Around the Premier League Tracks - 2006

[Merlin]

Monday, 4 September



The one Premier League match tonight was at Newcastle where the Diamonds were at home to King’s Lynn.



Premier League: Newcastle 46, King’s Lynn 44 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 108-75 .


Newcastle were without Manuel Hauzinger again and used R/R at number 2 in his absence. King’s Lynn were at full strength.

Newcastle, having beaten Sheffield 47-46 at Brough Park last night, had King’s Lynn, another championship chasing side currently showing fantastic form, as their visitors facing a 31 point deficit from the match at Saddlebow Road in the battle for the bonus. This was King’s Lynn’s fourth match in a spell of nine fixtures in fifteen days in three different competitions.

Newcastle soon got the message that they were in for a hard night when the Stars opened with a 1-5 from probably the best pairing in the Premier League – Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor – with George Stancl following them home for third. Doolan moved Stancl over on the first bend which allowed Batchelor through for second place. The Diamonds then lost another demoralising 1-5 in heat 2 when the Stars’ reserves, Chris Mills and John Oliver, gated to repeat the dose leaving Jaimie Robertson to pick up the third point scrap. Newcastle hit back in heat 3 though with a 5-1 of their own. Christian Henry and Josef Franc gated ahead of the King’s Lynn pair of Harding and Nermark to pull four points back. Heat 4 was settled on the first two bends when James Grieves took the lead followed by John Oliver and Tomas Topinka. This resulted in a shared race which took the score after four races to 10-14.

The two top pairs met in heat 5 and the honours finished even. Kevin Doolan led from the start but was pressurised all race by Josef Franc. Franc couldn’t pass him though but Christian Henry ensured that the points were shared by keeping Troy Batchelor at the back. Heat 6 produced another 3-3. Tomas Topinka won the race from George Stancl but Jaimie Robertson won the battle of the reserves at the back by taking third place from Chris Mills. Heat 7 produced the fourth shared race on the trot. James Grieves rounded early race leader, Daniel Nermark, on the second lap but Trevor Harding passed Adam McKinna on the last bend for third place to retain the Stars’ four point lead. The lead stretched to six points in heat 8 as King’s Lynn broke the deadlock of the last four heats by scoring a 2-4. Troy Batchelor headed Christian Henry (R/R) from the gate while John Oliver passed Jaimie Robertson on the first lap for third. This meant that the score after eight heats stood at 21-27 but Newcastle were far from finished

The Diamonds hit back in heat 9 with a 5-1 from their top pairing of Josef Franc and Christian Henry against Tomas Topinka. This cut the Stars’ lead to only two points and it was all square after heat 10. Daniel Nermark led the race until the start of the last lap when George Stancl passed him round the outside. Jaimie Robertson picked up the vital third place point from Trevor Harding for the 4-2 which levelled the score at 30-30 with five races to go. James Grieves kept his unbeaten run going by winning a crucial heat 11 from Doolan and Batchelor for a shared race and things were now looking much brighter for the Diamonds. King’s Lynn opted to go with both reserves in heat 12. In the first running of the race Chris Mills, leading the race, hit the fence on the second lap, second bend. While John Oliver was able to avoid him Christian Henry wasn’t and crashed into Mills. Chris Mills was excluded from the rerun in which the Diamonds took the lead for the first time in the match. Christian Henry was the race winner but John Oliver took second place from Jaimie Robertson for a 4-2 race result which gave the home side a two point lead with the score standing at 37-35.

It was time for King’s Lynn, having gone from eight up to two down, to show what they were made of and they went about it in the best possible way by taking a 1-5 in heat 13 against Newcastle’s top two of George Stancl and the unbeaten till then James Grieves. This put Newcastle two points down again in a thrilling match. It stayed that way after heat 14. Josef Franc beat Daniel Nermark but John Oliver again produced a vital point at the expense of Jaimie Robertson who had a puncture when in last place. With the score at 41-43 it was all down to the last heat. It looked as though King’s Lynn were home and dry when Tomas Topinka hit the front but he had an engine failure on the second lap which allowed James Grieves and Josef Franc through for a match winning 5-1.

Scorers: For Newcastle – James Grieves 13 (5), Josef Franc 12+2 (5), Christian Henry 11+2 (5), George Stancl 6 (4), Jaimie Robertson 4+1 (7), Adam McKinna 0 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 11+1 (5), John Oliver 8+2 (5), Tomas Topinka 8+1 (5), Troy Batchelor 6+2 (4), Daniel Nermark 6 (4), Chris Mills 3 (4), Trevor Harding 2+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 6 September



The one Premier League match scheduled for tonight was at King’s Lynn where the Stars were at home to Berwick.



Premier League: King’s Lynn 66, Berwick 27 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 117-73.


King’s Lynn were at full strength for this match but Berwick were again without James Birkinshaw and used R/R at number 3 instead.

King’s Lynn returned home after their narrow defeat at Newcastle on Monday to take on Berwick in the first of a four matches in five days spell. Fast closing in on the ‘real’ league title the Stars already led by five points for the bonus point, having won at Berwick by 46-51.

A poor start by Troy Batchelor prevented King’s Lynn from scoring their usual opening heat 5-1. He did pass Jacek Rempala on the second lap but Andreas Bergstrom took second place behind Kevin Doolan as the Stars opened with a 4-2. In the reserves race Danny Warwick was the early leader but he was passed by both Chris Mills and John Oliver for a 5-1 to the Stars which opened up a six point lead. In heat 3 Danny Warwick (R/R) again was the early race leader but again he was passed this time by Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding. Stanislaw Burza passed him too before Warwick fell off causing the race to be awarded as a 5-1 to the Stars. Tomas Topinka raced off to win heat 4 but a good tussle developed behind him with Michal Makovsky and John Oliver trading places before the Berwick man prevailed for a 4-2 to the home side which took the score to 18-6.

Berwick, who had started badly, then faded completely over the next four races in which they conceded four 5-1s. In heat 5 Nermark and Harding scored the first of them beating Bergstrom and Rempala then in heat 6 Michal Makovsky fell while lying second leaving Batchelor and Doolan to score the second of them. There was no change in heat 7 when this time Mills and Topinka did the honours against Branney and Burza so Berwick gave Andreas Bergstrom a TR desperate to stop the rot. That failed too as Batchelor and Oliver raced from the gate for another easy 5-1 which brought the score after eight races to 38-10. The big questions then were would King’s Lynn hit the 70 point mark and would Berwick manage to top 20 points?

Heat 9 provided no respite as Nermark and Harding added another 5-1 ahead of Makovsky and Warwick to open a 32 point gap between the teams. This result meant that King’s Lynn had clinched the match even if Berwick took four 1-5s and two 1-8s from the remaining six heats! Berwick might have hoped that the interval cuppa would work wonders but it was business as usual in heat 10 when Doolan and Batchelor notched up King’s Lynn’s 8th 5-1 although Burza, who finished third, was more on the pace than before. Incredibly Berwick then gave a TR to Jacek Rempala who, up to that point, had run two last places! However the Berwick team manager clearly knew something nobody else did. His faith was rewarded when Rempala won the race. In fact with Bergstrom behind him it looked as though Berwick might score the full eight points but Topinka got past Bergstrom on the last lap to limit the damage to a 2-7. In heat 12, no doubt inspired by the previous heat, Andreas Bergstrom (R/R) provided Berwick’s second race winner. Danny Warwick was passed by John Oliver and Trevor Harding so the race was shared with the score now standing at 53-22.

In heat 13 Tomas Topinka got his revenge for heat 11 by beating Rempala. Kevin Doolan was third ahead of Makovsky resulting in a 4-2 to the home side but it was all academic now. Heat 14 resulted in another King’s Lynn 5-1 as Nermark and Mills beat Burza while in the last race King’s Lynn went with Trevor Harding and Daniel Nermark while Berwick tracked Jacek Rempala and Andreas Bergstrom. Nermark completed his full five ride maximum but Jacek Rempala passed Trevor Harding going into the last lap to rescue a two points for the Bandits as Bergstrom finished last. The 4-2 gave King’s Lynn a 39 point win in the match and a 44 point win on aggregate.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 15 (5)(full maximum), Tomas Topinka 10+1 (4), Kevin Doolan 9+1 (4), Troy Batchelor 9+1 (4), Trevor Harding 8+4 (5), Chris Mills 8+1 (4), John Oliver 7+2 (4).

For Berwick – Jacek Rempala 10 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Andreas Bergstrom 8 (6), Michal Makovsky 3 (4), Stanislaw Burza 3 (4), Craig Branney 2 (4), Danny Warwick 1 (6).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 7 September

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Redcar the Bears raced King’s Lynn while at Sheffield the Tigers took on Rye House .



