Around the Premier League Tracks 2005

[Merlin]

Friday, 17 June

Two Premier League matches were raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced Newport on the second leg of their northern tour. At Somerset the Rebels were at home to Exeter . Both matches had bonus points at stake.


Premier League: Edinburgh 60, Newport 35 Edinburgh won the bonus point on aggregate by 106-82


Edinburgh needed only a two point win to pick up the bonus in this match having lost 46-47 away. They were at full strength and on a high following their win at Hull in midweek. Newport made the short trip to Armadale after losing 48-42 to Glasgow last night. They had Carl Stonehewer as a guest for Craig Watson and used R/R for Michael Coles at number 3.

Any hopes that Newport might have entertained about making a match of this ended in heat 4 when Carl Stonehewer crashed out of the meeting. Since they were already using R/R for Michael Coles, their reserves were in for a busy night and took 12 rides between them. With Karlis Ezergailis never looking likely to score it meant that the entire Newport total was compiled by only four riders.

There was a shock for Edinburgh in the opening heat when Kristian Lund made a dream start, rocketing from gate 4 to win the race. Although Theo Pijper started to reel him in he never got close enough to make a challenge. With Mads Korneliusson third Newport took a 2-4. This was reversed in heat 2. Tony Atkin shot from the gate but David McAllan passed him cleverly with Cameron Woodward, riding a borrowed machine, taking third place. Edinburgh took a comfortable 5-1 in heat 3 from Neil Collins with Lund way at the back to open a four point lead then came heat 4. This was an excellent race as Stonehewer and Atkin hit the front. Rusty Harrison was soon past Atkin and reeled in Stonehewer passing him on the home straight entering the last lap. On the second bend, Stonehewer, trying to repass Harrison on the outside, lost control and high-sided it crashing heavily. He was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting with head injuries and dizziness. The heat 4 score was 15-9 and Newport’s chances had gone.

Edinburgh hit home two 5-1s to lead 25-11 after 6 heats then came an excellent race featuring, not for the last time, the ageless Neil Collins who had a brilliant tussle against Cameron Woodward and Rusty Harrison. As Woodward pulled clear, Collins rounded Harrison in fine style. Harrison got past Collins again but Collins had the better line on the outside to repass on the last two bends for second place. The result was a Monarchs’ 4-2. Another 4-2 in heat 8 took the score to 33-15.

Ross Brady and Daniel Nermark took their third successive 5-1 in heat 9 but then Newport rallied. Neil Collins took a TR in heat 10 and cleverly out-manouvred William Lawson, who seemed to have done everything right, to follow Theo Pijper for a 4-4. Then, in heat 11, Mads Korneliussen took a TR and must have made one of the fastest starts ever seen at Armadale romping home ahead of Rusty Harrison and Cameron Woodward for a 3-6. Heat 12 was shared as Ross Brady took his fourth consecutive win then Mads Korneliussen made another fast start to win heat 13 for another drawn heat to take the score to 51-32.

Cameron Woodward rode an excellent heat 14 to head Neil Collins home. The Edinburgh man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head as he knew exactly where Collins was going to challenge both inside and outside for the heat win and adjusted his line accordingly. Daniel Nermark tried everything to get up on Collins but failed so lost his unbeaten run as Edinburgh took a 4-2. In the last heat Ross Brady completed his full five ride maximum and Daniel Nermark followed him home as Edinburgh hit the 60 point mark for the fourth time at home this season. There were some entertaining heats despite the scoreline and the loss of Carl Stonehewer. Neil Collins merits a special mention for an excellent performance and was unlucky not to score more. He is still a joy to watch.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Ross Brady 15 (5) (full maximum), Daniel Nermark 9+4 (5), Theo Pijper 8+2 (4), Cameron Woodward 8+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 8 (4), William Lawson 7 (4), David McAllan 5 (4).

For Newport – Neil Collins 12 (6) including a 4 point TR, Mads Korneliussen 11 (5) including a 6 point TR, Tony Atkin 7+1 (7), Kristian Lund 5 (5), Carl Stonehewer 0 (1), Karlis Ezergailis 0 (5).



Premier League: Somerset 53, Exeter 42 Exeter win the bonus point on aggregate by 96-93.


A full strength Somerset faced an Exeter side who were without Ray Morton through illness. The Falcons used R/R for him at number 3. Exeter were defending a 14 point lead for the bonus point.

There was not a single shared heat in the first 11 races during which spell Exeter struggled against their hosts and needed TRs to keep in touch even for the bonus point. Somerset opened with a 4-2 with Magnus Zetterstrom beating mark Lemon but a reserves heat 1-5 to Exeter from Lee Smethills and Ben Barker put the Falcons in front. Ritchie Hawkins and Paul Fry headed home Toni Svab for a 5-1 then Glenn Cunningham and Jason King added a 4-2 to take the heat 4 score to 14-10.

Heat 5 went to Somerset by 4-2 then Zetterstrom and Jaimie Smith added a 5-1 as the Rebels shot into a 10 point lead at 23-13. They were stopped in their tracks though when Toni Svab took a TR and won heat 7 with Smethills third for a 2-7 which cut the Rebels lead to 5 points. Undaunted Somerset scored another 5-1 in heat 8 from King and Smith to lead 30-21 and trail by 5 points in their quest for the bonus.

It looked as though Somerset were going to run away with the match and bonus when they took a 5-1 in heat 9 from Fry and Hawkins then a 4-2 in heat 10 from Zetterstrom and Smith but again Exeter hit back using a TR. Although Glenn Cunningham won heat 11, Mark Lemon, on the TR, finished second with his partner, Pavel Ondrasik, third for a falcons 3-5 to cut Somerset’s lead to 13 points at 42-29 with only one point in it for the bonus point.

Toni Svab won heat 12 for a shared heat then Mark Lemon did likewise in heat 13. Toni Svab then won heat 14 from Paul Fry with Lee Smethills third for a 2-4 to Exeter taking the score to 50-39 and leaving the Rebels needing a 5-1 for the bonus point. Mark Lemon ended their hopes by winning the last race from Zetterstrom and Fry for a shared heat.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 13 (5), Paul Fry 11+2 (5), Glenn Cunningham 9+1 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 8+1 (4), Jaimie Smith 6+2 (4), Jason King 6 (5), Lee Smart 0 (3).

For Exeter – Toni Svab 15 (6) including a 6 point TR, Mark Lemon 14 (5) including a 4 point TR, Lee Smethills 5 (6), Ben Barker 4+1 (5), Seemond Stephens 3 (4), Pavel Ondrasik 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 18 June

Three Premier League matches were raced tonight. At Workington the Comets faced Edinburgh , at Berwick the Bandits were at home to Newport and at Stoke the Potters took on King’s Lynn .



Premier: Workington 42, Edinburgh 48


It was a strange looking Workington side which took to the track tonight against Edinburgh . Carl Stonehewer fell at Edinburgh last night while guesting for Newport and suffered head injuries which kept him out of tonight’s match. Workington had Garry Stead as a guest at number 1. The Comets were also without James Wright who was riding in Italy on under 21 business and had James Birkinshaw as a guest at number 7. They also used R/R for the injured Kauko Nieminen. Edinburgh were at full strength looking to make it three away wins on the trot.

The danger of using R/R on a long term basis while tracking a non-scoring reserve was cruelly exposed tonight. Although Garry Stead turned in an excellent score for the absent Stonehewer, Workington could not cope with engine failures for Scott Robson and a reduced contribution from their reserves. That said they made a good fight of it but the last thing they needed was to meet an Edinburgh side on a roll.

