They added another in heat 7. This time it was Sweetman and Kerr from Wells as the Brummies were almost out of sight with a twelve point lead. The ‘almost’ became ‘certainly’ as the visitors made it three consecutive 1-5s in heat 8. This time Sedgmen and Summers did the damage ahead of Taylor Poole who took a TR in the heat. The score was now 16-32.

Jason Lyons won heat 9 for a shared heat but Birmingham added another two points to their lead with a 2-4 in heat 10 won by Chris Kerr from Gary Havelock and Richard Sweetman. Another Summers, Johnston 1-5 in heat 11 continued the rout then Stichauer took Stoke’s second TR in heat 12. He finished second to Chris Kerr with Sedgmen passing Taylor Poole for third and a 4-4. The score was now 26-48.

Heat 13 produced yet another 1-5 from Lyons and Johnston with heat 14 won by Sweetman finishing as a 3-3. Finally in heat 15 Jason Lyons won from Jakobsen and Johnston for a 2-4 giving Birmingham a 28 point win. Who is going to stop this Birmingham team?

Scorers: Stoke – Hynek Stichauer 9 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Klaus Jakobsen 7+1 (5), James Holder 4+2 (5), Gary Havelock 4 (4), Ricky Wells 4 (4), Taylor Poole 4 (4), Michal Rajkowski 0 (3).

Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Richard Sweetman 10 (4), Steve Johnston 9+3 (5), Aaron Summers 9+2 (4), Chris Kerr 9+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 8 (4), Tom Perry 1 (4).



Premier Trophy: Workington 52 (3 points), Edinburgh 40 (0 points) .


Team changes: Workington were without Andre Compton, injured at Armadale last night, and had Newcastle’s Rene Bach as a guest at number 1. Adam Roynon was also missing from the Comets’ line up and they used Rider Replacement at number 5 instead. Edinburgh still without Kalle Katajisto, marooned in Finland, again had Cal McDade at number 7.

Workington were still looking for their first point from their group matches and were well out of contention. Edinburgh needed some return from the match to have any chance of recovering lost ground.

Edinburgh took the lead in the opening heat thanks to a win for Ryan Fisher and an engine failure for Richard Lawson but they suffered a blow when Max Dilger fell in the reserves race and had to go to hospital with a dislocated shoulder. This left young Cal McDade to cover all the remaining reserves rides. In the rerun the Comets went two in front with a 5-1. They scored another 5-1 in heat 3 from Chris Schramm and Peter Kildemand who both made the gate so led by six. Andrew Tully came from behind to pass Craig Cook and John Branney for a heat 4 win and shared race so the score was then 15-9.

Chris Schramm gated and was never troubled in heat 5 but the battle was behind him between Fisher and Kildemand. Fisher moved Kildemand out to let Tabaka through to third but Kildemand regained his third place by repassing before trying a big sweep round Fisher and falling in the process. The result was a 3-3 but the Monarchs were in trouble when they lost a 5-1 in heat 6. Andrew Tully touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Although he made up a lot of ground on Lawson he couldn’t pass him so Bach and Lawson put the Comets ten points ahead. Kevin Wolbert took a TR in heat 7 but, although he made a good start, Craig Cook came round the outside and went on to win. Wolbert finished second and Matthew Wethers third so Edinburgh scored a 3-5 cutting the gap to eight points. McDade fell heavily in heat 8 and was excluded from the rerun in which Jozsef Tabaka won from John Branney who fell on the third lap trying to pass Tabaka and had to push home for the two points since Richard Lawson’s bike had packed up. This gave Edinburgh a 2-3 and the score was then 31-24.

Andrew Tully won heat 9 from Chris Schramm to put Edinburgh in a potential 2-4 position. However Cal McDade’s bike packed up allowing Kildemand through for third and a 3-3. Workington increased their lead to nine with a 4-2 in heat 10 won by Richard Lawson from Wolbert while Bach passed Wethers for third then they hit the Monarchs with a 5-1 in heat 11 when Kildemand and Cook got ahead of Fisher and held the Edinburgh number 1 off despite all his efforts to pass them. The Monarchs now trailed by 13 points. In heat 12 Chris Schramm fell on the first bend trying to get the better of Wolbert but remounted. He got a point by doing so because behind Branney McDade fell gifting the third place point to Schramm so the race was shared and the score was 43-30.

Andrew Tully took Edinburgh’s second TR in heat 13 and when he and Ryan Fisher gated to lead the race things looked bright for an Edinburgh 1-8. However Rene Bach swooped round the pair of them on the second lap to win the race. With Tully finishing second the Monarchs scored another 3-5 but it was too little, too late as they still trailed by eleven points with just two races left. In heat 14 Edinburgh fielded just one rider. Craig Cook won it from Matthew Wethers while Peter Kildemand had an engine failure so the result was a 3-2. Rene Bach, a superb guest for the Comets, won the last race from Andrew Tully and Kevin Wolbert for a 3-3 and the Comets had at last put three points on the group scoreboard. Edinburgh are all but out of the competition after this result.

Scorers: Workington – Craig Cook 12+2 (5), Rene Bach 12 (5), Chris Schramm 9+1 (5), John Branney 8+1 (5), Peter Kildemand 6+2 (5), Richard Lawson 5+1 (5).

Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 13 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Kevin Wolbert 11+1 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Ryan Fisher 7+1 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 5+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 3+1 (4), Cal McDade 1 (6), Max Dilger 0 (1).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 18 April



Premier Trophy: Newport 57 (3 points), Somerset 37 (0 points) .


Team changes: Newport again had Justin Sedgmen at number 6 in place of Alex Davies.

The four team Southern Group looks to be a straight fight between Rye House and King’s Lynn. Newport cannot top the group but, with the best second team joining the group winners to contest the semi-finals, a win might possibly have got the Wasps back into contention. For Somerset a win looked to be essential to put them in with a chance of qualification.

Newport had a massive advantage by being able to track Justin Sedgmen, who will surely be a heat leader when the first set of averages come out, at reserve and that became evident as early as heat 2 when he won from Hawkins and Kurtz for a 4-2, the first of five unbeaten rides, which put Newport in front after a shared opening race won by Shane Parker. Fast starts for Anders Mellgren and Kyle Legault produced a 5-1 for a six point lead then Kim Nilsson won heat 4 for a second shared race giving the Wasps a 15-9 lead.

Shane Parker had to pass Mellgren in heat 5 to turn another home 5-1 into a 4-2 as the Wasps went eight points up. However the Rebels got two points back from heat 7. Ritchie Hawkins and Cory Gathercole looked set for a 1-5 after Craig Watson had fallen but Leigh Lanham passed Gathercole on the second lap to cut it to a 2-4. The Wasps reversed that with a 4-2 in heat 7 though as Sedgmen won again from Boxall and Nilsson to restore the Wasps’ eight point lead. Sedgmen, replacing Todd Kurtz, was out again in heat 8 and followed Craig Watson home for a 5-1 which left Somerset with the proverbial mountain to climb as the Wasps now led by 30-18.

Twelve down it was time for Somerset to use a TR and Cory Gathercole had the responsibility in heat 9. Mellgren gated for a tapes to flag win while Gathercole who had slipped into second off the second bend spent his time fending off the determined challenge of Kyle Legault. The Wasp came to grief though on the last bend of the third lap allowing Ritchie Hawkins into third with the race awarded. This gave the Rebels a 3-5 to leave them now trailing by ten points. They pulled another two points back in heat 10 when Steve Boxall gated to lead Leigh Lanham home while Sam Masters finished third for a 2-4 but all the good work was undone with another 5-1 for the home side from Nilsson and Sedgmen (again!) who gated to leave Shane Parker chasing shadows for a twelve point lead.. Somerset played their second TR card in heat 12 giving Sam Masters the black and white helmet which seemed a strange decision since Masters had only scored a single point from his three previous rides. It looked a good decision as Masters led from the tapes but he was passed at the beginning of lap 2 by that man Sedgmen again who went on to win the race. Ritchie Hawkins finished third though so the Rebels scored another 3-5 from the race and now trailed by 43-33.