Premier League: Redcar 45, King’s Lynn 48 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 118-67


Redcar were without Jack Hargreaves and had Tai Woffinden as a guest replacement at number 6. King’s Lynn were at full strength.

This was King’s Lynn’s first visit to Redcar and the Bears last league match of the season. The bonus point looked a forlorn hope for the home side since King’s Lynn had won at home by 48 points. After a close encounter over the opening ten heats when the score was 30-30 King’s Lynn pulled away for a win which took them to the top of the league.

Gary Havelock stormed off to win the opening heat but, behind him, there was a good scrap between Kevin Doolan and Chris Kerr which the King’s Lynn man won. The Bears had opened with a 4-2 but it was all square again after the reserves race. Mills and Oliver gated for the Stars but Daniel Giffard passed John Oliver to limit the damage to a 2-4. An interesting battle between Daniel Nermark, Mathieu Tresarrieu and Kevin Little ended with the riders finishing in that order so the heat was shared but Redcar went ahead again in heat 4 when the Bears’ reserve, Daniel Giffard, rode an excellent race to head Tomas Topinka home with Tomas Suchanek in third for a 4-2 which took the score after the opening four races to 13-11.

Kevin Doolan won heat 5 for a shared race and Tomas Topinka won heat 6. Chris Mills was in second place but Chris Kerr and Gary Havelock passed him for another shared race. King’s Lynn drew level again in heat 7. Daniel Nermark held off Tomas Suchanek but at the back a mistake by Tai Woffinden resulted in him being passed by Trevor Harding for a 2-4. The scores stayed tied after heat 8 when Troy Batchelor, after two last places, burst into life by winning from Kerr and Giffard for a shared heat which took the score to 24-24 after eight heats.

Heat 9 was rerun with all four back after Chris Mills hit the fence on the first bend. Tomas Topinka won it from Tresarrieu and Little for yet another shared heat, the fifth of the match and it became six when Daniel Nermark won heat 10 from Kerr and Havelock. Heat 11, rerun after an unsatisfactory start, provided the first maximum of the match as King’s Lynn went ahead for the first time. It was the Doolan/Batchelor pairing which did the damage. It looked as though Tomas Suchanek had cut the advantage to a 2-4 when he passed Batchelor on the last lap but Batchelor repassed him on the last bend for a 1-5 to put the Stars four points to the good. Their lead stretched to six points when Trevor Harding, with only a single point to his name after three rides, won heat 12 from Kevin Little. Chris Mills took third place from Daniel Giffard and the 2-4 took the score to 33-39 with three heats to go.

King’s Lynn were now rampant and the match was virtually over when Topinka and Doolan added another 1-5 ahead of Havelock and Suchanek in a vital heat 13 to propel the Stars into a ten point lead with two heats to go. In heat 14 Mathieu Tresarrieu took a TR with the Bears needing an 8-1, 5-1 finish to win the match. They gave it their best shot. Mathieu Tresarrieu passed early race leader, Daniel Nermark, to win the heat and Tai Woffinden took third place from John Oliver for a 7-2 but it wasn’t enough for the hoped for miracle with the Stars now home and dry (provided they had a finisher in heat 15!). Mathieu Tresarrieu won the last heat after Topinka and Doolan looked like adding another 1-5. Tresarrieu produced a brilliant ride to pass both the Stars while Gary Havelock got through for third place for a 4-2 which brought more respectability to the scoreline for the Bears.

Scorers: For Redcar – Mathieu Tresarrieu 15 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Gary Havelock 7+2 (5), Chris Kerr 7 (4), Daniel Giffard 6+1 (5), Kevin Little 5+3 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4 (4), Tai Woffinden 1 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 13 (5), Daniel Nermark 11 (4), Kevin Doolan 10+1 (5), Troy Batchelor 5+1 (4), Trevor Harding 4 (4), Chris Mills 4 (4), John Oliver 1 (4)



Premier League: Sheffield 60, Rye House 35 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 100-88.


Sheffield were without Andre Compton and decided to use Rider Replacement at number 5 instead of employing a guest. The Rye House were at full strength.

Rye House were presented with another wet and very heavy track on their latest visit to Owlerton, a track which has been a graveyard for them in the past. The Rockets came with a 13 point lead from their home match in search of the bonus but it soon became clear that it was never going to be enough as the Tigers won with ease.

Edward Kennett was unlucky to suffer an engine failure in the opening heat while lying second and the Tigers cashed in with a 5-1 from Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson. Ben Powell won the reserves race for a shared heat then the floodgates opened! Kyle Legault and Emiliano Sanchez took the first of four consecutive 5-1s for the Tigers by beating Steve Boxall in heat 3 then Ricky Ashworth (R/R) and Benji Compton recorded the second relegating Chris Neath to third in heat 4 taking the score to 18-6.

The third of the four 5-1s again went to Legault and Sanchez from Kennett in heat 5 and the fourth, in heat 6, to Wilson and Ashworth with Chris Neath again left to pick up the third place point. In heat 7 the Rockets stopped the rot with a 1-5 of their own. Emiliano Sanchez (R/R) touched the tapes and went from 15 metres back. The Rockets took full advantage of his misdemeanour as Steve Boxall and Tommy Allen produced a 1-5 ahead of Paul Cooper. No doubt Rye House wished they had given a TR to Boxall in that heat. Ben Wilson won heat 8 but Lee Smethills and Ben Powell filled the minor places ahead of Benji Compton for a shared race which took the score after 8 races to 32-16

In heat 9 normal service was resumed. Sheffield scored their sixth 5-1 as Sanchez and Legault left Chris Neath in third place still to beat an opponent. Six became seven in heat 10 as Ashworth and Wilson added another 5-1 to repay the impudence of Boxall and Allen for the 1-5 they scored in heat 7 although Steve Boxall made a great attempt to pass Wilson. In heat 11 Edward Kennett took a TR and won it beating Legault and Cooper for a 3-6 then the Rockets also won heat 12 when Steve Boxall took a TR. Although Emiliano Sanchez won the race Boxall and Powell took second and third for a 3-5 which took the score after twelve races to 48-29.

Heat 13 produced an excellent race between Ricky Ashworth and Edward Kennett with the pair passing and repassing each other. Finally Ashworth made it stick on the last lap. Ben Wilson took third place for a 4-2 to the Tigers. Heat 14 was shared. Tommy Allen was the race winner beating Paul Cooper and Kyle Legault then, in the last race, Ashworth and Wilson beat Boxall and Kennett for a 5-1 which took Sheffield to the 60 point mark and saw Ricky Ashworth record a maximum.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 17+1 (6)(paid maximum), Ben Wilson 13+3 (6), Kyle Legault 11+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 10+2 (5), Paul Cooper 5+2 (4), Benji Compton 4+1 (4).

For The Rye House – Steve Boxall 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Edward Kennett 9 (5)(including a 6 point TR), Ben Powell 5+2 (5), Tommy Allen 5+1 (4), Chris Neath 3 (4), Lee Smethills 3 (4), Adam Roynon 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 8 September

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced Stoke while at Rye House the Rockets took on Newcastle .


Premier League: Edinburgh 52, Stoke 40


Edinburgh were at full strength but Stoke had Kriss Irving as a guest reserve replacement for Luke Priest at number 7.

This was a ‘must win’ match for Edinburgh to pull clear at the foot of the league while Stoke’s play off hopes, although slim, had not yet been extinguished. The result was an entertaining match with only four points between the sides after 11 heats before Edinburgh finally pulled away.

Theo Pijper won the opening race in a very fast time while Daniele Tessari, after a good start, went too wide on the first too bends allowing Paul Thorp and Trent Leverington to slip up the inside for second and third to share the points. Barrie Evans shed a chain on the second bend of the reserves race leaving Derek Sneddon and Sean Stoddart to race off for a 5-1. It was Edinburgh’s turn for an engine failure in heat 3. Matthew Wethers and Henrik Moller headed from the tapes for what looked like a 5-1 but Moller knocked his plug lead off and ground to a halt so the race was shared. The Monarchs added two points to their lead in heat 4 though when William Lawson sped from the tapes. Derek Sneddon was in second place until passed by Mark lemon on the second lap with a 4-2 the race result. This made the score after four races 15-9.

Paul Thorp was quickly away in heat 5 for the win but both Moller and Wethers passed Leverington coming off the second bend for a shared heat. Edinburgh then went eight in front in heat 6. Theo Pijper and Daniele Tessari headed off in front from the tapes but Lemon shouldered Tessari out of his second place entering the first bend of the second lap with the race ending a 4-2 to the home side. Any ideas Edinburgh had of pulling away for a big win were dashed when the Potters hit back in heat 7. Robbie Kessler sped from the tapes while Sean Stoddart and Paul Clews had an exciting tussle for the second place point. Clews eventually prevailed as William Lawson got a good view of the action from the back. The 1-5 cut the Monarchs lead to four points but it was back to six after heat 8. Derek Sneddon rode an ‘interesting’ first bend when he rode across Trent Leverington to get to the front on the outside. Unfortunately he baulked the run of Daniele Tessari in doing so and the race resulted in a 4-2 which took the score to 27-21.

