Around the Premier League Tracks - 2007

[Merlin]

Saturday, 21 April 2007

Of the four matches raced tonight one was for Premier League points and the other three were in the Premier Trophy. The Premier League match was the return fixture between Rye House and Birmingham while, in the Premier Trophy, Berwick were at home to Newcastle , Stoke faced Sheffield and Workington took on King’s Lynn .


Premier League: Rye House 53, Birmingham 39 Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 106-78


Having gained a 14 point lead from their away match at Birmingham last Wednesday, Rye House looked a racing certainty for all three points from this return fixture - and so it transpired. Tai Woffinden returned to the Rockets’ side after sitting out the match at Birmingham and Chris Kerr (!) was at number 6 for the injured Adam Roynon. Birmingham were at full strength.

Ulrich Ostergaard comfortably won the opening race for Birmingham while Chris Neath had to pass Aidan Collins to ensure a drawn race. It looked like the Rockets were going to charge into the lead in heat 2 but Chris Kerr fell while holding second place as Luke Bowen won the race for another shared heat. Heat 3 made it a hat trick of shared races when Tai Woffinden took first place but Jason Lyons and Emiliano Sanchez filled the minor places. The deadlock remained unbroken after heat 4. Although Ben Powell crashed into the fence on the second bend and was excluded from the rerun Brent Werner, returning to his forming stamping ground, gated to a win taking the score to 12-12.

Heat 5 was rerun too after an unsatisfactory start and again the race was shared. Ostergaard won for the second time beating Woffinden and Allen while Collins fell at the back but Rye House finally took the lead with a 5-1 in heat 6. This time Brent Werner did not make the gate so Steve Boxall and Chris Neath were off and away for the maximum and a four point lead. Birmingham hit back immediately with a 2-4 in heat 7. Emiliano Sanchez took Chris Kerr wide and Kerr fell and was excluded from the rerun in which the Brummies were in a 1-5 position until Stuart Robson passed Jason Lyons on the fourth bend. Try as he did, Robson could not pass Sanchez so the gap was down to two points. It was back to four again after heat 8. Steve Boxall won the race by a distance from Ben Powell while Aidan Collins fell at the back leaving Luke Bowen to pick up the third place point. This took the score to 26-22.

Rye House effectively killed off Birmingham hopes when Tommy Allen and Tai Woffinden scored a 5-1 in heat 9 after both had passed firstly Brent Werner then Lee Smart to open up an eight point lead. They added two more points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 10. It looked like another 5-1 to the Rockets until Jason Lyons passed Steve Boxall and closed in on Chris Neath to limit the damage to a 4-2. Now trailing by ten points heat 11 conveniently featured the unbeaten Ulrich Ostergaard so he took the black and white helmet cover for a TR. This wasn’t quite the success that Birmingham had hoped for as Ostergaard was passed by Stuart Robson on the back straight. However when Chris Kerr fell yet again Lee Smart’s third place point gave the Brummies a 3-5 advantage from the race cutting their deficit to eight points. Jason Lyons won heat 12 but Tai Woffinden and Luke Bowen filled the minor places for a shared race taking the score to 41-33.

That really was the end of the Birmingham resistance as Rye House finished the match off with two 5-1s in heats 13 and 14. Robson and Neath did the damage in heat 13 with Ostergaard third then Allen and Bowen did likewise against Sanchez in heat 14. However Birmingham scored a 2-4 in the last heat as Jason Lyons beat Stuart Robson with Ulrich Ostergaard third after Chris Neath had suffered an engine failure at the back. The final score was identical to the scoreline at Birmingham.

Scorers: For Rye House – Stuart Robson 11+1 (5), Luke Bowen 9+2 (5), Tai Woffinden 9+1 (4), Steve Boxall 9 (4), Chris Neath 8+3 (5), Tommy Allen 7+1 (4), Chris Kerr 0 (3).

For Birmingham – Ulrich Ostergaard 12 (with a 4 point TR), Jason Lyons 11 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 5+1 (4), Brent Werner 4 (4), Ben Powell 4 (4), Lee Smart 3+2 (5), Aidan Collins 0 (30.



Premier Trophy: Berwick 50, Newcastle 40


Berwick were desperate to get back to winning ways at home having lost their last two Premier Trophy matches at home to Redcar and Glasgow both by the same score – 44-46. They had already heavily beaten the Diamonds by 58- 31 in the Tyne-Tees Trophy four weeks ago so did not lack confidence. The Bandits had Byron Bekker at number 7 in place of John Branney. They also rejigged the team with Michael Coles moving to number 2 and Andreas Bergstrom to number 4. Newcastle also revamped their team with Carl Wilkinson moving to number 2 and Ross Brady to number 4. Ashley Johnson continued at number 6.

The Diamonds opened with a 4-2 when Carl Wilkinson won the first heat from Michal Makovsky. Josef Franc passed Michael Coles so Newcastle were two points to the good. It was all square again after heat 2. Benji Compton beat Sean Stoddart while Byron Bekker finished third after Ashley Johnson had fallen and been excluded from the rerun giving the Bandits a 4-2. Newcastle threatened another 2-4 in heat 3 but race leader Ross Brady was passed by Jacek Rempala while Andreas Bergstrom passed Jonas Raun to turn the heat into a home 4-2 advantage. The track had been causing the riders some problems (particularly the first bend) so there was then a short delay while some work was done on it. Burza won heat 4 from the gate but Christian Henry and Sean Stoddart followed him home for shared race taking the score to 13-11.

Josef Franc won heat 5 but Jacek Rempala and Andreas Bergstrom filled the minor places after Bergstrom had needed to hold off the pressing Carl Wilkinson on the last lap. This produced a shared race but Berwick doubled their lead with a 4-2 in heat 6. In a well strung out race Michal Makovsky headed home Christian Henry with Michael Coles third. Heat 7 was won by Burza from the gate again but Newcastle shared the race when Brady and Raun followed him home. Heat 8 was another procession. Carl Wilkinson won the race from Michael Coles and Sean Stoddart’s third place point gave the Diamonds a 2-4 which cut the gap to two points again with the score standing at 25-23.

There was no change in heat 9 either to the processional racing or to the lead when Christian Henry won from Rempala and Bergstrom but the Bandits struck a decisive 5-1 in heat 10. Jonas Raun was excluded after bringing down Michal Makovsky and, in the rerun, Makovsky and Coles scored the maximum heat win after both of them had passed early race leader, Ross Brady, stretching the Bandits’ lead to six points. In heat 11 Carl Wilkinson fell on the third lap but Josef Franc won the race from Benji Compton and Stanislaw Burza for a share of the points then, in heat 12, Newcastle pulled two points back. Jonas Raun worked himself to the front and Jacek Rempala seemed unwilling to launch a challenge on him. Sean Stoddart beat Byron Bekker for third and the 2-4 cut the gap to four points with the score now 38-34.

The Bandits pulled six points ahead again with a heat 13 4-2 from Burza and Makovsky split by Christian Henry although both Henry and Josef Franc had led from the tapes. They then sealed victory by sharing heat 14 although Ross Brady won the heat for the Diamonds from Bergstrom and Compton. The last heat produced a home 5-1 as Michal Makovsky and Stanislaw Burza saw off Christian Henry to open up a 10 point win which suggests that this match wasn’t quite as close as it was.

Scorers: For Berwick – Stanislaw Burza 12+2 (5), Michal Makovsky 12 (5), Jacek Rempala 9 (4), Benji Compton 6+1 (4), Andreas Bergstrom 5+2 (4), Michael Coles 5+1 (4), Byron Bekker 1 (4).

For Newcastle – Christian Henry 10 (5), Ross Brady 8 (4), Josef Franc 7 (5), Carl Wilkinson 6 (4), Sean Stoddart 5+1 (5), Jonas Raun 4+1 (4), Ashley Johnson 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Stoke 42, Sheffield 47 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 109-67


Still looking for their first win of the season, Stoke made a further change for tonight’s match against Sheffield. Although only 22 years old, Lee Complin returned to the side after a 5 year absence in place of Paul Pickering at number 4 while Jonathan Bethal lined up at number 7. Glenn Cunningham moved to number 1 with Rusty Harrison at number 5. Sheffield were on the usual lines with Joel Parsons again at number 5. There was never any real doubt about the destination of the bonus point after Sheffield’s 40 point win against the Potters last Thursday.

In the opening race the two Sheffield riders got off to a good start and looked to be heading for a 1-5 but Glenn Cunningham passed first Ashworth then Wilson to share the spoils. But Stoke were on familiar territory when they found themselves behind after an eventful heat 2. Jonathan Bethel fell on the second bend and remounted. It’s just as well he did because Barrie Evans and Paul Cooper suffered engine failures so Bethel took two points for his efforts behind race winner James Cockle. The 2-3 left the Potters a point behind. Garry Stead raised home spirits by beating Andre Compton in heat 3 but Lee Complin trailed in last so the race points were shared. Heat 4 was shared too. Joel Parsons passed Rusty Harrison to win the race while Bethal and Cooper passed and repassed with the Stoke reserve taking the point. The score now stood at 11-12.