Edinburgh got off to a cracking start with 2-4s in the opening three heats thanks to wins for Theo Pijper who beat Garry Stead in heat 1, Cameron Woodward and Ross Brady. Stead won heat 3 for a share of the points taking the heat 4 score to 9-15.

Scott Robson had a second engine failure in heat 5 so Shaun Tacey’s win was for a 3-3. Then the Comets started the fight back. Garry Stead beat Rusty Harrison in heat 6 for a 4-2, and, after a shared heat 7, Kevin Little and James Birkinshaw scored another 4-2 in heat 8 to close the gap to 23-25.

Edinburgh pulled away to four points in front again with a 2-4 when Harrison beat Tacey with Woodward third but Workington levelled the match with a 5-1 in heat 10 from Garry Stead and Kevin Little ahead of Daniel Nermark and the score was now 30-30. Theo Pijper won heat 11 to keep the scores level then Scott Robson suddenly burst into life by winning heat 12, again for a shared heat.

Heat 13 saw Edinburgh back in front as Harrison beat Stead with Pijper third but Workington’s chances ended in heat 14. In the first running of the heat Daniel Nermark and Cameron Woodward were on a 1-5 for the Monarchs when Shaun Tacey, in third place, pulled a locker and spun round. James Birkinshaw couldn’t avoid him and clipped his back wheel with both riders falling. There was great concern about Birkinshaw’s condition and he was taken to hospital. Shaun Tacey was excluded from the rerun and Workington could only track Tom Brown. The easy Edinburgh 1-5 sealed the Monarchs’ victory and the last race, won by Garry Stead was shared.

Scorers: For Workington – Garry Stead 16 (6), Shaun Tacey 10 (5), Kevin Little 8+1 (6), James Birkinshaw 4+1 (6), Scott Robson 3 (4), Tom Brown 1 (4).

For Edinburgh – Rusty Harrison 12 (5), Theo Pijper 9+2 (5), Cameron Woodward 9+2 (6), Ross Brady 7 (4), Daniel Nermark 6+1 (4), William Lawson 3 (3), David McAllan 2+1 (3).



Premier League: Berwick 61, Newport 32


Berwick were at full strength for this match against Newport who were riding their third match in three days on their northern tour. Berwick were at full strength but Newport suffered a blow when the guest they had lined up for Craig Watson, Chris Harris, withdrew. They recruited Trent Leverington to take his place at number 5. Newport as usual used R/R for Michael Coles at number 3.

It was a shell-shocked Newport who travelled to Berwick after losing at Glasgow and Edinburgh on Thursday and Friday. Without Chris Harris their chances of success were slim to say the least. As at Edinburgh, though, they kicked off with a 2-4 with Kristian Lund again racing off to a heat win with Mads Korneliussen third. Consecutive 5-1s for Berwick in heats 2 and 3 from, firstly, Smith and Wilkinson, then Madsen and Pietraszko were offset to some degree by another 2-4 to the Wasps with Trent Leverington beating Michal Makovsky and Ezergailis taking third place after Wilkinson had fallen. The heat 4 score was 14-10.

Although Pietraszko won heat 5, Korneliussen and Lund kept Madsen at the back for a shared heat but then Berwick had a spell of four heats when they dropped only one point. That came in heat 8 when Lund finished in second place ahead of Madsen. In heat 9 Leverington took a TR but finished third to Madsen and Pietraszko for a 5-2 as the score moved on to 36-19.

Rymel and Wilkinson extended the lead to 41-20 in heat 10 with another 5-1 then Newport enjoyed two shared heats. A TR for Mads Korneliussen almost brought the full score but Makovsky executed an excellent pass for a 4-4. The Neil Collins had an excellent win passing first Tom P Madsen, then Carl Wilkinson for a 3-3. Back came Berwick to finish with a heat 13 5-1 from Makovsky and Rymel and two 4-2s to open up a 29 point lead which should surely be good enough for at least the bonus point when the two teams meet in Wales later in the season.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 13+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 11+1 (5), Adam Pietraszko 10+2 (5), Scott Smith 10+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 9+2 (5), Tom P Madsen 8+1 (5).

For Newport – Mads Korneliussen 10 (5) including a 4 point TR, Neil Collins 8 (6),m Kristian Lund 6+1 (5), Trent Leverington 6 (4) including a 2 point TR, Tony Atkin 1 (5), Karlis Ezergailis 1 (5).



Premier League: Stoke 55, King’s Lynn 39


After two consecutive home defeats Stoke were anxious to get back on the winning trail against King’s Lynn . They had Stuart Robson as their guest again for Jan Staechmann and used R/R for Peter Carr at number 1. King’s Lynn were dealt a blow before the start with the news that Oliver Allen would not be able to get to the match since his van had caught fire on the way there. The Stars recruited local rider Luke Priest to cover the number 5 spot but otherwise were at full strength.

With Oliver Allen absent and Tomas Topinka turning in an unusually low score, King’s Lynn did not have enough fire power to challenge Stoke tonight. When Stoke opened with two 5-1s form Kessler and Clews, taking advantage of a Topinka engine failure, then Hargreaves and Evans the Stars were up against it. Paul Lee won heat 3 for a 3-3 then King’s Lynn pulled two points back with a 2-4 from Jaros and Luke Priest after Stuart Robson had fallen and been excluded. The heat 4 score was 15-9.

King’s Lynn then got back to within two points of the Potters with a 1-5 from Tomas Topinka and Ashley Jones but Stoke responded with two 5-1s and two 4-2s to rocket ahead to a 14 point lead at 34-20 after heat 9. During that spell King’s Lynn weren’t helped by two engine failures for Troy Batchelor and one for Paul Lee.

Paul Lee won heat 10 for a shared heat then Tomas Topinka took a TR and finished second to Stuart Robson with Ashley Jones third so the Stars scored a 3-5. Heats 12 and 13 were shared, the latter after Stuart Robson had fallen again, before Paul Lee took a TR in heat 14. He too finished second, this time to Alan Mogridge, and the heat was shared 4-4. Paul Lee fell in heat 15, which did not feature Tomas Topinka, and in the rerun Kessler and Mogridge finished with another 5-1 to stretch the lead to 16 points.

Scorers: For Stoke – Robbie Kessler 15+2 (6), Alan Mogridge 12+1 (6), Paul Clews 9+3 (5), Stuart Robson 9 (5), Jack Hargreaves 6 (4), Barry Evans 4+1 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Paul Lee 10 (5) including a 4 point TR, Tomas Topinka 9 (4) including a 4 point TR, Ashley Jones 7+2 (5), Jan Jaros 7 (6), Adam Allott 3+1 (4), Luke Priest 3 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 19 June

There was action in the Premier League and Premier Trophy today but the Championship of Great Britain meeting at Newcastle was rained off after 8 heats and will need to be restaged. In the Premier Trophy Glasgow faced Stoke in the last of the northern section matches. In the Premier League Newport returned home after a gruelling northern trip for their fourth match in four days against Hull .



Premier Trophy (north): Glasgow 44, Stoke 46 Stoke won the bonus point on aggregate by 91-89


There was nothing at stake in this match other than pride as Glasgow met Stoke. But all eyes were focussed on Glasgow’s new signing Stefan Ekberg who came into the team at number three at the expense of James Birkinshaw who has been dropped. Trent Leverington moved to number two and Matthew Wethers to reserve at number 6. Adrian Rymel was recruited to guest for the injured Shane Parker. Stoke had Rusty Harrison as a guest replacement for Jan Staechmann and used R/R for Peter Carr.