It was all over after heat 13 when Nilsson and Lanham led Parker and Gathercole home for another 5-1 and 14 point lead in heat 13. The Wasps added a 4-2 in heat 14 as Kyle Legault beat Steve Boxall and Todd Kurtz passed Tommy Allen for third. Newport rounded off an excellent performance with another 5-1 from Kim Nilsson and Leigh Lanham to chalk up a 20 point win thanks to a large extent to that 5 ride paid maximum from Justin Sedgmen.

Scorers: Newport – Justin Sedgmen 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Kim Nilsson 13 (5), Leigh Lanham 9+3 (5), Kyle Legault 8+1 (4), Anders Mellgren 7 (4), Craig Watson 5 (4), Todd Kurtz 2 (3).

Somerset – Steve Boxall 9 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 8+3 (6), Shane Parker 7 (4), Cory Gathercole 7 (4) (incl a 4 point TR), Sam Masters 5 (4), Brent Werner 1 (4), Tommy Allen 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow 42 (0 points), Workington 48 (3 points) .


Team changes: Glasgow had to use Rider Replacement for Robert Ksiezak at number 4 following his bad crash at Berwick last night. Workington had Thomas H Jonasson at number 1 replacing the injured Andre Compton and used Rider Replacement at number 5 for Adam Roynon.

Workington’s Richard Lawson won the opening race from Travis McGowan while Lee Dicken took third after Thomas H Jonasson had fallen and remounted before retiring from the race at the end of the third lap. That meant that the race was shared as was heat 2 when Jaimie Courtney shot from the gate to lead Craig Cook and John Branney home. The deadlock was broken in heat 3 with a 1-5 for the Comets. Chris Schramm gated from Josh Grajczonek. However Peter Kildemand passed Grajczonek off the second bend while Jaimie Courtney, taking the first R/R ride finished at the back. Richard Lawson, the winner of the opening race, took Workington’s first R/R ride in heat 4 but he could only follow James Grieves and Mitchell Davey home as Glasgow scored a 5-1 which levelled the match again at 12-12.

Richard Lawson won again though in heat 5 and was followed home by Thomas H Jonasson for another Comets 1-5 which put them four up again. As before Glasgow levelled in the next race as Travis McGowan and Lee Dicken led Craig Cook home for a Tigers 5-1. James Grieves then gated to lead heat 7 until the last bend when Peter Kildemand passed him on the inside. Chris Schramm was third so the Comets were back in front with the 2-4 and they increased their lead to four points in heat 8 when Richard Lawson produced his third race win of the match beating Lee Dicken. John Branney took third so the score then stood at 22-26.

Josh Grajczonek won heat 9 but Kildemand and Cook finished behind him for a 3-3 the same score as in heat 10. Schramm and Kildemand led that race until Travis McGowan passed the pair of them at the start of lap 2 before all three survived a scare as things tightened up down the back straight but the race was shared keeping the Comets’ lead intact. They increased it to six however when Thomas H Jonasson beat James Grieves in heat 11 while Mitchell Davey fell at the end of the first lap leaving Richard Lawson to pick up the third place point for a 2-4. Glasgow pulled two points back in heat 12 when Josh Grajczonek beat Chris Schramm. Craig Cook suffered an engine failure on the second lap so the Tigers scored a 4-2 to take the score to 34-38 with just three races left.

The Tigers shaved another two points off the Workington lead with another 4-2 in heat 13 when James Grieves headed Thomas H Jonasson home with Travis McGowan in third so the gap was down to just two points. It stayed that way after a shared heat 14 won by Josh Grajczonek from Peter Kildemand and Craig Cook after Jaimie Courtney had an engine failure on the second lap. So it came down to a last heat decider with Glasgow needing a 5-1 to win and Workington needing three points to win and two to draw. Glasgow went with Grajczonek and Grieves while Workington off gates 1 and 3 were represented by Kildemand and Jonasson. It all went pear shaped for Glasgow though as James Grieves fell on the second lap and was excluded from the race. The rerun was won by Thomas H Jonasson while Peter Kildemand passed Josh Grajczonek for second with an outside pass on the last bend so Workington took a 1-5 for a six point victory and three match points.

Scorers: Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 12 (6), James Grieves 10 (5), Travis McGowan 9 (4), Lee Dicken 5+2 (5), Jaimie Courtney 4 9 (6), Mitchell Davey 2+1 (4).

Workington – Peter Kildemand 12+3 (6), Richard Lawson 11 (5), Thomas H Jonasson 10+1 (5), Chris Schramm 8 (4), Craig Cook 5+2 (5), John Branney 2+1 (5).



Premier Trophy: Newcastle v Edinburgh .



This match was rained off at 4.00pm due to persistent rain.

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 21 April



Premier League: Birmingham 60 (3 points), Newcastle 32 (0 points) .


As the Premier Trophy matches near the group completion stage, the action tonight switched to the Premier League where, prior to tonight, only one match had been ridden - the televised match at Rye House where Birmingham were the visitors. Both teams were at full strength for this eagerly awaited test between arguably the top two teams in the league judging by results to date.

Once again Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston got the Brummies off to the perfect 5-1 start but their task was made much easier than it should have been by the Diamonds. Firstly Derek Sneddon touched the tapes and was excluded to be replaced by Dakota North, Then, when the race got underway, Kenni Larsen stuck at the back suffered an engine failure. Justin Sedgmen, leading the reserves race, got out of shape on the fourth bend allowing Dakota North through for the race win and a shared race then heat 3 was shared too. There was plenty action in this one as Jason King made the best start to lead going into the third lap when Richard Sweetman swooped round the outside to pass him. Then in the run in to the line Rene Bach passed Chris Kerr for third place and the 3-3. Heat 4 produced another 3-3 won by Jason Lyons. The main interest was at the back where Jake Anderson passed Mark Lemon before being repassed. The score then stood at 14-10.

Birmingham surged further ahead, doubling their lead to eight, with a 5-1 in heat 5. Richard Sweetman rounded the field to set off for a comfortable win while Chris Kerr slotted in behind him to leave Kenni Larsen and Derek Sneddon to trail home behind them. Another 5-1 came the home side’s way in heat 6. There was just no stopping Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston who were soon clear of Lemon and North stretching the lead to 12 points. Newcastle then gave a TR to Rene Bach in heat 7. Unfortunately he fell at the end of the second lap trying to round Jason Lyons as the Birmingham pair had again cleared off in front. The race was rerun and the expected Lyons, Sedgmen 5-1 was the result as was the result of heat 8 with Aaron Summers and Justin Sedgmen winning comfortably from Derek Sneddon. The score at that stage was 34-14 and even the hopes of a match point seemed way out of the reach of Newcastle for whom only reserve, Dakota North, had managed a race win.

The rout continued in heat 9 with another home 5-1, their fifth on the trot, from Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetman. Although Sweetman made the gate his partner, Chris Kerr, made a poor start but rounded the field for the win. Finally another visitor won a race in heat 10 in the shape of Rene Bach who headed home Johnston and Summers for a tapes to flag win and shared race. Heat 11 was another 3-3 won by Jason Lyons from Sneddon and Larsen then, perhaps surprisingly Dakota North was given Newcastle’s second TR in heat 12. Jason King messed things up for the Diamonds by being excluded under the two minute time allowance and having to go from 15 metres back. Chris Kerr had a tapes to flag win but North took second from Jake Anderson as Jason King finished at the back. This provided a 4-4 score from the race and the overall score was now 49-25.

