Around the Premier League Tracks 2010

[Merlin]

Sunday, 16 May


NB: Sorry no reports for Friday 14 May nor Saturday 15 May due to migraine headache not helped by the score from Armadale on Friday night! The results were:

Friday 14 May: Premier League: Edinburgh 41 (Kevin Wolbert 9), King’s Lynn 49 (William Lawson 13+1) (Edinburgh were garbage);

Somerset 48 Shane Parker 14+1),Sheffield 45 (Josh Auty 14) (good effort by Sheffield);

Premier League Knockout Cup: Scun'thorpe 49 Carl Wilkinson 15), Newcastle 41 Kenni Larsen 11+1) (Newcastle won 100-80 on aggregate).



Saturday 15 May: Premier League: Berwick 39 (Michal Makovsky 11), King’s Lynn 50 ( Kevin Doolan 13 (another four pointer for the Stars);

Stoke 52 ( Lee Smart 14+2), Somerset 37 (Cory Gathercole 14+1);

Workington 55(another huge score for Workington reserve Craig Cook with 15+2), Newport 40 Craig Watson 16+2);

Rye House 50 (Jordan Frampton 14), Sheffield 39 (Ricky Ashworth 10)(takes Rye House to the top of the league).

Today:


Premier League: Glasgow 46 (0 points), Newport 50 (3 points) .



Team changes: Glasgow had new signing Michael Penfold at number 3 replacing Robert Ksiezak while Newport used Rider Replacement for Kim Nilsson at number 5.

Glasgow got off to a winning start with Travis McGowan leading former Tiger, Craig Watson home in the first race. Lee Dicken finished third after Leigh Lanham had suffered an engine failure so the Tigers scored a 4-2. Mitchell Davey got out of shape on the third bend of the reserves race, however, causing Todd Kurtz to run into him. Davey, who was excluded from the rerun, suffered an injury to his shoulder and was withdrawn from the meeting and taken to hospital. Todd Kurtz won the rerun from Jaimie Courtney so the 2-4 to the Wasps levelled the scores again. All eyes were on new signing, Michael Penfold, in heat 3. Perhaps not surprisingly he finished at the back on his Premier League debut and it was Josh Grajczonek who stole the show by coming from the back to pass Anders Mellgren and Kyle Legault to win the race for a share of the points. James Grieves then won heat 4 but with Jaimie Courtney’s bike playing up Alex Davies and Todd Kurtz finished in second and third for another shared heat taking the score to 12-12.

Newport took the lead in heat 5 with a win by Leigh Lanham ahead of Josh Grajczonek. Craig Watson took third from Michael Penfold so the Wasps were two ahead. It stayed that way after Travis McGowan had beaten Alex Davies and Kyle Legault for a 3-3 in heat 6. However Newport streaked six points ahead after James Grieves fell in heat 7 chasing Kyle Legault leaving Legault and Anders Mellgren to score a 1-5 ahead of Jaimie Courtney. Craig Watson won heat 8 but with Courtney and Dicken behind him the 3-3 took the score to 21-27.

Glasgow were in big trouble after the Wasps scored another 1-5 in heat 9. Craig Watson took the R/R ride and won the race with Alex Davies moving into second after Josh Grajczonek had been moved out on the opening two bends. Newport now held a ten point lead but it had arrived at a time when Travis McGowan was due out in the next race. He duly appeared for a TR wearing the black and white helmet cover. Although he won the race Lee Dicken finished behind Kyle Legault and Anders Mellgren so the Tigers were restricted to a 6-3 advantage which cut the gap to seven points. However the Wasps responded with another 1-5 from their top pairing of Craig Watson and Leigh Lanham after James Grieves was unable to recover from a bad start. Newport now led by eleven points and they increased it to 15 in heat 12 with another 1-5 this time from Anders Mellgren and Alex Davies from Jaimie Courtney and Michael Penfold. The score was now 30-45 and it was time for TR number 2 for the Tigers.

Glasgow desperately needed the big 8-1 in heat 13 and they got it with James Grieves taking the TR and winning it from Travis McGowan and Anders Mellgren. The gap was now down to eight points which meant that provided there were at least three finishers in the remaining two races the best the Tigers could do was draw. They needed two 5-1s to rescue a point so heat 14 was crucial. Josh Grajczonek won the race but Kyle Legault took the vital second place to ensure a win for the Wasps. Jaimie Courtney was third and Glasgow took a 4-2 to cut the gap to six points but it was too little, too late. In heat 15 there was a blanket finish between James Grieves and Leigh Lanham. Grieves got the verdict although Lanham didn’t appear to agree with the decision while Travis McGowan finished third ahead of Craig Watson for a 4-2 which left the Wasps with a four point win.


Scorers: Glasgow – Travis McGowan 15+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), James Grieves 13 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Josh Grajczonek 9 (4), Jaimie Courtney 7 (7), Lee Dicken 2+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 0 (1), Michael Penfold 0 (4).

Newport – Craig Watson 12 (6), Kyle Legault 10+1 (5), Alex Davies 9+2 (6), Leigh Lanham 8+1 (5), Anders Mellgren 7+3 (5), Todd Kurtz 4+1 (3).



Premier League: Newcastle 60 (3 points), Redcar 33 (0 points) .


Team changes: Redcar: without Maks Gregoric and Ben Wilson had Birmingham’s Aaron Summers at number 2 as a guest for Gregoric and used Rider Replacement for Wilson at number 5.

After a shared heat 1 won by Kenni Larsen from Aaron Summers and Gary Havelock the Diamonds took a four point lead with a 5-1 in the reserves race won by Dakota North. Another 5-1 in heat 3 from Rene Bach and Jason King doubled the home side’s lead to eight points. Aaron Summers took the R/R ride in heat 4 and led the race until the last lap when Mark Lemon worked his way past for the win. With Jan Graversen finishing third the points were shared with the score at 16-8.

Rene Bach passed Gary Havelock to win heat 5. With Aaron Summers third though the result was a 3-3 but a Larsen, Sneddon 5-1 in heat 6 took the Diamonds into a 12 point lead. Mark Lemon won heat 7 from Suchanek and Sanchez so the gap remained the same from the shared race then heat 8 needed a rerun with all four back after Aaron Summers, who was on a TR, had fallen at the start of the race. In the rerun Derek Sneddon led from the tapes but was passed by Aaron Summers who provided the Bears first race winner of the match. With Jan Graversen third after Adam McKinna had retired Redcar took a 2-7 from the race taking the score to 29-22.

At this stage Summers had scored precisely half of the Bears’ points but things didn’t look too bright for the visitors when they had to track their two reserves in heat 9. So it turned out as Bach and King led Graversen home for a 5-1 increasing the Diamonds lead to 11 points. Heat 10 saw it rocket to fifteen with another 5-1. Derek Sneddon led from the tapes but was passed by Kenni Larsen with the two Diamonds scoring the maximum ahead of Emiliano Sanchez. In heat 11 Gary Havelock took Redcar’s second TR but there was no coconut this time for the visitors as Dakota North and Mark Lemon scored another 5-1, the Diamonds’ sixth of the match for a 19 point lead. In heat 12 Jason King got the better of early race leader Jan Graversen. Tomas Suchanek finished second with Graversen third ahead of Adam McKinna so the race was shared 3-3 with the score now standing at 47-28.

Larsen and Lemon added Newcastle’s seventh 5-1 of the match in heat 13 then Graversen’s second place in heat 14 stopped Bach and North from adding yet another. Finally in the last race Kenni Larsen came from the back to beat Jan Graversen while Mark Lemon had to be content with third having lost out on his paid maximum. The 4-2 took the Diamonds to the 60 point mark and left Redcar to think about potential team changes to get their season back on track.

Scorers: Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 15 (5) Full maximum), Rene Bach 12 (4) (full maximum), Mark Lemon 11+2 (5), Jason King 7+2 (4), Dakota North 7 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+2 (4), Adam McKinna 2+1 (4)..

Redcar – Aaron Summers 11+1 (6) (incl a 6 point TR), Jan Graversen 9+2 (7), Tomas Suchanek 6 (5), Gary Havelock 4+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 3+1 (5), Stuart Swales 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 19 May



Premier League: Birmingham 52 (3 points), Scun’thorpe 40 (0 points) .


Team changes: Birmingham, without Chris Kerr, used Rider Replacement (R/R) instead at number 2. They also had Tom Perry at number 7 in place of Jake Anderson. Scun’thorpe also used R/R at number 2 for Joel Parsons.

It looked as though Birmingham were going to have another tough home match when the opening five races were all shared. Magnus Karlsson gated to win the opening race then Justin Sedgmen took the reserves race. Richard Sweetman suffered an engine failure on the line so Aaron Summers win was needed to avoid a heat loss for the Brummies in heat 3 then Jason Lyons won heat 4 for a 12-12 score.