The opening four heats were all shared but the big moment came in heat three with the debut of Stefan Ekberg. The Swede didn’t let Glasgow down either finishing second to Alan Mogridge after chasing him all the way. With the heat four score at 12-12 it looked like being a close match.

Stoke broke the deadlock with a 1-5 in heat 5 when Kessler and Mogridge finished ahead of Ekberg to lead 13-17 but Glasgow pulled two points back in the next heat with a 4-2 from Stancl and Leverington. Heat 7 was shared but Glasgow were back on level terms with a 4-2 in heat 8 from Leverington and Cockle at 24-24.

The Tigers then took the lead for the first time in heat 9 thanks to a 5-1 from Kristensen and Ekberg ahead of Harrison and the next two heats were shared to take the score to 35-31. Glasgow looked to have struck a decisive blow in heat 12 when Stefan Ekberg won his first race in Glasgow’s colours and was supported in third place by Cockle for the 4-2 which increased the lead to six points at 39-33.

However, Stoke obviously hadn’t read the script! They hit back with a rare 1-5 in heat 13 against Glasgow as George Stancl shed a chain while chasing Kessler. Harrison took second place ahead of a disappointing Rymel and the score was 40-38. Alan Mogridge made it five unbeaten rides in heat 14, sharing the heat in the process, so it was a last heat decider with Glasgow two points to the good. The Tigers were rocked as it was Stoke who took the 1-5 with Robbie Kessler and Alan Mogridge heading home Stefan Ekberg and George Stancl pulling up at the back looking none too pleased at the track conditions following the watering and regrading which had taken place after heat 12. For Alan Mogridge it was a memorable match since he went through the card for a six ride paid maximum. But Glasgow had the consolation of a fine debut performance from their new signing and, with more changes on the verge of being announced, perhaps better times are on the horizon.


Scorers: For Glasgow – Stefan Ekberg 9+1 (5), Adrian Rymel 8 (4), George Stancl 8 (5), Matthew Wethers 6+1, Claus Kristensen 5+2 (4), Trent Leverington 5+1 (4), James Cockle 3+1 (4).

For Stoke – Alan Mogridge 16+2 (6) (paid maximum), Robbie Kessler 14+1 (6), Rusty Harrison 10+1 (5), Paul Clews 3+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 2 (4), Barrie Evans 1+1 (4).



Premier League: Newport 42, Hull 48 Hull won the bonus point on aggregate by 100-80


It must have been an exhausted Newport side which turned out today against Hull having lost at Glasgow on Thursday, Edinburgh on Friday, Berwick on Saturday and then faced the long drive home from the Borders for a Sunday afternoon meeting. The Wasps had Stuart Robson as a guest for Craig Watson and, as usual, used R/R for Michael Coles at number three. Hull were at full strength looking to recover from their home defeat by Edinburgh in midweek.

This was a match of two halves with Newport in charge in the first but running out of steam in the second. After two shared heats for openers Neil Collins and the ever reliable Tony Atkin took a 5-1 in heat 3 for a four point lead before Stuart Robson won heat 4 for a 3-3 to take the score to 14-10.

Hull served notice that they weren’t about to be turned over again when they won heat 5 with a 2-4 from Thorp and Sanchez to shave two points from the lead but Newport regained their four point lead in heat 6 with a 4-2 from Korneliussen and Lund. Then they doubled the lead again with a 5-1 in heat 7 for an eight point lead through Robson and Atkin again. Stoke replied with a 2-4 from Thorp and Parsons in heat 8 to take the interval score to 27-21.

After the interval it was a different story. Heat 9 was shared but Branney and Kramer who had twice already conceded 5-1s scored a 1-5 beating Mads Korneliussen in the process to cut Newport’s lead to two points at 31-29 and it was all square after the next heat with a 2-4 from Sanchez and Thorp at 33-33.

Neil Collins won heat 12 to keep the scores level then Hull took the lead for the first time with a 2-4 in heat 13 when Emiliano Sanchez beat Stuart Robson for the second time with Garry Stead third to take the score to 38-40. Emil Kramer won heat 14 to keep Hull’s two point lead leading to a last heat decider. It was Thorp and Sanchez who took a 1-5 in the last heat from Stuart Robson and Korneliussen to clinch the win for Hull and extend the lead to six points.

Scorers: For Newport – Neil Collins 12 (5), Stuart Robson 11 (5), Tony Atkin 10+4 (7), Mads Korneliussen 7 (5), Karlis Ezergailis 1+1 (3), Kristian Lund 1 (5).

For Hull – Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (5), Paul Thorp 11+1 (5), Garry Stead 7+1 (4), Emil Kramer 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 5+1 (4), Craig Branney 4 (3), Simone Terenzani 4 (5).

[Merlin]

Monday, 13 June

Three Premier League matches were raced tonight. It was a rare off-race night for Newcastle as they met Edinburgh . Down in Devon Exeter were up against Hull while at Smallmead Reading took on Berwick.



Premier League: Newcastle 49, Edinburgh 47


It was ‘get out of jail’ time for Newcastle tonight as they pipped Edinburgh with a 5-1 in a last heat decider to fall over the line in front for the one and only time in the match. Both sides were at full strength for this match.

Edinburgh scored 46 points at Newport but lost to TR rides by the home side. Tonight they scored 47 points away from home but again the nonsense of the TR rule was exposed as the fraud that it is. Edinburgh won the match 43-47 but Newcastle had the benefit of adding 6 extra points to their score for doing nothing!

Edinburgh made all the running in the early stages. After a shared opening heat won by Theo Pijper, they took a 1-5 in the reserves race from Cameron Woodward and David McAllan before adding a 2-4 in heat 3 when Ross Brady beat Josef Franc with Daniel Nermark third. James Grieves provided Newcastle’s first race winner in heat 4 for a shared heat and the score after heat 4 was 9-15.

Heat 5 was shared then Newcastle finally won a heat with a 4-2 from Phil Morris and Lubos Tomicek in heat 6 but Edinburgh struck two devastating blows to the home side by winning heats 7 and 8 with maximum 1-5s. In heat 7 Ross Brady and Daniel Nermark made the gate and blocked out James Grieves then in heat 8 William Lawson and David McAllan repeated the dose as the Diamonds were left reeling at 18-30.

Then came the first TR taken by Josef Franc in heat 9 who won the race from Rusty Harrison with Richard Juul third for a 7-2 to knock 5 points off the Monarchs’ lead. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 for a shared heat and James Grieves did likewise in heat 11. Heat 12 resulted in a 2-4 to Edinburgh from Brady and McAllan to put Edinburgh 9 points ahead at 33-42. This was not the best result for the Monarchs because it conveniently allowed James Grieves to take a TR in heat 13 and the Newcastle rider duly scored all six points. With Phil Morris taking third place behind Theo Pijper Newcastle took another 7-2 to reduce Edinburgh’s lead to four points at 40-44.

In heat 14 Christian Henry, who had done nothing all match, suddenly burst to the front and pinned Daniel Nermark on the bend ahead of Josef Franc. That’s the way the race finished and another 4-2 to Newcastle had brought them to within two points of Edinburgh with one heat to go. In heat 15, James Grieves and Josef Franc got the 5-1 Newcastle needed to win the match with Daniel Nermatrk finishing third as Theo Pijper’s bike ground to a halt leaving the gate.

Scorers: For Newcastle – James Grieves 16 (5) including a 6 point TR, Josef Franc 14+1 (5) including a 6 point TR, Phil Morris 7+1 (4), Lubos Tomicek 4+1 (4), Christian Henry 4 (5), Richard Juul 3 (4), Jamie Robertson 1 (3).