More disaster for Newcastle in heat 13 when Larsen’s bike packed up on the way to the tapes resulting in him jumping on his second bike which also failed. He was excluded under the two minute rule and replaced by Adam McKinna. Eventually Lyons and Johnston led Mark Lemon round for another 5-1 but not until Lyons, Lemon then Johnston had all passed early race leader Adam McKinna. Johnston then passed Lemon whose bike also developed problems. Richard Sweetman won heat 14 but Bach and North finished behind him for a 3-3 which meant that Newcastle would at least reach 30 points. In fact they hit 32 as Rene Bach won the final race from Lyons and Sweetman.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14 (5), Richard Sweetman 12+2 (5), Aaron Summers 10+1 (4), Steve Johnston 8+3 (4), Chris Kerr 8+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 6+2 (4), Jake Anderson 2+1 (4).

Newcastle – Rene Bach 9+1 (5), Dakota North 9 (7) (incl a 4 point TR), Mark Lemon 4+1 (4), Derek Sneddon 3 (4), Jason King 3 (4), Kenni Larsen 2+1 (4), Adam McKinna 2 (4).



Premier League: King‘s Lynn 58 (3 points), Sheffield 34 (0 points) .


Team changes: King’s Lynn were without Tomas Topinka who suffered a broken fibula in his crash with Luke Bowen at Rye House last Saturday night and may well be out for some time. They had one of last year’s team Chris Schramm, now with Workington, as a guest at number 1 in his place. However they are also without Joe Haines who fractured his shoulder riding at Wolverhampton on Monday night. This meant that they had to use Rider Replacement at number 4 instead.

Sheffield were the visitors at the Norfolk Arena for this Premier League match against the champions. The Tigers’ fans would want to forget the maximum 75-15 they suffered at this track but the visitors seemed to be much better prepared with this year’s line up. Indeed with King’s Lynn’s injury misfortunes did thoughts of an away win enter their minds?

Well it was King’s Lynn who kicked off with a 5-1 as Chris Schramm and Linus Eklof saw off Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty. They did it again in heat 2 as Casper Wortmann and Darren Mallett won from a hard Challenging Paul Cooper. Any thoughts Sheffield might have had of taking something from this match seemed ill-founded as the Stars scored a third consecutive 5-1 in heat 3 as Kozza Smith and Linus Eklof (R/R) were well in front when the race was stopped after Hugh Skidmore had fallen causing Richard Hall to lay his bike down. The race was awarded then the Stars went 14 points ahead with a 4-2 in heat 4 when Kevin Doolan won from Cooper and Wortmann with Josef Franc finishing at the back. The score after four races was 19-5.

Kevin Doolan (R/R) won heat 5 too but this time Ashworth and Auty finished behind him for a 3-3. The Stars added a 4-2 in heat 6 though with Eklof beating Franc and Schramm taking third for a 16 point lead. Heat 7 was rerun without Richard Hall after the Sheffield man fell on the third bend after passing Darren Mallett. Doolan and Mallett took a 5- from the rerun then Paul Cooper took a TR for Sheffield in heat 8. Although Linus Eklof won it for the home side Cooper and Auty finished in the minor places ahead of Wortmann so Sheffield took a 3-5 advantage from the heat and the score progressed to 34-16.

The Tigers pulled another two points back in heat 9 when Josef Franc rode a good opening two bends to see off Kozza Smith. Behind this pair Arlo Bugeja just managed to hold off Darren Mallett (R/R) for third and 2-4. After the interval it was business as usual as Schramm and Eklof added another 5-1 at the expense of Richard Hall for a 20 point lead. Ricky Ashworth then took a TR in heat 11 but he needn’t have bothered, Kevin Doolan won the race easily but the action was between Auty and Mallett who passed and repassed each other before Auty got the better of the Stars’ reserve for a home 4-2. Richard Hall then split Smith and Wortmann in heat 12 for another 4-2 taking the score to 49-25.

Chris Schramm fell in heat 13. Doolan rounded Ashworth to win the race so the points were shared. Cooper split Smith and Mallett for a 4-2 in heat 14 but the Tigers finished with a race win! Josef Franc got the better of Kevin Doolan to ruin his maximum while Richard Hall headed Linus Eklof home for a 2-4.

Scorers: King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 17 (6), Linus Eklof 12+3 (6), Kozza Smith 11 (5), Chris Schramm 7 (4), Darren Mallett 6+2 (5), Casper Wortmann 5 (4).

Sheffield – Josef Franc 9+1 (5), Paul Cooper 9 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Ricky Ashworth 5 (4), Richard Hall 5 (5), Josh Auty 4+2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3), Hugh Skidmore 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 22 April



Premier Trophy: Redcar 42 (0 Points), Scun’thorpe 48 (3 points) .


Team changes: Redcar were without Maks Gregoric and used Rider Replacement at number 3 instead. They also were without Jan Graversen and had Berwick’s Craig Branney as a guest at number 7 in his place.

There wasn’t much at stake in this match - both teams were riding for pride (and points money of course!). Scun’thorpe recovered brilliantly from the opening four heats which saw them fall eight points behind after conceding a 5-1 to Ben Wilson and Craig Branney in heat 3 and two 4-2s in heats 2 and 4. Redcar provided all four race winners for a 16-8 lead and were in a commanding position for all three match points.

Redcar got a wake-up call though when Howe and Bergstrom gated in heat 5 to give the Scorpions a much needed 1-5 halving the gap to four points. When Magnus Karlsson beat Gary Havelock in the next race with Jerran Hart third for a 2-4 another two points of the Redcar lead had disappeared. The Scorpions then squared the scores again with another 2-4 through a Carl Wilkinson win from Emiliano Sanchez who had to pass Joel Parsons for second. Scun’thorpe’s amazing surge continued with a 1-5 in heat 8 when Simon Lambert and Andreas Bergstrom gated from the Redcar reserves. Now Scun’thorpe led by 22-26.

Redcar’s evening just continued to get worse. They fell six points in arrears when Ben Wilson could only separate Magnus Karlsson and Jerran Hart for a 2-4. Gary Havelock ended the run of five Scun’thorpe race winners on the trot but his win from the gate was only enough for Redcar to share the race. It was only a temporary halt to the Scun’thorpe charge and they added another two points to their lead with a 2-4 in heat 11 with a David Howe win from Sanchez and Bergstrom. The visitors’ lead had now stretched to eight points but Redcar hit back in heat 12 with a Wilson, Branney 5-1 against Parsons and Hart who had an engine failure. The score was now 34-38 with all to race for over the last three heats.

The Bears looked to be in a position to square the match when they sat on a 5-1 in heat 13 but David Howe and Magnus Karlsson passed Emiliano Sanchez to follow Gary Havelock home for a shared race. Redcar badly needed a heat advantage in heat 14 and they got a 4-2 when Ben Wilson beat Carl Wilkinson. Craig Branney’s third place gave the Bears a 4-2 cutting the Scorpions’ lead to just two points with just one race left. There was no happy ending for the home men. In the last race Magnus Karlsson and David Howe scored a 1-5 for a six point win.

Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5), Ben Wilson 12 (6), Stuart Swales 7 (6), Craig Branney 6+2 (5) Emiliano Sanchez 5 (4), Tomas Suchanek 0 (5).

Scun’thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 12+1 (5), David Howe 11+2 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 7+2 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (4), Simon Lambert 5 (4), Joel Parsons 4+1 (4), Jerran Hart 2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Sheffield 55 (3 points), Stoke 40 (0 points) .


Team changes: Stoke were still without Jason Bunyan and had Edinburgh’s Andrew Tully guesting at Number 1 in his place.

Sheffield soon forged into a six point lead over the opening four races. After sharing the opening race, the reserves race produced a 5-1 for the Tigers and they added a 4-2 in heat 3 in which Richard Hall won from Ricky Wells who had a ding-dong battle with Hugh Skidmore before landing second place. James Holder steadied the ship by winning heat 4 in a tight race with Josef Franc while Arlo Bugeja held off Hynek Stichauer for a 3-3 for a 12-6 score.