Another fast gate from Summers was enough to win heat 5 from Karlsson but the deadlock was finally broken with a 4-2 to the home side when Steve Johnston and Justin Sedgmen gated in heat 5. David Howe passed Sedgmen in the run in to the line to prevent a 5-1 but the Brummies added another two points to their lead with another 4-2 in a rerun heat 7 which Jason Lyons won from Tero Aarnio after Carl Wilkinson had fallen on the first bend and been excluded. A third 4-2 on the trot opened a six point lead for the Brummies after Summers and Sedgmen had gated only for Carl Wilkinson to pass Sedgmen again on the run to the line. The score was then 27-21.

The Scorpions hit back with a 4-2 in heat 9 after David Howe beat Richard Sweetman. Aaron Summers prospects of a full house were shattered when he found himself at the back off the second bend unable to pass Jerran Hart. The gap was down to four but Birmingham doubled their advantage to eight with a 5-1 from Johnston and Sedgmen in heat 10. Another 5-1 in heat 11 stretched the lead to 12 points. Lyons and Sedgmen gated and kept Karlsson in third so Tero Aarnio was given a TR in heat 12. The Scorpions were sitting on the big 1-8 when Tom Perry fell on the back straight of lap 2 causing a rerun. As often happens the ‘offending’ side turned the tables in the rerun as Aaron Summers gated this time to lead Aarnio and Hart home for a 3-5 taking the score to 42-32.

David Howe stopped Jason Lyons’ maximum hopes by winning heat 13 but Magnus Karlsson was stuck at the back so the race was shared. Carl Wilkinson won heat 14 from Richard Sweetman while Jerran Hart took third for a 2-4 cutting the gap to eight points leaving the Scorpions with a chance of taking a match point. However Lyons and Johnston gated in the last race to end that hope by heading Howe and Karlsson home for a 5-1 and 12 point lead.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14 (5), Aaron Summers 12 (5), Steve Johnston 11+2 (5), Justin Sedgmen 10+3 (6), Richard Sweetman 4 (4), Tom Perry 1 (5).

Scun’thorpe – David Howe 11 (5), Tero Aarnio 10+1 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 6+1 (5), Magnus Karlsson 6 (5), Jerran Hart 5+2 (6), Simon Lambert 2+2 (4).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 64 (3 points), Berwick 30 (0 points) .


Team changes: King‘s Lynn, were finally back to full strength with the return of Tomas Topinka and Joe Haines to the team. Despite rumours of a return to the saddle Berwick were yet again without Lee Complin so used R/R at number 4 in his absence. Dakota North guested for Craig Branney at number 7.

Berwick were no match for the Stars and found themselves using a TR as early as heat 5. It took three laps for Tomas Topinka to shake off Adrian Rymel in heat 1 while Joe Haines’ third place point gave the home side a 4-2. The King’s Lynn reserves added a 5-1 in heat 2 then Kozza Smith and Linus Eklof added another in heat 3. A Doolan win over Makovsky in heat 4 resulted in another 4-2 and the Stars led by 18-6.

Adrian Rymel took a TR in heat 5, made an electric start and won from Linus Eklof and Kozza Smith for a 3-6 to the Bandits. It was a temporary blip for the home side who replied with a 5-1 from Haines and Topinka. Kevin Doolan gated to win heat 7 but a seemingly out of control Dakota North won a ’hairy’ race for second after clattering the fence so the result was a 4-2 the same as in heat 8 won by Casper Wortmann from North (again) and Haines taking the score to 34-17.

Smith and Eklof added another 5-1 in heat 9 and Haines and Topinka repeated the dose in heat 10. Adrian Rymel stopped the rot by winning heat 11 from Doolan and Mallett for a 3-3 then Wortmann and Smith went for another 5-1 in heat 12 but Paul Clews chased down and passed Smith to convert it to a 4-2. The score was then 51-24.

Doolan and Topinka added another 5-1 for the home side in heat 13 then Paul Clews took Berwick’s second TR In heat 14. Eklof and Mallett gated but Mallett was passed by Dakota North on the second lap then had to fend off Paul Clews for the rest of the race. He was unsuccessful after the pair passed and repassed each other with Clews prevailing for a 3-4 to the Bandits. Doolan and Topinka then rounded things off with another 5-1 in the final heat.

Scorers: King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Tomas Topinka 11+4 (5) (paid maximum), Linus Eklof 9+2 (4), Casper Wortmann 9+1 (4), Kozza Smith 8+1 (4), Joe Haines 8 (4), Darren Mallett 5+1 (4).

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 12 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Dakota North 7 (6), Paul Clews 6 (6) (incl a 2 point TR), Michal Makovsky 3 (4), Jade Mudgway 2 (6), Anders Andersen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 20 May



Premier League: Redcar 41 (0 points), Somerset 51 (4 points) .


Team changes: Redcar had new signings, Henning Bager, at number 1 and, Gary Irving, at number 6. In a complete shake-up they used Rider Replacement for the injured Ben Wilson at number 2 with long time number 1, Gary Havelock, moving from number 1 to number 4.

Unfortunately for the Bears the changes did not produce the right result as they went down yet again at home to a Somerset team who were inspired by an unbeaten (by an opponent) performance by Shane Parker.

Ritchie Hawkins was excluded from heat 1 when he tried to anticipate the tapes and got them wrapped around his neck. He was excluded and replaced by James Holder in the rerun. This worked out rather well for the Rebels because James gated and held off the challenges of Tomas Suchanek to win the race for a 3-3. He didn’t win heat 2, however, as Stuart Swales did that. Gary Irving, attempting an outside pass on Holder, crashed causing the race to be awarded as a 3-3. However the bad news for the Rebels was that James Holder dislocated his shoulder and was out of the rest of the meeting. Shane Parker and Sam Masters headed off to lead Gary Havelock looking for a 1-5 in heat 3 but Havelock got past Masters off the last bend to restrict the Rebels to a 2-4 and two point lead. Cory Gathercole then passed both Stuart Swales and Emiliano Sanchez to win heat 4 for a shared heat and 11-13 score.

Havelock emerged for heat 5 and won this comfortably but Lubos Tomicek and Ritchie Hawkins followed him home for another shared race then Henning Bager got his first win for the Bears in heat 6 but Gathercole and Mark Baseby shared the points behind him after Stuart Swales had fallen. It got worse for the Bears as Parker and Masters gated in heat 7 to record a 1-5 which extended the Rebels’ lead to six points. It became eight when Ritchie Hawkins won heat 8 from Sanchez while Baseby picked up third after Swales had fallen again. The score now stood at 20-28 with the Bears in trouble again.

Gathercole won heat 9 from Havelock and Suchanek for a 3-3 but the game looked up when Masters and Parker scored another 1-5 from Irving and Bager increasing Somerset’s lead to 12 points and sending Redcar into TR territory. Sure enough Emiliano Sanchez wore the black and white helmet cover in heat 11 in which Stuart Swales fell yet again causing a rerun with all four back. Hawkins won the race for the Rebels but Sanchez and Swales kept Tomicek at the back so the Bears scored a 5-3 to cut the gap to 10 points. They shaved another two points from Somerset‘s lead with a 4-2 in heat 12 won by Stuart Swales from Mark Baseby and Tomas Suchanek with Masters at the back. The score was then 33-41.

Redcar continued to make inroads to Somerset’s lead with another 4-2 in heat 13. Emiliano Sanchez won the race while Henning Bager’s attempts to catch Cory Gathercole just failed. Nonetheless the Bears took a 4-2 so the gap was down to six with just two races left. Unfortunately for the home boys, Shane Parker was in unstoppable mood and completed a paid maximum by winning heat 14 and putting an end to Redcar’s hopes. Havelock and Swales shared the race so the only question in heat 15 was could the Rebels take all four match points. They could and they did in style with a last heat 1-5 from Gathercole and Parker which stretched the winning margin to ten points.

Scorers: Redcar – Emiliano Sanchez 12 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Stuart Swales 9+3 (7), Gary Havelock 9 (9), Henning Bager 6+1 (5), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (5), Gary Irving 1 (5).

Somerset – Shane Parker 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Cory Gathercole 13 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 7+1 (4), Sam Masters 6+1 (4), Mark Baseby 5+2 (7), James Holder 5 (2), Lubos Tomicek 2 (4).



Premier League: Sheffield 54 (3 points), Berwick 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick: welcomed back Lee Complin after a lengthy absence due to injury. He took his place in the line up at number 2 while Anders Andersen moved to number 3 and Jade Mudgway to number 6 as a result of the new averages. The Bandits used Casper Wortmann as a guest at number 7 in place of Craig Branney.

