Around the Premier League Tracks - 2006

[Merlin]

Friday 11 August

There were three Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced Mildenhall while at Redcar the Bears took on Sheffield . The third match was at Somerset where the Rebels raced against Newcastle



Premier League: Edinburgh 44, Mildenhall 46, Mildenhall won the bonus point on aggregate by 98-85.


With Theo Pijper declaring himself fit after damaging tendons in his leg at Berwick last Saturday Edinburgh were able to track a full strength side. Daniele Tessari made his home debut for the Monarchs having replaced Rusty Harrison who has now rejoined Workington. Mildenhall were without the injured Jon Armstrong and used R/R at number 2 in his place..

Edinburgh went into this match looking to pull back the 11 points by which they lost at Mildenhall. However there was never any chance of that happening. Over the first seven heats the Monarchs looked exactly what they are – a bottom of the league side. On an ultra-slick Armadale track it was the visitors who looked much more at home with some slick gating and, although the home side made more of a fist of it over the second half of the meeting, Mildenhall never looked like losing.

Mildenhall drew first blood with an opening heat 2-4 when Jason Lyons just managed to hold off Theo Pijper with Brundle third. The next three heats, won from the gate each time, were all shared taking the score to 11-13.

Heats 5 and 6 went the same way. So slick was the track that after Matthew Wethers got to the front off the second bend in heat 5 even Jason Lyons gave up the chase being content to sit behind his partner, James Brundle, for a shared race. In heat 7 the Monarchs slipped six points in arrears when the two Kings raced off to a 1-5 with William Lawson unable to mount a challenge to the visiting pair. In heat 8 Edinburgh at last managed a heat advantage. In the first running of the race Daniele Tessari and Derek Sneddon headed off for a 5-1 but the race was called back after Daniel King fell on the first bend. In the rerun Derek Sneddon just held on to win on the run in blocking Daniel King’s outside run to the line rather forcefully. Tessari took third place and the 4-2 produced a score of 22-26.

Another massive gate by Brent Werner produced an easy win for the American in heat 9 for a shared race but Edinburgh clawed another two points back in heat 10. Theo Pijper, by far the best rider on show, won from Daniel King and Daniele Tessari took third place for a 4-2. William Lawson came to life in heat 11 with a good gate and determined first bend run to see off Jason Lyons and Jason King for a 3-3 but Edinburgh slipped four points behind again in heat 12. Matthew Wethers fell on the pits bend as the Fen Tigers roared off for a 1-5 and the race was stopped. In the rerun Derek Sneddon split the visiting pair of Daniel King and James Brundle to limit the damage to a 2-4 which took the score to 34-38.

Heat 13 was the best race of the night. Theo Pijper cut back inside Jason Lyons to lead down the back straight with William Lawson coming up beside Lyons on the inside. The three riders exchanged positions but eventually Pijper pulled away from Lyons who did likewise to Lawson. The 4-2 gave the Monarchs a glimmer of hope but they were disappointed to see Jason King roar from the tapes for a comfortable win to keep the Fen Tigers in front at 41-43 going into the last race. Again Pijper was too good for Lyons and Daniel King but the two Mildenhall riders settled into second and third place with Lawson tailed off at the back for the 3-3 which gave the visitors victory.


Scorers: For Edinburgh – Theo Pijper 14 (5), Derek Sneddon 11+1 (5), Matthew Wethers 6+1 (4), William Lawson 6+1 (5), Henrik Moller 5+1 (4), Daniele Tessari 2 (4), Sean Stoddart 0 (3).

For Mildenhall – Daniel King 14+1 (6), Jason Lyons 10+1 (5), Brent Werner 7+1 (4), James Brundle 7+1 (7), Jason King 6+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 2 (3).



Premier League: Redcar 48, Sheffield 42, Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 91-89.


Redcar were at full strength for this match but Sheffield were again without Kyle Legault for whom they used R/R at number 4. They also had Benji Compton back at number 7.

Redcar faced an 8 point deficit from last night’s match at Sheffield in search of the bonus point. When they led by eight points after heat 10 they looked on course to pull it back but back-to-back 1-5s for Sheffield had the Bears worrying about the result of the match let alone the bonus. They achieved the win but they fell two points short of taking the bonus point as well.

Gary Havelock set the ball rolling with a win in the opening heat in a new track record time of 53.1 but the race was shared. Redcar took the lead with a 5-1 in the reserves race and, after a shared heat 3 which saw Mathieu Tresarrieu come from third to first, added a 4-2 in heat 4 when Tomas Suchanek beat Andre Compton with Giffard third. This took the score to 15-9 with the Bears looking comfortable.

Their comfort level diminished somewhat over the next four heats though! In heat 5 Ben Wilson took advantage of a Mathieu Tresarrieu shed chain while leading comfortably to win the race from Kevin Little producing a 2-4 which cut the Bears’ lead to four points. Andre Compton won heat 6 and Tomas Suchanek heat 7 in a time which equalled the new track record both for shared heats. Sheffield then scored another 2-4 in heat 8 thanks to a Ben Wilson win from Daniel Giffard with Paul Cooper taking third after Chris Kerr had fallen. The score now stood at 25-23.
The Bears increased their lead to six points again in heat 9 with a fine piece of team riding from Kevin Little and Mathieu Tresarrieu which kept Andre Compton in third place and they then stretched it further to eight points with a 4-2 in heat 10 won by Gary Havelock from Emiliano Sanchez. They were to receive a shock, however, since two heats later the match was all square again! In heat 11 Ashworth and Wilson took a 1-5 from Suchanek then in heat 12 Sanchez and Cooper did likewise from Kevin Little. This tied the match up at 36-36 with all to race for.

Redcar were not to be denied though as in heat 13 they scored their own 5-1 thanks to Gary Havelock and Tomas Suchanek to open up a four point lead. Back came Sheffield with a 2-4 with Sanchez beating Giffard after Mathieu Tresarrieu had fallen while lying third. This took the score to 43-41 and put the bonus point out of the Bears’ reach. In the last race Havelock and Suchanek repeated their 5-1 success of heat 13 to clinch victory for Redcar and stretch the winning margin to six points.

Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 14 (5), Tomas Suchanek 11+2 (5), Daniel Giffard 8 (5), Kevin Little 6 (4), Mathieu Tresarrieu 5+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2+1 (3), Chris Kerr 2+1 (4).