A heat 5-1 from Hall and Skidmore put the Tigers into a ten point lead and the Potters into TR territory. Taylor Poole had a superb win in heat 6 chasing down and passing Ricky Ashworth while fending off the advances of Josh Auty. The result was a shared race the same as in heat 7 won again by Taylor Poole who replaced Klaus Jakobsen who touched the tapes and was excluded but still no TR! The Tigers stretched their lead to 12 points in heat 8 when Josh Auty won from James Holder with Bugeja in third for a 4-2 and 30-18 score.

Finally the Potters played a TR card with Taylor Poole wearing the black and white helmet cover in heat 9. It was the wrong choice since Richard Hall won the race from Poole and Skidmore who collided on the back straight of the opening lap. The result was a 4-4 shared race so the crowd waited for the second TR from the Potters. It didn’t come in heat 10 as the Tigers moved 14 points in front with another 4-2 from Josh Auty and Ricky Ashworth with Klaus Jakobsen the meat in the sandwich. Andrew Tully won heat 11 by a big margin against Josef Franc and Paul Cooper but only for a shared race. The second TR had still not been played and the Potters were now going to struggle to get back into the match at this late stage. Heat 12 won by Taylor Poole produced another 3-3 and the score was then 41-27.

Finally Stoke used their second TR in heat 13 when Andrew Tully appeared with the black and white helmet cover against Ashworth and Franc. He won it too for the full 6 points providing a 3-6 to the Potters. This cut the Sheffield lead to nine points but it was really too late for any realistic hope of success. Sure enough the Tigers landed a 5-1 in heat 14 through Skidmore and Cooper. In the last race Andrew Tully lifted and smashed into Richard Hall on the second bend but both riders were able to walk back to the pits. Tully was excluded and Hall recovered sufficiently to take his place in the rerun. Poole won the race for a shared race.

Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 12+1 (5), Josh Auty 9+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 8 (4), Paul Cooper 7+3 (5), Hugh Skidmore 7+1 (4), Josef Franc 7+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 5+3 (4).

Stoke – Taylor Poole 17 (7) (incl a 4 point TR), Andrew Tully 11+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), James Holder 5 (6), Klaus Jakobsen 3 (4), Michal Rajkowski 2 (3), Ricky Wells 2 (3), Hynek Stichauer 0 (3).

[Merlin]

[ Friday, 23 April



Premier League: Scun’thorpe 62 (3 points), Berwick 28 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick again used Rider Replacement for the injured Lee Complin.

Scun’thorpe and Berwick kicked off their Premier League campaigns tonight. The Scorpions were on a high after their win at Redcar last night while for Berwick it was the prelude to their Premier Trophy derby clash with Newcastle tomorrow night.

This was a real thrashing for the Bandits who managed only four race winners all night. Adrian Rymel gated to win the opening race for a 3-3 then the roof fell in for the Bandits who then conceded five 5-1s and four 4-2s before they managed to share the points again. By that time they were 36-12 down and had blown a TR in heat 5 when Carl Wilkinson and Joel Parsons relegated Adrian Rymel wearing the black and white helmet cover to the back.

Makovsky eventually won heat 9 for the Bandits having passed Parsons and Wilkinson in the process in an excellent race. Another 5-1 from Howe and Bergstrom was followed by successive race winners for the Bandits in heats 11 and 12. The former was won by Adrian Rymel with an electric gate but there was a huge crash in the latter when Paul Clews and Joel Parsons came together. Parsons was excluded and the rerun was won by Anders Anderson from Simon Lambert and Paul Clews for a Berwick 2-4, their one success of the match. The score was then 49-23.

Rymel and Makovsky finished behind Magnus Karlsson for a shared heat 13 then Scun’thorpe wound things up with two more 5-1s for a 34 point win.

Scorers: Scun’thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 13+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 11+3 (5), Jerran Hart 9+2 (4), Simon Lambert 9+2 (4), David Howe 8 (4), Joel Parsons 7+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 5+2 (4),

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 9 (5), Michal Makovsky 8+1 (6), Anders Andersen 4 (5), Paul Clews 4 (4), Jade Mudgway 2 (5), Craig Branney 1 (5).



Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 43 (0 points), Glasgow 52 (4 points) .


Team changes: Edinburgh had Cal McDade at number 6 for the injured Max Dilger while Glasgow used Rider Replacement for injury victim Robert Ksiezak at number 4.

Neither side are likely to qualify for the semi-finals but it was a local derby so a hard match was anticipated but it didn’t turn out that way! The final score may be hard to believe but Edinburgh were every bit as bad as it suggests while Glasgow simply raced to just about the easiest away victory they could ever wish for. Indeed the Edinburgh score flatters them since it contains two 7-2 heat wins. Without them they would have lost 37-52.

The extent of just how feeble the Monarchs were can be well illustrated by the fact that between them Tabaka, Wolbert, Tully, McDade and Katajisto scored just 15 points between them every ‘genuine’ one coming at the expense of the two Glasgow reserves. Glasgow’s top four of McGowan, Dicken, Grajczonek and Grieves dropped points only to Fisher and Wethers. Between them they produced nine of the 15 race winners!

So how did it all unfold? Well there was no indication in the opening heat which Ryan Fisher won comfortably although Jozsef Tabaka was passed easily by Lee Dicken then fell off. Edinburgh had no rider in a rerun reserves race. In the first running Kalle Katajisto blew his engine so never left the starting line while Cal McDade fell on the third turn gifting Glasgow a 0-5. Edinburgh again failed to provide two finishers in a rerun heat three. Wolbert trying to catch the fast gating Josh Grajczonek clipped his back wheel and crashed heavily into the fence. He was little more than a passenger after that. Matthew Wethers won the rerun then James Grieves won heat 4 for a 3-3 with the score then 9-14.

Glasgow surged seven points ahead with a 2-4 in heat 5 from McGowan and Dicken then Tabaka fell again in heat 6 leaving Fisher’s win only good enough for a shared race. The home fans were stunned (probably just like the Glasgow fans!) as the Tigers added a 1-5 through Dicken and Grajczonek against Andrew Tully to lead by 11. Lee Dicken, enjoying a field day, came out again to win heat 8 for a shared race and the rout continued with the score now 18-29.

A win for Grieves for a 3-3 was followed by a TR for Ryan Fisher. He won it by passing Grajczonek while Tabaka finally finished third for a 7-2 cutting Glasgow’s lead to 6 points. Any hopes of a possible Edinburgh recovery disappeared when McGowan and Dicken added another 1-5 in heat 11 against Andrew Tully whose gating was simply abysmal. Grajczonek won heat 12 for a 3-3 taking the score to 32-42.

Ryan Fisher did his best to win heat 13 to cheer the home fans up but it all went pear shaped. He made a poor gate letting McGowan and Grieves away from the tapes. However he passed Grieves then set off after McGowan. However he overcooked the second bend and fell leaving the Tigers to take yet another 1-5 and 14 point lead. This allowed Matthew Wethers to take Edinburgh’s second TR and he won it with a cracking ride after trailing Grajczonek from the tapes catching and passing the Tiger with the sort of determination which had been sadly lacking from the home side’s efforts all match. Grieves wrapped things up by winning heat 15 by a distance from Fisher and Wethers who kept McGowan at the back for a 3-3.

Glasgow will take great pleasure from a comprehensive and thoroughly professional win against their nearest and dearest. Their top four were far too good for the Monarchs although their reserves will rarely be gifted the points they scored again. Edinburgh? An embarrassed and angry promoter, John Campbell, summed it up when he said from the centre green that “One team came to race, the other came to watch”!

