Around the Premier League Tracks - 2006

[Merlin]

Thursday, 24 August



The one Premier League match tonight was at Sheffield where the Yorkshire Tigers were at home to the Glasgow species.



Premier League: Sheffield 57, Glasgow 39 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 101-88.


Sheffield were at full strength for this match with Benji Compton at number 7 but Glasgow were missing Danny Bird who had a throat infection and had to use R/R at number 1.

Glasgow arrived with a 5 point lead in the contest for the bonus point but Danny Bird’s absence was a serious blow to their chances. Giving their big guns the first two R/R rides, Glasgow were vulnerable later in the match and ultimately ran out of steam at a crucial period of the match as Sheffield took all three points comfortably.

In the opening heat Shane Parker took the R/R ride and finished second to Ricky Ashworth with Ben Wilson taking the third place point for an opening 4-2 to Sheffield. Paul Cooper won the reserves race for a shared heat but Legault and Sanchez landed a 5-1 for the home side ahead of Nieminen to open up a six point lead in heat 3. Andre Compton then beat Shane Parker in heat 4 but, with James Cockle again consigning Benji Compton to the back, the race was shared so the score after the opening four races was 15-9.

Kauko Nieminen took the R/R ride in heat 5 to face the same pairing he raced in heat 3 but the result was the same – a 5-1 to Sheffield which stretched their lead to ten points. Then it was Shane Parker’s turn to face the same pairing he faced in heat 1. This time he won the race from Ashworth and Wilson for a 3-3. Andre Compton won again in heat 7 from Kauko Nieminen and Paul Cooper’s third place at the expense of Lee Dicken gave the home side a 4-2 which increased their lead to 12 points. Ben Wilson won heat eight for a share of the points as Cockle and McAllan ensured that Benji Compton had a third pointless ride. This took the score to 30-18 with Sheffield already seven points ahead on aggregate.

In heat 9 Shane Parker took a TR facing the unbeaten Sanchez/Legault pairing. They weren’t unbeaten after this race however as Parker won for the full six points. Even better for Glasgow, Robert Ksiezak took third place ahead of Emiliano Sanchez so the visitors won the race 2-7 to cut the gap to seven points bringing them back into contention particularly for the bonus point for which they trailed on aggregate by only two points. However Ricky Ashworth won heat 10 from Kauko Nieminen with Ben Wilson third and a 4-2 which stretched the lead to nine points again. With no Parker nor Nieminen out in heats 11 and 12 Glasgow had to produce something from these two heats if they were to have any hope of salvaging anything from the match. It didn’t happen. Heat 11 saw Robert Ksiezak take the R/R ride but Sheffield took a 5-1 as Paul Cooper followed Andre Compton home putting the home side 13 points ahead. Emiliano Sanchez and Paul Cooper repeated the dose in heat 12 ahead of the Glasgow reserves and the 5-1 took the score to 46-29 effectively ending Glasgow’s hopes.

Lee Dicken took the R/R ride in heat 13 but Sheffield made it a hat trick of 5-1s when Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth saw off Shane Parker. It had been clear for some time that Glasgow were ‘saving’ Kauko Nieminen’s TR until heat 14 and sure enough out he came wearing the monochromatic tea cosy. He rose to the occasion by winning the race from Cooper and Legault for a 3-6 but it was all a bit late. In the last race Andre Compton completed his five ride maximum by beating Nieminen and Parker.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5), Paul Cooper 10+2 (5), Ricky Ashworth 10+1 (5), Kyle Legault 8+2 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4), Ben Wilson 6+1 (4), Benji Compton 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15+1 (6)(including a 6 point TR), Kauko Nieminen 14 (6), James Cockle 4+2 (4), Robert Ksiezak 4 (6), David McAllan 2+1 (4), Lee Dicken 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 25 August



The were three Premier League matches scheduled for tonight but the one at Edinburgh where the Monarchs were due to face Workington was called off due to the rain. This left the matches at Somerset where the Rebels took on Stoke and at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced Newcastle as the survivors.

The postponement of the match between Edinburgh and Workington came as a severe blow to the Comets because it was one of the matches they would had targeted for an away win to improve their chances of making the play-offs. Since Edinburgh have a full programme of league matches up to the cut off date of 17 September on which the final league placings will be determined and since the teams to visit Armadale before then (Glasgow, Stoke and Newcastle) are all fighting for points towards their final positions Edinburgh will be unable to accommodate Workington until after the cut-off date. This means that the potential three points which the Comets might have gained have been lost to them. This could well prove fatal to their hopes.



Premier League: Somerset 58, Stoke 34 .


Somerset were at full strength for this match but Stoke had Matt Bates as a guest at number seven in place of Luke Priest.

Stoke were handicapped by a virus infection from which Mark Lemon was suffering which caused him to pull out of the match after his third ride. The Potters were already struggling at that point trailing by 12 points and, with both their reserves contributing nothing by way of points, they went down to a heavy defeat.

In the opening heat Paul Thorp created a bit of a sensation by becoming the first rider to beat Magnus Zetterstrom round the Oak Tree Arena since Ross Brady for Rye House in heat 10 of the Premier League match on 14 July. Trent Leverington took third place so the Potters took a 2-4 heat advantage. Their joy didn’t last long as the Somerset reserves took a 5-1 in heat 2 to put the Rebels two points in front but Kessler and Clews followed Emil Kramer home for a shared heat 3. Heat 4 produced another 5-1 for the home side as Cunningham and Barker finished ahead of Mark Lemon taking the score after four races to 15-9.

Paul Thorp touched the tapes in heat 5 (!) so had to go from 15 metres back. Emil Kramer won the race but Trent Leverington held up Katt sufficiently for Thorp to make up the handicap and pass Katt for a shared race. Mark Lemon split the Zetterstrom/Phillips pairing in heat 6 for a 4-2 to the Rebels then Glenn Cunningham won heat 7 from Kessler and Clews for a shared race. Trent Leverington won heat 8 for another shared heat which took the score to 28-20.

Kramer and Katt scored a 5-1 ahead of Mark Lemon in heat 9 but that was the end of the action for Lemon who withdrew from the meeting feeling unwell. Zetterstrom won heat 10 but for the third time running Kessler and Clews filled the minor places after a great tussle with Phillips to share the points. Twelve points down Stoke gave Paul Thorp a TR in heat 11 but he finished last as Cunningham and Walker added another 5-1 stretching the Rebels’ lead to 16 points. The Potters then fell 20 points in arrears as Ben Barker and Stephan Katt added another maximum in heat 12 with both riders passing Paul Clews, the early race leader, taking the score to 46-26.

Paul Thorp threatened to beat Magnus Zetterstrom again by leading the Somerset number 1 for three laps in heat 13 but Zetterstrom passed him for a 4-2 with Cunningham finishing third. As usual with Stoke, Robbie Kessler took a TR in heat 14 but he was no match for Emil Kramer who completed his four ride maximum. Kessler finished second but had a job on his hands in beating Simon Walker to do so. The heat was shared 4-4. Finally Magnus Zetterstrom beat Paul Thorp again in heat 15 and the Rebels finished with a 4-2 when Glenn Cunningham made a last gasp pass on Robbie Kessler to earn them a 24 point lead for the bonus when the teams meet at Loomer Road next month.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14 (5), Emil Kramer 12 (4)(full maximum), Glenn Cunningham 11 (5), Ben Barker 8+3 (4), Simon Walker 6+1 (4), Stephan Katt 4+2 (4), Glen Phillips 3 (4).

For Stoke – Robbie Kessler 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Paul Thorp 8 (5), Trent Leverington 7 (4), Paul Clews 4+3 (4), Mark Lemon 4 (3), Barrie Evans 1 (6), Matt Bates 0 (3).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 62, Newcastle 31 .


Both King’s Lynn and Newcastle were at full strength for this match.

The matches between King’s Lynn and Newcastle have looked doomed this season as the Diamonds, sponsored by rent-a-cloud, yet again brought the rain showers which seem to have followed them from track to track this season. This time the meeting was completed however as no doubt the rain, exhausted by its efforts, couldn’t quite summon up enough water to put paid to the match.

Newcastle weren’t doing too badly up till heat 8 at which point they trailed by nine points but they lost by 33-11 over the last seven heats with four of those points coming from a TR. Once again King’s Lynn topped the 60 point mark – the seventh time in a league match from nine home fixtures.

George Stancl split the Batchelor/Doolan pairing in the opening heat as the Stars kicked off with a 4-2 followed by a 5-1 in the reserves race for an early six point lead. At this point the rain started and Newcastle, now in familiar circumstances, celebrated with a 2-4 in heat 3 when Christian Henry beat Daniel Nermark, the only point Nermark dropped in the match, with Josef Franc third. Tomas Topinka won heat 4 but, with John Oliver suffering an engine failure, the Diamonds took a share of the points and the score after four races stood at 14-10.

Stancl took another second place in heat 5 behind Nermark for another 4-2 to the home side before Doolan and Batchelor added a 5-1 ahead of James Grieves to open up a ten point lead. Christian Henry took a TR in heat 7 but Newcastle had given the TR to the wrong man! It was Josef Franc who won the heat from Tomas Topinka. Still Henry finished third so Newcastle gained an extra point in a 2-5 heat advantage to cut the gap to seven points. Troy Batchelor won heat 8 but Manuel Hauzinger passed John Oliver for second place as the Stars took another 4-2 opening the gap between the sides to 9 points and taking the score to 29-20.

It was really ‘cheerio’ from Newcastle after that as the Diamonds’ riders watched their opponents rattle up another cricket score. King’s Lynn banged in three consecutive 5-1s over the next three heats with Nermark and Harding beating Grieves in heat 9, Doolan and Batchelor beating Franc in heat 10 and Topinka and Mills beating Stancl in heat 11. Heat 10 was a good race however with early race leader Josef Franc being overhauled by Kevin Doolan then Troy Batchelor as the Newcastle man wobbled in the wet conditions. Chris Mills did well to hold off George Stancl in heat 11 then came another good race in heat 12 as Chris Mills chased and passed Christian Henry for a fine win. Trevor Harding took third and the 4-2 took the score to 48-25.