For Sheffield – Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (6), Ben Wilson 9+2 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7 (4), Andre Compton 7 (5), Paul Cooper 6+1 (7), Benji Compton 2 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 57, Newcastle 37, Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 102-82.


Both Somerset and Newcastle were at full strength for this match. Newcastle welcomed back Manuel Hauzinger to the team and were able to track their full side for the first time in many weeks.

Having drawn their match at Newcastle a few weeks ago, Somerset only needed a win to guarantee all three points from this return fixture. After an opening burst which saw them into a ten point lead over the opening four heats that was never really in doubt although Newcastle had their moments.

Somerset got off to a blistering start. A 4-2 from Zetterstrom and Phillips in heat 1 was followed by a 5-1 in the reserves’ race. Christian Henry could only split the Kramer/Katt pairing in heat 3 so the Rebels added another 4-2 and repeated that score in heat 4 won by Cunningham from Grieves. This took the score to 17-7 leaving the Diamonds with a mountain to climb.

Newcastle hit back with a 1-5 in heat 5 from Hauzinger and Stancl against the Rebels pairing of Katt and Kramer but that was nullified by another 5-1 for the Rebels via Zetterstrom and Phillips. Back again came Newcastle in heat 7 with a 1-5 from Franc and Henry against Cunningham but again the Rebels countered with their own 5-1 this time from Barker and Phillips after Hauzinger had fallen. This took the score after eight races to 29-19.

The Diamonds fell further behind with yet another home 5-1 for Katt and Kramer ahead of Grieves. After Zetterstrom had won again in heat 10 for a shared heat, Newcastle gave George Stancl a TR in heat 11. Glenn Cunningham won the race form Stancl but Hauzinger’s third place meant that Newcastle took a 3-5 advantage to cut the lead to 12 points. In heat 12 it was Christian Henry’s turn to take a TR and again he could only finish second this time to Stephan Katt. With Ben Barker third the race was shared 4-4 and the score stood at 44-32.

Zetterstrom and Cunningham scored a 5-1 over Stancl and Grieves in heat 13 before Simon Walker beat Josef Franc in heat 14 with Emil Kramer third for a 4-2 to the Rebels. In the last heat Magnus Zetterstrom completed his full five ride maximum but Josef Franc took second place from Glenn Cunningham for a 4-2 heat result which consigned Newcastle to a 20 point defeat.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 15 (5)(full maximum), Glenn Cunningham 10+1 (5), Stephan Katt 8 (4), Ben Barker 7+1 (4), Emil Kramer 6+1 (4), Simon Walker 6 (4), Glen Phillips 5+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Christian Henry 10+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), George Stancl 9+1 (4)(including a 4 point TR), Josef Franc 8+1 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 4+1 (4), James Grieves 4 (4), Jaimie Robertson 2 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 12 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Berwick the Bandits faced Mildenhall while at Stoke the Potters took on the Isle of Wight . Two other matches were scheduled for this evening. The third match would have been at Rye House where the Rockets were due to race against Newcastle but it fell victim to the weather. The fourth match scheduled at King’s Lynn between the Stars and Edinburgh was called off in the morning because of a waterlogged track.


Premier League: Berwick 50, Mildenhall 40


Both teams used R/R for injured riders - Berwick without James Birkinshaw at number 3 and Mildenhall without Jon Armstrong at number 2.

Mildenhall made the short journey down the A1 from their victory at Edinburgh last night to face Berwick on the second leg of their three match Northern tour. After a dreadful start the Fen Tigers recovered to home in on the Bandits but were never able to quite close the gap in what was a thoroughly entertaining meeting. Mildenhall were none too impressed with the amount of water on the track but by heat 8 the track had dried out to the extent that it needed more watering! There was also a problem in the pits with the tyres but matters were soon resolved.

Berwick looked to be in line for a big win when they scored 5-1s in the opening two heats from Bergstrom and Rempala then their two reserves but the King brothers put a halt to any such thoughts by scoring a 1-5 for the visitors ahead of Burza. Brent Werner won heat 4 for a shared race and a score of 14-10.

Mildenhall shave another two points off the home side’s lead with a 2-4 from Lyons who beat Burza and Jason King then the teams traded 4-2s in heats 6 and 7. Daniel King who was in excellent form won heat 8 and the home team knew they had a fight on their hands with the score at 25-23.

In heat 9 Berwick looked as though they would put some distance between them and their opponents when they sat on a 5-1but Stanislaw Burza suffered a puncture and the Fen Tigers shared the race to keep the gap at two points. Wins for Jason Lyons and Daniel King for shared races kept the pressure on the Bandits with King’s win in heat 10 an excellent effort coming from the back. Finally Berwick doubled their lead in heat 12 when Andreas Bergstrom finally lowered Daniel King’s colours with a tapes-to-flag win supported by Branney in third place. This took the score to 38-34.

In heat 13 Jason Lyons won again but Brent Werner could make no impression at the back so the race was shared. Finally the home support were able to breath more easily when Burza and Branney scored the match winning 5-1with Branney producing an amazing burst on the 3rd bend, 3rd lap to dive underneath Jordan Frampton for second place. Michal Makovsky managed to win a race at last in heat 15 beating Jason Lyons. With Burza taking third place from Daniel King, Berwick opened up a 10 point lead with the 4-2 to take to Mildenhall later in the month in search of the bonus point.


Scorers: For Berwick – Andreas Bergstrom 12+1 (5), Craig Branney 11+3 (7), Michal Makovsky 11 (5), Stanislaw Burza 7 (5), Jacek Rempala 5+3 (4), Daniel Warwick 4+1 (4).

For Mildenhall – Daniel King 13+1 (6), Jason Lyons 12 (5), Brent Werner 7 (4), Jason King 5 (5), James Brundle 2+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 1 (5).



Premier League: Stoke 53, Isle of Wight 39 . The Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-85.


Stoke were without both of their declared reserves and had Robert Ksiezak guesting at number 6 in place of Barrie Evans and Billy Legg at number 7 in place of the unfortunate Luke Priest. The Isle of Wight had Jason Doyle back in the side following his absence from the injuries he sustained on the Island against Edinburgh. However with Ray Morton out for the season they used R/R as usual at number 5. They also had Lee Smart at number 6 replacing Chris Johnson.

Having suffered a 28 point defeat on the Island there was never much prospect of Stoke picking up the bonus point in this match but they were soon into a lead which the Islanders never managed to close.