There was no change in heat 5. Stead won again from Wilson and Ashworth for a shared race but in heat 6 the Potters took the lead albeit by a single point. Glen Cunningham went from last to first while James Cockle went the other way. Joel Parsons took second place as the home side gained a 4-2. Heat 7, won by Andre Compton from Rusty Harrison, was shared after James Birkinshaw fell when lying second to Compton on the last bend under pressure from Harrison so Stoke kept their one point advantage. Not for long though as Sheffield struck with a vital 1-5 in heat 8 when Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper relegated Ben Barker to third. This took the score to 22-25 with the Tigers now three points in front.

Stoke hit back again in heat 9. Garry Stead continued his winning run by beating Joel Parsons while Lee Compton scored his first point on his return to the sport when he headed home James Cockle who fell on the second lap and remounted. The 4-2 cut the deficit to one point again still in Sheffield’s favour. It stayed that way after heat 10 won by Andre Compton from Cunningham and Barker for a shared race and again in heat 11 won by Harrison from Ashworth and Wilson for another shared race. There was no change in heat 12 either. Andre Compton finally inflicted a defeat on Garry Stead but Barrie Evans followed Stead home for the 3-3 which took the score to 35-36.

It was four drawn races on the trot when Glenn Cunningham won heat 13. Joel Parsons and Ricky Ashworth both passed Rusty Harrison on the first lap and, although Harrison did get back to third on the third lap, he was passed by Ashworth again on the same lap. Four went to five when heat 14 was shared too. But it was a good race from Lee Complin who passed Paul Cooper to win it. James Birkinshaw took the vital third place so Sheffield still led by a point going into the last heat meaning that Stoke needed at least a 4-2 to record their first win of the season. They didn’t get it though. Andre Compton and Ben Wilson took a 1-5 from Garry Stead and Glenn Cunningham to take all three points back to Sheffield and leave the Potters still searching for success.

Scorers: For Stoke – Garry Stead 12 (5), Glenn Cunningham 11 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Lee Complin 4 (4), Jonathan Bethel 3+1 (3), Ben Barker 3+1 (4), Barrie Evans 2+1 (5).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14 (5), Ben Wilson 10+2 (5), Joel Parsons 9 (4), Ricky Ashworth 5+2 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (5), James Cockle 3 (3), James Birkinshaw 2+2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Workington 47, King’s Lynn 43 King’s Lynn won the aggregate bonus point by 108-74


The main interest in this match was the return of Carl Stonehewer to the Workington side. It certainly wasn’t the destination of the bonus point for which the Comets trailed by 38 points following their defeat at King’s Lynn last Thursday night. Stonehewer went straight back to number 1 in the Comets’ side with James Wright moving to number 3. Scott James replaced John Robertson at number 7. With King’s Lynn having lost both their reserves through injury they recruited Grant McDonald to fill the number 6 berth and Glasgow’s Lee Dicken at number 7.

It was a triumphant return for Stonehewer with a tapes to flag win in the opening race but Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka left Mattia Carpanese way behind in filling the minor places for a shared race. But Workington were in trouble again when they lost a 1-5 in the reserves race! King’s Lynn guests Lee Dicken and Grant MacDonald saw off Charles Wright and new boy Scott James to give the Stars a four point lead. Daniel Nermark kept it that way by beating James Wright and Craig Branney for a shared heat 3. Heat 4 was rerun after movement at the tapes by Paul Lee but Lee won the restart and was partnered briefly by Lee Dicken. Kauko Nieminen passed Dicken down the back straight but Paul Lee was way gone by then and the Stars took another heat advantage, this time a 2-4 which stretched their lead to six points taking the score to 9-15.

The Comets got two points back in heat 5 as James Wright beat Tomas Topinka with Craig Branney picking up the odd point ahead of Chris Mills cutting the deficit to four points again. It was down to two points when Workington took another 4-2 in heat 6. Stonehewer flew from the gate again and although Paul Lee pressed him all race he could not pass him. Behind this pair Mattia Carpanese passed Grant MacDonald for third to cut the gap. However King’s Lynn went four points ahead again in heat 7 when Daniel Nermark won from Kauko Nieminen while Trevor Harding passed Scott James for the 2-4. Chris Mills kept it that way by winning heat 8 from Carpanese as Lee Dicken fell at the back for a shared race with the score going to 22-26.

In heat 9 James Wright touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back but Workington still took a 4-2 from the heat as Craig Branney rose to the occasion by holding off Paul Lee while James Wright got past Grant MacDonald for the third place point so the gap was down to two points again. Back came the Stars in heat 10. Daniel Nermark made the gate as Carl Stonehewer totally missed it. Nermark and Harding looked set for a 1-5 but Stonehewer was adjudged to have got up on Harding on the line limiting the damage to a 2-4. Nonetheless King’s Lynn were four points ahead again. Kauko Nieminen won heat 11 from Tomas Topinka and Chris Mills to keep it that way but the Comets cut the gap to two points yet again in heat 12 when James Wright beat Daniel Nermark with Charles Wright gaining the valuable third place point by passing Lee Dicken for a 4-2. This took the score to 35-37 with just three races to go.

Workington finally took the lead with a big 5-1 in heat 13. Kauko Nieminen and Carl Stonehewer produced the goods. It was Stonehewer and Topinka who gated but Nieminen went wide squeezing past Topinka to grab the second place which gave the Comets a two point lead. It was all square again after heat 14. Trevor Harding won the race for the Stars from Charles Wright while Lee Dicken picked up the vital third place point after Craig Branney had fallen leaving the scores tied at 42-42 with one heat to go. Perhaps surprisingly it was left to James Wright and Kauko Nieminen to carry the flag for the home side just when it seemed that Carl Stonehewer was destined for a fairy tale come back to lead his side home in the final heat. It all turned out well for the Comets though as James Wright and Kauko Nieminen took a 5-1 after a good tussle between Nieminen and Topinka which ended with Topinka’s retiral from the race.

Scorers: For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 12+1 (5), James Wright 12 (5), Carl Stonehewer 10+1 (4), Craig Branney 5+1 (4), Charles Wright 5+1 (5), Mattia Carpanese 3 (4), Scott James 0 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 12 (5), Paul Lee 7 (4), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Tomas Topinka 6+1 (5), Trevor Harding 5 (4), Lee Dicken 5 (5), Grant MacDonald 2+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 22 April

Four matches were scheduled for today. First off the blocks was the Premier League match at Newport where the Wasps faced Stoke . This was followed by the Premier Trophy match at Glasgow where Berwick were the visitors then the Premier League match between Mildenhall and Somerset . Last to kick off was a Knockout Cup tie at Newcastle where the Diamonds took on King’s Lynn .


Premier League: Newport 49, Stoke 44


It was a strange looking Newport side which lined up against Stoke for this Premier League clash. They used Rider Replacement for Nick Simmons who had moved up from the reserve berth to number 1 in the team! with Tom Hedley at number 2. Their previous number 1, Michal Rajkowski, moved down to reserve with the revised averages in force. Stoke were on the same lines as last night with Tom Brown the only change filling the reserve berth at number 7.

What a start the Wasps made. A 5-1 and two 4-2s in the opening three heats saw them race to an eight point lead. In the opening race Rajkowski took the R/R ride and followed Tom Hedley home for the 5-1 them Rajkowski came out again to win heat 2 from Barrie Evans. Karl Mason passed Tom Brown on the last bend so Newport took a 4-2, a feat they repeated in heat 3 when Phil Morris led Lee Complin home with Tony Atkin third. However it would have been different had Garry Stead not fallen on the third bend while leading the race. Chris Schramm gated to win heat 4 but Rusty Harrison and Tom Brown took the minor places for a shared heat which took the score to 16-8.

Glenn Cunningham won heat 5 after a fast start but Morris and Atkin followed him home for a shared heat. Newport looked like stretching their lead in heat 6 but Tom Hedley suffered an engine failure while leading the race and it was left to Chris Schramm to share the points by winning it from Harrison and Evans. Chris Schramm was out again in the next race and he won that too this time from Garry Stead and Lee Complin so again the race was shared leaving Newport still eight points in front. But Stoke came roaring back into the match with a 1-5 in heat 8. Ben Barker and Tom Brown headed home Tom Hedley, mounted on Tony Atkin’s bike, to cut the gap to four points with the score now standing at 26-22.

Newport hit back immediately with a 5-1 of their own. Phil Morris won the race while Tony Atkin got the verdict on the line from Rusty Harrison to put the Wasps eight points in front again. It was back to shared races again when Rajkowski won from Stead and Complin in heat 10 then Glenn Cunningham won heat 11 from Rajkowski and Schramm to maintain the status quo. The Wasps then stretched their lead to 10 points with a 4-2 in heat 12. Phil Morris beat Garry Stead with Michal Rajkowski, out for the third consecutive heat, taking third. This took the score to 41-31 with just three heats left.

