Around the Premier League Tracks 2005

[Merlin]

Friday, 19 August

Two Premier League matches started tonight but only one finished. Somerset were at home to Reading and Edinburgh raced against Newcastle . The match at Edinburgh did not go the distance since a heavy downfall of rain after heat 7 caused the match to be abandoned.



Premier League: Somerset 47, Reading 43 Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 91-89


Somerset had Chris Mills, one of their injured reserves, back for this meeting but had Simon Walker at number 6 in place of Trevor Harding. Reading were without both their regular reserves, Chris Johnson and Mathieu Tressarieu, and had Lee Smart at number 6 and Tomas Suchanek at number 7 instead. Reading had a two point advantage from their home match in the fight for the bonus point.

This match was a close tussle with the lead changing hands as both sides contested the league points and the bonus point. In the end they both went to Somerset which was perhaps fair since Reading were indebted to a sensational 14+1 return from their guest Tomas Suchanek to keep them in the picture.

In a surprising heat 1, Jaimie Smith passed Danny Bird to win the heat with Zdenek Simota relegating Magnus Zetterstrom to last place for a shared heat. Tomas Suchanek won heat 2 for another share of the points but Somerset drew first blood when Ritchie Hawkins and Paul Fry took a 5-1 ahead of Andrew Appleton. This was nullified in heat 4 when Reading scored a 1-5 through Suchanek and Matej Zagar ahead of Chris Mills for a heat 4 score of 12-12.

Danny Bird won heat 5 from Fry and Hawkins for a shared heat then Reading took the lead in heat 6 when Matej Zagar won the battle of the Zs by beating Magnus Zetterstrom. With Jaimie Smith retiring from the race Lee Smart picked up the third place point for a 2-4. Glenn Cunningham won heat 7 for another shared heat then Reading went 6 points ahead with a 1-5 in heat 8 from Tomas Suchanek and Zdenek Simota from Chris Mills as Jaimie Smith fell. This took the heat 8 score to 21-27.

Matej Zagar won heat 9 from Fry and Hawkins for a 3-3 but Somerset then slipped up a gear. In heat 10 Magnus Zetterstrom and Jaimie Smith took a 5-1 from Richard Wolff and Andrew Appleton then Glenn Cunningham beat Danny Bird with Simon Walker third for a 4-2 which levelled the score at 33-33. Now in full flow Hawkins and Mills rattled home another 5-1 in heat 12 to take the score to 38-34.

Magnus Zetterstrom won the second battle of the Zs beating Matej Zagar with Cunningham heading home Bird for a Somerset 4-2. The home side were now 6 points ahead, four on aggregate and they tied up both match and bonus point with another 4-2 in heat 14 from Fry and Mills before Reading had the consolation of a 1-5 in the final heat when Matej Zagar and Tomas Suchanek beat Fry and Hawkins. It was too little too late though.

Scorers: For Somerset – Paul Fry 10+1 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 8+2 (5), Magnus Zetterstrom 8 (4), Glenn Cunningham 7 (4), Chris Mills 6+2 (5), Jaimie Smith 5+1 (4), Simon Walker 3 (3).

For Reading – Tomas Suchanek 14+1 (6), Matej Zagar 13+1 (5), Danny Bird 7 (4), Zdenek Simota 3+1 (4), Andrew Appleton 3 (4), Richard Wolff 2+1 (4), Lee Smart 1 (3).



Premier League: Edinburgh 24, Newcastle 18 The match was abandoned after heat 7 so the result does not stand.


Edinburgh were still without Ross Brady and used R/R at number one. Newcastle tracked only four of their regular side. With Lubos Tomicek riding abroad they had Craig Branney at number 3 and used R/R for Phil Morris at number 4. In addition, after his excellent score at Sheffield last night, James Birkinshaw was apparently injured and the Diamonds had David McAllan at number 7. Newcastle were defending a 2 point lead for the bonus point.

Once the clouds opened after heat 7 there never seemed much prospect of this match reaching a conclusion. The track staff worked hard for half an hour or so trying to repair some of the damage the rain had done but it was all in vain as the referee called a halt to proceedings.

Josef Franc rocketed from the gate in heat 1 to lead home Theo Pijper and with Kristian Lund taking the third place point the Diamonds were off to a 2-4 start. Edinburgh levelled in heat 2 which was rerun after David McAllan had brought down Robert Ksiezak on the third bend to earn himself an exclusion. The two Edinburgh riders gated in the rerun but Jaimie Robertson reeled in and passed Robert Ksiezak to limit the damage to a 4-2. Daniel Nermark and Rusty Harrison had no difficulty registering a 5-1 in heat 3 then in heat 4 Theo Pijper got the better of James Grieves round the first two bends for a comfortable victory. Again Jaimie Robertson passed Robert Ksiezak after the Monarch had made a fast start and held on for over three laps to third place. The result was a 3-3 and the heat 4 score was 14-10.

In heat 5 Josef Franc again made a lightning start and neither Daniel Nermark nor Rusty Harrison could get into position to challenge so the heat was shared. In the best race of the night in heat 6 James Grieves held off a determined double challenge from Rusty Harrison and William Lawson for another shared heat then Theo Pijper easily won heat 7 with Craig Branney managing to repel the challenge for second place from Matthew Wethers. The 4-2 put the Monarchs six points ahead at 24-18 but, alas, that was the end of the action as Mother Nature took a hand in the proceedings by shedding a cloudful or two of water over the track to end the match.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Theo Pijper 8 (3), Rusty Harrison 7 (3), Matthew Wethers 4 (2), Daniel Nermark 3+2 (2), William Lawson 1+1 (2), Robert Ksiezak 1 (2).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 6 (2), James Grieves 5 (2), Jaimie Robertson 3+1 (3), Craig Branney 2 (2), Kristian Lund 2 (3), David McAllan 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 20 August

Tonight was one the big nights for the Premier League as it saw the staging of the annual Premier League Four Tem Championship at Workington[/color]. As a result there was no other action elsewhere in the Premier League



Premier League Four Team Championship at Workington :

Winners: Somerset
Second: Workington
Third: Exeter
Fourth Rye House

The eight participating teams were split into two sections of four with each section consisting of 8 heats during which each rider had two programmed rides. The top two teams in each section then went forward to the final which was raced over 12 heats.

Section A

The fours teams drawn in Section A were Rye House, Somerset, Glasgow and Berwick. All four teams were at full strength. At the half way point after heat 4, Somerset led with 8 points to Rye House’s 7. Berwick with 5 points and Glasgow with 4 were already struggling. There was no change to these positions after the 8 heats had been completed with Somerset on 15 points and Rye House on 14 qualifying for the final. Berwick with 11 points and Glasgow with 8 were eliminated.

The Scorers were: (Somerset) Magnus Zetterstrom 6, Glenn Cunningham 4, Paul Fry 4, Ritchie Hawkins 1;

(Rye House) Chris Neath 4, Edward Kennett 4, Stuart Robson 3, Brent Werner 3;

(Berwick) Carl Wilkinson (res) 5, Adrian Rymel 3, Michal Makovsky 3, Tom P Madsen 0, Adam Pietraszko 0;

(Glasgow) George Stancl 3, Shane Parker 2, Stefan Ekberg 2, Claus Kristensen 1.

Section B

Section B consisted of Sheffield, Exeter, Edinburgh and Workington. Edinburgh were without Theo Pijper and Ross Brady while Workington were missing Carl Stonehewer and Scott Robson. Sheffield and Exeter were at full strength. At the half way stage of this section, Sheffield and Workington tied for the lead with 7 points with Exeter on 6 and Edinburgh 4. The order had changed after the 8 heats were completed with Workington heading the section with 18 points from Exeter on 11, Sheffield on 10 and Edinburgh 9. Exeter were unlucky to lose Seemond Stephens after he fell heavily in heat 7 so Ray Morton took his place in the final.

The Scorers were: (Workington) James Wright 6, Kauko Nieminen 5, Shaun Tacey 4, Tomasz Piszcz 3;

(Exeter) Mark Lemon 5, Sebastian Tressarieu 2, Seemond Stephens 2, Lee Smethills 2;

(Sheffield) Ricky Ashworth 4, Richard Hall 3, Sean Wilson 2, Andre Compton 1;

(Edinburgh) Rusty Harrison 6, Matthew Wethers 2, William Lawson 1, Daniel Nermark 0.

The Final

The Final line up was Somerset, Workington, Rye House and Exeter. After the opening two heats each team had three points but Exeter took the lead with a Tressarieu win in heat 3 which saw Chris Neath excluded for touching the tapes then, his replacement, Tommy Allen excluded for failing to beat the two minute allowance. Paul Fry was also excluded under the two minute rule and started from 15 metres back. Tomasz Piszcz finished second as Fry failed to make up the ground. It was all change in heat 4 as Workington moved into a one point lead from Rye House and Exeter when Stuart Robson beat James Wright with Ritchie Hawkins third. Then scores after heat 4 were Workington 7, Rye House 6, Exeter 6 and Somerset 5.

Although Zetterstrom won heat 5, James Wright’s second place kept Workington a point ahead of the Rebels with Rye House and Exeter dropping back and in heat 6 it began to look like a race between Workington and Somerset as Ritchie Hawkins beat Kauko Nieminen to tie for first place on 11 points. Edward Kennett had an engine failure at the starting line and Sebastian Tressarieu just missed out on second place after a good race with Nieminen. In heat 7 Workington moved two points clear of Somerset as Shaun Tacey won from Brent Werner with Paul Fry third but in heat 8 the Comets were stopped in their tracks when Tomasz Piszcz’s chain came off on the starting line. Glenn Cunningham took full advantage by winning the heat for the Rebels from Stuart Robson and Lee Smethills. The scores after 8 heats were Somerset 15, Workington 14, Rye House 11 and Exeter 8.

In heat 9 Rye House’s interest finally disappeared when Chris Neath suffered an engine failure but the hero of the hour for Workington was new signing Tomasz Piszcz who won the race from Ray Morton and Paul Fry to put Workington one point ahead of Somerset with three races left. In heat 10, however, Shaun Tacey lost a chain and Tommy Allen fell. Lee Smethills won the heat from Ritchie Hawkins and now it was Somerset who led Workington by one point by 18-17. In heat 11 Mark Lemon won for Exeter but James Wright took second place with Brent Werner relegating Somerset’s Glenn Cunningham critically to last place. So with one heat to go it was Workington who led Somerset by one point at 19-18.

In the last heat it was between Magnus Zetterstrom for Somerset and Kauko Nieminen of Workington with Stuart Robson and Sebastian Tressarieu also in the mix. Kauko Nieminen had the confidence booster of knowing that he had been the only rider to beat Magnus Zetterstrom all night but in the final race it was Zetterstrom who took the chequered flag. Unfortunately for Workington Stuart Robson took second place relegating Nieminen to third so Somerset had triumphed by one point.

