Around the Premier League Tracks 2010

[Merlin]

Saturday, 1 May



Premier League: Berwick 56 (3 points), Redcar 29 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick were still without Lee Complin (although his return to the side is reportedly imminent) and used Rider Replacement at number 3 instead. Redcar were without Maks Gregoric, who was riding in Lonigo in the World Team Cup, and Jan Graversen, still recovering from the after-effects of concussion. As a result they used Rider Replacement for Gregoric at number 3 and Glasgow’s Mitchell Davey as a guest at number 7.

There must have been some confusion about who was guesting for Jan Graversen as Mitchell Davey apparently failed to turn up. Redcar had to use local youngster, Graham Sykes, at number seven instead to make up the numbers.

Berwick took a race advantage from each of the opening four races to lead by 16-7. The first race, won by Adrian Rymel from Gary Havelock provided a 4-2 for the Bandits but, since there were only two finishers in the reserves race with retirals for Anders Andersen and Graham Sykes, Craig Branney’s win gave the Bandit’s a 3-2. Another 4-2 from a Michal Makovsky win put the Bandits five up then Michal Makovsky again and Craig Branney hit a 5-1 ahead of Ben Wilson, riding at number 5 for a change, increasing their lead to nine.

Gary Havelock appeared in heat 5 wearing the black and white helmet cover but the referee foiled this little ploy by pointing out that the Bears were only nine behind, not ten. It was a pity for the visitors because Havelock won the race from Clews and Mudgway for the first shared race of the night. The second came along in heat six with a Rymel win from Wilson and Swales after he had passed Wilson on the fourth bend and the third in heat 7 with a Makovsky win from Sanchez and Swales. The riding so far had been well spaced out with little to cheer the fans on a cold night. The Bears then fell further behind when they lost another 5-1 in heat 8 as Suchanek in his fourth outing in the eight heats failed again to beat an opponent after coming third to Jade Mudgway and Craig Branney so the score progressed to 30-17.

Things got considerably worse for Redcar when Ben Wilson on a TR crashed through the boards hitting the concrete fence behind and hurting his shoulder. He was excluded, the least of his worries, and there was long delay as he was checked over by the paramedics. Meanwhile the crowd were subjected to Dick Barrie’s unique brand of wittering apparently about sunsets etc (oh joy!). The tractor racing though seemed to go down well which was perhaps a comment on the racing the crowd had been watching up to that point! When racing finally resumed Berwick finally killed the contest with a 5-1 from Branney and Clews which saw them out of sight with a seventeen point lead.

Still Redcar battled on and Emiliano Sanchez appeared on a TR in heat 10. Although Rymel won the race for the Bandits Sanchez took second while Mudgway passed Swales for third resulting in a 4-4 shared race. Gary Havelock gated well in heat 11 to lead the race but Makovsky passed him on the third and fourth bends to pull away for an easy win. Tomas Suchanek finally claimed a scalp when he beat Anders Andersen for third so the points were shared. With Ben Wilson unable to take the R/R ride in heat 12, and with Stuart Swales already in the race, Redcar had to give Graham Sykes the ride. He got a point too after Swales had suffered an engine failure and Berwick’s Branney and Clews had added another 5-1 taking the score to 47-26.

Havelock gated again in heat 13 but first Makovsky passed him on the back straight then Rymel followed suit on the last two bends of the last lap leading to another home 5-1. Heat 14 resulted in a win for Paul Clews from Graham Sykes (!!) with Anders Andersen taking third after Emiliano Sanchez fell on the first lap. The 4-2 extended the home side’s lead to 27 points and the meeting was then abandoned due to the curfew having been reached.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 15 (5) (full maximum), Craig Branney 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Adrian Rymel 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Paul Clews 10+2 (5), Jade Mudgway 6 (5), Anders Andersen 1 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 8 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (4) (incl a 4 point TR), Stuart Swales 5+3 (6), Ben Wilson 3 (3), Graham Sykes 3 (6), Tomas Suchanek 2+1 (5).



Premier League: Stoke v Workington .

This meeting was called off before noon today.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 2 May



Premier Trophy: Birmingham 60 (3 points), Berwick 32 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick were still missing Lee Complin so continued to use Rider Replacement at number 3.

It wasn’t quite the cakewalk many had forecast, at least not in the early stages. Adrian Rymel and Jade Mudgway gated on a 2-4 in heat 1 but Steve Johnston passed Mudgway for third so the race points were shared. Berwick then surged ahead with a 1-5 in the reserves race although they were fortunate that Justin Sedgmen packed up when leading. This left Craig Branney to win the race while Anders Anderson got up on the line to pass his Birmingham namesake for second. The Bandits lead didn’t last long as Richard Sweetman and Chris Kerr gated to a levelling 5-1 in heat 3. Craig Branney was the early leader of heat 4 but he was passed by Jason Lyons so finished second. With Michal Makovsky third the race was shared and the score read 12-12.

Sweetman and Kerr did it again in heat 5 gating ahead of Rymel for another 5-1 which put the Brummies four ahead. However the home fans were stunned when Michal Makovsky and Anders Andersen led Summers and Johnston home in heat 6 for a 1-5 which squared the scores again. Again Birmingham hit back again with a 5-1 from Lyons and Sedgmen, again from the gate, which seemed to be the pattern for the match. It certainly was again in heat 8 with Aaron Summers and Justin Sedgmen adding another 5-1 to advance the score to 28-20.

Kerr and Sweetman made it three 5-1s from three outings as a pairing as they gated to lead Michal Makovsky home for a twelve point lead. It was time for Berwick to play a TR card and they gave Michal Makovsky, out again for a R/R ride, the black and white helmet cover. It was only partially successful as Aaron Summers won from the gate. Makovsky slotted into second behind him ahead of Steve Johnston so the result was a 4-4 shared race. Still 12 points behind, Berwick then gave Adrian Rymel the second TR in heat 11. Although he made the best start he was passed on the first two bends by both Justin Sedgmen and Jason Lyons as Birmingham added another 5-1, their sixth at that stage. Chris Kerr then passed both Clews and Anders Andersen off the second bend of heat 12 for a 3-3 which took the score to 45-29.

Rymel gated again in heat 13 but again he was passed by both home riders as Lyons and Johnston added Birmingham’s seventh 5-1 of the match to lead by 20 points. The eighth arrived in heat 14 from Sweetman and Sedgmen…..err….from the gate. It was strange to see reserve Anders Andersen nominated for heat 15 for Berwick but he was there by right with two paid heat wins to his credit. Alas Berwick conceded another 5-1 to Lyons and Sedgmen from the gate again to hit the 60 point mark.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Richard Sweetman 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Chris Kerr 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Justin Sedgmen 9+3 (5), Aaron Summers 9 (4), Steve Johnston 4+2 (4), Jake Andersen 1 (3).

Berwick – Michal Makovsky 10 (6) (incl a 4 point TR), Anders Andersen 6+3 (6), Adrian Rymel 6 (4), Craig Branney 5 (5), Paul Clews 4 (5), Jade Mudgway 1 (4).



Premier League: Newport 44 (0 points), Newcastle 46 (3 points) .


Team changes: Newport were without Leigh Lanham who has damaged a bone in his elbow and had Rye House‘s Chris Neath as a guest at number 1. Newcastle were without Dakota North who was unwell and had Plymouth’s Paul Starke as a guest at number 6.

It was a strange opening four races with three 5-1s scored. The opening race won by Kenni Larsen was shared though then Alex Davies and Todd Kurtz scored a 5-1 for Newport against Starke and McKinna only for Bach and King to reply in kind for Newcastle. Newport scored another 5-1 in heat 4 from Nilsson and Kurtz after Mark Lemon had been excluded. This took the score to 14-10.

Newcastle pulled two points back in heat 5 when Kenni Larsen won again beating Kyle Legault. With Anders Mellgren retiring from the race Derek Sneddon took third for a 2-4. It was all square again after heat 6 with another 2-4 from Mark Lemon and Paul Starke separated by Chris Neath. Heat 7, won by Kim Nilsson from Bach and King, resulted in a shared race but the Diamonds went in front with a 1-5 in heat 8. Craig Watson was excluded from the race leaving Adam McKinna and Derek Sneddon to lead Todd Kurtz home for a 1-5 and 22-26 score.