Stoke looked as though they might enjoy another heat advantage when Mark Lemon and Barrie Evans made the gate in heat 9 but Wethers the Moller passed Evans within a lap to share the race points. In heat 10 Derek Sneddon replaced Tessari but promptly fell on the first bend trying to cut back inside Robbie Kessler. The immaculate Theo Pijper raced off for another easy win leaving Kessler and Paul Clews to share the heat behind him. In heat 11 the frowns started to appear on the Monarchs’ fans faces as the Potters got back to within four points again. Paul Thorp raced off for an easy win while William Lawson got the better of Trent Leverington with the race finishing as a 2-4. Edinburgh stretched the lead to six points again in heat 12. Matthew Wethers led from the start but Clews and Evans were in the minor places until Derek Sneddon passed Evans on the second bend for a 4-2 which took the score to 39-33 after twelve races.

Heat 13 was rerun after Paul Thorp had got a flyer from the tapes and been warned by the referee for not remaining stationary at the start. In the rerun Pijper and Lawson took a comfortable 5-1 and Edinburgh were ten points clear. This opened the door for Robbie Kessler to take a TR in heat 14. Kessler sped from the tapes but Henrik Moller cruised round the inside to pull well away for an easy win. Derek Sneddon worked his way into second place but a very hard first two bends on the second lap from Kessler invited Sneddon to take a good look at the fence. Sneddon declined and Kessler raced away for second place which resulted in a 4-4 shared race. In the first running of heat 15 Robbie Kessler fell at the back on the first bend and was a bit lucky to be invited to return for the rerun in which Theo Pijper completed an untroubled and very impressive maximum by beating Mark Lemon. Matthew Wethers took third from Kessler so Edinburgh took a 4-2 which increased the winning margin to 12 points.


Scorers: For Edinburgh – Theo Pijper 15 (5)(full maximum), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (5), Derek Sneddon 9 (6), William Lawson 7+1 (4), Henrik Moller 6+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 3+1 (3), Daniele Tessari 2 (4).

For Stoke – Robbie Kessler 11 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Paul Thorp 9 (4), Mark Lemon 9 (5), Paul Clews 6+2 (4), Trent Leverington 4+1 (4), Kriss Irving 1 (3), Barrie Evans 0 (5).



Premier League: Rye House 69, Newcastle 21 Rye House won the bonus point on aggregate by 111-68.


Rye House were at full strength but Newcastle were without Christian Henry with a swollen hand resulting from his crash at Brough Park with Chris Mills on Monday. They were also without Manuel Hauzinger who has been deemed to be withholding his services. As a result the Diamonds used R/R for Christian Henry at number 3 and had Glen Phillips as a guest for Manuel Hauzinger at number 2.

Newcastle in desperate need of points for a final push towards the play offs had a five point lead from the match at Brough Park in aid of the bonus. However the Diamonds were pulled apart at the seams by a rampant Rye House for whom four riders completed paid maximums. Newcastle couldn’t provide a single race winner in what must be one of their most dismal displays ever.

Little did Newcastle think that the shared race they managed in the opening heat would be the only race all match they did not lose. Edward Kennett passed early race leader, George Stancl, and the Diamonds guest, Glen Phillips, passed Lee Smethills for the third place point resulting in an opening heat 3-3. Then the floodgates opened as Newcastle conceded ten 5-1s and four 4-2s! Two easy 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 were followed by a 4-2 when Chris Neath had to pass James Grieves on the first lap before heading off for the win and a 4-2 which made the score after four races 17-7.

George Stancl managed a second place in heat 5 behind Tommy Allen after passing Steve Boxall on the opening lap for another 4-2 but Kennett and Smethills beat Grieves for another 5-1 in heat 6. In heat 7 Josef Franc was taken wide on the second bend and fell. He got up and remained on track, hands on hips, defying the referee to exclude him. The referee did though and that was another 5-1 in the bag for the Rockets. An excellent ride from Adam Roynon saw him work his way past Glen Phillips on the last lap to join Lee Smethills for another 5-1 in heat 8 which took the score to 36-12.

Another 5-1 in heat 9 was followed by a rare second place by a Diamond. This time it was Josef Franc who managed the feat behind Edward Kennett after he had made a lightning start. Kennett caught and passed him on the third lap as Newcastle’s misery continued. In heat 11 George Stancl took a TR for the visitors and was humiliated by being beaten by young Rye House reserve, Ben Powell, who in turn followed Chris Neath home for yet another 5-1. Josef Franc managed another second place in heat 12 after Boxall had passed him on the third lap for a 4-2 which took the total to 54-18.

Neath and Kennett added another 5-1 in heat 13 before it was Josef Franc’s turn for humiliation. He took a TR for the Diamonds but, like Stancl in heat 11, he was beaten into third place by Powell who completed four unbeaten rides as Tommy Allen, the race winner, also completed a paid maximum. The last heat resulted in yet another 5-1 as Kennett and Neath became the third and fourth home men to go through the card unbeaten by an opponent.

Scorers: For Rye House – Edward Kennett 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Chris Neath 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Tommy Allen 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), Ben Powell 9+3 (4)(paid maximum), Steve Boxall 9+1 (4), Adam Roynon 7+1 (4), Lee Smethills 6+1 (4).

For The Newcastle – James Grieves 6 (5), George Stancl 5 (4), Josef Franc 5 (6), Glen Phillips 3+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 1 (5), Adam McKinna 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 9 September

There were four Premier League matches raced today. At Mildenhall the Fen Tigers faced Somerset in a rare Saturday afternoon match while at Berwick the Bandits took on Newport . The third match was at Workington where the Comets raced against King’s Lynn . Finally at Stoke the Potters had Edinburgh as their visitors.


Premier League: Mildenhall 40, Somerset 50 Somerset won the bonus point on aggregate by 92-88.


Mildenhall were at full strength for this match but Somerset were without Glenn Cunningham and used R/R at number 5 instead..

Somerset were looking for revenge for the 42-48 defeat which Mildenhall inflicted on them at home earlier in the season while Mildenhall were looking to get back on the winning trail after some poor recent home results. What a ding-dong battle it turned out to be!

In the opening heat Magnus Zetterstrom fell but the race was won by his partner, Glen Phillips from Armstrong and Lyons, for a shared heat. In the reserves race Simon Walker fell causing the race to be rerun without him. In the rerun Ben Barker, the early race leader, was passed by James Brundle and Jordan Frampton picked up the gift third place to put the Fen Tigers two ahead with the 4-2. Heat 3 was won by Jason King but Stephan Katt and Emil Kramer shared the points by keeping Brent Werner at the back. Heat 4 was a 3-3 as well. Daniel King won it but Jordan Frampton fell at the back as Glen Phillips (R/R) and Ben Barker took the minor places. This took the score after four races to 13-11.

Magnus Zetterstrom took the lead in heat 5 but Jason King passed him on the third bend for his second race win. Glen Phillips took third place so Brent Werner was last again and the heat was shared. Heat 6 was the fourth shared heat on the trot. Mildenhall were denied a 4-2 when John Armstrong suffered an engine failure while lying third. Jason Lyons won the race from Emil Kramer while Armstrong’s retiral promoted Simon Walker to third. The run of 3-3s ended in heat 7 though. Stephan Katt was the early leader but he was passed by both James Brundle and Daniel King and eventually finished last behind Emil Kramer. The 5-1 to the Fen Tigers increased their lead to six points. Their joy didn’t last long, however. In heat 8 Somerset hit back with a 1-5 of their own. Ben Barker and Glen Phillips led from the gate with Jon Armstrong third to close the gap making the score 25-23 after eight heats.

It stayed that way after heat 9 won by Magnus Zetterstrom from Jason King and Brent Werner but Somerset moved up a gear by squaring the match with a 2-4 in heat 10. It took a pass by Jason Lyons on Stephan Katt to stop the Rebels scoring a 1-5 as Katt lay second to Emil Kramer but the Rebels were on a roll and went ahead for the first time in the match in heat 11. Zetterstrom passed Daniel King on the second lap to win the race while Glen Phillips took third from James Brundle resulting in a 2-4 to the visitors and a 32-34 score. It got worse for Mildenhall when heat 12 produced the third 2-4 in a row to the Rebels. This time Stephan Katt passed Brent Werner to win the race while Ben Barker took third. The score after 12 races was now 34-38 and the Fen Tigers faced an uphill struggle again over the last three heats.