Heat 1 was an epic in itself. Firstly, Ricky Ashworth fell on the first bend and all four were invited back for another try. The second attempt provided a crash on the third bend as Hugh Skidmore dived inside Adrian Rymel taking both into the fence. Skidmore was excluded but of more worry was the fact that his injuries required an ambulance ride back to the medical room to be checked over. He was then transferred to a County ambulance and taken to hospital ruling him out of the meeting. After a delay of around an hour the race was rerun with Adrian Rymel leading Ricky Ashworth home. Lee Complin picked up the third place point and the Bandits led 2-4. They soon trailed 7-5 though as Paul Cooper and Arlo Bugeja scored a 5-1 in the reserves race. 7-5 went to 12-6 after another home 5-1 with Josef Franc and Josh Auty leading Paul Clews home. Richard Hall won heat 4 but the real race was for third as Michal Makovsky and Arlo Bugeja exchanged places with Makovsky getting the point for a shared heat with the score now at 15-9.

Adrian Rymel passed Josef Franc in heat 5 but was in turn passed by Josh Auty leading to a 4-2 to the Tigers then Ricky Ashworth won heat 6 for a shared race which kept the Tigers’ eight point lead intact. It was extended to 12 points with a Hall, Cooper 5-1 in heat 7. This led to Lee Complin taking a TR in heat 8. Unfortunately this was not a success for the Bandits as he finished at the back of the field as Paul Cooper produced one of his round the boards rides to win from Casper Wortmann and Arlo Bugeja for a 4-2 taking the score to 31-17.

Josef Franc fell in heat 9 trying to round Michael Makovsky and was excluded from the rerun. There was no advantage for Berwick though as Josh Auty, in sparkling form, saw off Makovsky and Mudgway for a 3-3. Anders Andersen fell in heat 10 and was excluded from the rerun which Ricky Ashworth won from Paul Clews for a 4-2 and 16 point lead. It was time for Berwick to use their second TR as Adrian Rymel’s programmed ride came up in heat 11. He not only won it but team rode along with Lee Complin for the big 1-8 ahead of Richard Hall which cut the gap to nine points getting the Bandits to within touching distance of a match point. Josef Franc suffered an engine failure in heat 12 but Paul Cooper won the race for the Tigers after passing both Mudgway then Wortmann for a shared race and 42-33 score.

The Bandits pulled another two points back in heat 13 with another Rymel win after the Berwick number 1 had fended off Ashworth for all four laps. Behind him there was an equally good tussle between Makovsky and Hall which the Berwick rider won so the 2-4 cut the gap to just seven points. It was all for nothing though as the Tigers cruelly hit home 5-1s in heats 14 and 15 to put a gloss on the scoreboard which suggested that Berwick had been less competitive than in fact they had been in a superb match.
Scorers: Sheffield – Paul Cooper 15+1 (6), Josh Auty 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Ricky Ashworth 10 (4), Richard Hall 10 (5), Josef Franc 4 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3+1 (5), Hugh Skidmore 0 (1)..

Berwick – Adrian Rymel 15 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Casper Wortmann 7 (5), Michal Makovsky 6+1 (5), Paul Clews 4 (4), Jade Mudgway 3+3 (4), Lee Complin 3+1 (4), Anders Andersen 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday 21 May



Premier League: Edinburgh 61 (3 points), Newcastle 31 (0 points) .


Team changes: Edinburgh were without Jozsef Tabaka and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2. Newcastle were missing Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach who were riding in Denmark on Saturday afternoon. They used R/R for Larsen at number 1 and had Glasgow’s Josh Grajczonek at number 4 as a guest for Bach.

Edinburgh were out for revenge for the early season home defeat at the hands of Newcastle while the Diamonds were looking for a repeat of that result to boost their league campaign. The Diamonds were sure to miss Larsen and Bach but with Edinburgh’s recent vulnerability at home they must have fancied a repeat result.

That was never going to happen as the Monarchs clicked into gear galvanised by a phenomenal display by super reserve Kalle Katajisto who scored paid 20 points and equalled the four year old track record into the bargain.

Yet there was no hint of what was to come when Mark Lemon taking the R/R ride gated with Derek Sneddon for what looked a likely 1-5in the first race. However enter Kalle Katajisto who caught and passed Sneddon on the second lap while Ryan Fisher did likewise shortly after. Lemon was too far ahead to be caught though so the race was shared 3-3. Katajisto won the reserves race by a distance while Adam McKinna fell on the fourth bend after a clash with his partner, Dakota North. Max Dilger moved into third so the Monarchs took the lead with a 4-2. They looked like adding a 5-1 from Matthew Wethers and Kevin Wolbert but Wethers suffered an engine failure on the fourth bend while leading so this race was shared too. Heat 4 was rerun after Andrew Tully came off after a shunt from Mark Lemon. In the ‘all four back’ rerun Kalle Katajisto won by the proverbial mile in a time of 54.6 seconds which equalled the track record set in 2006 by Theo Pijper and also equalled by Ryan Fisher last year. Lemon finished second while an ‘out of sorts’ Tully passed Adam McKinna for third. The 4-2 took the score to 14-10.

Edinburgh rattled up two 5-1s in heats 5 and 6, the first from Wolbert and Wethers and the second from Fisher and Katajisto who passed Mark Lemon in classic style off the fourth bend. The lead had rocketed to 12 points but the Monarchs were brought back down to earth when Newcastle scored a 1-5 in heat 7. Andrew Tully, chasing Jason King for the lead, fell at the start of the third lap allowing Josh Grajczonek through for second to cut the gap to eight points (it could have been 5 if they’d used a TR!). Edinburgh responded with another 5-1 this time from Katajisto and Wethers for a heat 8 score of 30-18.

Mark Lemon took a TR in heat 9 but lost out in the first bend shake out to Wolbert and Wethers for another home 5-1 and the Diamonds did no better in heat 10 when Fisher and Wolbert added another. Derek Sneddon was next to try a TR and, although he made a good gate, he was no match for Kalle Katajisto who won the race comfortably. Sneddon did finish second though and, with Andrew Tully pulling up at the back, Josh Grajczonek took third for a 3-5 advantage to the visitors. Dakota North did a pirouette on the first bend of lap 12 falling right in front of Max Dilger who was sent flying into the air to land on his already damaged shoulder. North was excluded from the rerun in which Wolbert and Dilger sat on a 5-1 until Jason King passed Dilger for second. The 4-2 gave the Monarchs a 20 point lead at 47-27.

Katajisto and Fisher added a 5-1 in heat 13 ahead of Sneddon and Lemon then Matthew Wethers won heat 14 from the gate. Josh Grajczonek took second while Adam McKinna fell while trying to pass Max Dilger for third. The 4-2 increased the Monarchs’ lead to 26 points and they stretched it to 30 with another 5-1, their seventh of the match, in the last race.

Scorers: Edinburgh – Kalle Katajisto 19+1 (7), Kevin Wolbert 16+2 (6) (paid maximum), Ryan Fisher 11+3 (5), Matthew Wethers 10+2 (4), Max Dilger 4 (4), Andrew Tully 1 (3).

Newcastle – Mark Lemon 9 (6), Josh Grajczonek 7+3 ((5), Jason King 7 (5), Derek Sneddon 6 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Dakota North 2 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 55 (3 points), Redcar 38 (0 points) .


Team changes: Somerset had King’s Lynn’s Kevin Doolan as a guest for Lubos Tomicek at number 1 and had Lee Smart as guest for James Holder, who injured his shoulder at Redcar last night, at number 7.
Redcar again used R/R for Ben Wilson at number 2 and had Robert Branford at number 6 in place of Gary Irving.

After winning at Redcar last night by ten points the Rebels would have looked upon this as a banker home win particularly given the Bears’ poor results to date. They would have noted though that Redcar had won at Newport so would have taken nothing for granted.

After two shared races Somerset were soon into their stride when Shane Parker and Sam Masters scored the first of their three 5-1s as a pairing in heat 3. Gary Havelock was left in their wake as the Rebels opened up a four point lead. Cory Gathercole and Mark Baseby added a 4-2 in heat 4 after Emiliano Sanchez had retired so the score then read 15-9.

Heat 5 had Parker and Masters again so another 5-1 propelled the home side into a ten point lead which went to 12 after Kevin Doolan, recovering from a first heat blob, won from Sanchez and Hawkins for a 4-2. Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 7 but Cory Gathercole came from the back to pass both Tomas Suchanek then Havelock to win the race. Nonetheless the visitors took a 3-5 heat advantage from the race to trail by 10 points. Since Swales then Baseby fell in heat 8 there were only two finishers with Sanchez holding off Hawkins for a 2-3 taking the score to 29-20.

That’s as close as the Bears got since Parker and Masters were out in heat 9 for another 5-1 and Doolan and Hawkins followed them for more of the same in heat 10. Redcar were now 17 points adrift and Henning Bager took their second TR in heat 11. Again Gathercole spoiled their hopes by winning against the TR while Lee Smart’s third place ensured that the race was shared 4-4. The Bears took a 2-4 from heat 12 though as Gary Havelock had a tremendous duel with Sam Masters before winning the race while Stuart Swales beat Mark Baseby for a score of 45-30.