The visitors’ lead stretched to six with a 2-4 from Lemon and Starke in heat 9 and it stayed that way after Jason King won heat 10 from Neath and Watson with Rene Bach retiring from the race. Newport pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 11 through Nilsson and Davies split by Derek Sneddon after Kenni Larsen had been excluded. The gap was now down to four but Newcastle got another 2-4 in heat 12 won by reserve guest Paul Starke from Mellgren and Kurtz. This took the score to 33-39.

Chris Neath won heat 13 for the Wasps but Kim Nilsson who had won his previous three races finished at the back behind Larsen and Lemon so the race was shared. It was all over for the home side when Rene Bach won heat 14 for a 3-3 although Newport had the consolation of scoring a 5-1 in heat 15 from Nilsson and Neath to deny the Diamonds the fourth match point.

Scorers: Newport – Kim Nilsson 12 (5), Chris Neath 10+2 (5), Kyle Legault 7 (4), Todd Kurtz 5+2 (4), Alex Davies 5+1 (5), Craig Watson 3+1 (4), Anders Mellgren 2 (3).

Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 9 (5), Rene Bach 8 (5), Jason King 7+2 (4), Mark Lemon 7+1 (4), Paul Starke 6 (5), Derek Sneddon 5+1 (4), Adam McKinna 4 (3).



Knockout Cup: first round, first leg: Glasgow 23, King’s Lynn 25 - Match abandoned after heat 8 due to rain. The result does not stand..



Team changes: Glasgow again used Rider Replacement for the injured Robert Ksiezak at number 4. King’s Lynn without injury victims Tomas Topinka and Joe Haines and were also missing Linus Eklof who was riding in the Swedish under-21 final. They had Somerset‘s, Shane Parker, at number 1 for Topinka, Workington’s Richard Lawson for Eklof at number 4 and used Rider Replacement for Haines at number 2.

Things were going well for King’s Lynn when the rain intervened causing the match to be abandoned after heat 8 had been run. The Stars had got off to a cracking start with a 2-4 in the opening heat won by Richard Lawson from Travis McGowan while Shane Parker passed Lee Dicken for third. Then they hit home a 1-5 in the reserves race through Casper Wortmann and Darren Mallett for a six point lead. Glasgow hit back with A 5-1 in heat 3 through Josh Grajczonek and Mitchell Davey from Kozza Smith then the remaining five heats all finished as 3-3s.

So it’s all to do again with the meeting between the two sides next Wednesday at the Norfolk Arena now the first leg of the tie.

Scorers: Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 6 (2), James Grieves 6 (2), Travis McGowan 5 (2), Jaimie Courtney 3 (4), Mitchell Davey 2+1 (3), Lee Dicken 1+1 (3).

King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 7 (3), Casper Wortmann 6+1 (3), Darren Mallett 4+3 (3), Richard Lawson 4+1 (3), Shane Parker 3 (2), Kozza Smith 1 (2).

[Merlin]

Monday, 3 May



Premier League: Rye House 59 (3 Points), Berwick 33 (0 points) .


Berwick again used Rider Replacement at number 3 for Lee Complin.

Berwick shipped 60 points last night at Birmingham and fared just one point better at Rye House this afternoon. When you lose the opening four heats to successive 5-1s the match is almost as good as gone even at that early stage. That’s what happened to the Bandits as the Rockets left them gasping. It wasn’t all plain sailing though for the home side because they lost Kyle Hughes in heat 4 after he clashed with Michal Makovsky on the first bend and seemed to get his foot caught in Makovsky’s back wheel. He was removed from the track by stretcher and taken to hospital with a suspected fractured right foot. The score then was, of course, the perfect 20-4 for the Rockets.

Adrian Rymel scored Berwick’s first ’genuine’ points with a second place in heat 5 behind Jordan Frampton then the Bandits took a 2-4 from heat 6 thanks to a Makovsky win from Stefan Ekberg with Anders Andersen taking third from Chris Neath. It was only a temporary halt to the Rockets’ progress and they hit home two more 5-1s in heats 7 and 8 to lead by 24 points. Heat 7 was particularly disappointing for the visitors because Michal Makovsky was on a TR only to be relegated to third by Rye House reserve Kurt Shields who passed him round the outside of the last bend of the second lap. The score was then 36-12.

Makovsky made amends by winning heat 9 for a 3-3 but another 5-1 from Neath and Ekberg put Rye House 28 points ahead. Berwick rallied well after that and actually won over the remaining five races by 11-13. Rymel took a TR in heat 11 and just held off Kurt Shields for second behind Sundstrom for a 4-4. There were three fallers on the first bend of heat 12 which resulted in a non-appearance in the rerun from Jordan Frampton. Since Kurt Shields had to cover all of Kyle Hughes’ rides Rye House fielded one rider in the rerun which was won from the gate by Anders Andersen for a 2-4 and a scoreline of 50-24.

Makovsky won heat 13 for a 3-3 then Paul Clews made it three Berwick race winners on the spin by taking heat 14 from Bowen and Andersen for another 2-4. Rye House finished with a 4-2 as Makovsky split Linus Sundstrom and Stefan Ekberg with Anders Andersen appearing in heat 15 for the second Berwick match running.

Scorers: Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 13+1 (5), Kurt Shields 11+4 (7), Stefan Ekberg 11+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 8 (3), Chris Neath 7+1 4), Luke Bowen 6+2 (4), Kyle Hughes 3 (1).

Berwick – Michal Makovsky 13 (6), Adrian Rymel 7 (4) (incl a 4 point TR), Anders Andersen 6 (7), Paul Clews 4 (5), Jade Mudgway 2 (5), Craig Branney 1 (3).



Premier League: Scun’thorpe 57 (3 points), Somerset 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Scun’thorpe had Paul Cooper at number 3 as a guest for Viktor Bergstrom and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Joel Parsons. Somerset had Lee Dicken at number 4 for Brent Werner and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Steve Boxall. They also had Mark Baseby as a guest at number 7 for the injured Tommy Allen..

Once again the home side all but decided the outcome of the match by dropping just one point over the first four races to lead 19-5. Three 5-1s went the Scorpions’ way with only Ritchie Hawkins in the reserves race managing a second place for the Rebels.

The home side looked like adding another 5-1 in heat 5 but Carl Wilkinson fell and was excluded from the rerun. Somerset cashed in when Shane Parker passed Paul Cooper to win it for a 2-4. Ritchie Hawkins fell in heat 6 and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Jerran Hart. Cory Gathercole passed David Howe to rescue two points for the visitors so Scun’thorpe took a 4-2 from the race. Heat 7 produced the same score with the race awarded after Lee Dicken had fallen at the back of the field. Karlsson won from Sam Masters and the Scorpions were then 16 points ahead. Lo and behold! Cory Gathercole took a TR in heat 8 and won it with Ritchie Hawkins backing him up in second for a big 1-8 to cut the Rebels’ deficit to nine points with the score at 30-21.

They looked as though they might score a 2-4 in heat 9 as Gathercole led from the start but Ritchie Hawkins in third behind Carl Wilkinson was passed by Paul Cooper so the points were shared. The Scorpions pulled two more points ahead with a 4-2 from Howe and Lambert after the Rebels had sat on a 1-5 from the tapes. Jerran Hart won heat 11 for the home side while Magnus Karlsson and Ritchie Hawkins enjoyed a close scrap for second with Karlsson prevailing for a 5-1. The home side had stretched their lead to 15 points but, for the second time in the match, Somerset pulled them back with a 1-8 in heat 12. Sam Masters took the TR and won the race with Ritchie Hawkins again supplying the backing in second place ahead of Paul Cooper. The lead had been pegged back to eight points as the score was then 43-35. Could the Rebels rescue a point from the match after all?

It didn’t look likely when Howe and Karlsson led Shane Parker home after Cory Gathercole had fallen for a 5-1 which stretched the Scorpions’ lead to 12 points with two races left. A 4-2 in heat 14 put the Scorpions out of sight then Howe and Karlsson wrapped things up with a 5-1 in the last race for an 18 point win.

Scun’thorpe : Home – Jerran Hart 14+1 (6), David Howe 13 (5), Magnus Karlsson 12+3 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (5), Paul Cooper 6+2 (4), Simon Lambert 5+1 (5).

