Around the Premier League Tracks 2005

[Merlin]

Sunday, 17 April

Well there were four Premier Trophy matches scheduled for today but the weather scuppered three of them. The matches at Newport versus King’s Lynn, Glasgow versus Stokeand Reading versus Exeter were all called off. The only survivor was the match between Newcastle and Edinburgh .

Premier Trophy: Newcastle 48, Edinburgh 41 Edinburgh won the bonus point on aggregate by 94-91


And still the injuries mount. The casualty list at Newcastle is fast becoming legendary. Last night at Stoke they lost Phil Morris to a suspected broken rib and Christian Henry with concussion. They recruited Scott Robson to guest for Morris and used R/R at number two for Henry. The injury bug also hit Edinburgh with Theo Pijper unable to take his place in the team due to a back injury sustained when he thumped the fence at Berwick last night. The Monarchs also used R/R at number two but before the meeting was two races old their young Australian reserve Robert Ksiezak was on his way to hospital with a suspected broken leg after crashing into the fence.
Edinburgh were defending a 10 point lead from the match at Armadale in search of the bonus point.

Edinburgh got off to a good start with a 2-4 in heat 1 thanks to Daniel Nermark and William Lawson. Lawson returning to his former track passed Scott Robson but was taken from the back by Lubos Tomicek. Heat two looked to be unfortunate for Newcastle when Jaimie Robertson failed to meet the two minute time allowance and went from 15 metres back but it was nothing to the misfortune Robert Ksiezak suffered when he lifted on the fourth bend and crashed heavily into the fence. He was taken to hospital with a suspected broken left leg and Edinburgh were down to five riders. It was clear that they would be unable to field two riders in all of the remaining heats. William Lawson won the rerun to maintain Edinburgh’s lead. Rusty Harrison won heat 3 for a shared heat and Newcastle levelled the scores in heat 4 at 12-12 when James Grieves beat William Lawson with Jaimie Robertson third.

Heat 5 was shared and in heat 6 both Robertson and Lawson suffered engine failures as Scott Robson headed an ever slowing Ross Brady home for a 3-2 to put the Diamonds one point ahead. Heat 7 was shared and in heat 8 Edinburgh could only field one rider. Josef Franc won the heat from Rusty Harrison and the 4-2 put Newcastle three points ahead at 25-22.

Newcastle got nearer the bonus point with a 4-2 in heat 9 when Josef Franc beat William Lawson but Edinburgh hit back with a 2-4 in heat 10 from Harrison and Woodward separated by Robson to reduce the Newcastle lead to three points again. In heat 11 Newcastle took another 4-2 from Grieves and Tomicek before Edinburgh ruined their hopes of winning the bonus point by taking a 1-5 from Rusty Harrison and William Lawson from Tomicek and Kristensen. This tightened the scores at 36-35. Edinburgh finally clinched the bonus point by sharing heat 13 won by Grieves and they were still in with a chance of taking more than that trailing by just one point at 39-38.

However a 5-1 to Newcastle from Franc and Tomicek ahead of Woodward ensured a win for the home side who rounded the match off with a 4-2 when James Grieves beat Rusty Harrison with Josef Franc third.

Scorers: For Newcastle – James Grieves 15 (5) full maximum, Josef Franc 15 (6), Lubos Tomicek 8+1 (6), Scott Robson 5 (4), Jaimie Robertson 3+1 (4) and Claus Kristensen 2+1 (4).

For Edinburgh – Rusty Harrison 15 (6), William Lawson 10+1 (7), Daniel Nermark 8+1 (5), Cameron Woodward 4+2 (5), Ross Brady 4 (4), Robert Ksiezak 0 (1) and Andrew Tully (number 8) 0 (1).

[Merlin]

Monday, 18 April

With Reading scheduled to race last night (but rained off) the only Premier Trophy action tonight was at Exeter where the Falcons were at home to Reading


Premier Trophy: Exeter 55, Reading 40


Exeter were without Jernej Kolenko who, it seems, has gone home so they used R/R at number three. Reading, having redeclared their team, had new signing, Zdenek Simota, at number three with Andrew Appleton moving to number one so were at full strength.

The teams exchanged 4-2s in the opening two heats then Exeter hit the front with a 4-2 in heat 3 to lead 10-8. Zdenek Simota took second place in his first ever ride for Reading but it was Toni Svab who won the heat with Lee Smethills in third place. Matej Zagar won heat 4 but Mathieu Tressarieu fell so the heat was shared. The score after the first four heats was 13-11.

Zagar apart, Reading were finding it hard to produce race winners and Exeter took a 4-2 in heat 6, when Matej Zagar suffered his one and only defeat of the match finishing second to Mark Lemon, then a 5-1 in heat 8 from Smethills and Simmons who beat Chris Mills into third place. In this heat Tressarieu fell and Nick Simmons ran into him. The Reading rider suffered concussion and withdrew from the meeting. This heat win put the Falcons eight ahead and after another Zagar win in heat 9 Exeter struck with a 5-1 in heat 10 from Lemon and Smethills stretching the lead to 12 points at 36-24.

In heat 11 Reading gave Andrew Appleton a TR and he finished second to Seemond Stephens with Nick Simmons third for a 4-4. Another 5-1 to Exeter in heat 12 from Svab and Ondrasik put Exeter 16 ahead before Reading played their second TR card giving the ride to Matej Zagar in heat 13. Zagar obliged with another win and this time he received some support from Andrew Appleton in third place for a 2-7 which reduced the gap to nine points at 47-36. Exeter responded with another 5-1 from Svab and Simmons before Zagar rounded things off by winning heat 15 for a share of the points to leave Reading with a 15 point deficit to pull back in the return match for the bonus point.