Cory Gathercole was excluded from the rerun of heat 13 after bringing down Emiliano Sanchez but Kevin Doolan won the race for a 3-3. Shane Parker completed a full four ride maximum by winning heat 14 from Tomas Suchanek while Lee Smart took third for a 4-2 then, in the final race, Gary Havelock passed Kevin Doolan for a fine win. He had no support though as Henning Bager had to go from 15 metres back after failing to beat the two minute time allowance.

Scorers: Somerset – Shane Parker 12 (4) (full maximum), Kevin Doolan 11 (5), Sam Masters 9+4 (5), Cory Gathercole 9 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 8+1 (4), Lee Smart 3+1 (4), Mark Baseby 3 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Henning Bager 6+2 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Stuart Swales 6 (6), Tomas Suchanek 5+1 (5), Robert Branford 1 (4).



Premier League: Scun’thorpe 55 (3 points), Birmingham 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Scun’thorpe again used R/R for Joel Parsons at number 2. Birmingham used R/R for Chris Kerr also at number 2.

The Scorpions were looking to avenge their home Premier Trophy defeat at the hands of the Brummies in a match which saw David Howe crash out of the meeting after a crash with Steve Johnston in the first race. Birmingham beat them at Perry Barr on Wednesday night taking all four match points but the result was in doubt until the last heat.

There was no electric start for the Brummies in this match. Indeed they found themselves eight points down after three heats!. Magnus Karlsson beat Steve Johnston while Simon Lambert passed Justin Sedgmen for third for a 4-2 opener. Lambert did it again in heat 2 for the win this time and another 4-2 went the Scorpions’ way. Carl Wilkinson won heat 3 while Tero Aarnio joined him for a 5-1 by passing Aaron Summers. Jason Lyons finally won a race for the visitors in heat 4 but it was only for a shared heat so the score was 16-8.

Aarnio won heat 5 from Johnston with Wilkinson third for another 4-2 and ten point lead but Birmingham did not use a TR in heat 6 which they must have regretted since Lyons and Sedgmen scored a 1-5 ahead of Karlsson and Aarnio to cut the gap to just six points. David Howe won heat 7 but Sweetman and Summers shared the points behind him when Jerran Hart fell on the third bend. Carl Wilkinson beat the same Birmingham pairing in heat 8 for another shared race taking the score to 27-21.

Another Tero Aarnio win ahead of Jason Lyons in heat 9 resulted in a 4-2 when Carl Wilkinson finished third after passing Justin Sedgmen. The Scorpions now led by eight points and it stayed that way when Magnus Karlsson won heat 10 from Summers and Sweetman for a 3-3. However a 5-1 from Howe and Hart ahead of Steve Johnston restored the home side‘s ten point lead and this time Birmingham made no mistake about using a TR. Aaron Summers was entrusted with the ride in heat 12 but Simon Lambert brought the house down by coming from the back to pass first Sedgmen then Summers converting a 1-8 to a 3-5 so the score had now progressed to 42-32.

Another 5-1 for Scun‘thorpe in heat 13 from Howe and Karlsson from Johnston and Lyons put the home side 12 ahead with two races left. Richard Sweetman then took Birmingham‘s second TR in heat 14 but Carl Wilkinson was having none of it and went on to win while Hart took third to share the race 4-4 and ensure that the Scorpions took all three points. Heat 15 produced a good race between Lyons and Howe but it was Howe who won it with Karlsson third for a 4-2 and 16 point win.

Scorers: Scun‘thorpe – David Howe 14 (5), Carl Wilkinson 11 (5), Magnus Karlsson 10+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 8+1 (5), Simon Lambert 8+1 (5), Jerran Hart 4+1 (5).

Birmingham – Aaron Summers 10+1 (6) (incl a 4 point TR), Jason Lyons 10 (5), Richard Sweetman 7+1 (4) (incl a 4 point TR), Justin Sedgmen 6+3 (7), Steve Johnston 6 (4), Jake Anderson 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 22 May



Premier League: Berwick 58 (3 points), Scun’thorpe 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick had new signing Michal Rajkowski at number 4 while Edinburgh’s Kalle Katajisto guested for Craig Branney at number 7. Scun’thorpe used Rider Replacement for Joel Parsons at number 2.

Scun’thorpe came with high hopes for this match after a superb display against Birmingham last night. If they’re wondering what happened they need look no further than the performances of the two sets of reserve where Mudgway and Katajisto outscored Hart and Lambert by 21+4 to 2.

Unfortunately there is not a lot of information about this match at the time of writing. However the opening race was shared as Magnus Karlsson headed home Adrian Rymel and Lee Complin. Kalle Katajisto won heat 2 and along with Jade Mudgway scored a 5-1 for an early four point lead to the Bandits. That lead still stood after the opening four heats with the score at 14-10.

Another Karlsson win in heat 5 saw the Scorpions pull back two points with a 2-4 but the Bandits cancelled that with a 4-2 in heat 6 after which there was a delay due to the sun blinding the riders coming off the back straight. When racing resumed Berwick hit home a 5-1 in heat 7 and 4-2 in heat 8 to rocket their score to 29-19.

Another 5-1 in heat 9 won by Paul Clews had the Scorpions in deep trouble and a 4-2 in heat 10 courtesy of Rymel and Lee Complin stretched the home side’s lead to 16 points. Scun’thorpe benefited from a TR in heat 11 which earned them a 6-3 cutting the gap to 13 points but the Bandits hit back with a 5-1 in heat 12 to increase their lead to 17 points with the score then 46-29.

Rymel and Makovsky scored a 4-2 in heat 13 to top the 50 point mark then Paul Clews and Jade Mudgway added a 5-1 in heat 14 while the last heat, won by Adrian Rymel, again was shared with the Bandits recording a 23 point victory.

Scorers: Berwick – Adrian Rymel 14 (5), Kalle Katajisto 13+1 (5), Paul Clews 11 (5), Jade Mudgway 8+3 (4), Michal Makovsky 6+2 (4), Lee Complin 4+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 2+1 (3).

Scun’thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 13+1 (5), David Howe 9 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (5), Tero Aarnio 4+1 (5), Jerran hart 1 (4), Simon Lambert 1 (6).



Premier League: Rye House 68 (3 points), Redcar 24 (0 points) .


Team changes: Redcar again used Rider Replacement for Ben Wilson at number 2 and had Robert Branford at number 6 for Gary Irving.

This was Redcar’s third match in three nights. Having lost home and away to Somerset they were hoping for better things at Rye House but the Rockets knew that they would go top of the league if they could win this match provided Scun’thorpe didn’t do likewise at Berwick.

The Rockets were fast out of the starting blocks winning the first two races with 5-1s. Ekberg led Suchanek and Bager but, off the last bend, Chris Neath got through to second for the first of the 5-1s. Shields and Hughes added the second after passing early race leader Robert Branford but Jordan Frampton crashed through the fence in heat 3 off the second bend to be excluded. In the rerun Gary Havelock led Luke Bowen home while Suchanek took third for a 2-4. However another 5-1 from Linus Sundstrom and Kyle Hughes rocketed the home side into a ten point lead at 17-7.

It had turned into a rout at Hoddesdon again as the Rockets added another 5-1 in heat 5 from Frampton and Bowen with Henning Bager some way back in third; and another in heat 6 from Ekberg and Neath with Sanchez in third. In an effort to stem the tide the Bears gave Gary Havelock a TR in heat 7. Stop the rot he did although he didn’t win the race. Linus Sundstrom was the race winner but Havelock’s second place ahead of Kurt Shields meant that the race was shared 4-4. In heat 8 Emiliano Sanchez passed Kyle Hughes off the second bend but fell on the fourth bend and was excluded. In the rerun it was business as usual with another 5-1 for the Rockets from Hughes and Ekberg, their sixth in eight races taking the score to 36-14.

The Rockets’ seventh 5-1 arrived in heat 9 but, although Frampton won the race comfortably, Luke Bowen had his work cut out to hold on to second under pressure from Emiliano Sanchez. The run of 5-1s was interrupted again when Gary Havelock followed Chris Neath home for a 4-2 in heat 10. Heat 11, won by Linus Sundstrom, was shared with Bager second and Branford third but an eighth 5-1 went the Rockets way in heat 12 with Frampton and Hughes heading Havelock home taking the score to 53-21.

Sundstrom and Neath added 5-1 number nine in heat 13 and Bowen and Shields 5-1 number ten in heat 15 despite a TR by Tomas Suchanek. Sundstrom and Neath made it eleven 5-1s in heat 15 as the Rockets won by 44 points.