Somerset – Sam Masters 12 (6) (incl a 6 point TR), Cory Gathercole 12 (6) (incl a 6 point TR), Ritchie Hawkins 9+2 (7), Shane Parker 5 (4), Lee Dicken 1 (4), Mark Baseby 0 (3).



Premier League: Newcastle 66 (3 points), Newport 26 (0 points) .


Newport were again without Leigh Lanham and had Edinburgh‘s Andrew Tully at number 1 in his place.

This match was not exactly a humdinger. In fact it turned out a bit of a croc as Newport failed to produce a single race winner all night. The Diamonds rattled up no less than eight maximum heat wins.

Derek Sneddon fell and was excluded from heat 1 won by Kenni Larsen from Andrew Tully for a shared heat then Dakota North and Adam McKinna scored a 5-1 in the reserves race and Jason King and Rene Bach added another in heat 3 from Craig Watson and Kyle Legault. The home side made it four race winners on the trot when Mark Lemon won heat 4 from Todd Kurtz for another 4-2 and 17-7 lead.

Anders Mellgren fell and was excluded in heat 5. In the rerun Bach and King scored another 5-1 as they headed Tully home. Larsen and Sneddon added another in heat 6 then Craig Watson prevented another by finishing second to Lemon in heat 7 for a 4-2 to Newcastle. Newport were still looking for their first race winner and they didn’t get it in heat 8. Anders Mellgren took a TR but it was Sneddon and McKinna who added another 5-1, Newcastle’s fifth in the first eight heats, taking the score to 36-12.

Kim Nilsson split Rene Bach and Jason King for a 4-2 in heat 9 then Kyle Legault was excluded in heat 10 leaving Larsen and Sneddon to lead Craig Watson home for another 5-1 and 30 point lead. Mark Lemon kept the home race winners coming by winning heat 11 from Andrew Tully and Anders Mellgren for a shared race. Craig Watson took Newport’s second TR in heat 12 but Jason King won the race for the Diamonds. Watson finished second but with Adam McKinna in third there was no heat advantage for the Wasps as the points were shared 4-4 for a score of 52-22.

Larsen and Lemon continued the rout with another 5-1 in heat 13 and Bach and North added a 4-2 in heat 14 while Kyle Legault managed a second place for the visitors. Lemon and Bach added another 5-1 in the final race giving Newcastle a 40 point win.

Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Rene Bach 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Kenni Larsen 12 (4) (full maximum), Jason King 9+1 (4), Derek Sneddon 7+2 (4), Adam McKinna 6+2 (4), Dakota North 5 (4).

Newport – Craig Watson 8 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Andrew Tully 7 (5), Anders Mellgren 3+2 (4), Kim Nilsson 3 (4), Kyle Legault 2 (4), Toss Kurtz 2 (4), Alex Davies 1 (4).



Premier League: Workington 57 (3 points), Stoke 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Stoke again without Jason Bunyan had Sheffield’s Richard Hall as a guest at number 1 and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Klaus Jakobsen.

Richard Hall won the opening race for the Potters for a share of the points but Craig Cook and John Branney scored a reserves race 5-1 for the Comets for a four point lead. Peter Kildemand knocked Ricky Wells off in heat 3 causing the race to be rerun without him. In the rerun James Holder was leading with the Potters on a 1-5 until he locked up and ran wide allowing Wells and Schramm through. This turned the result into a 2-4 for the visitors who were now just two points adrift. They levelled the match in heat 4 when Taylor Poole passed the field to win from Branney and Stichauer for a 2-4 which took the score to 12-12.

It stayed level after Richard Hall had won again in heat 5 from Kildemand and Schramm for a 3-3 then the Potters went in front in heat 6 when Taylor Poole flew past Andre Compton to win the race while Hynek Stichauer took third from Richard Lawson for a 2-4 and two point lead. It didn’t last long as a 5-1 from Craig Cook and Rusty Harrison in heat 7 reversed the two point lead in the Comets’ favour. Taylor Poole replaced Michal Rajkowski in heat 8 but fell on the second bend so was excluded from the rerun in which Lawson and Branney scored an easy 5-1 from Holder taking the score to 27-21.

When Chris Schramm and Peter Kildemand added another 5-1 in heat 9 for a ten point lead it looked as though the Stoke bubble was burst. However Ricky Wells won heat 10 from Andre Compton while Richard Lawson fell on the fourth bend leading to a 2-4 to the visitors who must have wished they’d given Wells the TR which would have given them a 2-7. As it was the Potters trailed by just eight points now so could no longer use a TR. They were 10 down again one heat later when Craig Cook finally lowered Richard Hall’s colours by beating the Potters’ guest while Rusty Harrison passed Rajkowski on the last lap for a 4-2. Taylor Poole emerged with the black and white helmet cover in heat 12 in a race which was hard fought between Schramm Poole and Branney. Branney won from Poole and Schramm for a 4-4 shared race taking the score to 42-32.

Richard Hall who had done so well for the Potters up to that point fell in heat 13 and the visitors conceded a 5-1 to Compton and Cook to slip 14 points behind so they gave Ricky Wells the second TR in heat 14 really needing a 1-8 to get back into contention for a match point. Craig Cook was excluded for a starting offence so ending his chances of registering a maximum and he was replaced by John Branney. It was all over when Kildemand and Branney raced off for a 5-1 to settle the issue with Wells in third. Cook and Kildemand finished the match with another 5-1 giving the Comets a 22 point win.

Scorers: Workington – Craig Cook 14+1 (6), John Branney 11+3 (5), Peter Kildemand 9+2 (5), Andre Compton 8+1 (5), Chris Schramm 7+1 (4), Richard Lawson 5 (4), Rusty Harrison 3+1 (3).

Stoke – Taylor Poole 11 (7) (incl a 4 point TR), Richard Hall 9 (9), Ricky Wells 8 (6), Hynek Stichauer 4 (4), James Holder 3 (5), Michal Rajkowski 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 5 May



Premier League Knockout Cup, first round, first leg: Birmingham 63 , Sheffield 25 .


Team changes: Sheffield were missing the injured Arlo Bugeja so had Plymouth‘s Paul Starke at number 6 in his place.

With memories of an eleven point home defeat at the hands of the Brummies in the Premier Trophy, Sheffield must have wondered what sort of score they needed tonight to give them a realistic chance of aggregate success in this cup tie - probably a win!

Things didn’t look too promising for the Tigers when Ricky Ashworth, trailing at the back, pulled up with an engine failure leaving Steve Johnston and Aaron Summers to kick the proceedings off with a 5-1 in the opening race. Nor were they improved by a 5-0 in heat 2! Both Tigers suffered engine failures, Paul Starke on the first lap and Paul Cooper on the second. Heat 3 was pulled back for a rerun after Josh Auty had fallen and been excluded and another five points went the home side’s way through Chris Kerr and Richard Sweetman. Sheffield’s miserable start continued as they lost another 5-1 in heat 4 as Jason Lyons and Jake Anderson condemned the Tigers to another maximum loss after Richard Hall had fallen and remounted. So the Tigers were looking at a 20-3 score after four races - maybe some kind of record?

At last the Tigers managed two points from a race but not until after Ricky Ashworth had fallen on the third and fourth bends and been excluded with the home riders on a 5-1. In the rerun Richard Sweetman was fast away for a comfortable win but Chris Kerr never left the tapes as his bike failed. This left Hugh Skidmore to ride round for two gift points. It was back to business as usual though in heat 6 when Summers and Johnston added another 5-1 after both had passed Richard Hall who had made the gate. Josef Franc raised the visitors’ spirits by making the gate in heat 7 but Jason Lyons hunted him down and passed him at the start of the second lap. Franc held on to second to deny Sedgmen who challenged hard so the result was a 4-2. Heat 8 was rerun with all four back after Hugh Skidmore had fallen on the first bend. The Sheffield man brushed himself down and got up to win the rerun after Jake Anderson had led from the gate only to be passed by the rest of the field. Summers who had been at the back then passed Paul Cooper and Anderson did likewise to share the points and take the score to 35-11.

Kerr and Sweetman again scored a 5-1 in heat 9 with Richard Hall suffering engine failure while miles at the back but Josef Franc provided the Tigers’ first race winner when he gated to win heat 10 from Summers and Johnston for a 3-3. Ashworth gated from Lyons, and Skidmore from Sedgmen, in heat 11 but Lyons passed Ashworth and Sedgmen passed Skidmore at the start of the second lap turning a possible 2-4 into a 4-2. An excellent burst round the boards from Paul Cooper took him to the lead in heat 12 but after a tussle over the next two laps Kerr got back in front but Paul Starke passed Jake Anderson for third to share the race 3-3 and take the score to 50-20.