At this point there was a track inspection as the rain got worse but it was decided to continue. In heat 13 Kevin Doolan passed James Grieves to join Tomas Topinka up front for another 5-1 then Josef Franc took a TR in heat 14. He finished second to Daniel Nermark so the race was shared 4-4 before Batchelor and Topinka finished off proceedings with another 5-1 in the last heat. This gave the Stars a 31 point lead which makes the bonus point a forlorn hope for Newcastle when the sides meet at Brough Park.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Troy Batchelor 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 13+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 11 (4), Kevin Doolan 9+1 (4), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), John Oliver 6+1 (4), Trevor Harding 4+1 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Christian Henry 7 (5)(including a 2 point TR), George Stancl 5 (4), James Grieves 5 (4), Jaimie Robertson 2+1 (4), Manuel Hauzinger 2 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 26 August

There were three Premier League matches raced tonight. At Berwick the Bandits raced Workington while at King’s Lynn the Stars took on Edinburgh . The third match was at Stoke where the Potters raced against Rye House



Premier League: Berwick 41, Workington 49


Berwick again used R/R at number 3 for the injured Jaimie Birkinshaw while Workington had Carl Belfield as a guest at number 6 for the injured Lee Derbyshire.

Workington arrived from the wash out at Edinburgh last night desperately seeking an away win to keep their play-off hopes alive. They got it too thanks to consecutive 1-5s in the last two races. For Berwick this defeat spells the end of their slim play-off hopes.

What a start for the Comets! Alan Mogridge won the heat and was joined up front by Garry Stead after he had passed Rempala for second place for a 1-5 and four point lead. Berwick pulled two points back in the reserves race won by Craig Branney from Aidan Collins but Workington struck with another 1-5 in heat 3 from Tomasz Piszcz and Rusty Harrison and the Comets were six points ahead. Makovsky and Branney replied with a 5-1 for Berwick after James Wright had made a real hash of the gate. This pulled four points back for the Bandits to take the score after four races to 11-13.

Stanislaw Burza won heat 5 from Stead and Mogridge to share the points but things looked brighter for the home side when they looked to be heading for a 5-1 from Rempala and Bergstrom in heat 6. However James Wright pulled off a superb pass on Bergstrom and was catching Rempala by the end of the race. Berwick took a 4-2 though to square the match at 18-18. They weren’t on level terms for long however when Harrison and Piszcz took a 2-4 in heat 7. It took a fine pass by Makovsky on Piszcz to limit the damage as Workington looked as though they were going to score a 1-5. Workington increased their lead to four points with another 2-4 in heat 8. Alan Mogridge won the race after a superb first two bends while Craig Branney took second place with Aidan Collins third. This took the score to 22-26 after eight races.

The next four races were all shared as Berwick struggled to pull back the deficit. James Wright won heat 9 and Tomas Piszcz heat 10 in which Rusty Harrison fell and remounted while in third place. Michal Makovsky took heat 11 after Daniel Warwick had fallen and been excluded then Tomasz Piszcz won again in heat 12 to take the score after 12 races to 34-38.

At last Berwick got back on level terms in heat 13. James Wright touched the tapes after being unsettled at the starting line by Michal Makovsky’s proximity and had to go from 15 metres back. Rempala led from tapes to flag but Makovsky won a brilliant race with Stead which saw the riders pass and repass on all four laps. The 5-1 levelled the scores at 39-39 but any hopes Berwick had of a result were well and truly crushed when Workington finished with two 1-5s to send them reeling to an eight point defeat. In heat 14 it was Harrison and Collins who beat Branney and Burza then in the last race Makovsky and Rempala had no answer to the fast gating Piszcz and Harrison.


Scorers: For Berwick – Craig Branney 11+2 (7), Michal Makovsky 11+1 (5), Jacek Rempala 9 (5), Stanislaw Burza 6 (4), Andreas Bergstrom 3+2 (5), Daniel Warwick 1 (4).

For Workington – Tomasz Piszcz 13 (5), Rusty Harrison 10+2 (5), Alan Mogridge 8+2 (4), Garry Stead 7+1 (4), James Wright 6 (4), Aidan Collins 5+1 (5), Carl Belfield 0 (3).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 61, Edinburgh 33 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 106-78.


King’s Lynn were at full strength but Edinburgh were without William Lawson who was suffering from a back strain so they had to use R/R at number 5 instead..

King’s Lynn, riding their second home match in 24 hours, were hoping to emulate last night’s hammering of Newcastle. Edinburgh arrived on the back of a rained off meeting at Armadale last night hoping to avoid the same fate as most visitors to Saddlebow Road this season.

The score is no reflection of the quality of the racing as Edinburgh played their part in producing one of the best meetings seen at Saddlebow Road this year. In fact only Mildenhall and Somerset have produced narrower defeats in King’s Lynn’s Premier League home matches this season!

It looked all too easy for the Stars as Batchelor and Doolan raced off for an opening heat 5-1 but Derek Sneddon won the reserves race for a shared heat before Edinburgh pulled two points back in heat 3. Henrik Moller was fast away and never troubled in winning from Daniel Nermark but behind Trevor Harding passed Matthew Wethers only for the Edinburgh man to repass him on the last lap for the third place which gave the Monarchs a 2-4. A highly entertaining heat 4 saw John Oliver pass Derek Sneddon on the opening lap but up front Theo Pijper taking a R/R ride led from Tomas Topinka. Topinka hunted him down however and finally passed him on the third lap for a 4-2 to the Stars. This took the score after four heats to 14-10.

Heat 5 resulted in a 5-1 to the Stars but they had to work hard for it. Pijper was the early race leader but was passed by Trevor Harding on the first lap. Daniel Nermark then passed Pijper on the third lap only for Pijper to pass him back again before being repassed. Heat 6 produced a terrific race between Wethers and Batchelor as Doolan led from the tapes. Batchelor eventually pulled away from Wethers then had to hold on to second place as he developed a puncture. Nonetheless it was a 5-1 to King’s Lynn and the Monarchs now trailed by 24-12. In heat 7 Henrik Moller took a TR but things didn’t look good as Tomas Topinka and James Brundle led the race. Moller and Wethers both passed Brundle though so the race resulted in a 3-5 to Edinburgh which pulled the deficit back to 10 points. Heat 8 produced a 5-1 for the home side. Derek Sneddon passed John Oliver on the third lap only for Oliver to repass to join Troy Batchelor for the maximum heat win which took the score after eight races to 32-18.

In heat 9 Henrik Moller reared badly at the tapes as Nermark and Harding sailed off for another 5-1 and the Stars added another in heat 10 after Moller suffered an engine failure at the tapes. Theo Pijper got to the front in heat 11 and raced a good line to deny Tomas Topinka who challenged all race. This produced a shared heat then Matthew Wethers took a TR in heat 12. Trevor Harding won the race but Matthew Wethers came from the back to take second place for another shared race, this time 4-4, which took the score after twelve races to 49-27.

Heat 13 was a cracker of a race. Theo Pijper led from the tapes but Tomas Topinka passed him on the first lap. Kevin Doolan also passed him on lap three only to be repassed by Pijper. Doolan was not to be denied however and got by the Monarchs’ man again on the last lap so the Stars took another 5-1. Daniel Nermark passed Derek Sneddon to win heat 14 for a 4-2 then, in the last race, Batchelor and Doolan looked to be off for a 5-1 until Theo Pijper passed Doolan on the inside with Matthew Wethers coming through too to finish second. Doolan tried everything to get past Pijper for third place but couldn’t do it. The race was shared 3-3 and Edinburgh knew that, despite their league position and hefty defeat, they had contributed to a fine match.


Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Troy Batchelor 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 11 (4), Daniel Nermark 10+1 (4), Kevin Doolan 9+3 (5), Trevor Harding 8+1 (4), John Oliver 5+2 (4), James Brundle 4+1 (4).

For Edinburgh – Matthew Wethers 10+1 (6)(including a 4 point TR), Theo Pijper 9+1 (6), Henrik Moller 7 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Derek Sneddon 6 (5), Sean Stoddart 1 (4), Daniele Tessari 0 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 43, Rye House 47


Stoke were without Mark Lemon who withdrew from the match at Somerset last night with double vision. James Grieves guested in his place at number 5 and the Potters also had John Branney as a guest at reserve in place of Luke Priest. Rye House were at full strength tracking a reserve pairing for this match of Adam Roynon at number 6 and Ben Powell at number 7.

Stoke needed to keep winning at home to remain in contention for a play-off place but suffered a four point defeat which could cost them dearly in the shake out for the final play-off places. Despite all the injuries and team changes Rye House have suffered this year they never fail to amaze with away performances which range from the sublime to the ridiculous. This was one of the sublime ones!

The Rockets showed they meant business by winning the opening race 2-4. Edward Kennett won under pressure from Trent Leverington while Lee Smethills finished ahead of Paul Thorp. They added another 2-4 in the reserves race won by Adam Roynon to double their lead but Paul Clews and Robbie Kessler squared the match with a 5-1 in heat 3 with a comfortable win ahead of Tommy Allen and Steve Boxall. This was the only time Steve Boxall was beaten all meeting though. James Grieves won heat 4 for a shared heat which took the score to 12-12.

Edward Kennett produced his second heat win in heat 5 from Kessler and Clews for another shared race then Stoke took the lead for the one and only time in the match in heat 6. Paul Thorp won the race from Chris Neath with Trent Leverington third for a 4-2 which gave the Potters a two point lead. It lasted one heat as Rye House squared things with their own 2-4 in heat 7. Boxall caught James Grieves on the line to win the heat and Tommy Allen took the vital third place point to tie the score up again. The Rockets were back in front again after heat 8 when Lee Smethills beat Trent Leverington with Adam Roynon third to make the score 23-25.

Stoke’s cause wasn’t helped when Kessler ran into Chris Neath in heat 9 bringing him off and being excluded for his efforts. Paul Clews came to their rescue by winning the rerun for a shared heat then Boxall did likewise for Rye House in heat 10. Edward Kennett produced his third race win in heat 11 as again the points were shared but Rye House produced a massive blow in heat 12 when Steve Boxall and Ben Powell scored a 1-5 from Paul Clews. This had the Potters in real trouble as they trailed 33-39 with just three heats to go.

James Grieves gave them some hope by winning heat 13 from Chris Neath with Paul Thorp in third after Edward Kennett had fallen. This gave the home side a 4-2 to get within four points of their visitors. Robbie Kessler won heat 14 but Tommy Allen and Adam Roynon kept John Branney at the back for a shared race which meant that the home side needed a last heat 5-1 for a draw. Steve Boxall tied the points up for the Rockets by winning heat 15 from Grieves and Kessler for a shared heat and four point victory.


Scorers: For Stoke – James Grieves 12 (5), Robbie Kessler 8+2 (5), Paul Clews 8+1 (4), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4), Paul Thorp 6 (4), Barrie Evans 3+1 (5), John Branney 0 (3).