It was time for Stoke to use a TR and Glenn Cunningham was so nominated in heat 13. He won it too but got no support from Rusty Harrison who finished last behind Phil Morris and Chris Schramm. This gave Stoke a 3-6 cutting the deficit to 7 points but heats were running out fast for the Potters. Even though they took a 2-4 in heat 14 it was too little too late for them to have any chance of picking up the points. Barrie Evans beat Michal Rajkowski with Lee Complin taking third place ahead of Tony Atkin but this left the visitors 5 points adrift with just one heat to go. The last heat was shared. Glenn Cunningham capped a fine performance by winning it from Morris and Schramm with Garry Stead finishing at the back giving Newport a 5 point win.


Scorers: For Newport – Phil Morris 15 (6), Michal Rajkowski 13+1 (7), Chris Schramm 12+3 (6), Tony Atkin 4+2 (4), Tom Hedley 4 (4), Karl Mason 1 (3).

For Stoke – Glenn Cunningham 15 (with a 6 point TR), Barrie Evans 6+1 (4), Garry Stead 6 (5), Lee Complin 5+2 (4), Rusty Harrison 5 (4), Ben Barker 4 (4), Tom Brown 3+2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow 61, Berwick 29 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 107-73


With David McAllan suffering from broken toes following his crash at Armadale on Friday, Glasgow used James Cockle as a guest reserve at number 7. There was some confusion about who would be riding at reserve for Berwick with firstly Rob Grant being announced followed by John Morrison. Eventually Ricky-Lee Beecroft filled the number 7 spot.

Having won at Berwick a week ago, Glasgow were strong favourites for all three points up for grabs from this fixture to cement their position at the top of the group. They got off to a good start by winning the opening heat 5-1. Lee Smethills broke the tapes and was replaced by Lee Dicken. George Stancl was untroubled at the front and Dicken got past Michael Coles to follow his partner home with Michal Makovsky stuck at the back. There were more problems at the tapes in heat 2. Ricky-Lee Beecroft touched them and had to go from 15 metres back. Glasgow looked to be heading for another 5-1 when Lee Dicken and James Cockle led from the gate in heat 3 but Benji Compton passed Cockle on the second lap to restrict the damage to a 4-2 which put Glasgow six points ahead. Shane Parker won heat 3 from the gate but Andreas Bergstrom and Jacek Rempala followed him home with Robert Ksiezak at the back for a shared heat. Berwick then pulled two points back in heat 4. Stanislaw Burza won the race from Trent Leverington while Ricky-Lee Beecroft took the third place point after James Cockle had fallen on the second lap. This took the score to 14-10.

Glasgow doubled their lead in heat 5. Michal Makovsky’s bike packed up at the gate leaving Ksiezak and Parker to storm off for a 5-1 ahead of Michael Coles. The lead went to 10 points after the Tigers took a 4-2 from heat 6. George Stancl again made the gate to win from Burza with Lee Smethills in third place. This was the signal for Berwick to play their TR card and Jacek Rempala wore the black and white helmet cover in heat 7. However he made a miserable gate and finished last to blow the chance of double points. Trent Leverington passed Andreas Bergstrom to win the race while Lee Dicken finished third for a Glasgow 4-2 increasing the Tigers’ lead to 12 points. Heat 8 produced another Tigers’ 4-2 as Berwick drifted out of contention. Lee Smethills won the race from Michael Coles while James Cockle finished third. The score now stood at 31-17.

It was all Glasgow now and when Stanislaw Burza fell on the first bend of heat 9 Parker and Ksiezak hit home another 5-1 ahead of Benji Compton for an 18 point lead. It got even worse for the Bandits as another 5-1 went the home side’s way in heat 10. Stancl collected his third victory of the match and Lee Smethills passed Jacek Rempala for second place stretching the lead to 22 points. Heat 11 had to be rerun after Makovsky and Dicken fell. Trent Leverington led the race while at the back Lee Dicken attempted an outside pass on Michal Makovsky. The riders clashed and the ambulance was summoned after Dicken crashed into the fence. Both recovered and Makovsky was excluded from the rerun won by Leverington. Michael Coles finished ahead of Lee Dicken so Glasgow took a 4-2 to increase their lead to 24 points. Berwick stopped the rot by sharing heat 12. Shane Parker won the race as usual but Jacek Rempala and Benji Compton followed him home ahead of James Cockle for the 3-3. This took the score to 48-24 with just three races to go.

In heat 13 Benji Compton replaced Michal Makovsky and Stancl and Leverington scored another easy 5-1. Burza finished last as the fight seemed to have drained out of the Bandits who now trailed by 28 points. To compound matters Benji Compton who replaced Ricky-Lee Beecroft was excluded from heat 14 under the two-minute rule and started 15 metres back. However Andreas Bergstrom became Berwick’s second race winner by leading home Ksiezak and Cockle for a shared heat before Stancl and Parker wrapped things up with a routine 5-1 in heat 13.


Scorers: For Glasgow – George Stancl 15 (5)(full maximum), Shane Parker 13+2 (paid maximum), Trent Leverington 10+1 (4), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Lee Dicken 7+1 (4), Lee Smethills 6+1 (4), James Cockle 3+1 (4).

For Berwick – Andreas Bergstrom 7 (5), Michael Coles 6 (4), Jacek Rempala 5+1 (5), Benji Compton 5+1 (6), Stanislaw Burza 5 (4), Ricky-Lee Beecroft 1 (3), Michal Makovsky 0 (3).



Premier League: Mildenhall 45, Somerset 48


Mildenhall had Paul Cooper as a guest at number 6 while Somerset were at full strength for this Premier League match.

The teams traded 4-2s in the opening two races. In heat 1 Magnus Zetterstrom made the gate but was passed by both Mildenhall riders. He was quickly past Tom P Madsen but couldn’t catch Shaun Tacey so the Tigers took a two point lead. This was neutralised with a 2-4 to the Rebels in the second race. After Paul Cooper had suffered an engine failure at the gate it looked like the visitors might take a 1-5 when Tomas Suchanek and Danny Warwick hit the front. However Mark Thompson passed Warwick at the start of the last lap to limit the damage to a 2-4. The Rebels then took the lead in heat 3 when Emil Kramer outpaced Jason King but the real interest was at the back where Jordan Frampton finally got the better of Kyle Legault after a close race. The 2-4 put Somerset two points in front and it stayed that way when heat 4 was shared. Mario Jirout was the race winner but Ritchie Hawkins and Danny Warwick followed him home to take the score to 11-13.

Somerset doubled their lead to four points with another 2-4 in heat 5. Magnus Zetterstrom won the race from Kyle Legault while Simon Walker held off the challenges of Jason King but Mildenhall hit straight back with a 5-1 in heat 6. Madsen and Tacey teamed up to keep Ritchie Hawkins at the back as the Tigers squared the match at 18-18. Somerset were back in front after heat 7 though. Emil Kramer and Jordan Frampton hit the front but Mario Jirout passed Frampton at the end of the third lap for second place. The resultant 2-4 put the Rebels two points ahead again and Simon Walker consolidated the lead by winning heat 8. Shaun Tacey and Mark Thompson took the minor places so the race was shared taking the score to 23-25.

Heat 9 was stopped after an unsatisfactory start and Kyle Legault was excluded for not being under power when the race was called back. Jason King won the rerun to share the points so the visitors kept their two point lead. In heat 10 Somerset struck a decisive blow when Emil Kramer and Jordan Frampton raced away from Tom P Madsen and Shaun Tacey for a 1-5 increasing the Rebels’ lead to 6 points. Magnus Zetterstrom kept it that way by passing both Mario Jirout and Paul Cooper to win the race then Emil Kramer won heat 12 from Kyle Legault. Tomas Suchanek’s third place point gave the Rebels another 2-4 and an eight point lead. With three heats to go the score stood at 32-40.

The Tigers’ collapse continued in heat 13 as the Rebels clinched the win with another 1-5. Ritchie Hawkins and Magnus Zetterstrom did the damage by keeping Tom P Madsen and Mario Jirout at the back. As a result Jason King was nominated for a TR in heat 14. He duly lifted home spirits by winning the heat from Jordan Frampton. Paul Cooper’s third place gave the Tigers a 7-2 heat win to cut the deficit to 7 points. Then sensationally Mildenhall finished with a 5-1 with Tom P Madsen winning the race. Behind him Jason King had to hold off the two-pronged attack from Magnus Zetterstrom and Emil Kramer, the latter ruining his maximum hopes, for a big finish which cut the winning margin to only three points.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Jason King 13+1 (5)(with a 6 point TR), Tom P Madsen 9 (5), Shaun Tacey 7+1 (4), Mario Jirout 7 (4), Kyle Legault 4 (4), Mark Thompson 3+1 (4), Paul Cooper 2+1 (4).

For Somerset – Emil Kramer 12 (5), Magnus Zetterstrom 11+1 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 8 (4), Jordan Frampton 6+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 5+1 (4), Simon Walker 4 (4), Danny Warwick 2+1 (4).



Knockout Cup (first leg): Newcastle 50, King’s Lynn 40


Newcastle fielded the same side which lost at Berwick last night with Ashley Johnson continuing at number 7. The King’s Lynn reserves for this match were Byron Bekker at number 6 and Edinburgh’s Andrew Tully at number 7.