Scorers: Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 15 (5) (full maximum), Chris Neath 11+4 (5) (paid maximum), Kyle Hughes 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Luke Bowen 9+2 (4), Stefan Ekberg 9+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 9 (4), Kurt Shields 6+1 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 10 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (6), Henning Bager 3 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3 (5), Robert Branford 2+1 (6), Stuart Swales 1 (4).



Premier League Knockout Cup, 1st round, 1st leg: Workington 54, Stoke 36.


Team changes: Workington were without Peter Kildemand who was riding in the Danish Championship so they used Rider Replacement at number 4. Stoke had Somerset’s Cory Gathercole as a guest for Jason Bunyan at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Klaus Jakobsen.

Stoke opened with a 1-5 from Lee Smart and Cory Gathercole but the Comets hit back with two 5-1s in the next two races thanks to Richard Lawson and Rusty Harrison in the reserves race then Craig Cook and Chris Schramm in heat 3. The Comets steadily built up a useful first leg lead uninterrupted by TRs which, of course, are not allowed in the KO Cup competition. By heat 9 the score was 34-20 in favour of the home side with Craig Cook in unstoppable form for them.

Stoke scored a 1-5 in heat 10 through Ricky Wells and Adam Roynon, returning to his former stomping ground, ahead of Andre Compton to cut the gap to 10 points. Stoke thereafter had a hard job holding on. They lost a 4-2 to Lawson and Schramm in heat 11 and another to Schramm and Harrison in heat 12 taking the score to 43-29.

Andre Compton won heat 13 but Cory Gathercole and Hynek Stichauer shared the race behind him but a 4-2 in heat 14 from Craig Cook and Richard Lawson put the Comets 16 points ahead and they extended it to 18 in heat 15 when Craig Cook completed a six ride full maximum while Hynek Stichauer finished second ahead of Chris Schramm for the home side’s fourth 4-2 over the final five races. The Comets look well placed to reach the next round in the return fixture at Stoke tomorrow night. If the Potters are going to pull back the 18 points they will need to find a way of stopping Craig Cook who is enjoying a fantastic run of form.

Scorers: Workington – Craig Cook 18 (6) (full maximum), Richard Lawson 11+1 (6), Chris Schramm 8+1 (6), Rusty Harrison 6+3 (4), Andre Compton 6 (4), John Branney 5+1 (4).

Stoke – Cory Gathercole 8+1 (5), Hynek Stichauer 8 (5), Ricky Wells 6 (4), Adam Roynon 5+1 (4), Lee Smart 5+1 (7), Taylor Poole 4 (6).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 26 May



Premier League: King’s Lynn 60 (3 points), Stoke 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Stoke had Somerset’s Cory Gathercole as a guest for the injured Jason Bunyan at number 1, Scun’thorpe’s Simon Lambert as a guest for the injured Taylor Poole at number 7 and used Rider Replacement for Klaus Jakobsen at number 2. They nominated Adam Lowe as their number 8.

This was another runaway win for the Stars as they registered a 25 point win which included seven 5-1s. Stoke had their moments though but unfortunately for them nothing like enough of them but the general opinion was that they had put up a spirited performance not always a feature of visiting sides to the Norfolk Arena.

The opening two races resulted in 4-2s for the Stars won by firstly Joe Haines from Cory Gathercole and Tomas Topinka then Casper Wortmann from Simon Lambert and Darren Mallett. Kozza Smith won heat 3 but Ricky Wells and Adam Roynon kept Linus Eklof at the back for a shared race before the Stars scored their first 5-1 of the match through Kevin Doolan and Wortmann for a 16-8 score.

The Stars got a shock in heat 5 through as Stoke scored a 1-5 through Cory Gathercole and Adam Roynon who made fast starts to lead Linus Eklof and Kozza Smith home cutting the gap to four points again. Joe Haines and Tomas Topinka scored 5-1 number 2 for the Stars in heat 6 to double the lead to eight points and it stayed that way with a Doolan win in heat 7 from Roynon and Wells. Haines and Wortmann added 5-1 number 3 in heat 8 taking the score to 30-18.

Two more home 5-1s arrived in heats 9 and 10 to end the match as a contest then Cory Gathercole took a TR in heat 11. The result was a 4-4 with Doolan winning it from Gathercole and the Stars sixth 5-1 was the outcome of heat 12 from Kozza Smith and Casper Wortmann for a 49-25 score. Casper Wortmann’s second place in the race behind his partner meant that he had completed his first ever four ride maximum in the Premier League.

Doolan and Topinka added a seventh 5-1 in heat 13 then Adam Roynon took the Potters’ second TR in heat 14, a bit late to get them back into contention! He won it though after passing Darren Mallett. Simon Lambert took third from Linus Eklof giving the Potters a 2-7 heat advantage. The Stars gave Casper Wortmann a heat 15 outing to see if he could register a five ride maximum but Cory Gathercole got the better of him off the second bend to follow Kevin Doolan home for a 4-2.

Scorers: King‘s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 15 (5) (full maximum), Joe Haines 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Casper Wortmann 10+3 (5), Kozza Smith 9 (4), Tomas Topinka 8+2 (4), Darren Mallett 4 (4), Linus Eklof 3+1 (4).

Stoke – Cory Gathercole 12 (5) (incl a 4 point TR), Adam Roynon 11+2 (6) (incl a 6 point TR), Ricky Wells 5+1 (4), Hynek Stichauer 3 (4), Simon Lambert 3 (5), Lee Smart 1 (6).



Premier League: Birmingham 44 (3 points), Redcar 33 (0 points) Match abandoned after heat 12 due to weather and fence damage - the result stands.


Team changes: Birmingham : with Chris Kerr still absent but moving to reserve, Birmingham had Berwick’s Paul Clews as a guest at number 6 and new signing, Kyle Newman, formerly with Newport at number 7. Redcar still had Ben Wilson out with injury, so the Bears used Rider Replacement for him at number 5.

This match lasted just 12 heats before being called off because of the rain and a demolished fence. During the course of these 12 heats, Birmingham ran up five 5-1 heat advantages to build up a 20 point lead. Redcar then staged a come back which lasted just two heats before they were stopped in their tracks by the weather etc.!

5-1s in the opening two races suggested it was going to be long, hard night for the Bears. However Redcar managed a 2-4 in heat 3 after Richard Sweetman, in the lead, found his bike slowing which caused him to slip to the back. Gary Havelock won the race from Justin Sedgmen while Tomas Suchanek picked up third place. Suchanek was out again in heat 4 and split the Johnston, Newman pairing for a 4-2 to the home side which took the score to 16-8.

Henning Bager finished behind Sweetman in heat 5 with Sedgmen in third for a Brummies 4-2 just as the rain started. Jason Lyons and Aaron Summers repeated their 5-1 heat success in the opening race at the expense of Stuart Swales leaving the Bears 14 points down so the visitors gave Gary Havelock a TR in heat 7. He led Steve Johnston for over a lap before being passed but his second place resulted in a 4-4 shared race as Paul Clews finished third. Emiliano Sanchez then came to the party after three last places to win heat 8 from Summers while Stuart Swales took third from Kyle Newman for a 2-4 taking the score to 31-19.

Heats 9 and 10 both ended as Brummies 5-1s stretching their lead to 20 points but, in heat 11, Emiliano Sanchez took a TR and won it from Steve Johnston. With Henning Bager third the Bears scored a 2-7 and they added a 1-5 in heat 12. Gary Havelock led the race and Justin Sedgmen, in second, tried to round him but crashed into the safety fence. The race was awarded so, as Stuart Swales had passed Kyle Newman, he was promoted to second place with a paid win as the Bears reduced the deficit to 11 points. Their run of success was brief as the match was called off at that point.

Scorers: Birmingham – Jason Lyons 9 (3), Aaron Summers 8+3 (4), Steve Johnston 8 (3), Justin Sedgmen 6 (4), Richard Sweetman 5+1 (3), Kyle Newman 4+1 (4), Paul Clews 4 (3).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 11 (4) (incl a 4 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 9 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Stuart Swales 6+1 (5), Henning Bager 4 (3), Tomas Suchanek 3 (4), Gary Irving 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 27 May



Premier Trophy: Sheffield 67 (3 points), Redcar 25 (0 points) .


Team changes: With the return to the saddle for Ben Wilson, Redcar were back at full strength but with eight defeats from ten league matches and only one solitary win (at Newport!) the word ‘strength’ is perhaps not quite the correct word. A visit to Sheffield was not perhaps the best place to go looking for points and it soon became clear that none were going the Bears way when they managed a measly eight points from the first six races. During that spell only second places from Stuart Swales (in heat 2) and Ben Wilson (in heat 4) prevented a complete whitewash.