For Rye House – Steve Boxall 12 (5), Edward Kennett 9 (5), Chris Neath 7+1 (4), Adam Roynon 6+2 (4), Ben Powell 5+1 (4), Lee Smethills 4 (4), Tommy Allen 4 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 27 August

There were three Premier League matches raced today. At Newport the Wasps were back in action in a local derby against Somerset while at Glasgow the Tigers took on Newcastle . The third match was at Mildenhall where Sheffield were the visitors.



Premier League: Newport 43, Somerset 47 Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 105-78.


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

Somerset arrived with a 23 point lead in search of the bonus point but would be looking for better than that against the second bottom team in the league. The Wasps soon built up an eight point lead but Somerset produced a blistering finish to take all three points.

Magnus Zetterstrom got the Rebels off to a good start by beating Chris Neath in the opening heat. Glen Phillips picked up the third place point to put the visitors two points in front. Joel Parsons won the reserves race for a shared heat before, unbelievably after only two heats, there was a delay for track grading and watering. When racing resumed Neil Collins won heat 3 for another shared heat after which there followed an upside down heat! Ben Barker won from Joel Parsons while Carl Wilkinson passed Glenn Cunningham on the third lap for third place. The outcome was another shared race taking the score after four races to 11-13.

Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 5 but again the race was shared. Newport then wiped out the visitors’ lead and took a two point advantage with a 5-1 in heat 6. Tony Atkin and Chris Neath did the damage as Cunningham finished third on a track now so slick there was barely any grip. It was back to a shared heat with Carl Wilkinson winning heat 7 from Kramer and Katt to preserve the Wasps’ lead. Another Newport 5-1 in heat 8 had Somerset trailing by six points as Atkin and Parsons finished ahead of Glen Phillips to take the score after eight races to 27-21.

The Wasps pulled further ahead in heat 9 when Neil Collins passed Glenn Cunningham on the third lap for the win while Chris Schramm took third for a 4-2 to increase the lead to 8 points. It stayed that way after heat 10. Emil Kramer won the race from Chris Neath but Tony Atkin took third for a shared heat. Somerset pulled two points back in heat 11 with another Zetterstrom win this time from Carl Wilkinson. Glen Phillips took third place from Billy Legg for a 2-4 cutting the gap to six points. In heat 12 Ben Barker replaced Simon Walker and Somerset took a 1-5 as Katt and Barker team rode to victory ahead of Chris Schramm. This reduced the gap to two points with the heat 12 score at 37-35.

What a turn round after heat 13 as Somerset scored another 1-5 with another piece of fine team riding. This time it was Cunningham and Zetterstrom who led home Wilkinson and Neath to put the Rebels two points in front at 38-40. Emil Kramer kept the Rebels in front by winning heat 14 from Parsons and Collins for a 3-3 so it all depended on the heat 15 showdown. Finally Magnus Zetterstrom completed a paid five ride maximum by beating Carl Wilkinson while Emil Kramer took third from Chris Neath. The 2-4 gave the Rebels a four point win but it was quite a collapse by Newport who lost the last five races by 9-21 after holding an 8 point lead.


Scorers: For Newport – Neil Collins 9+1 (4), Joel Parsons 9+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 9+1 (5), Tony Atkin 7+1 (4), Chris Neath 6+1 (5), Chris Schramm 3+1 (4), Billy Legg 0 (4).

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14+1 (5), Emil Kramer 11 (5), Ben Barker 7+1 (5), Glenn Cunningham 6 (4), Stephan Katt 5+2 (4), Glen Phillips 3 (4), Simon Walker 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Glasgow 55, Newcastle 40


With Danny Bird returning to the side for Glasgow both the Tigers and Newcastle were at full strength for the home and away legs being raced over the Bank Holiday.

Glasgow looked to be in a strong qualifying position for the play-offs but, although Newcastle were desperately looking for points to finish in the top eight, they were never in the hunt after keeping the score close for the opening five heats.

With Manuel Hauzinger suffering mechanical problems in the pits, Jaimie Robertson replaced him in the opening heat. Danny Bird got the Tigers off to a winning start holding on to beat George Stancl with McAllan third for a 4-2 but the reserves race, won by Robert Ksiezak, was shared after both Robertson and Cockle had fallen. The latter, not realising that Robertson had remounted, took himself off back to the pits with the race still in progress and Robertson bearing down on him! Nieminen won heat 3 for another shared heat but Glasgow doubled their lead with a 4-2 in heat 4. Shane Parker won easily enough but James Grieves had to fend off the challenges of Robert Ksiezak for second place. The score after four races was 14-10.

Newcastle hit back with a 2-4 in heat 5. George Stancl won the race from Nieminen and Manuel Hauzinger just held on to third to reduce the gap to two points but Newcastle ‘disappeared’ over the next four heats which netted them just six points in total. James Grieves suffered an engine failure in heat 6 won by Danny Bird from Adam McKinna for a 4-2 then Parker beat Franc with Ksiezak third in heat 7 for another one. This was followed by two 5-1s to Glasgow. In heat 8 it was Cockle and McAllan who produced the maximum and in heat 9 Nieminen and Dicken the latter enhancing his cult status at Glasgow by holding off James Grieves’ challenges for all four laps much to the delight of the Glasgow support. This took the score to 34-20 and Newcastle were toiling badly.

Heat 10 saw Josef Franc take a TR but it was Danny Bird who won again although Franc took second place to share the race 4-4. Heat 11 produced another Parker win after an exciting race with George Stancl. James Cockle, who replaced Robert Ksiezak after he had been excluded for breaking the tapes, finished third so Glasgow took a 4-2 to add another two points to their lead. In heat 12 Christian Henry took a TR and won it from the gate for a 3-6 pulling three points back for the Diamonds and taking the score after 12 races to 45-32.

Danny Bird who was now feeling light-headed was withdrawn from heat 13 and replaced by Robert Ksiezak. Shane Parker kept his winning run going but Stancl and Grieves shared the race. In heat 14 Robert Ksiezak and Josef Franc were tussling for the lead when Ksiezak fell. Franc won the race from Nieminen so Newcastle took a 2-4 cutting the Glasgow lead to 11 points. Nieminen made the gate in the final heat and Shane Parker passed George Stancl to join him for a 5-1 which gave Glasgow a 15 point lead to take to Newcastle tomorrow night.


Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Kauko Nieminen 13 (5), Danny Bird 9 (3), James Cockle 6 (4), David McAllan 5+1 (4), Robert Ksiezak 5 (4), Lee Dicken 3+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 10+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), George Stancl 10 (5), Christian Henry 8 (4)(including a 6 point TR), Adam McKinna 5 (6), James Grieves 4+1 (4), Manuel Hauzinger 2 (3) Jaimie Robertson 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Mildenhall 44, Sheffield 46


Both Mildenhall and Sheffield were at full strength for this match.

Mildenhall were keen to get back to winning ways after their home defeat last week at the hands of Rye House. Luckily their casualties from that match were on parade but they faced a Sheffield side showing excellent form both home and away.

Sheffield opened with a 1-5 from Ben Wilson and Ricky Ashworth to leave Mildenhall with another uphill struggle. Jordan Frampton was excluded from the reserves race after harshly being adjudged as causing Paul Cooper who was behind him to fall. In the rerun the visitors added a 2-4 with a win from Cooper over James Brundle but Mildenhall still didn’t have their troubles to seek. Jason King fell in heat 3 and was excluded from the rerun in which his brother, Danny, missed the gate but had little trouble winning from Legault and Sanchez for a shared race. In heat 4 Andre Compton slid off while well in front and Jason Lyons and Jordan Frampton cashed in with a 5-1 cutting the gap to two points with the score after four races reading 11-13.

Ben Wilson was excluded from heat 5 as he tried to manoeuvre his way past Danny King and ended up on the centre green. In the rerun it looked as though the King brothers were heading for a 5-1 but Jason King suffered motor trouble and could only cruise round for the third place point and a 4-2 to the Fen Tigers which levelled the match at 15-15. Andre Compton won heat 6 for a 3-3 but Sheffield were back in front again after taking a 2-4 in heat 7. Kyle Legault won the race from Jason Lyons and Emiliano Sanchez picked up the odd point from James Brundle. Sheffield then struck again in heat 8 with another 2-4 when Ben Wilson beat Jon Armstrong after Jordan Frampton had demolished the safety fence and been excluded. The score after eight races was 22-26.

In heat 9 Danny King flew from the gate to beat Andre Compton. Jason King took third so Mildenhall scored a 4-2 to cut the gap to two points but Sheffield restored it to four points again with a 2-4 in heat 10 when Sanchez forced his way to the front. Armstrong finished second but Legault took the third place point as Brent Werner slipped to the back. Jason Lyons won heat 11 for a shared race after James Brundle had fallen at the back and Danny King did likewise in heat 12 with Brundle, replacing Frampton, again at the back. This made the score 34-38 but time was running out for the home side.

A thrilling heat 13 also resulted in a shared race. Ricky Ashworth finally won his battle with Jason Lyons while Brent Werner held off Andre Compton for third. It was all over after heat 14. Jason King and James Brundle made the gate for Mildenhall but Emiliano Sanchez came from behind to win the race while Benji Compton also passed James Brundle for third place to take a match winning 2-4 for Sheffield. In the last race Danny King and Jason Lyons scored a 5-1 ahead of Wilson and Ashworth but it was too late to affect the score as Sheffield took both points.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Danny King 15 (5)(full maximum), Jason Lyons 12+1 (5), Jon Armstrong 6+1 (4), Jason King 4 (4), Brent Werner 3 (4), Jordan Frampton 2 (3), James Brundle 2 (5).

For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 9+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4), Ben Wilson 8+1 (5), Kyle Legault 8 (4), Andre Compton 5 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (4), Benji Compton 4 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 28 August

Since it was Bank Holiday Monday there was a programme of four Premier League matches raced. Two of them were at Rye House where the Rockets first of all took on Stoke before turning their attention to Newport . The two other matches were at Newcastle where the Diamonds faced Glasgow and at Workington where the Comets had Berwick as their visitors.


Premier League: Rye House 65, Stoke 27 Rye House won the bonus point on aggregate by 112-70.


Rye House were at full strength for this match while Stoke had Brent Werner as a guest at number 5 for Mark Lemon and Shane Waldron at number 7 as a guest reserve for the injured Luke Priest.

Having won at Loomer Road on Saturday night the Rockets were expected to find the return match a bit of a breeze but, in truth, it was easier than that! Stoke did provide a race winner in Barrie Evans who won the reserves race and must have had some hope that Brent Werner, returning to his former track, would score well but Werner failed to beat an opponent in his four rides.

