2016 Results

[squibby]

I made the trip to the Isle of Wight on Thursday 28 July by train, ferry and taxi to watch the Falcons in action against the Isle of Wight Warriors, in a battle for the Solent Trophy. Thanks to Chris Richards for generously donating a very smart trophy.

On a warm but overcast evening, racing was competitive throughout. The Warriors were weakened by the absence of Lee Smart, and had Connor Coles deputising for the also unavailable Mark Baseby, with George Piper at Number 7 for the injured Nick Phillips.

The Falcons made a late change, with Chris Widman replacing Darryl Ritchings.

It was nip and tuck right through until heat 13, after which Falcons led by just two points. Our Number 1, Matt Williamson, was superb, sharp from the gate and attacking the slightly bumpy track with gusto. All the lads gave everything, and a close finish loomed.

Heat 14 saw Connor Coles, who had ridden well for a win and three seconds so far, take the lead, with Chris Widman second. Layne Cupitt led Tyler Govier, but as Tyler went under him on bend 1 of lap 2, Layne overcooked it and hit the air fence. He was fine, but the race had to be stopped, with Cupitt obviously excluded. The re-run saw Coles again lead, and Govier second, but Widman passed Tyler, and it looked odds-on 42-42 with just heat 15 to come. Then bad luck struck the Warriors as Coles ground to a halt, and Widman took the flag to give Falcons a 3-2 and a three point lead.

Adam Ellis and Coles came to the gate in heat 15 for Warriors, alongside the unbeaten Williamson, with Rob Shuttleworth his partner. Matt again gated superbly from gate 4, and swept around the boards to lead Ellis. Coles was clear in third, but again his machine let him down, and the resulting 4-2 gave the Falcons a win by five points.

The luck was with them, but all the lads worked hard and deserved the spoils. Well done to all the riders who entertained us, and thanks to the Warriors management for putting on an enjoyable meeting and excellent hospitality.

[squibby]

Just to confirm that the mini-meeting that was scheduled for Friday 22 July at the OTA against Somerset Junior Rebels was cancelled.
I understand that the degradation of the track on bend 1 was still of concern to Rebels promotion, and although the main meeting was completed, they had decided to give prior notice of cancellation of the second-half. This was to prevent the possibility of the track problem reappearing and as a result the second-half riders having a wasted trip and unnecessary expense.

[squibby]

The Falcons took on a Castleford quartet at the Oak Tree Arena on Friday 12 August.

It was a bit of a mad scramble to fit in all 6 heats, due to the slightly late finish of the main Somerset Rebels meeting, so congratulations to the riders and to Team Manager Alan Spencer for getting through all the scheduled heats.

The Falcons ran out winners by 21 - 15, and the scorers were, in riding order:-

Henry Atkins 2, 1 , 1 = 4
Stevie Anderson 1', 3 , 3 = 7 + 1
Luke Chessell 3, 3, N/S = 6
Saul Bulley 1, 1, 2' = 4 + 1

Well done to all our lads, especially Luke, who had ridden as a reserve for Somerset in the main meeting as well.

A special mention for top-scorer Stevie Anderson. Great to see him notch two race wins, including an inside pass on George Piper off the fourth bend on lap 2 of heat 3. He has shown much improvement since last season, particularly now keeping the power on and sliding the bike around the bends with much more skill and confidence. Hopefully, he can find a reserve berth with a National League team in 2017.

Again, many thanks to the Somerset promotion for letting us stage another second-half event.

[squibby]

The Falcons took on a Devon Demons quartet at the St Boniface Arena, Plymouth on Friday 19 August. Well, I say quartet. Sadly, due to late withdrawals, both teams went with Rider Replacement for one rider each.

Heat 1 saw Matt Bates ( as R/R ) & Tyler Govier for the Demons against Richard Andrews & Craig Nethercott for the Falcons. The Demons pair gated and a 5-1 looked certain before Bates' motor seemed to seize solid at the end of the back straight late on in the race, leaving Govier to pick up the win & the Falcons the minor places. 3-3

Heat 2 was to mess up the scheme of things big-time. Bates and Saul Bulley for the Demons came to the tapes with Stevie Anderson and Craig Nethercott ( R/R ). A tangle on bends 1 to 2 on the opening lap resulted in three riders falling, the worst casualty being Bates, who hit the wooden fence just beyond the air fence pretty hard. Thankfully, he was soon extricating himself from between the bike & the fence, and walked away. Sadly, his machine, kindly lent to him by Anderson, was not so lucky. Bates did not contest the re-run, won by Bulley from Stevie and Craig. 3-3 ( 6-6 )

Heat 3 saw Richard Andrews, on a R/R ride, win from Bulley ( also R/R ) and Govier, with Anderson failing to score. Tyler seemed out of sorts, and later did not take his final programmed ride. 3-3 ( 9-9 )

Heat 4 had only two riders, with both Bates and Andrews non-starters. Bates' reason was clear enough, but it was not explained why Andrews did not make an appearance. Bulley won from Nethercott, but Craig was not far behind. 3-2 ( 12-11 )

Heat 5 had Bates again missing, with the now overworked Bulley outgated by Anderson and Nethercott. By this stage, a sharp and heavy five-minute shower had made the track slippery, and Nethercott slid off on the first bend. He was quickly up but the bike had died on him. 2-3 ( 14-14 )

The final heat was without Govier, and Anderson and Nethercott were out again, alongside Bulley, who must have been tired as this was his fifth heat on the trot ! Again, both Falcons were sharper away, and this time young Nethercott showed he is a quick learner by successfully completing the four laps in close proximity to partner Anderson for a 5-1 that clinched victory for the Falcons by 19 - 15.

All in all, a somewhat hectic mini-meeting ! Special mentions to both Saul Bulley, for his marathon stint, and Craig Nethercott who, considering his novice status, and the fact that he had no experience on shale or grass before taking up speedway in the last year or so, and limited track time since, showed he has the makings of a good little rider. On one occasion during the meeting, he looked certain to collect the fence on the bottom bend after coming in a bit hot, but a combination of good throttle control and physical effort saw him recover and go on to finish the race.

Thanks to Plymouth promotion for agreeing to put on the second-half entertainment.

[squibby]

The planned mini-meeting at the Oak Tree Arena, Somerset on Friday 26th August was cancelled.

I do not know as yet why, but I am guessing it was lack of rider availability.

[squibby]

The Falcons faced a Young Eagles side at Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne on Sunday 11 August, in a six heat second half meeting.

The Eagles proved too good on the day, winning 22 - 14.

Falcons scorers were:-

Saul Bulley 2 + 1

Craig Nethercott 6 + 1

Mick Sutton 0

Stevie Anderson 6

In my personal opinion, the most notable thing about those details is the 6 + 1 by Craig Nethercott, from his three programmed rides.
He is showing a lot of promise, for a rider who is still feeling his way into the sport. If there is anyone reading this who can help him out financially, I am sure he will be extremely grateful.