Then Gary Havelock took a Tactical Ride for the Bears in heat 7 but, nope, it made no difference! Richard Hall swept round the second bend into the lead while Paul Cooper passed first Tomas Suchanek at the end of the first lap then reeled in and passed Havelock at the end of the second lap for Sheffield’s sixth 5-1 in eight races. Undaunted by that failure though Redcar then gave Emiliano Sanchez a Tactical Ride in heat 8. This time there was partial success for the visitors as Sanchez finished second behind Hugh Skidmore after passing Arlo Bugeja on the fourth bend for a 4-4 which sent Redcar’s score soaring into double figures at 37-13.

It was back to business as usual in heat 9 after that excitement when Josh Auty passed Ben Wilson to join Richard Hall for 5-1 number seven. Finally Gary Havelock won a race for Bears in heat 10. In fact Havelock and Suchanek sat on a 1-5 from the gate but Hugh Skidmore and Ricky Ashworth both passed Suchanek to restrict the Bears to a 3-3. Hall and Cooper added 5-1 number eight in heat 11 ahead of Henning Bager and Emiliano Sanchez then Josh Auty and Arlo Bugeja led Gary Havelock home for 5-1 number nine in heat 12. However it has to be said that Bugeja rode a great race to round Swales on the third lap and Havelock on the fourth to nail second place although Havelock almost got him back again on the run to the line. The score was now 55-19 with Sheffield needing three more 5-1s in each of the last three races to hit the 70 point mark.

Their task was made a bit easier in heat 13 when Ben Wilson was excluded for touching the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. However an engine failure for Richard Hall ended that nightmare scenario for the Bears leaving Ricky Ashworth to lead Henning Bager and Ben Wilson home for a 3-3. (The Tigers were on a 5-1 at the time.) Bugeja and Cooper added 5-1 number ten in heat 14 then in heat 15 the Bears were unlucky when Gary Havelock suffered an engine failure on the last bend of the third lap while leading. Before that both Havelock and Ben Wilson had passed Paul Cooper who then repassed Wilson just as Havelock had his engine failure. However Wilson passed Cooper again then Richard Hall caught and passed Wilson on the run in to the line (got all that?). The outcome was a 4-2 for Sheffield for a 42 point win. Still the Bears have a quick chance of revenge when they meet again tomorrow night at Redcar for their final Premier Trophy group stage match.

Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 15 (6), Ricky Ashworth 12+2 (5), Hugh Skidmore 12+2 (5), Paul Cooper 10+3 (5), Josh Auty 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Arlo Bugeja 8+1 (5).

Redcar – Ben Wilson 7+1 (5), Gary Havelock 6 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (4) (incl. a 4 point TR), Henning Bager 4 (4), Stuart Swales 2 (4), Tomas Suchanek 1 (4), Gary Irving 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 28 May



Premier League: Edinburgh 59 (3 points), Scun’thorpe 34 (0 points) .


Team changes: Scun’thorpe again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for the injured Joel Parsons.

The crowd wondered what the track would be like after heavy rain around 5.00pm left it looking very heavy but the answer arrived in heat 1 when Ryan Fisher demolished the old track record which had stood for nearly four years by shaving 0.7 seconds off it to a new 53.9 seconds. Simon Lambert fell on the second bend so Jozsef Tabaka took advantage by slipping into third behind Magnus Karlsson for a 4-2. Kalle Katajisto started another stunning performance in heat 2 by breaking the old track record too to win from Jerran Hart and Simon Lambert for a shared heat then Kevin Wolbert and Matthew Wethers gated to a 5-1 in heat 3 putting the Monarchs six points ahead. Heat 7 was a cracker. Andrew Tully was fast away and was never troubled in winning the race but a titanic struggle developed behind him between Kalle Katajisto and David Howe. The pair changed positions a couple of times before Katajisto finally saw off Howe’s challenge for another 5-1 and ten point lead at 17-7.

Immediately Scun’thorpe gave Magnus Karlsson a TR in heat 5 off gate 1. He made no mistake by gating to win ahead of Wethers and Wolbert for a 3-6 to the Scorpions but the Monarchs replied with a 4-2 in heat 6. Ryan Fisher led from tapes to flag and there was nothing that David Howe, in second, could do to stop him. Tabaka took third after Jerran Hart had fallen and remounted. A Tully win in heat 7 resulted in a 3-3 then came another exciting ride from Kalle Katajisto who was outgated by Carl Wilkinson in heat 8. He stalked Wilkinson then chose his moment beautifully to execute a round the boards pass on the third and fourth bends on the third lap for another win. Tabaka passed Simon Lambert so the Monarchs scored a 4-2 for a 31-20 lead.

The home side got a jolt, however, when David Howe and Jerran Hart both gated to lead Matthew Wethers and Kevin Wolbert home in heat 9 for a shock 1-5 (well it shocked me!) cutting the Monarchs’ lead to just seven points. Edinburgh responded with a 5-1 in heat 10 thanks to a Fisher, Katajisto 5-1 from Wilkinson. Andrew Tully won heat 11 for a 3-3 then another 5-1 in heat 12 seemed to have sealed all three points for the home side when Wolbert and Katajisto led home Tero Aarnio for a 45-30 score.

David Howe took Scun’thorpe’s second TR in heat 13 but Ryan Fisher gated while Andrew Tully worked his way off the second bend into third. He pressurised Magnus Karlsson passing him at the start of the third lap. Karlsson came to grief on the fourth bend of the same lap with David Howe at the back. The race was awarded to Edinburgh as a 4-2. Kalle Katajisto was out again in heat 14 and won from Matthew Wethers to complete a six ride paid maximum and record another 5-1. Katajisto was given another ride in heat 15 to see if he could complete a seven ride maximum but this time it was a bridge too far. Although he briefly passed David Howe to join his partner, Ryan Fisher, for a potential 5-1, David Howe got past the young Finn again so the race finished as a 4- 2 with Fisher completing a full five ride maximum and Katajisto, dropping two points in the race, having to be content with a paid 19 score!

Scorers: Edinburgh – Kalle Katajisto 17+2 (7), Ryan Fisher 15 (5) (full maximum), Andrew Tully 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Matthew Wethers 7+2 (4), Kevin Wolbert 6+2 (4), Jozsef Tabaka 3 (3), Max Dilger 0 (3).

Scun‘thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 10 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), David Howe 9 (5), Jerran Hart 6+2 (6), Carl Wilkinson 6 (5), Tero Aarnio 2+1 (4), Simon Lambert 1+1 (5).



Premier League: Somerset 46 (0 points), Rye House 47 (3 points) .


Team changes: Somerset were missing Sam Masters and used Rider Replacement at number 3 instead. They also had Newcastle’s Dakota North as a guest for James Holder at number 6 and nominated Matt Bates as their number 8.

Rye House took the lead in the opening heat with a 2-4 from Stefan Ekberg and Chris Neath with Ritchie Hawkins in second. It was a lead they were never to relinquish as they recorded another away victory. They had to survive a tough struggle in heat 15 though as the Rebels threatened to steal the win at the death but it just didn’t happen for the home side.

Dakota North won the reserves race for a 3-3 then Shane Parker rounded Jordan Frampton in heat 3 for another drawn heat but the Rockets doubled their lead with another 2-4 in heat 4. Linus Sundstrom and Kyle Hughes muscled their way to the front to threaten a 1-5 but Cory Gathercole passed Hughes on the second lap and almost caught Sundstrom. The result was a 2-4 and 10-14 score.

The fast gating Rockets were fast away in heat 5 but Shane Parker took to the end of the first lap to sweep round both Neath and Ekberg to head off for the win and another 3-3. Linus Sundstrom gated to win heat 6 for another shared race then Cory Gathercole did likewise in heat 7. The alarm bells started ringing for the Rebels in heat 8 after Ekberg took Hawkins wide on the second bend allowing Kyle Hughes through for second. The Rockets rode off for a 1-5 which took the score to 20-28.

A tight race in heat 9 saw Linus Sundstrom pip Shane Parker to win it for another 3-3 but a 2-4 from Frampton and Bowen stretched the Rockets’ lead to ten points in heat 10. This allowed Cory Gathercole to take a TR in heat 11. He won this from Ekberg and, when Chris Neath, retired with engine trouble, Ritchie Hawkins finished third for a 7-2 cutting the gap to five points. The Rockets responded to this with a 1-5 in heat 12 from Kyle Hughes and Jordan Frampton increasing the visitors’ lead to nine points at 33-42.

Somerset hit back hard in heat 13 with a 5-1. Lubos Tomicek finally came to the party with a win while Cory Gathercole, who ended up at the back after his front wheel had lifted on the run to the first bend, passed both Neath and Sundstrom to follow Tomicek home. The maximum cut the gap to just five points and they shaved another two points off it with a 4-2 in heat 14 from Parker and North. This left the Rebels trailing by three points going into the last race. They needed a 5-1 to pull of what would have been a sensational fight back but it didn’t happen. Shane Parker gated to raise home hopes but Linus Sundstrom got the better of Cory Gathercole on the first bend to slot into second place. Despite Gathercole’s best efforts Sundstrom held on for the two points the Rockets’ needed to win the match by a single point.