Scorers: For Exeter – Toni Svab 13+1 (5), Seemond Stephens 13+1 (6), Mark Lemon 11 (5), Lee Smethills 8+1 (5), Nick Simmons 7+2 (6) and Pavel Ondrasik 3+2 (5)

For Reading – Matej Zagar 17 (5) including a 6 point TR, Andrew Appleton 9 (5) including a 4 point TR, Zdenek Simota 4+1 (4), Richard Wolff 4 (4), Mathieu Tressarieu 3 (3), Chris Mills 2+1 (4) and Chris Johnson 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 19 April

The only meeting tonight was, as usual, a Premier Trophy match on the Isle of Wight where the home side met Reading .

Premier Trophy: Isle of Wight 51, Reading 39The Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 98-85

Both teams went into this match with injury problems. The Isle of Wight were not only without Jason Bunyan, for whom they used R/R at number 5, but also had Steen Jensen out injured. At number seven they had Conference League rider, Danny Warwick, curiously enough a Reading asset. However Reading were even worse off! Mathieu Tressarieu was absent as a result of the injuries he sustained at Exeter last night so they had Daniel Giffard at number seven. To add to their troubles their new signing, Zdenek Simota, had to travel back to the Czech Republic for a meeting and the Racers had to use a Conference League guest, Tom Brown, at number three in his stead. Reading lost at home to the Isle of Wight by 46-47 in the match during which Danny Bird broke his leg so their task tonight seemed pretty hopeless!

The Islanders started off with a 4-2 from Boyce and Hauzinger with Appleton taking second place then there were two shared heats with wins for Jason Doyle and Richard Wolff. Craig Boyce then took a Rider Replacement ride for Jason Bunyan and beat Matej Zagar. With Warwick beating Giffard in the battle of the Daniels the Isle of Wight stretched their lead to four points to make the score 14-10. They got a rude awakening in heat 5 though!

Krister Marsh retired from the race and Andrew Appleton and Chris Mills took a 1-5 ahead of Ulrich Ostergaard to level the match at 15-15. Matej Zagar won heat 6, beating Craig Boyce in the process, to keep the match all square but Krister Marsh and Jason Doyle took a 5-1 in heat 7 to put the Islanders back in front at 23-19. Heat 8 was shared so the score was now 26-22. Another Zagar win in heat 9 resulted in another shared heat but the home side went further ahead in heat 10 with a 5-1 from Manuel Hauzinger and Craig Boyce ahead of Richard Wolff to take the score to 34-26 before the interval.

After the interval Andrew Appleton won heat 11 for a share of the spoils. Then Richard Wolff did likewise in heat 12 as Reading continued to make a match of it. The Isle of Wight struck a decisive blow in heat 13, however, when Craig Boyce and Ulrich Ostergaard took a 5-1 ahead of top Reading pair Matej Zagar and Andrew Appleton to put the match out of their reach at 45-33 with just two heats to go. With nothing to aim at Reading chose not to use the tactical options and lost a 5-1 in heat 14, too, to Ostergaard and Doyle. In the final heat Reading got some revenge by taking a 1-5 of their own from Appleton and Zagar ahead of Craig Boyce.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Craig Boyce 14+1 (6), Manuel Hauzinger 10+1 (5), Jason Doyle 9+4 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 9+2 (5), Ktister Marsh 8+1 (6), Danny Warwick 1 (3).

For Reading – Matej Zagar 11+1 (5), Andrew Appleton 11 (5), Richard Wolff 8 (4), Chris Mills 4+1 (4), Chris Johnson 4+1 (6), Daniel Giffard 1+1 (3) Tom Brown 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 20 April

Two Premier Trophy matches took place tonight. In the southern section King’s Lynn were at home to the Isle of Wight while, in the northern section, Hull faced Workington .


Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 57, Isle of Wight 36 King’s Lynn took the bonus point on aggregate by 96-90.


King’s Lynn . were looking to pull back 15 points to take the bonus. They had George Stancl guesting for Oliver Allen at number five and Darren Mallett for Jan Jaros at number six . The Isle of Wight used Rider Replacement for Jason Bunyan at number five and had Luke Bowen at number seven for Steen Jensen.

Two heat wins for Craig Boyce in heats one and four, the latter as R/R, were the Isle of Wight’s contribution to the first four heats as the Stars took all the other points with two 5-1s and two shared heats to make the score 16-8.

Adam Allott beat Craig Boyce in heat 5 but the heat was shared when Kevin Doolan suffered an engine failure. Normal service was resumed in heat 6 with another King’s Lynn 5-1 from Tomas Topinka and James Brundle. With the score now 24-12, the Islanders gave Ulrich Ostergaard a TR in heat 7 but he blew it by falling and being excluded so King’s Lynn took a 4-2 from Stancl and Mallett with Krister Marsh taking second place. The Islanders then tried a bold move giving Craig Boyce a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8 replacing Luke Bowen. He got up into second place but couldn’t catch James Brundle so the heat was shared 4-4 and the score was 32-18.

Adam Allott and Kevin Doolan produced another 5-1 in heat 9 and King’s Lynn were finally ahead on aggregate with the bonus point looking like a forlorn hope for the visitors. Another 4-2 for the Stars in heat 10 from Topinka and Brundle with Ostergaard second took the score to 41-21 and King’s Lynn had built up a 5 point aggregate lead. Craig Boyce stopped the rot by passing George Stancl to win heat 12 for a share of the points then the Isle of Wight gave Krister Marsh a TR in heat 12. However he could only finish behind Ashley Jones and Kevin Doolan so the Stars took a 5-2. Tomas Topinka won heat 13 by beating Craig Boyce. With George Stancl third another 4-2 went to the Stars. Adam Allott registered his fourth heat win in heat 14 for a shared heat then, in heat 15, the Isle of Wight had a consolation 1-5 from Craig Boyce and Ulrich Ostergaard from Kevin Doolan and Adam Allott, with Allott not for the first time losing out on his maximum with a last heat disappointment.


Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Adam Allott 12 (5), Tomas Topinka 11 (4), George Stancl 8 (4), Kevin Doolan 7+3 (5), Ashley Jones 7+2 (4), James Brundle 7+2 (4) and Darren Mallett 5+1 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Craig Boyce 20 (7) including a 4 point TR, Ulrich Ostergaard 7+1 (6), Krister Marsh 6 (5) including a 2 point TR, Luke Bowen 2+1 (3), Manuel Hauzinger 1+1 (4) and Jason Doyle 0 (5).



Premier Trophy: Hull 51, Workington 39 Workington took the bonus point on aggregate by 95-87

In this match Hull were faced with the daunting task of trying to pull back the 20 points by which they lost at Workington . The Vikings had Tommy Allen at number six in place of Joel Parsons while the Comets had Scott Courtney at number six in place of Tony Dart who, sadly, has had to retire from speedway due to a leg injury.

Hull could not have got off to a better start when Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez took a 5-1 in the opening heat from Carl Stonehewer. Heat 2, won by Craig Branney, was shared but Workington got two points back with a 2-4 in heat 3 won by Kauko Nieminen from Emil Kramer with Scott Robson third. In heat 4, however, Garry Stead and Craig Branney scored a 5-1 ahead of Shaun Tacey and Hull had a six point lead at 15-9.

Back came Workington in heat 5 with a 1-5 from Carl Stonehewer and Kevin Little to close to within two points again but Hull responded with a 5-1 from Thorp and Sanchez from Shaun Tacey to go six points ahead again. The next six heats were all shared with six different race winners: Garry Stead, Emiliano Sanchez, Shaun Tacey, Kauko Nieminen, Carl Stonehewer and Scott Robson so there were still six points between the teams after heat 12 when the scores were 39-33.

Hull struck again though in heat 13 with a 4-2 when Paul Thorp beat Carl Stonehewer with Garry Stead in third place. This put the Vikings eight up at 43-35 with just two heats to go. Kauko Nieminen won heat 14 but the shared heat confirmed a Hull win. In heat 15 Carl Stonehewer fell and Hull took a 5-1 from Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez from Kauko Nieminen for a 12 point win – not enough for the bonus.

Scorers: For Hull – Paul Thorp 13+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 11+3 (5), Craig Branney 9+1 (5), Garry Stead 9 (4), Emil Kramer 5 (4), Lee Dicken 3+2 (4) and Tommy Allen 1+1 (3).

For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 11+1 (5), Carl Stonehewer 9 (5), Scott Robson, 6 (4), Shaun Tacey 5 (4), Kevin Little 4+1 (4), James Wright 3+1 (5) and Scott Courtney 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 21 April

As is usual for a Thursday night tonight’s action was at Sheffield where the Tigers were at home to Newcastle in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Sheffield 58, Newcastle 38 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-86


Sheffield were at full strength for this match and were looking to pull back a seven point deficit they incurred at Newcastle . The Diamonds were without Phil Morris and had Robbie Kessler as a guest at number one. Christian Henry had recovered and took his place at number two but Lubos Tomicek was also out with injury and Newcastle had Ritchie Dennis in his place at number six.

It didn’t take Sheffield long to wipe out Newcastle’s first leg lead. An opening heat 4-2 to the Tigers when Robbie Kessler finished second to Sean Wilson and a shared heat 2 were followed by two 5-1s from Richard Hall and Ricky Ashworth from Claus Kristensen and then from Kyle Legault and Andre Compton who beat James Grieves. The score after heat 4 was 17-7 and already Sheffield had a three point aggregate lead.

In heat 5, though, Newcastle quickly gave a TR to Robbie Kessler and he obliged by winning the heat from the Hall/Ashworth pairing for a 3-6 to pull the lead back at 20-13 and tie up the aggregate scores again. Sheffield followed this with three 4-2s before adding another two 5-1s in heat 9 from Ashworth and Hall and then heat 10 from the two Wilsons to put the Tigers 42-21 ahead and kill off Newcastle’s hopes of taking anything from the match.

In Heat 11 Christian Henry burst the tapes and was replaced by Jaimie Robertson then Andre Compton fell and was excluded from the rerun. In the rerun Robbie Kessler took his second race win of the night from Paul Cooper and, with Jaimie Robertson an unchallenged third, Newcastle won the heat 2-4 to pull back to 44-25. However, Sheffield scored another 5-1 in heat 12 from Hall and Legault from Kristensen to move the score to 49-26.

There was some respite for the Diamonds when Andre Compton suffered an engine failure in heat 13. Although Sean Wilson won the heat he was followed home by Robbie Kessler and James Grieves for a shared heat. Heat 14 was even better for the Diamonds. Josef Franc took a TR and Ricky Ashworth had an engine failure. Franc won the heat and, with Jaimie Robertson picking up another unchallenged point, the heat resulted in a 2-7 to put a better complexion on the score at 54-36. A final heat 4-2 to Sheffield resulted when Sean Wilson beat Robbie Kessler with Richard Hall in third place.


Scorers: For the Sheffield – Sean Wilson 14+1 (5) paid maximum, Richard Hall 10+2 (5), Kyle Legault 9+1 (4), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7+1 (4), Andre Compton 5+1 (4) and Paul Cooper 5 (4).

For Newcastle – Robbie Kessler 15 (5) including a 6 point TR, Josef Franc 9 (5) including a 6 point TR, Jaimie Robertson 6 (5), James Grieves 4+1 (4), Ritchie Dennis 2+1 (4), Claus Kristensen 2 (4) and Christian Henry 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 22 April

Two Premier Trophy matches were due to be raced tonight. In the northern section Edinburgh were at home to Stoke but, in the southern section, the match between Somerset [/color] and Newport fell victim to the weather.


Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 53, Stoke 43 .


With two track experts facing them this was supposed to be a tough match for Edinburgh where Stoke came visiting with more hope than usual. Monarchs had Joachim Kugelmann as a guest replacement for the injured Robert Ksiezak but otherwise were at full strength. Stoke had James Grieves at number one for Jan Staechmann and Peter Carr at number four making his return to the scene of his former glories.

Edinburgh made short work of the opening heat when Theo Pijper and Daniel Nermark got the drop on James Grieves for a 5-1 start. Grieves pulled out on the third lap but the Monarchs pair were gone by then. Another 5-1 followed in heat 2 from William Lawson and very impressive guest, Joachim Kugelmann, before Stoke stopped the rot when Robbie Kessler made the first of a series of lightning starts. Peter Carr had one of his impressive second bend cut-backs to pass the Monarchs’ pair but by lap four he had been passed by Rusty Harrison and Cameron Woodward before falling off on the third bend. Another 5-1 came Monarchs’ way in heat 4 when Joachim Kugelmann had a comfortable win from Ross Brady and Alan Mogridge. The score after heat 4 was 18-6 and a rout was on the cards.

However, James Grieves took a TR in heat 5 and held on to beat the ever pressing Harrison. At the back Paul Clews took third place from Cameron Woodward for a 2-7 to pull the score back to 20-13. The Pijper/Nermark pairing had a comfortable 5-1 in heat 6 to open up an 11 point lead so Stoke then gave a TR to Robbie Kessler. Another fast start from Kessler resulted in another 6 pointer and, with Peter Carr passing Ross Brady for second place, Stoke took a big 1-8 and were only four points in arrears at 26-22.

Edinburgh then took a string of three 4-2s to open up a 10 point lead at 38-28 and all the remaining five heats were shared. The pick of these heats were, firstly, heat 10 when Theo Pijper ended Robbie Kessler’s winning streak while Daniel Nermark made absolutely sure that Peter Carr was not making any inside line pass. Then, in heat 12, Rusty Harrison and Robbie Kessler had an excellent battle for the lead which ended with Kessler taking a wide outside sweep off the last bend to win the heat. Finally, in heat 13, there was a magnificent race between James Grieves and Daniel Nermark with the Edinburgh rider eventually forcing his way past Grieves for the heat win. But with two non-scoring reserves all that Stoke could really hope for was damage limitation which they did quite successfully. Special mention must be made to Joachim Kugelmann who was a transformed rider from the one who appeared in Berwick’s colours just two weeks ago. His contribution to the Edinburgh total was crucial.


Scorers: For Edinburgh – Theo Pijper 13+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 10+2 (5), Rusty Harrison 9 (4), Joachim Kugelmann 7+2 (4), William Lawson 6+1 (4), Ross Brady 5+1 (4) and Cameron Woodward 3+2.

For Stoke – James Grieves 14 (5) including a 6 point TR, Robbie Kessler 14 (5) including a 6 point TR, Peter Carr 5+1 (4), Alan Mogridge 5+1 (4), Paul Clews 4 (4), Rob Grant 1 (4) and Barrie Evans 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 23 April

A busy programme of meetings tonight met no resistance from the weather for a change. Three of the meetings were in the northern section – at Stoke (versus Glasgow ), Berwick (versus Hull ) and Workington (versus Sheffield). In the southern section the remaining match was at Rye House where King’s Lynn were the visitors..


Premier Trophy: Stoke 45, Glasgow 45


It always looked like being a close call in this match at Stoke where Glasgow came visiting. After all the ups and downs perhaps a draw was a fair result but Glasgow will be wondering whether to laugh or cry at this result. Stoke recruited Rusty Harrison as their guest for Jan Staechmann but otherwise their redeclared team was at full strength. Glasgow, too, were at full strength.

It all started with a couple of shared heats thanks to wins from George Stancl and James Cockle before Stoke drew first blood with a 5- 1 in heat 3 from Robbie Kessler and Peter Carr for a four point lead. Back came Glasgow with a 2-4 when Shane Parker inflicted the only defeat of the night on Alan Mogridge with James Cockle third to make the score 13-11 at the end of heat 4. Then Stoke were in for a real shock.

In heat 5, the top Stoke pairing of Kessler and Carr found themselves on the wrong end of a Glasgow 1-5 from Matthew Wethers and George Stancl as the Tigers stormed into the lead by 14-16. Shane Parker kept them in front by winning heat 6 but Stoke levelled the scores with a 4-2 from Mogridge and Grant in heat 7 at 21-21. They weren’t level for long as Glasgow punched home another 1-5 this time from Matthew Wethers and James Cockle from Barrie Evans for a 22-26 lead in heat 8.

Shane Parker won for the third time in heat 9 but in heat 10 Stoke levelled again thanks to a 5-1 from Rusty Harrison and Paul Clews from Paul Bentley. Alan Mogridge won heat 11 for a share of the points but Glasgow struck yet again with a 1-5 in heat 12 thanks to James Cockle and James Birkinshaw and Stoke were toiling again at 34-38 dreading Glasgow’s big heat 13/15 finish.

It was Glasgow’s turn to be shocked in a brilliant heat 13 when Alan Mogridge beat George Stancl with Rusty Harrison relegating the previously unbeaten Shane Parker to last place. This 4-2 took the score to 38-40. In heat 14 Peter Carr fell as the two Tigers were on a match-winning 1-5. The race was rerun and this time Tigers took a 2-4 from Paul Bentley and James Cockle to put them four points ahead at 40-44 with one heat to go.

It would have been a brave man who put money on Stoke pulling this one out of the fire with George Stancl and Shane Parker out for Glasgow. However, it was Alan Mogridge and Rusty Harrison who hit the front and held off Shane Parker for the 5-1 Stoke needed to salvage a point from the match.