The match started with rain threatening. In the opening heat Tomas Topinka won from Josef Franc and Carl Wilkinson for a share of the points and Andrew Tully did likewise in heat 2 winning from Sean Stoddart and Ashley Johnson. Trevor Harding kept King’s Lynn’s 100% run of heat winners going by taking heat 3 but again the Diamonds pairing, this time of Jonas Raun and Ross Brady, shared the spoils by keeping Daniel Nermark at the back. In heat 4 Christian Henry became Newcastle’s first racer winner when he beat Paul Lee. With Sean Stoddart picking up the third place point, the Diamonds took a two point lead with the resultant 4-2 and the score stoood at 13-11.

It was all square again after heat 5. Jonas Raun was excluded under the two minute time allowance and was replaced by Ashley Johnson. Although Ross Brady made the gate he strayed wide on the fourth bend and Tomas Topinka was through to win the race. Brady finished second but Chris Mills took third place for a Stars’ 2-4. Newcastle surged ahead in heat 6 though when Carl Wilkinson and Josef Franc scored a 5-1 at the expense of Paul Lee and Byron Bekker. This gave the Diamonds a four point lead but it was wiped out in heat 7 when Trevor Harding and Daniel Nermark took a 1-5 with Christian Henry relegated to third to square the match again. Andrew Tully broke the tapes in heat 8 so went from 15 metres back in the rerun in which Newcastle took a 4-2 to regain the lead. Carl Wilkinson won the race from Chris Mills and Sean Stoddart and the score went to 25-23.

The Diamonds opened up a six point lead by scoring a 5-1 in heat 9. Ross Brady and Jonas Raun took the major places with Andrew Tully finishing third as Paul Lee retired from the race. But King’s Lynn got two points back in heat 10 with a 2-4 from Daniel Nermark who beat Josef Franc and Trevor Harding with Carl Wilkinson, perhaps surprisingly, finishing last. There were now only four points between the teams. Christian Henry won heat 11, inflicting a first defeat on Tomas Topinka in the process, but Topinka and Mills shared the race although Sean Stoddart passed both King’s Lynn riders before bumping into the fence and losing ground. This result kept the gap at four points but it stretched to six in heat 12 when Newcastle took a 4-2 courtesy of a win from Jonas Raun over Daniel Nermark with Sean Stoddart third. This took the score to 39-33 but Newcastle needed a big finish to give them a more sizeable lead for the second leg.

Their quest wasn’t helped when Christian Henry fell on the last bend of heat 13 in second place behind Topinka which gifted third place to Paul Lee who followed Josef Franc home for a 2-4 cutting the gap to four points again but the Diamonds threatened to score a 5-1 in heat 14 as Ross Brady and Sean Stoddart led the race. However a slip by Stoddart let Andrew Tully through for second place as Trevor Harding finished at the back. The 4-2 put Newcastle six points up again going into the last heat but they stretched it to ten after an eventful heat 15 which yielded a Diamonds’ 5-1. Jonas Raun led the race with Christian Henry when Henry hit the second bend fence and slipped to the back. However he recovered to pass both Trevor Harding and then Tomas Topinka for the maximum heat win.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Jonas Raun 10+1 (5), Ross Brady 9+1 (4), Christian Henry 9+1 (5), Josef Franc 8+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 7 (4), Sean Stoddart 6 (6), Ashley Johnson 1+1 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 12 (5), Daniel Nermark 7+1 (4), Trevor Harding 7 (5), Andrew Tully 6 (5), Chris Mills 4+1 (4), Paul Lee 4 (4), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Nevs]

Couldn't stay away then chap after all.

[Merlin]

nevs said:

Couldn't stay away then chap after all.

I got bored on Saturday night. Nothing decent on the TV and Henrik had gone back to Denmark so I thought "what the heck...."

Sorry about that but it's a sad commentary on my social life!

[Peregrinner]

It's good to read Merlin.

This site is the first I heard of the Somerset away win at Mildenhall.

It has brightened up the day for both me and the Somerset Medic.

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 24 April 2007



The sole action tonight was on the Isle of Wight where Rye House were the visitors in a Premier Trophy Match.



Premier Trophy: Isle of Wight 55, Rye House 39 Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 95-92.


The Isle of Wight were at full strength but, with the new averages determining rider order, Cory Gathercole moved to number 2 , Jason Bunyan to number 3 and Glen Phillips to number 5. Rye House were on the usual lines with Barry Burchatt filling the number 6 reserve berth.

Rye House have already clinched top spot in the Premier Trophy Southern Group and the Isle of Wight are favourites to finish clear runners-up. With only a home tie against Newport still to come after tonight’s match and liable to produce three points, in view of the Islanders’ 41-48 win at Newport, The home side needed a point from this fixture to finish ahead of Mildenhall in second position.

The home side got off to a powerhouse start scoring a 4-2 when Chris Holder won heat 1 from Steve Boxall with Cory Gathercole in third place and Chris Neath at the back. Unfortunately the injury bug struck Rye House again in Heat 2! Chris Johnson and Luke Bowen fell on the first bend and Bowen had to be taken to hospital to be checked over. As a result, the Rockets could only track one rider in the rerun. After some delay the Islanders scored a 5-1 from it with Andrew Bargh leading home Chris Johnson. Another home 5-1 in heat 3 left the Rockets with a huge uphill task to get back into this match. This time Jason Bunyan and Krystof Stojanowski did the damage winning from Tommy Allen with Tai Woffinden last. However Stuart Robson stopped the rot by winning heat 4. Chris Johnson and Glen Phillips filled the minor places from Barry Burchatt, who was in for a busy night, to draw the race. This took the score to 17-7.

Jason Bunyan and Krystof Stojanowski added two points to the lead in heat 5 with a 4-2 with Steve Boxall splitting the home pair and Chris Neath running another last place. It got worse for the Rockets in heat 6 when they conceded another 5-1. Chris Holder and Cory Gathercole relegated sole Rye House race winner, Stuart Robson, to third place for the lead to increase to 16 points. It was an excellent ride from Gathercole who came past both Rye House riders on the second bend. The aggregate bonus point, for which the Isle of Wight trailed by 19 points, was now very much in sight. Rye House might have hoped for better than a shared race in heat 7 when Allen and Woffinden faced the home third pairing but Glen Phillips won the race after a fine tussle with Tommy Allen as Andrew Bargh finished at the back for a shared heat. However Steve Boxall took a Tactical Ride in heat 8 and this resulted in a 2-7 for the Rockets. At one point the Islanders were on a 5-1 when Cory Gathercole fell causing Chris Johnson to veer wide to avoid him. Boxall took advantage to slip up the inside to hit the front and, although Gathercole remounted to finish the race, Barry Burchatt took the third place point. This took the score to 31-20 with the Rockets now eight points ahead on aggregate.

It was back to four points when the Isle of Wight scored their fourth 5-1 of the match in heat 9. Bunyan and Stojanowski did the damage with Burchatt again finishing third after Stuart Robson had retired with machine problems. The home side got to within two points on aggregate in heat 10 with a 4-2. The race was won by Chris Holder from Tommy Allen with Cory Gathercole in third after Tai Woffinden had fallen on the opening lap. In heat 11 Stuart Robson took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing Chris Neath. Steve Boxall hit the front and tried hard to slow the race down for Robson. Although he got past Bargh, Robson was unable to catch Phillips. Nonetheless this gave the Rockets a 2-5 advantage stretching their aggregate lead to five points again. Chris Johnson spun out of control in heat 12 causing the race to be rerun without him but, in the rerun, Jason Bunyan won from Burchatt and Woffinden taking the score to 45-31.

The Islanders got back to within three points on aggregate as a result of a 4-2 in heat 13. Chris Holder continued his winning run beating Stuart Robson while Glen Phillips took third place from Chris Neath. However Rye House clinched the bonus point by taking a 2-4 in heat 14. Tommy Allen won the heat from Krystof Stojanowski while Barry Burchatt continued to pick up points by beating Chris Johnson. In the last heat Chris Holder completed his maximum but Stuart Robson finished second ahead of Jason Bunyan to deny Bunyan his maximum too. The 4-2 gave the Islanders a 16 point win but credit must go to Rye House for digging in given that they were already 16 points in arrears after heat 6! The home side had the satisfaction of guaranteeing a second place finish in the group and now have to wait for results in the other two groups to see if they will qualify for the semi-finals.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 15 (5)(full maximum), Jason Bunyan 13 (5), Krystof Stojanowski 7+2 (4), Glen Phillips 7+1 (4), Chris Johnson 6+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 4+1 (4), Andrew Bargh 3 (3).

For Rye House – Steve Boxall 13 (5)(with a 6 point TR), Stuart Robson 10 (6)(with a 2 point TS ride), Tommy Allen 8 (4), Barry Burchatt 6 (7), Tai Woffinden 2+2 (4), Chris Neath 0 (3), Luke Bowen - Withdrawn.

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 25 April 2007

The action tonight switched from the Premier Trophy and Premier League to the Knockout Cup and two ties were raced tonight. In a first leg match at Birmingham the Brummies raced Newport while in a second leg match King’s Lynn faced Newcastle .