The visitors took the lead in the opening heat with a 2-4 when Chris Holder beat Paul Thorp with Jason Bunyan in third place but Stoke pulled level with their own 4-2 in the reserve’s race won by Robert Ksiezak. The Potters then struck what was to prove two decisive blows with back-to-back 5-1s in heats 3 and 4. Kessler and Clews took the first in heat 3 then Lemon and guest reserve, Robert Ksiezak, added the second in heat 4 to give the home side a 16-8 lead.

The Isle of Wight pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat 5 with Holder beating Kessler for the win and Bunyan taking third from Clews then the match reached a stand-off with three consecutive drawn heats to take the score to 27-21 after eight heats.

Stoke stretched their lead to eight points in heat 9 when Paul Clews held off Holder for the win with Kessler third and they added another in heat 10 from Thorp and Leverington. This took the lead to ten points just in time for Chris Holder to take a TR in heat 11. Although Holder led for most of the race, Mark Lemon passed him coming off the last bend. Jason Bunyan finished third so the Islanders at least scored a heat advantage with the 3-5 reducing their arrears to eight points again. They got it down to six in heat 12 when Jason Doyle headed home Ksiezak and Smart, the latter rather surprisingly passing Paul Clews for third place. The score now stood at 40-34.

Mark Lemon beat Chris Holder again in heat 13 but again rather surprisingly Nick Simmons took third place ahead of Paul Thorp to share the heat. It was all over in heat 14 when Robbie Kessler and Robert Ksiezak scored a 5-1 to clinch the match with Krzysztof Stojanowski suffering an engine failure at the back. Another 5-1 in the last heat from Lemon and Kessler gave the Potters a 14 point win.

Scorers: For Stoke – Mark Lemon 15 (5)(full maximum), Robbie Kessler 11+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 10+3 (5), Paul Thorp 8 (4), Paul Clews 5+1 (4), Trent Leverington 3 (4), Billy Legg 1 (3).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 14 (6)(including a 4 point TR), Jason Bunyan 8+1 (6), Jason Doyle 5+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 5+1 (5), Lee Smart 4 (5), Nick Simmons 3+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 13 August



With the match at Newcastle where the Diamonds were due to meet the Isle of Wight postponed because of a waterlogged track there was only one Premier League match raced today. That was at Glasgow where the Tigers were at home to Mildenhall.



Premier League: Glasgow 60, Mildenhall 36 Glasgow won the bonus point on aggregate by 104-85.


Glasgow were without James Cockle who suffered a bad eye injury at work and had Daniel Warwick as a guest replacement. Mildenhall used R/R at number 2 for the injured Jon Armstrong

Mildenhall moved north-west from Berwick for the third match of their Northern tour holding a 5 point advantage from the match at Mildenhall for the bonus point. It looked like the tour had taken its toll on man and machinery, however, as the Fen Tigers surrendered to a heavy defeat with only Daniel King saving them from obliteration. He scored 19 out of 36 or 53% of the Fen Tigers’ total and prevented any of the home men from recording a maximum.

Over the opening four heats only Danny King offered any resistance by winning heat 3 as Glasgow rattled up 5-1s galore. Even guest reserve, Daniel Warwick, played his part by backing up Robert Ksiezak in the reserves’ race and following Shane Parker home in heat 4 for heat maxima. The score after four heats was 18-6.

Jason Lyons briefly stemmed the tide by winning heat 5 from Nieminen, who appeared to be on an ailing motor, and Dicken while on a TR to give Mildenhall a 3-6 heat advantage. It was a good heat for Lyons to take the TR because it was the only time all match he beat a Glasgow rider. Glasgow then ran up their fourth 5-1 in heat 6 before Daniel King again came to the Fen Tigers’ rescue by winning heats 7 and 8. The former was at the expense of Shane Parker and the latter while on a TR. With Jordan Frampton, who impressed with his determined riding, passing Warwick for third in that heat the visitors scored a 2-7 which cut the gap between the sides to eight points with the score at 31-23.

Brent Werner split the Glasgow pair of Nieminen and Dicken in heat 9 for his only points of the match and a 4-2 before another Daniel King win produced a shared race. Ksiezak and Parker then left Lyons in their wake for yet another Glasgow 5-1 but another Daniel King win in heat 12 brought some success for Mildenhall when Jordan Frampton gave him some support. The young Fen Tigers’ reserve was in second place until Lee Dicken passed him on the last bend of the third lap. Nonetheless his third place produced a 2-4 to take the score to 45-33.

Mildenhall must have wished the match had ended there because the last three heats all went to Glasgow by 5-1 which included the usual Parker/Bird maxima in heats 13 and 15. Even Daniel King could not deny the Glasgow big guns in the last heat after failing to make the gate but he could be excused after a gruelling three matches in three days where he excelled in all of them.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 13+1 (5), Danny Bird 11+3 (5), Kauko Nieminen 10 (4), Robert Ksiezak 9+2, David McAllan 8+2 (4), Lee Dicken 5+2, Daniel Warwick 4+2 (4).

For Mildenhall – Daniel King 19 (6)(including a 6 point TR), Jason Lyons 9 (4)(including a 6 point TR), Jordan Frampton 5 (7), Brent Werner 2 (4), James Brundle 1 (4), Jason King 0 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 15 August



Since it’s Tuesday night, it’s the Isle of Wight where the visitors this week were the Rye House Rockets.



Premier League: Isle of Wight 64, Rye House 29 .


The Isle of Wight again used R/R for Ray Morton at number 5 and had Mildenhall’s Jordan Frampton guesting at number 6 for Chris Johnson. Rye House were missing Steve Boxall and used R/R at number 3. Their reserve pairing for this meeting was Danny Betson and Adam Roynon.

Once again the start was delayed on the Island to let another sizeable crowd in. With Steve Boxall missing Rye House were well and truly up against it and their prospects weren’t exactly improved when Ross Brady withdrew from the meeting after two pointless rides complaining of dizziness. The Rockets had a miserable evening with the 35 point defeat leaving them with the proverbial mountain to climb when the two teams meet next month at which time the bonus point will be up for grabs.

The Islanders got off to a blistering start. They took a 4-2 in the opening heat after Ross Brady had led from the start. They all passed him with Chris Holder leading home Edward Kennett and Jason Bunyan. The home side added a 5-1 in the reserves race after Danny Betson had touched the tapes and had to start from 15 metres back but Tommy Allen took heat 3 for the Rockets for a shared heat. Chris Neath was next to start from 15 metres back after being excluded for failing to beat the two minute time allowance. He then retired from the race as the Islanders cruised to another 5-1 from Holder and Simmons to take a 17-7 lead after four races.