Lyons and Johnston took a 5-1 from heat 13 then Josef Franc, easily Sheffield’s best rider on the night, won heat 14 from Sweetman and Sedgmen for a 3-3. Finally in the last race Lyons and Johnston added another 5-1 from Franc who conceded after a hard first bend. Skidmore fell on the first bend of lap two and dragged himself on to the centre green for attention as the referee allowed the race to continue. Sheffield are looking for a miracle to pull back the 38 point lead the Brummies have built up.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Steve Johnston 11+2 (5), Richard Sweetman 9+2 (4), Aaron Summers 9+1 (4), Chris Kerr 9 (4), Justin Sedgmen 6 (4), Jake Anderson 5+3 (4).

Sheffield – Josef Franc 10 (5), Hugh Skidmore 6 (5), Ricky Ashworth 3 (4), Paul Cooper 3 (6), Paul Starke 2+1 (4), Richard Hall 1 (4), Josh Auty 0 (2).



Premier League Knockout Cup, first round, first leg: King’s Lynn 57 , Glasgow 33 .


Team changes: King’s Lynn again missing Tomas Topinka and Joe Haines had Ty Proctor from Elite League Wolverhampton as a guest at number 1 for Topinka and used Rider Replacement for Joe Haines at number 2. Glasgow without Robert Ksiezak for the rest of the season once again used Rider Replacement at number 4 in his place.

Glasgow trailing by two points from the rained off match at Ashfield last Sunday after the eight heats which were raced were probably glad to start all over again by racing the first leg away tonight.

The opening race was shared with Travis McGowan trapping off gate 3 to lead Ty Proctor home but the home side took the lead with a maximum in the reserves race. Josh Grajczonek became Glasgow’s second race winner in heat 3 but again there was no support so the result was another 3-3. King’s Lynn added two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 4 with Kevin Doolan beating James Grieves while Jaimie Courtney fell while at the back. The score now stood at 15-9.

Eklof and Smith gated to lead McGowan in heat 5 but McGowan passed the slowing Smith for second cutting the Stars’ advantage to a 4-2. King’s Lynn added a 5-1 in heat 6 though as Proctor made the gate from James Grieves. Wortmann roared round the outside of Grieves at the end of the first lap to get into second behind his partner and the Stars were now 12 points ahead. With no Tactical Rides allowed in KO Cup matches Glasgow needed to steady the ship (whatever that means). They did so by sharing heat 7 in which Josh Grajczonek passed Kevin Doolan at the start of the second lap to take the lead only to be repassed by the home man while Lee Dicken opened his score by passing Darren Mallett for third at the start of the second lap. King’s Lynn then stretched their lead to 16 points with a 5-1 from Casper Wortmann and Kozza Smith in heat 8 to take the score to 32-16.

In the next race Kozza Smith got the better of James Grieves after a great tussle while Linus Eklof took third for a 4-2 and eighteen point lead. The home side then soared 22 points ahead with a 5-1 from Proctor and Doolan ahead of Grajczonek in heat 10. The Stars continued to build on their lead with a 4-2 in heat 11. Doolan and Mallett gated but McGowan passed Mallett on the first lap to restrict the home side to a 4-2. Glasgow got two points back in heat 12. Smith, Grajczonek and Wortmann went into the third bend together. Grajczonek got the better of the home pair, Smith locked up and Wortmann, taking avoiding action, fell. This meant that the Tigers had taken a 2-4 with the score at the interval 47-25.

Kevin Doolan and Travis McGowan went to the front in heat 13 but Ty Proctor was all over McGowan in his attempts to pass him. He overdid it on the last bend and fell letting James Grieves through for third and a 3-3. Linus Eklof executed a fine pass on Grajczonek in heat 14 to win the race while Mallett took third for a 4-2 then, in the final race, Doolan and Eklof worked their way to the front but McGowan dived under Eklof on the second lap causing him to shut off which allowed Grajczonek through for third and a shared race.

Scorers: King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 17+1 (6) (paid maximum), Kozza Smith 10+1 (5), Linus Eklof 9+2 (6), Casper Wortmann 9+1 (5), Ty Proctor 8 (4), Darren Mallett 4+1 ().

Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 12+1 (6), Travis McGowan 11 (5), James Grieves 6+1 (4), Lee Dicken 2+1 (5), Jaimie Courtney 2 (6), Mitchell Davey 0 (5).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 6 May



Premier League: Redcar 46 (1 point) Glasgow 46 (2 points)


Team changes: Redcar were without the injured Ben Wilson so used Rider Replacement at number 5. Glasgow again used Rider Replacement at number 4 for the injured Robert Ksiezak.

With Sheffield hosting the semi-final of the British Championship, Redcar was the only track hosting Premier League action tonight. Glasgow were the visitors hoping for a double Scotch by following Edinburgh’s example of last week in taking the points from the Bears.

The Tigers got off to a poor start however losing 5-1s in the first two races to trail 10-2. The Bears added a 4-2 in heat 3 with Josh Grajczonek separating Emiliano Sanchez and Maks Gregoric then followed that with a terrific race between Stuart Swales and James Grieves in heat 4 with the Bear getting the better of the Tiger. Mitchell Davey took third from Graversen so the race was shared taking the score to 17-7.

It was TR time already and in heat 5 out came Travis McGowan wearing the black and white helmet cover. He made a fast start and, with Lee Dicken in second, Glasgow threatened a big 1-8. However Gregoric and Sanchez rounded Dicken on the third bend so the Tigers were restricted to a 3-6 advantage which cut their deficit to seven points. It was stretched to nine after heat 6 in which Gary Havelock was fast away to head home James Grieves who was put under a lot of pressure from Tomas Suchanek for a 4-2. Stuart Swales fell on the first bend of heat 7 causing a rerun without him. There was a lot of annoyance among the home fans when the referee excluded Maks Gregoric in the rerun and awarded a 0-5 to Glasgow as Josh Grajczonek appeared to have crashed into Maks Gregoric at the end of the third lap causing the home rider to fall. This cut the gap between the sides to just four points. It stayed that way when Tomas Suchanek won heat 8 from Mitchell Davey and Lee Dicken for a 3-3 and 27-23 score.

There was no change after heat 9. Gregoric and Sanchez made the gate for the Bears but they both went too wide on the fourth bend allowing James Grieves to make an inside pass and go on to win the race for a 3-3. Glasgow then looked like levelling the match in heat 10 when Grajczonek and Davey gated to lead Suchanek and Havelock. However Havelock passed his partner, Suchanek, then caught and passed Davey to limit the damage to the home side to a 2-4. There were just two points between the teams and Redcar were in danger of another late match home slump. Travis McGowan won heat 11 from Swales and Sanchez for a shared race which kept the gap at two points. True to form Redcar’s slump continued as they lost a 1-5 in heat 12 to Davey and Grajczonek which put the Tigers in front for the first time at 36-38.

It got worse for the home side as they lost a 2-4 in heat 13 as McGowan gated to lead Havelock and Grieves home extending Glasgow’s lead to four points with just two races left. It looked like Redcar would pull two points back when Emiliano Sanchez passed Grajczonek on the second lap to win heat 14. Stuart Swales was in third but suffered an engine failure allowing Davey to take third place and share the points which kept Glasgow four up with just heat 15 to come. Right at the death Redcar produced a 5-1 which snatched a draw from a match which had by then seemed lost. Travis McGowan led the race from the tapes but Gary Havelock roared after him and both he and Tomas Suchanek flew round the Glasgow number 1 for a superb match saving maximum with Grajczonek stuck at the back.

Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 10+2 (5), Stuart Swales 9 (6), Tomas Suchanek 8+2 (6), Maks Gregoric 4+1 (5), Jan Graversen 2+1 (3).

Glasgow – Travis McGowan 14 (5) (5), Josh Grajczonek 12+1 (6), Mitchell Davey 9+2 (6), James Grieves 8 (4), Lee Dicken 3+2 (5), Jaimie Courtney 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 7 May



Premier League: Scun’thorpe 55 (3 points), King’s Lynn 37 (0 points) .