The Scorers were: (Somerset) Magnus Zetterstrom 8, Ritchie Hawkins 6, Glenn Cunningham 4, Paul Fry 3;

(Workington) James Wright 6, Kauko Nieminen 6, Tomasz Piszcz 5, Shaun Tacey 3;

(Exeter) Mark Lemon 6, Sebastian Tressarieu 4, Lee Smethills 4, Ray Morton 2;

(Rye House) Stuart Robson 7, Brent Werner 4, Edward Kennett 2, Chris Neath 1.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 21 August

There were no fewer than six Premier League matches which were raced today. There was a double header at Rye House where the Rockets took on firstly the Isle of Wight followed by Edinburgh . At Newport there was the usual Sunday afternoon action as the Wasps took on Exeter. Similarly at Glasgow the Tigers met King’s Lynn while at Newcastle the Diamonds faced Sheffield . Finally Stoke switched from their usual Saturday night for their match against Berwick



Premier League: Rye House 59, Isle of Wight 37


This was an easy victory for the home side, despite being plagued by engine trouble and falls. Rye House put out a full strength side. The Isle of Wight used rider replacement for Ulrich Ostergaard and had no number seven rider after Steen Jensen was reportedly "delayed in Denmark." This meant that the Islanders were without a second rider in three of the heats.

Rye House opened with three 5-1s with Stuart Robson posting the fastest time of the season in heat 1. The first of a catalogue of incidents happened in heat 4. Jason Doyle led from Chris Neath and Tommy Allen until Allen's bike packed up on the second lap. Neath eventually passed Doyle with Krzysztof Stojanowski third.

Craig Boyce appeared as a tactical rider in heat 5 and stayed in front of Brent Werner - the only race win of the afternoon for the Islanders. Krister Marsh was handed third place after Daniel King fell at the second bend and the 2-7 result made it 20-13. Robson and Kennett had no trouble in heat 6, winning from Stojanowski and Doyle, although Kennett was beginning to look ragged.

Steve Boxall gated quickly in heat 7 ahead of Chris Neath and the pair of them led Glen Phillips and Krister Marsh. The jinx struck again when Neath's bike stopped within a few metres of the finishing line. He tried desperately to get himself over the line but Phillips and Marsh managed to pass him in time. Tommy Allen took heat 8 ahead of Stojanowski - a good ride by the young Polish rider - and Kennett struggled round for third place.

Stojanowski was out again in heat 9, this time as a tactical rider. He gated well but Daniel King was a fraction quicker and stayed ahead all the way. Werner stumbled out of the gate and was behind Doyle until the last yard or two before squeezing past for third place. The 4-4 result made it 36-23.

Stuart Robson won his third race in heat 10. Krister Marsh finished second ahead of a worried looking Kennett who was cutting the fourth bend on every lap, his front wheel skating over the grass. Heat 11 saw the most disturbing fall. Neath and Boxall led from the tapes but Boyce soon passed Boxall. Suddenly, in the home straight at the end of the second lap, Boxall's bike reared up and sent him flying onto the track. Jason Doyle did well to avoid him. In the re-run, Neath won from Boyce and Doyle.

It was Tommy Allen's turn for a fall in heat 12. Werner gated with Allen in second place and then, on the first bend of the second lap, Allen fell - right in the path of Glen Phillips. The only course of action was for Phillips to head for the fence and take a fall himself and this he did. His good work went unrewarded however as Werner won the re-run from Doyle.

The drama continued in heat 13. Robson, Neath and Boyce were battling out of the second bend when Neath lost control. He seemed to recover but not sufficiently to get around the third bend and slid into the fence at speed. Boyce led the re-run but Robson passed him on the third bend of the second lap to keep his unbeaten record.

Glen Phillips appeared as a tactical substitute in heat 14 but made no impression on King and Boxall. Heat 15 saw a fifth win for Robson, with Werner finishing second ahead of Boyce and Stojanowski.

Once again, all of the home riders scored well. Craig Boyce was best for the Islanders although Stojanowski and Doyle were also prominent. In truth, the series of falls by the home side gifted the visitors a number of points and will make it harder for Rye House to win the bonus point when the sides meet again this Tuesday.

Scorers: For Rye House - Stuart Robson 15 (5) [full maximum], Brent Werner 11+1 (5), Daniel King 8+1 (4), Steve Boxall 7+2 (4), Edward Kennett 6+2 (4), Chris Neath 6 (4), Tommy Allen 6 (4)

For Isle of Wight - Craig Boyce 12 (5) [includes a 6-point tactical ride], Krzysztof Stojanowski 8+2 (6) [includes a 4-point tactical ride], Jason Doyle 7+1 (6), Krister Marsh 5+1 (4), Glen Phillips 5+1 (6) [includes a 2-point tactical substitute ride].

(Report by Candyman)




Premier League: Rye House 58, Edinburgh 37 Rye House won the bonus point by 110-77


This was the second half of a double-header at the Hoddesden circuit. Despite a few falls in the earlier match, all of the Rye House riders were able to take part. Edinburgh were without Theo Pijper and used Zdenek Simota as a guest. The Monarchs had to use rider replacement for the still unfit Ross Brady.

The home supporters were pleased to see an improved showing from Edward Kennett. as he and Stuart Robson took a 5-1 in the opening heat ahead of Simota and William Lawson. It looked like a repeat in heat 2 until Matthew Wethers passed Steve Boxall on the second lap, coming around the outside of the second bend.

Daniel King was fast away in heat 3, chased by Daniel Nermark. Brent Werner caught and passed Nermark but the Edinburgh man refused to give up and just failed to pass Werner for second place on the run to the line. Nermark was out again in heat 4 against Chris Neath and Tommy Allen. The home pair led but the race was stopped after Robert Ksiezak seemed to get in Nermark's way, causing both of then to fall. Neath won a close re-run from Nermark and Allen. Sam Simota took a tactical ride in heat 5 but Daniel King again rocketed away from the tapes to win untroubled. Simota took second place ahead of Werner who took a while to pass Lawson.

Heat 6 was farcical. Sam Simota fell at the second bend and all four riders were back for the re-start. Then, coming out of the second bend, Simota appeared to clip Stuart Robson's wheel. Robson took an awkward looking fall and it was a minute or so before he was back on his feet. Once again, all four riders re-started. Kennett and Robson led early only for Wethers to hit the fence at the first bend. The referee decided to award a 5-1 to the home side and move on to heat 7!

After finishing last in his first race (heat 3), Rusty Harrison was out again in heat 7, partnered by Nermark. Chris Neath and Steve Boxall led with the Edinburgh pair hounding Boxall all the time. Eventually, Harrison got past him close to the line but Boxall stayed ahead of Nermark for third place in an exciting race. Wethers took a reserve replacement ride in heat 8 and managed to split the Kennett/Allen pairing. Lawson suffered an engine failure on the second lap and the scoreline was now 35-15.

Harrison took a tactical ride in heat 9 and his form continued to improve as he flew from the gate to win from King and Werner. He repeated this in heat 10 with an excellent win against the Kennett / Robson pairing. Neath, back to his fast-starting best, won heat 11 from Simota and Wethers and then Edinburgh hit back with a 5-1 in heat 12. Once again, Harrison stormed out of the gate and was joined by Wethers. Werner made up some ground on Wethers but the Edinburgh rider held on for second place.

The home side replied with a 5-1 in heat 13, Neath and Robson being too fast for Simota and Ksiezak. It looked like another 5-1 in heat 14 when King and Boxall hit the front but Nermark passed Boxall on the second lap, coming inside him on the third bend. Robson, Neath, Simota and Harrison was the line-up for the final heat. Chris Neath was out first and went on to win but Rusty Harrison hadn't finished for the day. With Stuart Robson tucked into second place behind Neath, Harrison burst past him on the outside as the two approached the first bend on the third lap, not a sight the home supporters have seen that often this year.

This was a spirited display by the visitors who would surely have gone a lot closer had Theo Pijper and Ross Brady been available. Rusty Harrison's display was one of the best by a visiting rider this year. Wethers and Simota had their moments, as did Daniel Nermark who rode better than his five points suggest. For the home side, Chris Neath was at his best, backed up by some good riding from Daniel King and Edward Kennett.


Scorers: For Rye House : Chris Neath 15 (5) [full maximum], Daniel King 11 (4), Edward Kennett 10+1 (4), Stuart Robson 9+3 (5), Brent Werner 5+2 (4), Tommy Allen 5 (4), Steve Boxall 3 (4).

For Edinburgh – Rusty Harrison 16 (6), Matthew Wethers 8+2 (6), Zdenek Simota 8 (6), Daniel Nermark 5 (5), William Lawson 0 (3), Robert Ksiezak 0 (4)

(Report by Candyman)




Premier League: Newport 44, Exeter 46 Exeter took the bonus point on aggregate by 111-72.


This week Newport had Simone Terenzani at number 4 as a guest with R/R for Mads Korneliussen at number 5. They also had Karl Mason at number 7 for Karlis Ezergailis. Exeter were without Seemond Stephens who was injured during the PL Fours last night and used R/R at number 3. They also had Sebastian Alden for Ray Morton at number 4 with Ben Powell and Dan Giffard forming the reserve pairing.

The last thing Newport needed was to face an Elite League guest who scored a paid six ride maximum in this Premier League match. However if that was a piece of bad luck for them it was nothing to the bad luck that Exeter suffered. With Seemond Stephen and Ray Morton absent through injury and illness and Pavel Ondrasik and Ben Barker at reserve also missing they had to patch up the side with Sebastian Alden, Ben Powell and Daniel Giffard. As if that wasn’t bad enough Daniel Giffard had to withdraw with a groin strain after heat 8 and Lee Smethills crashed and also withdrew after his second ride. This left the Falcons to complete the match with only four riders at their disposal. However it was enough for a two point win!

After heat 4 Exeter led by 14-10 but after heat 8 with all their troubles piling up on them the Falcons trailed 25-23 and Newport were again on course for a rare win. After heat 10 Newport had opened their lead to 32-28 but there were only two points in it by the time the match reached heat 15 with Newport leading 43-41. However Sebastian Alden completed his six ride maximum as he followed home Sebastian Tressarieu as the Falcons pulled off a last heat 1-5 for a 44-46 win against all the odds.

Surely it can’t get much worse than this for Newport.



Scorers: For Newport – Neil Collins 13 (6), Tony Atkin 11 (6), Karl Mason 7+3 (5), Henrik Vedel 7+2 (5), Simone Terenzani 4 (5), Lee Dicken 2 (3).