Things got worse for the Rockets when Ross Brady’s withdrawal from the meeting was announced and they lost another 5-1 in heat 5 when Edward Kennett was left to follow home Doyle and Stojanowski. The visiting fans got something to cheer about in heat 6, though, as Adam Roynon gated to lead the field until Chris Holder managed to pass him. Still the Rye House youngster took a good second place ahead of Jason Bunyan and Chris Neath but the Rockets fell another two points in arrears. If things weren’t going too well for them, they didn’t get any better in a disastrous heat 7! Tommy Allen took a TR for them but Krzysztof Stojanowski was joined by young Jordan Frampton up front for a 5-1 to the home side relegating Allen to third after Edward Kennett had fallen at the start of the last lap causing the race to be awarded. At last Rye House managed a heat advantage in heat 8 when Jason Bunyan fell while leading. Adam Roynon won the race from Nick Simmons for a 2-4 to the Rockets which took the score to 33-15. At this point Chris Holder and Jordan Frampton were unbeaten for the Isle of Wight while Adam Roynan had scored 7 of the Rockets’ 15 points!

Heat 9 produced another home 5-1 this time from Doyle and Stojanowski while Chris Neath scored his first point of the match by taking third place. The Islanders added another maximum heat win in heat 10 through Bunyan and Holder with Tommy Allen retiring after the first lap. In heat 11 Edward Kennett took a TR for Rye House and won the race from Jason Bunyan and Jordan Frampton for a 3-6 to give the visitors some relief by topping the 20 point mark. However normal service was resumed in heat 12 with Chris Doyle and Nick Simmons, who passed Tommy Allen on the last lap, adding the Islanders’ seventh 5-1. This took the score after 12 races to 51-24.

Chris Neath split the Holder/Doyle pairing in heat 13 for a 4-2 and Tommy Allen produced the same result from heat 14 by splitting Stojanowski and Frampton. This left Rye House needing two points from the last heat to hit the 30 point mark. They couldn’t manage it though as Jason Doyle won the race from Chris Holder who completed his paid maximum ahead of Allen and Kennett for the Isle of Wight’s eighth 5-1 of the match.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 16+2 (6)(paid maximum), Jason Doyle 15 (6), Krzysztof Stojanowski 11+3 (5), Nick Simmons 9+2 (4), Jason Bunyan 7 (5), Jordan Frampton 6+3 (4).

For Rye House – Edward Kennett 9 (6)(including a 6 point TR), Tommy Allen 8 (6), Adam Roynan 7 (7), Chris Neath 3 (4), Danny Betson 2 (5), Ross Brady 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 16 August



As usual for a Wednesday night the sole Premier League match was at King’s Lynn where Rye House were the visitors.



Premier League: King’s Lynn 64, Rye House 28 .


It was a strange looking Rye House side which faced the Stars in this latest battle of these old rivals. Following their drubbing on the Isle of Wight last night, the Rockets were again without Steve Boxall and had to use R/R for him at number 3. Ross Brady, who withdrew from last night’s meeting after two races, was missing too and Mildenhall’s James Brundle was recruited as a guest to fill his place in the team at number 2. Rye’s reserve pairing for this match was Ben Powell and Adam Roynon. By contrast King’s Lynn were at full strength.

There was never much chance of an upset in this match with the Rockets so much under strength but they needed to perform much better than on the Isle of Wight to contest the bonus point when the teams meet at Hoddesdon early next month. King’s Lynn, with so many matches to catch up on, must have been worried about the rain which was around at the start of the meeting.

The Stars took a 4-2 from the opening heat, won by Kevin Doolan from Edward Kennett in a very fast time, but Troy Batchelor had to come from the back to pass James Brundle for the third place point. The reserves race, won by Chris Mills from Adam Roynan, produced the same result and the pattern was maintained in heats 3 and 4 as, firstly, Daniel Nermark headed home James Brundle and Trevor Harding then Tomas Topinka won from Adam Roynon and John Oliver. This produced a score of 16-8 after the opening four heats and the Rockets were struggling.

There was no change in heat 5 which produced another 4-2 but Edward Kennett took till lap three to pass Trevor Harding for second place behind Nermark then heat 6 was shared. Kevin Doolan never left the start line but Troy Batchelor won the race comfortably to deny Chris Neath. In heat 7 Edward Kennett took a TR for Rye House while also taking the R/R ride. A good race it was too with Topinka and Kennett trading places several times before the King’s Lynn man prevailed. Since Tommy Allen had fallen on the second bend the result was that the race was shared 4-4. Then in heat 8 Rye House played their other TR card giving the ride to their young reserve Adam Roynon. This was not a success as Troy Batchelor and John Oliver scored the first 5-1 of the match at Roynon’s expense taking the score to 32-18.

Nermark and Harding added another 5-1 in heat 9 as King’s Lynn threatened to run riot. Doolan and Batchelor made it three 5-1s on the trot in heat 10 but Edward Kennett managed second place behind Topinka in heat 11 for a 4-2 as Rye House struggled again to reach the 30 point mark. Their chances improved when they shared heat 12. John Oliver won the race from Tommy Allen but Adam Roynon did well to relegate Trevor Harding to the back for the third place point. With three heats to go the score stood at 49-25.

Tomas Topinka and Kevin Doolan added another 5-1 for the Stars in heat 13 against Edward Kennett and Chris Neath. Nermark and Mills added another in heat 14 then Doolan and Topinka completed the rout with King’s Lynn’s sixth 5-1 of the match in the last heat as Rye House completed the match without a single race winner. With a 36 point deficit to make up this looks like another bonus point outwith the Rockets’ reach.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 15 (5)(full maximum), Daniel Nermark 12 (4)(full maximum), Kevin Doolan 10+2 (5), Troy Batchelor 9+1 (4), Chris Mills 7+1 (4), John Oliver 7+1 (4), Trevor Harding 4+1 (4).

For Rye House – Edward Kennett 12 (6)(including a 4 point TR), Adam Roynon 7+1 (7), Chris Neath 3 (4), Tommy Allen 3 (5), James Brundle 2 (4), Ben Powell 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 17 August

Two Premier League matches took place tonight. At Redcar the Bears faced Somerset while at Sheffield the visitors were Edinburgh .


Premier League: Redcar 54, Somerset 39 Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 96-95.