Team changes: Scun’thorpe had new signing Tero Aarnio at number 3 and Gary Irving at number 6 in place of Jerran Hart. They also used Rider Replacement at number 2 for the injured Viktor Bergstrom.
King’s Lynn had Richard Hall at number 1 as a guest for Tomas Topinka. They also used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Joe Haines.

Superb performances by Carl Wilkinson and Magnus Karlsson provided the foundation of this comfortable win for the Scorpions. They were aided by a very good debut performance from their new signing, Tero Aarnio, to see off the challenge of the Stars who were handicapped by poor returns from Richard Hall (deputising for Tomas Topinka) and Kevin Doolan. Neither of them won a race and Doolan also blew a TR by finishing at the wrong end of a 5-1. Kozza Smith carried the fight for the Stars but with only three race winners all match, two for Smith and one for Casper Wortmann King’s Lynn never looked like threatening.

Yet the Stars started with a 1-5 in the opening race from Kozza Smith and Richard Hall and still led after four races when the score was 11-13. Over the next five races the Scorpions slipped into top gear to run up three 5-1s and two 4-2s to take a 34-20 lead by heat 9. That heat was particularly disappointing for the Stars since Kevin Doolan took a TR in the heat only to see Carl Wilkinson race away from the tapes for the win and Tero Aarnio roar round the outside of him at the start of the third lap.

The visitors finally managed another race advantage in heat 10 when Kozza Smith took the second TR. He didn’t win it - David Howe came from the back to do that - but he finished second with his partner, Casper Wortmann, third so they took a 3-5. The teams traded 4-2s over the remaining five heats with Scun’thorpe claiming four of them for an 18 point victory which took them to joint top of the league along with Birmingham.

Scorers: Scun‘thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 15+1 (6), Magnus Karlsson 15 (5) (full maximum), Tero Aarnio 8+1 (5), Simon Lambert 7+1 (6), David Howe 6 (4), Gary Irving 4+1 (4).

King‘s Lynn – Kozza Smith 14 (6) (incl a 4 point TR), Kevin Doolan 9 (6), Casper Wortmann 7+2 (7), Richard Hall 5+1 (4), Linus Eklof 2 (3), Darren Mallett 0 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 56 (3 points), Workington 37 (0 points) .


Team changes: Somerset introduced their new signings Lubos Tomicek at number 1 and Mark Baseby at number 6. They also had Newcastle’s Dakota North as a guest for the injured Tommy Allen at number 7. Workington were back at full strength.

The new look Somerset side had a convincing and comfortable win over the Comets with their new signings contributing well. Lubos Tomicek started by winning his first two races then, after a blob in his third, he had a paid win in his fourth. Mark Baseby started with a paid win in heat 2 during the Rebels purple patch at the start of the match although Craig Cook‘s engine failure wile leading that race contributed to his success. Ritchie Hawkins had had to move out of the reserve berth as a result of Baseby’s signing but it didn’t stop him rattling up another high score - paid 13 this time from five. For Workington only Chris Schramm put up any serious resistance and he provided two of the three race winners the Comets managed during the match.

Three 5-1s on the trot in the first three heats left the visitors gasping and who knows whether another might have materialised in heat 4 had Dakota North not fallen chasing Rusty Harrison for second place behind Cory Gathercole in a five lap race.

Workington’s momentary relief in sharing heat 4 was just that - momentary as the Rebels kept up the pressure with another five heat advantages on the trot, four of them by the 4-2 margin and one 5-1. The match was dead and buried at that point as they led by 39-15. The 5-1 that the Comets lost in heat 6 during this spell was particularly galling for them because Craig Cook was on a TR but Tomicek and Hawkins prevented him from running round the outside of the first two bends and he finished back in third place.

Things improved for the visitors in heat 10 when they scored a 2-4. Peter Kildemand and Chris Schramm gated and, while Kildemand headed off to win the race, Schramm and Hawkins had a ding dong battle for second. Hawkins landed the two points after the riders had passed and repassed each other. A Gathercole win in heat 11 led to a shared race then came the oasis in the desert for the Comets as they scored a big 1-8 in heat 12. Chris Schramm took the second TR for Workington and he and Craig Cook got to the front to keep Sam Masters behind them. This took the score to 45-30.

The Rebels responded to this piece of insolence by taking a 5-1 in heat 13 through Gathercole and Tomicek then Shane Parker produced his third heat win of the meeting in heat 14 for a shared race with Chris Schramm winning the last race also for a 3-3.

Scorers: Somerset – Cory Gathercole 13+1 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 11+2 (5), Shane Parker 10 (4), Lubos Tomicek 8+1 (4), Sam Masters 7+1 (4), Dakota North 4 (4), Mark Baseby 3+1 (4).

Workington – Chris Schramm 13 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), John Branney 5+2 (4), Craig Cook 5+1 (5), Peter Kildemand 5 (4), Richard Lawson 3+1 (4), Andre Compton 3 (4), Rusty Harrison 3 (4).



Premier League Knockout Cup, first round, first leg: Edinburgh 51, Rye House 39.


Team changes: Edinburgh were missing the injured Kevin Wolbert and Max Dilger. They had Bournemouth’s Kyle Howath at number 6 as a guest for Dilger and used Rider Replacement for Wolbert. Rye House were without Kyle Hughes and had Gary Beaton as a guest at number 7.

At the half way stage in this cup tie the scores were tied at 24 points each and there were doubts about whether Edinburgh would be able to fashion any sort of lead at all for the second leg. At that stage they had provided just three of the eight heat winners and had been seriously outgated by the Rockets who looked sharp and well up for the match.

When Ryan Fisher and Jozsef Tabaka had pulled smoothly away from Chris Neath and Stefan Ekberg in the opening race for a 5-1 things looked bright for the Monarchs but they didn’t provide another race winner after that until heat 7! Kurt Shield gated to win the reserves race from Kalle Katajisto and Kyle Howath then a fast start for Jordan Frampton took him to a big win in heat 3 for a 3-3 before Linus Sundstrom made the first of his electric starts in heat 4 for another easy win. In this race Andrew Tully fell on the second bend and, although he remounted, he was never in contention. Katajisto’s second place meant that the Rockets had pulled two points back with a 2-4 which took the score to 13-11.

Katajisto streaked off the second bend of heat 5 to pass the entire field but Chris Neath repassed him for the win and another 3-3. Rye House levelled the scores again in heat 6. Another blistering start from Linus Sundstrom was too much for Ryan Fisher and, with Jozsef Tabaka surrendering his third place point by falling at the start of the second lap, Kurt Shield took third for a 2-4 and equality. Finally Andrew Tully made a gate for the Monarchs in heat 7 for another shared race then Kalle Katajisto did likewise in heat 8 while another Tabaka fall cost Edinburgh another point leaving the score tied at 24-24.

For once Sundstrom’s fast start did not determine the outcome in heat 9 as Tully and Wethers operated a lever pincer movement to pass him off the second bend and head off together in front. The Rocket two wheeled into the third bend and ran into Wethers causing both riders to fall. He was excluded and Tully and Wethers spoiled Gary Beaton’s brief moment of glory when he made the gate in the rerun by passing him down the back straight for a 5-1 which broke the deadlock and gave the Monarchs a four point lead. It went to six with a 4-2 from Fisher and Katajisto split by Frampton in a rerun heat 10 for a 4-2. Then came the race which brought the crowd to their feet. In heat 11 Andrew Tully and Kyle Howath smoothly hit the first turn ahead of Chris Neath and Stefan Ekberg. The crowd waited for Howath to be swallowed up by his more illustrious opponents but it never happened! He rode a fast determined and controlled race to lead Neath home for another 5-1 to his and the crowd’s obvious delight. Rye House had now slipped ten points down and they lost another two points in heat 12 when Kalle Katajisto muscled his way to the front on the first bend to lead Jordan Frampton. Katajisto headed off to win from Frampton while Matthew Wethers took third for a 4-2 and score of 42-30.