For Edinburgh – Daniel Nermark 9+1 (5), Ross Brady 9 (3), Theo Pijper 9 (5), David McAllan 7+2 (5), William Lawson 5+2 (4), Rusty Harrison 5+1 (4), Cameron Woodward 3 (3).



Premier League: Exeter 49, Hull 41 Exeter\ won the bonus point on aggregate by 95.5-90.5


Exeter were missing Toni Svab from this match with conjunctivitis and used R/R at number 4. Hull were at full strength. Hull took a three point lead into this match from the match at Craven Park looking for the bonus point.

Paul Thorp got the Vikings off to a winning start in heat 1 beating Mark Lemon with Emiliano Sanchez third for a 2-4 but the Exeter reserves scored a 1-5 in heat 2 to put Exeter in front. The Falcons took another 4-2 from Morton and Ondrasik in heat 3 while Garry Stead won heat 4 for a shared heat to make the heat 4 score 14-10.

Paul Thorp won again in heat 5 for a 3-3 but Exeter doubled their lead to eight points with a 5-1 in heat 6 from Lemon and Ondrasik as Garry Stead suffered an engine failure. If Exeter thought it would be plain sailing from then on in they were sadly mistaken. Hull hit back with two 2-4s in heats 7 and 8 from, firstly, Kramer and Branney, then, Thorp again and Terenzani as Ondrasik had an engine failure. The score at heat 8 was 26-22.

Hull stretched the lead to six points with a 4-2 in heat 9 from Morton and Stephens but back came Hull with a shock 1-5 in heat 10 from Craig Branney and Emil Kramer ahead of Mark Lemon to trail by only two points. The next two heats were shared so the score after heat 12 was 37-35.

Exeter took a much needed 5-1 in heat 13 from Seemond Stephens and Mark Lemon ahead of Garry Stead to lead 42-36 and then clinched the match by sharing heat 14 with a Ray Morton win leaving Hull looking for a 1-5 to win the bonus point. However it was Stephens who won it from Kramer with Mark Lemon third to ensure that Exeter took all three points.

Scorers: For Exeter – Seemond Stephens 12 (6), Ray Morton 11 (5), Lee Smethills 10+2 (5), Mark Lemon 9+1 (5), Ben Barker 4+1 (4), Pavel Ondrasik 3+1 (5).

For Hull – Emil Kramer 11+1 (5), Paul Thorp 11 (5), Garry Stead 6 (4), Craig Branney 6 (4), Joel Parsons 4+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 2+1 (4), Simone Terenzani 1 (3).



Premier League: Reading 44, Berwick 49


Once again Reading were at sixes and sevens at home as they were ripped apart by Berwick tonight. Reading used R/R for Steve Masters at number 3 while Berwick were at full strength.

Berwick roared off into the distance from the start leaving the home side stunned. First up was a 2-4 from Adrian Rymel and Chris Schramm followed by a 1-5 in the reserves race from Smith and Wilkinson. Then Adam Pietraszko and Tom P Madsen added another 1-5 in heat 3 from Wolff and Appleton. In heat 4 even Matej Zagar couldn’t win a race beaten by Michal Makovsky but at least Reading shared the heat to trail 7-17.

Richard Wolff took a TR in heat 5, then brought down Chris Schramm and was excluded from the rerun just as the Racers’ fans thought things couldn’t get worse. The result was another 1-5 from Rymel and Schramm to take the score to 8-22. At last Reading managed a race win as Appleton beat Makovsky with Simota third for a 4-2 in heat 6. In heat 7 Matej Zagar took a TR and this time won it with Mathieu Tressarieu second for a big 8-1 to cut the Bandits lead to 5 points at 20-25. The comeback was stopped dead in its tracks as the Bandits took yet another 1-5 in heat 8 from Schramm and Wilkinson as Simota had an engine failure to stretch the lead to nine points again at 21-30.

Another 2-4 in heat 9 took Berwick 11 points ahead again at 23-34 but Reading responded in kind to take the score to 27-36. Zagar won heat 11 for a shared heat then Reading took a 5-1 in heat 12 from Tressarieu and Smith as Madsen had an engine failure to get to within five points of Berwick again. Heat 13 was the killer blow for Reading. Although it was won by Andrew Appleton, the Berwick pair of Rymel and Makovsky team rode to keep Matej Zagar at the back for a shared heat which Reading had desperately needed to win. Adam Pietraszko tied up the win for Berwick by taking heat 14 for the shared heat which kept Berwick five points to the good with one race remaining. Matej Zagar won the last heat but again Rymel and Makovsky filled the minor places for a shared heat.


Scorers: For Reading – Matej Zagar 14 (5) including a 6 point TR, Andrew Appleton 11 (6), Mathieu Tressarieu 8+3 (6), Richard Wolff 7+1 (5), Zdenek Simota 3 (5), Chris Johnson 1 (3).

For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 12 (5), Michal Makovsky 10+2 (5), Chris Schramm 7+2 (4), Adam Pietraszko 7 (4), Scott Smith 5 (4), Carl Wilkinson 4+2 (4), Tom P Madsen 4+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 21 June

Tonight the Isle of Wight were at home to Berwick in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Isle of Wight 50, Berwick 46 Berwick won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-93.


After their excellent win at Reading last night Berwick headed further south to take on the Isle of Wight. There was a bonus point at stake with Berwick defending the 10 point advantage they gained at Shielfield Park. Both teams were at full strength for this match.

The Islanders got off to whirlwind start winning heat 1 by 4-2 through Craig Boyce and Glenn Phillips, then heats 2 and 3 by 5-1 thanks to Steen Jensen and Jason Doyle in the reserves’ race and Krister Marsh and Ulrich Ostergaard in heat 3. Michal Makovsky became Berwick’s first race winner in heat 4 for a shared heat and a match score of 17-7.

The next three heats were shared before the Isle of Wight stretched their lead to 12 points with a 4-2 in heat 7 won by Jason Doyle from Adam Pietraszko with Tomas Suchanek third. Another 4-2 in heat 8 from Jensen and Phillips saw the home side move 14 points in front and four on aggregate to take the score to 31-17 but Berwick hit back hard to have the Islanders struggling to hold on to their advantage.

Michal Makovsky took a TR in heat 9 and beat Ulrich Ostergaard and Krister marsh for a 3-6 to Berwick. This reduced the Bandits’ lead to 11 points at 38-25 but the Islanders scored a 4-2 in heat 10 through Boyce and Phillips to go 13 ahead again at 38-25. So Berwick gave a TR to Adrian Rymel in heat 11and he too scored the full six points. This time he got third place support from Chris Schramm after Steen Jensen had to go from 15 metres for a tapes offence. This 2-7 pulled five points back and the score was now 40-32. In heat 12 Jason Doyle fell and his injuries required the ambulance to take him from the track to hospital. In the rerun the home side were shaken by a Bandits’ 1-5 through the Bandits’ reserves Smith and Wilkinson from Krister marsh and there were now only four points in it at 41-37.

It’s as well for the Isle of Wight that Craig Boyce was in maximum mood as he won heats 13 and 15 for shared heats. Ostergaard won heat 14 also for a shared heat as the Isle of Wight held on for the win but surrendered the bonus point.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Craig Boyce 15 (5) (full maximum), Ulrich Ostergaard 9+1 (5), Steen Jensen 8 (5), Krister Marsh 6+3 (4), Jason Doyle 5+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (4), Glenn Phillips 3 (4).

