Around the Premier League Tracks - 2007

[Merlin]

Saturday, 15 September

Three matches were raced tonight but only one was for Premier League points – the one at Berwick where the Bandits met Edinburgh . The other two matches were of the challenge variety. At Stoke the Potters took on Sheffield in the first leg of the Sunday Sport Trophy while at Workington the Comets raced against Birmingham .


Premier League: Berwick 35, Edinburgh 55 Edinburgh won the aggregate bonus point by 115-67


Berwick were again barely recognisable. They were missing Matej Kus, Stanislaw Burza, David Meldrum and John Morrison through injury and used Rider Replacement at number 3 for Kus while Carl Wilkinson guested for Makovsky and Ritchie Hawkins for Burza. They also introduced Arlo Bugeja as their new signing to replace Meldrum while Byron Bekker filled the number 7 spot in place of John Morrison. Edinburgh had Michael Coles in place of Daniele Tessari at number 7.

Berwick, desperate to stop the haemorrhaging of home points, booked in two former Bandits as guests to replace Makovsky and Burza. With Rider Replacement operating and all the team members able to take one of the rides there was some optimism in the home camp as they took on an Edinburgh side with a dismal record at Shielfield Park. The match was close for the first seven heats at which point the scores were still tied but the Monarchs stepped up a couple of gears after that to leave the home side floundering. The Bandits didn’t enjoy the best of luck but their second half collapse would have needed more than luck to turn the tide.

The Monarchs took the lead in the opening heat with a smooth gate from George Stancl who won by a distance from Carl Wilkinson with Derek Sneddon third for a 2-4. Michael Coles made the gate to win the reserves race for a 3-3 but the Bandits levelled again in heat 3. Ritchie Hawkins and Carl Wilkinson looked odds-on to take a 5-1 before Hawkins fell on the second bend of the third lap. He was still able to remount for third place as Andrew Tully had fallen on the third bend of the opening lap before remounting and was still well behind. With Wilkinson winning from Laukkanen the Bandits took a 4-2. Jacek Rempala leapt from the gate to win heat 4 from Wethers and Coles and a shared heat so the score was then 12-12.

Edinburgh were back in front after heat 5. This heat had to be rerun after Ritchie Hawkins ran into the back of Derek Sneddon on the second bend, fell and was excluded. In the rerun another fast gate and comfortable win from George Stancl looked like producing a 1-5 as Derek Sneddon was quickly into second place. However Sneddon was caught napping when Sam Martin using the banking on the third and fourth bends to great effect roared round the outside of the Monarchs’ captain for second place to limit the damage to a 2-4. Carl Wilkinson made the gate in heat 6 and held off the determined challenges of Matthew Wethers to win the race. Behind this pair Arlo Bugeja beat Kalle Katajisto for third place so the Bandits took a 4-2 which squared the match again at 18-18. It remained level after heat 7 produced a 3-3. It looked as though Rempala was going to beat Laukkanen with Tully third but the 3-3 came a different way. Laukkanen pressured Rempala into a mistake on the last two bends to pass him for the win but behind this pair Sam Martin produced another stunning ride to pass Andrew Tully on the run in to the line. Heat 8 always looked a bad one for the Bandits and so it turned out. Derek Sneddon and Michael Coles left the Berwick pair of Bekker and Bugeja well behind for an easy 1-5 which took the score to 22-26.

Berwick needed to hit back quickly and they looked to be well placed to do so in heat 9 with Rempala and Hawkins pairing up for the home side but Matthew Wethers had other ideas. He soon passed Hawkins who pulled out of the race with engine failure on the fourth bend of lap 2 and chased hard after Rempala. Rempala couldn’t contain him and Wethers powered under him to win the race. Kalle Katajisto, who had missed the two minutes time allowance and had to go from 15 metres back, picked up the gift third place point so Edinburgh scored a killer 2-4 to go six points ahead. They added a 1-5 in heat 10. Kai Laukkanen and Michael Coles, replacing Andrew Tully, gated to leave Carl Wilkinson well behind increasing the visitors’ lead to ten points. Incredibly Berwick didn’t give Jacek Rempala a Tactical Ride in heat 11 which he won comfortably from Stancl and Sneddon for a 3-3 but gave it instead to Ritchie Hawkins in heat 12 instead. Since Hawkins had scored just one point from his three rides it seemed a strange decision and sure enough Hawkins failed to score again. Kai Laukkanen was fast away with Hawkins on his tail and, with Michael Coles comfortably third it looked like a 4-4. However Hawkins spun round on the fourth bend of the third lap to ride straight onto the centre green and Michael Coles was through to join his partner for another 1-5 which took the score to 29-43.