Rye House pulled two points back in heat 13. Another big tapes to flag win from Sundstrom ahead of Fisher and third place for Neath after an awful gate from Tully gave the visitors a 2-4 but they slipped fourteen points adrift when they lost a 5-1 in heat 14 to a sparkling win by Katajisto who simply flew from tapes to flag and second from Wethers. In the last heat Sundstrom was again off to a big win from the tapes while Wethers and Fisher slotted in behind him ahead of Frampton who had needed to go from 15 metres back after touching the tapes. The Edinburgh free gift scheme continued though as Wethers fell on the second lap turning a 3-3 into a 2-4 and 12 point win for the Monarchs.

Will it be enough for aggregate success? Not on your Nelly! Sluggish gating and mistakes galore by the Edinburgh side are likely to provide Rye House with a comfortable passage to the next round.

Scorers: Edinburgh – Kalle Katajisto 16 (7), Ryan Fisher 12 (5), Matthew Wethers 8+3 (6), Andrew Tully 8+1 (5), Jozsef Tabaka 4+1 (5), Kyle Howath 3+2 (3).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 12 (5), Jordan Frampton 9+1 (5), Kurt Shields 6+1 (5), Chris Neath 6 (4), Gary Beaton 2 (3), Stefan Ekberg 2 (4), Luke Bowen 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 8 May



Premier League: Workington 50 (3 points), Redcar 43 (0 points) .


Team changes: Redcar were again missing Ben Wilson and had Aaron Summers as a guest at number 5. Tomas Suchanek was also missing and they used Rider Replacement for him at number 2.

An interesting league match. It took a long time for the Comets to open up a decent lead as the Bears kept it close until they lost 5-1s in heats 6 and 8 to trail by 10 points. A successful TR by Aaron Summers got the Bears back into contention but Maks Gregoric crashed heavily into the fence in heat 10 and had to be taken to hospital reducing Redcar to just five riders.

Two opening 4-2s for the Comets suggested that they would open up a good lead but when Peter Kildemand fell in heat 3 on the first bend and was excluded they had to settle for a 3-3 after Chris Schramm had won the rerun. Aaron Summers gated to win heat 4 while Jan Graversen kept Rusty Harrison at the back giving Redcar a 2-4 which made the score 13-11.

Gary Havelock won heat 5 for a 3-3 but the Comets scored a 5-1 in heat 6 through Andre Compton and Richard Lawson to open up a six point lead. After a win for Emiliano Sanchez for a 3-3 the Comets scored another 5-1 from John Branney and Richard Lawson to surge ten points clear at 29-19

Immediately Redcar gave their guest, Aaron Summers, a TR in heat 9 and he ‘did the business’ by winning it from Kildemand and Schramm for a 3-6 cutting the home side’s lead to seven points. There was a lengthy delay when Maks Gregoric smashed into the first bend fence in heat 10 requiring the services of an ambulance to take the unfortunate Bear to hospital. In the rerun Compton produced his third win by beating Sanchez for a 4-2 increasing the Comets’ lead to nine. A Cook win over Havelock produced another home 4-2 in heat 11 taking the lead to 11 and it stayed at that after Stuart Swales won heat 12 for the Bears from Branney and Schramm for a shared heat and 43-32 score.

Frustratingly for the visitors they had scored a point too many to use their second TR but Andre Compton spoiled his unbeaten run by getting himself excluded in heat 13 for delaying the start. He was leading the race at the time! He was replaced by Craig Cook as the race had to be rerun without him. Gary Havelock won the rerun but Aaron Summers finished at the back so the points were shared. Redcar looked as though they might score a 1-5 in heat 14 when Emiliano Sanchez and Stuart Swales led from the start but Kildemand and Cook both passed Swales, the latter on the last bend to share the points and leave the Comets 11 ahead, just too many for Redcar to pull back enough for a match point in the last race. It was a great pity for them because the Bears ended with a 1-5 through Havelock and Sanchez ahead of Compton and Schramm to miss out on the match point by one race point!

Scorers: Workington – Craig Cook 10+2 (5), Andre Compton 10 (5), John Branney 9+1 (5), Chris Schramm 6+3 (5), Richard Lawson 6+2 (4), Peter Kildemand 6 (4), Rusty Harrison 3 (3).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 12+1 (5), Aaron Summers 9 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Jan Graversen 4 (6), Stuart Swales 4 (7), Maks Gregoric 1+1 (3).



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 1st leg, : Berwick 55, Newport 35.


Team changes: Berwick were still missing Lee Complin so used Rider Replacement at number 3. As far as Newport are concerned it‘s still a bit of a mystery what happened. It appears that their two Swedes, Anders Mellgren and Kim Nilsson, did not appear at the track with some reports that they had broken down en route. Since there was no facility for either other than a National League rider they managed to recruit James McBain for one of the missing Swedes but there is nothing to suggest that anyone filled the other vacant spot. Rider Replacement would not have been available so perhaps the Wasps rode the match with six riders.

There is little information about the match or events surrounding it as I write this but I’m sure we’ve not heard the last of it. (Actually we haven’t even heard the first of it!).

It seems that the Bandits led by 26-16 after heat 7 and 29-19 after heat 8.

There were suggestions that all was not well in the Newport camp but more will be known tomorrow I’ve no doubt. Better not say what the other rumours are since there might be children reading this.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 16+1 (6), Adrian Rymel 12 (5), Paul Clews 11 (5), Craig Branney 8+3 (6), Jade Mudgway 7+3 (5), Anders Andersen 1 (3).

Newport – Kyle Legault 9 (5), Craig Watson 8 (4), Leigh Lanham 7+1 (5), Alex Davies 6 (5), Todd Kurtz 4 (5), James McBain 1+1 (3).



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 2nd leg: Rye House v Edinburgh .

Rain caused the postponement of this match around 11.00am.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 9 May



Premier League: Stoke 48 (2 points), Workington 42 (1 point) .


Team changes: Stoke had Jason Lyons as a guest at number 1 for Jason Bunyan and introduced new signing Lee Smart at number 7 in place of James Holder. Since Klaus Jakobsen has gone missing, they used Rider Replacement for him at number 4.

Fortunes swayed one way then the other for the teams in the first four races. Stoke started with a good 5-1 in which Jason Lyons and Michal Rajkowski had to pass early race leader Richard Lawson, who eventually fell, for the maximum but the Potters’ joy was short lived as they lost 1-5s in both heats 2 and 3. John Branney and Craig Cook continued their highly successful partnership with a maximum ahead of Taylor Poole in the former then Ricky Wells fell in the latter after he had passed Chris Schramm and been repassed by the Comet. Peter Kildemand won the race by a distance and once again Taylor Poole finished third at the wrong end of a 1-5. Newcomer Lee Smart won heat 4 from Branney while Hynek Stichauer took third from Rusty Harrison for a 4-2 and 11-13 score.

It was turning into a real topsy turvy match as, after Ricky Wells was excluded for touching the tapes, Lee Smart combined with Taylor Poole to come from the back for another 5-1 and two point lead. Then came a 3-3 (!) in heat 6 won by Lyons after which everyone took a breather as the track was watered and graded. Lee Smart made it a hat trick of race wins on the trot on his debut in heat 7 by working his way to the front off the second bend to lead Kildemand home. Stichauer took the valuable third place form Schramm so Stoke moved four points clear. Workington got two back though in heat 8 as Craig Cook won from Michal Rajkowski. Taylor Poole went to round John Branney on the fourth bend but fell so Branney took third for a 2-4 and 25-23 score.

The match seemed to be being decided to a large extent by the respective reserves with Stoke’s reserves leading 13-12 at this stage and this was borne out in heat 9 when Craig Cook beat Lee Smart who passed Rusty Harrison on the last bend for a 2-4 which levelled the scores again at 27-27. It was all to race for again but there was no change in heat 10. Jason Lyons won it from Schramm and Kildemand for a 3-3 and heat 11 also produced a shared race won by Craig Cook from a hard pressing Hynek Stichauer and Taylor Poole. Heat 12 was shared too after Chris Schramm gated to lead Wells, Smart and Cook home to keep the scores tied at 36-36.

The nerves were jangling and, after the interval, heat 13 had to be rerun after Stichauer had fallen at the first bend. Andre Compton finally shook off his lethargy by winning the race just when the Comets needed him but Stichauer and Lyons shared the points behind him so it was still all square with just two races left. Stoke took a valuable two point lead with a 4-2 in heat 14 with Taylor Poole winning from Kildemand and Smart then, in the last race, Lyons and Poole again gated to win easily this time from Schramm and Cook for a 5-1 and six point win which made the final score look a lot more decisive than it actually was. Workington at least left with a match point for their efforts but will be cursing those last two races. By the end of the match though it was the Potters’ reserves who won the points for them by scoring 23+4 between them to the Comets’ pair who scored 18+2. Three of the reserves took 7 rides each while John Branney had a comparatively quiet match with only four!