Heat 13 produced a magnificent race between Zetterstrom and Lyons with the riders trading places several times before the Rebels’ man prevailed. Daniel King finished third for a shared race. Now the bonus point was up for grabs as Mildenhall’s six point lead from their away win had been reduced to two on aggregate. The Fen Tigers collapse continued in heat 14 when Ben Barker and Emil Kramer team rode to a 1-5 ahead of Jason King to clinch the victory for the Rebels and give them a two point aggregate lead. The King brothers were entrusted with the final heat to face Zetterstrom and Kramer. The rout was completed when Emil Kramer won the race from Daniel King while Magnus Zetterstrom finished third for a 2-4 which won the bonus for the Rebels. Over the last six heats Mildenhall lost 12-24 turning what at one time was a six point lead into a ten point defeat.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Daniel King 10+2 (5), Jason King 9 (5), Jason Lyons 8 (4), James Brundle 6 (5), Brent Werner 3+1 (4), Jon Armstrong 3 (3), Jordan Frampton 1 (4).

For Somerset – Emil Kramer 12+2 (6), Magnus Zetterstrom 12 (6), Ben Barker 10+1 (5), Glen Phillips 9+2 (5), Stephan Katt 6 (5), Simon Walker 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Berwick 47, Newport 47 Berwick won the bonus point on aggregate by 96-88.


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

Having won at Newport last Sunday, Berwick were looking to complete the double but the Wasps had some Shielfield Park specialists in their side sure to cause them some worries. The match, however, was marred by what looked to be a very serious injury to Jacek Rempala when his back wheel was clipped by Carl Wilkinson and by a wrist injury for Craig Branney which deprived him of even completing a lap. Berwick were down to three of their top five, one reserve and their number eight after heat 6 and did well to come away with a draw. They also had to cope with the ridiculous and grossly unfair TR rule which Newport had to employ twice to take a point they scarcely deserved.

In the first race Josef Franc and Tony Atkin both shed chains on the first bend, Atkin on lap 1 and Franc on lap 4. Berwick cashed in with a 5-1 from Bergstrom and Rempala as Josef Franc pushed home for third. Disaster number one was just round the corner for Berwick. Craig Branney fell on the third bend and had to be taken to hospital leaving Berwick, already using R/R for James Birkinshaw, in big trouble. Danny Warwick won the rerun under pressure from Joel Parsons to keep the Bandits in front. Burza won heat 3 for the Bandits as the Berwick number 8, John Morrison, took the R/R ride. Morrison didn’t make it to the first bend shedding a chain so the race was shared. Newport pulled two points back in heat 4 when Carl Wilkinson beat Michal Makovsky with Parsons third for a 2-4 which took the score after four heats to 13-11.

Heat 5 was shared as again Morrison taking the R/R ride failed to get past the first bend. Burza won again though as Berwick just kept their noses in front. Then came disaster number two for Berwick. Rempala and Bergstrom led from the tapes but Wilkinson blasted round Bergstrom and chased down Rempala. He clipped Rempala’s back wheel sending both riders into the fence. Although Wilkinson was soon up it was clear that Rempala was seriously in distress. He was loaded on to the spinal backboard and taken to the pits where another ambulance was called. Because of heavy demands on the ambulance service it was 50 minutes before Rempala could be transferred to the County ambulance and taken to hospital. Berwick were now in tatters. Heat 6 was awarded with Wilkinson excluded and the unfortunate Rempala being awarded the race win with Bergstrom second for a 5-1 which put the Bandits six points ahead, a lead they were going to need as they fought to stay in the match. Incredibly heat 7 also resulted in an awarded race when Chris Schramm fell attempting an extravagant outside blast round Makovsky who was on a 5-1 with Danny Warwick and his partner, Neil Collins, ploughed into his bike. The awarded 5-1 put Berwick 10 points clear but, of course, Newport were now in a position to use the TR rule. The ludicrous and unfair nature of this rule was cruelly exposed as Tony Atkin took a TR in heat 8. Bergstrom won the race, however, and, with Warwick finishing third ahead of Parsons, the race was shared 4-4. The score after 8 heats was 30-20 but it was clear there were some difficult heats ahead in which Berwick would only be able to field one rider.

Carl Wilkinson was next to take a TR in heat 9 but Burza limited the damage by winning the race. Wilkinson finished third while Billy Legg passed John Morrison on the very last bend for the third place point which gave Newport a 3-5 advantage cutting the home side’s lead to eight points. Chris Schramm beat Bergstrom in heat 10 while Neil Collins gingerly rode round at the back to pick up the gift third place point as Berwick only fielded one rider. This gave the Wasps a 2-4 and they closed the gap further to six points. Newport then crushed the home side with a 1-5 from Franc and Atkin. Tony Atkin produced a magnificent race to round Danny Warwick before repeating the process on Michal Makovsky to pull another four points back cutting Berwick’s lead to only two points. In heat 12 Chris Schramm fell and was excluded again but his partner, Joel Parsons, rose to the occasion by winning the rerun from Bergstrom and Warwick. This took the score to 39-37 after twelve races.

In heat 13 Berwick could only field one rider as Michal Makovsky faced Josef Franc and Carl Wilkinson. Makovsky kept the home flag flying though by winning the race for a shared heat to preserve the Bandit’s narrow two point lead. With the unbeaten Stanislaw Burza due out in the last two races things were looking a little brighter for the home side but they reckoned without a stunning victory for Joel Parsons in heat 14. Worse for the Bandits, Daniel Warwick, who looked exhausted, surrendered third place to Billy Legg and the 2-4 levelled the match at 44-44. It all came down to the last race and it was Carl Wilkinson who jetted from the start to win it. However, Burza and Makovsky took the minor places from Franc so the Bandits salvaged a point which was no more than they deserved.

Scorers: For Berwick – Stanislaw Burza 13 (5), Andreas Bergstrom 12+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 9+2 (5), Daniel Warwick 8+1 (7), Jacek Rempala 5+1 (2), Craig Branney 0 (1), John Morrison 0 (3).

For Newport – Carl Wilkinson 11+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Joel Parsons 9 (5), Tony Atkin 8+1 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Josef Franc 7+1 (5), Chris Schramm 5 (4), Billy Legg 4+1 (4), Neil Collins 3+1 (3).



Premier League: Workington 43, King’s Lynn 49 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 112-73.


Workington were without Rusty Harrison so used R/R at number 4 instead. They had Charles Wright at number 6 in place of Lee Derbyshire and nominated David Haigh as their number 8. King’s Lynn were without John Oliver who was riding in the Conference League Riders Championship at Rye House and had Andrew Tully at number 7 in his place.

Garry Stead took the opening heat from Batchelor and Doolan after Alan Mogridge has touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Then the Stars opened a four point lead with a 1-5 from Chris Mills and Andrew Tully in the reserves race. Worse for Workington was Charles Wright’s crash into the fourth bend fence on the third lap which caused him to be withdrawn from the meeting. In heat 3 Tomasz Piszcz won from Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding for a shared race but the Comets pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 4 won by James Wright who passed Tomas Topinka in fine style. Aidan Collins was third and the score was now 11-13.

King’s Lynn hit back with a 1-5 in heat 5 to extend their lead to six points when Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor headed home Tomasz Piszcz. They looked like adding another in heat 6 when Topinka and Mills shot into the lead but Alan Mogridge produced an excellent round the boards pass on Mills as Garry Stead at the back was having engine problems. This meant that the Stars had won the race 2-4 and now had an eight point lead at 14-22. James Wright won heat 7 in comfort but Aidan Collins not only pulled out of the race but also the meeting leaving Workington in a near impossible position with only four riders. Eight points down James Wright took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8. He gave it everything but just lost out on the line to Troy Batchelor. Alan Mogridge took third place however so the Comets took a 5-3 heat advantage which made the score 19-25 after eight heats.

Tomas Topinka followed Tomasz Piszcz home in heat 9 for a shared heat then Workington got back into the match with a 5-1 in heat 10. Garry Stead and Alan Mogridge headed home Trevor Harding and Daniel Nermark to cut the gap to two points at 27-29. In heat 11 the Comets could only track one rider but, since it was James Wright, it was good enough to share the race as Wright won from Doolan and Batchelor. In heat 12 the Comets had to go with one rider again and this time Tomasz Piszcz kept them in the hunt by beating Harding and Mills. The score now stood at 33-35.