For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5) including a 6 point TR, Adrian Rymel 13+2 (5) including a 6 point TR, Adam Pietraszko 7 (4), Scott Smith 6 (5), Carl Wilkinson 3+2 (4), Chris Schramm 3 (4), Tom P Madsen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 22 June

Well there was no lack of talking points from the two matches which were raced tonight. At Hull the Vikings took on highly fancied Rye House while at King’s Lynn the Stars faced a Berwick side completing their southern tour with their third match in three days.



Premier League: Hull 57, Rye House 33 .


After last week’s heavy home defeat at the hands of Edinburgh Hull faced the daunting task of taking on the favourites for the league title this year, Rye House. They were boosted by having won on the road at Newport last Sunday and were at full strength as were Rye House but not for long as it turned out.

What an unbelievable start there was to this match. Rye House could hardly believe what happened over the opening six heats which saw them score only six points! Emiliano Sanchez passed Stuart Robson to win the opening heat with Paul Thorp third for a 4-2 but disaster struck the Rockets in heat 2 when Steve Boxall fell bringing his fellow reserve, Tommy Allen down with him. Boxall was withdrawn from the meeting with a hip injury as was Allen who was dazed and unable to continue. As a result it was clear that, with no reserves, there were going to be a number of heats when Rye House could only track one rider. As it was they couldn’t track any in the rerun of heat two so the Vikings had a 5-0 walkover. It got worse for the Rockets as they conceded a 5-1 to Craig Branney and Emil Kramer who headed home Brent Werner and Daniel King. But if that was bad, heat 4 was even worse. Chris Neath was the only rider Rye House were able to track since they were now without a reserve but he brought down Garry Stead and was excluded leaving the two Hull riders to score another 5-0 walkover. The score after heat 4 was 19-3.

The farce continued in heat 5. Stuart Robson was nominated for a TR but failed to beat the 2 minute time allowance as Rye House went with three riders having blown one of their tactical options. Craig Branney won the heat from Edward Kennett with Emil Kramer third as Hull scored a 4-2. In heat 6 again the Rockets had only one rider. Chris Neath gated but he was passed by Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez for a 5-1 to the Vikings which took the score to 28-6. At last the Rockets got their act together as, in heat 7, they scored a 2-4 with a win for Brent Werner ahead of Simone Terenzani with Daniel King third from an out of sorts Garry Stead who took no further part in the meeting thereafter. In heat 8 Hull took another 4-2 when Paul Thorp beat Edward Kennett with Joel parsons third as Stuart Robson suffered an engine failure. The score after heat 8 was 34-12.

Chris Neath, the Rockets only rider in the heat, won heat 9 for a 3-3 then Rye House took a 1-5 when Werner and King turned the tables on Thorp and Sanchez to make the score 38-20. The next three heats were shared but in heat 11 it took a second place for Edward Kennett on a TR to do it while Stuart Robson had another engine failure as the score went to 48-30 after heat 13. In heat 14 Rye House plugged one of their reserves’ rides with a Tactical Substitute ride for Brent Werner. However Werner could not overcome the 15 metre handicap as Hull took a 4-2 with a Kramer win over King. In heat 15 Hull brought the curtain down on a miserable and less than memorable night for the Rockets with another 5-1 from Thorp and Kramer ahead of Robson, who at least completed four laps, to stretch the winning margin to 24 points.

Scorers: For Hull – Paul Thorp 11 (5), Emil Kramer 10+2, Craig Branney 9+1, Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4), Joel Parsons 8+2 (5), Simone Terenzani 8+1 (5), Garry Stead 3 (2).

For Rye House – Brent Werner 10 (6), Edward Kennett 8(4) including a 4 point TR, Chris Neath 6 (4), Daniel King 5+1 (4), Stuart Robson 4+1 (5), Tommy Allen 0 (1), Steve Boxall 0 (1).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 45, Berwick 44 Berwick won the bonus point on aggregate by 93-86. .


King’s Lynn are used to comfortable home wins round their own track but they didn’t get one tonight as a Berwick side currently on a roll took them to a last heat decider that saw them just cling on to a one point lead. The Stars were at full strength for this match but Berwick were missing Adrian Rymel who had to return to the Czech Republic to ride in the national championships. They used R/R at number one in his absence.

The opening two heats won by Topinka for the Stars and then Wilkinson for the Bandits were shared before Berwick broke the deadlock in heat 3. Usually Adam Allott leaps from the gate to win this heat for the Stars but not tonight as Tom P Madsen won the race from Paul Lee with Adam Pietraszko third for a 2-4. King’s Lynn hit back with a 4-2 themselves from Oliver Allen and Jan Jaros so the heat four score was 12-12.

Adam Allott was back on gating song in heat 5 but at the back firstly Carl Wilkinson fell then Paul Lee did likewise when he lost his steel shoe. Chris Schramm laid down to avoid Lee and the race was awarded with only two finishers for a 3-2 to the home side. Unfortunately Paul Lee was removed by ambulance with a suspected broken arm as King’s Lynn’s injury jinx struck again. A 5-1 in heat 6 cheered them up though as Topinka and Jones beat Makovsky with Scott Smith excluded for riding on the grass. This put the Stars ahead by 20-15 but two heats later they were behind again!

In heat 7 Pietraszko beat Allen with Madsen taking the third place point for a 2-4 then, in heat 8, Berwick went one better by taking a 1-5 through Carl Wilkinson and Chris Schramm. Suddenly the Bandits were in front at 23-24.

The match continued to see-saw. In heat 9 King’s Lynn were back in front by a point with a 4-2 from Allott and Batchelor at 27-26. Heat 10 was shared then the Stars added two points to their lead with a 4-2 from Allott and Batchelor to take the score to 34-31. But they were behind yet again after heat 12 when Berwick struck with another 1-5 from Madsen and Wilkinson for a 35-36 lead. Not to be outdone King’s Lynn hit back with a not unexpected 5-1 from Tomas Topinka and Oliver Allen in heat 13 for a 40-37 lead and it was clear that Berwick desperately needed a 1-5 in heat 14 to face the last heat with some hope.

They didn’t get it but they did take a 2-4 when Adam Pietraszko won the race with Carl Wilkinson third to take the score to 42-41. Troy Batchelor’s second place in heat 14 was to prove crucial as in the deciding heat 15 Oliver Allen had an engine failure at the gate. Tomas Topinka, however, completed a full five ride maximum in a fast time to thwart Berwick leaving the Bandits one point short of victory. The Bandits did take the bonus point which the home fans would hardly begrudge them after such a thrilling encounter.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 15 (5) (full maximum), Oliver Allen 10+1 (5), Adam Allott 7 (4), Troy Batchelor 5+1 (5), Jan Jaros 4 (5), Ashley Jones 2+1 (4), Paul Lee 2 (2).

For Berwick – Adam Pietraszko 12+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 11+1 (6), Carl Wilkinson 11+1 (6), Chris Schramm 5+2 (4), Michal Makovsky 5 (5), Scott Smith 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 23 June

There was no Premier League action tonight. There was, however a challenge match between Sheffield and Belle Vue .



Challenge Match: Sheffield 47, Belle Vue 49


This was billed as a challenge match between Sheffield and Belle Vue but they were two strange looking sides which took to the track. Sheffield had Adam Allott at number 4 for Richard Hall and Matej Zagar at number 5 for Sean Wilson. Belle Vue had Jason Lyons at number one, Simon Stead at number three and Joe Screen at number 4 but the rest of the team were essentially from the Premier League – Rusty Harrison, Krister Marsh, James Wright with R/R for Andy Smith at number 5 and Aidan Collins as number 8.

Andre Compton won the opening heat from Lyons and Harrison then Belle Vue took 1-5s in heats 2 and 3 from, firstly, Krister Marsh and James Wright, then, Stead and Screen as Ricky Ashworth had an engine failure. James Wright beat Matej Zagar in heat 4 for a shared heat so the score after four heats was 8-16.