Matthew Wethers rode a brilliant first bend in heat 13 to pass the field while George Stancl clamped Carl Wilkinson to the line leaving Rempala to chase Wethers. He got nowhere near him however as Wethers won by a county mile with the Monarchs adding two more points to their lead with the 2-4. At last Ritchie Hawkins made a fast start in heat 14 and completed the race for a 3-3 ahead of Coles and Tully then Edinburgh rounded off a miserable night for the Bandits by adding another 1-5. Laukkanen and Wethers got the better of Carl Wilkinson with Rempala stuck at the back. The Edinburgh pair took an easy 1-5 as Rempala gave up. This win gave Edinburgh all three points and a glimmer of hope that they might still make the Young Shield. The match was a personal triumph for Michael Coles whose paid 16 points on his return to his former track must be his highest score for a very long time.

Scorers: For Berwick – Jacek Rempala 12 (6), Carl Wilkinson 10 (6), Sam Martin 4+2 (6), Ritchie Hawkins 4 (5), Byron Bekker 4 (4), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3).

For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 14 (5), Michael Coles 12+4 (6), Matthew Wethers 12+1 (5), George Stancl 9 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+1 (4), Andrew Tully 1+1 (3), Kalle Katajisto 1 (3).




Sunday Sport Trophy (first leg): Stoke 49, Sheffield 41


Stoke had Jon Armstrong at number 6 in place of Barrie Evans while Sheffield used Rider Replacement for Paul Cooper who was absent through riding in a grass track event and had Luke Priest at number 6 in place of James Birkinshaw who is out for the rest of the season. The Tigers nominated Ben Hopwood as their number 8.

Ben Barker and Lee Complin kicked off with a 5-1 ahead of Ashworth and Wilson while James Cockle won the reserves race for a shared heat. Glenn Cunningham beat Andre Compton in heat 3 with Rusty Harrison third for a 4-2 which increased the home side’s lead to 6 points while Claus Vissing earned the Potters a shared heat by winning heat 4 taking the score to 15-9.

Ricky Ashworth won heat 5 for a 3-3 but another Barker/Complin 5-1 in heat 6 saw Stoke build up a ten point lead to take the score to 23-13. Andre Compton hit back by winning heat 7 in the rerun after Claus Vissing had fallen and been excluded. This gave Sheffield a 2-4 cutting the gap to eight points then Ben Barker won heat 8 for a shared race giving a score of 28-20.

Another Cunningham win in heat 9 shared the points but the Potters were ten points to the good again with a 4-2 in heat 10 when Ben Barker beat Andre Compton with Lee Complin third. Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson scored a maximum for the Tigers in heat 11 to cut the gap to six points but it was back to eight again when Cunningham beast Compton again in heat 12 with Armstrong third for a 4-2 after which the score read 40-32.

Ricky Ashworth beat Lee Complin in heat 13 with Ben Wilson third so the Tigers’ 2-4 reduced the gap to six points but a heat 14 5-1 for the Potters from Jon Armstrong and Jaimie Smith wrapped up the win for the home side putting them ten ahead again. Ashworth won the last race from Cunningham with Andre Compton third for a 2-4 which resulted in Stoke taking an eight point lead for the second leg.


Scorers: For Stoke – Glenn Cunningham 13 (5), Ben Barker 12 (5), Jon Armstrong 9 (5), Lee Complin 7+2 (4), Jaimie Smith 3+2 (4), Claus Vissing 3 (4), Rusty Harrison 2+1 (3).


For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5), Andre Compton 12 (6), James Cockle 6+2 (5), Ben Wilson 6 (5), Joel Parson 4+1 (5), Luke Priest 1 (4), Ben Hopwood 0 (1).