For Exeter – Sebastian Alden 17+1 (6) (paid maximum), Mark Lemon 12+1 (5), Sebastian Tressarieu 6 (5), Ben Powell 5 (7), Dan Giffard 3 (2), Lee Smethills 2+1 (4).



Premier League: Glasgow 35, King’s Lynn 36 The match was abandoned after heat 12 because of rain. King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 81-79.


Once again both Glasgow and King’s Lynn were able to track full strength sides.

It must surely be a first for a team to lose by just two points on aggregate over the two Premier League matches yet fail to pick up any points at all. This is what happened to Glasgow. For the second time in four days the Tigers went down by just one point to King’s Lynn to surrender the points. Timing, they say, is everything and the last thing you want in Speedway is to be losing by one point after heat 12 with the rain pouring down and little prospect of any further racing. Such was Tigers’ fate although it is doubtful whether they would have taken anything from this match against a very determined King’s Lynn side.

Oliver Allen won the opening heat but Trent Leverington and George Stancl followed him home for a shared heat before Glasgow went ahead, rather fortuitously, in heat 2. Tommy Stange led comfortably before suffering an engine failure. This promoted James Cockle to first place followed by Jan Jaros since Adam Roynon had also pulled up on the first lap while at the back. The 3-2 gave the Tigers a one point lead. Stefan Ekberg and Claus Kristensen scored a 5-1 in heat 3 then Shane Parker beat Tomas Topinka in heat 4 with James Cockle beating Jan Jaros for third place for a 4-2 which gave Glasgow a 7 point lead at 15-8.

Then it all started to go pear-shaped for the Tigers who provided just one race winner in the remaining 8 heats! In heat 5 Oliver Allen won for the second time and with Troy Batchelor taking third place as Claus Kristensen slipped to the back the Stars took a 2-4 to cut the gap to 5 points. Another 2-4 in heat 6 when Tomas Topinka beat George Stancl with Tommy Stange holding on to third place from Trent Leverington pulled another two points back. Shane Parker won heat 7 for a shared heat but in heat 8 a third 2-4 to the Stars from Batchelor and Stange had the Tigers worried as their lead was cut to one point at 24-23 with the scores tied on aggregate again.

Tomas Topinka won heat 9 for a 3-3 then Kevin Doolan did likewise in heat 10. But the Stars scored a decisive blow in heat 11 when Oliver Allen beat Shane Parker with Troy Batchelor third for King’s Lynn’s fourth 2-4 which put them one point in front at 32-33. With the rain increasing and the match unlikely to be completed, heat 12 took on a much greater significance than usual. Glasgow desperately needed an advantage which would have put them in front but Ashley Jones won from Claus Kristensen. James Cockle got up on the line to pip Tommy Stange but King’s Lynn still had that one point lead as the referee called a halt to the proceedings.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 8 (3), Stefan Ekberg 6+1 (3), Claus Kristensen 6+1 (4), Trent Leverington 6 (4), James Cockle 5+1 (4), George Stancl 4+2 (3), Adam Roynon 0 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Oliver Allen 9 (3) (full maximum), Tomas Topinka 8 (3), Ashley Jones 5+1 (4), Kevin Doolan 5 (3), Troy Batchelor 5 (4), Jan Jaros 2 (3), Tommy Stange 2 (5).



Premier League: Newcastle 49, Sheffield 41 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 104-78.


With James Birkinshaw returning to the side Newcastle were at full strength as were Sheffield .

This match was close throughout with a Sheffield 1-5 in heat 11 after James Grieves had fallen levelling the scores at 33-33. In heat 12 Jaimie Robertson, Newcastle’s high scoring reserve, beat Ricky Ashworth with Lubos Tomicek third giving the Diamonds a 4-2 and a two point lead again. In heat 13 James Grieves returned to winning ways for a shared heat leaving the Tigers still trailing by two points.

In heat 14 Jaimie Robertson and Lubos Tomicek took another 4-2 to put Newcastle four points ahead at 44-40 and the Diamonds finished off with a 5-1 from James Grieves and Josef Franc for an eight point win. The bonus point had long since gone Sheffield’s way though.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Jamie Robertson 15+1 (7), James Grieves 12 (5), Josef Franc 11+2 (6), Lubos Tomicek 6+1 (5), Kristian Lund 4+2 (4), James Birkinshaw 1 (3).

For Sheffield – Sean Wilson 11 (5), Ricky Ashworth 11 (5), Andre Compton 5+2 (4), Ben Wilson 5+1 (4), Richard Hall 4+1 (4), Kyle Legault 3+1 (5), Paul Cooper 2 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 46, Berwick 49 Berwick won the bonus on aggregate by 100-85.


For this match Stoke had James Wright at number 5 as the guest replacement for Jan Staechmann while Berwick used R/R for Scott Smith at number 2.

Berwick took giant step towards winning the league championship by winning this match at Stoke. In truth the Bandits never looked in much danger. They led from heat 1 and were never pegged back. It was only a last heat 5-1 for the Potters which put a better gloss on the final score.

Stoke took the opening two heats 2-4. Adrian Rymel beat Alan Mogridge in heat 1 with Carl Wilkinson third then Wilkinson won heat 2 from Barrie Evans with Chris Schramm third. In heat 3 Robbie Kessler won for a shared heat as did James Wright in heat 4 as the score moved to 10-14.

Robbie Kessler fell in heat 5 and Adrian Rymel won the rerun for another 2-4 as Berwick stretched their lead to six points but Stoke pulled four points back with a 5-1 in heat 6 through Allott and Mogridge only for Berwick to reply in kind through Pietraszko and Madsen in heat 7. Luke Priest won heat 8 for a share of the points so the heat 8 score was 21-27.

Berwick were almost out of sight with another 1-5 in heat 9 this time from Schramm and Makovsky ahead of Robbie Kessler and Paul Clews. In heat 10 Alan Mogridge took a TR but he was beaten into second place by Tom P Madsen. With Adam Pietraszko third the heat resulted in a 4-4. In heat 11 James Wright took a TR and this time he won for all six points and a 6-3 to the Potters. Stoke were now just 7 points behind but yet another 1-5 for Berwick in heat 12 finally sunk any remaining hopes the home side may have entertained. The score after 12 heats was 33-44.

Although Stoke took the last three heats with two 4-2s and a 5-1 it was too little too late as Berwick took all three points.

Scorers: For Stoke – James Wright 14 (5) including a 6 point TR, Alan Mogridge 13+2 (5) including a 4 point TR, Robbie Kessler 5 (4), Barrie Evans 5 (4), Adam Allott 3 (4), Paul Clews 3 (4), Luke Priest 3 (4).

For Berwick – Tom P Madsen 10+1 (4), Adrian Rymel 10+1 (5), Adam Pietraszko 9+1 (6), Carl Wilkinson 9+1 (6), Chris Schramm 7+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 4+2 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 23 August

Tonight’s Premier League match on the Isle of Wight was one of the key matches left which will determine the destination of the league championship since the Islanders opponents were Rye House who are currently chasing Berwick for the coveted title.



Premier League: Isle of Wight 54, Rye House 40 Rye House won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-91.


With the return of Ulrich Ostergaard to the side the Isle of Wight were at full strength but Rye House were once again without Daniel King who had aggravated a knee injury in Rye’s double header on Sunday. The Rockets used R/R at number 4 for him. Rye House’s 59-37 win on Sunday meant that they were defending a 22 point lead in the fight for the bonus point. However, since they beat the Isle of Wight 44-46 in the Premier Trophy match on the Island last May they would have set their sights rather higher than just the bonus point.

The Islanders took the opening heat 4-2 when Craig Boyce beat Stuart Robson with Glen Phillips third then the reserves race was shared 3-3. Another 4-2 went to the home side in heat 3 as Ulrich Ostergaard beat Brent Werner with Krister Marsh third but heat 4 provided the Rockets with their first race winner in Chris Neath as the heat was shared. The score after the opening four heats was 14-10.

The next stanza of four heats was disastrous for Rye House as they completely fell apart. In heat 5 Stuart Robson was beaten by Ulrich Ostergaard and Krister Marsh picked up the third place point for a 4-2 as Edward Kennett retired at the back. Then Rye House conceded maximum points in the next three races. Firstly Craig Boyce and Glen Phillips took a 5-1 from the Rockets’ only race winner, Chris Neath. Neath was subsequently excluded since his exhaust had fallen off and Steve Boxall was awarded the point instead but it made no difference to the score. In heat 7 things got even worse for the Rockets as they blew a TR. Brent Werner took the TR ride but touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Werner passed Tommy Allen but the heat resulted in a 5-2 to the Islanders as Jason Doyle and Krzysztof Stojanowski took maximum points. In heat 8 the Isle of Wight scored another 5-1 from Glen Phillips and Steen Jensen as Edward Kennett retired on the last lap having had four rides without scoring a point. The score after heat 8 was 33-16 and, with the Islanders having pulled 17 points back, Rye House’s lead for the bonus point was reduced to only 5 points!

There was no let up from the Islanders as they hammered home another 5-1, their fourth consecutive maximum, in heat 9 as Ostergaard and Marsh beat Neath to cut the bonus point lead to one point. Then in heat 10 a 4-2 from Craig Boyce and Glen Phillips split by Brent Werner put the Isle of Wight ahead on aggregate by one point. In heat 11 Stuart Robson took a TR. The race was rerun with all four riders after Jason Doyle had fallen at the first bend. In the rerun Doyle led briefly but Robson passed him round the outside to win the race for a badly needed 3-6 to the Rockets which restored a two point aggregate lead for them. They won the next heat too. Krister Marsh fell on the second bend and was excluded. In the rerun Brent Werner beat Steen Jensen and Steve Boxall picked up the gift third place point for a 2-4. This took the score after 12 heats to 47-29 with Rye House clinging on to a four point aggregate lead at the interval with just three crucial heats remaining.

After the interval Stuart Robson produced another vital win in heat 13 when he rounded Craig Boyce and Krzysztof Stojanowski for a shared heat as Chris Neath suffered an engine failure to maintain the Rockets’ four point aggregate lead. However they had run out of R/R options and had to use Steve Boxall in heat 14 which meant that the two Rye House reserves faced Ulrich Ostergaard and Jason Doyle. All credit to the Rye reserves though as they filled the minor places behind Ostergaard for another shared heat leaving the Isle of Wight needing a 5-1 in the final heat to tie on aggregate and force a race off for the bonus point.

In heat 15 it was Stuart Robson and Brent Werner who took the maximum, not the Islanders. Ulrich Ostergaard was third with Craig Boyce finishing last so the bonus point headed back to Hoddesdon.