Lee Smethills and Edward Kennett took a 5-1 in the opening race but Barrie Evans and Shane Waldron did likewise for the Potters in the reserves race after Ben Powell had fallen and been excluded from the rerun. Paul Clews split the Steve Boxall/Tommy Allen pairing in heat 3 then Chris Neath won heat 4. The action was at the back, however, where Ben Powell lost his second place when he collided with the fence on the first lap to let Brent Werner through but Powell chased and passed Werner again for another 5-1 which took the score after four races to 15-9.

Rye House rattled home two more 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 before Robbie Kessler stopped the rot by finishing second to Chris Neath in heat 7 after Paul Clews had fallen and been excluded from the rerun. This resulted in a 4-2 to the Rockets and Trent Leverington finished second in heat 8 to Lee Smethills for a similar score which took the score to 33-15.

Out came Brent Werner in heat 9 as a TR but that was a waste of time as the Rockets pairing of Boxall and Allen won with ease for another 5-1. Things looked brighter for the Potters in heat 10 as Kessler and Clews led but it took Edward Kennett less than a lap to pass the pair of them for a shared heat. Heats 11 and 12 produced another two 5-1s for the home side with reserves Roynon and Powell providing excellent support for Neath and Boxall respectively. The score was now 51-21.

Rye House made it three 5-1s in a row in heat 13 before Robbie Kessler took his usual TR in heat 14. He led the race too and must have had thoughts of the full six points but Adam Roynon had passed him before the race was half a lap old! Nonetheless Kessler finished second ahead of Tommy Allen so the race was shared 4-4 before Kennett and Neath completed their paid five ride maximums with another 5-1 in the last heat, Rye House’s ninth of the match.

Scorers: For Rye House – Edward Kennett 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Chris Neath 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Steve Boxall 12 (4)(full maximum), Lee Smethills 8+1 (4), Adam Roynon 7+1 (4), Tommy Allen 6+2 (4), Ben Powell 5+2 (4).

For Stoke – Robert Kessler 9 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Brent Werner 4 (4), Barrie Evans 4 (4), Trent Leverington 4 (5), Paul Clews 3+1 (4), Shane Waldron 2+1 (4), Paul Thorp 1 (4).



Premier League: Rye House 64, Newport 28


Rye House tracked the same team as for the earlier match against Stoke but Newport were in a bit of a pickle because their permanent guest for Craig Watson, Chris Neath, was riding for the opposition. They used R/R instead at number 1.

This was another walk-over although Newport scored a point more than Stoke. It completed a very productive week-end for Rye House as they ‘rocketed’ up the league table with no fewer than 7 league points from their three matches.

The opening heat, won by Edward Kennett, was shared but a 5-1 in the reserves race, won by Adam Roynon, soon had Rye House heading for another big score. Chris Schramm followed Steve Boxall home for a 4-2 to the home side then Chris Neath won heat 4 with Wilkinson and Parsons sharing the race bringing the score to 15-9 after four races just as it was in the first match.

Again Rye House rattled home 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 but Newport stopped the rot by winning heat 7 2-4. Chris Neath fell trying an outside swoop on race leader Chris Schramm and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Schramm from Roynon with Neil Collins third. Tony Atkin took a TR in heat 8. His partner, Joel Parsons touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Ben Powell won the race from Atkin although the race was awarded after Parsons fell at the back. The 4-4 took the score to 31-19.

Newport’s cause wasn’t helped when Billy Legg was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back in heat 9 then Chris Schramm was excluded after falling in heat 10. Not content with that Neil Collins touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. In both heats Rye House clocked up 5-1s but Newport managed a second place in heat 11 when Carl Wilkinson followed Chris Neath home. In heat 12 Chris Schramm took a TR but fell. However Joel Parsons finished second to Steve Boxall for a 4-2 which took the score after twelve heats to 49-25.

That was then end for the Wasps as they conceded 5-1s in each of the last three heats with again Edward Kennett and Steve Boxall completing maximums having looked unbeatable all day.

Scorers: For Rye House – Edward Kennett 15 (5)(full maximum), Steve Boxall 12+3 (5), Tommy Allen 9+1 (4), Adam Roynon 9 (4), Chris Neath 8+1 (4), Ben Powell 6+1 (4), Lee Smethills 5+2 (4).

For Newport – Tony Atkin 7 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 7 (6), Chris Schramm 6 (6), Joel Parsons 5+2 (6), Neil Collins 3 (4), Billy Legg 0 (3).



Premier League: Newcastle 50, Glasgow 40 Glasgow won the bonus point on aggregate by 95-90.


Newcastle were at full strength but Glasgow were missing Danny Bird through illness and used R/R at number 1 instead.

It looked like this match might end up a lottery since there was some doubt whether it would take place due to a rain-soaked track. Glasgow had a 15 point advantage from the match at Ashfield yesterday but any hopes that Newcastle might have entertained for the bonus point with Bird’s absence were extinguished by some solid scoring from the Tigers’ lesser lights and a nil return from two of their own riders.

George Stancl won the opening race but the heat was shared when Ksiezak and McAllan followed him home. Glasgow then took the lead with a 2-4 from the reserves race won by Robert Ksiezak but Newcastle hit back quickly with a 5-1 from Christian Henry and Josef Franc to take the lead by two points. Shane Parker won heat 4 but the race was shared and the score after four races was 13-11.

The Franc/Henry pairing struck again in heat 5 with a 5-1 ahead of McAllan with R/R Nieminen at the back to stretch Newcastle’s lead to six points but the next five heats were all shared as Glasgow dug in. With Hauzinger and McKinna failing to trouble the scoresheet the Diamonds had to keep providing race winners to maintain their lead. Stancl won heat 6, Grieves heat 7 and Jaimie Robertson heat 8 as the score went to 27-21 after eight heats.

Shane Parker came from the back to pass Josef Franc and Christian Henry for a 3-3 in heat 9 but it looked as though the Diamonds would add two more points to their lead in heat 10 when George Stancl led from Lee Dicken and Jaimie Robertson. However Robertson got out of shape trying to pass Lee Dicken on the last bend and Kauko Nieminen got through for third place for yet another shared heat. The deadlock was broken in heat 11 when R/R Shane Parker beat James Grieves while David McAllan picked up the third place point from Adam McKinna who had to go from 15 metres back after failing to beat the two minutes time allowance. Newcastle must have fancied a heat win in heat 12 but Lee Dicken had other ideas as he led home Christian Henry and Jaimie Robertson for another shared race which took the score after twelve races to 38-34.

The home fans worries were eased when Grieves and Stancl gated in heat 13 to lead home Shane Parker for a 5-1 as Lee Dicken (R/R) fell at the back. In fact this result kept the Diamonds in the hunt for the bonus point but they needed to finish with two 5-1s to get it. Kauko Nieminen put paid to their slim hopes by finishing second to Josef Franc for a 4-2 before Shane Parker won the last race from Franc and Grieves for another 3-3, the ninth of the match.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 11+2 (5), George Stancl 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), James Grieves 11+1 (5), Christian Henry 9+1 (4), Jaimie Robertson 8+2 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 0 (3), Adam McKinna 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 14+1 (6), Robert Ksiezak 9 (6), Lee Dicken 7+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 5+1 (5), David McAllan 4+2 (4), James Cockle 1 (4).



Premier League: Workington 50, Berwick 43 Workington won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-84.


Workington again had Carl Belfield at number 6 in place of the injured Lee Derbyshire while Berwick used R/R at number 3 for the injured James Birkinshaw.

The wet track made conditions difficult for the riders and it took Workington a long time to overcome Berwick. The score was tied at 24-24 after eight races but, despite consistently shooting themselves in the foot, the Comets eventually pulled clear for all three points after their fine win at Berwick on Saturday night. It was an excellent night for Craig Branney who chalked up a paid 18 point return.

Alan Mogridge and Gary Stead opened with a 5-1 from Bergstrom and things looked tickety-boo for the Comets. Craig Branney started his high-scoring evening by winning the reserves race for a shared heat then he also won heat 3. Rusty Harrison and Tomas Piszcz looked to be heading for a 5-1 but Branney burst past the pair of them to get the verdict on the line and another shared heat as Burza had retired after going off 15 metres for breaking the tapes. James Wright looked to have heat 4 in the bag until he suffered engine trouble on the last lap which allowed Michal Makovsky to slip through for the win. Wright finished second though and the race was shared with the score after four races reading 14-10.

There was a real shock for the home side when Berwick levelled the score with a 1-5 in heat 5. Rusty Harrison shed a chain on the second lap while Tomasz Piszcz hit the fence on the third lap leaving Bergstrom and Rempala to head home for a maximum. The Comets hit back quickly with a 5-1 in heat 6 from Alan Mogridge and Garry Stead but the Bandits wouldn’t lie down and levelled again in heat 7. Burza and Branney were leading James Wright when Carl Belfield took a dive over the fourth bend fence causing the race to be stopped and awarded. Workington looked to be heading for yet another 5-1 in heat 8 until Alan Mogridge suffered an engine failure. This left Aidan Collins to head home Branney and Bergstrom to take the score after eight races to 24-24.

The Berwick pair made the gate in heat 9 but the early leader, Warwick, slipped to the back as did Makovsky but Makovsky recovered his second place by passing Tomasz Piszcz. Rusty Harrison won the race so the result was a 4-2 to Workington who now led by two points. They increased their lead to six points when Mogridge and Stead added a 5-1 ahead of Branney (R/R) and Burza in heat 10. James Wright won heat 12 from Rempala and Bergstrom for a shared heat then in heat 12 it was all over when the Comets added another 5-1 from Piszcz and Collins which put them 41-31 ahead with three races to go.

Although ten points in arrears, Berwick declined to use a TR in heat 13. James Wright won the race from Jacek Rempala while Garry Stead took third for a 4-2. Finally, but too late to have any bearing on the result, Craig Branney took a TR in heat 14. He won it too holding off a late challenge by Rusty Harrison although Stanislaw Burza helped by holding up Harrison while Branney scuttled off. This gave Berwick a 2-7 heat advantage and they looked as if they might win the last race too when Jacek Rempala headed James Wright going into the last bend with Michal Makovsky third. Wright rode round Rempala on the last bend to pull off an excellent win and the heat was shared.

Scorers: For Workington – James Wright 12 (5), Alan Mogridge 9 (5), Aidan Collins 8+2 (5), Garry Stead 7+3 (4), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Tomasz Piszcz 6+1 (4), Carl Belfield 1+1 (3).