Challenge Match: Workington 51, Birmingham 42


Workington used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Mattia Carpanese and had Joe Haines at number 7 in place of John Branney who was riding in the Conference League Riders’ Championship. Birmingham were missing Manuel Hauzinger, Henrik Moller and Lee Smart. They introduced Phil Morris, their new signing to replace the injured Emiliano Sanchez, at number 2 and used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Hauzinger while Chris Kerr guested at number 4 for Moller and Scott James replaced Lee Smart at number 6.

A makeshift Birmingham side provided an entertaining meeting in this challenge match at Workington but the meeting was marred by a heat 13 fall by Henning Bager which resulted in a broken arm which will sideline him for the rest of the season.

After a shared opening race the teams traded 4-2s in heats 2 and 3 before a run of three shared races kept the scored tied at 18-18. Workington took the lead in heat 7 when Ulrich Ostergaard beat Jason Lyons with Charles Wright third for a 4-2 and two point lead which remained the same after a shared heat 8 with the score standing at 25-23.

The next three heats all went the Comets’ way. Craig Branney and James Wright scored the first 5-1 of the meeting in heat 9 and when Jason Lyons suffered an engine failure at the tapes in heat 10 the home side added another two points to their lead with a 4-2. They took another 4-2 in heat 11 with an Ostergaard win over Bager with Joe Haines taking third place after the race had been rerun due to a Phil Morris fall and exclusion. The Comets’ lead had now stretched to ten points at 38-28 so Jason Lyons took a Tactical Ride in heat 12. He won it and was supported in second place by Ben Powell for the big 1-8 ahead of the Wright brothers which took the score to 39-36.

Alas Bager’s unfortunate accident in heat 13 ended his night and saw Workington cash in with a 5-1 from Ostergaard and Nieminen. A shared heat 14 was followed by a 4-2 finish for the home side with Nieminen completing his paid maximum by beating Jason Lyons with Ulrich Ostergaard in third place.

Scorers: For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Ulrich Ostergaard 13 (5), Craig Branney 11+1 (5), James Wright 7+1 (4), Charles Wright 5 (6), Joe Haines 1 (6).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15 (6)(with 6 point TR), Ben Powell 12+2 (6), Henning Bager 6+1 (5), Phil Morris 4+1 (5), Chris Kerr 3+1 (5), Scott James 2+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 16 September [/color][/b]

There were two Premier League matches raced today while a third fell victim to the weather. At Newport the Wasps raced Newcastle while at Rye House the Rockets took on Stoke . The match at Glasgow between the Tigers and Birmingham was postponed because of a waterlogged track.


Premier League: Newport 52, Newcastle 40 [/color] Newport won the aggregate bonus point by 92-90[/b]


Newport were at full strength but Newcastle were without Christian Henry and had George Stancl as a guest at number 1. They were also missing Jonas Raun so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4.

Newport needed to win this match and take the bonus point to keep their Young Shield qualification hopes alive. Newcastle arrived with a ten point lead for the bonus but it didn’t prove to be enough.

George Stancl won the opening race for the Diamonds for a 3-3 but the Wasps were in front after taking a 5-1 from the reserves race. They added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 3 won by Sebastian Truminski from Josef Franc. Heat 4 needed three attempts before it could be completed after falls by Schramm then Wilkinson resulted in all-four-back decisions. Carl Wilkinson led for three laps before encountering engine problems. He was passed by Chris Schramm and Paul Clews but had enough puff to get over the line for the third place point after Barry Burchatt had pulled out with an engine failure. The score then stood at 15-9.

Newport continued to pull further ahead with a 4-2 in heat 5 won by Truminski from Stancl then heats 6 and 7 were shared with wins for Paul Clews in the former and Josef Franc in the latter. Heat 8 resulted in another 5-1 to the Wasps when Barry Burchatt and Tom Hedley headed Stoddart and Clews home taking the score to 30-18.

Heat 9 ended as another 5-1 to the Wasps after Carl Wilkinson had fallen leaving the Diamonds 16 points adrift and struggling even for the bonus point for which they now trailed by 6 points. Tom Hedley fell in heat 10 but Michal Rajkowski won the race for a 3-3 then Newcastle gave George Stancl a Tactical Ride in heat 11. Chris Schramm won it though so Stancl’s second place was only good enough to share the points with a 4-4. The Diamonds finally took a heat advantage in heat 12 when Josef Franc beat Truminski with Clews third for a 2-4 which took the score to 44-30.