Knockout Cup (first leg): Birmingham 49, Newport 41


Birmingham were at full strength but Newport used Rider Replacement for Nick Simmons at number 1, tracking the same side which beat Stoke on Sunday.

Birmingham were expected to build up a big lead for the second leg but they got a shock and a half in the opening heat when Wasps’ reserve, Michal Rajkowski, raced off to win it and was followed home by his partner, Tom Hedley, for a comfortable1-5 ahead of Ulrich Ostergaard. From the sublime to the ridiculous, Rajkowski then finished third to the Birmingham reserve pairing of Ben Powell and Lee Smart, who passed him on the second lap, to concede a 5-1 which levelled the scores again. The shocks continued in heat 3 though when Newport took another 1-5! This time it was Tony Atkin and Phil Morris who finished ahead of Emiliano Sanchez helped by an engine failure for Jason Lyons. This put the Wasps 4 points in front and their lead stretched to 6 points when they added a 2-4 in heat 4. Chris Schramm won the race from Ben Powell while Karl Mason took third place from Brent Werner (!). The score now stood at 9-15.

Birmingham pulled two points back in heat 5 with a 4-2 from Jason Lyons, who beat Tom Hedley, and Emiliano Sanchez who had an engine failure on the last lap. However, since Phil Morris had already retired from the race also with engine failure, Sanchez cruised round for the odd point. Heat 6 produced the first shared race. Ulrich Ostergaard won it but Rajkowski and Schramm filled the minor places. Heat 7 was shared too as Brent Werner gated well to make up for his earlier blob by winning from Phil Morris and Tony Atkin although the two Wasps were never far away from him. In heat 8 Michal Rajkowski replaced Karl Mason but it was reserve, Ben Powell, who won the race from Hedley and Rajkowski with Aidan Collins at the back for a shared race which took the score to 22-26 leaving Newport still four points up.

The Brummies came roaring back into the match in heat 9. Chris Schramm fell and was excluded after the two home riders dived underneath him on the second lap. The race was awarded to Jason Lyons and Emiliano Sanchez as a 5-1 over Karl Mason to level the scores. The home side struck again in heat 10 as Ulrich Ostergaard and Ben Powell, replacing Aidan Collins, scored another 5-1 with Phil Morris and Tony Atkin bringing up the rear. Birmingham were now in the lead for the first time in the match and they pulled six points clear with a 4-2 in heat 11. Brent Werner produced his second win of the meeting by beating Chris Schramm, taking the R/R ride, while Lee Smart took third place after Tom Hedley suffered an engine failure. Newport needed to dig in now to prevent a late collapse and they shared heat 12. Jason Lyons won the race but Phil Morris and Michal Rajkowski kept the dangerous Ben Powell at the back for the 3-3 which took the score to 39-33 with three races to go.

Heat 13 was shared, too. Ulrich Ostergaard won it but Michal Rajkowski and Chris Schramm headed the unpredictable Brent Werner home. Ben Powell and Michal Rajkowski came into the vital heat 14 as reserve replacements and it was Newport who came off better taking a 2-4 from the race. Tony Atkin won it from Emiliano Sanchez while Rajkowski beat Powell for third. This meant that Birmingham were now just four points up going into the last race. However they doubled that lead in heat 15 with a 5-1 from Lyons and Ostergaard as Phil Morris finished third. How valuable will that prove to be in the second leg?


Scorers: For Birmingham – Ulrich Ostergaard 12 (5), Jason Lyons 12 (5), Ben Powell 10+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 6+1 (4), Brent Werner 6 (4), Lee Smart 3+1 (3), Aidan Collins 0.

For Newport – Michal Rajkowski 11+2 (7), Phil Morris 8+1 (6), Chris Schramm 7+2 (6), Tony Atkin 7+1 (4), Tom Hedley 6+1 (4), Karl Mason 2 (2).



Knockout Cup (second leg): King’s Lynn 64, Newcastle 29 King’s Lynn won on aggregate by 104-79.


King’s Lynn had James Brundle and Simon Lambert at reserve for this match while Newcastle had Robert Mear at number 6 replacing Ashley Johnson. Other than at reserve, the teams were both at full strength.

Newcastle must have known in their hearts that the 10 point lead they worked so hard for at Brough Park on Sunday was never likely to be enough for this second leg match. So it proved. In fact it wasn’t even enough for them to remain in front after the first four heats as the Diamonds went the same way as other visitors to Saddlebow Road.

The Diamonds had the encouragement of watching Josef Franc win the opening heat from Tomas Topinka and Chris Mills on what looked a very slick track but they fell four points down in the reserves race when Lambert and Brundle produced a 5-1. King’s Lynn doubled that lead in heat 3 when Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding raced off for the maximum from Jonas Raun and Ross Brady who were both slow away. In heat 4 the Stars wiped out Newcastle’s first leg lead. Paul Lee won the race from Christian Henry and Simon Lambert’s third place gave the home side a 4-2. This took the score on the night to 17-7 and 57-57 on aggregate.

King’s Lynn took the aggregate lead in heat 5 with another 5-1 from the Nermark/Harding pairing, this time with Harding winning the race. Carl Wilkinson, who had briefly held the lead from the tapes, finished third ahead of heat 1 race winner, Josef Franc. When Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka added another 5-1 in heat 6 it seemed that the Diamonds were in for a long night unable to stop the Stars’ juggernaut. Heat 7 produced an excellent race which resulted in Paul Lee eventually passing Jonas Raun on the line for the win. James Brundle was third as Ross Brady retired so the home side added another two points to their lead with the 4-2. The same result was recorded in heat 8 won by Chris Mills with a magnificent pass on Carl Wilkinson. Simon Lambert finished third to keep Sean Stoddart at the back and the score was now 35-13 with King’s Lynn leading on aggregate by 12 points by 75-63.

The home side scored their fifth 5-1 in heat 9. Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding continued with their third maximum heat win as a pairing. This time Christian Henry was their victim and it was now looking unlikely that the Diamonds would hit the 30 point mark. They conceded a sixth 5-1 in heat 10 to Topinka and Mills after Mills passed Jonas Raun with Brady last. However heat 11 was a veritable oasis in the desert for the shell-shocked visitors. Josef Franc took a Tactical Ride and won the race from Paul Lee. Better still for the Diamonds Carl Wilkinson finished third ahead of James Brundle and Newcastle scored a 2-7 to pass the 20 point mark. It might have been a 1-8 as the two Diamonds led from the tapes but Paul Lee passed Wilkinson on the second lap. Another King’s Lynn 5-1 in heat 12 was thwarted when Jonas Raun passed Simon Lambert for second with Robert Mear looking more assured in this race. The 4-2 took the score on the night to 51-24 and 91-74 on aggregate.

King’s Lynn hit the 5-1 trail again in heat 13. Tomas Topinka led from Josef Franc in the early stages but Paul Lee passed Franc then his partner, Tomas Topinka, for the win. The Stars added another 5-1 in heat 14 from Harding and Brundle. Sean Stoddart picked up his second point with the third place at the expense of Ross Brady. In the final heat King’s Lynn nominated Trevor Harding and Chris Mills who had only dropped one point between them to face to face Josef Franc and Jonas Raun. Josef Franc produced his third win of the meeting but Mills and Harding finished behind him for the 3-3 which denied Newcastle a 30 point total.


Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Trevor Harding 11+3 (5), Chris Mills 11+2 (5), Daniel Nermark 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), Paul Lee 11 (4), Tomas Topinka 9+2 (4), Simon Lambert 6 (4), James Brundle 5+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 13 (5)(with a 6 point TR), Jonas Raun 6 (5), Christian Henry 4 (4), Carl Wilkinson 4 (4), Sean Stoddart 2 (4), Ross Brady 0 (4), Robert Mear 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 26 April

There were two matches raced tonight one in the Premier Trophy (Northern Group) and one for Premier League points. The match at Redcar where Glasgow were the visitors was the Premier Trophy match while the meeting at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Berwick was a Premier League match.


Premier Trophy: Redcar 53, Glasgow 38 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 94-90


Redcar were in some disarray for this match. Already without injury victims, Gary Havelock and Mathieu Tressarieu, they were also missing their young reserve, Josh Auty. As a result they had Jason Lyons lining up at number 1 in place of Havelock while Robbie Kessler, on short term loan, replaced Tressarieu at number 5. At reserve they tracked Jaimie Courtney and Rusty Hodgson. Glasgow were without David McAllan who had broken toes but were able to track Tomas Suchanek at number 7 as a guest. This is the same Suchanek who rode as a heat leader for the Bears last year! The Tigers also shuffled the team around with Trent Leverington moving to number 2 and Lee Smethills to number 5.

Glasgow arrived with a 19 point lead for the bonus point and looked pretty secure to take at least that prior to the meeting. Credit therefore goes to the makeshift Redcar side for taking the issue to a last heat decider by which time they had already won the match.