Scorers: For Isle of Wight – Ulrich Ostergaard 13 (5), Craig Boyce 11 (5), Steen Jensen 8+2 (4), Glen Phillips 7+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 6+3 (4), Jason Doyle 5 (4), Krister Marsh 4+1 (4).

For Rye House – Stuart Robson 16 (5) including a 6 point TR, Brent Werner 11+1 (5), Steve Boxall 5+2 (6), Chris Neath 4 (4), Tommy Allen 4 (6), Edward Kennett 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 24 August

There were two Premier League matches scheduled for tonight but only the match between Hull and Stoke survived the weather. The match due to be raced at King’s Lynn between the Stars and Newcastle was called off in the late afternoon after heavy rain in the Norfolk area.



Premier League: Hull 56, Stoke 36 Hull won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-87


As Daniel Giffard was injured riding at Newport last Sunday, Hull had Mike Pickering at number 7. Stoke’s Guest replacement for Jan Staechmann was Stuart Robson at number 5 in the Potters’ side. They also had Luke Priest at number 7 in place of Jack Hargreaves. Stoke had an eight point advantage from the match at Loomer Road last May in the battle for the bonus point. In the end it was no contest and Stoke may well reflect that their two reserves, Barrie Evans and Luke Priest, from 9 rides between them scored more points than their top four of Mogridge, Allott, Clews and Kessler totalled in 16 rides!

The Vikings got off to the perfect start with a 5-1 in the opening heat won by Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez from Adam Allott but the reserves race went Stoke’s way by 2-4. Mike Pickering fell in the first running of the heat and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Barrie Evans from Simone Terenzani. Emil Kramer won heat 3 but the points were shared as Paul Clews and Robbie Kessler followed him home. Stuart Robson fell in heat 4 and, although he remounted, Stoke conceded a 4-2 when Garry Stead beat Luke Priest with Mike Pickering third. The score after the opening four heats was 14-10.

Heat 5 went Hull’s way by 5-1 as Emil Kramer and Craig Branney beat Adam Allott with Alan Mogridge finishing last again to put the Vikings 8 points ahead and level on aggregate. Stuart Robson won heat 6 to share the points but another 5-1 to the home side in heat 7 from Garry Stead and Simone Terenzani had Stoke really struggling 12 points in arrears. As expected Paul Thorp won heat 8 but Adam Allott and Luke Priest filled the minor places for a shared heat which took the score after eight heats to 30-18.

In heat 9 Stuart Robson took a TR and, after Craig Branney had fallen and been excluded from the rerun, he beat Emil Kramer for the full six points. Barrie Evans took the gift third place point and Stoke had taken a 2-7 to close the gap to 7 points and get back in front on aggregate by one point at 32-25. Their joy was short lived though as in the next heat another Thorp/Sanchez 5-1 increased the Vikings’ lead to 11 points, three on aggregate. Things got worse for the Potters when Alan Mogridge remained pointless after falling in heat 11 and being excluded from the rerun in which Adam Allott had engine failure at the start gifting a 5-0 to the home side. Paul Clews took a TR in heat 12, Stoke’s last throw of the dice, but a fat lot of good that did as he finished last. At least Barrie Evans split the home pair as Craig Branney won to salvage a 4-2 but the score after heat 12 was 46-28 and the bonus point was as good as all wrapped up for the Vikings.

Stuart Robson continued to bring respectability to Stoke’s score by winning heat 13 from Stead and Sanchez but again Alan Mogridge failed to score. Another 5-1 went Hull’s way in heat 14 as Terenzani and Kramer finished ahead of Robbie Kessler then, in the last heat, Garry Stead fell and was excluded from the rerun, inevitably won by Stuart Robson from Emiliano Sanchez with Barrie Evans third for a 2-4 to the Potters.

Scorers: For Hull – Paul Thorp 11 (4), Garry Stead 11 (5), Simone Terenzani 10+2 (5), Emil Kramer 10+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8+4 (5), Craig Branney 5+1 (4), Mike Pickering 1 (3).

For Stoke – Stuart Robson 15 (5) including a 6 point TR, Barrie Evans 7 (5), Luke Priest 4+1 (4), Adam Allott 4 (4), Robbie Kessler 3+1 (4), Paul Clews 3 (4), Alan Mogridge 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 25 August

In addition to the Premier League action at Sheffield where the Tigers faced Newcastle there was an extra match on the Isle of Wight where the Islanders raced their second home match of the week against Newcastle.



Premier League: Sheffield 59, Workington 36.


Sheffield were at full strength again for tonight’s match but Workington had Stuart Robson at number 1 as their guest replacement for Carl Stonehewer. They also used R/R at number 2 for the injured Scott Robson and had Benji Compton at number 6 replacing Jaimie Courtney with newcomer Tomasz Piszcz making his Premier League debut at number 7.

Stuart Robson continued his blistering form of late by winning the opening heat for a share of the points but Sheffield took maximum points from the reserves race which was rerun with three riders after Tomasz Piszcz had fallen, brought down Paul Cooper and been excluded. Shaun Tacey got the better of Ricky Ashworth in heat 3 for a 3-3 but Sheffield scored another 5-1 in heat 4 as Andre Compton and Kyle Legault headed James Wright home taking the score after the opening four heats to 16-8.

Ricky Ashworth inflicted a rare defeat on Stuart Robson in a closely contested heat 5 and, with Richard Hall third, the Tigers took a 4-2 which increased their lead to 10 points. The two Wilsons, Ben and Sean, added a 5-1 in heat 6 beating James Wright into third place to stretch the lead further to 14 points. Andre Compton won heat 7 from Shaun Tacey and Kauko Nieminen for a shared heat then, in heat 8, Shaun Tacey took the Rider Replacement ride for Scott Robson and also took a TR. In winning the heat he took the full six points for a 3-6 to Workington which brought the score after eight heats to 31-20.

Heat 9 saw James Wright on the wrong end of a 5-1 for the third time as Ricky Ashworth and Richard Hall took another 5-1 for Sheffield which opened the gap to 15 points. In heat 10 Kauko Nieminen led until the last lap but ended up finishing second to Sean Wilson ahead of Ben Wilson as the Tigers added a 4-2 then in heat 11 Stuart Robson took a TR. Andre Compton won the race but with Robson second and Tomasz Piszcz taking third place from Paul Cooper the Comets won the heat 3-5. Tomasz Piszcz was now beginning to look more at home on the track as he beat Kyle Legault in heat 12. The race was won by Ricky Ashworth but, disappointingly for the Comets, Shaun Tacey finished last. The 4-2 to Sheffield took the score after twelve heats to 46-30.

The Sheffield double act of Andre Compton and Sean Wilson produced a 5-1 in heat 13 relegating Stuart Robson to third place although Robson chased Wilson hard for all four laps. In heat 14 Paul Cooper crashed into Richard Hall causing him to fall. Cooper was excluded and in the rerun Kauko Nieminen beat Hall with Tomasz Piszcz picking up the gift third place for a 2-4 to Workington. In the last race Andre Compton and Sean Wilson repeated their heat 13 success with a 5-1 ahead of Stuart Robson with Kauko Nieminen bringing up the rear resulting in a 23 point win for the Tigers to defend for the bonus point when the teams meet again at Workington.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5) (full maximum), Ricky Ashworth 11 (4), Sean Wilson 10+4 (5), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Kyle Legault 6+3 (4), Richard Hall 6+2 (4), Paul Cooper 3 (5).

For Workington – Stuart Robson 11 (5) including a 4 point TR, Shaun Tacey 11 (5) including a 6 point TR, Kauko Nieminen 6+1 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 4+1 (7), James Wright 3 (4), Benji Compton 1 (4).



Premier League: Isle of Wight 71, Newcastle 23. Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 107-79


Isle of Wight were at full strength for this meeting but Newcastle had to use R/R for Phil Morris at number 4. The Diamonds were defending a 20 point lead in the hunt for the bonus point but a woeful start, middle and finish to the match made it obvious that that was never going to be enough. After 12 heats, with the Diamonds still to reach the 20 point mark, George English, the Newcastle team manager, apologised publicly to the crowd for the poor performance of the Diamonds team. It obviously did nothing to motivate his team as they finished the match with another three maximum heat losses. The Newcastle reserves scored 15 of their 23 points.

The opening four races provided maximum heat wins – all of them going to the Islanders so that after heat 4 the score was 20-4 and already Newcastle’s 20 point aggregate lead had dwindled to 4 points. The only points of interest were Krister Lund retiring in heat 1, the Newcastle pair giving Jason Doyle a race for second place in heat 2 and Birkinshaw and Grieves having a good race for third place in heat 4!

Things looked brighter for the Diamonds in heat 5 as Josef Franc made the gate but he was passed by Krister Marsh and Ulrich Ostergaard coming out of the second bend as the Islanders recorded their fifth consecutive 5-1 and wiped out Newcastle’s 20 point advantage by levelling the scores on aggregate. It became six maximums in six races in the next heat as Craig Boyce and Glen Phillips headed home James Birkinshaw although the Newcastle rider pushed Phillips for part of the race as James Grieves finished last again. It got no better in heat 7 as the Isle of Wight made it seven 5-1s in a row as Krzysztof Stojanowski and Jason Doyle beat Josef Franc and Lubos Tomicek. Again Josef Franc made the gate and again he was passed by the home men. It was with a great sense of relief that Newcastle welcomed a win for Jaimie Robertson in heat 8 to share the points and ensure that there would be no complete whitewash. The score after the first eight heats was 38-10 with the Islanders now eight points ahead on aggregate.

Newcastle’s 3-3 success looked like being an oasis in the desert when the Isle of Wight got back to maximum ways with their eighth 5-1 in heat 9 from Ulrich Ostergaard and Krister Marsh leading home James Birkinshaw with James Grieves finishing last again. In heat 10 Jaimie Robertson came in as Rider Replacement for Phil Morris and also took a TR. He couldn’t repeat his heroics of heat 8, however, as Craig Boyce and Glen Phillips took the first two places for a 5-2. It was a brave effort though as Glen Phillips had to pass him twice to take second place. In heat 11 it was Josef Franc’s turn to take a TR and this time Newcastle had a measure of success when Jason Doyle suffered an engine failure. Josef Franc and Kristian Lund followed Krzysztof Stojanowski home for a 3-5 which guaranteed that they would top the 20 point mark. In heat 12 the Islanders recorded their tenth maximum with a 5-1 from Krister Marsh and Steen Jensen ahead of the two Newcastle reserves, Jaimie Robertson and James Birkinshaw. This took the score after 12 heats to 56-19 as the interval approached.