Scorers: For Stoke – Alan Mogridge 14 (5), Rusty Harrison 9+2 (5), Paul Clews 5+2 (4), Robbie Kessler 5+1 (4), Rob Grant 5 (4), Peter Carr 4+1 (4) and Barrie Evans 3+1 (4)

For Glasgow – James Cockle 10+1 (5), Shane Parker 10 (5), George Stancl 8+2 (5), Matthew Wethers 8 (5), Paul Bentley 6 (4), James Birkenshaw 3+1 (4) and Trent Leverington 0 (3).


Premier Trophy: Berwick 57, Hull 37 Berwick took the bonus point on aggregate by 99-91


Berwick faced Hull looking to pull back a 12 point deficit from the match at Hull. They had new signing, Scott Smith, at number three and had to use Rider Replacement for Piotr Dym who had to return to Poland for a league match there. Hull had Jamie Robertson at number seven as a guest for the injured Joel Parsons.

Hull were pulverised by the early Berwick onslaught. By heat 6 the Bandits had hit them with three 5-1s, one 5-2 (when Garry Stead took a TR and finished third) and a 4-2 with Hull’s only reply a 2-4 in heat 3. By this stage the Bandits led 26-11and already had a three point lead on aggregate for the bonus point.

Hull took a 3-6 in heat 7 when Emil Kramer won while on a TR but Berwick added another 4-2 in heat 8 and then a 5-1 in heat 10 to wrap up all three points. Paul Thorp won heat 11 for a shared heat so tried his luck as a Tactical Substitute in heat 12 from 15 metres back. However, although Jaimie Robertson did his bit by winning the heat, Paul Thorp finished last to scupper the Vikings hopes of a bonus point come-back.

A Berwick 4-2 in heat 13 kept Adrian Rymel’s paid maximum hopes alive and it looked a formality when he led heat 15 only for him to fall and ruin his chances.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adam Pietraszko 14+2 (6), Adrian Rymel 14+1 (6), Michal Makovsky 9+3 (5), Joachim Kugelmann 7+1 (4), Scott Smith 7 (4) and Chris Schramm 6+2 (5).

For Hull – Emil Kramer 11+1 (4) including a 6 point TR, Garry Stead 11 (5) including a 2 point TR, Jaimie Robertson 8+1 (6), Paul Thorp 3 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 2 (4), Lee Dicken 1 (3) and Craig Branney 1 (3).


Premier Trophy: Workington 55, Sheffield 42


Workington faced Sheffield tonight without their high scoring reserve, James Wright. In his place they had Newport’s Tony Atkin as a guest and they fielded Jonathan Bethell at number six in place of Scott Courtney. Sheffield were at full strength.

It must be a long time since there were three Tactical Rides in the one match. But that’s what happened in this match with one to Workington and two to Sheffield!

Sean Wilson won the opening heat and a 1-5 by the Sheffield reserves put the Tigers four points up. They hit another 1-5 in heat 3 from Richard Hall and Ricky Ashworth from Kauko Nieminen and Scott Robson to go eight points ahead before Shaun Tacey stopped the rot by winning heat 4 for a shared heat. The score after heat 4 was 8-16.

When Sean Wilson won heat five from Nieminen and Ben Wilson beat Scott Robson Workington must have been wondering what had hit them as they trailed 10-20. However they stormed back in heat 6 when Carl Stonehewer took a TR and won the heat with Kevin Little backing him up in second place for a big 8-1 to make the score 18-21. Two heats later the Comets were in front with a 5-1 from Tony Atkin and Kevin Little to make the score 26-25. Over the next five heats the Comets added another 5-1, a 5-2 (when Richard hall took a TR and finished third) and three 4-2s to lead 48-34 after 13 heats.

In heat 14 Ricky Ashworth took a TR and won the race with Kyle Legault third for a 2-7 to pull the score back to 50-41 but a last heat 5-1 to Workington from Stonehewer and Tacey might just put the bonus point outwith Sheffield’s reach when the two teams meet later in the month.

Scorers: For Workington – Carl Stonehewer 17 (5) including a 6 point TR, Shaun Tacey 12+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 8 (4), Tony Atkin 7+1 (5), Kevin Little 6+3 (4), Scott Robson 5+1 (4) and Jonathan Bethell 0 (3).

For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5) including a 6 point TR, Sean Wilson 9 (5), Richard hall 6+1 (4) including a 2 point TR, Kyle Legault 5+1 (4), Ben Wilson 4 (4), Paul Cooper 4 (4) and Andre Compton 2+1 (4).


Premier Trophy: Rye House 59, King’s Lynn 34


Rye House were at full strength for their match against King’s Lynn . The Stars, however, had Tom P Madsen at number five as a guest for Oliver Allen and Daniel Giffard likewise for Jan Jaros at number seven.

Two 5-1s and two shared heats saw the Rockets take an early eight point lead by heat 4 at 16-8. A 4-2 in heat 5 from Chris Neath and Tommy Allen with Tomas Topinka second increased the home side’s lead to 10 points. Then a second 5-1 from the unbeaten Robson/Kennett pairing took it to 14 at 25-11 in heat 6 and it continued to be one-way traffic all the way for the Rockets after that. The Stars managed only three race winners all night and look to have little chance of the bonus point when the return match is staged next Wednesday.

The main talking point of the meeting was the ‘unpleasantness’ in heat 9 when Chris Neath wiped out Tom P Madsen while coming from the back. Madsen ended up on the other side of the fence and the two riders exchanged ‘words’. Indeed it was more than words as Chris Neath allegedly struck Madsen with the Stars guest ending up needing medical attention having suffered from concussion (presumably from the accident). Madsen took no further part in the match.