The Tigers have waited a long time to for revenge for the heavy defeats Edinburgh have inflicted over them at Ashfield over the last two seasons. They got it tonight in good measure and might wonder if it is yet too late to qualify for the semi-finals as they head to Workington tomorrow surely on a high. Edinburgh are left to wonder whether their season is about to implode. Some serious questions need to be addressed. No doubt there will be excuses and hard luck stories but it’s doubtful if the fans will want to hear them.

Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 14 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Matthew Wethers 14 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Kalle Katajisto 5+2 (5).Andrew Tully 5 (4), Kevin Wolbert 3+1 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 2+1 (4), Cal McDade 0 (3).

Glasgow – James Grieves 13+1 (5), Josh Grajczonek 11+1 (5), Travis McGowan 11 (5), Lee Dicken 10+2 (5), Jaimie Courtney 5+2 (5), Mitchell Davey 2+1 (5).



Premier Trophy: Somerset 42 (0 points), Rye House 48 (3 points).


Team changes: Somerset used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Steve Boxall who has reportedly quite the club while Rye House used Rider Replacement for the injured Luke Bowen also at number 2.

This was the final group match for Rye House and a win tonight would ensure qualification for the semi-finals as group leaders. Anything less would leave the door open for King’s Lynn to top the group by beating Somerset at the Norfolk Arena next Wednesday. Somerset themselves were not completely out of it but they needed the full three points tonight to keep their slim chances alive.

In the event Rye House scored a six point victory to clinch top spot in the Southern Group so qualifying for the semi-finals. With Shane Parker only managing one race win and with Brent Werner failing to beat an opponent there just wasn’t enough firepower in the Rebels’ camp. They managed only six race winners and yet still went into the last heat needing a 5-1 for victory.

Not for the first time this season the Rebels lost a 1-5 in the opening heat. Chris Neath and Kurt Shields who had a passing and repassing bout with Shane Parker did the damage but once again the Rebels retaliated with a levelling 5-1 in the reserves race. The Rockets replied to that with another 1-5 from Jordan Frampton, who went through the meeting unbeaten by an opponent, and Stefan Ekberg while the Rebels pulled two points back again with a 4-2 from Cory Gathercole and Tommy Allen. When the dust had settled from these opening four races the score stood at 11-13 to the Rockets.

Rye House extended their lead again to four points with another 2-4 in heat 5 with another race win from Chris Neath then came the first shared heat of the match in heat 6 with a Linus Sundstrom win. Another 3-3 followed in heat 7 after three reruns following two unsatisfactory starts and a massive crash between Cory Gathercole and Jordan Frampton which amazingly resulted in all four riders returning to the starting gate for another try. Frampton won the race for the Rockets’ fifth race winner from the seven races. Somerset pulled two points back in heat 8 again through another Gathercole win so the score was then 23-25.

After another Sundstrom win in heat 9 for a shared race, the Rockets pulled four points ahead once more with a 2-4 in heat 10. Jordan Frampton won it from Tommy Allen while Stefan Ekberg kept Shane Parker at the back. Back came the Rebels for another 4-2 from Gathercole and Hawkins but yet again the Rockets increased their lead to four points with another Frampton win in heat 12 after Tommy Allen in third suffered an engine failure. The score was now 34-38.

Finally Shane Parker won a race in heat 13 beating Chris Neath who had a titanic battle with Gathercole for second before triumphing. The 4-2 got the Rebels to within two points again and it stayed that way when Ritchie Hawkins won heat 14 after passing Stefan Ekberg and Kyle Hughes. With the ineffective Werner stuck at the back the race was shared. This left Somerset needing a 5-1 for victory but when Neath and Frampton gated there was nothing Parker and Gathercole could do to stop them scoring a 1-5 for a six point win.

Scorers: Somerset – Cory Gathercole 12 (6), Ritchie Hawkins 11+2 (6), Tommy Allen 7 (5), Shane Parker 6+1 (5), Sam Masters 5+1 (5), Brent Werner 1 (3).

Rye House – Jordan Frampton 14+1 (5), Chris Neath 13 (5), Linus Sundstrom 10 (5), Stefan Ekberg 5+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 4+1 (6), Kurt Shields 2+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 24 April



Premier Trophy: Berwick 45 (1 point), Newcastle 45 (2 points) .


Team changes: Berwick again used Rider Replacement for the injured Lee Complin at number 3. Newcastle were without their two Danish riders, Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach, both of whom are riding in the quarter final of the Danish Championship at Outrup tomorrow. They had Jason Lyons as a guest for Kenni Larsen at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Rene Bach at number 4.

The Bandits got off to a great start taking advantages from the first two races. Adrian Rymel won the first and Jade Mudgway passed Derek Sneddon on the third lap for a 5-1. The second produced a 4-2 with Craig Branney winning from Adam McKinna but the next two races were shared. Heat 3 won by Michal Makovsky was awarded when Paul Clews fell when his throttle jammed open then Mark Lemon provided Newcastle’s first race winner beating Makovsky in the process. The score after these four races was 15-9.

Jason Lyons recovered from his first race blob to win heat 5 from Clews while Sneddon’s third place gave the Diamonds a 2-4 cutting the Bandits’ lead to four points. Another Lemon win in heat 6 from Mudgway and Rymel produced another shared race but the Bandits hit home a 5-1 in heat 7 from Makovsky and Anderson to double their lead to eight points. However the Diamonds cut it to six with a heat eight 2-4 thanks to a Derek Sneddon win. The score then stood at 27-21.

Newcastle pulled another two points back with another 2-4 in heat 9 as Mark Lemon continued his unbeaten run but Berwick replied with a 4-2 from Rymel and Mudgway in heat 10. Makovsky had to pass both Jason Lyons and Derek Sneddon to win heat 11 for a share of the spoils but Newcastle fought back again with a 2-4 in heat 12 after Jason King had won from Craig Branney. The score was now 38-34.

Finally Newcastle got back on level terms with a 1-5 in heat 13 from Mark Lemon, producing his fourth consecutive heat win, and Jason Lyons who passed Adrian Rymel to join his partner. However Berwick promptly replied with a 5-1 of their own at just the right time. Craig Branney and Paul Clews were the heroes as they gated to lead Jason King home for a four point lead going into the last race. Could Lemon and Lyons repeat their heat 13 1-5 win to earn the Diamonds a draw? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’ as the two Newcastle riders gated to leave Makovsky and Rymel to trail home behind them.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 12 (6), Craig Branney 11+1 (6), Adrian Rymel 8+1 (5), Paul Clews 6+1 (4), Jade Mudgway 5+1 (5), Anders Andersen 3+1 (3).

Newcastle – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (full maximum), Jason King 9 (5), Jason Lyons 8+3 (5), Derek Sneddon 7 (5), Adam McKinna 4+1 (4), Dakota North 2 (6).



Premier Trophy: Workington 53 (3 points), Glasgow 43 (0 points) .


Team changes: Workington were without Andre Compton and Adam Roynon. They had Swindon’s Thomas H Jonasson at number 1 instead of Compton and introduced Rusty Harrison at number 5 in place of Roynon.
Glasgow were again without Robert Ksiezak and used Rider Replacement at number 4 in his absence.

After sharing the opening race won by Travis McGowan, the Comets struck two early blows with 5-1s in heats 2 and 3, both won by Craig Cook, to open up an eight point lead. James Grieves won heat 4 from Rusty Harrison for another shared race so the score after the opening four races was 16-8.

Glasgow lost a 4-2 in heat 5 with Craig Cook winning again this time passing McGowan to do so while Chris Schramm finished third ahead of Lee Dicken. There were now 10 points between the teams and Glasgow were in TR territory. James Grieves emerged in heat 6 wearing the black and white helmet cover. He won it too fending off the hard challenging Thomas H Jonasson but there was no backing for him so Richard Lawson’s third place resulted in a 3-6 for the Tigers which cut the Comets’ lead to seven points. Glasgow then came storming back with a 1-5 from Lee Dicken and Josh Grajczonek from Harrison and Cook to cut the gap to just three points. Lee Dicken suffered an engine failure in heat 8 but Mitchell Davey came to the Tigers’ rescue by gating and holding on to win from Branney and Lawson with the score now at 27-24.