After the interval, James Grieves was replaced in heat 13 by James Birkinshaw who took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back. He finished third behind Boyce and Stojanowski for an extra point as the heat resulted in a 5-2 to the Isle of Wight, their eleventh maximum heat win. It was twelve after heat 14 won by Jason Doyle and Ulrich Ostergaard from Jaimie Robertson and the big question now was - could the Islanders hit the 70 point mark with four points in heat 15?

They did. Craig Boyce and Krzysztof Stojanowski completed their maximums beating Jaimie Robertson and Josef Franc for the home side’s thirteenth maximum heat win.

Scorers: For Isle of Wight – Craig Boyce 15 (5) (full maximum), Krzysztof Stojanowski 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Ulrich Ostergaard 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Krister Marsh 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Steen Jensen 9+2 (4), Glen Phillips 7+4 (4), Jason Doyle 7+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Jaimie Robertson 10 (7) including a 2 point GDTS from 15 metres back, Josef Franc 6 (6) including a 4 point TR, James Birkenshaw 5 (6) including a 2 point TR, Kristian Lund 2+1 (5), Lubos Tomicek 0 (3), James Grieves 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 26 August

It was a case of déjà vu tonight because, as happened last Friday night, two Premier League matches started but only one finished. Somerset were at home to the Isle of Wight and Edinburgh raced against Workington . The match at Edinburgh did not go the distance since persistent rain falling on an already wet track caused the match to be abandoned. Incredibly the match got to heat 12 so the result stands.



Premier League: Somerset 43, Isle of Wight 51 Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 107-80


Somerset again had Simon Walker at number 6 in place of Trevor Harding but otherwise were at full strength as were the Isle of Wight . Both teams came into this match on a high. Somerset because they had won the Premier League Four Team Championship last Saturday and the Isle of Wight after two home wins during the week against Rye House and Newcastle. In the Newcastle match they had rattled up no less than 71 points. Somerset’s joy didn’t last long, however, because they trailed from the opening heat and never came near winning. They weren’t helped by Ritchie Hawkins having to withdraw from the meeting after his second ride in heat 5 during which he fell and suffered concussion.

The Isle of Wight dominated from the start. Craig Boyce beat Magnus Zetterstrom in the opening heat and Glen Phillips picked up the third place point when Jaimie Smith retired. That 2-4 was followed by a 1-5 to the Islanders in the reserves race then a win for Ulrich Ostergaard in heat 3 for a share of the points. Another heat win went the visitors’ way in heat 4 won by Krzysztof Stojanowski from Glenn Cunningham and Jason Doyle for a 2-4 which took the score after the four opening heats to 8-16.

Paul Fry beat Craig Boyce in heat 5 but Ritchie Hawkins fell and withdrew from the meeting. The race was shared then Somerset pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 6 as Zetterstrom beat Stojanowski with Jaimie Smith third after Jason Doyle had fallen and been excluded. That was neutralised by a 2-4 to the Islanders from Ostergaard and Marsh split by Cunningham but Somerset scored a much needed 5-1 in heat 8 thanks to Jaimie Smith and Chris Mills from Glen Phillips. This took the score after 8 heats to 22-26.

The Somerset comeback was stopped dead in its tracks when the Islanders took heat 9 by 1-5 with Jason Doyle and Krzysztof Stojanowski beating Chris Mills after Paul Fry had retired from the race. This increased their lead to eight points. There were two fallers in heat 10 – Ulrich Ostergaard and Jaimie Smith so Magnus Zetterstrom’s win only gained one point for the Rebels. Glenn Cunningham won heat 11 but the heat was shared then the roof fell in on Somerset’s hopes when they had to field both reserves in heat 12 as a result of Ritchie Hawkins’ absence and lost a 1-5 to Marsh and Doyle. This took the score after 12 heats to 30-41 and things looked bleak for the Rebels.

Magnus Zetterstrom took a TR in heat 13 but Craig Boyce won the race leaving Zetterstrom and Cunningham to fill the minor places for a 5-3 to the home side. Now 9 points adrift the Rebels needed a big score from heat 14 with Paul Fry taking a TR. Fry won the heat but the Islanders filled the minor places for a 6-3 to the Rebels which wasn’t enough to give them a chance of taking anything from the match with the score at 41-47. Ulrich Ostergaard beat Magnus Zetterstrom in heat 15 with Craig Boyce third for a 2-4 which gave the visitors a handsome 8 point victory and an eight point haul from their three league matches during the week.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14 (5) including a 4 point TR, Paul Fry 11 (5) including a 6 point TR, Glenn Cunningham 8+1 (4), Chris Mills 4+1 (6), Jaimie Smith 4 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 1+1 (2), Simon Walker 1 (4).

For Isle of Wight – Craig Boyce 11 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 11 (5), Jason Doyle 8+2 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 7+1 (4), Krister Marsh 6 (4), Glen Phillips 4+2 (4), Steen Jensen 4+1 (4).



Premier League: Edinburgh 36, Workington 36 The match was abandoned after heat 12 so the result stands. Edinburgh won the bonus point on aggregate by 84-78.


Edinburgh had Ross Brady back in the side at number 5 while Workington had Stuart Robson as a guest for Carl Stonehewer at number 1. Scott Robson returned to the side at number 3, Scott James filled the number 6 berth and newcomer, Tomasz Piszcz, made his league debut at number 7.

The track was very wet after heavy afternoon rain and when the rain started again it looked highly unlikely that the match would be completed. The rain got very heavy before the start of heat 8 and the riders at the tapes for the start of that heat returned to the pits with the referee in ‘discussions’ with both riders and managements. It came as a great surprise to the crowd when it was announced that the meeting would continue because by then the track had puddles on the bends and it was clear that the objective was to get to heat 12 to produce a result.

With conditions as wet as they were this match always looked a bit of a lottery with the emphasis on gating. Things looked bleak for Edinburgh as early as heat 1 when Shaun Tacey and Stuart Robson took a comfortable 1-5 from the gate but in heat 2 the home side squared the match. Tomasz Piszcz couldn’t get his bike going so the race proceeded with three riders and was won by Robert Ksiezak and Matthew Wethers from Scott James. Edinburgh scored another 5-1 in heat 3 as Daniel Nermark rode an excellent first two bends to round the field including his partner, Rusty Harrison, who had a wobble on the second bend before following his partner home well ahead of the Comets’ pair of Scott Robson and Kauko Nieminen. Ross Brady fought to his way to the front after a hard first corner with James Wright in heat 4 and the heat was shared with Robert Ksiezak falling at the back. This took the score after four heats to 14-10.

In heat 5 Shaun Tacey never left the tapes but Stuart Robson rode an excellent first two corners to round both Rusty Harrison and Daniel Nermark. Although the two Edinburgh riders chased him all the way Robson took the race win for a shared heat. Edinburgh stretched their lead to six points when Theo Pijper and William Lawson made good starts in heat 6. Although Pijper won comfortably Lawson was reeled in by James Wright and the Comets’ man passed him exiting the fourth bend of the third lap for second place. The Monarchs got a rude awakening in heat 7, however. Scott Robson and Kauko Nieminen made amends for their poor race in heat 3 by rocketing to the front with Ross Brady stuck behind them. Brady withdrew from the race after a couple of laps and made no further appearance for the home side. The 1-5 to the Comets reduced the gap to two points and it stayed that way when Tomasz Piszcz jetted to the front in heat 8 for a shared heat. Shaun Tacey held second place for a while but made a mess of the third bend letting William Lawson and Matthew Wethers through. Wethers also had problems on the third bend so Tacey decided to take a further interest in the race and started the chase again to no avail. The score after eight heats was 25-23. Before this race had started the rain became heavy and heat times began to deteriorate as the track got wetter.

It was now fairly evident that this match would be abandoned after heat 12 so the next four heats were going to be crucial. In heat 9 Workington brought in Tomasz Piszcz again and he made another jet-propelled start to lead Daniel Nermark home with James Wright third and Rusty Harrison at the back looking less than interested for a Comets 2-4 which squared the match at 27-27. Edinburgh struck a vital blow in heat 10 when Theo Pijper and William Lawson had no trouble taking a 5-1. Scott Robson made a mess of the third bend while at the back and rode straight into the pits while the race was in progress and Kauko Nieminen cruised slowly home on the last lap for the third place point. In heat 11 with no Ross Brady Edinburgh were forced to track their two reserves. Stuart Robson had an easy time winning the heat and, although Robert Ksiezak held second place for a couple of laps, he was eventually passed by Shaun Tacey as Workington levelled again with the 1-5.

Then came the race of the night in heat 12 – crucial because it was likely to be the last one. Another cracking gate from Scott Robson and Tomasz Piszcz had Daniel Nermark struggling back in third place. However Nermark was soon past Piszcz and set off to reel in Scott Robson. This he did on the third/fourth bends of the third lap with a remarkable cut back given the conditions to win the race for a shared heat. As expected the referee then called a halt to the meeting which gave Edinburgh two points – one for the draw and one for the bonus. Since they would not have completed this match had it been rerun following a postponement before the cut off date for the Young Shield qualifiers Edinburgh will be satisfied with the outcome. However Workington might just have fancied continuing given the circumstances.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Daniel Nermark 9+1 (4), Theo Pijper 7 (3), William Lawson 5+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 4+2 (5), Rusty Harrison 4+1 (3), Robert Ksiezak 4 (3), Ross Brady 3 (2).

For Workington – Tomasz Piszcz 8+2 (5), Stuart Robson 8+1 (3), Scott Robson 6 (4), Shaun Tacey 5+1 (4), James Wright 5 (3), Kauko Nieminen 3+1 (3), Scott James 1 (2).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 27 August

There were only two Premier League matches raced tonight. Both of them had a direct bearing on the championship race because they involved the two main contenders. At Berwick the Bandits raced against Workington while at Stoke the Potters faced Rye House .



Premier League: Berwick 56, Workington 38.


Berwick were on the usual lines with R/R operating for the injured Scott Smith at number 2. Workington had George Stancl as a guest at number 1 for Carl Stonehewer and again had Scott James at number 6.

This could have been a tricky fixture for Berwick particularly since the Comets had Glasgow’s George Stancl at number 1 and newcomer Tomasz Piszcz at reserve. However Stancl had one of his poorest scores at Berwick so the Comets prospects suffered as a result. Had Tomasz Piszcz not been in the wars one way or another he might well have had a double figure return. Once again a massive return of 21+5 from their two reserves made Berwick’s task a lot easier.

It was Workington who took the lead with a 2-4 in the opening heat won by Shaun Tacey from Adrian Rymel and George Stancl. Heat 2 resulted in a first bend crash involving Chris Schramm and Tomasz Piszcz. Carl Wilkinson ploughed into the Workington reserve but, after medical attention for Piszcz, all three took part in the rerun. However Piszcz fell again as Berwick took their usual heat 2 5-1 to move into a two point lead. Adam Pietraszko won heat 3 and it looked as though the race would be shared when Scott Robson and Kauko Nieminen filled second and third places. Unfortunately for the Comets Nieminen fell so Berwick took a 4-2. Heat 4 produced another 5-1 to Berwick from Michal Makovsky and Carl Wilkinson to take the score after the opening four races to 16-8.