Glasgow looked like taking a 1-5 from the opening heat but it went pear-shaped when Trent Leverington fell on the opening lap leaving George Stancl to fend off the challenge of Jason Lyons to win the race for a share of the points. The Glasgow reserves looked as though they might be in for a points bonanza against their counterparts but Jaimie Courtney made the gate in heat 2 to win, but the race was shared even after Tomas Suchanek fell and remounted. He caught and passed Rusty Hodgson for the third place point! The deadlock was broken in heat 3 when James Grieves and Robbie Kessler scored a 5-1 at the expense of Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak then Chris Kerr kept the Bears four points in front by winning heat 4 from Lee Smethills and Tomas Suchanek. The score after 4 races stood at 14-10.

Heat 5 was not short of incident. George Stancl lost a chain at the starting gate as the Bears headed off for a 5-1 but Robbie Kessler fell on the first lap and, although he remounted, he was lapped by Trent Leverington and therefore excluded. James Grieves won the race so a 3-2 went the home side’s way. The Bears took another 5-1 in heat 6 from Jason Lyons and Daniel Giffard. Lee Dicken was third with Lee Smethills retiring on the second lap. Redcar now stood 9 points ahead and it stayed that way after heat 7. Chris Kerr won again after a good gate while Parker and Ksiezak, who seemed to have bike problems, had to team ride to fend off the advances of Jaimie Courtney. Heat 8 was also heading for a shared race as Trent Leverington led Daniel Giffard from the start but Tomas Suchanek got past Jaimie Courtney for Glasgow to take their first heat advantage by 2-4. This took the score to 27-20.

In heat 9 James Grieves and Robbie Kessler scored another 5-1 from the Glasgow third pairing. Lee Dicken picked up the odd point. This put the Bears 11 points in front so Shane Parker took a Tactical Ride in heat 10. However it was Jason Lyons who won the race from Parker and, with Daniel Giffard passing Robert Ksiezak for third place, the race finished as a 4-4. Heat 11 produced a spectacular ride by Chris Kerr. The Tigers’ pairing of Stancl and Leverington looked to be heading for a 1-5 but Chris Kerr rode round the outside of them as they approached the start of the last lap. This gave Redcar a share of the points with Glasgow still trailing by 11 points. In heat 12, however, The Tigers cut the deficit to 9 points with a 2-4. Indeed it looked like bring a 1-5 for long enough as Parker and Dicken led Grieves. However James Grieves passed Dicken and Glasgow had to be content with a two point advantage. The score now stood at 41-32 with Redcar still needing to pull back another ten points to tie on aggregate.

Heat 13 yielded another 4-2 for the home side. Jason Lyons passed George Stancl on the third lap to win the race with Chris Kerr third then the Bears got within touching distance of the bonus point with a 5-1 in heat 14. Jaimie Courtney produced another valuable heat win after being shepherded home by Robbie Kessler with Robert Ksiezak third. This meant that the Bears needed a last heat maximum to tie the match on aggregate. It wasn’t to be though even though the home men made good starts. Jason Lyons won the race but James Grieves was relegated to last place after being forced wide with Stancl and Parker filling the minor places.

Scorers: For Redcar – Jason Lyons 14 (5), James Grieves 11 (5), Chris Kerr 10 (4), Robbie Kessler 6+3 (4), Daniel Giffard 6+2 (4), Jaimie Courtney 6 (5), Rusty Hodgson 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 11+1 (5)(with a 4 point TR), George Stancl 9 (5), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4), Lee Dicken 5 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3+2 (4), Robert Ksiezak 2+1 (4), Lee Smethills 2 (4).



Premier League: Sheffield 62, Berwick 31 .


Sheffield were at full strength but had Andre Compton at number 1 with Ricky Ashworth moving to number 3. Otherwise they were on the usual lines. Berwick now without John Branney had Rob Grant at number 6 but were otherwise also at full strength.

With the return match at Berwick on Saturday, the Bandits needed to show a lot of improvement if they were to avoid a similar result to the hammering they got at Glasgow last Sunday while Sheffield were keen to record home and away wins to get their league campaign off to a good start. It was the Tigers who were better pleased with the result as the Bandits conceded eight 5-1s over the 15 heats. Berwick have a mountain to climb to rescue the bonus point next Saturday.

The match was as good as over as a contest when the Tigers rattled in three 5-1s in the opening four races. Only a Benji Compton win in heat 2 for a shared race stopped the rot over these four heats with the score standing at 18-6. Berwick were struggling badly and it looked like another heavy defeat was on the cards.

In heat 5 however Michal Makovsky passed Ricky Ashworth to provide Berwick’s second race winner and shared heat as James Birkinshaw finished third. Ben Wilson and Andre Compton added another 5-1 in heat 6 but Andreas Bergstrom won heat 7 for the Bandits and another shared race. He had to fend of the challenge of Joel Parsons but got no support from his partner, Jacek Rempala, who looked woeful at the back. It was then back to the 5-1s. Next up were Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper in heat 8 with Benji Compton third and Michael Coles retiring after losing his steel shoe. This took the score to 34-14.

Heats 9 and 10 were no different – 5-1s to Sheffield but then Berwick hit pay dirt in heat 11! Michal Makovsky was nominated for a Tactical Ride and, after the race was rerun with all four riders when Benji Compton fell on the first bend, he won it from Joel Parsons. Benji Compton finished third ahead of James Cockle so the Bandits were rewarded with a 2-7 cutting their deficit to 23 points. Ashworth and Cooper resumed normal service though in heat 12 with another 5-1 from Rempala and Grant to take the score to 51-24.

Heat 13 was shared after Joel Parsons fell challenging Stanislaw Burza for third place while Andre Compton continued on his unbeaten way for the win ahead of Michal Makovsky. There hadn’t been a single 4-2 up to that point but heats 14 and 15 produced a brace of them! In heat 14 James Birkinshaw squeezed past Andreas Bergstrom to win the heat from the Swede but at the back Benji Compton lost a chain at the end of the third lap while James Cockle did likewise on the fourth lap but finished for the third place point. Michal Makovsky led heat 15 from the start but he was passed by Andre Compton on the way to his paid maximum. Makovsky took second place while Ben Wilson picked up the third place point.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Ben Wilson 12+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 10+1 (4), James Birkinshaw 9+2 (4), Paul Cooper 8+3 (4), Joel Parsons 7 (4), James Cockle 3+2 (4).

For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14 (5)(with a 6 point TR), Andreas Bergstrom 7 (5), Benji Compton 7 (6), Stanislaw Burza 1+1 (4), Rob Grant 1 (3), Jacek Rempala 1 (4), Michael Coles 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 27 April

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced Stoke while at Somerset the Rebels took on King’s Lynn .


Premier League: Edinburgh 58, Stoke 36


Edinburgh were missing Daniele Tessari who was on duty as reserve for the Grand Prix in Lonigo. Tessari moved to reserve as a result of the new averages and his place in the team was taken by Sean Stoddart at number 6. Derek Sneddon who would have moved into the team at number 2, with Henrik Moller switching to number 4, was not fit enough to take his place so Rider Replacement was used instead. Stoke with recent newcomers Glenn Cunningham and Lee Complin and Jack Hargreaves back at number 7 were at full strength.

Stoke were still looking to break their duck for this season having lost all their matches so far. Edinburgh has never been one of their happier hunting grounds but with Garry Stead and former Monarch, Rusty Harrison, in the side they might have hoped for better luck in this match given Edinburgh’s mercurial form. It was not to be although the racing was better than the score suggests.

Ronnie Correy raced off to win the opening heat but Henrik Moller had an engine failure at the gate so Ben Barker and Glenn Cunningham shared the race. An impressive ride by Jack Hargreaves resulted in a comfortable win and another shared race in heat 2 but Edinburgh started piling on the points in heat 3. William Lawson outpaced Garry Stead round the opening two bends for an easy win while Stead had to look sharp to keep Moller at bay before the Dane fell away after nearly clipping Stead’s back wheel. The 4-2 gave the home side a two point lead and they doubled it in heat 4. Rusty Harrison and Jack Hargreaves made the start but Andrew Tully brought the house down by cutting inside both Matthew Wethers and Jack Hargreaves after a dreadful start to slip into second place. Then he chased, caught and passed Rusty Harrison on the fourth bend to win in a fast time. With Wethers stuck at the back it looked like the race would be shared but Matthew had other ideas. He reeled in Hargreaves to pass him coming off the last bend. The score was now 14-10.

William Lawson and Henrik Moller gated to take a 5-1 in heat 5 ahead of Glenn Cunningham and another two points were added to the lead in heat 6 won by a mile by Ronnie Correy. Andrew Tully made another poor gate but soon passed Barrie Evans for third and a 4-2 which put the Monarchs 10 points ahead. However Stoke got two points back in heat 7. Rather surprisingly they did not take the opportunity to give Garry Stead a Tactical Ride which would have yielded an extra three points since Stead won with ease from Wethers. Lee Complin finished third ahead of Sean Stoddart for a Potters’ 2-4 cutting their deficit to eight points. However Edinburgh rattled in another 5-1 in heat 8 as William Lawson won for the third time with Andrew Tully finishing second after a good race with Ben Barker. This took the score to 30-18.