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Lyons 13+1 (5), Lee Smart 13+1 (7), Taylor Poole 10+3 (7), Hynek Stichauer 6 (4), Michal Rajkowski 4+1 (4), Ricky Wells 2 (4).

Workington – Craig Cook 12+2 (7), Peter Kildemand 8+1 (4), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), John Branney 6 (4), Andre Compton 4 (3), Rusty Harrison 3 (4), Richard Lawson 1 (3).



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 2nd leg: Newport 50, Berwick 39 - Berwick qualify for the 2nd round on aggregate 94-85 .


Team changes: Berwick used Rider Replacement for Lee Complin at number 3.

Matches at Newport must be pretty secret since it’s so hard to get much information about them but this second leg tie saw Berwick qualify comfortably for the second round of the KO Cup. It was a real see-saw affair with no less than seven 5-1s in the opening eight races! four to the Wasps and three to the Bandits which left the home side four up after these eight races.

Lanham and Watson got a 5-1 in the opener then Anders Andersen and Craig Branney levelled again with 1-5 in the reserves race. Consecutive 5-1s in heats 3 and 4 from Mellgren and Legault then Nilsson and Kurtz had the Wasps eight up and twelve down on aggregate at 16-8

After a unique shared race won by Adrian Rymel in heat 5, Berwick hit back with consecutive 1-5s in heats 6 and 7 from, firstly, Makovsky and Andersen then Makovsky and Clews to pull back to level but Craig Watson and Todd Kurtz added another 5-1 for the home side in heat 8 to lead 26-22.

Heat 9 produced a 4-2 from Mellgren and Legault separated by Makovsky for a six point lead to the Wasps then a Lanham, Watson 5-1 in heat 10 took their lead to ten points, half of what they needed. When Kim Nilsson was excluded for bringing down Adrian Rymel in heat 11 the Wasps had to go with just Todd Kurtz. However Anders Andersen fell and the race, won by Rymel ended as a 2-3 with just nine points between the teams. Still another 5-1 from the Wasps through Anders Mellgren and Alex Davies in heat 12 inched them a bit closer with the score then 42-29 just seven points adrift.

However the Wasps’ hopes evaporated when Rymel won heat 13 from Lanham with Makovsky third in heat 13 and Paul Clews won heat 14 from Legault and Branney for another and the game was up. Lanham ended Rymel’s run of three consecutive race wins in heat 15 with Mellgren in third for a home 4-2 and 11 point win. The Wasps’ fans were left wondering how things would have panned out had they fielded their full team last night at Berwick.

Scorers: Newport – Leigh Lanham 12 (5), Anders Mellgren 11+1 (5), Craig Watson 7+2 (4), Kyle Legault 7+1 (4), Todd Kurtz 6+2 (4), Kim Nilsson 4 (4), Alex Davies 3+1 (4).

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 12 (5), Michal Makovsky 10 (6), Paul Clews 7+1 (5), Anders Andersen 6+1 (6), Craig Branney 2+1 (5), Jade Mudgway 1 (3).



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 1st leg: Newcastle 59, Scun’thorpe 31 .


Team changes: Scun’thorpe had Kalle Katajisto at number 6 in place of Jerran Hart who was riding abroad.

Murder at Brough Park! Newcastle brutally assaulted the Scorpions to leave them without the proverbial snowball’s chance in Hell of pulling back the 28 points, by which they lost, in the second leg. In fact the Scorpions must be thanking their lucky stars that they chose Edinburgh’s Kalle Katajisto as a guest for Jerran Hart. Katajisto scored all but half of the Scorpion’s total winning three of his seven rides, beating Kenni Larsen twice and Rene Bach once while recording the fastest time of the season at Brough Park in the opening race. Quite a haul on a 3.00 point assessed average.

Heat 1 provided quite a shock for the Diamonds as they watched Katajisto streak to a fast, comfortable, win ahead of Larsen and Sneddon. He then added another two points to his total with a second place behind Dakota North in the reserves race which Newcastle won 4-2. They won heat three 4-2 as well with Wilkinson splitting the Jason King, Rene Bach pairing and also heat 4 when Mark Lemon beat Magnus Karlsson for a 15-9 score.

David Howe was replaced by Simon Lambert in heat 5 and in fact subsequently withdrew from the meeting. King and Bach added a 5-1 for a ten point lead but it looked as though Scun’thorpe would respond with a 1-5 in heat 6 with Karlsson and Katajisto leading until the last bend when Karlsson fell bringing his partner down too. The race was awarded to Katajisto from Larsen and Sneddon so the points were shared. The Diamonds then scored a succession of four 4-2s in the next four heats taking the score to 39-21 by heat 10 with Katajisto having scored 12 of the visitors’ 21 points!

Carl Wilkinson provided a win for the Scorpions by beating Mark Lemon in heat 11 for a shared race then Jason King and Adam McKinna took a 5-1 in heat 12 from Tero Aarnio with Kalle Katajisto who missed the gate off gate 4 stuck at the back this time. The score was now 47-25.

Larsen and Lemon added a 5-1 in heat 13 but Katajisto recovered from his heat 12 blob to pass Rene Bach off the second bend in heat 14 for another race win while Wilkinson moved past Bach too for a potential 1-5. However Bach roared round the outside of the top bends to repass Wilkinson so the race finished as a 2-4, Scun’thorpe’s sole race advantage of the night. Lemon and Larsen wound things up with another 5-1 in heat 15 to all but book their passage to round two of the competition.

Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 13+1 (5), Kenni Larsen 12+1 (5), Jason King 10 (4), Rene Bach 8+1 (4), Dakota North 6+1 (5), Derek Sneddon 5+2 (4), Adam McKinna 5+1 (4).

Scun‘thorpe – Kalle Katajisto 15 (7), Carl Wilkinson 9 (6), Tero Aarnio 4 (5), Magnus Karlsson 3 (4), David Howe 0 (1), Simon Lambert 0 (5).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 12 May



Premier League: Birmingham 41 (0 points), Edinburgh 48 (4 points) .


Edinburgh have had some magic moments at Birmingham over the past couple of seasons and tonight provided another although injuries to Jake Anderson and Chris Kerr probably made all the difference. The Monarchs started badly though in heat 1 when the Brummies gated to a 5-1. On the last lap Ryan Fisher, attempting to pass Aaron Summers, brought his former team mate down. Fisher was excluded and the race was awarded. There was another crash in heat 2 after Jake Anderson and Kalle Katajisto ended up in the first bend fence demolishing it in the process. This time all four were invited back but ‘all four’ were in no condition to take part in the rerun as Jake Anderson was withdrawn from the meeting. After a delay to repair the fence Edinburgh hit back with a 1-5 from Kalle Katajisto and Max Dilger who pushed past Justin Sedgmen to level the scores again. There was another crash in heat 3. This time it was Chris Kerr who lifted and crashed into the third bend fence as a result of his throttle jamming open. Unfortunately he too was injured and taken to hospital with a leg injury leaving the Brummies to battle on with just five riders and limited options. Richard Sweetman won heat 3 after a rerun, with Kevin Wolbert getting a flier in the first running, to keep the scores tied. Heat 4 was run with just three riders as Birmingham opted not to fill Jake Anderson’s place in the line up. Kalle Katajisto fell after being passed by Jason Lyons while Monarchs sat on a 1-5. This left only two finishers with Andrew Tully leading Jason Lyons home for a 2-3 which took the score to 11-12.

Ryan Fisher won heat 5 under pressure from Richard Sweetman while Justin Sedgmen took third for a shared race then Andrew Tully won again in heat 6 this time beating Aaron Summers and Steve Johnston for another 3-3. Jason Lyons won heat 7 for Birmingham but Wethers and Wolbert kept Sedgmen at the back for a third consecutive shared race but Birmingham scored a crucial 5-1 in heat 8 through Summers and Sedgmen who both gated to go back in front for the first time since heat 1 with the score 25-22. The question now was would Edinburgh’s resistance crumble against the Brummies severely depleted resources?