Scorers: Somerset – Cory Gathercole 14+1 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Shane Parker 14 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 7+1 (5), Dakota North 6+1 (7), Lubos Tomicek 5 (4), Mark Baseby 0 (4).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 12 (5), Stefan Ekberg 9+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 8+2 (4), Kyle Hughes 7+2 (5), Luke Bowen 6+1 (4), Chris Neath 3 (4), Kurt Shields 2 (3).



Premier League: Redcar 44 (0 points), Sheffield 49 (3 points) .


Team changes: Sheffield were without Josef Franc and used Rider Replacement at number 4 instead.

Redcar just can’t seem to buy a win anywhere at the moment and, following last night’s drubbing at Sheffield, they lost again to the Tigers to remain without a Premier League home win to their name after five attempts. The Bears were never in front in this match and after two shared races won by Hugh Skidmore, after Ricky Ashworth had fallen and been excluded, then Stuart Swales in the reserves race they fell behind to a 2-4 in heat 3 won by Josh Auty from Gary Havelock and Hugh Skidmore. Worse followed as Richard Hall and Paul Cooper added a 1-5 ahead of Ben Wilson in heat 4 for a score of 9-15.

Another 2-4 from a Skidmore win ahead of Havelock and Ashworth increased the Tigers’ lead to 11-19 in heat 5 but the Bears hit back with 4-2 in heat 6 as Henning Bager won from Richard Hall and Emiliano Sanchez. The Bears were hit with another Sheffield 1-5 in heat 7 from Josh Auty and Ricky Ashworth so found themselves ten points in arrears requiring the black and white helmet cover to look for a revival. Emiliano Sanchez took the TR in heat 8 and won it after passing Skidmore. With Swales supporting him in third place, the Bears scored a 7-2 cutting the gap to five points at 23-28.

The revival continued with a 5-1 in heat 9 from Suchanek and Bugeja cutting the visitors’ lead to a single point. Sanchez won heat 10 and with Bager challenging for second it looked as though the Bears might actually go in front but disappointingly for the home support, Bager slipped to the back and the race was shared. Sheffield pressed ahead again over the next two races with 2-4 s in each thanks to wins for Ashworth then Auty taking the score to 35-40.

Redcar were unable to make any other inroads into the Sheffield lead as Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty (twice) won the last three races all for shared races with Josh Auty particularly impressive.

Scorers: Redcar – Emiliano Sanchez 14 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Gary Havelock 9+2 (5), Henning Bager 6+1 (4), Stuart Swales 6+1 (5), Tomas Suchanek 5 (4), Ben Wilson 4+1 (4), Gary Irving 0 (3).

Sheffield – Josh Auty 16+1 (6), Hugh Skidmore 10 (5), Ricky Ashworth 9+1 (6), Richard Hall 7 (5), Paul Cooper 4+2 (5).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 29 May



Premier League: Berwick 58 (3 points), Somerset 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Berwick had Newcastle’s Adam McKinna guesting for the injured Craig Branney at number 7 while Somerset had Bournemouth’s Kyle Howarth guesting at number 6 for the injured James Holder. They also used Rider Replacement for Sam Masters who was on World Cup Duty at number 3 and nominated James McBain as their number 8.

It was a cold night at Berwick with some heavy clouds around. The track looked a bit on the dry side and very slick so the racing tended to be very strung out. However the centre green presenter had a great time regaling the crowd with his homey anecdotes and reminding everyone at every conceivable opportunity that Paul Clews was a British Finalist.

Any chance that Somerset might have had disappeared completely when they lost Cory Gathercole in a heat 6 crash with Lee Complin. As it happened the Rebels found themselves 10 points down after three races through poor gating on a very much one line track. The first two races saw the Bandits fast away for consecutive 5-1s and in heat 3 British Finalist, Paul Clews, made an electric start to get to the first bend ahead of Shane Parker and Michal Rajkowski for a 4-2. Michal Makovsky tried hard to lean on Cory Gathercole going into the first bend of heat 4 but Cory was having none of it and a big ‘E’ (elbow) sent Makovsky to the back as the Rebel shot off to win the race and Makovsky shot off towards the burger bar. Makovsky recovered sufficiently to pass Kyle Howarth to finish behind Adam McKinna for a shared race while the Berwick centre green presenter crooned to the crowd about Makovsky’s magnificent team riding to protect McKinna. This was an education for me since I didn’t know you could team ride with a partner who was a good ten bike lengths ahead of you! The score was then 17-7.

British Finalist, Paul Clews gated to lead Ritchie Hawkins home for a 5-1 ahead of Ritchie Hawkins in heat 5 while a desperately slow looking Lubos Tomicek finished way at the back. Then effectively came the end of the match for Somerset in heat 6 yet they scored a 1-5 from it! Initially Adrian Rymel crashed through the tapes having to start from 15 metres back in the rerun in which Cory Gathercole chased the fast gating Lee Complin until, coming off the fourth bend of lap 3, Complin turned left towards the centre green. Gathercole right on his back wheel could not avoid crashing into him and ended up flying through the air to land on the centre green damaging his shoulder in the process. Complin was rightly excluded and the race awarded to Gathercole. Meanwhile behind this pair Kyle Howarth had ridden a superb race to maintain his 15 metre lead from the tapes over Adrian Rymel. He was rewarded with a paid win for finishing second and the Rebels cut the deficit to 10 points again. Unfortunately Gathercole was withdrawn from the meetings by the medics while Complin suffered a broken toe which did not, however, prevent him from continuing in the meeting. Somerset then gave a Tactical Ride to Shane Parker in heat 7 and he won this comfortably from Michal Makovsky and Jade Mudgway for a 3-6 which brought the Rebels even closer by reducing the gap to seven points. And they weren’t finished! Somerset’s guest Kyle Howarth made a great start to heat 8 and rode a great race to head Lee Complin and Ritchie Hawkins home for his first ever Premier League heat win. With Hawkins in third the Rebels scored a 2-4 and were now only five points adrift at 28-23.

It was never going to last though with such depleted resources and British Finalist, Clews, and Rajkowski benefited from Somerset having to field their two reserves in heat 9 to score a 5-1 increasing their lead to nine points. Rymel outgated Shane Parker in heat 10 with Lee Complin in hot pursuit for a 4-2 then Makovsky and Mudgway gated to another 5-1 ahead of Tomicek. Ritchie Hawkins having fallen on the third bend. Somerset used their second TR in heat 12 with Ritchie Hawkins wearing the black and white helmet cover. This was not a success as Hawkins fell on the third bend. The race was rerun without him and it was Adam McKinna and Michal Rajkowski who were fast away heading for a 5-1. However Kyle Howarth chased Rajkowski hard and, when the Raj found his bike temporarily slowing he shot past him into second down the back straight so the Bandits had to be content with a 4-2 which took the score to 46-29.

Lubos Tomicek led heat 13 from the gate but was no match for Makovsky and Rymel who both cruised past him for a 5-1. Another fast gate from British Finalist, Paul Clews, who certainly had his gating boots on left Shane Parker to follow him in second. Mudgway took third so the Bandits added a 4-2 to the score leaving them needing a 5-1 in the last race to hit the 60 point mark. However Shane Parker made the gate in the final heat and it was all British Finalist, Clews, and Makovsky could do to follow him home for a shared race.

Scorers: Berwick – Paul Clews (British Finalist) 14 (5), Michal Makovsky 10+2 (5), Adrian Rymel 9+1 (4), Jade Mudgway 7+2 (4), Adam McKinna 7+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 6+2 (4), Lee Complin 5+1 4).

Somerset – Shane Parker 15 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Kyle Howarth 9+1 (7), Cory Gathercole 6 (2), Ritchie Hawkins 3 (5), Lubos Tomicek 2 (5), Mark Baseby 0 (6).



Premier League: Workington 42 (0) points), Sheffield 47 (3 points) .


Team changes: Sheffield : used Rider Replacement for Josef Franc at number 4.

Sheffield arrived at Workington on the back of a home win against Berwick and an away win against Redcar on successive nights. They made it three wins on the trot with another away win this time at Workington although falling a couple of points short of taking all four match points.

The Tigers took a 2-4 from heat 1 as Ricky Ashworth beat Andre Compton with Hugh Skidmore in third but the Comets wiped that out and took the lead with a 5-1 in the reserves race through Rusty Harrison and Richard Lawson. In heat 3 there were only two finishers as firstly Hugh Skidmore fell on the first bend and was excluded then Chris Schramm fell on the third lap. Josh Auty won the race from Craig Cook and a 2-3 so there was now just a single point between the teams. Heat 4 produced another 5-1 for the Comets as Rusty Harrison won again and was supported in second place by Peter Kildemand after the race had been rerun without Richard Hall who fell in the first running and was excluded. This took the score to 14-9 and everything in the home camp looked rosy.