Workington opened up a seven point lead with a 5-1 in heat 9 when Craig Cook gated for a tapes to flag win. Behind him Chris Schramm passed James Grieves to follow him home. Heat 10 produced a strange result as Mitchell Davey won again from Richard Lawson while Jonasson took third from Grajczonek. This meant it was a shared race but the Comets moved further ahead with a 4-2 in heat 11 when super-reserve Craig Cook passed the fast gating McGowan for his fifth win from six rides. Rusty Harrison took third from Dicken and Workington now led by nine points. Mitchell Davey gated to lead heat 12 but he lost his chain on the second lap leaving Chris Schramm having to bale out sharpish to avoid a nasty accident. Davey was excluded. In the rerun John Branney and Chris Schramm gated to lead Josh Grajczonek home for a 5-1 putting the Comets 13 ahead at 44-31.

Mitchell Davis withdrew from the meeting as Travis McGowan took Glasgow’s second TR in heat 13. He won it with James Grieves in second for a big 1-8 which cut the gap to six points with two races to go. In heat 14 Craig Cook won for the sixth time in seven rides to lead Chris Schramm home for a 5-1 putting the Comets 10 ahead going into the last heat. Glasgow needed a 1-5 to rescue a point from the match. However they didn’t get it as the race was won by Thomas H Jonasson from Grieves and McGowan so Workington ended up ten point winners.

Scorers: Workington – Craig Cook 18 (7), Chris Schramm 9+4 (5), Thomas H Jonasson 9+1 (5), John Branney 8+2 (x), Richard Lawson 5+3 (x), Rusty Harrison 4 (x)

Glasgow – Travis McGowan 14+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), James Grieves 14+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Mitchell Davey 7 (x), Josh Grajczonek 5+1 (5), Lee Dicken 3 (x), Jaimie Courtney 0 (x).



Premier Trophy: Stoke 44 (1 points), Scun’thorpe 44 (2 points) .


Team changes: Stoke were without Jason Bunyan and Klaus Jakobsen. They had Newport’s Leigh Lanham as a guest for Bunyan at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Jakobsen at number 4. Scun’thorpe used Rider Replacement for Joel Parsons who broke two vertebrae in his back last night in a crash with Paul Clews in the Premier League match against Berwick. He is likely to be missing from the Scorpions‘ line up for around 12 weeks..

Stoke started in fine style taking a 4-2 and 5-1 in the first two races with wins for Leigh Lanham and Taylor Poole. There were only two finishers in heat 3 after Poole fell and was excluded from the rerun in which Viktor Bergstrom suffered an engine failure. Poole sustained a foot injury and was withdrawn from the meeting - leaving the home side to shoulder on using R/R and without their top scoring rider. Carl Wilkinson won from Ricky Wells giving the visitors a 2-3. A shared heat 4 won by Hynek Stichauer took the score to 14-9.

The next two races won by David Howe then Magnus Karlsson for the Scorpions were shared but heat 7 was a disaster for the Potters as they lost 0-5. With the Potters fielding just one rider the last thing they needed was for Wilkinson to run Stichauer wide causing the Potter to fall. Stichauer was excluded so Wilkinson and Bergstrom completed the four laps of the rerun unchallenged. This levelled the scores and they stayed level after Wilkinson won heat 8 from Rajkowski and Holder for a 3-3. The score was now 23-23.

The match now turned firmly in favour of the visitors as first Karlsson and Hart took a 2-4 in heat 9 which was awarded when James Holder fell at the end of the third lap then Wilkinson and Bergstrom added a 1-5 after both the Scorpions had passed Leigh Lanham. Scun’thorpe now led by 6 points and Stoke could only field one rider in heat 11 - Hynek Stichauer. He could only finish second behind Viktor Bergstrom so the visitors added a 2-4. Bergstrom was out again in heat 12 and won that too from Wells and Holder and a 3-3 so the score progressed to 31-39.

Magnus Karlsson was excluded from heat 13 after causing Hynek Stichauer to fall. In the rerun Lanham and Stichauer gave the Potters some hope by leading David Howe home for a 5-1 cutting the gap to four points. The main problem was going to be Carl Wilkinson who had won all four of his races so far. However Ricky Wells ended his unbeaten run by winning heat 14. Unfortunately for the home side James Holder finished at the back so the race was shared leaving the Potters needing a 5-1 from heat 15 for a draw. The race had to be rerun after Stichauer and Bergstrom had collided with each other. Bergstrom had to be removed from the track by ambulance so there was a lengthy delay before the rerun could be raced. Bergstrom was unable to contest it so he was replaced by Carl Wilkinson. When the rerun was raced, lo and behold!, the Potters got the 5-1 they needed for a draw. Lanham and Stichauer gated to lead Karlsson and Wilkinson home.

Scorers: Stoke – Leigh Lanham 12 (5), Ricky Wells 11 (5), Hynek Stichauer 9+2 (5), James Holder 5+4 (7), Michal Rajkowski 4+1 (4), Taylor Poole 3 (2).

Scun‘thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 14 (6), Viktor Bergstrom 10+2 (5), Magnus Karlsson 9 (5), David Howe 7 (4), Simon Lambert 3+2 (4), Jerran Hart 1 (6).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 25 April



Premier League: Newport 42 (0 points), Redcar 48 (3 points) .


Team changes: Newport were back at full strength with the return of Alex Davies. Redcar were without Tomas Suchanek who was suffering from food poisoning and Jan Graversen still suffering from concussion. They used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Suchanek and had Sheffield’s Paul Cooper as a guest for Graversen.

Both teams having lost interest in the Premier Trophy set about their Premier League campaigns in this match. Redcar made the better start and opened a four point lead after the first four races. The first two were shared. Gary Havelock gated in the opener while, in the reserves race, Alex Davies chasing the Redcar reserves who were on a 1-5 fell causing a rerun without him. As so often happens, the rerun favours the offending side as it was Todd Kurtz who worked his way to the front to lead from the second bend for the win. Stuart Swales suffered an engine failure on the back straight of the third lap but pushed his bike home from a lap and a half out for the third place point! The Bears broke the deadlock in heat 3 after Kyle Legault had reared and fallen at the start. Ben Wilson led Craig Watson home for the 2-4 and the Bears added another in heat 4 when Emiliano Sanchez passed Kim Nilsson for the win with Paul Cooper third. The score stood at 10-14.

Gary Havelock gated again to win heat 5 while Kyle Legault pulled a locker on the first bend but still recovered sufficiently to pass Stuart Swales and finish behind Craig Watson for a 3-3. Newport pulled two back with a 4-2 in heat 6 by virtue of a Leigh Lanham win while Sanchez passed Anders Mellgren for second. Redcar got it back with a 2-4 in the next race. Kim Nilsson touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back leaving Ben Wilson to win from the tapes. Nilsson set off to catch the others from his handicap and finally passed his partner, Todd Kurtz, after three laps before catching and overtaking Maks Gregoric on the back straight of the last lap. He then chased Wilson and almost caught him on the line! The Bears held on to their four point lead by sharing heat 8, which Anders Mellgren won, taking the score to 22-26.