Ashworth won heat 5 for a 3-3 then Sheffield hit back with a 5-1 in heat 6 from Andre Compton and Paul Cooper ahead of Aidan Collins and Krister Marsh but back came Belle Vue with a second 1-5 from Stead and Screen. Heat 8 was also a 1-5 to the Aces as Harrison and Wright beat Paul Cooper to take the score after heat 8 to 18-30.

It was now TR time and Ricky Ashworth was first up winning heat 9 for all 6 points. Simon Stead had an engine failure so Adam Allott picked up the third place point for a 7-2 to get Sheffield back to 25-32. Joe Screen won heat 10 but Andre Compton stopped Simon Stead from following him home so the Aces were restricted to a 2-4. Next for a TR was Matej Zagar in heat 11 and he won, too. However Lyons and Harrison filled the minor places for a 6-3 to Sheffield to cut the Aces’ lead to 6 points at 33-39. Heat 12 saw the Tigers shave another two points off the lead with a 4-2 from Ashworth and Harding and heat 13 also resulted in a 4-2 when Lyons could only split Compton and Zagar. The score was now 41-43 but Belle Vue sealed the match result with a 1-5 in heat 14 from Screen and Wright. Sheffield pulled the final winning margin back to two points when Ashworth and Compton took a 5-1 in the last heat from Simon Stead and James Wright.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 15 (5) including a 6 point TR, Andre Compton 13 (5), Matej Zagar 10 (4) including a 6 point TR, Paul Cooper 3+1 (4), Adam Allott 3 (4), Trevor Harding 2+1 (4), Ben Wilson 1 (4).

For Belle Vue – Joe Screen 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), James Wright 9+3 (6), Simon Stead 8 (6), Rusty Harrison 7+2 (4), Jason Lyons 7+1 (4), Krister Marsh 7 (4), Aidan Collins 1 (2).

[Merlin]

Friday, 24 June

Two Premier League matches were raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced Stoke for the second time this season. At Somerset the Rebels were at home to Newcastle who were trying to extend their unbeaten league record.


Premier League: Edinburgh 53, Stoke 42


Edinburgh faced Stoke for the second time in 9 weeks at Armadale tonight. The Monarchs were at full strength while Stoke turned up with Stuart Robson as their guest for Jan Staechmann and Luke Priest at number seven for the injured Jack Hargreaves. Once again they used R/R for Peter Carr at number 1.

Edinburgh made an excellent start. Theo Pijper raced away with heat 1 with Robbie Kessler pushed all the way by William Lawson for a 4-2 then followed with two 5-1s. Cameron Woodward and David McAllan quickly reeled in and passed the fast gating Barrie Evans in heat 2. In heat 3 Daniel Nermark and Ross Brady had an easy win ahead of Paul Clews with Alan Mogridge way at the back. However Stuart Robson stopped the Monarchs in their tracks by winning convincingly for a shared heat in heat 4 to take the score to 17-7.

Brady and Nermark took another 5-1 in heat 5 from Kessler and Mogridge to increase the home side’s lead to 14 points but they never improved on that. Stuart Robson was nominated for a TR in heat 6 and had a tapes to flag win from Lawson and Pijper so Stoke recovered three points from the lead then the next five heats were shared. In heat 7 Mogridge gave notice that he had found his gating boots for an easy win. Then Robbie Kessler took a TR in heat 8 looking for another six-pointer. David McAllan had other ideas though. He made the gate and raced away from Kessler who had his hands full for the whole race warding off the determined challenge of William Lawson for a 4-4. The heat 8 score was 32-21.

Robson scorched away for another untroubled win in heat 9 from Brady and Nermark then Mogridge did likewise from Pijper and Lawson. It was Robson again for yet another comfortable win in heat 11 from Harrison and Woodward taking the R/R ride which meant that Robson and Mogridge had registered five race wins in the last 6 heats without any support from a team mate. Edinburgh finally broke that run when Ross Brady won heat 12 while McAllan finally passed Barrie Evans with Paul Clews second for an Edinburgh 5-1. The score after heat 12 was 45-32.

In heat 13 Robbie Kessler quickly hit the front but Theo Pijper took Robson wide on the first two bends allowing Rusty Harrison to move into third place with Robson left at the back. However the immaculate Robson burst between the two Edinburgh riders to join Kessler and team ride to a 1-5 cutting the deficit to 9 points. Alan Mogridge again shot from the tapes in heat 14 for a comfortable victory from Woodward and Nermark and with Mogridge and Robson out in heat 15 the Potters must have fancied their chances of another 1-5. In the best race of the night by far, Ross Brady just shaded it into the corner from gate one with Mogridge outside him. He moved Mogridge over to gain a slight advantage going down the back straight and the race was on. Meanwhile at the back Stuart Robson had worked his way into third place ahead of Nermark. On the third bend of the second lap, with Brady still holding off Mogridge, Nermark thundered inside an astonished Robson, and took him wide. Back up the inside came Robson but a determined Nermark held on to his advantage and although, the two races at the front and at the back continued for the rest of the race, Edinburgh won them both for a deserved 4-2 to finish off in fine style. They will no doubt reflect that, on this slick racing surface, they only managed seven race winners to Stoke’s eight for their 11 point victory.



Scorers: For Edinburgh – Ross Brady 13+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 8+3 (5), Cameron Woodward 8+1 (4), David McAllan 7+2 (4), Theo Pijper 7+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 5+1 (4), William Lawson 5+1 (4).

For Stoke – Stuart Robson 18 (6) including a 6 point TR, Alan Mogridge 11 (6), Robbie Kessler 9+1 (5) including a 4 point TR, Paul Clews 3 (5), Barrie Evans 1 (5), Luke Priest 0 (3).




Premier League: Somerset 58, Newcastle 34


With Paul Fry missing from the line up Somerset used R/R at number 4. Newcastle were at full strength.

Magnus Zetterstrom and Jaimie Smith opened up with a 4-2 for Somerset then Jaimie Robertson won the reserves race for a 3-3. Another 4-2, this time from Ritchie Hawkins and Jaimie Smith again, doubled the Rebels’ lead then Glenn Cunningham won heat 4 for a share of the points and a heat 4 score of 14-10.

Heats 5 and 6 resulted in 5-1 heat wins for Somerset as, firstly, Jason King and Ritchie Hawkins relegated Phil Morris to third place, then, Zetterstrom and Smith did likewise to James Grieves as Newcastle began to struggle. Glenn Cunningham won heat 7 from Richard Juul and Josef Franc for a shared heat but the Diamonds had their first success in heat 8, won by Lubos Tomicek from Jaimie Smith with Jaimie Robertson third for a 2-4 to take the score to 29-19.

It turned out to be a major blip in Somerset’s relentless progress to a huge total. They took a 4-2 in heat 9 when James Grieves could only split Hawkins and Cunningham and followed it with a 5-1 in heat 10 from Zetterstrom and Smith again. Newcastle did get two points back when Phil Morris took a TR in heat 11 and finished second to Glenn Cunningham with Lubos Tomicek third for a 3-5. But after a shared heat 12, back came the Rebels with another 5-1 in heat 13 to take the score to 49-31.

In heat 14 Jaimie Robertson took a TR but finished last with Ritchie Hawkins completing his paid maximum ahead of Josef Franc for a 4-2. In the last heat Zetterstrom and Cunningham finished off in style with the Rebels’ fifth 5-1 of the match. So Newcastle’s unbeaten league run finally ended but they would be disappointed to lose so heavily with heat leaders Morris, Franc and Grieves managing only 16 points between them.