Heat 9 was a cracker. Rusty Harrison and Henrik Moller jostled for the lead round the opening two bends. Harrison won this battle and then had to fend off William Lawson who passed his team mate off the second bend. Harrison was pressurised into a mistake on the second lap and Lawson was quick to take advantage to pass him on the inside. As Lawson headed for home Henrik Moller slipped to the back after being passed by Barrie Evans however he regained his third place and headed off to challenge Harrison and wasn’t far away at the finish. This gave the Monarchs a 4-2 and their lead extended to 14 points. Heat 10 saw Correy, Stead and Wethers battle for the lead round the opening two bends. Wethers gained a slight advantage but Harrison passed Correy down the back straight. However Correy blasted round bends three and four to pass both of them to win by a distance with Wethers second for another Edinburgh 5-1. In heat 11 Stoke gave Glenn Cunningham, with only two third places to his name, a Tactical Ride. Although Cunningham made the best start, Matthew Wethers rode a clever first two bends on the line to beat him into the back straight and head off for the win. However Cunningham finished second and, with Ben Barker riding an excellent race to deny Andrew Tully, the Potters gained a 3-5 from the heat. Then Sean Stoddart burst into life! Not noted as an outside line rider he blasted off gate 4 in heat 12 round the outside of the whole field in fine style to take the lead and was never troubled. Meanwhile William Lawson got the drop on Garry Stead whose challenge ended when he made a huge mistake on the second lap and lost a lot of ground. This gave Edinburgh another 5-1 which took the lead to 20 points with the score now 47-27.

Ronnie Correy blew his maximum hopes in heat 13. There was an even break from the tapes as Correy, Cunningham and Harrison contested the lead but, to the surprise of the home support, it was Harrison and Cunningham who led down the back straight. By the time Correy had repassed Cunningham, Harrison had built up too big a lead to be caught and the race finished as a 2-4 to the Potters. Inspired by that ride Rusty Harrison was nominated to take a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 14 replacing Jack Hargreaves. Once again Sean Stoddart leapt from the tapes and never looked like being caught. However Harrison had no difficulty passing Henrik Moller whose feeble efforts left him all the space he needed round the outside. Lee Complin was last but Stoke shared the race 4-4. In the final race a storming opening two bends by Ronnie Correy and William Lawson resulted in an easy 5-1 from Harrison and Stead with Lawson completing his six ride paid maximum.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 16+2 (6)(paid maximum), Ronnie Correy 14 (5), Matthew Wethers 8+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 8 (4), Andrew Tully 7+2 (5), Henrik Moller 5+1 (5).

For Stoke – Rusty Harrison 14 (6)(with a 4 point TS), Glenn Cunningham 7+1 (4)(with a 4 point TR), Garry Stead 6 (5), Ben Barker 4+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 4 (4), Lee Complin 1 (4), Barrie Evans 0 (3).



Premier League: Somerset 44, King’s Lynn 46 .


Somerset were unchanged for this match although the new averages saw Tomas Suchanek slip down to reserve with Jordan Frampton moving up to number 4. King’s Lynn had Newport’s Michal Rajkowski filling the number 7 berth as a guest for John Oliver and what an inspired choice that turned out to be.

The opening two races were shared. Magnus Zetterstrom won the first race from Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka then Danny Warwick did likewise in heat 2 from Michal Rajkowski and James Brundle as Tomas Suchanek suffered an engine failure at the tapes. First blood went to Somerset as they took the lead in heat 3. Emil Kramer was the race winner with Daniel Nermark in second and Jordan Frampton third. The 4-2 gave the Rebels a two point lead and it stayed that way when Ritchie Hawkins won a rerun heat 4 from Rajkowski and Paul Lee taking the score to 13-11.

In heat 5 Tomas Topinka got the better of Emil Kramer from the start then had his hands full fending off the challenges of the Somerset rider. With Chris Mills finishing third King’s Lynn levelled the match again but the Rebels regained the lead when they took a 5-1 from heat 6. Magnus Zetterstrom led from the gate from Paul Lee but Simon Walker passed Lee on the third bend to join his partner for the maximum which opened up a four point lead for the Rebels. Daniel Nermark gated to win heat 7 but it was only good enough for a shared race as Hawkins and Suchanek finished behind him but the Stars were level again after scoring a 1-5 in heat 8. Chris Mills gated and was never challenged while Michal Rajkowski joined him at the front by passing Daniel Warwick on the last lap. This resulted in the scores being tied at 24-24.

In heat 9 Paul Lee made the start and impeded Emil Kramer on the third bend as the Somerset rider lined up to pass him. Lee went on to win the race with Kramer second and Frampton third for a shared race. Kramer was none too pleased and made his displeasure known to Lee. In heat 10 Somerset went back in front for the third time in the match. Magnus Zetterstrom won the race from Daniel Nermark who just held on for second after getting a puncture. Simon Walker finished ahead of Rajkowski for third so the 4-2 put the home side two points in front. In heat 11, however, King’s Lynn took the lead for the first time with a 1-5. Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka headed home in front of Ritchie Hawkins who almost caught Topinka on the line to give the Stars a two point lead. It was Somerset who were now playing catch-up but they could only share the next two races. In heat 12 Emil Kramer saw off Daniel Nermark while Rajkowski finished third after pushing Danny Warwick wide. The score then stood at 35-37 with three heats to go.

Magnus Zetterstrom continued his unbeaten run by winning heat 13 but Tomas Topinka and Paul Lee, who passed Ritchie Hawkins at the end of the opening lap, shared the heat for the visitors. The Stars then clinched the match in heat 14 when they scored a 1-5 through Michal Rajkowski and Trevor Harding after Frampton and Suchanek had made poor starts. The Stars now stood six points to the good with just heat 15 to come. In the last heat there was a tremendous battle between Magnus Zetterstrom and Daniel Nermark for second place while Emil Kramer headed off to win the race. Nermark pushed Zetterstrom very wide on the first bend causing him to lose ground but the Rebels’ number 1 passed Chris Mills to catch up with Nermark. There was contact between the two riders and Nermark was sent flying from his machine. He was excluded as a result and the race was awarded as a 5-1 to the home side reducing the sinning margin to two points.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 14+1 (5), Emil Kramer 13 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 6 (4), Danny Warwick 4 (4), Simon Walker 3+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 3+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 1+1 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Michal Rajkowski 10+2 (6), Chris Mills 10 (5), Daniel Nermark 9 (5), Tomas Topinka 8+2 (4), Paul Lee 6+2 (4), Trevor Harding 2+1 (3), James Brundle 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 28 April

With Rye House riding on Monday night there were only three matches raced tonight. Two were for Premier League points and one was a Knockout Cup tie. The Premier League matches were at Berwick where the Bandits raced Sheffield and at Stoke where Newcastle were the visitors. The Knockout Cup tie was at Workington where the Comets took on the Isle of Wight.



Premier League: Berwick, 43 Sheffield 46 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 108-74


Berwick were without Benji Compton, riding in the under-21 final at Eastbourne so had Andrew Tully at number 6 as a guest. Rob Grant filled the vacant number 7 berth. Sheffield were without Ben Wilson, also riding in the Eastbourne final and had Chris Kerr as a guest at number 2. They were also missing Joel Parsons who had taken ill and used Rider Replacement in his stead at number 5.

After their 31 point defeat at Owlerton on Thursday the bonus point looked out of Berwick’s reach. Sheffield, at home on big tracks, had already declared that they saw this match as an opportunity for a valuable away win to kick-start their league campaign by taking all five points from Berwick and they duly delivered.

Andre Compton and Chris Kerr got the Tigers off to a flying start, taking advantage of a Michal Makovsky engine failure, to record a 1-5 in heat 1 but Berwick looked as though they might pull two points back in heat 2 when Andrew Tully shot into the lead followed by Paul Cooper and Rob Grant. Grant got out of shape on the second lap though and James Cockle got through for the third place point and a shared race. The signs were ominous for the Bandits when they lost another 1-5 in heat 3. James Birkinshaw won the race with Ricky Ashworth second and Jacek Rempala third. Andreas Bergstrom had an engine failure but was lying last at the time. Sheffield were now eight points to the good but they increased it to 12 in heat 4. This was another disastrous race for the Bandits as Chris Kerr, taking the R/R, headed home his partner, Paul Cooper, relegating Stanislaw Burza to third. The score now stood at 6-18 with only Berwick’s guest reserve, Andrew Tully, having beaten an opponent.

However, Berwick got a 5-1 back in heat 5 when Jacek Rempala and Andreas Bergstrom outgated Compton and Kerr cutting the gap to 8 points. However they could have given Rempala a TR since they were 12 points down and this would have yielded an extra three points. One glance at the final score will show how much they would come to regret that decision! They got another point back in heat 6 with a 3-2. James Cockle packed up on the third bend while Makovsky, in the lead, had another engine failure on the third lap leaving Michael Coles to head home Paul Cooper. James Birkinshaw fell in heat 7 but the race was won by Ricky Ashworth from Andrew Tully and Stanislaw Burza for a shared race. Berwick then thumped in another 5-1 in heat 8 when Michal Coles and Andrew Tully won from Paul Cooper after Chris Kerr had fallen while holding second place on the last lap. This reduced the gap to three points with the score reading 22-25.