Adam Pietraszko won heat 5 against Workington’s top pairing of Shaun Tacey and George Stancl for a shared heat but Berwick added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 6. It looked like being a home 5-1 until James Wright got up on the line to pip Chris Schramm for second place. A Makovsky/Schramm 5-1 in heat 7 increased Berwick’s lead to 14 points but Shaun Tacey won heat 8 from Pietraszko with Piszcz in third place for a 2-4 to Workington. This took the score after eight heats to 30-18.

In heat 9 James Wright took a TR and won the race with Tomasz Piszcz taking second place ahead of Adam Pietraszko for a big 1-8. There was some dispute before this race was awarded because Piszcz’ s exhaust pipe was seen to be hanging off at the end of the race. However the referee decided that, since it was still attached to the bike, Piszcz should not be excluded and the result stood. This race win brought Workington back into the match at 31-26 but Berwick stretched the lead to 7 points with a 4-2 in heat 10 as Rymel beat Nieminen with Wilkinson just failing to catch the Comets’ man for second place. Chris Schramm won heat 11 but Michal Makovsky fell while in second place gifting a 3-3 to Stancl and Tacey. Then in heat 12 Tomasz Piszcz was leading the race entering the third lap when he threw a chain causing Carl Wilkinson to lay his bike down to avoid hitting him again. The referee awarded the race and excluded Piszcz so Berwick scored another 5-1 which took the score after 12 heats to 43-32.

Stancl split the Rymel/ Makovsky pairing in heat 13 for a 4-2 then, in heat 14, Workington gave a TR to Tomas Piszcz. He finished third to Pietraszko and Schramm for a 5-2 and Berwick then finished the match with a 4-2 from Makovsky and Rymel to earn an 18 point advantage to take to Workington for the vital return match on Monday night.

Scorers: For Berwick – Chris Schramm 13+3 (6), Adrian Rymel 12 (5), Adam Pietraszko 12 (5), Michal Makovsky 10 (5), Carl Wilkinson 8+2 (6), Tom P Madsen 1 (3).

For Workington – Shaun Tacey 9+1 (4), James Wright 9 (4) including a 6 point TR, George Stancl 8+1 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 5+1 (7) including a 2 point TR, Kauko Nieminen 3 (4), Scott Robson 2 (3), Scott James 2 (3).



Premier League: Stoke 36, Rye House 56


Stoke had Glenn Cunningham at number 5 for Jan Staechmann. At reserve they had Rob Grant at number 6 for Barrie Evans who was competing in the Conference League Riders Championship at Rye House. They also had Luke Priest at number 7 for the injured Jack Hargreaves. Rye House were missing Steve Boxall also riding in the Conference League Riders Championship and had Luke Bowen at reserve.

Stoke were no match for Rye House producing only two race winners all match. Their cause wasn’t helped when Alan Mogridge on a TR fell in heat 10 and had to withdraw from the meeting with a back injury. Every one of the Rye House team was paid for at least one heat win and six of them took the chequered flag during the meeting such was the Rockets’ domination.

It looked as though there might be a shock on the cards when Stoke opened with a 5-1 from Adam Allott and Alan Mogridge ahead of Stuart Robson and Edward Kennett but the home euphoria ended when the Rye House reserves reversed that score to level the match. Robbie Kessler won heat 3 from Brent Werner and Daniel King for a shared heat but it was to be the only point Werner was to drop all match. Rye House took the lead for the first time in heat 4 as Chris Neath registered the first of his five race wins beating Glenn Cunningham with Tommy Allen third for a 2-4 which took the score after four heats to 11-13.

After that it was one way traffic. Over the next four heats the Rockets provided all the race winners. They took a 2-4 in heat 5 when Robbie Kessler could only split Edward Kennett and Stuart Robson. Alan Mogridge and Adam Allott shared heat 6 by following Chris Neath home but another 2-4 to the Rockets in heat 7 when Werner beat Cunningham was followed by a 1-5 in heat 8 from Kennett and Allen from Allott. This took the score to 19-29 and Rye House were in easy street.

Chris Neath won again in heat 9 for a shared heat but Stoke’s night was finished after Alan Mogridge on a TR fell in heat 10 while chasing the Rye House pair of Werner and King. The 1-5 put the Rockets 14 points ahead and Stoke got a break when Edward Kennett had an engine failure while leading heat 11. Stuart Robson won the heat for a share of the points. Werner and Allen scored another 1-5 in heat 12 and Neath and Robson followed it with another in heat 13 to make the score 28-50.

Stoke had some success in heat 14 though as Robbie Kessler took a TR. Although Daniel King won the race Kessler finished second with his partner, Rob Grant, third so the Potters took a 5-3. They shared the last heat too when Stuart Robson’s chain snapped causing him to fall. Chris Neath completed his maximum by winning the rerun but Cunningham and Kessler followed him home to share the heat.

Scorers: For Stoke – Robbie Kessler 11+2 (5) including a 4 point TR, Glenn Cunningham 9 (5), Adam Allott 6+1 (4), Alan Mogridge 4+1 (3), Paul Clews 3 (4), Rob Grant 2+1 (4), Luke Priest 1 (5).

For Rye House – Chris Neath 15 (5) (full maximum), Brent Werner 11 (4), Tommy Allen 7+3 (5), Daniel King 7+2 (4), Stuart Robson 7+1 (5), Edward Kennett 6 (4), Luke Bowen 3 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 28 August

Two of the usual three Sunday tracks hosted Premier League action today with an additional match at Stoke. First up was the match at Newport where the Wasps took on Somerset[/color]. Later in the afternoon Glasgow faced Newcastle. Then in the evening Stoke raced a home match for the second successive night against Edinburgh .



Premier League: Newport 41, Somerset 49 Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 113- 71


Newport once again used R/R for Mads Korneliussen at number 5 and had Kyle Legault as a guest at number 4 with Karl mason continuing at number 7. Somerset were without Jaimie Smith, Ritchie Hawkins and Trevor Harding. They had David Meldrum at number 2 for Jaimie Smith, used R/R for Ritchie Hawkins at number 3 and had Simon Walker in place of Trevor Harding.

Newport got off to a good start in this match and led by eight points at one stage. However it all went pear-shaped again as they let an ‘all square’ situation after heat 10 degenerate to an eight point defeat.

The Wasps got off to great start when Tony Atkin beat Magnus Zetterstrom in heat 1 with Henrik Vedel third for a 4-2. They added another 4-2 in heat 2 and their disbelieving fans watched as they stretched their lead to eight points with a 5-1 in heat 3 when Kyle Legault and Neil Collins headed home David Meldrum and Paul Fry. Karl Mason fell in heat 4 as Glenn Cunningham beat Tony Atkin so the Rebels pulled two points back with a 2-4 which took the score after the four opening heats to 15-9.

Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 5 from Neil Collins as Somerset scored another 2-4 to cut the gap to four points and the comeback was complete when they then took a 1-5 in heat 6 as Glenn Cunningham and Simon Walker beat Tony Atkin and Henrik Vedel. Neil Collins and Tony Atkin won heats 7 and 8 for shared heats as the score moved to 24-24.

Glenn Cunningham and Paul Fry won heats 9 and 10 for another two shared heats but Somerset finally took the lead when Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 11 from Henrik Vedel with David Meldrum third. The 2-4 began the start of the usual Newport slide. Paul Fry won heat 12 from Neil Collins and Karl Mason for a shared heat and the Wasps were only two behind with the score at 35-37.

Kyle Legault did well to split the Zetterstrom/Cunningham pairing in heat 13 for a 2-4 to the Rebels who now led by four points. Paul Fry won heat 14 from Legault with Simon Walker taking the third place point when Karl Mason had an engine failure to stretch the visitors’ lead to six points and secure the win. Neil Collins split the Zetterstrom/Cunningham pairing in heat 15 for a 2-4 which wrapped up an eight point win for Somerset.

Scorers: For Newport – Neil Collins 13+1 (6), Tony Atkin 10+1 (5), Kyle Legault 8+1 (6), Henrik Vedel 5 (5), Karl Mason 4+1 (5), Lee Dicken 1 (3).

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14 (5), Glenn Cunningham 11 (5), Paul Fry 11 (5), Simon Walker 6+2 (6), David Meldrum 5 (5), Chris Mills 2+1 (4).



Premier League: Glasgow 59, Newcastle 34


Glasgow were at full strength again but Newcastle were without Lubos Tomicek who was riding on the continent and used R/R for him at number 3. However they welcomed back Phil Morris to the side after a lengthy absence following his crash with James Grieves at Stoke.

Newcastle were blown away from the start as Glasgow started with two 5-1s from Stancl and Leverington in the opening heat then Cockle and Roynon in the reserves race. Phil Morris made a successful return to the side by winning heat 3 for a shared heat then Glasgow added two more points to their lead by taking a 4-2 in heat 4. Jaimie Robertson, having passed Adam Roynon made up the ground on his partner, James Grieves, but as Grieves moved out on the last bend, Robertson had nowhere to go and crossed the finishing line in third place but sprawled all over the track. The referee decreed that he wasn’t in control of his machine and promoted Adam Roynon to third place. Robertson withdrew from the meeting at this point suffering from concussion. The score after heat 4 was 17-7.

Glasgow scored another 5-1 in heat 5 from Kristensen and Ekberg but heat 6 was shared with George Stancl beating James Grieves after the two riders had passed and repassed each other. At the back James Birkenshaw was given the verdict over Trent Leverington so the race was shared. Newcastle fielded only one rider in heat 7, Phil Morris, and he completely missed the gate as Cockle and Parker took another Tigers’ 5-1. Heat 8 was another cracker with both Leverington and Cockle passing Kristian Lund for what looked like a 5-1 but James Birkinshaw rode round the outside of Cockle on the last lap to limit the damage to a 4-2. This took the score to 34-14.

James Grieves took a TR in heat 9 and looked like bagging all six points when he led from the gate. However on the last bend of the first lap the Glasgow pair of Ekberg and Kristensen operated a pincer movement on him with Ekberg making an inside pass and Kristensen an outside pass for a Glasgow 5-2. In heat 10 George Stancl and Trent Leverington made the gate and it looked as though it might be another 5-1 for the Tigers but Phil Morris and James Birkinshaw passed Leverington for a shared heat. Shane Parker won heat 11 for a shared heat then in heat 12 Phil Morris took a TR but could only finish second to Kristensen. With Birkinshaw in third place Newcastle won the heat 3-5 to take the score to 48-27.