The Comets’ hopes went out the window in heat 13 when they conceded a 1-5. Topinka and Doolan made the gate with Garry Stead in third place until he retired on the last lap. This let James Wright through into third place but it was too late for him to make an impact on the Stars’ top two. With a six point lead again the match was effectively over since the Comets could only track one rider in heat 14. Tomasz Piszcz won the race but Nermark and Tully had only to race round to pick up the three points which gave the visitors another away win. Just to rub salt in the wound Tomasz Piszcz fell in the last race as the Comets looked like scoring a 4-2 and was excluded from the rerun. James Wright won it but, again, Doolan and Topinka had only to finish to take three points.

Scorers: For Workington – James Wright 17 (6)(including a 4 point TS ride), Tomasz Piszcz 13 (6), Garry Stead 6 (4), Alan Mogridge 5+2 (5), Aidan Collins 2 (3), Charles Wright 0 (1), David Haigh 0 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 11+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 10+1 (5), Troy Batchelor 8+2 (4), Chris Mills 6+2 (4), Daniel Nermark 6 (4), Trevor Harding 5+2 (4), Andrew Tully 3+2 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 47, Edinburgh 43 Edinburgh won the bonus point on aggregate by 95-87.


Stoke again had Kriss Irving at number 7 for Luke Priest while Edinburgh were at full strength.

Edinburgh arrived with a 12 point lead in their quest for the bonus point although they were also looking for their first away league win of their campaign in what was their last away fixture. Stoke had to win both match and bonus point to keep any interest in the play-offs alive.

Stoke started with a 4-2 as Paul Thorp just managed to stop an outside sweep from Daniele Tessari to get to the front. Trent Leverington took third place as Theo Pijper pulled up at the back. Edinburgh then scored a 1-5 in the reserves race from Derek Sneddon and Sean Stoddart which turned the lead on its head giving the Monarchs a two point lead. Robbie Kessler gated from Henrik Moller in heat 3 while Matthew Wethers held off Paul Clews at the back for a shared race. Heat 4 was shared too. Mark Lemon won the race but William Lawson and Derek Sneddon shared the points behind him. This took the score after four races to 11-13.

Stoke were back on level terms in heat 5. Kessler won from the gate again. Theo Pijper took second from Paul Clews but the Stoke 4-2 squared the match. The Potters then pulled ahead in heat 6 with another 4-2. Paul Thorp made a flying start to win the race from William Lawson while Trent Leverington took third place and the Potters were now two ahead. They might have added another four points to their lead as Lemon and Evans gated to lead hat 7 but Evans fell at the end of the first lap so the race was shared. Heat 8 was shared too when Trent Leverington got to the outside line to win the race. Tessari and Sneddon finished behind him in a race in which the Monarchs must have hoped for an advantage. The score was now 25-23.

Paul Clews won heat 9 from William Lawson but with Kessler third Stoke took a 4-2 to increase their lead to four points but Edinburgh hit back with a 2-4 in heat 10 when Matthew Wethers got onto the outside dirt line to win the race from Paul Thorp. Henrik Moller beat Trent Leverington at the back and Edinburgh trailed by two points. Heat 11 was a disaster for the Monarchs and probably cost them the match. In the first running of the race Daniele Tessari got to the front ahead of Barrie Evans. Theo Pijper tried to pass Evans on the outside, fell and was excluded. In the rerun Stoke gate and rattled off a 5-1 with Barrie Evans winning from Mark Lemon increasing the home side’s lead to six points. However Edinburgh got a break in heat 12. Barrie Evans and Paul Clews gated but Matthew Wethers and Derek Sneddon operated a pincer move for both to pass Clews and head after Evans. On the last lap they were rewarded as Evans’ bike packed up and the Monarchs took a 1-5 to close the gap to two points again. The score after twelve races was 37-35.

Mark Lemon kept his unbeaten run going by winning heat 13 from William Lawson. Behind them Paul Thorp passed Theo Pijper for the vital third place which gave the Potters a 4-2 increasing their lead to four points. Robbie Kessler kept it that way by winning heat 14 from Sneddon and Moller leaving Edinburgh with the certain bonus point but needing a 1-5 for a draw. William Lawson won the final heat from Robbie Kessler but Matthew Wethers was stuck at the back unable to pass Mark Lemon so the Potters were home and dry.

Scorers: For Stoke – Mark Lemon 12+2 (5), Robbie Kessler 12 (5), Paul Thorp 9 (4), Trent Leverington 5 (4), Paul Clews 5 (4), Barrie Evans 4 (6), Kriss Irving 0 (2).

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

[Merlin]

Sunday, 10 September

There were three matches raced today. At Glasgow the Tigers raced King’s Lynn in the first leg of the Premier League KO Cup semi-final. The other two matches were for Premier League points. At Newport the Wasps took on Sheffield in an afternoon meeting while in the evening the other match was at Newcastle where the Diamonds raced against the Isle of Wight .



Premier League Knock Out Cup, semi final first leg: Glasgow 45, King’s Lynn 45


Both Glasgow and King’s Lynn were at full strength for this eagerly awaited Cup semi-final.

This was King’s Lynn’s fourth match in five days and they were hoping to make it four wins out of four. Glasgow were anxious to build a sizeable lead to take to Saddlebow Road for the second leg, particularly since they had gone down to a big defeat there in the league. As it turned out it was an excellent match finishing with honours even. There was never much between the sides with no fewer than 12 of the 15 heats being shared. Glasgow managed two 4-2s balanced by King’s Lynn’s solitary 1-5.

Danny Bird won the opening race and it looked good for Glasgow when David McAllan passed Troy Batchelor on the opening lap. However McAllan lost his chain on lap 3 and the race was shared. In the reserves race Chris Mills fell on the first bend and was excluded from the rerun won by Robert Ksiezak from John Oliver. The 4-2 gave the Tigers a two point lead. Mills banged his head and was examined by the medics but no decision was made on whether he would be able to take any further part in the meeting. Heat 3 won by Kauko Nieminen was shared then the crowd were treated to a brilliant race between Shane Parker and Tomas Topinka in heat 4 before it was brought to a premature end when James Cockle fell behind them and was excluded from the rerun. Shane Parker gated to win the rerun for another shared race and the score was then 13-11.

King’s Lynn then turned the lead around with a 1-5 in heat 5 when Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor showed Kauko Nieminen a clean pair of heels from the gate to put the Stars two points ahead. Bird and Parker won heats 6 and 7 but Glasgow could take no advantage as the visitors packed the minor places on both occasions. In heat 8 Robert Ksiezak produced his second heat win but again it was only for a shared race. Glasgow had produced seven of the eight race winners yet trailed by two points as the score read 23-25.

In heat 9 Tomas Topinka broke the run of home winners by passing Nieminen for a fine win but Lee Dicken redressed the balance behind by passing John Oliver who was now taking all of Chris Mills’ rides as well as his own. This led to another shared race. In heat 10 Glasgow squared the match. Daniel Nermark clouted the first bend fence at speed and the race was rerun with all four back. Nermark almost did the same again in the rerun and lost ground being tailed off at the back. Danny Bird won the heat from Trevor Harding and David McAllan took the opportunity of Nermark’s error to score his only point of the match. The 4-2 took the score to 30-30 after which all the races were shared. Parker won heat 11 from Doolan and Batchelor while, in heat 12, Trevor Harding won from Ksiezak and Mills who took his place in this race but was withdrawn afterwards on medical advice. The score was now 36-36.

Glasgow were now looking for their customary big finish to give them a lead for the second leg but it just didn’t happen! Tomas Topinka rode a brilliant opening two bends in heat 13 to pass both Bird and Parker for a fine race win and shared heat then Nieminen who usually wins heat 14 was beaten into third place by Daniel Nermark and Robert Ksiezak. In the last race Shane Parker passed Kevin Doolan to win the heat but Doolan and Topinka shared the points as Danny Bird was tailed off at the back.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 13+1 (5), Danny Bird 11 (5), Robert Ksiezak 10 (6), Kauko Nieminen 7+1 (4), Lee Dicken 2+2 (4), David McAllan 1 (3), James Cockle 1 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 11+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 9 (5), Trevor Harding 7+2 (4), Daniel Nermark 7 (4), Troy Batchelor 6+3 (4), John Oliver 5+3 (6), Chris Mills 0 (2).



Premier League: Newport 45, Sheffield 44 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 107-75


Newport had Chris Neath guesting as usual for Craig Watson at number 1 and used R/R for Neil Collins, who was injured at Berwick last night, at number 4. Sheffield were missing Paul Cooper who was riding in a grasstrack meeting and had Sam Martin as a guest at Number 6.

Newport were desperate to reverse the recent trend of home defeats to move off the bottom of the league table while Sheffield were keen to cement second place in the final league table to improve their play-off chances with a second pick of opponents.