For Berwick – Craig Branney 17+1 (7)(including a 6 point TR), Jacek Rempala 8+1 (5), Andreas Bergstrom 7+2 (5), Michal Makovsky 7+1 (5), Stanislaw Burza 4 (4), Danny Warwick 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 30 August



The Premier League action tonight was the first leg of the Final of the Premier Trophy at King’s Lynn where the Stars were at home to Sheffield.



Premier Trophy Final - First Leg: King’s Lynn 63, Sheffield 32 .


King’s Lynn , with Chris Mills back in the side, were at full strength for the first leg of this final but Sheffield suffered a bad blow last night when Andre Compton crashed while riding in Sweden and suffered a suspected broken collarbone. His place in the Tigers’ line up was taken by Jason Lyons riding as a guest.

Sheffield enjoyed a real stroke of luck in the opening race when Kevin Doolan, well in front of the field, suffered an engine failure. Troy Batchelor ensured that the points were shared by winning from Ben Wilson who had passed his partner Ricky Ashworth but King’s Lynn were soon in front. Chris Mills and John Oliver took a 5-1 from the reserves race and a four point lead which was increased to six when Trevor Harding won heat 3 from Kyle Legault. Daniel Nermark, who had slipped to the back after a hard first corner, soon passed Emiliano Sanchez for the third place point but could make no inroads on Legault so the race finished as a 4-2. Things looked bleak for the Tigers when Tomas Topinka and John Oliver gated for a 5-1 in heat 4 to the Stars with Jason Lyons relegated to third. Benji Compton fell at the back as he had done in heat 2 and the score after the first four heats was 17-7.

Bleak became desperate after heat 5 as Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding added another 5-1 ahead of the top Sheffield pairing of Ashworth and Wilson so King’s Lynn had opened up a 14 point lead even at this early stage of the match. And it got worse for the visitors. The Trophy was looking a forlorn hope for them when Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor were next to relegate Jason Lyons to third place in heat 6 for yet another 5-1. The lead had now stretched to 18 points and the bookmakers had no doubt closed the book on the Trophy outcome. Sheffield stopped the rot in heat 7 though. Tomas Topinka was beaten from the gate by Kyle Legault but he chased him hard and eventually got past on the last lap to win the race. Behind him Chris Mills had passed Emiliano Sanchez on the first lap but he was repassed a lap later. This resulted in a shared race with the Tigers finally getting into double figures. The respite didn’t last long as King’s Lynn chalked up their fifth 5-1 in heat 8. This time it was Troy Batchelor and John Oliver who romped home for the maximum after Ben Wilson made a mess of the first bend. The score after eight races was 35-13.

Jason Lyons finally delivered for Sheffield by winning heat 9 from Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding after making an excellent gate. Sheffield must have wished that they had given Lyons a TR but the chance was lost. Normal service was resumed in heat 10 with yet another Doolan/Batchelor 5-1 although Sanchez was on the pace behind Batchelor. (Surely Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor form the most powerful pairing in the league!) In heat 11 Tomas Topinka and Ricky Ashworth came together on the first bend resulting in a fall for Topinka. The race was stopped with all four back for the rerun. In the rerun Ricky Ashworth came to life by passing Tomas Topinka to lead the race. Unfortunately for Sheffield he fell on the third lap and was excluded from the second rerun. At the third time of asking Chris Mills got to the front and Tomas Topinka sat in behind him for King’s Lynn’s seventh 5-1 of the match which opened the gap between the sides to 30 points. As anticipated Kyle Legault took a TR in heat 12. Trevor Harding made a good start and was leading coming off the second bend when he suffered an engine failure. John Oliver behind him couldn’t avoid crashing into him causing the race to be stopped and rerun with Harding excluded. Chris Mills replaced Oliver in the rerun in which Sheffield cashed in when Kyle Legault won the race from Mills with Cooper third to give the Tigers a 2-7 heat advantage which took the score to 50-25.

Ricky Ashworth fell again in heat 13 while lying second. Tomas Topinka went on to win the race but Jason Lyons passed Kevin Doolan on the first lap for second place resulting in a 4-2 to the Stars. Sheffield then gave Emiliano Sanchez their second TR in heat 14, a strange decision given that the only opponent Sanchez had beaten up to that point was Chris Mills. Sanchez gave it everything though but couldn’t pass Daniel Nermark and had to settle for second place ahead of John Oliver. This meant that the race was shared 4-4. In the final race there was no sign of Jason Lyons as Sheffield nominated Sanchez and Legault. However King’s Lynn scored their eighth 5-1 as Tomas Topinka and Troy Batchelor both completed their paid five ride maximums to give the Stars a 31 point lead for the second leg. No doubt the engraver can start engraving the Trophy now!

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Troy Batchelor 12+3 (5)(paid maximum), Daniel Nermark 9 (4), Chris Mills 8 (4), John Oliver 7+3 (4), Kevin Doolan 7 (4), Trevor Harding 6+2 (4).

For Sheffield – Kyle Legault 10 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 7+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Jason Lyons 7 (4), Ben Wilson 4 (4), Ricky Ashworth 2+1 (4), Paul Cooper 2 (5), Benji Compton 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 31 August

There were two matches raced tonight. The first was the second leg of the Final of the Premier Trophy at Sheffield between the Tigers and King’s Lynn while at Redcar the Bears took on Workington in a Premier League match.


Premier Trophy Final - Second Leg: Sheffield 48, King’s Lynn 45
King’s Lynn won the Premier Trophy on aggregate by 108-80.


Sheffield again had Jason Lyons at number 5 as a guest for the injured Andre Compton while King’s Lynn were at full strength

Sheffield had the proverbial mountain to climb attempting to pull back a 31 point deficit from the first leg at Saddlebow Road last night. Although they made a fight of it a 1-5 in the reserve s race and a 2-7 in heat 8 left them in a hopeless position and in the end they struggled to win on the night.

Troy Batchelor got as far as the first bend in the opening heat before falling and Sheffield scored a 4-2 when Ricky Ashworth beat Kevin Doolan but heat 2 resulted in a 1-5 to the Stars from Oliver and Mills which put them two points in front increasing their overall lead to 33 points. The Tigers hit back with as 5-1 from Kyle Legault and Emiliano Sanchez from Harding and Nermark putting them two in front again. Jason Lyons won heat 4 for the home side from Tomas Topinka but Paul Cooper fell so the race was shared and the score after four races was 13-11.

Sanchez and Legault raised home hopes again with another 5-1 this time ahead of the Stars’ top pairing of Doolan and Batchelor then they added another maximum in heat 6! Ben Wilson and Ricky Ashworth headed home Chris Mills as Tomas Topinka suffered an engine failure on the third lap although he was last at the time. Now the Tigers were 10 points in front. Jason Lyons passed Nermark and Harding in heat 7 but, with Paul Cooper last, the race was shared. In heat 8 Troy Batchelor, with two zeroes to his name, was given a TR and won it from Ben Wilson. John Oliver finished third so the Stars scored a 2-7 reducing the deficit on the night to five points and dealing a terminal blow to Sheffield’s hopes. The score was now 28-23.

Heat 9 resulted in a win for Kyle Legault from Tomas Topinka but Chris Mills took third place from Emiliano Sanchez for a shared race which ensured that King’s Lynn had won the Trophy. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 from Ashworth and Wilson for another shared race then King’s Lynn pulled two more points back in heat 11 when Kevin Doolan stopped Jason Lyons’ winning run with Troy Batchelor third. Emiliano Sanchez won heat 12 but Harding and Mills kept Compton at the back so the race was shared bringing the score after 12 heats to 39-36. Sheffield now had a job on their hands to win on the night.

Ricky Ashworth won heat 13 but Jason Lyons suffered an engine failure while lying third. As a result Doolan and Topinka shared the race as did Nermark by winning heat 14 from Legault and Compton. This left King’s Lynn needing a 1-5 in the last race for victory but Ricky Ashworth won again from Doolan and Nermark to give the Tigers the consolation of winning their home leg. Congratulations to the Stars on winning the Trophy!


Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 13+1 (5), Kyle Legault 10+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4), Jason Lyons 8 (4), Ben Wilson 7+1 (4), Benji Compton 1+1 (5), Paul Cooper 1 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 9+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 9 (5), Troy Batchelor 8 (4)(including a 6 point TR), Chris Mills 5+3 (4), Tomas Topinka 5+1 (4), John Oliver 5+1 (4), Trevor Harding 4+1 (4).



Premier League: Redcar 59, Workington 36 .


Redcar were at full strength while Workington had Ben Powell at number 6 as a reserve guest for Lee Derbyshire.

Workington, chasing a place in the play-offs, could have done with a good result from this match but they didn’t get it. Redcar were always in charge and, despite a 1-8 to the Comets in heat 11, they won comfortably with an excellent opportunity for the bonus point when the teams meet again on Saturday night.

Redcar got off to a blistering start. Gary Havelock won the opening heat setting a new track record in the process by beating Garry Stead while Chris Kerr took third place as Alan Mogridge fell. This gave the home side a 4-2 for a two point lead and they rammed home two 5-1s to take the lead to 10 points. The reserves race was won by Daniel Giffard and Jack Hargreaves although Hargreaves, clearly in pain, was treated by the medics after the race and withdrew injured from the meeting. In heat 3 Tomasz Piszcz fell and the race was rerun resulting in a win for Mathieu Tresarrieu and Kevin Little for another 5-1. Workington hit back in heat 4 when James Wright won from Daniel Giffard with Aidan Collins third for a 2-4 which took the score 16-8.

Heat 5 looked like producing another home 5-1 when Tresarrieu and Little led from the gate but Alan Mogridge passed Little on the inside for second place so the Bears had to settle for a 4-2. Heat 6 produced a classic. Gary Havelock in third place got a good view of a fine pass by Chris Kerr on James Wright but Wright fought back and regained the lead on the last lap to share the points. Tomas Suchanek led heat 7 from Tomasz Piszcz while Daniel Giffard came from the back to pass Rusty Harrison but Piszcz suffered an engine failure so the Bears took another 5-1 which increased their lead to 14 points. In heat 8 Chris Kerr came from the back to pass Aidan Collins and Alan Mogridge so the race was shared with the score now reading 31-17.

The unbeaten James Wright took a TR for the Comets in heat 9 but he didn’t remain unbeaten as Mathieu Tresarrieu and Kevin Little looked like taking a 5-1 but Wright passed Little so the race was shared 4-4. Havelock and Kerr added a 5-1 in heat 10 from Harrison and Piszcz then Alan Mogridge took a TR in heat 11. This brought the big 1-8 when Mogridge was followed home by Garry Stead with Giffard in third. This clawed seven points back for the Comets who now trailed by 11 points but their joy was short-lived as Little and Giffard replied with a 5-1 in heat 12 which brought the score to 46-31.