Scorers: For Rye House – Stuart Robson 13+2 (5) paid maximum, Edward Kennett 13+2 (5) paid maximum, Chris Neath 9 (4), Danny King 8+1 (4), Brent Werner 7+2 (4), Steve Boxall 6 (4) and Tommy Allen 3+1 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 10+1 (6) including a 2 point GDTS from 15 metres, Tomas Topinka 10 (5) including a 4 point TR, Ashley Jones 7+1 (5), Daniel Giffard 3+2 (4), Tom Madsen 3 (2) including a 2 point TR, Adam Allott 1+1 (4) and James Brundle 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 24 April

Three Premier Trophy matches were raced today. First up was the match at Newport where Somerset were the visitors (again?). Next was the local derby at Glasgow against Edinburgh. The last match to ‘kick-off’ was at Newcastle who entertained Hull .


Premier Trophy: Newport 55, Somerset 36


There seem to be no end of matches scheduled between Newportand Somerset. This time the weather didn’t put the match off and both teams were at full strength.

Somerset took an early lead with an opening heat 2-4 but after a shared heat 2 Newport took a 5-1 in heat 3 from Korneliussen and Collins from Paul Fry and another in heat 4 from Craig Watson and Karlis Ezergailis to lead 15-9 after four heats.

The next two heats were shared but a 5-1 from Craig Watson and Tony Atkin from Hawkins and Fry followed by another from Lund and Ezergailis put the Wasps 14 points ahead at 31-17 after heat 8. In heat 9 Somerset gave a TR to Glenn Cunningham but he fared no better than his team mates in the previous two heats finishing third to Mads Korneliussen and Neil Collins as the Wasps cruised to a 36-19 lead. They continued to build on the lead by taking three consecutive 4-2s in heats 10, 11 and 12 with Craig Watson inflicting the only defeat of the match on Magnus Zetterstrom in heat 11. This took the score to 48-25.

Heats 13 and 14 were shared with Magnus Zetterstrom beating Craig Watson in heat 13 but the Rebels took some consolation from heat 15 with a 1-5 from Zetterstrom and Cunningham. This heat was marred by a crash between Craig Watson and Mads Korneliussen when Watson’s machine reared on the back straight causing Korneliussen to run into him. Craig Watson was excluded from the rerun and Karlis Ezergailis replaced Mads Korneliussen.

Scorers: For Newport – Mads Korneliussen 11 (5), Craig Watson 11 (5), Karlis Ezergailis 7+3 (5), Neil Collins 7+3, Kristian Lund 7+1 (4), Tony Atkin 6+2 (4), Michael Coles 6+1 (4),

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14 (5), Glenn Cunningham 8+1 (5) including a 2 point TR, Ritchie Hawkins 5 (4), Paul Fry 4 (4), Jason King 4 (5), Jamie Smith 1 (3) and Lee Smart 0 (4).


Premier Trophy: Glasgow 46, Edinburgh 46


This was a brilliant match from start to finish with all sorts of twists and turns. Any neutral attending for the first time couldn’t fail to be impressed by one of the best local derbies for a long time. There were many talking points such as – when was the last time a home side used a Tactical Substitute as early as heat 6 and - has anyone else scored a 20 point paid maximum (no, not 21, but 20)? Glasgow were returning home from an excellent point gained at Stoke last night and were at full strength. Edinburgh were again without Robert Ksiezak and had Joachim Kugelmann at number 7 as a guest.

George Stancl took the opening heat for a share of the points but Glasgow had a disastrous heat 2 when James Cockle was passed by William Lawson before falling off right in Trent Leverington’s path allowing Joachim Kugelmann through for an Edinburgh 1-5. Rusty Harrison won heat 3 with Paul Bentley desperately holding off Cameron Woodward for second place. While this was going on James Birkinshaw at the back came a cropper when he lost control on the second bend and crashed heavily which caused him to withdraw from the meeting with broken toes and other injuries. The 2-4 put Edinburgh six points in front but Shane Parker passed Ross Brady in heat 4 with Leverington third for a Glasgow 4-2. The score after four heats was 10-14.

In heat 5 Edinburgh doubled their lead with a comfortable 1-5 from Theo Pijper and Daniel Nermark from Paul Bentley to go 11-19 ahead. In heat 6, Glasgow immediately withdrew Matthew Wethers and gave Shane Parker a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back to join George Stancl in the heat. Although Stancl was quickly in front, Ross Brady kept Shane Parker at bay until the very last bend when the Glasgow man forced his way past on the inside. There wasn’t enough time though for Parker to get to the front so Glasgow had to make do with a 7-1. This brought the score back to 18-20.

The next three heats were shared before Glasgow drew level in heat 10. This was a fabulous race between George Stancl and Rusty Harrison with the two riders passing and repassing each other. It was Stancl who just took the verdict and with Matthew Wethers just holding off Cameron Woodward at the back Glasgow took a 4-2 and the score was 31-31. Shane Parker won heat 11 for a shared race but Edinburgh were back in front with another 1-5 in heat 12 from Rusty Harrison and William Lawson. This race was awarded when Trent Leverington and James Cockle fell at the back on the third lap and the score went to 35-39. Still Glasgow had the big Stancl/Parker finish to come in heats 13 and 15.

It didn’t happen in heat 13 when George Stancl had an engine failure on the last bend just when it looked as though Glasgow had a 5-1 in the bag. However, Trent Leverington kept their hopes alive by jetting from the gate for a win in heat 14 but Cameron Woodward and William Lawson kept Paul Bentley at the back and Glasgow needed a 5-1 for the draw.