Michal Rajkowski shed a chain while leading heat 13 leaving Chris Schramm to win the race for a shared heat then the Wasps clinched the bonus point with a 4-2 in heat 14 from Nick Simmons who beat Carl Wilkinson with Tony Atkin third. It was perhaps just as well because George Stancl and Josef Franc took a 1-5 in the last heat beating Schramm and Truminski to cut the winning margin to twelve points.

Scorers: For Newport – Chris Schramm 12 (5), Sebastian Truminski 11 (5), Nick Simmons 7+2 (4), Michal Rajkowski 6+1 (4), Barry Burchatt 6 (4), Tom Hedley 5+2 (4), Tony Atkin 5+1 (4).

For Newcastle – George Stancl 14 (5)(with 4 point TR), Josef Franc 11+2 (5), Paul Clews 8 (7), Carl Wilkinson 4+2 (5), Sean Stoddart 3 (5), Sam Dore 0 (3).



Premier League: Rye House 66, Stoke 26 [/color] Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 109-73[/b].


Rye House were without Stefan Ekberg and had Robert Mear at number 2 in his place. Stoke were at full strength.

Yet another team came to Hoddesdon and could not make it to the 30 point mark. Stoke were the latest side to get hammered by the home track specialists losing by 40 points in the process.

Chris Neath won heat 1 from Ben Barker with Robert Mear taking third from Lee Complin but Stoke then lost four 5-1s on the trot to trail by 24-6 after heat 5. In heat 5 Lee Complin fell and dislocated his shoulder. Although he took part in the rerun the medics withdrew him from the meeting. Claus Vissing managed a second place in heat 6 between Chris Neath and Robert Mear then Stoke shared the points in heat 7. Steve Boxall won the race but Glenn Cunningham and Rusty Harrison kept Luke Bowen at the back for the 3-3 which took the score to 31-11. Ben Barker took a Tactical Ride in heat 8. Three times this race was started and three times Robert Mear came down under pressure from Barker on the first bend. Eventually Adam Roynon won the race from Barker and with Jaimie Smith third the Potters took a 3-5 advantage to take the score to 34-16.

Heats 9 and 10 resulted in 5-1s to Rye House. Robert Mear did well in the latter of these two heats to beat Rusty Harrison and Glenn Cunningham and finish behind his partner Chris Neath. Ben Barker managed a second place in heat 11 as Boxall slowed on the approach to the line letting the Stoke rider through for a 4-2 but another 5-1 in heat 12 from Roynon and Woffinden took the score to 53-21.

Heats 13 and 14 both went to the Rockets by 5-1 but heat 15 was shared. Chris Neath and Claus Vissing went shoulder to shoulder before Vissing fell. The Stoke rider was not happy and tried to make his point to Neath who was controversially excluded by the referee from the rerun in which Tai Woffinden had to come from the back to pass Vissing and Barker to win the race for a shared heat.

Scorers: For Rye House – Tai Woffinden 12+3 (5)(paid maximum), Chris Neath 12 (5), Tommy Allen 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), Adam Roynon 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), Steve Boxall 8+2 (4), Luke Bowen 8+1 (4), Robert Mear 4+1 (4).

For Stoke – Ben Barker 11 (5)(with 4 point TR), Claus Vissing 4+1 (5), Glenn Cunningham 3 (4), Jaimie Smith 3+1 (5), Barrie Evans 3 (5), Rusty Harrison 2+1 (4), Lee Complin 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 18 September

Unusually for a Tuesday night, there were two matches raced. In addition to the usual fixture on the Isle of Wight where the Islanders raced King’s Lynn in the second leg of the Knockout Cup semi-final, Mildenhall also met Glasgow in a Premier League match.


Knockout Cup (semi-final, second leg): Isle of Wight 45, King’s Lynn 45 King’s Lynn won through to the final on aggregate by 94-89.


The Isle of Wight were at full strength while King’s Lynn had Chris Schramm as a guest in place of James Brundle at number 6.

King’s Lynn had a narrow five point lead to defend from the first leg but had already won on the Island so it was all to race for tonight to make the final of the Knockout Cup competition. However it was King’s Lynn’s guest, Chris Schramm, riding at reserve who was mainly responsible for seeing them through with a paid 16 score for the Stars.