Gary Havelock won heat 13 from Garry Stead while Tomas Suchanek relegated James Wright to the back for a Bears’ 4-2 and the Bears won heat 14 by the same score when Mathieu Tresarrieu beat Rusty Harrison and Daniel Giffard to stretch the lead to 19 points. Workington needed to hold it at that but instead lost another 5-1 in heat 15 to Tresarrieu and Havelock which leaves them with a 23 point gap to close in the return in search for the bonus point.

Scorers: For Redcar – Mathieu Tresarrieu 15 (5)(full maximum), Gary Havelock 12+2 (5), Daniel Giffard 11+2 (7), Chris Kerr 8+1 (4), Kevin Little 7+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2+1 (1).

For The Workington – James Wright 11 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Alan Mogridge 10 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Garry Stead 6+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 5 (4), Aidan Collins 4+1 (5), Ben Powell 0 (3), Tomasz Piszcz 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 1 September

There was action at two Premier League tracks tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs took on local rivals Glasgow while at Somerset the Rebels faced Swindon in an inter-league challenge match.


Premier League: Edinburgh 45, Glasgow 45


Edinburgh were at full strength for this match but Glasgow were without Danny Bird, who had been refused permission to ride in this match by the BSPA Management Committee, so used Rider Replacement instead at number 1.

Neither side will be quite sure how to look at this result. Edinburgh will be kicking themselves for the two late engine failures which cost them victory while Glasgow are still seething at not being allowed to track Danny Bird. Each set of supporters will have their own take on events but at least both sets will have the satisfaction of avoiding defeat, always unthinkable in these local derby affairs.

Theo Pijper won the opening heat for Edinburgh in a new track record time of 55.2 but Robert Ksiezak (R/R) and David McAllan comfortably filled the minor places for a shared heat. In the reserves race Sean Stoddart rode an excellent first two bends to head off down the back straight in front but Robert Ksiezak fell on the second bend and Derek Sneddon ran into him. In the rerun, as often happens, the rider who was out of it in the first running of the race, James Cockle, leapt from the tapes for a tapes-to-flag win for another 3-3. Kauko Nieminen made a fast start to win another shared race and heat 4, too, was shared. In the first running of the race James Cockle fell on the first bend and William Lawson ploughed into him. The race was rerun with all four riders and Shane Parker shot off for an untroubled win with Lawson and Sneddon following him home. With four shared races the score stood at 12-12.

The deadlock was broken in heat 5. Henrik Moller made the gate and headed off for a comfortable win. Behind him Kauko Nieminen (R/R) and David McAllan slotted into the minor places but, on the fourth bend of the first lap, Matthew Wethers produced a magnificent pass on both Glasgow riders to slip into second place. Nieminen repassed Wethers but the Edinburgh man was not to be denied and moved back into second place on the fourth bend of the second lap to produce a home 5-1 which put the Monarchs four points ahead. It was then back to shared races. Shane Parker won heat 6 with a phenomenal gate which left Pijper, who rounded his partner, Daniele Tessari on the second bend chasing in vain. Then heat 6 was shared, too. Another fast start from Kauko Nieminen was enough to win the race while Sean Stoddart and William Lawson were left to pick up second and third place points as Lee Dicken struggled at the back. In heat 8 Edinburgh stretched their lead to six points. In the first running of the heat Derek Sneddon charged straight through the tapes and was excluded. He was replaced by Sean Stoddart. In the rerun James Cockle was the early race leader but he got badly out of shape on the fourth bend as the riders all converged on the same spot. Once they had sorted themselves out Sean Stoddart raced off for a comfortable win with David McAllan taking second place from Daniele Tessari. The 4-2 took the score to 27-21.

Back came Glasgow with a 1-5 cutting the gap to two points again. Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak gated to the front and Henrik Moller and Matthew Wethers never looked like catching them. Theo Pijper won heat 10 while behind him Kauko Nieminen lifted badly on the first bend causing Daniele Tessari to back off. Once Nieminen had recovered his composure he, and Lee Dicken, were content to share the race from a disappointing Tessari who finished well behind. This produced another shared heat and the Monarchs were still two points in front. Not for long though as Glasgow levelled the match with a 2-4 in heat 11. Shane Parker (R/R) with another fast start was off and running for the win with William Lawson chasing in vain. At the back Sean Stoddart surrendered his third place to David McAllan by going too wide on the third bend and then falling two bends later. He remounted but Glasgow had taken the heat advantage. Edinburgh were very unlucky in heat 12 though. An excellent start from Matthew Wethers and Derek Sneddon saw them head off down the back straight of the opening lap for a 5-1 when Sneddon suffered an engine failure which gave the Tigers a share of the points taking the score after twelve races to 36-36.

In heat 13 Theo Pijper made the start ahead of Shane Parker to bring the Glasgow man’s winning streak to an end. With William Lawson third Edinburgh took a 4-2 which put them ahead at 40-38 with two races to go. Then the engine gremlins struck the Monarchs again when Henrik Moller’s engine dropped its guts all over the track at the starting gate in heat 14. Derek Sneddon raced off to lead the race but he was caught and passed by Kauko Nieminen. Robert Ksiezak took the third place point for a Glasgow 2-4 which squared the match again. With the scores tied at 42-42 we had the race of the night in heat 15. Theo Pijper rounded Shane Parker on the opening two bends to lead the race but Parker was in pursuit with a vengeance. The Glasgow man thundered into the first bend of the second lap inside Pijper and rode him out to the fence. Pijper, clearly seeing which way the wind was blowing, cut back hard at the top of the second bend and the two riders were neck and neck down the back straight of the second lap. Pijper just got his wheel in front going into the third bend and headed for the fence denying Parker the outside run he clearly craved. Parker had no answer to this manoeuvre and could only follow Pijper home from there. Meanwhile behind them William Lawson, who had got himself into third place, could not hold on and Kauko Nieminen passed him for the third place which shared the points resulting in a drawn match.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Theo Pijper 14 (5), Matthew Wethers 7+2 (4), Sean Stoddart 7 (4), William Lawson 6+1 (5), Henrik Moller 5 (4), Derek Sneddon 4+2 (4), Daniele Tessari 2+1 (4).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 16 (6), Kauko Nieminen 13+1 (6), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (6), David McAllan 4+1 (5), James Cockle 3 (3), Lee Dicken 2+2 (4).



Inter-League Challenge: Somerset 39.5, Swindon 54.5 .


Somerset were without Glen Phillips and had Neil Collins guesting in his place at number 2. Swindon had two guests in their side – Travis McGowan at number 4 and Lewis Bridger at number 6.

As expected, Somerset were no match for their Elite League visitors and lost by 15 points. In the opening race Magnus Zetterstrom had to go from 15 metres back after touching the tapes. Leigh Adams won the race but Zetterstrom managed to get through for second place after passing Tomasz Chrzanowski before the first lap had been completed. The race was shared as was the reserves race won by Simon Walker from Lewis Bridger and Mads Korneliussen but Somerset fell behind in heat 3 when Travis McGowan won from Emil Kramer with Renat Gafurov third from Stephan Katt. This produced a 2-4 for the Robins and they added a 1-5 in heat 4 through Lee Richardson and Mads Korneliussen which took the score to 9-15.

Leigh Adams and Tomasz Chrzanowski added another 1-5 in heat 5 from Kramer and Katt to put the Robins ten points ahead so Magnus Zetterstrom took a TR in heat 6. The race was won by Lee Richardson from Zetterstrom but Neil Collins took third place to give Somerset a 5-3 heat advantage. The Rebels hopes died though when Swindon rammed home another 1-5 in heat 7 from McGowan and Gafurov as Glenn Cunningham retired from the race. Tomasz Chrzanowski won heat 8 for a shared heat as the score progressed to 19-31 after eight races.

Wins for Emil Kramer and Magnus Zetterstrom in heats 9 and 10 produced shared heats but the Robins went further ahead with another 1-5 in heat 11. Adams and Chrzanowski did the damage and the Rebels found themselves trailing by 16 points. Heat 12, won by Renat Gafurov, was shared so the score now stood at 29-45.

Heat 13 produced a rare dead heat and the dreaded half point. Leigh Adams completed his full maximum by winning the race from Magnus Zetterstrom but behind him the referee declared a dead heat between Glenn Cunningham and Lee Richardson which produced a 2.5-3.5 heat advantage to the Robins. In heat 14 Emil Kramer took a TR but could only finish second to Travis McGowan. However Simon Walker finished third after Mads Korneliussen had retired so Somerset took another 5-3 advantage. Magnus Zetterstrom won the final heat but McGowan and Richardson shared the race by finishing ahead of Emil Kramer to deny the Rebels from hitting the 40 point mark by 0.5 of a point!

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 13+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Emil Kramer 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Neil Collins 5+1 (4), Simon Walker 5+1 (4), Glenn Cunningham 2.5+0.5 (4), Ben Barker 2+2 (4), Stephan Katt 2 (4).

For Swindon – Travis McGowan 13 (5), Leigh Adams 12 (4)(full maximum), Lee Richardson 8.5+1.5 (5), Tomasz Chrzanowski 7+2 (4), Renat Gafurov 7+2 (4), Lewis Bridger 4 (4), Mads Korneliussen 3+2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 2 September

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight while a third fell victim to the weather. At Workington the Comets raced Redcar while at Rye House the Rockets took on King’s Lynn . The match at Stoke between the Potters and Mildenhall was postponed.


Premier League: Workington 52, Redcar 42 Redcar won the bonus point on aggregate by 101-88


Workington had Tai Woffinden at number 6 for Lee Derbyshire while Redcar were missing Mathieu Tresarrieu and used R/R instead at number 2. They also had Benji Compton as a guest reserve replacement for Jack Hargreaves.

There had been some doubt whether this match would take place because of heavy rain which had fallen throughout the day but after work on the track it went ahead. Workington had a difficult task trying to win the bonus point after losing by 23 points at Redcar last Thursday night but it became almost impossible when Aidan Collins was taken to hospital after a heat 2 crash.