Berwick were now on a roll and, when James Birkinshaw crashed out of heat 9 after two laps, the race was stopped and awarded as a 5-1 to the Bandits with Jacek Rempala and Andreas Bergstrom leading. James Birkinshaw was taken to hospital for a check-up so had to withdraw from the meeting. Unbelievably Berwick now stood a point to the good and it stayed that way when Michal Makovsky won heat 10 after passing Paul Cooper. Ricky Ashworth finished third ahead of Michael Coles for a 3-3. Sheffield then hit back with a decisive 1-5 in heat 11. Andre Compton and Chris Kerr did the damage as Stanislaw Burza’s poor night continued with a third place. Now Sheffield led by three points and they increased it to five in heat 12 with a 2-4 from Ashworth and Cooper after Ashworth had rounded Rempala on the opening two bends. Despite Rempala’s efforts the Sheffield rider held on to the lead to take the score to 33-38.

The lead stretched to seven points as Sheffield continued their assault with another 2-4 in heat 13. Andre Compton won the race from Michal Makovsky while Ricky Ashworth picked up the vital third place point ahead of Burza. However Michal Makovsky rode a great race after losing out at the start to the Sheffield pair. Although he got round Ashworth he couldn’t quite catch Compton. Paul Cooper then sealed the points for the Tigers by winning heat 14 although he had to work hard to keep Andrew Tully at bay. Andreas Bergstrom finished third but the 3-3 was all that the Tigers needed to wrap up the league points. Finally Rempala and Makovsky took a consolation 5-1 from the last heat to cut the winning margin to three points but the tactical error in heat 5 will haunt the Bandits as they pour over this result. A fabulous result for Sheffield while Berwick still look vulnerable at home.


Scorers: For Berwick – Jacek Rempala 12 (5), Andrew Tully 9+1 (5), Michael Coles 7 (4), Michal Makovsky 7 (5), Andreas Bergstrom 5+3 (4), Stanislaw Burza 3+1 (4), Rob Grant 0 (3).

For Sheffield – Paul Cooper 12+2 (7), Ricky Ashworth 11+1 (6), Andre Compton 10 (4), Chris Kerr 8+1 (6), James Birkinshaw 3 (3), James Cockle 2+1 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 55, Newcastle 38


Stoke were without Ben Barker who was riding in the under-21 final at Eastbourne so they used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead. Newcastle were without Adam McKinna and had Ashley Johnson again filling in at number 6.

Stoke were still looking for their first win of the season so were desperate to get their home PL campaign off to a winning start. Newcastle on the other hand were keen to compound their misery with an away win.

Stoke might have taken the lead from the start when Glenn Cunningham led Carl Wilkinson with Lee Complin third. However Complin retired so Josef Franc took third place for a shared heat. Barrie Evans won the reserves race for another share of the points but Stoke took the lead in heat 3. In the first running of the race Ross Brady fell and was excluded. Then in the rerun Garry Stead and Lee Complin gave the home support something to cheer about with a 5-1 from Jonas Raun who fell and remounted while at the back. The home side now had a four point lead and they stretched it to six in heat 4. Rusty Harrison won comfortably but Christian Henry got past Barrie Evans to turn a potential 5-1 to a 4-2. The score now read 15-9.

Newcastle hit back in heat 5 with a 1-5 from Carl Wilkinson and Josef Franc who made the better starts. Garry Stead finished third but Stoke went six points ahead again in heat 6 with a 5-1 of their own. Glenn Cunningham won again and was supported by Barrie Evans both of whom finished well ahead of Christian Henry. Jonas Raun won heat 7 from Rusty Harrison but Barrie Evans, out again, cruised past Ross Brady for third to share the race points. Heat 8 was shared too. Rusty Harrison took the R/R ride and won from Stoddart and Wilkinson to take the score to 27-21.

The Potters increased their lead to eight points with a 4-2 in heat 9. Garry Stead won from Christian Henry while Lee Complin was third but, in heat 10, after Ross Brady had been excluded for failing to meet the time allowance and had been replaced by Sean Stoddart, Glenn Cunningham was excluded after falling when Jonas Raun took him to the fence as he made to pass the Dane. Barrie Evans came to Stoke’s rescue by winning the rerun from Raun and Stoddart to keep Stoke eight points up. Then, in heat 11, Stoke were nearly home and dry. Jack Hargreaves hadn’t scored a point up till then but he made the gate and won with ease followed by Rusty Harrison for a 5-1 ahead of Wilkinson and Franc. Stoke had now increased their lead to 12 points so it was now Tactical Ride time for the Diamonds. Jonas Raun wore the black and white helmet cover in heat 12. He duly won the race as Garry Stead shed a chain. Jack Hargreaves finished second so Newcastle took a 2-7 cutting the gap to seven points with the score at 41-34.

Stoke were in no mood to let this match slip from their grasp, however, and they ended the Diamonds’ slim hopes with a 5-1 in heat 13 from Glen Cunningham and Rusty Harrison who produced some magic to take maximum points from Henry and Franc. Harrison made the gate and led the race while Glen Cunningham passed Josef Franc then repeated the pass on Christian Henry as Harrison pinned Henry on the line. Stoke were now 11 ahead with two races to go. They added another 5-1 from Lee Complin and Barrie Evans in heat 14. Ross Brady packed up as did Sean Stoddart on the last lap. Stoddart then had to push home for the third place point. Finally in heat 15 Jonas Raun was excluded under the two minute rule. One of the little known rule changes made at the promoters’ conference in the winter is that when a rider is excluded in these circumstances in heat 15 he can not be replaced by any other rider including the reserves. This meant that Newcastle had to go with only Carl Wilkinson but he split the Harrison/Cunningham pair for a home 4-2 which gave the Potters a comfortable 17 point win, their first of the season, to send their supporters home happy for a change.


Scorers: For Stoke – Rusty Harrison 15+2 (6), Barrie Evans 12+2 (6), Glenn Cunningham 10 (5), Garry Stead 7 (4), Lee Complin 6+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 5 (4).

For Newcastle – Jonas Raun 12 (5)(with 6 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 9+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 7+1 (6), Christian Henry 6 (4), Josef Franc 3+2 (4), Ashley Johnson 1+1 (3), Ross Brady 0 (4).



Knockout Cup (first leg): Workington 31, Isle of Wight 32 Meeting abandoned after 10 heats due to an electrical fault. The result does not stand.


Workington were without Mattia Carpanese who was in Italy for the Italian Grand Prix. They used Rider Replacement for him instead. They were also without James Wright, riding in the under-21 final at Eastbourne, and had Peterborough’s Richard Hall as a guest in his place. The Isle of Wight were at full strength.

The Isle of Wight got off to a good start in this first leg cup tie. Chris Holder beat Carl Stonehewer in the opening race but Cory Gathercole hit the fence and withdrew from the meeting. The race was shared as was heat 2 which was rerun after Chris Johnson dived underneath John Branney bringing the Comet down as the home side were holding a 5-1 position. In the rerun it was a different story as Andrew Bargh made the gate to win the race. The Islanders took a four point lead from heat 3. Krystof Stojanowski and Jason Bunyan had no trouble winning from Richard Hall after making good starts. Glen Phillips briefly led heat 4 but Kauko Nieminen passed him to win the race. Chris Johnson was third so this heat was shared and the score stood at 10-14.

The Isle of Wight struck again in heat 5. Chris Holder and reserve, Chris Johnson, scored another 1-5 leaving Richard Hall to pick up the third place point giving the visitors an eight point lead. Carl Stonehewer won heat 6 but Glen Phillips and Andrew Bargh filled the minor places, with Charles Wright falling, for a share of the spoils. In heat 7 there were only three riders as John Branney had withdrawn from the meeting. Kauko Nieminen won it so the race points were shared but, still eight points down, Workington gave Carl Stonehewer a Tactical Substitute ride knowing that he would be facing the two visiting reserves. Stonehewer worked his way to the front early on the second lap and, with Craig Branney second, the Comets registered a big 8-1 cutting the deficit to only one point with the score at 25-26.

Workington then added a 5-1 in heat 9 to take the lead for the first time in the match. Richard Hall made a good start and was followed home by Craig Branney with Chris Johnson third to give the Comets a three point lead. However the home side got a shock in heat 10 when Jason Bunyan passed Carl Stonehewer on the third lap with Krystof Stojanowski leading the race. Bunyan went on to win the race from his partner and the 1-5 put the Islanders a point ahead again. There was then a delay when all the lights went out and, although some power was restored, the meeting was abandoned due to the lights failure much, no doubt, to Workington’s relief.


Scorers: For Workington – Carl Stonehewer 12 (4)(with 6 point TS), Kauko Nieminen 6 (2), Richard hall 5 (3), Craig Branney 4+2 (4), Charles Wright 3+1 (4), John Branney 1+1 (2).

For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 7+1 (3), Krystof Stojanowski 6+2 (3), Chris Holder 6 (2), Andrew Bargh 5+1, Chris Johnson 4+2 (5), Glen Phillips 4 (3), Cory Gathercole 0 (1).