Both teams were at full strength for this match. Redcar were seeking to pull back the 16 points by which they lost at Somerset to contest the bonus point. In that match the Bears made good use of the TR and TS rules by scoring eight extra points!

After Magnus Zetterstrom had won the opening heat for a share of the points, Somerset took the lead with a 2-4 in the reserves race. Simon Walker won a good tussle with Daniel Giffard up front while Ben Barker passed Jack Hargreaves for the third place point. Redcar squared the score again in heat 3 as Mathieu Tresarrieu beat Emil Kramer with Kevin Little third for a Bears’ 4-2. Redcar then took the lead in heat 4 with another 4-2. This time it was Daniel Giffard who led home Glenn Cunningham with Tomas Suchanek in third taking the score to 13-11.

This time it was Somerset who drew level again in heat 5 with a 4-2 as Zetterstrom beat Tresarrieu with Glen Phillips third but the see-saw swung the other way again in heat 6 with a Redcar 4-2 from Havelock and Kerr split by Cunningham to put the Bears 4-2 in front again. At this stage it was interesting to note that gates 1 and 3 had produced 4-2s in every heat so far except heat 1. So Somerset, due to go from gates 1 and 3 in the next four heats, would be hoping for some heat advantages. So it turned out in heat 7 as the sequence continued with a Rebels’ 2-4 when Emil Kramer won from Tomas Suchanek with Stephan Katt third to level things up again although the Somerset pair were on a 1-5 from the tapes until Suchanek passed Katt on the third lap. In heat 8 Redcar broke the sequence by taking a 5-1. Daniel Giffard made the start before Chris Kerr went round the outside of him to take up the lead. Glen Phillips fell in his efforts to pass Giffard so the score after eight races was 26-22.

The Bears added another 4-2 from Tresarrieu and Little in heat 9 to stretch their lead to six points although it had looked like a 5-1 to the home side when Tresarrieu and Little led from the tapes until Cunningham passed Little for second place. Emil Kramer gated to win heat 10 from Havelock and Kerr for a shared race but the Rebels’ hopes took a dive when Magnus Zetterstrom fell in heat 11. Although he remounted he could only watch Tomas Suchanek heading home Glen Phillips for another home 4-2 and an eight point lead. It got worse for Somerset when they conceded a 5-1 in heat 12. Kevin Little led but it was Daniel Giffard who produced an excellent ride to pass Stephan Katt and Simon Walker to join him up front taking the score to 42-30. More worryingly for Somerset was the fact that their aggregate lead was down to only four points although they had the consolation of now being able to use TRs.

Sure enough out came Zetterstrom wearing the tea cosy in heat 13 which he won from Havelock and Suchanek for a 3-6 to give the beleaguered visitors some extra breathing space. Conveniently the Rebels were still nine points in arrears allowing Emil Kramer also to take a TR in heat 14 and it looked like another 6 point success for the Rebels as Kramer led until he suffered an engine failure on the second lap. As a result Redcar cashed in with a 5-1 from Tresarrieu and Giffard to lead by 13 points in the match and trail by three on aggregate. The Bears, having won the match, now needed a heat 15 5-1 to take the bonus point too. They didn’t get it though. Gary Havelock beat Magnus Zetterstrom and, although Mathieu Tresarrieu passed Emil Kramer, he couldn’t catch Zetterstrom whose second place was just enough to give the Rebels the bonus point by a single point on aggregate. Redcar’s real hero was their reserve, Daniel Giffard, who dropped only one point from his five rides.

Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5), Mathieu Tresarrieu 12 (5), Daniel Giffard 11+3 (5), Tomas Suchanek 7+1 )4), Chris Kerr 6+2 (4), Kevin Little 5 (4), Jack Hargreaves 1 (3).

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Emil Kramer 8 (5), Glenn Cunningham 6 (4), Simon Walker 4 (4), Ben Barker 3 (4), Glen Phillips 3 (5), Stephan Katt 1 (4).



Premier League: Sheffield 61, Edinburgh 31 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 105-83.


There was doubt right up to the last minute as to whether Kyle Legault would be fit to take his place in the side. Eventually he did which meant that both Sheffield and Edinburgh were at full strength. Edinburgh were defending an eight point lead from the match at Armadale earlier in the season for the bonus point. There was also some doubt whether this match could go ahead due to all the heavy rain which had fallen during the day but the start was delayed by half an hour to give the track staff time to take off the top surface.

When proceedings did get under way the home side took a 4-2 in the opening heat when Ricky Ashworth passed the fast starting Pijper with Wilson third after Tessari suffered an engine failure. Derek Sneddon won the reserves race for a share of the points but Sheffield doubled their lead in heat 3 when Kyle Legault beat Matthew Wethers as Emiliano Sanchez passed Henrik Moller for third for another 4-2. The lead went to six points in heat 4 won by Andre Compton from Derek Sneddon with Benji Compton relegating William Lawson to the back. The score now stood at 15-9.

Sheffield moved up a gear with consecutive 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 from Sanchez and Legault in heat 5 and Wilson and Ashworth in heat 6. Andre Compton won heat 7 but Edinburgh stopped the rot when Moller and Wethers headed home Cooper for a share of the points. Heat 8 produced some excellent action. Derek Sneddon led until the last lap when Ben Wilson moved from third to first to win the race. Tessari challenged at the back but Benji Compton took third place for a 4-2 which took the score to 32-16.

Heat 9 produced another 5-1 to Sheffield as Sanchez and Legault left William Lawson and Sean Stoddart both still looking to take a point from an opponent. Ben Wilson won heat 10 for the home side but Matthew Wethers did well to hold off Ricky Ashworth as Moller finished last. The 4-2 stretched Sheffield’s lead to 22 points and it got worse for the Monarchs in heat 11. Theo Pijper took a TR but finished last although Daniele Tessari limited the damage with a swoop round the boards to take second place behind Andre Compton. In heat 12 Matthew Wethers tried his luck taking a TR. Derek Sneddon was the early heat leader but Emiliano Sanchez then came through to win the race as Matthew Wethers also came from the back to take second place. With Sneddon finishing third Edinburgh had their first heat advantage of the night with a 3-5 which took the score 48-26 and improved the Monarchs’ chances of hitting the 30 point mark.

Compton and Ashworth took a 5-1 as expected in heat 13 but Henrik Moller came to life in heat 14 by winning the race from Kyle Legault, who had worked his way through from the back to second place, and Paul Cooper to share the points. In heat 15 Edinburgh went with Matthew Wethers and Sean Stoddart which begs some questions and lost the inevitable 5-1 to Ben Wilson and Andre Compton for a comprehensive 30 point thrashing.


Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Ben Wilson 13 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 10 (4), Kyle Legault 9+2 (4), Ricky Ashworth 8+2 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (4), Benji Compton 3+1 (4).

For The Edinburgh – Matthew Wethers 10+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Derek Sneddon 8 (5), Henrik Moller 5 (4), Theo Pijper 4 (4), Daniele Tessari 2 (4), William Lawson 2 (4), Sean Stoddart 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 18 August



With the match at Armadale between Edinburgh and Newcastle being called off mid afternoon because of heavy rain, the only match raced tonight was at Somerset where the Rebels were at home to Newport .



Premier League: Somerset 58, Newport 35 .


Somerset were at full strength for this match while Newport again had Chris Neath guesting for Craig Watson at number 1.

After a terrible start Newport recovered to trail by only 5 points at the half way mark but Somerset finished strongly dropping only one point over the last four heats to build a 23 point lead to take to Newport for the bonus point.

Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 1 while Chris Neath warded off the challenge from Glen Phillips for a 4-2 to give the Rebels a two point lead which they doubled in the reserves race won by Simon Walker. Heats 3 and 4 resulted in 5-1s for Somerset from Katt and Kramer in heat 3 and Cunningham and Barker in heat 4 and already Newport looked out of it with the score reading 18-6.

However, the Wasps hit back. Chris Neath was out in heat 5 as a TR and came from behind to beat Katt and Kramer for a 3-6 to cut the gap to 9 points. A Zetterstrom win produced a shared heat 6 but in heat 7 Neil Collins and Chris Schramm gated and looked as if they might score a 1-5 until Glenn Cunningham passed Schramm to limit the damage to a 2-4. Newport produced a heat advantage in heat 8 too. Joel Parsons won from the gate and Tony Atkin took third place behind Phillips for another 2-4. This brought the score to 28-23 after eight races.

That was as good as it got for the Wasps though. Carl Wilkinson could only split the Katt/Kramer pairing for a 4-2 in heat 9 then Neil Collins did likewise to Zetterstrom and Phillips again for a 4-2 in heat 10. Chris Neath won heat 11 to share the points but Barker and Katt added a 5-1 in heat 12 to increase the Rebels’ lead to 13 points with the score at 44-31.

Chris Neath finished second to Zetterstrom in heat 13 but that was the last time a Newport rider finished ahead of a Rebel as the home side finished with two 5-1s with Magnus Zetterstrom completing yet another home maximum.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 15 (5)(full maximum), Stephan Katt 12+2 (5), Glenn Cunningham 8 (4), Emil Kramer 7+2 (4), Simon Walker 6+2 (5), Ben Barker 6+1 (4), Glen Phillips 4 (4).

For Newport – Chris Neath 14 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Neil Collins 7 (5), Joel Parsons 6 (5), Carl Wilkinson 5 (4), Billy Legg 1+1 (3), Chris Schramm 1+1 (4), Tony Atkin 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 20 August

After a blank Saturday night when the Four-Team Championship was washed-out at Workington, there was a programme of four Premier League matches due to be raced today. Unfortunately the match between Newcastle and [ King’s Lynn also fell victim to the weather. Of the other three first up was the match at Glasgow where the Tigers faced Redcar . Later in the afternoon Mildenhall had Rye House [/b] as visitors while the other match at Stoke ,where the Potters had Workington as their visitors, had an evening start.


Premier League: Glasgow 53, Redcar 42 Redcar won the bonus point on aggregate by 101-89.


Glasgow were back at full strength for this match but Redcar were missing Mathieu Tresarrieu who was riding abroad in a grass track meeting. They were not allowed a facility for his absence so the Bears used Conference League guest Rusty Hodgson at number 4 in his place.

Redcar arrived with a 23 point lead towards the bonus point but the absence of Mathieu Tresarrieu was likely to prove quite a handicap for them. It looked as though Glasgow’s chances of winning the bonus had disappeared after the Bears scored a 1-8 in heat 8 to get within three points of the home side’s total but Glasgow came storming back and were still in with a chance until heat 12 when a 2-4 to the Bears tied up the aggregate win. For once the Glasgow reserves were outscored by the visiting pair by 7+1 to 9+1.

Gary Havelock won the opening heat from Danny Bird and, with Chris Kerr taking third place after David McAllan had fallen, the visitors opened up with a 2-4. Glasgow drew level in the reserves’ race won by James Cockle then surged ahead with a 5-1 in heat 3 which was awarded to Nieminen and Dicken after Kevin Little had fallen. Shane Parker won heat 4 but Daniel Giffard took second place ahead of Cockle to limit Glasgow’s advantage to a 4-2 bringing the score to 15-9.

Havelock won again in heat 5 beating Nieminen and Dicken but Bird and McAllan stretched Glasgow’s lead to ten points with a 5-1 ahead of Suchanek in heat 6. The Tigers were in for a shock though when Kevin Little gated in heat 7 to hold off Parker and Ksiezak for a shared race then, perhaps surprisingly, Chris Kerr was given a TR in heat 8. It worked out perfectly for the Bears though as Kerr took the full six points. Better still for them Daniel Giffard finished second as David McAllan suffered motor trouble. This brought the visitors a big 1-8 and the score had closed to 27-24 and the bonus point looked secure for Redcar.

Nobody told Glasgow that and they rattled home two 5-1s in heats 9 and 10. Nieminen and Dicken did the damage in heat 9 leaving Suchanek and Hargreaves still to beat an opponent then Bird and McAllan relegated Little and Giffard to the back in heat 10. This increased the Tigers’ lead to 11 points so Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 11. He finished second to Shane Parker however and with Robert Ksiezak beating Chris Kerr the race was shared 4-4. The race for the bonus point was finally over in heat 12 when Kevin Little won from Lee Dicken. James Hargreaves took third place and the 2-4 cut the gap between the sides to nine points putting the bonus point outwith Glasgow’s reach with the score now standing at 43-34.