Scorers: For Somerset – Glenn Cunningham 15+1 (6), Magnus Zetterstrom 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Ritchie Hawkins 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Jamie Smith 8+2 (5), Jason King 5 (5), Lee Smart 2+1 (4).

For Newcastle – Jaimie Robertson 8 (5), Phil Morris 8 (5) including a 4 point TR, Richard Juul 6+1 (5), James Grieves 4+1 (4), Josef Franc 4+1 (4), Lubos Tomicek 4+1 (4), Christian Henry 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 25 June

Three Premier League matches were raced tonight. At Workington the Comets faced King’s Lynn , at Berwick the Bandits were at home to Hull and at Rye House the Rockets took on Newcastle .



Premier League: Workington 55, King’s Lynn 38


It was a patched up Workington side which took on King’s Lynn in this match. The Comets were without Kevin Little and Kauko Nieminen so had Ritchie Hawkins as a guest at number 2 in place of Little and used R/R for Kauko Nieminen at number 5. It was musical chairs again in the problem number 6 position and this week when the music stopped Jonathan Bethell found himself in the hot seat. King’s Lynn had a few changes themselves. With Paul Lee out injured and Adam Allott out of favour, new signing, Matthew Wethers, was at number 3 with Kevin Doolan returning to the team at number 4. Jan Jaros is also injured so the Stars had Lee Derbyshire at number 6.

The opening three heats were shared before Workington broke the deadlock with a 4-2 in heat 4 from James Wright and Ritchie Hawkins to make the score 13-11. King’s Lynn levelled again in heat 5 with a Topinka win and Jones third place but Workington followed that with a 5-1 from Ritchie Hawkins and Carl Stonehewer in heat 6 which featured an excellent tussle between Stonehewer and Oliver Allen for second place. Shaun Tacey won heat 7 to keep the four point lead but James Wright and Ritchie Hawkins took another 5-1 in heat 8 to double the Comets’ lead at 28-20.

In heat 9 Shaun Tacey fell and was excluded but Scott Robson burst into life to win the rerun and protect the home side’s lead. Stonehewer and Hawkins took another 5-1 in heat 10 to open the gap to 12 points at 36-24 although many thought that Matthew Wethers had got up to beat Ritchie Hawkins on the line. Tomas Topinka took a TR in heat 11 but finished third to Stonehewer and James Wright for a 5-2 which took the interval score to 41-26.

After the break Matthew Wethers took a TR in heat 12 and finished second to Wright for a 4-4. Stonehewer won heat 13 for a shared heat but King’s Lynn lost another 4-2 in heat 14 when the ubiquitous James Wright beat Kevin Doolan with Shaun Tacey third. In this heat Oliver Allen had gone as a GDTS from 15 metres but couldn’t get past Tacey. Stonehewer won the last heat for a 3-3 and Workington had won by 17 points.

Scorers: For Workington – James Wright 17+1 (6) (paid maximum), Carl Stonehewer 16+1 (6), Ritchie Hawkins 9+3 (5), Shaun Tacey 9 (5), Scott Robson 4 (4), Jonathan Bethel 0 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 12 (5) including a 2 point TR, Matthew Wethers 9+2 (5) including a 4 point TR, Oliver Allen 6+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 5+1 (4), Lee Derbyshire 3+1 (4), Ashley Jones 2 (4), Troy Batchelor 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Berwick 61, Hull 32


The high-flying Berwick Bandits were at full strength for the visit of Hull for whom the same could not be said. The Vikings were without Emiliano Sanchez and Garry Stead through injuries. They had Daniel Nermark guesting at number 1 and used R/R at number 5. Their caused wasn’t helped when Craig Branney had to withdraw from the meeting after his third ride due to breathing difficulties. The Bandits went on to win by exactly the same score as they dismissed Newport last week.

After a 4-2 in the opening heat won by Adrian Rymel, Hull shared the reserves race by virtue of an engine failure for Carl Wilkinson but then suffered badly as the Bandits chalked up four 5-1s and a 4-2 over the next five heats to lead 31-11 after heat 7. During that spell Paul Thorp took a TR in heat 5 but chose a bad time to have an engine failure
.
After that things improved for the Vikings. They shared the next three heats with Paul Thorp winning two of them, lost a 4-2 in heat 11 to Smith and Makovsky and shared heat 12 won by Carl Wilkinson with Tom P Madsen suffering an engine failure. This made the score a bit more respectable at 47-25.

In heat 13 Hull nominated Simone Terenzani for a GDTS ride from 15 metres back. This earned them an extra point for, although Rymel and Makovsky took the expected 5-1, Daniel Nermark slowed to let Terenzani through for the two points. In heat 14 Emil Kramer took a TR and finished second to Adam Pietraszko for a 4-4 before Rymel and Makovsky repeated their 5-1 of heat 13 ahead of Ternzani as Hull chose to go with both reserves in the nominated riders race.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 15 (5) (full maximum), Michal Makovsky 10+3 (5), Scott Smith 10 (4), Adam Pietraszko 9+2 (4), Tom P Madsen 7+1 (4).Carl Wilkinson 6 (4), Chris Schramm 4 (4).

For Hull – Paul Thorp 10 (5), Emil Kramer 8+1 (5) including a 4 point TR, Simone Terenzani 7 (6) including a 2 point GDTS from 15 metres, Joel Parsons 6+2 (7), Daniel Nermark 1 (4), Craig Branney 0 (3).



Premier League: Rye House 54, Newcastle 41


After the horror show at Hull during the week, it was a depleted Rye House side that lined up against the visiting Newcastle Diamonds. Newcastle used rider replacement for Lubos Tomicek. For Rye, Steve Boxall was out with severe bruising to his pelvis after his collision with Tommy Allen at Hull, his place taken by Barry Burchatt. Allen himself decided to race despite
suffering the effects of concussion. Rye were also forced to use rider replacement for Daniel King after he aggravated a knee problem during his successful world U-21 qualifying heat in Poland.

Newcastle's Christian Henry led from the tapes in heat 1 but Stuart Robson soon overtook him and went on to win in a very fast time, just 0.4 seconds outside the track record. Henry rode well to take second place ahead of Edward Kennett. The second heat was shared, Jamie Robertson winning from Tommy Allen and Barry Burchatt, but it was clear to the home fans that Allen was not able to ride at full pace. Richard Juul was fast away in heat 3, tracked by Brent Werner, and the American caught and passed him on the outside of the fourth bend.

Newcastle were hoping that James Grieves would pull his weight and although he rode well, he failed to win a heat all night. In his first outing, in heat 4, he could only watch as Chris Neath streaked away from the tapes, followed by Allen. Grieves chased and passed Allen on the second lap but could make no impression on Neath. Brent Werner was out again in heat 5 and won comfortably from Phil Morris and Jamie Robertson, Tommy Allen retiring with an engine problem.

And then came heat 6 where Robson and Kennett faced Grieves and Henry. It was Grieves who was first to show ahead of Kennett with Robson in his familiar position at the back. Kennett took over the lead when he managed to get inside Grieves on the third bend of the second lap. By this time Robson had overtaken Henry and was homing in on the front two. Taking an inside line, Robson swept into the lead only for Grieves to pass him and lead once again. Robson measured the situation up and sailed past Grieves again, comfortably holding his lead to the end in one of the best races seen at Rye House this year.

Neath, Kennett (twice) and Werner won the next four heats for the Rockets as they extended their lead to 10 points. The only comfort for the visitors was Josef Franc's form in heat 10. He led from the tapes and held off Kennett until the final bend but could then only watch as Kennett flew round his outside and over the line.