And they got it! But what an awesome race this was. Stancl and Parker made the start and got together on the second bend with Rusty Harrison right on their tails. We then had some brilliant team riding as the Glasgow pair gave the faster Harrison simply nowhere to go to get past. For four laps you could have thrown a blanket over the three of them and Theo Pijper was just behind waiting for any mistake. That’s the way it finished and Glasgow drew level in a match which was a credit to the sport. There was even a nice touch at the end when the riders came round for a ‘victory lap’ with two riders to each bike – one from Glasgow and one from Edinburgh. Speedway was the real winner!

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 18+2 (6) including a 4 point GDTS from 15 metres back, paid maximum, George Stancl 12 (5), Trent Leverington 9 (6), Paul Bentley 4+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 2+1 (3), James Cockle 1 (5) and James Birkinshaw 0 (1).

For Edinburgh – Rusty Harrison 11 (5), Theo Pijper 9+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 7+2 (4), Ross Brady 7+1 (4), William Lawson 6+2 (5), Cameron Woodward 4+1 (4) and Joachim Kugelmann 2+1 (3).


Premier Trophy: Newcastle 51, Hull 42 Hull won the bonus point on aggregate by 101-87.


Newcastle went into this match facing a 23 point deficit for the bonus point and were at full strength with Phil Morris back in the side. Hull had Ben Wilson at number 7 in place of Joel Parsons.

Things didn’t go too well for Newcastle at the start of this match. After Phil Morris had won the opening heat for a shared heat, Hull took a 1-5 from Craig Branney and guest Ben Wilson in heat 2. Josef Franc and Claus Kristensen levelled again with a 5-1 in front of Lee Dicken in heat 3 before James Grieves won heat 4 for another shared heat. The score was now 12-12.

Heat 5 was shared as Josef Franc took his second race win then Newcastle finally got their noses in front with a 5-1 from Christian Henry and Phil Morris from Garry Stead followed by another from James Grieves and Lubos Tomicek from Lee Dicken to take the score to 25-17.

In heat 8 Hull gave Emiliano Sanchez a TR which he duly won from Christian Henry. With Ben Wilson third Hull scored a 7-2 to pull back to 27-24 and the bonus point was beginning to look a forlorn hope as Newcastle set out to secure the match win. Heat 9 saw them increase their lead with a 4-2 from Franc and Kristensen with Phil Morris winning heat 10 for a shared heat to take the score to 34-29. Sanchez then stopped James Grieves’ winning run in heat 11. In heat 12 Craig Branney beat Claus Kristensen and the score was now 39-36. In heat 13 Grieves and Morris eased Newcastle five points in front with Paul Thorp taking second place to take the score to 43-38.

In heat 14 Josef Franc and Lubos Tomicek sealed the win for Newcastle with a 5-1 to put the Diamonds 48-39 ahead with one heat to go. Emiliano Sanchez rounded off a fine evening for himself by beating James Grieves again in heat 15 and spoiling Josef Franc’s maximum hopes with Franc finishing in third spot.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 13+1 (5), James Grieves 13 (5), Phil Morris 9+1 (4), Lubos Tomicek 5+2 (4), Claus Kristensen 5+1 (4), Christian Henry 5 (4) and Jaimie Robertson 1 (4)

For Hull – Emiliano Sanchez 16 (5) including a 6 point TR, Craig Branney 9+1 (6), Paul Thorp 5+2 (5), Ben Wilson 3+1 (3), Lee Dicken 3 (3), Emil Kramer 3 (4) and Garry Stead 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 27 April

After the postponements of the matches at Reading and Exeter on Monday and the Isle of Wight last night it was back to Premier Trophy action tonight. Two matches were raced - Hull were at home to local rivals Sheffield and King’s Lynn took on their local rivals Rye House.

Premier Trophy: Hull 47, Sheffield 45


After looking to have this match in the bag Hull came perilously close to losing it as Sheffield stormed back in the closing heats. Hull had Lubos Tomicek as a guest at reserve for Joel Parsons while Sheffield had James Cockle also as a guest for the injured Kyle Legault.

Hull got off to a cracking start in this match with a 5-1 in the opening heat from Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez. Paul Cooper won heat 2 for Sheffield to keep the gap at four points and Richard Hall did likewise in heat 3. A 4-2 in heat 4 from Garry Stead who beat Andre Compton with Lubos Tomicek third put the Vikings six ahead at 15-9.

In heat 5 Hull produced a real hammer blow to Sheffield’s hopes when Emil Kramer and Lee Dicken beat the two Wilsons for a 5-1 which put them 10 ahead at 20-10. Another 5-1 followed from Thorp and Sanchez again and Hull were 25-11 ahead and threatening to run riot. Two shared heats followed to take the score to 31-17 after heat 8.

Sheffield hit back with a 1-5 in heat 9 from Paul Cooper and Andre Compton from Emil Kramer to pull back to 32-22 but the Thorp/Sanchez pairing took their third 5-1 success in heat 10 to stretch the Hull lead to 14 points at 37-23. Garry Stead won heat 11 for a shared heat but Sheffield looked down and out looking at a 14 point deficit with only four heats to go. What a shock they gave Hull though over the next three heats!

In heat 12 Paul Cooper won heat 12 and was followed home by his partner, Richard Hall, who was on a TR for a 1-7 to Sheffield. This brought the score back to 41-33. Then in heat 13 Sean Wilson beat Garry Stead with Andre Compton third from Paul Thorp and the gap was down to six points at 43-37. Worse was to follow for Hull as Ricky Ashworth and Paul Cooper then slammed in another 1-5 in heat 14 and suddenly it was all to play for with Hull leading by just two points at 44-42 going into the final heat. Sean Wilson won the heat for Sheffield but Emiliano Sancheza and Garry Stead kept Richard Hall at the back for a nerve wracking 3-3 which meant that Hull had just held on for the win.

Scorers: For Hull – Garry Stead 12+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 11+3 (5), Paul Thorp 9 (4), Emil Kramer 6+1 (4), Lee Dicken 4+1 (3), Lubos Tomicek 3 (5) and Craig Branney 2+1 (3).