Shane Parker won heat 13 and was followed home by George Stancl after he had passed James Grieves for a 5-1 but Newcastle won another heat in heat 14. Although Stefan Ekberg made the gate and led early on James Birkinshaw reeled him in passing him on the last lap for a fine heat win. Phil Morris finished third for a Diamonds 2-4 which was cancelled out with a Glasgow 4-2 in the last heat. In heat 15 it looked as though James Grieves was going to win but Shane Parker passed him on the last lap to relegate him to second place.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5) (full maximum), George Stancl 12+1 (5), Claus Kristensen 11 (4), Stefan Ekberg 7+3 (4), James Cockle 6+1 (4), Trent Leverington 5+1 (4), Adam Roynon 3+1 (4).

For Newcastle – Phil Morris 11 (5) including a 4 point TR, James Grieves 9 (5) including a 2 point TR, James Birkinshaw 8+3 (7), Josef Franc 3 (5), Kristian Lund 2+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 1 (2).



Premier League: Stoke 47, Edinburgh 42 Edinburgh took the bonus point on aggregate by 95-89.


It was a very understrength team which Stoke were forced to field in this match against Edinburgh . The Potters had lost Alan Mogridge the night before when he crashed in the match against Rye House and used R/R for him at number 1. Then they lost Adam Allott at number 2 before a heat was completed as he fell on the first bend and damaged his shoulder so they were down to five riders. They had Garry Stead as a guest for Jan Staechmann at number 5 but had to use Luke Priest at number 7 due to Jack Hargreaves’ injury. The Monarchs had Ross Brady back in the side so were at full strength.

This was a dreadful result for Edinburgh who needed to win to strengthen their bid for a qualifying place in the Jack Young Shield. Stoke had only two heat leaders, one second string and two rookie reserves who mainly ply their trade in the Conference League and yet they still were too good for the Monarchs!

Stoke made a dreadful start to the match gifting Edinburgh a 0-5. In the first running of the heat Adam Allott and Ross Brady clashed on the first bend with Allott coming off worst when he fell and injured his arm which caused his withdrawal from the meeting. In the rerun it got worse for Stoke. Robbie Kessler had an engine failure on the back straight before Barrie Evans, in for Allott, fell on the first bend of the second lap and was excluded. The rerun had only the two Edinburgh riders who took maximum points. The reserves race resulted in a 4-2 for the home side then Robbie Kessler won from Rusty Harrison and Daniel Nermark for a shared heat 3 before Garry Stead headed Theo Pijper home in heat 4 with Luke Priest third for a 4-2 which took the score to 11-12.

A Kessler/Clews 5-1 in heat 5 gave Stoke the lead for the first time then they increased their lead to five points with a 4-2 from Clews who beat Theo Pijper with Luke Priest taking third place in heat 6. Edinburgh hit back with a 1-5 from Nermark and Harrison ahead of Garry Stead in heat 7 to reduce the deficit to one point and it looked like they would score another in heat 8 when William Lawson and Matthew Wethers led. However Wethers had an engine failure on the third lap so the heat was shared taking the score to 24-23.

Robbie Kessler beat Pijper in heat 9 and with Clews third Stoke stretched their lead to three points at 28-15 but back came Edinburgh with the Nermark/Harrison pairing taking another 1-5 as Garry Stead suffered an engine failure at the gate. Now the Monarchs were in front at 29-30 but their lead only lasted one heat as Stoke scored a 5-1 in heat 11 thanks to Garry Stead and Barrie Evans. In heat 12 Edinburgh sat on a 1-5 when Barrie Evans fell and Paul Clews behind him ran over him. Evans was excluded but Edinburgh still took the 1-5 in the rerun with Nermark and Wethers beating Clews. Edinburgh now led by one point again at 35-36.

In heat 13 Luke Priest had a surprise win which was to prove crucial for the Potters. Ross Brady did well to keep Garry Stead behind him but it was still a 4-2 to the home side which put them in front by one point again at 39-38. In heat 14 Robbie Kessler made the gate as Rusty Harrison was baulked at the back on the first corner. Harrison reeled the field in and was just behind Kessler when the race ran out of laps for him so, with Wethers taking third place, the shared heat meant that Stoke were still a point to the good going into the last heat. Stead and Kessler passed Nermark on the second bend of heat 15 to record a 5-1 which gave Stoke the win but wasn’t good enough to salvage the bonus point for them.

Scorers: For Stoke – Robbie Kessler 14+1 (6), Garry Stead 11 (6), Luke Priest 8+1 (6), Paul Clews 7+1 (5), Barrie Evans 7+1 (7), Adam Allott 0 (1).

For Edinburgh – Daniel Nermark 11+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 8+2 (5), William Lawson 6+1 (4), Ross Brady 6 (4), Theo Pijper 6 (4), Matthew Wethers 3+2 (6), Robert Ksiezak 2 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 29 August

Since it was Bank Holiday Monday there were five Premier League matches raced today in the morning, afternoon and evening. First up was the 11.00am morning match at Reading where the Racers took on Exeter . Next up was the 2.00pm afternoon match between Rye House and Stoke . This was followed at 5.30pm with the return match from yesterday between Newcastle and Glasgow . At 7.00pm it was the turn of Workington to host the return match from Saturday night against Berwick and finally at 7.30pm Exeter took on Reading in the return match from this morning.


Premier League: Reading 61, Exeter 32


Reading had Lee Smart at number 6 for Chris Johnson but Exeter were in some disarray due to injuries to Seemond Stephens, Ray Morton and Ben Barker. They used R/R at number 3 and had Kevin Doolan at number 4 as a guest. Mark Thompson filled the number 6 spot in Barker’s absence.

It seems that morning meetings agree with the Racers as they hammered the makeshift Exeter side and set up a 29 point lead to defend for the bonus point in the evening. Until Kevin Doolan, Exeter’s guest, won heat 14 the Falcons had not provided a single race winner and they could not claim a single heat advantage all meeting.

Exeter had the rather unique experience of scoring 2 points in each of the opening 6 races although their two points in heat 6 was as a result of a third place to Sebastian Tressarieu taking a TR and following Zdenek Simota and Danny Bird home for the Racers’ first maximum heat win. The score at that stage was 25-12.

Heat 7 was the first shared race of the match as Kevin Doolan and Pavel Ondrasik followed Matej Zagar home but Simota and Mathieu Tressarieu took Reading’s second maximum heat win in heat 8. Heats 9 and 10 produced another two 4-2s making 7 in 10 races to take the score 41-20.

In heat 11 Mark Lemon took a TR and finished second to Matej Zagar for a 4-4 then Mathieu Tressarieu and Andrew Appleton headed home Kevin Doolan for a 5-1 as the track turned into such a dust bowl that there was a delay before the start of heat 13 for it to be watered. In heat 13 Mark Lemon passed Danny Bird on lap 2 before Bird retired from the race. Matej Zagar won it though and the heat was shared. The score was now 53-28.

It looked as though Exeter would at last win a heat when Kevin Doolan led Mathieu Tressarieu in heat 14 with Pavel Ondrasik third. However Richard Wolff passed Ondrasik on the last bend to share the race before Appleton and Zagar both completed paid maximums with the inevitable 5-1 in heat 15.

Scorers: For Reading – Matej Zagar 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Andrew Appleton 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Mathieu Tressarieu 11+1 (5), Danny Bird 8+1 (4), Zdenek Simota 8 (4), Richard Wolff 4+1 (4), Lee Smart 2 (3).

For Exeter – Sebastian Tressarieu 9+1 (6) including a 2 point TR, Mark Lemon 9 (5) including a 4 point TR, Kevin Doolan 8 (5), Pavel Ondrasik 4+1 (6), Lee Smethills 2 (5), Mark Thompson 0 (3).




Premier League: Rye House 63, Stoke 27 Rye House won the bonus point by 119-63


Rye House were able to track a full strength side again for this afternoon’s match but Stoke were decimated by injuries. They were without Alan Mogridge, Adam Allott, Jack Hargreaves and of course Jan Staechmann. They used R/R for Mogridge at number 1, had Glen Phillips at number 2 and Rusty Harrison at number 5 as guests with Luke Priest continuing at number 7.


Having won by 20 points at Stoke less than 48 hours ago, Rye House were never likely to be troubled by the visitors on a gloriously sunny Bank Holiday afternoon. Any chance of an upset completely disappeared when a makeshift Stoke side was announced. Alan Mogridge was out with a back injury and Adam Allott was also a non-starter as a result of breaking a shoulder the night before. Stoke used rider replacement for Mogridge and had Glen Phillips in place of Allott. Edinburgh's Rusty Harrison guested in the number 5 spot, fresh from a 16-point haul at the track just over a week ago. Rye House were at full strength.

Rye House raced to a 15-3 lead after three heats. Most impressive was Edward Kennett, seemingly over his recent mechanical problems and looking very fast. The only crumb of hope for Stoke was Robbie Kessler's fast gate in heat 3 but he was quickly passed by Brent Werner and Daniel King.

Rusty Harrison showed his liking for the track with a good win in heat 4. Tommy Allen started well for the home side but Harrison rode around him coming out of the second bend. Chris Neath, for once not starting too well, also passed Allen but couldn't get to Harrison. Heat 5 saw a strange ride from Daniel King. Having scraped the boards all the way round the first two bends, he finally lost control at the fourth and fell. Werner won the re-run easily enough from Paul Clews and Glen Phillips.

Heat 6 was the afternoon's best race. Kennett scorched away from the tapes, followed closely by Harrison with Stuart Robson taking a wide line. Kennett soon pulled away with Robson behind him but Harrison, as he had done in his previous appearance at the track, passed Robson after the first lap. Robson came back at him and soon regained second place to make the score 29-13. Stoke managed a 3-3 in heat 7 when Clews and Kessler stayed ahead of Steve Boxall but well behind Neath, back to his fast-starting best. Kennett won his third trace in heat 8 with Tommy Allen proving too quick for Phillips and Luke Priest.

Rusty Harrison took a tactical ride in heat 9 but failed to make any impression as Werner and King blazed ahead at the tapes and stayed there. Kennett won again in heat 10 after another rocket start. It was left to Robson to coast round in second place, occasionally checking the position of Kessler and Clews behind him.

Neath, predictably, won heat 11 from Phillips and Harrison, Boxall again just off the pace at the back but heat 12 was a surprise. Barrie Evans, no stranger to Rye House, made a great start to lead Werner and Allen. Werner moved closer with each lap but Evans made no mistake and held on to take an excellent win. Rye hit back with another 5-1 in heat 13, Robson and Neath too good for Glen Phillips after an engine failure stopped Rusty Harrison when lying third.