Richard Sweetman went on his own in heat 9 as Chris Kerr was not replaced. Andrew Tully continued his unbeaten run with his third win on the trot while Max Dilger picked up the gift third place point. This gave the Monarchs a 2-4 cutting the gap to just one point. It stayed that way after heat 10. Summers gated to win it for the Brummies with Wolbert in second but a great race developed between Matthew Wethers and Steve Johnston for third with Wethers prevailing to ensure a 3-3. Edinburgh sat on a 1-5 in heat 11 as Fisher and Katajisto led from the gate but Katajisto lifted coming off the second bend and Lyons and Sedgmen needed no further invitation to streak through for the vital minor places and another shared race.

With the injured Kerr and Anderson due out in heat 12 Birmingham could only field one rider, Justin Sedgmen, in the race. Finally Edinburgh went back in front with a 2-4 as Kevin Wolbert won from Sweetman with Katajisto picking up third to take the score to 35-36 with just three heats left.

The Monarchs scored a crucial 1-5 in heat 13. Ryan Fisher and the unbeaten Andrew Tully team rode well to see off Lyons and Johnston to leave the home side staring down the barrel of a potential and unthinkable home defeat. Edinburgh now led by five points with two to go. The Monarchs were on a 1-5 in heat 14 too but Richard Sweetman fell on the second lap causing a rerun without him. This was a disaster for the Brummies because Edinburgh only needed a 3-3 from the race and a finisher in the last to win the match. In the rerun the Monarchs cashed in with another 1-5 from Wethers and Katajisto to surge nine points ahead needing just two points from the last race for all four match points. They got them too. Jason Lyons won a fantastic final race having come from the back to pip Ryan Fisher on the line Aaron Summers took third for a 4-2 which gave the Monarchs a seven point win.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 11 (5), Aaron Summers 11+1 (5), Justin Sedgmen 8+3 (7), Richard Sweetman 7 (4), Steve Johnston 4+1 (4), Chris Kerr 0 (1), Jake Anderson 0 (0).

Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 11+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 11 (5), Kevin Wolbert 8+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 7+2 (4), Kalle Katajisto 7+1 (6), Max Dilger 3+1 (3), Jozsef Tabaka 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 13 May



Premier League: Redcar 42 (0 points), Rye House 51 (4 points) .


Team changes: Redcar had William Lawson as a guest at number 2 for Maks Gregoric and used Rider Replacement for Ben Wilson at number 5.

This was Redcar’s third home league match and they were still looking for their first home win having lost to Edinburgh and drawn with Glasgow in their two attempts to date. It was Rye House’s first away league match and they were back at full strength again.

After an Eklof win in heat 1 for a shared race, Redcar moved ahead with a 4-2 in the reserves race thanks to a win by Stuart Swales. Jordan Frampton won heat 3 but again there was no heat advantage for the Rockets as Tomas Suchanek passed Luke Bowen on the third bend to follow Emiliano Sanchez home for a share of the spoils. However Rye House, with their third race winner, wiped out their two point deficit and went two in front with a 1-5 in heat 4 with Kyle Hughes and Linus Sundstrom leading Jan Graversen home for a 11-13 score.

It got worse for the Bears as Chris Neath made it four race winners from five races while Emiliano Sanchez stopped the Rockets from recording a maximum when he passed Stefan Ekberg. The 2-4 put the visitors four ahead and it stayed that way with a Linus Sundstrom win, Rye House’s fifth in six races, from Gary Havelock and William Lawson for a 3-3. Finally Redcar provided a race winner in heat 7, Stuart Swales, who provided their only other race win in heat 2. The Bears sat on a 5-1 from the gate until Jordan Frampton passed Emiliano Sanchez at the end of the third lap. This reduced Redcar to a 4-2 and, despite their lack of race winners they now only trailed by two points. However an Ekberg, Hughes 1-5 in heat 8 saw the Rockets surge ahead. Both Rockets passed Swales at the end of the first lap while William Lawson finished at the back. The score now stood at 21-27 and they were very much in danger of another home defeat.

Linus Sundstrom scored his third race win of the match (Rockets’ seventh) in heat 9 but Sanchez and Suchanek finished behind him for a shared race. Jordan Frampton was the Rockets’ eighth race winner in heat 10 while Havelock, blocked on the first bend, came from the back to finish second with Lawson third for another shared race as the Bears dug in and stayed six down. The visitors’ lead stretched to eight with a 2-4 in heat 11 won by Stefan Ekberg from Suchanek. Chris Neath took third for a 2-4. It looked all over after the Rockets added another 1-5 in heat 12 through Frampton and Kurt Shields taking the score to 30-42.

Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 13 and, after a passing and repassing bout with Chris Neath, won the race. However Linus Sundstrom kept William Lawson at the back so the Bears were restricted to a 6-3 heat win to trail by nine points which resigned them to defeat. Stuart Swales led heat 12 for three laps but Luke Bowen, in second, got out of shape allowing Sanchez into second only for Swales to drift too wide which saw Sanchez and Bowen through for the first two places and a home 4-2. Seven ahead, the Rockets needed only a shared race for all four match points. They won it though as Linus Sundstrom gated to win the last race from Sanchez and Frampton for a 2-4 and nine point victory.

Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (incl a 6 point TR) Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (6), Stuart Swales 8 (6), Tomas Suchanek 6+1 (5), William Lawson 3+3 (5), Jan Graversen 2 (3).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 13+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 12 (5), Stefan Ekberg 10 (4), Chris Neath 6 (4), Kyle Hughes 4+2 (5), Kurt Shields 4+1 (4)..



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 2nd leg Sheffield 36, Birmingham 54 - Birmingham won on aggregate by 117-61.


Team changes: Birmingham : used Rider Replacement at number 3 for the injured Chris Kerr. They also had Tom Perry as a guest at number 7 for Jake Anderson.

It looked like Sheffield had an impossible task trying to pull a 38 first leg deficit back but Birmingham were still recovering from last night’s home disaster in the match with Edinburgh which saw them lose Chris Kerr and Jake Anderson to injury and finish with Richard Sweetman and Justin Sedgmen rather second hand from their heavy falls.

However Birmingham soon put an end to the lingering hopes of any Sheffield optimists with a ‘business as usual’ performance by building up a six point lead over the first four races. Steve Johnston won the opening race from Ricky Ashworth for a 3-3 then Paul Cooper won heat 2 from Justin Sedgmen and Tom Perry who passed Arlo Bugeja for third and another shared race. Richard Sweetman took advantage of a Josh Auty engine failure while leading heat 3 to win the race from Josef Franc and score a 2-4 then Jason Lyons and Justin Sedgmen scored a 1-5 after Richard Hall suffered an engine failure at the tapes. This took the score to 9-15 and the Birmingham lead to 44 points.

Steve Johnston won again in heat 5 for the Brummies’ fourth race winner and a 3-3 then Justin Sedgmen made it five race winners in six heats for another 3-3 as Jason Lyons finished at the back behind Ricky Ashworth and Hugh Skidmore. Richard Sweetman continued the run of visiting race winners by taking heat 7 for another 3-3. Aaron Summers came to the party with the Brummies seventh race winner but the action was behind him for second place with Paul Cooper and Justin Sedgmen passing and repassing each other before Cooper finally nailed second. The 2-4 increased the visitors’ lead to eight points at 20-28.

Finally Ricky Ashworth lifted the race winning siege by leading Richard Sweetmen home in a close finish in heat 10. Aaron Summers was third so there was no advantage for the beleaguered Tigers. It was now turning into another rout with Summers and Johnston adding a 1-5 in heat 11 after Richard Hall had fallen for a twelve point lead. Justin Sedgmen became the Brummies ninth race winner in heat 12 beating Franc and Bugeja for a 3-3 and 50 point aggregate lead! Lyons and Johnston added another 1-5 in heat 13 to embarrass the Tigers further. However the home side managed a heat advantage in heat 14 when Josh Auty passed Richard Sweetman with Cooper in third for a 4-2. Birmingham finished things off with another 1-5 this time from Johnston who completed a paid maximum and Richard Sweetman from Josef Franc.

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

Birmingham – Steve Johnston 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Justin Sedgmen 12+2 (6), Richard Sweetman 12+1 (5), Jason Lyons 8 (4), Aaron Summers 7+1 (5), Tom Perry 2+1 (5).