Gary Havelock won from Bird and Parker in heat 13 for a shared heat and heat 14 was shared too as Robert Ksiezak fell leaving Kauko Nieminen to score the three points from Giffard and Rusty Hodgson. Heat 15 was won by Danny Bird from Gary Havelock while Kauko Nieminen took third for a 4-2 giving Glasgow an 11 point win.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Danny Bird 13 (5), Kauko Nieminen 12 (5), Shane Parker 9+1 (4), Lee Dicken 7+3 (4), David McAllan 5+2, James Cockle 4, Robert Ksiezak 3+1 (4).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 15 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Daniel Giffard 8+1 (5), Chris Kerr 7 (4)(including a 6 point TR), Kevin Little 7 (5), Rusty Hodgson 2+1 (3), Tomas Suchanek 2 (4). Jack Hargreaves 1 (4).



Premier League: Mildenhall 44, Rye House 48 Rye House won the bonus point on aggregate by 101-84.


Mildenhall welcomed Jon Armstrong back to the side after injury which saw them back at full strength . Rye House had newcomer Lee Smethills at number 2 replacing Ross Brady and had planned to have Ben Powell at number 6. However Mildenhall objected to Powell’s inclusion so Shane Henry took his place.

Mildenhall were doing well until a disastrous heat 7 in which Jason Lyons and James Brundle crashed out of the meeting leaving them short-handed for the remaining 8 heats. In the end they didn’t quite have enough to hold the Rockets but, rather cruelly for them, the ridiculous TR rule produced a sucker punch from Rye House whose failure was rewarded with a big 1-8 in a heat in which the Fen Tigers could only field young reserve Jordan Frampton.

Mildenhall suffered a 1-5 reverse in the opening heat won by Edward Kennett and followed home by his partner, newcomer Lee Smethills, with Brent Werner third. It took four attempts before the reserves race was completed. Firstly Adam Roynon fell heavily on the first bend after Frampton had pushed him wide, then Shane Henry touched the tapes and had to start from 15 metres back. At the third attempt Henry fell after Roynon had passed Frampton. Although the riders were on the third lap the referee decreed another rerun and this time the Fen Tigers got a 5-1 to level the scores. The King brothers scored a 4-2 in heat 3 with Jason winning from Steve Boxall and the home side added another 4-2 in heat 4 with Jason Lyons winning from Chris Neath to bring the score after 4 races to 14-10.

Edward Kennett had an excellent tussle with Danny King in heat 5 before winning the race for a share of the points then Chris Neath won heat 6 for another shared heat. Disaster was just round the corner for Mildenhall though. In heat 7 Jason Lyons smashed into the fence after his machine had lifted and although he was excluded from the race the even worse news for the Mildenhall fans was that he was out of the meeting. In the rerun Steve Boxall did the same thing as Lyons had done and collided with Frampton and Brundle which saw the end of the action for Brundle. This left two riders in the rerun in which Tommy Allen beat Jordan Frampton for a 2-3 cutting Mildenhall’s lead to three points. Armstrong and Frampton raised the home side’s hopes with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Roynon and Smethills to increase the Fen Tigers’ lead to seven points with the score at 27-20 but it was doubtful whether Mildenhall, without Lyons and Brundle, had enough resources left to see them home to victory.

In heat 9 Chris Neath beat the two Kings for a shared race then in heat 10 Brent Werner beat Steve Boxall with Jon Armstrong third for a 4-2 which put the Fen Tigers nine ahead but it was a bit of a Pyrrhic victory because it allowed Edward Kennett to take a TR in heat 11. With only Jordan Frampton in the race for the home side Kennett and Smethills took a 1-8 to cut the gap to two points but Mildenhall increased it to four points with a 4-2 in heat 12 when Danny King beat Steve Boxall with Jordan Frampton third. This took the score to 39-35 with three heats to go.

In heat 13 Mildenhall had to go with only Brent Werner to face Kennett and Neath but the Rye House pair had little trouble taking the 1-5 which levelled the scores at 40-40. It looked bad for the home side when Tommy Allen and Adam Roynon led from the start but Jason King passed Roynon to limit the damage to a 2-4 which nevertheless put the Rockets in front by two points with the last heat to come. In heat 15 Edward Kennett completed his five ride maximum while Danny King passed Chris Neath for second place and a closing 2-4 to the visitors which gave them all three points.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Daniel King 10 (5), Jordan Frampton 9+2 (7), Jason King 7+2 (4), Brent Werner 6+1 (4), Jon Armstrong 6 (5), Jason Lyons 3 (2), James Brundle 3 (1).

For Rye House – Edward Kennett 18 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Chris Neath 11+1 (5), Steve Boxall 6 (4), Tommy Allen 6 (4), Lee Smethills 4+2 (4), Adam Roynon 3 (5), Shane Henry 0 (3).



Premier League: Stoke 54, Workington 41 Workington won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-92.


Stoke had John Branney at reserve in place of Luke Priest while Workington had Alan Mogridge, returning to the scene of his former glories, at number 2 in place of Ritchie Hawkins. Carl Belfield was at number 6 for the Comets.

Workington’s fading chances of qualifying for the play-offs badly needed the boost of an away win but it didn’t look promising for them after a disastrous start. A 1-8 in heat 10 got them back to within three points of the home side but that was as close as they got. There was much interest about how the two riders who had switched clubs, Paul Thorp and Alan Mogridge, would perform but it turned out to be a good night for the former and a poor night for the latter.

Alan Mogridge’s first race against his old club lasted until the first bend when he fell. With Trent Leverington passing Gary Stead to join Paul Thorp up front, Stoke opened with a 5-1. Barrie Evans won the reserve race to add a 4-2 for the Potters then things got worse for Workington as Tomasz Piszcz fell in heat 3 and was excluded from the rerun. Kessler and Clews led Rusty Harrison from the tapes and that’s the way it finished resulting in another 5-1 for Stoke. James Wright stopped the rot by beating Mark Lemon in heat 4 for a shared race taking the score to 17-7.

Kessler won again in heat 5 from Gary Stead but Alan Mogridge fell again leaving Clews to sail home for the third place point which gave the Potters another 4-2 and a 12 point lead. James Wright took a TR in heat 6 but finished behind Paul Thorp for a 4-4 then Workington finally took a heat advantage in heat 7 when Piszcz beat Mark Lemon with Rusty Harrison in third place for a 2-4 cutting the deficit to 10 points again. In heat 8 Carl Belfield fell at the back causing the race to be awarded with Trent Leverington taking the win from Alan Mogridge. The 4-2 stretched the home side’s lead to 12 points again with the score at 31-19 and Stoke still trailing by eight points on aggregate for the bonus point.