Gary Havelock won the opening heat from Garry Stead and Alan Mogridge for a shared race before Workington suffered a bad blow when Aidan Collins had to withdraw from the meeting after falling in the reserves race. There was a delay to the proceedings when an ambulance had to be summoned. The referee considered that Benji Compton had caused Collins to fall so Compton was excluded from the rerun which now had only two riders. Daniel Giffard won from Tai Woffinden for a 2-3 which put the Bears a point in front. Workington hit back with a 5-1 in heat 3. Alan Mogridge (R/R) won the race with Harrison following him home ahead of Chris Kerr and Kevin Little for a three point lead. In heat 4 James Wright had to pull the stops out by coming from last to first passing Daniel Giffard and Tomas Suchanek after making a hash of the second bend. The race was shared and the score after four races was 13-10.

Heat 5 was raced with only three riders. Rusty Harrison, the Comets’ sole rider, won the race by passing Gary Havelock round the outside on the opening bends while Daniel Giffard (R/R) picked up the gift third place point so the heat was shared. Workington were heading for a 5-1 in heat 6 when Benji Compton fell on the fourth bend causing the race to be rerun. Justice was done when the Comets took the rerun 5-1 with Stead and Mogridge beating Tomas Suchanek to open up a seven point lead. James Wright produced another sparkling first/second bend ride to hit the front in heat 7 and win the race from Kevin Little and Chris Kerr for a 3-3. There was a real shock for the Bears in heat 8 though. Alan Mogridge made the gate and headed off to win the heat but behind him young Tai Woffinden got into second place and had no difficulty keeping his second place ahead of Kevin Little and Daniel Giffard! This resulted in another home 5-1 taking the score after eight races to 29-18.

The Comets banged home another 5-1 in heat 9 as James Wright (R/R) and Rusty Harrison saw off Tomas Suchanek. The home side’s lead was now 15 points and they trailed by just 8 points on aggregate although they still had to face Redcar TRs and cope with the absence of Aidan Collins. The Comets added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 10. Garry Stead won the race but Chris Kerr rode well to pass Alan Mogridge as Kevin Little retired at the end of the third lap. As expected Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 11. James Wright passed Havelock to win the race but, with Tai Woffinden suffering an engine failure at the gate, Daniel Giffard picked up the third place point to give the Bears a 3-5 heat advantage. The Comets’ chances of the bonus point then all but disappeared when Kevin Little beat Rusty Harrison (R/R) in heat 12 and Daniel Giffard finished third for a 2-4 which brought the score after twelve races to 43-30.

James Wright continued his unbeaten run by coming from behind to win heat 13 from Havelock. With Garry Stead third Workington took a 4-2 to lead by 15 points and now needed two 5-1s to tie for the bonus point. Chris Kerr took a TR in heat 14 and won the race from Rusty Harrison who seemed none to pleased about it. Tai Woffinden picked up another excellent point by beating Daniel Giffard so the Bears took a 3-6 advantage. In the last heat Redcar looked to be heading for a 1-5 when Chris Kerr gated with Gary Havelock but Havelock got out of shape on the fourth bend as James Wright slipped past him. Wright couldn’t catch Kerr though so just lost out on his maximum as Garry Stead retired on the third lap while at the back.

Scorers: For Workington – James Wright 17 (6), Rusty Harrison 11+2 (5), Alan Mogridge 10+2 (5), Garry Stead 9 (5), Tai Woffinden 5+2 (7), Aidan Collins 0 (1).

For Redcar – Chris Kerr 13+1 (6)(including a 6 point TR), Gary Havelock 12 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Daniel Giffard 7+3 (7), Kevin Little 6 (5), Tomas Suchanek 4 (5), Benji Compton 0 (3).



Premier League: Rye House 44, King’s Lynn 46 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 110-72.


Rye House were at full strength but King’s Lynn were without Troy Batchelor who was required to travel to the World under 21 Final in Italy where he was a reserve for the meeting. The Stars used R/R at number 2 to cover for his absence.

It looked like Troy Batchelor’s absence would be a blow to King’s Lynn’s chances of winning on the night but they had little fears about the bonus point having beaten Rye House at home by a massive 36 points. King’s Lynn are made of stern stuff though and were clearly up for the match. Some inspirational gating, the fastest seen at Rye for a long time, from Daniel Nermark which netted him five race wins was too much for the Rockets.

The Rockets started with a 4-2. Edward Kennett won the race after fending off the challenge of Kevin Doolan for the first couple of laps while Lee Smethills beat (R/R) Trevor Harding. The next three shared races were all shared. Ben Powell won the reserves race from Mills and Oliver then, in heat 3, Tommy Allen won from Harding and Nermark while Steve Boxall finished at the back. Tomas Topinka rode an excellent race to beat Chris Neath in heat 4, after Neath finally got the bit between his teeth on the last lap, while Powell beat Oliver at the back. This took the score after four races to 13-11.

Rye House doubled their lead to four points with another 4-2 in heat 5. Steve Boxall won the heat but behind him there was a titanic struggle between Kevin Doolan and Tommy Allen for the third place point which produced one of the best races of the season at the Hoddesdon track as the riders traded places all race. Doolan prevailed to limit the damage for the Stars. In heat 6 Tomas Topinka produced another excellent win beating Edward Kennett who just could not get past. Lee Smethills was third so this race was shared keeping the Rockets four points in front. Two heats later it was all square. In heat 7 Daniel Nermark won from Chris Neath and Trevor Harding took third place for a 2-4 to the Stars then in heat 8 another 2-4 levelled the scores. Daniel Nermark (R/R) won again this time from Ben Powell while Chris Mills relegated Lee Smethills to last place. The score after eight races was now 24-24.

Rye House regained their four point lead in heat 9 when Tommy Allen shot from the gate ahead of Topinka while Steve Boxall rounded Topinka off the second bend for a home 5-1 but back came King’s Lynn in heat 10 with a real shock for the Rockets. Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding did the damage with Edward Kennett stuck at the back behind his partner, Ben Powell. It took Kennett three laps to round Powell but he couldn’t catch the Stars’ duo. This produced a 1-5 for the visitors levelling the scores again at 30-30. Heat 11 produced another shared heat but the winner, Chris Neath, had his work cut out having to pass, firstly, (R/R) Chris Mills before setting off after Kevin Doolan. He rounded him off the last bend to win the race on the line which kept the match tied. King’s Lynn then took the lead for the first time in the match in heat 12. Trevor Harding just held off a desperate dash to the line from Steve Boxall to win the heat with Chris Mills taking third place from Ben Powell. After the race Steve Boxall crashed into the fence on the slow down lap after passing Harding just after the line and required treatment. This resulted in a 2-4 to the Stars which brought the score after 12 heats to 35-37.

Tomas Topinka fell on the first bend of heat 13 but it was all four back for the rerun. The rerun was another excellent race. Chris Neath passed Kevin Doolan to win the heat while Tomas Topinka passed Edward Kennett for third place and then blocked every attempt by Kennett to get past again. Daniel Nermark then had an easy win in heat 14 to maintain the Stars’ lead but Chris Mills fell resulting in a shared race making the score 41-43 going into the last race. For the last heat the referee would not allow Steve Boxall to compete because he had been knocked out in the aftermath of heat 12. The Rockets went with Chris Neath and Tommy Allen instead while the Stars tracked Daniel Nermark and Tomas Topinka. Topinka pulled up with an engine failure but Daniel Nermark produced his fifth consecutive race victory to share the heat giving King’s Lynn yet another away win. Just who is going to stop them this year?

Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 11+1 (5), Tommy Allen 9+2 (5), Steve Boxall 8 (4), Ben Powell 6+1 (5), Edward Kennett 6 (4), Lee Smethills 2+1 (3), Adam Roynon 2 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 16+1 (6), Tomas Topinka 8+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 8 (4), Trevor Harding 8+1 (5), Chris Mills 5+1 (7), John Oliver 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 3 September

There were four Premier League matches raced today. At Newport the Wasps faced Berwick while at Glasgow the Tigers took on Edinburgh . The third match was at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers raced against Workington . Finally at Newcastle the Diamonds had Sheffield as their visitors.


Premier League: Newport 41, Berwick 49


Newport once again had Chris Neath as a guest for the injured Craig Watson at number 1 while Berwick again used R/R for James Birkinshaw at number 3.

Newport seemed to be doing their best to make sure that Berwick won this match when they had two retirals and a fall in the opening four heats. Yet again they took the lead in this match only to suffer another late collapse which saw them crumble to another home defeat.

The Wasps got off to a winning start in heat 1. Chris Neath won the race from Andreas Bergstrom with Tony Atkin third for a 4-2. The reserves race, won by Joel Parsons, was shared as Billy Legg retired at the back. Heat 3 was another shared race. Neil Collins shed a chain at the start but Chris Schramm beat Burza and Warwick (R/R) to keep the home side two points in front. They were two points down though after heat 4. Carl Wilkinson fell on the first bend allowing Michal Makovsky and Craig Branney to score a 1-5 ahead of Billy Legg. The score then stood at 11-13.

Newport were two points in front again after scoring a 5-1 in heat 5. Schramm and Collins won the race from Bergstrom and Rempala and there was no change after heat 6 won by Michal Makovsky from Neath and Atkin for a 3-3. Carl Wilkinson won heat 7 but Craig Branney (R/R) and Stanislaw Burza filled the minor places for another shared heat. There was no change in heat 8 either. Andreas Bergstrom won the race but Joel Parsons and Tony Atkin followed him home while Craig Branney, taking his fourth race in five heats, brought up the rear. The result was a 3-3 which took the score after eight races to 25-23.

Michal Makovsky won heat 9 for another shared race with Chris Schramm and Neil Collins in second and third places and it was five shared races on the trot after heat 10 when Burza beat Neath with Atkin third as Craig Branney, out for the sixth time, retired from the race. That made it three race winners on the trot for Berwick but no heat advantage for the visitors. With only a two point advantage the Wasps were hoping to avoid another late collapse as happened against Somerset in their last home match. The omens were not good when Berwick took a 1-5 from heat 11. For some mysterious reason Billy Legg had replaced Joel Parsons and Carl Wilkinson finished behind Jacek Rempala, who finally broke his duck, and Andreas Bergstrom and now the Bandits were two points in front. The Wasps ‘last five heat’ malaise continued as Danny Warwick and Andreas Bergstrom added another 1-5 ahead of Joel Parsons and Chris Schramm in heat 12 to stretch the Berwick lead to six points with the score now standing at 33-39.

Jacek Rempala won heat 13 from Wilkinson and Neath for a shared race to keep the Bandits six in front then Stanislaw Burza did likewise in heat 14 from Parsons and Collins after Daniel Warwick had retired. This consigned the home side to another home defeat with the wooden spoon now looming. In the last race Andreas Bergstrom completed the late rout by winning from Chris Neath and Stanislaw Burza took third from Chris Schramm. This produced a 2-4 for Berwick giving them an eight point victory.