Newport started to worry big style when they lost a 1-5 in heat 9. Emiliano Sanchez and Stuart Swales gated and Craig Watson and Kyle Legault chased in vain. The Bears had doubled their lead to eight points and things looked ominous when Anders Mellgren failed to beat the two minute time allowance in heat 10 and was replaced by Todd Kurtz. Gregoric and Lanham clashed on the first turn of this race and fell causing a rerun with all four back. Newport then pulled two back with a 4-2 when Leigh Lanham passed early leader Gregoric while Kurtz took third from the unbeaten till then Ben Wilson. The gap was down to six now and the Wasps had prospects of another 4-2 in heat 11 when Kim Nilsson led Gary Havelock with Todd Kurtz lying third. However Paul Cooper fell trying to pass Kurtz causing the race to be rerun with three riders. This gave Havelock another opportunity to keep his unbeaten run going but Nilsson gated again in the rerun to scupper his hopes. The 4-2 cut the gap to four points again and it disappeared completely as the Wasps levelled the scores with a 5-1. The pointless Alex Davies finally opened his account by getting to the front with Craig Watson behind him riding shotgun to make sure than neither Swales nor Gregoric could mount a challenge. In the event both the Bears ended in the air fence on the last bend. The score was now level at 36-36 with three races left.

Redcar weren’t about to fold though and went in front again with a 2-4 in heat 13. Gary Havelock made the best start and, try as he did, Leigh Lanham couldn’t pass him. Meanwhile Emiliano Sanchez picked up third after Nilsson had made a poor gate. Two up again, the Bears kept it that way when Ben Wilson got back to winning ways in heat 14. Legault and Kurtz shared the points though and it all boiled down to a last heat decider with the Wasps needing a 5-1 for victory. Redcar needed just three points to win the match. A nervy last race was called back after Gary Havelock had jumped the start and Ben Wilson and Craig Watson had crashed into each other with both landing in the air fence before having ‘words’ with each other. It was all four back for another try. This time Wilson and Havelock made the gate to clinch the win with a 1-5 ahead of Lanham and Watson.

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

Redcar – Gary Havelock 13+1 (5), Ben Wilson 12 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 9 (4), Maks Gregoric 5+1 (5), Paul Cooper 5 (7), Stuart Swales 4+2 (5).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow v Edinburgh .

This match was rained off at 3.30 after the riders deemed that the track was too soft to race after rain showers.



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 54 (3 points), Berwick 37 (0 points) .


Team changes: Newcastle were again without their two Danes, Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach. This time they used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Larsen and had Belle Vue‘s William Lawson as a guest at number 4 for Bach. Berwick again used Rider Replacement at number 3 for Lee Complin.

There wasn’t much in it in the early stages as every race seemed to be gate and go. Adrian Rymel won the opening race from the gate 3 for a 3-3 but the Diamonds took the lead with a Dakota North win and 4-2 in the reserves race. Jason King fell on the second bend of the third race and was excluded but the Bandits were unable to take advantage as William Lawson gated for a tapes to flag win. Mark Lemon was out again in heat 3 and won that from the gate but Craig Branney and Michal Makovsky slotted in behind him for another shared race. The score after these first four races was 13-11.

Jason King and William Lawson led from the tapes in heat 5 but the crowd were entertained by a pass when Adrian Rymel rounded Lawson on the third bend to rescue two points from the race for the Bandits. The Diamonds now led by four and gave William Lawson the R/R ride in heat 6 in which Michal Makovsky was next to gate for the three points while Derek Sneddon and William Lawson followed him home for a 3-3. It was scarcely riveting stuff but at least the score was fairly close. Craig Branney fell on the second bend of heat 7 and was excluded, a decision which was greeted with derision as the Bandits fans reckoned that Dakota North had caused him to fall. However it woke up the crowd some of whom were losing the will to live. In the rerun Paul Clews fell on the same bend and remounted to watch Mark Lemon and Dakota North finish first and second for a 5-1 leaving the Bandits now eight adrift at 25-17. And so the excitement continued with Derek Sneddon taking the three points from a….yes you’ve got it….tapes to flag win. Branney and Mudgway led McKinna home for a 3-3 so the score was 28-20 or something zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz eh? Sorry where was I?

Oh yes … on to heat 9 in which there was a pass (I kid you not!). Makovsky led the race until the fourth bend when Jason King got round him to go for the three points. Lawson was third so the Diamonds scored a 4-2 and had now stretched the lead to ten points bringing the Bandits into TR territory. Then came one of the highlights of the match - the Interval - following which Craig Branney took the R/R ride and also came out on a TR wearing the black and white tea cosy. It seemed a strange decision with Adrian Rymel due out in the next race but then what do I know? Anyway it was unlikely to bring the fear of death to the Newcastle brigade and little wonder as Jason King and Derek Sneddon won for a 5-1 from the gate although in fairness Branney got close to Sneddon by the end of the race - but no coconut as they say. Newcastle now led by 14 but it had one advantage for Berwick. It freed Adrian Rymel to take the second TR in heat 11. This was a bit more successful for the Bandits. Rymel led from the tapes and Jade Mudgway got the better of Dakota North to sit on a potential 2-7. However Mark Lemon had other ideas. He chased, caught and passed Rymel on the last bend to cut the Bandits’ advantage to a 3-5. Jason King won heat 12 by the proverbial mile but McKinna finished at the back again so the race was shared and the score was 43-31.

Michal Makovsky fell on the second lap in heat 13 while at the back and was excluded from the rerun leaving Adrian Rymel to contest it on his own for Berwick.
Well he did that until the third bend when, lying second, he too fell and was excluded resulting in another rerun featuring the two Newcastle riders. In a less than scintillating second rerun Lemon beat Sneddon to score the inevitable 5-0 rocketing the Diamonds’ lead to 17 points. Berwick got a 3-3 from heat 14 but only after William Lawson, lying second to Dakota North - the race winner - suffered an engine failure. At last heat 15 was reached and Mark Lemon won it from the gate!! Makovsky and Rymel shared the race behind him and it was all over!

Memo to Self: There must be a better way of spending a Sunday evening than writing this sort of rubbish.

Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 17 (6), Jason King 12 (6), Derek Sneddon 10+3 (5), Dakota North 8+1 (4), William Lawson 6+1 (5), Adam McKinna 1 (4).

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 10+1 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Michal Makovsky 10+1 (6), Craig Branney 10+1 (7), Paul Clews 5+2 (5), Jade Mudgway 2+2 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 28 April



Premier Trophy: Birmingham 54 (3 points), Glasgow 40 (0 points) .


Team changes: Glasgow again without Robert Ksiezak used Rider Replacement at number 4.

After last week’s demolition of Newcastle by the high-flying Brummies the big question was ‘could Glasgow, who had the cheek to win at Armadale last Friday, do any better?’ Glasgow scored a ‘shock’ away win at Birmingham last year so had some form round the Birmingham circuit.

Well the impact of heat 1 must have shaken the Perry Barr stadium to its foundations as Travis McGowan and Lee Dicken took a 1-5 from Steve Johnston and Aaron Summers, a pairing which has started off so many matches for Birmingham with a heat 1 maximum themselves. It was with a sigh of relief that the home fans greeted the 5-1 from the reserves race which restored equality. It was business as usual as Richard Sweetman and Chris Kerr added another maximum in heat 3 but Glasgow shared heat 4 which Jason Lyons won from James Grieves and Jaimie Courtney taking the score to 14-10.

Travis McGowan won again in heat 5 but this time there was no support from Dicken as Kerr and Sweetman shared the points behind him. Jaimie Courtney broke the tapes in heat 6 and was replaced by Mitchell Davey as Glasgow slipped two more points adrift. Johnston and Summers recovered from their heat 1 shock to score a 4-2 with James Grieves the meat in the sandwich. Lee Dicken took the R/R ride in heat 7 and won it from Jason Lyons and Justin Sedgmen for a shared race. Dicken was out again in the next race but this time Justin Sedgmen won it from the Glasgow skipper with Aaron Summers third for a 4-2 which took the score to 28-20 after eight races.