For Sheffield – Paul Cooper 11+1 (5), Richard Hall 10+1 (5) including a 4 point TR, Sean Wilson 9 (5), Andre Compton 6+1 (4), Ben Wilson 4+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 4+1 (4) and James Cockle 1+1 (3).



Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 52, Rye House 41 Rye House won the bonus point on aggregate by 100-86


There was little real prospect of King’s Lynn pulling back a 25 point deficit to challenge for the bonus point in this match. In fact it was expected that the on-form Rye House side would push them all the way. King’s Lynn had Davey Watt as a guest for the injured Oliver Allen while Rye House had Mathieu Tressarieu as a guest at reserve for Steve Boxall also out injured.

The teams exchanged 5-1s in heats 1 and 2 and shared heat 3 when Chris Neath beat the powerful Doolan/Allott pairing. A heat four 4-2 for the Stars from Davey Watt and Ashley Jones got the Stars noses in front again with the score after 4 heats 13-11.

Then King’s Lynn took a giant step forward with two consecutive 5-1s, firstly, from Allott and Doolan after Stuart Robson had fallen, then from Topinka and Brundle to surge ten points ahead at 23-13. There was no TR in heat 7 won by Chris Neath for Rye House for a shared heat but there was in heat 8, Daniel King taking the ride. With Jones falling in the first running of the heat and being excluded, King scored the full six points in the rerun and the 2-7 to the Rockets clawed them back to 28-23. The Rockets’ guest, Mathieu Tressarieu, won heat 9 from Doolan and Allott to keep the gap at 5 points but King’s Lynn stretched it to seven points with a 4-2 in heat 10 from Topinka and Brundle, Topinka lowering Chris Neath’s colours for the first time in the match.

Back came Rye House with a heat 11 2-4 from Neath and Tressarieu to get within five points again but consecutive 4-2 heat wins for King’s Lynn in heats 13, 14 and 15 closed out the match.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14+1 (5) paid maximum, Adam Allott 9+1 (4), James Brundle 9+1 (5), Davey Watt 9 (4), Kevin Doolan 7+2, Ashley Jones 3 (5) and Jan Jaros 1+1 (3).

For Rye House – Daniel King 12+1 (6) including a 6 point TR, Chris Neath 11 (5), Mathieu Tressarieu 9 (5), Stuart Robson 6+1 (5), Edward Kennett 2 (3), Brent Werner 1 (3) and Tommy Allen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 28 April

Tonight’s match at Sheffield saw the Tigers take on Workington in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Sheffield 53, Workington 39 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 95-94


Sheffield had King’s Lynn rider, Jan Jaros, as a guest at reserve in place of Kyle Legault. Workington had a reserve pairing of James Birkinshaw, in place of James Wright, and Danny Norton.

This match was of crucial importance to Sheffield. The Tigers have completed their programme of seven away matches without a point having gone down by two points at Hull last night. With Edinburgh and Sheffield looking best placed at present to finish behind Workington in the northern section it is very important for Sheffield to take every bonus point they can. They went into this match having to pull back the 13 points by which they lost at Workington if they were to take this one.

The two teams exchanged 4-2s in the opening two heats. Sean Wilson beat Carl Stonehewer in the opening heat and James Birkinshaw won heat two from Paul Cooper. Sheffield then struck a 5-1 in heat 3 from Ricky Ashworth and Richard hall and Andre Compton beat Shaun Tacey with Jan Jaros third for a 4-2 in heat 4. So the score after four heats was 15-9.

Carl Stonehewer won heat 5 for a shared heat and Workington struck back with a 2-4 in heat 6 when Shaun Tacey beat Sean Wilson with James Birkinshaw third to pull back to 20-16. Andre Compton and Paul Cooper hit back with a 5-1 from Scott Robson to stretch the lead to eight points before James Birkinshaw won heat 8 for another shared heat. The score was now 28-20 and the bonus point was looking precarious for Workington.

Shaun Tacey could only split the Ashworth/Hall pairing in heat 9 for a Sheffield 4-2 then the Tigers struck another major blow with a 5-1 from the two Wilsons over James Birkinshaw to take the score to 37-23 and Sheffield were now one point ahead on aggregate for the bonus point. Heat 11 was won by Andre Compton from James Birkinshaw but Paul Cooper did well to keep Carl Stonehewer at the back for another 4-2 to Sheffield who stretched their lead to 16 points. Cooper’s point was to prove decisive in the destination of the bonus point! It was still 16 points after a 4-4 in heat 12 from Richard Hall ahead of James Birkinshaw, who took a TR, and Jan Jaros with Scott Robson keeping up his record, along with Kauko Nieminen and Kevin Little of failing to beat an opponent all match. The score was now 45-29.

In heat 13 Carl Stonehewer beat the Sheffield top two for a shared heat then James Birkinshaw passed Ricky Ashworth in heat 14. With Kauko Nieminen taking the third place point from Paul Cooper the Comets took a 2-4 to pull the score back to 50-36. This left Workington needing a 2-4 in the final heat for the bonus point. In the final heat Carl Stonehewer again beat Sheffield’s big two but, with Shaun Tacey at the back, the 3-3 meant that Sheffield had won the bonus by just one point.


Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 12+1 (5), Sean Wilson 11+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 9+1 (4), Richard Hall 8+1 (4), Paul Cooper 5+1 (4), Ben Wilson 5+1 (4) and Jan Jaros 3+1 (4)

For Workington – James Birkinshaw 17 (7) including a 4 point TR, Carl Stonehewer 11 (5), Shaun Tacey 7 (5), Scott Robson 2 (3), Danny Norton 1 (3), Kauko Nieminen 1 (4) and Kevin Little 0 (3).