There was little in it over the opening four heats although there were fallers in three of them. Chris Neath won the opening race from Wilson and Ashworth for a shared heat then Newport moved a point in front with a 3-2 in the reserves race. Billy Legg was excluded then Benji Compton fell leaving Joel Parsons to beat Sam Martin. Kyle Legault won heat 3 but Emiliano Sanchez fell leaving Atkin and Schramm to pick up the other three points. Compton fell again in heat 4 but Mark Lemon won from Parsons and Wilkinson to share the points taking the score to 12-11.

The shared race theme continued. Heat 5 made it four out of five when Chris Schramm scored an important win over the Wilson/Ashworth pairing with Billy Legg, taking a R/R ride, retiring at the back. After heat 6 it was five 3-3s from six races. Mark Lemon won from Neath and Atkin with Sam Martin at the back. Heat 7 was shared too! Carl Wilkinson won the race from Sanchez and Legault with Billy Legg completing his third ride at the back but the deadlock was broken in heat 8. Joel Parsons won the race from Ben Wilson while Tony Atkin took third place as Benji Compton fell for the third time at the back. This gave the Wasps a 4-2 and took the score to 25-22.

Heat 9 resulted in a 5-1 for the Wasps when Schramm and Wilkinson headed home Mark Lemon to give the Wasps a seven point lead but Sheffield retaliated with a 1-5 in heat 10 when Emiliano Sanchez and Kyle Legault took advantage of Chris Neath’s retiral by beating Tony Atkin to cut the home side’s lead to three points again at 31-28. Heat 11 resulted in another 3-3. Ben Wilson won the race but Ricky Ashworth fell so Parsons and Wilkinson shared the points. In heat 12 Emiliano Sanchez won from Schramm and Parsons for yet another shared race and the score went to 37-34 with Newport desperately hoping to avoid their usual late collapse.

In heat 13 Benji Compton replaced Ricky Ashworth and Sheffield took a 2-4 as Chris Neath retired at the starting gate. Mark Lemon won the race from Carl Wilkinson and the Tigers now trailed by just one point. Kyle Legault won heat 14 from Parsons and Schramm (R/R) for a 3-3 so there was still just the one point separating the sides going into the last heat. Chris Neath won heat 15 to give Newport victory but it’s just as well he did because Carl Wilkinson fell as Lemon and Legault took a share of the points.

Scorers: For Newport – Joel Parsons 13+1 (6), Chris Schramm 10+2 (5), Carl Wilkinson 9+2 (6), Chris Neath 8 (5), Tony Atkin 5+2 (5), Billy Legg 0 3).

For Sheffield – Mark Lemon 12 (5), Kyle Legault 10+3 (5), Ben Wilson 9 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (4), Ricky Ashworth 2+2 (3), Sam Martin 2 (5), Benji Compton 1 (4).



Premier League: Newcastle 52, Isle of Wight 40 The Isle of Wight won the bonus point on aggregate by 97-87.


Newcastle were missing Manuel Hauzinger and used R/R at number 2 instead. The Isle of Wight had Ray Morton back in the side at number 3 with Jason Doyle moving to number 5 under the September averages. Krzysztof Stojanowski was missing from the Islanders’ line up though so they used R/R for him at number 4.

This was the Isle of Wight’s first league match since the 22 August and it was an entertaining meeting with the Islanders doing enough to win the bonus point. George Stancl crashed in his third ride hitting the fence on the first bend and had to be taken to hospital. His withdrawal effectively ended Newcastle’s bonus point charge. Josef Franc and Christian Henry both scored paid maximums for the Diamonds while James Grieves dropped only one point – to Chris Holder – in heat 13. It was a successful return for Ray Morton whose 9 points included a race win.

The Islanders started well. They shared the opening heat won by George Stancl from Chris Holder and Jason Bunyan. They then took the lead in the reserves race won by Chris Johnson from Jaimie Robertson with Nick Simmons third for a 2-4. However Newcastle roared back with a 5-1 from Christian Henry and Josef Franc to put the Diamonds two ahead then they doubled their lead in heat 4 when James Grieves beat Jason Doyle with Adam McKinna third for a 4-2 which took the score to 14-10.

No further information is available at present about this match.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Christian Henry 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Josef Franc 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), James Grieves 13+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 5+1 (7), George Stancl 5 (3), Adam McKinna 2 (5).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Ray Morton 9 (5), Jason Doyle 8 (5), Jason Bunyan 7+3 (6)(including a 2 point Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres), Chris Johnson 5+1 (6), Nick Simmons 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 13 September



The one Premier League match scheduled for tonight was at King’s Lynn where the Stars were at home to Newport.



Premier League: King’s Lynn 64, Newport 26 King’s Lynn won the bonus point on aggregate by 118-65 .


King’s Lynn were at full strength for this match but Newport had Peterborough’s Ulrich Ostergaard at number 1 deputising for Craig Watson and used R/R at number 4 for the injured Neil Collins.

With the league leaders facing the bottom club the words ‘lambs’ and ‘slaughter’ came to mind but it was Newport who provided the first race winner in Ulrich Ostergaard who won from the gate despite the early attentions of Troy Batchelor. Kevin Doolan was third so the race was shared. In answer to this piece of insolence King’s Lynn took retribution by hammering home four 5-1s on the trot. Chris Mills and John Oliver started with a maximum in the reserves race then Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding added a second in heat 3 leaving Carl Wilkinson (R/R) to pick up the third place point by passing Chris Schramm. John Oliver, in inspired form, won heat 4 from Tomas Topinka and Carl Wilkinson to keep the run going and take the score to 18-6 after four races.

In heat 5 Ulrich Ostergaard took a TR but could not repeat his opening heat success. Trevor Harding won the race while Daniel Nermark chased and passed Ostergaard for another 5-1. In heat 6 Billy Legg, replacing Joel Parsons, was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back. Troy Batchelor won the heat but Carl Wilkinson took second place from Kevin Doolan for a 4-2. Newport finally got into double figures in heat 7 even though they lost another 5-1 to Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka. Troy Batchelor and John Oliver added yet another 5-1, King’s Lynn’s 6th of the match, in heat 8 bringing the score to 37-11. Strangely enough King’s Lynn’s lowest scorer at this stage was Kevin Doolan who seemed to be down on power.

Carl Wilkinson took a TR in heat 9 but had no more success than Ulrich Ostergaard in heat 5 finishing behind Nermark and Harding for the Stars 7th 5-1. Newport had some respite when heat 10 was shared. Troy Batchelor won the race but Tony Atkin (R/R) and Chris Schramm filled the minor places as Kevin Doolan again struggled. The Wasps did even better in heat 11 by scoring a 2-4. Tomas Topinka suffered an engine failure while leading the race and Ulrich Ostergaard, who had passed Chris Mills, won the race from Mills with Atkin third. But it was back to reality for them in heat 12 when the young King’s Lynn reserve, John Oliver, completed his four programmed rides unbeaten by winning heat 12. Trevor Harding followed him home for the Stars’ 8th 5-1 of the match which brought the score to 52-20.

Heat 13 looked as though it would produce another home 5-1 but Ulrich Ostergaard passed Kevin Doolan then just held on to second place for a 4-2. Nermark and Mills then produced King’s Lynn’s 9th 5-1 in heat 14 although Joel Parsons briefly passed Chris Mills on the last lap for second place before being repassed. In the last race John Oliver was given the chance to turn his four ride paid maximum into a five ride one when chosen to partner Daniel Nermark against Carl Wilkinson and Ulrich Ostergaard. It wasn’t to be though. Daniel Nermark won the race but Ostergaard and Wilkinson relegated John Oliver to the back for a shared race. It’s not often that Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka finish as King’s Lynn’s lowest two scorers.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Troy Batchelor 11 (4), John Oliver 10+2 (5), Chris Mills 10+1 (4), Trevor Harding 9+3 (4)(paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 7+2 (4), Kevin Doolan 3+1 (4).

For Newport – Ulrich Ostergaard 11 (5), Carl Wilkinson 6+1 (6), Joel Parsons 4 (6), Tony Atkin 3 (5), Chris Schramm 2+1 (5), Billy Legg 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 14 September



The one Premier League match scheduled for tonight was at Sheffield where the Tigers were at home to Mildenhall.



Premier League: Sheffield 63, Mildenhall 27 Sheffield won the bonus point on aggregate by 109-71. .


Sheffield decided to rely on their own resources by using R/R at number 5 for the missing Andre Compton rather than book a guest. Mildenhall had Scunthorpe’s Scott Richardson at number 7 as a guest in place of Jordan Frampton.