It didn’t look rosy for long! In heat 5 Ashworth and Skidmore headed Craig Cook home for a 5-1 with Chris Schramm stranded at the tapes after his bike failed to move. Now the home side were just a point ahead again and it stayed like that after Richard Hall had won heat 6 from Compton and Branney for a 3-3. The owners of the one point lead switched in heat 7 when the Tigers took a 2-4. Ricky Ashworth won for the third time this time beating Peter Kildemand despite the strong efforts of the Comet to pass him. Josh Auty’s third place put Sheffield a point ahead. Hugh Skidmore won heat 8, the Tigers 6th race winner of the match so far, while Schramm took second after failing to pass the Sheffield man for another 2-4 taking the score to 22-25.

Back came Workington in heat 9 with a 5-1 from Craig Cook and Chris Schramm which wiped out the visitors’ lead and put the Comets a point ahead again. Sheffield struck back immediately in heat 10 with a 1-5 from Richard Hall and Josh Auty to restore their three point lead. Peter Kildemand won heat 11 finally lowering Ricky Ashworth’s colours but Skidmore’s third place meant that the race was shared. With Auty and Ashworth in great form though Workington conceded another 2-4 in heat 12
When Josh Auty and Paul Cooper gated to sit on a 1-5. Chris Schramm passed Cooper on the third bend, third lap though for two points limiting the damage to a 2-4 and producing a 33-38 score.

Workington pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 13. Andre Compton beat Ricky Ashworth while Peter Kildemand took third from Richard Hall. There were now just three points between the teams with two races left. Josh Auty worked his way to the front in heat 14 for a shared race so the Comets needed a 5-1 to win by a single point while Sheffield needed a 1-5 for all four points. Neither were successful but the Tigers would not be too concerned as Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty took a 2-4 with Compton in second for an excellent away win.

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

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 16 (6), Josh Auty 13+1 (6), Hugh Skidmore 7+2 (5), Richard Hall 7 (5), Paul Cooper 4 (5), Arlo Bugeja 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 11 June



Premier League: Edinburgh 51 (3 points), Workington 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Edinburgh were without three of their riders in various GP Qualifiers. David Howe guested for Ryan Fisher, William Lawson guested for Kevin Wolbert and Rider Replacement at number 2 was used for Tobias Busch. Workington were missing the injured Chris Schramm and used Rider Replacement at number 3 instead.

Edinburgh won this highly competitive match by 51-39 which, at one stage, looked as if it would go down to the wire. But they gained three valuable points to remain top of the Premier League.

And, for skipper Matthew Wethers, who scored ten points, that was what mattered most. He said: "We have got to be happy to be leading the table even although it's early in the season. It was a pretty good team effort and also a good effort by our two guests."

It was by no means plain sailing, especially over the first four races where Monarchs contrived to squander points. For once, Finn Kalle Katajisto endured a less than perfect evening and his eight-point tally was a reminder that double figure scores, which he has been racking up of late, cannot be guaranteed.

His most glaring mishap occurred in heat four when partner Andrew Tully came to grief after Comets star Peter Kildemand took away his front wheel. In the rerun, Tully and Katajisto collided with each other on the first bend – which earned Katajisto a disqualification.

"I was blinded by the sun", said Katajisto, "I lost my vision and couldn't see where I was going and I panicked a little. It wasn't my best meeting but the team won and that was the most important thing." The incident shook Katajisto up a bit but, to his immense credit, he bounced back to win a critical heat 14 clash against Craig Cook, which effectively sealed the match for Monarchs.

This was William Lawson’s first competitive meeting since injuring his foot riding for his Elite League club Belle Vue Aces five weeks ago. He scored a very valuable nine points after a shaky start and his sixth-race win, his sole victory on the night, was a brilliant effort as he blocked Kildemand's attempts to pass him at every turn.

Howe didn't let Monarchs down either as he piled up 12 points from five starts, including a trio of race wins. "I felt happy to have helped Monarchs out," said Howe, "And I was pleased with my display, it was a tough meeting because Workington put up a good fight."

Andrew Tully also rallied to the cause and his 12 points ultimately proved invaluable. His 5-1 with Howe over Kenny Ingalls and Craig Cook in heat 10 helped knock the stuffing out of the Comets. Tully said: "We got the win we wanted. Workington nicked a point at King's Lynn last week and could have done so against us but, thankfully, we held on in the end."

Workington, who used rider replacement for the injured Chris Schramm, will perhaps be a tad dismayed that acting skipper Andre Compton had a stinker, which reflected his struggle for form this season. Compton managed a meagre four points and could only win one race.

He said: "Early on things were going for us but we saw a difference after Edinburgh had the track watered. It then suited their guys, who pulled away in the second half of the meeting. But I was happy with our display, we pulled together as a squad.

"Normally we come to Armadale expecting nothing, but all the lads tried and I can't ask for anything more. I wasn't pleased by my own performance. I got caught out by the grip in my first ride and this caught a few people out.

“But my biggest problem since I moved to No.1 is coming out in heat five and not coming out again until heat eleven. It's like turning up at a different meeting, the bike is cold and everything is different, I've not quite got my head round adapting to it."

Compton added: "I wished I'd done better because Armadale is one of my favourite tracks. But Edinburgh are riding well right now and they had decent guests to compensate for their missing riders."

Monarchs also earned nine points from the rider replacement facility for Tobias Busch which they will consider an excellent return.

( Adapted from the Edinburgh Evening News Report)

Scorers: Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 12+3 (6), David Howe 12 (5), Matthew Wethers 10 (5), William Lawson 9 (5), Kalle Katajisto 8+1 (6), Max Dilger 0 (3)..

Workington – Peter Kildemand 11 (6), Rusty Harrison 9 (5), Craig Cook 7+1 (6), Kenny Ingalls 5+2 (5), Andre Compton 4+1 (4), Richard Lawson 3+1 (4)..



Premier League: Somerset 42 (0 points), Birmingham 48 (3 points) .


Team changes: Somerset : still missing Cory Gathercole used Rider Replacement at number 3 while Birmingham had Jerran hart as a guest at number 6 for Chris Kerr.

Birmingham produced a stunning win at the Oak Tree Arena by recording a six point victory against the Rebels effectively without their number 1, Jason Lyons, who was withdrawn from the meeting after a crash in the opening heat with Lubos Tomicek.

Undaunted the rest of the side rallied to leave the Rebels well beaten although their win wasn’t quite enough for the fourth match point.. The Brummies showed their mettle as early as heat 2 when they scored a 1-5 in the reserves race to move four points ahead but the Rebels pulled two back with a heat four 4-2 from Shane Parker and Mark Baseby. Somerset squared the match with another 4-2 in heat 5 after a fine win from Sam Masters then forged ahead with another two 4-2s in heats 6 and 7 with further wins from heat 1 winner, Ritchie Hawkins, and Shane Parker to lead by 23-19.

After a track grading and watering Birmingham had three match defining races. It began with a 2-4 in heat 8 in which Ritchie Hawkins had to pass Kyle Newman to finish behind Aaron Summers to prevent a 1-5. The Rebels’ lead was down to two points and it changed hands in heat 9 when Steve Johnston and Jerran Hart scored a 1-5 ahead of Somerset’s best pairing of Sam Masters and Shane Parker. Another of the same from Justin Sedgmen and Richard Sweetman in heat 10 saw the visitors surge six points ahead against their shell-shocked hosts at 27-33.

Shane Parker raised home spirits with a heat 11 win from Aaron Summers while James Holder’s third place produced a 4-2 cutting the Brummies’ lead to four points but a calamitous 1-5 against the Rebels in heat 12 from Sedgmen and Newman had the home side staring down the barrel of a defeat as they now trailed by 32-40.

Again Shane Parker came to their rescue with a win in heat 13. He was supported this time by Lubos Tomicek in second for a 5-1 which brought the Rebels back to within touching distance at four points in arrears but it was all over when Richard Sweetman won heat 14 from Sam Masters with Kyle Newman picking up third, after James Holder retired, for a match winning 2-4. With a six point lead the Brummies needed an advantage from the last race for the fourth match point but Ritchie Hawkins denied them by winning from Sedgmen and Johnston for a 3-3.

Scorers: Somerset – Ritchie Hawkins 13 (6), Shane Parker 12 (6), Sam Masters 9 (5), Lubos Tomicek 4+2 (5), James Holder 3 (5), Mark Baseby 1 (3)..

Birmingham – Justin Sedgmen 13 (5), Aaron Summers 9 (4), Kyle Newman 8+2 (6), Steve Johnston 8+1 (5), Jerran Hart 5+2 (6), Richard Sweetman 5+1 (4).