Things started brightly for the home fans when Tomas Topinka suffered an engine failure in the opening heat and Chris Holder beat Paul Lee for a 4-2 but they could make no further inroads to the Stars’ first leg lead when the next six races were all shared. Chris Schramm won heat 2, Daniel Nermark heat 3 and Chris Mills heat 4 for the Stars as the Islanders filled the minor places taking the score to 13-11 after four races.

Tomas Topinka kept the run of Stars’ race winners going by taking heat 5 from Jason Bunyan and Glenn Phillips but Chris Holder broke the sequence by winning heat 6. Chris Schramm and Chris Mills kept Cory Gathercole at the back for another 3-3 then Krzysztof Stojanowski won heat 7 beating Daniel Nermark. Trevor Harding finished third though to frustrate the home side again. The run of drawn races ended in heat 8 but it was the visitors who ended it when Paul Lee and Chris Schramm scored a 1-5 from Johnson and a disappointing Gathercole to move the score to 23-25 with King’s Lynn now leading on the night.

Chris Schramm, proving a real thorn in the Islanders’ side, won heat 9 from Phillips and Bunyan, for another 3-3 but the Isle of Wight pulled two back in heat 10 when Chris Holder beat Nermark with Gathercole taking third from Harding. This tied the scores on the night again at 30-30 and they stayed level after a shared heat 11 won by Stojanowski from Lee and Topinka. In reality the tie was more or less decided when King’s Lynn scored a 1-5 in heat 12 thanks to Daniel Nermark and that man, Chris Schramm, again. Jason Bunyan finished third and the score now read 34-38 with the Stars nine ahead on aggregate with just three races to go.

The Islanders did manage a 4-2 in heat 13 from Holder and Stojanowski separated by Chris Mills but King’s Lynn were through to the final when they shared heat 14. Glen Phillips won the race but Benji Compton and Chris Schramm filled the minor places for a 3-3 after Chris Johnson had fallen and needed medical attention. In the last race Chris Holder completed his full maximum beating Daniel Nermark while Krzysztof Stojanowski finished third ahead of Chris Mills for a 4-2 which tied the match up at 45-45.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 15 (5)(full maximum), Krzysztof Stojanowski 10 (5), Glen Phillips 7+2 (4), Jason Bunyan 6+1 (4), Chris Johnson 3 (5), Andrew Bargh 2 (3), Cory Gathercole 2 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Chris Schramm 13+3 (6), Daniel Nermark 12 (5), Paul Lee 7 (4), Chris Mills 6+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 4+1 (4), Benji Compton 2 (3), Trevor Harding 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Mildenhall 43, Glasgow 47 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 104-78.


Mildenhall were without Tom P Madsen and Kyle Legault so had Ricky Ashworth as a guest in place of Legault at number 3 and used Rider Replacement for Madsen at number 1. They also had Matt Wright at number 6 in place of Mark Baseby. Glasgow were without Trent Leverington so used Rider Replacement at number 5 instead..

There was never much between the teams all match with the scores tied going into the last heat but Mildenhall must be kicking themselves for the points they threw away in the early part of the match. Falls by Paul Fry and Jason King coupled with engine failures for Matt Wright and Tomas Suchanek cost the home side dearly. Glasgow held most of the aces though providing nine of the race winners.

Glasgow got off to a winning start with a 2-4 from Craig Watson and David McAllan but the Fen Tigers looked like hitting back in heat 2 until Paul Fry fell on the third lap causing the race to be awarded. Matt Wright won the race for a 3-3, the same score as heat 3. Shane Parker won this race from Ricky Ashworth while Robert Ksiezak fell under pressure from Ashworth causing the race to be shared. Craig Watson took the R/R ride in heat 4 and won the race but again the points were shared as Shaun Tacey and Paul Fry kept Lee Dicken at the back. The score was now 11-13.

In heat 5 Mildenhall scored a 5-1 to wipe out their arrears and put themselves two in front. Ashworth and Suchanek did the damage relegating Craig Watson to third place. Shaun Tacey then won heat 6 but Jason King fell while lying third so the points were shared. Shaun Tacey led heat 7 until he was passed by Shane Parker while Wright’s engine failure left Robert Ksiezak to pick up third for a 2-4 which put the visitors back on level terms. Back came Mildenhall with another 5-1 in heat 8 from Jason King and Paul Fry to put the home side four points ahead and take the score to 26-22.