Kessler took a tactical ride in heat 14 and he too promptly suffered an engine failure. Seconds later, Daniel King crashed out and the race was re-run with Steve Boxall taking the win ahead of Luke Priest.

As Kennett left in a hurry to get to an evening fixture at Wolverhampton, Robson and Werner appeared against Evans and Clews in heat 15. Evans made another good start and was leading at the third bend when Clews clipped Robson's wheel and was excluded. It looked for a split second as if Robson might control the situation but he couldn't. With man and machine flying, Robson showed commendable presence of mind to throw himself away from his bike. He was up on his feet again quickly and, two minutes later, took second place behind Werner in the re-run.

Scorers: For Rye House – Brent Werner 14 (5), Edward Kennett 12 (4) (full maximum), Stuart Robson 11+4 (5) (paid maximum), Chris Neath 10+1 (4), Tommy Allen 6+4 (4), Steve Boxall 6 (4), Daniel King 4+2 (4).

For Stoke – Rusty Harrison 7+1 (5) including a 2 point TR, Glen Phillips 5+1 (5), Robbie Kessler 5 (5), Barrie Evans 5 (5), Paul Clews 3+1 (6), Luke Priest 2 (4).

(Report by Candyman)



Premier League: Newcastle 47, Glasgow 43 Glasgow took the bonus point on aggregate by 102-81.


After a terrible week with a thrashing on the Isle of Wight and a heavy defeat at Glasgow Newcastle had the chance to make amends in this return Premier League match. They were without Jaimie Robertson who was injured at Glasgow and had Adam McKinna at number 7 instead. Glasgow were at full strength again.

The Diamonds could not have got off to a worse start as they conceded a 1-5 to George Stancl and Trent Leverington in heat 1. James Cockle fell on the second bend in heat 2 and was excluded from the rerun in which James Birkinshaw and Adam McKinna took a 5-1 to level the scores with McKinna impressively rounding Adam Roynon on the second bend. Glasgow were back in front again in heat 3 with a 2-4. Stefan Ekberg and Claus Kristensen looked as if they might score the third maximum of the match when they both gated but Phil Morris got through for second place as Lubos Tomicek suffered an engine failure resulting in a 2-4 for the Tigers. It was all square again in heat 4 with a Diamonds 4-2 when James Grieves beat Shane Parker with Adam McKinna taking third place from James Cockle. The score after four heats was therefore 12-12.

Back in front went Glasgow again in heat 5 with another 2-4. James Birkinshaw replaced Phil Morris as George Stancl won again from Lubos Tomicek with Leverington just holding off Birkinshaw’s late challenge. Newcastle continued the pattern by squaring the match in heat 6. Josef Franc beat Shane Parker with Kristian Lund in third place for a 4-2 then James Grieves won heat 7 for a shared heat from Ekberg and Kristensen as Birkinshaw fell at the back to keep the scores level. There was no change in heat 8 either as Kristian Lund beat Trent Leverington. At the back Adam McKinna went too wide on the fourth bend to allow James Cockle through. The score after eight heats was 24-24.

Heat 9 was shared too. Although Lubos Tomicek gated Shane Parker passed him at the end of the second lap. Phil Morris finished third. In heat 10 Claus Kristensen was excluded for delaying the start of the race and was replaced by Adam Roynon. When the race did start Stefan Ekberg pushed Josef Franc wide and the Newcastle rider pulled up. Ekberg was excluded for his efforts and Frank and Lund took a 5-1 to open up a four point gap for the Diamonds at 32-28. James Grieves won heat 11 by passing Stancl on the second lap with Leverington third for another shared heat but Glasgow pulled two points back in heat 12 when Claus Kristensen beat Lubos Tomicek with James Cockle third for a 2-4. The score after 12 heats was 37-35.

James Grieves won heat 13 and looked to be heading for a 5-1 with his partner, Josef Franc. However Shane Parker passed Franc who then had an engine failure while holding third place. This meant that the race was shared and there were still only two points between the teams. Then in heat 14 the match was all square again. Stefan Ekberg and James Cockle led but Phil Morris passed Cockle for the vital second place. The 2-4 for Glasgow tied the scores at 42-42 leaving a last heat decider in heat 15. In the last heat James Grieves and Josef Franc made the gate and were never challenged so the Diamonds took a four point win.


Scorers: For Newcastle – James Grieves 15 (5) (full maximum), Josef Franc 9+1 (5), Kristian Lund 6+1 (4), Lubos Tomicek 6 (4), Phil Morris 5+1 (3), Adam McKinna 3+1 (4), James Birkinshaw 3 (5).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 10 (5), George Stancl 9+1 (4), Stefan Ekberg 8 (5), Trent Leverington 6+2 (4), Claus Kristensen 5+1 (4), James Cockle 3 (5), Adam Roynon 2 (4).



Premier League: Workington 59, Berwick 33 Workington won the bonus point on aggregate by 97-89.


In this match which was seen as one of the key matches in deciding the championship Workington had Magnus Zetterstrom as a guest at number 1 in place of Carl Stonehewer. Berwick were using R/R at number 3 for Tom P Madsen and had Tony Atkin at number 2 as a guest for Scott Smith.

After sharing the opening heat won by Magnus Zetterstrom, Berwick lost two 5-1s and two 4-2s over the next four heats to leave themselves with the proverbial mountain to climb and with the bonus in jeopardy. They had still to provide a race winner but at least they stopped the rot in heat 6 again won by Zetterstrom but with the Bandits taking the minor places for a shared heat. Heat 7 won by James Wright was also shared but Berwick suffered a disaster in heat 8. Carl Wilkinson took a TR but it was the Comets in the shape of Tacey and Piszcz who led from the start. Wilkinson fell on the third lap while third and, although he remounted, Tony Atkin, his partner, was too far ahead to slow down enough to allow Wilkinson through for the extra point. The 5-1 to Workington took the score after eight heats to 32-16 with Berwick’s aggregate lead now down to 2 points.

In heat 9 Workington made it nine race winners from 9 heats but the heat was shared as Makovsky and Schramm followed him home. Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 10 but at the back Pietraszko and Piszcz clashed going into the third lap. Both riders fell and the referee excluded Pietraszko so the heat result was a 4-2 to Workington which wiped out Berwick’s aggregate lead. In heat 11 Adrian Rymel took a TR and things looked good for Berwick when he and Tony Atkin sat on a 1-8 ahead of James Wright. However Rymel hit a rut and James Wright seized the opportunity to pass both Berwick riders for a 3-5 to the visitors. In heat 12 Schramm and Wilkinson were on a 1-5 but Scott Robson passed them both with Piszcz also getting past Wilkinson for a Comets’ 4-2 to tie the aggregate score again. This took the score after twelve heats to 46-28.

Adrian Rymel and Michal Makovsky led heat 13 but James Wright went hard inside Makovsky to move into second place and Zetterstrom followed suit to share the heat. In heat 14 Berwick’s prospects for the bonus point took a nosedive as they lost a 5-1 to Piszcz and Nieminen leaving them four points adrift and needing a 1-5 in the last heat even for a race-off. Although Adrian Rymel led the last race, Kauko Nieminen and Magnus Zetterstrom both passed him for a closing 5-1 to the Comets confirming the bonus point for them.

Scorers: For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Magnus Zetterstrom 12+2 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 12+2 (6), James Wright 11 (4), Scott Robson 7 (4), Shaun Tacey 3 (3), Scott James 1

For Berwick– Adrian Rymel 12 (5) including a 4 point TR, Chris Schramm 7+2 (5), Michal Makovsky 7 (6), Tony Atkin 4+2 (5), Carl Wilkinson 2 (5), Adam Pietraszko 1+1 (4).



Premier League: Exeter 54, Reading 39 Reading won the bonus point on aggregate by 100-86.


Exeter were on the same lines as this morning for this match with R/R at number 3, Kevin Doolan as a guest at number 4 and Mark Thompson at number 6. Reading too tracked the same team with Lee Smart at number 6.

The opening four heats were tight. Mark Lemon won the first heat for a 3-3 then Mathieu Tressarieu did the same in heat 2. Exeter took a 4-2 in heat 3 with Lee Smethills beating Andrew Appleton and Kevin Doolan third then Matej Zagar won heat 4 which was shared which meant that after four heats the score was 13-11.

In heat 5 Reading had their problems as Zdenek Simota had an engine failure and Danny Bird’s bike began to misfire resulting in Kevin Doolan passing him on the last bend. Sebastian Tressarieu also had machine problems but took third place as Exeter doubled their lead to four points with a 4-2. In heat 6 Mark Lemon beat Matej Zagar and Exeter took another 4-2 to stretch their lead to six points. Andrew Appleton won heat 7 to keep it that way but, in heat 8, Ondrasik and Smethills struck with a 5-1 to stretch Exeter’s lead to 10 points. The score after heat 8 was 29-19.

Reading gave Matej Zagar a TR in heat 9 and this resulted in a big 1-8 to Reading when he won the heat and was followed home by his partner, Mathieu Tressarieu from Kevin Doolan to cut the home side’s lead to three points at 30-27. Andrew Appleton won again in heat 10 beating Mark Lemon to share the heat but in heat 11 Danny Bird fell while leading and was struck by Sebastian Tressarieu. Bird was excluded from the rerun which was immaterial since he was on his way to hospital with a damaged elbow. Mathieu Tressarieu followed his brother Sebastian home with Mark Thompson picking up the gift third place for a 4-2 to the home side which put them five points ahead. Andrew Appleton won for the third time in a row in heat 12 but with Mathieu Tressarieu finishing last the heat was shared and the score after 12 heats was 40-35.

Without Danny Bird, Reading were clearly going to struggle trying to pull back the five point deficit. The gap became 7 points in heat 13 when Sebastian Tressarieu beat Matej Zagar with Mark Lemon third for a Falcons’ 4-2 leaving the Racers needing two 5-1s to win. However it was Exeter who took the 5-1 in heat 14 from Doolan and Ondrasik to wrap up the match although the bonus point was long gone. A final heat 5-1 for Exeter from Mark Lemon and Kevin Doolan put a bit more gloss on the score for the Falcons as they won by 15 points.

Scorers: For Exeter – Mark Lemon 12 (5), Kevin Doolan 11+2 (6), Sebastian Tressarieu 11 (5), Pavel Ondrasik 10+2 (6), Lee Smethills 7+2 (5), Mark Thompson 3+2 (3).

For Reading – Matej Zagar 13 (5) including a 6 point TR, Andrew Appleton 12 (5), Mathieu Tressarieu 8+1 (7), Danny Bird 4 (3), Zdenek Simota 1+1 (3), Richard Wolff 1 (3), Lee Smart 0 (4).