This match was raced on a sodden Owlerton track following the heavy rain in the Sheffield area during the day. Sheffield were desperate to get the meeting run because, had it fallen victim to the weather. it could not have been rearranged before Sunday’s cut-off date with the result that the Yorkshire Tigers would have finished third in the table to King’s Lynn and Glasgow giving them third pick of opponents in the play-offs. Even a one point defeat would have clinched second place in the league table for Sheffield but, in the event, Mildenhall never looked like producing an upset so Sheffield moved into the runner up spot behind King’s Lynn.

The opening heat was pulled back after Jason Lyons made a fast start but he didn’t in the rerun which went Sheffield’s way with a 5-1 from Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson. Mildenhall hit back with a 2-4 in the reserves race won by James Brundle from Benji Compton with Scott Richardson third. Back came Sheffield with another 5-1 in heat 3 from Emiliano Sanchez and Kyle Legault followed by a 4-2 when Ricky Ashworth (R/R) scored his second win of the meeting by beating Daniel King with Benji Compton third. This took the score to 16-8 after eight heats.

Sanchez won again in heat 5 with Jason Lyons finishing second ahead of Kyle Legault after Jon Armstrong had touched the tapes, been excluded and replaced by James Brundle. The 4-2 increased the home side’s lead to 10 points and it was 12 after heat 6. Ricky Ashworth won for the third time in 6 races heading home Daniel King. Ben Wilson was third. Heat 7 produced the fourth 4-2 on the trot. Emiliano Sanchez (R/R) joined Ricky Ashworth as a three time winner from Jason King and Paul Cooper with Brent Werner last again. The run of 4-2s was broken in heat 8 but unfortunately for the Fen Tigers it was because Sheffield took a 5-1 from Ben Wilson and Benji Compton which took the score to 33-15.

Daniel King took a TR in heat 9 but without success. Sanchez and Legault scored another 5-1, although King was in close attention, so the double point ride counted for nothing extra. Heat 10 provided Sheffield with their third consecutive 5-1. Wilson and Ashworth did the damage. Jason King took third place while Brent Werner trailed in last again. The lead had now stretched to 26 points but Jason Lyons took a TR in heat 11. This resulted in further disappointment for the Fen Tigers as Cooper and Legault (R/R) scored yet another 5-1 ahead of Jon Armstrong with Lyons last. Brent Werner was replaced by Scott Richardson in heat 12 but it didn’t get any better for the visitors when Emiliano Sanchez won for the fifth time in a row and was followed home by Benji Compton for another 5-1 taking the score to 53-19.

Heat 13 was a much better race. Ricky Ashworth took the race win from Jason Lyons but Ben Wilson (R/R) and Daniel King passed each other several times before King finally made it stick. This produced the meeting’s first 3-3. Kyle Legault won heat 14 but Jason King took second place ahead of Paul Cooper for a 4-2 then, in the last race, Jason Lyons ruined Emiliano Sanchez’s attempt at a six ride maximum by passing Ben Wilson on the inside to won the race on the line with Sanchez finishing third ahead of Daniel King. The heat was shared 3-3 and Ricky Ashworth was the only rider to remain unbeaten by an opponent.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Emiliano Sanchez 16+1 (6), Ricky Ashworth 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Ben Wilson 11+1 (6), Kyle Legault 10+3 (5), Benji Compton 7+2 (4), Paul Cooper 5 (4).

For Mildenhall – Jason Lyons 8 (5), Daniel King 6+1 (5), Jason King 6 (4), James Brundle 4 (5), Jon Armstrong 3 (3), Brent Werner 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 20 September



The only Premier League action tonight was at King’s Lynn where the Stars were at home to Glasgow in the second leg of the semi-final of the KO Cup.



Premier League Knock Out Cup - semi-final, second leg: King’s Lynn 67, Glasgow 27 King’s Lynn go through to the final on aggregate by 112-72.


King’s Lynn were at full strength for this match but Glasgow were without David McAllan who has a wrist injury and used R/R in his place at number 2.

Glasgow knew they had a tough match on their hands having failed to take any advantage from the first leg at Ashfield in a 45-45 draw but the noises coming from the Glasgow camp before the match left King’s Lynn in no doubt that the Tigers still felt they could win through to the final to meet the winners of the other semi-final tomorrow night in which Sheffield face Somerset trying to pull back a 15 point deficit. Perhaps their words of wisdom did more to motivate the home side than their own riders as the Tigers were thrashed again at Saddlebow Road.

Danny Bird made his usual fast start in the opening heat but he couldn’t hold off the challenges from Troy Batchelor who passed him on the third lap. Kevin Doolan was a comfortable third from (R/R) Lee Dicken so the home side took a 4-2. In the reserves race both Glasgow riders gated well but Robert Ksiezak fell bringing down James Cockle and Chris Mills in the process resulting in some medical attention being needed for Cockle. Ksiezak was excluded from the rerun in which James Cockle again made the gate. However he fell on the entry to the first bend on the second lap gifting a 5-1 to the Stars but remounted for the odd point. Heat 3 resulted in another 5-1 for the home side. Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding, who had a passing and repassing bout with Kauko Nieminen, did the damage as Lee Dicken retired at the back. King’s Lynn stretched their lead to 12 points with a 4-2 in heat 4. Tomas Topinka won from Shane Parker while John Oliver won the battle of the reserves taking the score after the opening four heats to 18-6.

In heat 5 Danny Bird took a TR but there was again no joy for the Tigers who were still looking for their first race winner when Daniel Nermark won from Danny Bird. The big guns failed to make the gate but Nermark fought through to first on the opening lap while Bird came from last to second by passing Trevor Harding on the third lap. Meanwhile Robert Ksiezak (R/R) went the other way, having led from the tapes but ending up last. The result was a 4-4 shared heat so the Tigers still trailed by 12 points. Things went from bad to worse for the Glasgow side when Doolan and Batchelor soon pulled away from Shane Parker in heat 6 resulting in another 5-1 for the Stars increasing their lead to 16 points. 16 became 20 when Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka added another 5-1 in heat 7 after Kauko Nieminen suffered an engine failure at the tapes leaving Dicken to take the third place point. King’s Lynn made it a hat trick of 5-1s in heat 8 (their fifth in eight heats). Troy Batchelor won with ease while John Oliver passed both the Glasgow reserves on the fourth bend. This took the score to 37-13 with Glasgow facing another rout.

In heat 9 Shane Parker took a TR but still Glasgow couldn’t provide a race winner. Daniel Nermark made it to the first bend ahead of Parker and went on to win the race from the Glasgow captain. Trevor Harding took third so the race was shared 4-4. Another 5-1 came from heat 10. This time it was Doolan and Batchelor again who left Kauko Nieminen way behind to put the Stars 28 points ahead to guarantee victory. At this stage only Danny Bird and Shane Parker had beaten any of the King’s Lynn riders but the visitors had two of their big guns, Danny Bird and Kauko Nieminen, out in heat 11 against Tomas Topinka and Chris Mills. Unfortunately for them it was the same depressing story as before as Topinka and Mills took another 5-1 after Bird had led for the first lap leaving Glasgow facing the possibility of conceding 70 points. But then came a veritable oasis in the desert for the beleaguered visitors! Robert Ksiezak shot out of the gate in heat 12 to provide Glasgow’s one and only heat winner of the match by beating Trevor Harding. Better still for the Tigers, Lee Dicken, who had passed Harding to join Ksiezak up front before being repassed, took third place from John Oliver so they took a 2-4 which meant that the score after 12 heats was 53-23.

It was business as usual for the Stars after the interval as they took full retribution for that heat 12 result with another 5-1. This time Tomas Topinka and Kevin Doolan relegated Shane Parker to third place while Danny Bird pulled up at the back. It was maximum time again in heat 14. Daniel Nermark continued his unbeaten run and was supported by Chris Mills ahead of Kauko Nieminen and Robert Ksiezak who was unable to reproduce his heroics of heat 12. In the last heat Troy Batchelor completed his paid maximum but Shane Parker had the satisfaction of preventing Tomas Topinka from joining him by finishing second. With Robert Ksiezak finishing last the Stars took a 4-2 for a 40 point victory as Glasgow failed to reach the 30 point mark for the second match running at the King’s Lynn track.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Troy Batchelor 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 12+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 12 (4)(full maximum), Chris Mills 10+2 (4)(paid maximum), Kevin Doolan 9+1 (4), Trevor Harding 6+1 (4), John Oliver 5+2 (4).

For Glasgow – Shane parker 10 (5)(including a 4 point TR), Danny Bird 6 (4)(including a 4 point TR), Kauko Nieminen 4 (5), Robert Ksiezak 4 (7), Lee Dicken 2 (5), James Cockle 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 21 September

The two matches raced tonight involving Premier League clubs were first leg, first round Play-Off ties. At Redcar the Bears raced King’s Lynn while at Sheffield the Tigers took on Workington .