Ricky Ashworth and Tomas Suchanek looked like adding another 5-1 in heat 9 but Suchanek suffered an engine failure allowing Ksiezak and Coles to share the points. In heat 10 Glasgow pulled two points back in an entertaining race with a 2-4 from Ksiezak and Parker who were separated by Suchanek then they struck a 1-5 in heat 11 from Craig Watson and David McAllan ahead of Tacey and Wright to go two points ahead. Shane Parker won heat 12 by passing both Ashworth and Fry for a 3-3 so the score now read 35-37.

Craig Watson won heat 13 for a 3-3 to keep the visitors two ahead but it was all square again when Mildenhall took a 4-2 from heat 14 after Ksiezak was passed by Suchanek with Fry third. In the last heat Craig Watson and Shane Parker earned all three points for Glasgow with a 1-5 giving them a four point win on the night.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Shaun Tacey 10 (5), Tomas Suchanek 9+2 (6), Ricky Ashworth 9+1 (6), Paul Fry 6+2 (5), Jason King 6+1 (5), Matt Wright 3 (3).

For Glasgow – Craig Watson 16 (6), Shane Parker 12+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 8 (5), David McAllan 5+1 (5), Michael Coles 3+3 (6), Lee Dicken 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 19 September

There were three Premier League matches raced tonight. At Somerset the Rebels raced a double header against firstly Edinburgh then Newcastle while at King’s Lynn the Stars took on Workington .


Premier League: Somerset 57, Edinburgh 35


Somerset were at full strength but Edinburgh were without the injured Andrew Tully so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4.


If you’d blinked you would have missed a heat such was the speed at which this match was raced. It was necessary for Somerset to push on though with both matches in their double-header having to be completed by the 10 o’ clock deadline.

The Rebels got off to the perfect start with 5-1s in both the opening heats won by, firstly, Magnus Zetterstrom then Jordan Frampton. Kai Laukkanen won heat 3 for the visitors for a 3-3 and heat 4 was shared too with Ritchie Hawkins passing Michael Coles for the win and taking the score to 16-8.

There was another shared race in heat 5 when Emil Kramer held off the challenge of George Stancl but the Rebels took points advantages in five of the next six races. Heat 6 resulted in a 5-1 from Simon Walker and Magnus Zetterstrom to put the Rebels twelve points ahead so Kai Laukkanen took a Tactical Ride in heat 7. He led the race for the first three quarters of a lap but Ritchie Hawkins passed him on the inside to win the race for a 4-4. Another 5-1 went the Rebels’ way in heat 8 when Warwick and Walker headed the ever pressing Sneddon home to take the score to 33-17.

Matthew Wethers had a good race with Stephan Katt in heat 9 before leaving him to chase Kramer for the win but the Rebel held on for a 4-2. In heat 11 Simon Walker broke the tapes and was replaced by Jordan Frampton. Magnus Zetterstrom won for the third time by passing Kai Laukkanen so, with Frampton third, the home side added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 but the Monarchs hit back with a 2-4 in heat 12. Kai Laukkanen won the race from Emil Kramer while Kalle Katajisto beat Danny Warwick for third place taking the score to 47-27.

Edinburgh tasted more success in heat 13 in a bit of an eye opener. Matthew Wethers and George Stancl led from the tapes and, although Magnus Zetterstrom had soon passed Stancl, he got nowhere near Matthew Wethers. Ritchie Hawkins had an engine failure in this heat so the Monarchs took another 2-4. Somerset finished the match with two more 4-2s in heat 14 and 15 with wins for Katt and Zetterstrom to take a 22 point lead to Edinburgh for the bonus point.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 13+1 (5), Emil Kramer 10 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 10 (5), Simon Walker 8+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 7 (5), Stephan Katt 5+1 (4), Daniel Warwick 4+2 (4).

For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 12 (5)(with 4 point TR), Matthew Wethers 9+1 (5), George Stancl 6 (4), Derek Sneddon 4+1 (5), Michael Coles 3 (6), Kalle Katajisto 1 (5).