Phil Morris took a tactical ride in heat 11 but Chris Neath led from start to line. When Werner made in four wins out of four in heat 12, Rye had won every heat except one, heat 2, but had not managed a single 5-1 heat win. Robson and Kennett ended that run in heat 13 when they were too good for Grieves and Morris. In fact Robson had time to slow down close to the line and allow Neath, on a maximum, to take the heat win.

Josef Franc became Newcastle's second heat winner when he took a tactical ride in heat 14 and led all the way, giving Brent Werner his only defeat of the evening in the process. Barry Burchatt was excluded after clipping Christian Henry's back wheel and the resulting 2-7 result closed the gap to nine points.

Franc was out again in the final heat, partnered by Grieves, against Robson and Neath. Franc gated quickly but it was Neath who led out of the second bend with Robson in his customary position, watching proceedings from the back. Within two laps Robson had moved into the lead and there he stayed beside Neath, keeping an eye on Franc. Again he slowed right down at the line but he couldn't slow down enough and crawled across in front, spoiling Neath's full maximum.

Newcastle should feel satisfied with the final score for Rye House would surely have put the bonus point beyond doubt had they been able to field a full strength side. For the home side, Neath and Werner were top scorers but Stuart Robson again delighted the home fans with the quality of his racing. Heats 6 and 15 were especially memorable. A mention too for Barry Burchatt, promoted from the Rye House Raiders side. He deserved a little more for his efforts.

Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 14+1 (5), Brent Werner 14, Stuart Robson 12+1 (5), Edward Kennett 8 (4), Tommy Allen 4 (5), Barry Burchatt 2+1 (6)

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 12+1 (5) including a 6-point TR, James Grieves 7 (5), Richard Juul 6+2 (5), Phil Morris 6 (4) including a 4-point TR, Jamie Robertson, 5+2 (5), Christian Henry 5 (5).

(Report by Candyman)

[Merlin]

Sunday, 26 June

There was only one meeting for the Premier League Teams and that was the Pairs Championship hosted for the first time by Glasgow

2005 Premier League Pairs Championship:

Winners: Glasgow (Shane Parker and George Stancl)
Second: Somerset (Magnus Zetterstrom and Glenn Cunningham)
Third: Rye House (Stuart Robson and Chris Neath)

On a warm sunny afternoon at Glasgow the Pairs Championship was raced in front of a crowd of 2,600. Ten teams were represented, split into two sections of five teams each with the top two from each group progressing to the semi-finals. The point scoring was 4 for a win, 3 for second, 2 for third and 0 for a last place or non-finish so the emphasis was more on not finishing last rather than on winning races.

Group A consisted of Exeter, Sheffield, Rye House, Edinburgh and Newcastle while Group B had Glasgow, Hull, Somerset, King’s Lynn and Workington. The heats from the two groups were interlaced.

Exeter and Sheffield opened the proceedings but it took three attempts to complete this race. A tape touch from Mark Lemon required him to go from 15 metres back but in the rerun Andre Compton rode straight across the first bend to wipe out Seemond Stephens and leave his partner, Ricky Ashworth with nowhere to go but join the melee with Mark Lemon glad he started with a handicap. In the second rerun with Compton excluded Exeter took a 6-3. Paul Thorp shot from the tapes to win heat 2 from the Glasgow pair but the Tigers took a 5-4 from the heat. In heat 3 Ross Brady led from the tapes to a yard from the line when Stuart Robson finally got past. At the back Rusty Harrison passed Chris Neath for an Edinburgh 5-4. Magnus Zetterstrom and Glenn Cunningham jetted away from the tapes to head Tomas Topinka and Oliver Allen home for the first 7-2 of the afternoon then Andre Compton produced the fastest time of the meeting but James Grieves and Josef Franc followed him home for a Newcastle 5-4. Another Paul Thorp win only brought Hull 4 points with the Workington pair following him home for the 5 points in heat 6.

Rye House beat Exeter 6-3 in heat 7 then there were worries for the home side when George Stancl ground to a halt as Magnus Zetterstrom beat Shane Parker for a Somerset 6-3 in heat 8. Edinburgh beat Newcastle 7-2 in heat 9 and King’s Lynn did likewise in heat 10 beating Workington 7-2. This meant that, after two rides for each team, Edinburgh (12) and Rye House (10) led Group A while Somerset (13) and King’s Lynn (9) led Group B.

Rye House started the second set of races in heat 11 by taking a 6-3 from Sheffield and in heat 12 another Zetterstrom win only netted 4 points with Hull taking the 5. Heat 13 proved unlucky for Edinburgh as they crashed out of the competition. Ross Brady and Seemond Stephens thundered side by side into the third bend with Rusty Harrison in third place when Stephens appeared to nudge Brady leaving him with nowhere to go but into the fence. He was taken from the track by ambulance with a broken ankle. Exeter took the rerun 6-3 and as no reserves are available for this tournament the Edinburgh pair became a solo. In heat 14 Glasgow roared back into contention by winning 7-2 ahead of King’s Lynn and, in heat 15 Stuart Robson rode a brilliant race to pass James Grieves to earn Rye House 4 points to Newcastle’s 5. Carl Stonehewer became the only man to beat Magnus Zetterstrom all afternoon in heat 16 but Somerset still took the heat 5-4. After each team had completed three races the position was that in Group A Rye House (16) led from Exeter and Edinburgh (15) while in Group B Somerset (17) led from Glasgow (15).

Into the last stanza and Sheffield took a 6-3 from one-man Edinburgh while Tomas Topinka’s win in heat 18 still saw King’s Lynn lose 4-5 to Hull. In heat 19 James Grieves finally won a race but Newcastle lost 4-5 to Exeter. In heat 20 Glasgow looked set for a 7-2 when Stonehewer went from 15 metres back for a tapes offence but Stonehewer still got up to pass George Stancl in the run-in for a Glasgow 6-3. As a result Rye House had won Group A (20) from Exeter (also 20) while Somerset (22) had won Group B from Glasgow (21).

In the first semi-final Stancl was quickly away from Robson and Neath but Parker burst past Neath on the back straight of lap 1 to see the Tigers home to a 6-3 success. In the other semi-final Zetterstrom and Cunningham saw off Exeter 7-2. In the run-off for third place Mark Lemon shot to the front for Exeter but it was Chris Neath and Stuart Robson filling the minor places who clinched third spot with a 5-4 success. In the Final Magnus Zetterstrom once again shot from the start so the battle was for the minor places. Glenn Cunningham looked as though he might pass Shane Parker going down the back straight but Parker moved over to shut the door and Cunningham was unable to get up to challenge again so the Glasgow pair took the 5-4 to the delight of the huge home support.

Scores from the heats: Group A – Rye House 20, Exeter 20, Edinburgh 18, Newcastle 16, Sheffield 16

Group B – Somerset 22, Glasgow 21, Hull 18, King’s Lynn 15, Workington 13.

Indvidual Scorers: Stuart Robson 16 (maximum), Magnus Zetterstrom 15, Paul Thorp 14, Shane Parker 13+1, Rusty Harrison 12+1, James Grieves 12, Tomas Topinka 12, Seemond Stephens 11+1, Andre Compton 11, Carl Stonehewer 9, Mark Lemon 9, George Stancl 8+1, Glenn Cunningham 7+1, Ross Brady 6+1 (3), Ricky Ashworth 5, Josef Franc 4+2, Emil Kramer 4+2, James Wright 4+1, Chris Neath 4, Oliver Allen 3.