James Wright won heat 9 from Kessler in a race which was rerun after Paul Clews had fallen. This gave the Comets a 2-4 and they were 10 points adrift again but better was to come for the visitors! Tomasz Piszcz took a TR and won the race but the real battle was for second place. Rusty Harrison caught Paul Thorp on the line for second place and a big 1-8 for Workington which reduced the home side’s lead to three points at 34-31 and now the Potters had a fight on their hands. Mark Lemon steadied the ship with a win in heat 11 for a shared race and Tomasz Piszcz did likewise in heat 12 taking the score to 40-37 with three heats to go.

Workington’s challenge effectively died in heat 13. Mark Lemon led James Wright from the tapes but Paul Thorp passed Wright for a 5-1 which increased the home side’s lead to seven points. Rusty Harrison could only split Robbie Kessler and Barrie Evans in heat 14 for a 4-2 then Thorp and Lemon added another 5-1 in heat 15 which was awarded after Tomas Piszcz had fallen.

Scorers: For Stoke – Paul Thorp 12+1 (5), Mark Lemon 12+1 (5), Robbie Kessler 11 (4), Barrie Evans 8+1 (5), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4), Paul Clews 4+2 (4), John Branney 1 (3).

For Workington – James Wright 12 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Tomasz Piszcz 12 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Rusty Harrison 6+1 (4), Garry Stead 5 (4), Alan Mogridge 3+1 (4), Carl Belfield 2 (3), Aidan Collins 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 22 August



The Isle of Wight were at home to Redcar tonight in the Premier League’s only fixture.



Premier League: Isle of Wight 50, Redcar 40 The Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 92-91.


The Isle of Wight once again used R/R for Ray Morton at number 5 while Redcar were back at full strength with Mathieu Tresarrieu back in the side after his absence from the team on Sunday at Glasgow.

Redcar arrived on the Island with a nine point lead in the battle for the bonus but, after a real ding-dong battle, it wasn’t quite enough. The Bears started well though by providing the evening’s first two race winners with Gary Havelock winning heat 1 from Chris Holder then Daniel Giffard heat 2 from Chris Johnson. Both heats were shared but the Islanders moved ahead in heat 3 with a Jason Doyle win ahead of Mathieu Tresarrieu while Krzysztof Stojanowski held off Kevin Little for third place and a 4-2. Heat 4 resulted in a win for Jason Bunyan as R/R but Tomas Suchanek and Daniel Giffard shared the spoils so the score after the opening four races was 13-11.

Jason Doyle won for the second time in heat 5 but Gary Havelock and Chris Kerr followed him home for another 3-3 then the Bears fell further behind in heat 6 when Holder and Bunyan scored the first 5-1 of the match relegating Tomas Suchanek to third. This put the home side six points to the good but Redcar replied with a 1-5 of their own in heat 7 through Kevin Little and Mathieu Tressarieu to cut the gap to two points again. It looked as though the Islanders were going to escape with a 2-4 when Stojanowski passed Tresarrieu but the Redcar man moved back into third place in the run to the line. Jason Bunyan won heat 8 but Chris Kerr and the impressive Daniel Giffard shared the heat so there were still only two points between the sides after eight races with the score reading 25-23.

Redcar’s weak third pairing of Suchanek and Hargreaves conceded another 5-1 in heat 9, won by Doyle and Stojanowski, to increase the Isle of Wight’s lead to six points again but again the Bears hit back with Mathieu Tresarrieu winning heat 10 from Chris Holder with Kevin Little third. The 2-4 cut the gap to four points and, with Gary Havelock likely to appear in three of the last five heats, the match was wide open both for the result on the night and bonus point. Things changed though in heat 11. It looked like the home side were going to score a 4-2 with Chris Holder leading Gary Havelock and Chris Johnson ahead of Chris Kerr but Havelock suffered a puncture in the run to the line and the heat turned into a 5-1 which put the Islanders eight points in front and one point behind on aggregate. Back came the Bears again. Mathieu Tressarieu won heat 12 by inflicting the first defeat of the match on Jason Doyle. Daniel Giffard again produced a vital third place point so the visitors took a 2-4 cutting the gap to six points again and taking the score after 12 heats to 39-33.

The pendulum swung back to the home side in heat 13 – big time – with a 5-1 from Jason Doyle and Chris Holder from Tomas Suchanek and Gary Havelock. Now the Islanders were 10 points ahead in the match and one on aggregate with two heats to go. Redcar’s cause wasn’t helped by Kevin Little’s bike catching fire at the tapes before the start of heat 14. He was taking a TR and had to use a borrowed bike. Unfortunately he finished last while, ironically, Daniel Giffard won the race from Johnson and Stojanowski. This left Redcar needing a heat advantage from heat 15 to win the bonus point (other than a 2-3!). Gary Havelock won the last heat but Doyle and Holder filled the minor places ahead of Tresarrieu for a 3-3 which meant that the Islanders had won the bonus point by one point on aggregate.

Scorers: For The Isle of Wight – Jason Doyle 16 (6), Chris Holder 13+2 (6), Jason Bunyan 9+2 (5), Chris Johnson 6+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 5+2 (5), Nick Simmons 1+1 (4).

For Redcar – Mathieu Tresarrieu 10+1 (5), Daniel Giffard 9+2 (5), Gary Havelock 8 (5), Tomas Suchanek 5 (4), Chris Kerr 4 (4), Kevin Little 4 (4), Jack Hargreaves 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 23 August



The one Premier League match scheduled for tonight at King’s Lynn where the Stars were at home to Newcastle only saw the completion of one heat before heavy rain out paid to proceedings. So the Newcastle rain jinx struck again. This match has been rescheduled for Friday night giving the Stars two home meetings in successive days as Edinburgh are due at Saddlebow Road on Saturday night.



Premier League: King’s Lynn 4, Newcastle 2 Meeting abandoned due to rain.


King’s Lynn were at full strength for this match but Newcastle had Rusty Harrison at number 1 as a guest for George Stancl who had had some dental work done.

In the one heat which was completed Rusty Harrison led from the tapes but was passed by Troy Batchelor on the second lap while Kevin Doolan beat Manuel Hauzinger for third place giving the Stars a 4-2 lead. In heat 2, Chris Mills was excluded under the two minute rule and started 15 metres back. The Diamonds reserves gated but John Oliver passed them on the back straight before he fell off. With the rain now battering down the referee gave it ten minutes before calling it a day.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Troy Batchelor 3, Kevin Doolan 1,

For Newcastle – Rusty Harrison 2, Manuel Hauzinger 0.