Premier League: Somerset 55, Newcastle 38 Somerset won the aggregate bonus point by 96-86.


Somerset were also at full strength for the second match but Newcastle were without both Christian Henry and Jonas Raun. They had Ricky Ashworth standing in for Henry at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Raun at number 4.

The Rebels started the same way as they did against Edinburgh with 5-1s in the first two races. Zetterstrom and Walker led home Ashworth in heat 1 then Danny Warwick won heat 2. Just as Edinburgh had done, Newcastle provided the race winner in heat 3 for a 3-3 with Josef Franc the Diamonds race winner. Newcastle hit back with a 2-4 in heat 4 when Carl Wilkinson beat Ritchie Hawkins with Paul Clews taking third after Danny Warwick had fallen so the score now stood at 15-9.

Ricky Ashworth became the third consecutive race winner for the Diamonds beating Katt and Kramer in heat 5 for a shared race but Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 6. He got no support though as Simon Walker retired from the race leaving Wilkinson and Dore to share the points. In heat 7 Carl Wilkinson took the R/R ride to team up with Josef Franc but Franc was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back. Ritchie Hawkins and Jordan Frampton took advantage by rattling home a 5-1 ahead of Wilkinson which put the Rebels ten points ahead. It stayed that way after heat 8 when Simon Walker won from Clews and Stoddart for a 3-3 which took the score to 29-19.

Magnus Zetterstrom won heat 10 from Josef Franc with Simon Walker third so another Rebels’ 4-2 put them 12 points ahead. Ricky Ashworth then took a Tactical Ride in heat 11 and won the race from Jordan Frampton. With Ritchie Hawkins retiring from the race Sean Stoddart picked up third for a 2-7 to the Diamonds which cut the gap to 38-31 and tied the aggregate scores for the bonus point. However the Rebels hit back in the best possible way with a 5-1 from Kramer and Warwick to take the score after 12 races to 43-32.

Back came the Diamonds in heat 13 as Zetterstrom was beaten for the second time in the evening this time by Ricky Ashworth. Carl Wilkinson finished third for a Newcastle 2-4 which cut the gap to nine points and resulted in Somerset’s aggregate lead being cut to two points. It was all over after heat 14 as the home side struck a 5-1 through Stephan Katt and Jordan Frampton to put the Rebels 13 points ahead, six on aggregate, with one heat left. The Rebels rounded off a highly successful evening with a 5-1 from Stephan Katt and Magnus Zetterstrom from Ashworth for a 17 point win and all three points. It was certainly a lucrative night for the Somerset riders since with bonus points they were paid for no less than 116 points between them!

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 13+1 (5), Stephan Katt 12 (5), Jordan Frampton 8+3 (4), Emil Kramer 6+3 (4), Simon Walker 6+1 (4), Daniel Warwick 5+1 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 5 (4).

For Newcastle – Ricky Ashworth 14 (5)(with 6 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 10 (6), Paul Clews 6 (6), Josef Franc 5 (4), Sean Stoddart 2+1 (5), Sam Dore 1+1 (4).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 52, Workington 41 Workington won the aggregate bonus point by 94-92.

King’s Lynn were at full strength with Adam Allott rejoining the Stars in place of James Brundle . Workington again used Rider Replacement for Mattia Carpanese at number 2.

This was another match which was no ‘walk in the park’ for the Stars. All looked well for them though when they took a 5-1 in the opening race as Paul Lee and Tomas Topinka cashed in on Kauko Nieminen’s fall but heat 2 put a different complexion on the match. Benji Compton fell and took no further part in the meeting as he headed off to hospital with a suspected broken scaphoid. This left Adam Allott with a busy evening ahead and he could not stop Charles Wright and John Branney from taking a 1-5 in the rerun to level the match again. Daniel Nermark won heat 3 from James Wright for a 4-2 to put the Stars two points ahead again but it was countered by a 2-4 in heat 4 from the Comets when Ulrich Ostergaard beat Chris Mills with John Branney third. The score was now level at 12-12.