Premier League Play-Offs, first round, first leg: Redcar 43, King’s Lynn 47


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

Having already won at Redcar and scored 70 points against the Bears at Saddlebow Road in their league match, it was hardly surprising that the Stars chose Redcar as their first round opponents in the Play-Offs. King’s Lynn arrived on the back of a crushing win at home over Glasgow last night looking to keep their stunning run going. In an excellent match the Bears were soon behind and only once managed to get on level terms before falling behind again leaving them with little chance in the second leg.

Gary Havelock won the opening heat for the Bears but Doolan and Batchelor filled the minor places to share the points before King’s Lynn took the lead in heat 2. Chris Mills won the race from Jack Hargreaves but, rather surprisingly, Daniel Giffard struggled with the track and finished at the back behind John Oliver. The 2-4 put the Stars two points in front and it stayed that way after heat 3. Mathieu Tresarrieu was out in front when Kevin Little fell causing the race to be rerun. In the rerun Tresarrieu again hit the front and won the race for a shared heat but in heat 4 the Bears fell four points in arrears. Tomas Suchanek was the early leader but seemed uneasy on a tricky first bend and slipped to the back as Tomas Topinka, Daniel Giffard and John Oliver passed him for a 2-4 which took the score after the opening four races to 10-14.

Heat 5 had to be rerun after Troy Batchelor clipped Kevin Little’s back wheel causing Little to fall. Batchelor was excluded but Kevin Doolan won the rerun from Little and Tresarrieu to share the points and keep the visitors in front. Heat 6 saw Chris Kerr make a fine inside pass on the early race leader, Daniel Nermark, while Gary Havelock battled his way past Chris Mills who fell and remounted for the home side’s first heat advantage. The 4-2 cut the Stars’ lead to two points but they were four up again after heat 7. Daniel Nermark won the race from Suchanek with Trevor Harding third for a 2-4 and the four point gap remained after heat 8 when Chris Mills won the heat from Giffard and Kerr with Batchelor at the back after falling and remounting when passed by Kerr for a 3-3 which took the score after eight heats to 22-26.

The Bears pulled two points back again in heat 9. Mathieu Tresarrieu won the race from Tomas Topinka and Kevin Little passed John Oliver to give the home side a 4-2 pulling two points back then finally Redcar squared the match in heat 10 with another of the same. Gary Havelock was leading the race when Chris Kerr passed Daniel Nermark with the King’s Lynn rider falling. Nermark was excluded from the rerun in which Trevor Harding looked like pulling off a sensational win when he led Havelock and Kerr for two laps. Havelock passed him and, in trying to do likewise, Chris Kerr fell and remounted. This resulted in a 4-2 which tied the scores at 30-30. However King’s Lynn forged ahead again in heat 12 when Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor comfortably saw off Tomas Suchanek and Jack Hargreaves who fell and remounted for a 1-5 which put the Stars four ahead again. Chris Mills kept it that way by producing his third race win in heat 12 to head home Kevin Little and Daniel Giffard. This made the score after 12 races 31-35.

Gary Havelock won heat 13 but Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka followed him home to share the race points before controversy followed in heat 14. Daniel Nermark took Mathieu Tresarrieu wide on the opening bends resulting in Tresarrieu falling and hurting his foot. The referee decided it was an ‘all four back’ situation to the surprise of many but Tresarrieu was unable to take his place in the rerun. Daniel Nermark won the race but the two Bears’ reserves filled the minor places although John Oliver almost caught Daniel Giffard on the line. Heat 15 was shared too. Gary Havelock was the race winner but Tomas Topinka and Kevin Doolan finished ahead of Kevin Little to clinch yet another away win for the Stars.

Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), Mathieu Tresarrieu 7+1 (3), Daniel Giffard 6+2 (5), Chris Kerr 5+1 (4), Kevin Little 5 (5), Jack Hargreaves 4 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 11+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 10+1 (5), Chris Mills 9 (4), Daniel Nermark 8 (4), Trevor Harding 4+1 (4), Troy Batchelor 3+2 (4), John Oliver 2 (4).



Premier League Play-Offs, first round, first leg: Sheffield 53, Workington 40 .


With Andre Compton back in the side and Emiliano Sanchez declared fit after his rib injuries, Sheffield were at full strength. Workington had a new reserve pairing with Ben Powell at number 6 for Lee Derbyshire and Joel Parsons at number 7 for Aidan Collins.

Eyebrows were raised when Sheffield chose Workington as their first round opponents in the Play-Offs. Sheffield had beaten Workington home and away in the league but Workington had since looked one of the form horses in recent matches. In the end Workington were heavily indebted to their reserves in producing a score which keeps this tie wide open.

Sheffield got off to the best possible start with a 5-1 from Ben Wilson and Ricky Ashworth in heat 1. Alan Mogridge had made a good start but Ashworth passed him on the opening lap to join his partner up front for the maximum. Workington’s reserves came up trumps in heat 2 by squaring the match again with a 1-5. Ben Powell made the gate but Joel Parsons passed him as the pair raced home ahead of Paul Cooper. In heat 3 Tomasz Piszcz was fast away but was passed on the first bend by Emiliano Sanchez and Kyle Legault who roared off for a 5-1 to put Sheffield four points ahead again. The Compton brothers were fast away in heat 4 but Joel Parsons passed Benji Compton to score two points for the Comets in a 4-2 which put the home side six points up at 15-9.

Garry Stead and Alan Mogridge shot to the front in heat 5 as the Comets threatened a 1-5 but Legault and Sanchez passed Mogridge to share the heat. Sheffield then struck again with another 5-1 in heat 6 and again it was the Ashworth/Wilson pairing which did the damage beating James Wright into third to put the Tigers 10 points ahead. Heat 7 was comfortably won by Andre Compton. Behind him Tomasz Piszcz took second while Rusty Harrison had his work cut out fending off the challenges of Paul Cooper for third place. This race was shared and Workington finally played a TR card in heat 8 with reserve Joel Parsons taking the ride. What a shambles this heat turned out for Workington. Firstly TR man Joel Parsons touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back then Alan Mogridge was excluded for delaying the start and was replaced by Ben Powell. When the race finally got under way Benji Compton fell after clipping Ben Powell’s back wheel and was excluded from the rerun. Then in the rerun TR man Joel Parsons fell and remounted to take the gift third place point (doubled to two) as Ben Wilson beat Ben Powell. The result was a 3-4 advantage to the Comets shaving a point off Sheffield’s lead making the score 29-20.

Heat 9 was a cracking race. Kyle Legault, James Wright and reserve Ben Powell had a battle for the lead which resulted in James Wright winning it. Emiliano Sanchez got up on the line to take third place from Ben Powell so the heat was shared. Tomasz Piszcz made another fast start in heat 10 but Wilson and Ashworth were soon past him to score a 5-1 with Rusty Harrison stuck at the back stretching the Tigers’ lead to 13 points. In heat 11 Garry Stead took a TR for Workington which was a bit of a surprise since the unbeaten Andre Compton was also in the race. Sure enough Compton won the race but only after a titanic struggle with Stead who finished second with Alan Mogridge third. As a result the Comets took a 3-5 heat advantage pulling two points back to trail by 11. Tomasz Piszcz came through the field to lead heat 12 but Emiliano Sanchez rounded him for a brilliant win. Joel Parsons continued to damage Sheffield’s charge by picking up third place from Benji Compton so the race was shared and the score after 12 heats was 43-32.

Workington had a giant slice of luck in heat 13 when Ricky Ashworth suffered an engine failure while on a 5-1 with Andre Compton. This allowed James Wright and Garry Stead to share the points a result duplicated in heat 14. Rusty Harrison was excluded under the two minute rule and Kyle Legault won the race from Workington’s two guest reserves so Sheffield were unable to build on their 11 point lead. In the last race Ben Wilson came to grief on the opening bends and the referee ruled an unsatisfactory start with ‘all four back’. In the rerun Andre Compton was winning comfortably from James Wright when Tomasz Piszcz crashed into the fence and fell resulting in the race being awarded as a 4-2 to Sheffield. This increased the home side’s lead to 13 points for the second leg on Saturday night. The tie now seems delicately balanced but it will be noted that Workington’s two guest reserves outscored their Sheffield counterparts by 15+3 to 2, the key factor in Workington restricting Sheffield to a 13 point win.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5)(full maximum), Ben Wilson 12+1 (5), Kyle Legault 9+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8+2 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7+2 (4), Paul Cooper 1 (4), Benji Compton 1 (4),

For Workington – Joel Parsons 10+1 (5)(including a 2 point TR), Garry Stead 9+1 (4)(including a 4 point TR), James Wright 8 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 6 (5), Ben Powell 5+2 (5), Rusty Harrison 1+1 (4), Alan Mogridge 1 (4).