In heat 9 James Grieves was excluded for persistent tapes offences and went from 15 metres back. He finished at the back though as Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetman extended the Brummies’ lead to 12 points with a 5-1. It went to 14 when Sedgmen beat Grajczonek with Johnston having to be content with third and a 4-2. Then Glasgow gave Travis McGowan a TR in heat 11 but it was Jason Lyons who won it. McGowan finished second while Justin Sedgmen beat Dicken for third so the race was shared 4-4. In heat 12 Glasgow played their second TR card with Josh Grajczonek taking the ride this time. He didn’t win either but Glasgow did take a 3-5 advantage from the race which was won by Chris Kerr. Jaimie Courtney took third from Jake Anderson and the score now stood at 44-32.

Travis McGowan won heat 13 for the Tigers but Steve Johnston and Jason Lyons prevented the visitors from taking a race advantage by keeping James Grieves at the back. Birmingham then added two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 14. Richard Sweetman won the race from Grajczonek while Sedgmen took third for a 14 point lead. McGowan won the last race but Sweetman and Kerr finished behind him for a 3-3.

Scorers: Birmingham – Justin Sedgmen 12+1 (6), Chris Kerr 11+2 (5), Richard Sweetman 11+2 (5), Jason Lyons 9+1 (4), Steve Johnston 7 (4), Jake Anderson 2+1 (3), Aaron Summers 2 (3).

Glasgow – Travid McGowan 16 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Josh Grajczonek 9 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Lee Dicken 7+1 (5), James Grieves 4 (4), Jaimie Courtney 3+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 1 (7).



Premier Trophy: King‘s Lynn 53 (3 points), Somerset 43 (0 points) .


Team changes: King’s Lynn were without injury victims Tomas Topinka and Joe Haines so had Ty Proctor as a guest at number 1 for Topinka and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Haines. Somerset, rocked by the abdication of Steve Boxall and retirement of Brent Werner, used Rider Replacement for Boxall at number 4 and had former Rebel, Jordan Frampton, as a guest at number 2 for Werner.

As usual King’s Lynn dominated the early stages. Linus Eklof (R/R) took the R/R ride in the opening race and won it from Shane Parker and Ty Proctor for a home 4-2 which was added to by the reserves with a 5-1 in heat 2. Linus Eklof out again in heat 3 won for the second time but Kozza Smith fell and the Rebels shared the race. The Stars added two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 4 when Kevin Doolan beat Cory Gathercole so the score was then 16-8.

Somerset pulled two points back when former King’s Lynn Star, Shane Parker, gated to lead Eklof and Frampton home. The 2-4 cut the gap to six points but a 5-1 from Proctor and Mallett against Gathercole in heat 6 rocketed the Stars into a 10 point lead. It went to 12 after a 4-2 from Doolan and Masters in heat 7. Jordan Frampton took a TR for Somerset in heat 8 and gated well for a full six point win. Kevin Doolan finished second but Ritchie Hawkins took the third place point for a 2-7 which cut the gap to seven points with the score at 29-22.

King’s Lynn responded with a 5-1 from Kozza Smith and Linus Eklof to lead by 11 again but Sam Masters won heat 10 for the Rebels despite a strong challenge from Ty Proctor. Kozza Smith was third so the race was shared as was heat 11 won by Frampton so the Rebels were still unable to use the second TR. That wasn’t a problem after heat 12 though as the Stars took a 5-1 from Wortmann and Smith to lead by 45-30.

You might have thought that the Rebels would have given Shane Parker a TR in heat 13 but no. It was a pity though because he won a superb race from Doolan and Proctor who finally passed Gathercole on the last bend for a shared heat. The second TR appeared in heat 14 with Sam Masters given the responsibility. He responded by winning the race while Linus Eklof prevented a 1-8 by passing Ritchie Hawkins on the last lap restricting the Rebels to a 2-7, cutting the gap to ten points and bringing the visitors within touching distance of a match point with Frampton and Parker needing a 1-5 to earn it. They didn’t get it though Jordan Frampton did win the race from Ty Proctor and Kevin Doolan for a 3-3.

Scorers: King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 13 (6), Linus Eklof 12+1 (5), Ty Proctor 9+1 (5), Casper Wortmann 8 (5), Kozza Smith 6+2 (5 ), Darren Mallett 5+3 (4).

Somerset – Jordan Frampton 15 (6) (incl a 6 point TR), Sam Masters 13+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Shane Parker 8 (5), Cory Gathercole 4 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 3 (7), Tommy Allen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 29 April



Premier League: Redcar 44 (0 points), Edinburgh 46 (3 points) .


Team changes: Redcar were without Maks Gregoric who has a dislocated finger and Jan Graversen not fully recovered from concussion. They used Rider Replacement at number 3 for Gregoric and had Adam McKinna as a guest at number 7. Edinburgh were without Max Dilger who has a shoulder injury and had Byron Bekker as a guest in his place at number 6.

The scores were close throughout the match. Edinburgh gated in heat 1; Suchanek passed Tabaka off the second bend and that was that with Fisher winning and Havelock finishing at the back. Edinburgh took a two point lead with the 2-4. Stuart Swales won the reserves race for a 3-3 but the Bears levelled again in heat 3. Matthew Wethers was excluded for touching the tapes and was replaced by Byron Bekker. In a close fought race Ben Wilson held on to win from Kevin Wolbert for a 4-2 before Emiliano Sanchez won heat 4 from Andrew Tully and Kalle Katajisto for another 3-3 and 12-12 score.

With the rain now falling, Jozsef Tabaka fell in heat 5 and was excluded but Ryan Fisher won the rerun from Ben Wilson for another 3-3 to keep the scores tied. Finally Redcar broke the deadlock with a 5-1 from Suchanek and Havelock who gated to lead Tully home for a four point lead but Edinburgh hit back with a 1-5 in the next race when Kevin Wolbert and Matthew Wethers gated to hold off the challenge of Emiliano Sanchez. The scores were tied again and stayed tied after heat 8. Kalle Katajisto made the gate but was pushed wide coming off the fourth bend by Tomas Suchanek who went on to win the race. The score was then 24-24.

Ben Wilson gated to win heat 9 with Katajisto behind him. Andrew Tully and Stuart Swales had a good fight for third which ended when Swales shed a chain so this race was shared too and the scores stayed tied. There was no change in heat 10 either when Kevin Wolbert drove round the outside to win comfortably from Gary Havelock and Tomas Suchanek for the sixth drawn race of the match up to that point. Finally Edinburgh took the lead with a 2-4 in heat 11 when Ryan Fisher copied Wolbert’s line round the opening bends to lead Emiliano Sanchez home. Jozsef Tabaka took third from Adam McKinna and the Monarchs led by two points. Ben Wilson took the R/R ride in heat 12 and won it from Kevin Wolbert while Stuart Swales took third in a hard fought race with Kalle Katajisto to tie the scores again with a 4-2. The score was now 36-36 with three races left.

Edinburgh hit the front again in heat 13 when Ryan Fisher registered his fourth race win of the night beating Gary Havelock in the process after the pair were side by side off the second bend. Andrew Tully took the vital third place from Emiliano Sanchez so the Monarchs took a 2-4 for a two point lead. They held on to it after sharing heat 14 won by Matthew Wethers from the gate. Ben Wilson took second while Stuart Swales passed Kalle Katajisto for third and a 3-3. It all boiled down to the last heat with any result possible. But it was Ryan Fisher who came up with the goods for the Monarchs by completing a brilliant five ride maximum for the three points Edinburgh needed. Suchanek and Wilson filled the minor places as the visitors took a two point win.

Scorers: Redcar – Ben Wilson 14+1 (6), Tomas Suchanek 12+1 (6), Stuart Swales 6+2 6), Gary Havelock 6+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 6 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (4).

Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 15 (5) (full maximum), Kevin Wolbert 10 (5), Kalle Katajisto 5+3 (6), Andrew Tully 5+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 5+1 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 4 (4), Byron Bekker 2 (3).



Premier League: Sheffield v King’s Lynn .


This meeting never started falling victim to persistent rain.[/size]