Scorers: For Newport – Chris Neath 10+1 (5), Joel Parsons 8 (4), Chris Schramm 8 (5), Carl Wilkinson 6 (4), Neil Collins 4+3 (4), Tony Atkin 4+3 (4), Billy Legg 1 (4).

For Berwick – Andreas Bergstrom 13+2 (6), Stanislaw Burza 10+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 9 (4), Craig Branney 6+1 (6), Jacek Rempala 6 (4), Daniel Warwick 5+2 (5).



Premier League: Glasgow 49, Edinburgh 44 Glasgow won the bonus point on aggregate by 94-89


Glasgow were again without Danny Bird and used R/R at number 1 while Edinburgh were at full strength.

Having forced a draw at Armadale on Friday, Glasgow went into this match as strong favourites even without Danny Bird looking to complete their home league programme with a 100% record. Edinburgh were relieved when Theo Pijper and Henrik Moller returned in time for the match following their activities in France and Italy respectively yesterday although Moller was battered and bruised following a heavy fall when brought down by Daniel King in his last race in the under 21 championship final. On a very wet track gating was likely to be crucial. The alarm bells were ringing in the home camp as Edinburgh stormed into an eight point lead but a track regrading at the request of the home riders changed matters after Glasgow, not for the first time this season, were forced into using a Tactical Substitute at home.

The opening race was shared. Robert Ksiezak (R/R) won it but David McAllan packed up on the third lap leaving Theo Pijper and Daniele Tessari to pick up the other three points. Glasgow had only one finisher in the reserves race too! Ksiezak won again from the gate but James Cockle fell while third. Sean Stoddart and Derek Sneddon followed Ksiezak home for the minor places as the rain delayed proceedings. The Tigers fans got a real shock in heat 3 as they conceded a 1-5. Henrik Moller and Matthew Wethers led Kauko Nieminen home to put the Monarchs four points in front. They got an even bigger shock when Derek Sneddon popped out the gate to head home James Cockle while Shane Parker passed William Lawson for third place and another shared race which took the score after four races to 10-14.

Shock became sensation as Edinburgh hammered home another 1-5 in heat 5. Daniele Tessari made a fast start and Theo Pijper followed him ahead of Kauko Nieminen. Lee Dicken fell at the back and the race was awarded moving the score on to 11-19. There was then a delay as the referee was called to the pits at the request of the Glasgow riders!! This resulted in a track grading. When racing was resumed Shane Parker replaced David McAllan as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres back while Robert Ksiezak filled the number 1 spot. The race had to be rerun after Sean Stoddart fell on the first bend and was excluded. Glasgow got themselves back into the match with the big 8-1 when Parker got past Lawson on the third lap to reduce the gap to one point. In heat 7 Parker was out again. This race had to be rerun as well after Henrik Moller fell under challenge from Cockle and was excluded and in the rerun Glasgow moved in front for the first time in the match. Parker and Cockle scored a 5-1 ahead of Wethers which took the score after eight races to 24-21. Things went from bad to worse for Edinburgh as Derek Sneddon suffered a tapes exclusion in heat 8 and was surprisingly reinstated from 15 metres back rather than replaced by Sean Stoddart. Robert Ksiezak maintained his unbeaten run but David McAllan had another engine failure so the race was shared bringing the score to 27-24 after eight races.

Heat 9 scheduled three riders who hadn’t beaten an opponent so far – Lee Dicken, Kauko Nieminen and William Lawson but Dicken was replaced by James Cockle. William Lawson burst into life by making the gate to score his first points in the match by winning the race comfortably. Cockle and Nieminen filled the minor places to keep Glasgow three points in front. Shane Parker was out in heat 10 as R/R this time and won the race. Moller and Wethers looked like sharing the points but Moller fell while lying second so David McAllan picked up the third place point for a Tigers 4-2 stretching their lead to five points. Shane Parker was out again in heat 11 with the unbeaten Robert Ksiezak but Ksiezak wasn’t unbeaten after this race. Parker passed Theo Pijper on the second lap while Daniele Tessari swept round the outside of Ksiezak for a shared race. There was no Parker in heat 12 as Derek Sneddon replaced Sean Stoddart. Lee Dicken fell and took Derek Sneddon with him so was excluded from the rerun in which Edinburgh came roaring back into the match with a 1-5. Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers led all the way from the tapes while James Cockle fell at the back but remounted for the third place point. This meant that after 12 races there was only one point between the teams with the score now at 38-37.

With Shane Parker still to appear in two of the last three heats to take the maximum allowable seven rides, the Monarchs’ chances didn’t look too good but Glasgow could afford no mistakes or bad fortune. In heat 13 with everyone expecting Kauko Nieminen as the R/R it was Robert Ksiezak who appeared instead. Parker won as expected but Pijper and Lawson filled the minor places ahead of Ksiezak for a shared race and the Glasgow lead remained at one point with two races to go. However Henrik Moller was unable to take his place in heat 14 so Sean Stoddart replaced him. Nevertheless Derek Sneddon won again to make sure that the result went down to the wire. Ksiezak and Nieminen followed him home leaving Glasgow still with a one point advantage going into the last race. It all went wrong for the Monarchs in heat 15 though. Having lost the toss for the vital gate positions Derek Sneddon then failed to meet the two minute time allowance and had to go from 15 metres back. Parker and Nieminen made the gate and scored a 5-1 to clinch the match for the Tigers.


Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 22+1 (7), Robert Ksiezak 13+1 (7), James Cockle 7+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 6+3 (5), David McAllan 1 (3), Lee Dicken 0 (3).

For Edinburgh – Derek Sneddon 11+2 (6), Theo Pijper 9+1 (5), Daniele Tessari 7+2 (4), Matthew Wethers 7+2 (4), William Lawson 5+1 (4), Henrik Moller 3 (3), Sean Stoddart 2 (4).



Premier League: Mildenhall 44, Workington 46 Workington won the bonus point on aggregate by 99-86


Mildenhall were without Daniel King who was injured riding in last night’s under 21 championship final in Italy. They used R/R instead at number 5. Workington were missing Tomasz Piszcz, for whom they used R/R at number 3, and both reserves Lee Derbyshire and Aidan Collins. At reserve they had two guests, Ben Powell and Adam Roynon.

When the Comets lost Rusty Harrison with a cut hand in heat 3 things looked distinctly poor for them but one look at the scorechart shows what an inspired choice of guest they made in Adam Roynon. Mildenhall finished with only five riders too as James Brundle withdrew with a suspected broken leg.

There is little information about this meeting at present. Workington led by 20-22 after 7 races and still had a two point lead after heat 11 when the score was 32-34. A 2-4 for the Comets put them 34-38 ahead after heat 12. Heat 13 was shared but Workington tied up the points with another 2-4 in heat 14 which took the score to 39-45. Mildenhall scored a 5-1 in the last heat to cut the winning margin to two points but it was too late for the Fen Tigers. Workington’s late charge towards the play-offs is still alive and kicking.


Scorers: For Mildenhall – Jason Lyons 17 (6), Brent Werner 12+1 (6), Jordan Frampton 5 (5), Jon Armstrong 5+1 (5), Jason King 5+1 (5), James Brundle 0 (3).

For Workington – Adam Roynon 16 (7), James Wright 12+1 (6), Garry Stead 7 (5), Alan Mogridge 6+4 (5), Ben Powell 5+2 (6), Rusty Harrison 0 (1).



Premier League: Newcastle 47, Sheffield 46 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 106-79


Newcastle were without Manuel Hauzinger and used R/R at number 2 instead. Sheffield had Mark Lemon as a guest in place of the injured Andre Compton at number 5 and were also without Kyle Legault, riding in the Canadian Championships, so had to use R/R in his place at number 4. They made a third change to the side with David Speight replacing Benji Compton at number 6.

Newcastle had a mountain to climb to pull back the 28 points by which they lost at Sheffield in their quest for the bonus point. As it happened after racing into a 14 point lead they had a struggle on their hands to finish ahead of the Tigers.

Sheffield got off to a good start when Ricky Ashworth won the opening heat form George Stancl. Ben Wilson’s third place gave the Tigers an opening 2-4 but it was all square again when Newcastle scored a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Jaimie Robertson from Paul Cooper. Christian Henry and Josef Franc then took a 5-1 to put the Diamonds in front. James Grieves won heat 4 from Mark Lemon but David Speight took third place so the race was shared bringing the score to 14-10.

Ricky Ashworth won again in heat 5 from Josef Franc and Christian Henry for another shared race but in heat 6 Newcastle pulled further away with a 4-2 from George Stancl and Jaimie Robertson with Mark Lemon the meat in the sandwich. The lead had extended to six points and it stayed that way after heat 7 although Emiliano Sanchez was the race winner from James Grieves. Adam McKinna’s third place point shared the race. The Diamonds pulled away decisively in heat 8 when Henry and Robertson scored a 5-1 at the expense of Ben Wilson taking the score to 29-19.

Ten points adrift Sheffield gave Mark Lemon a TR in heat 9 but this was a failure when Josef Franc and Christian Henry scored another 5-1 to put some distance between the teams with 14 points now separating the sides. However any complacency was knocked out of the Diamonds as Sheffield clawed 9 points back over the next two heats. Emiliano Sanchez won again in heat 10 with Cooper taking third after George Stancl had an engine failure while leading, The 2-4 cut the lead to 12 points but the Tigers then gave Ricky Ashworth a TR in heat 11. He won the race with Ben Wilson passing McKinna on the last bend for second place for the big 1-8 over McKinna and Grieves cutting the home side’s lead to 5 points. It stayed that way after a shared heat 12. Christian Henry won the race but Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper finished behind him for a 3-3 taking the score to 40-35.

In heat 13 Mark Lemon was penalised under the two minute rule and had to go from 15 metres back but the inspired Ricky Ashworth passed both Stancl and Grieves to win the heat, his fourth consecutive victory. In heat 14 Josef Franc clinched the match for the Diamonds by winning from Sanchez and Cooper for a shared race and it’s just as well he did because in the last race Sheffield scored a 1-5 from Ashworth and Lemon which meant the Newcastle had won by a single point!

Scorers: For Newcastle – Christian Henry 13+2 (6), Josef Franc 10+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 8+1 (7), James Grieves 7 (4), George Stancl 6+1 (4), Adam McKinna 3+1 (4).

For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 18 (5)(full maximum)(including a 6 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 9 (4), Mark Lemon 7+1 (5), Ben Wilson 6+1 (5), Paul Cooper 5+2 (7), David Speight 1+1 (4).