Heats 5 and 6 both resulted in 4-2s to the home side. In heat 5 Daniel Nermark won again from Kauko Nieminen with Harding third but in heat 6 Charles Wright fell while comfortably second to turn what had looked like a shared race into a 4-2. Tomas Topinka won from Ulrich Ostergaard while Paul Lee gained third place from Wright’s fall. The Stars now led by four points but the match was all square again after heat 7 won by Craig Branney and James Wright who held off Chris Mills with some good team riding to deny Mills second place on the line as the Stars took a 1-5. King’s Lynn did not take this lying down though and Paul Lee was supported by the fast starting Adam Allott for a 5-1 in heat 8 to head the two Branneys home taking the score to 26-22.

The Stars added another 5-1 in heat 9 through Nermark and Harding who passed a slowing Ostergaard on the third lap to put the home side eight points ahead. There were more problems for the Comets in heat 10 when James Wright was excluded under the two minute rule due to machine problems. He went from 15 metres back but still took second place behind Tomas Topinka. Paul Lee who was sitting on a 5-1 with Topinka suffered machine problems so Craig Branney got past for third to share the race points. In heat 11, James Wright was in again but this time as a Tactical Substitute replacing the R/R rider again from 15 metres back. It turned out a good decision by Workington as a great effort from the back by James Wright saw him pass Adam Allott and Kauko Nieminen to chase after Chris Mills. He caught the King’s Lynn rider and passed him in the run in to the flag. Nieminen’s third place resulted in a 2-7 to the Comets who now trailed by just three points. It was three heats on the trot for James Wright in heat 12 but this time he was beaten by Daniel Nermark. His brother, Charles, finished third though so the race was shared and the score stood at 39-36 with just three races to go.

Workington’s chances all but disappeared when Ulrich Ostergaard’s bike packed up in heat 13 and Tomas Topinka and Chris Mills took a 5-1 for a seven point lead. Trevor Harding clinched the match by winning heat 14 from the Branney brothers and a shared heat but this score meant that Workington had won the bonus point. The final heat resulted in a 5-1 to the Stars from Nermark and Topinka to give them an eleven point win but they fell short of the bonus point by two points.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 15 (5)(full maximum), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Chris Mills 7+1 (4), Trevor Harding 7+1 (4), Paul Lee 7 (4), Adam Allott 3+1 (7), Benji Compton 0 (1).

For Workington – James Wright 15+1 (6)(with 6 point TS), Craig Branney 7+1 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 6 (5), John Branney 5+2 (5), Charles Wright 4+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 4 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 20 September



The one match tonight was at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Newport in a Premier League Match.



Premier League: Sheffield 54, Newport 38 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 100-81.


Sheffield had Simon Lambert at number 6 in place of James Birkinshaw while Newport were at full strength.

Having already lost at home to Sheffield the bonus point looked a forlorn hope for the Wasps as both teams chased points for the play-offs in Sheffield’s case and the Young Shield in Newport’s.

For a change the Ashworth/Wilson pairing did not produce an opening heat 5-1 for the Tigers as Michal Rajkowski finished second to split the home pair for a 4-2. A reserves race 5-1 increased Sheffield’s lead to six points but Tony Atkin stunned the locals by beating Andre Compton in heat 3 for a shared race. James Cockle won again in heat 4 after it had been rerun twice. In the first running Schramm took Parsons wide on the fourth bend of the opening lap and Barry Burchatt smashed into Parsons and was excluded. In the second running Chris Schramm shut the door on Joel Parsons behind Cockle for a 4-2 which took the score to 16-8.

Andre Compton won heat 5 for a 3-3 then the Ashworth/Wilson pairing resumed normal service with a 5-1 ahead of Schramm in heat 6 to stretch the lead to 12 points. Tony Atkin took a Tactical Ride in heat 7 but finished second to Joel Parsons. With Sebastian Truminski third, the Wasps took a 3-5 to cut their arrears to ten points. Ben Wilson won heat 8 from Tom Hedley while Cockle’s third place point increased the home side’s lead to twelve points again at 31-19.

Andre Compton won from Schramm for a 4-2 in heat 9 then Wilson and Ashworth scored another 5-1 in heat 10 for an 18 point lead but heat 11 resulted in a 1-5 to the Wasps after an eventful race. Joel Parson fell on the third lap and, trying to avoid him, Tom Hedley crashed into the fence and was eventually stretchered off to hospital while the fence urgently needed repair work. The race was awarded to Rajkowski and Hedley for a maximum cutting the gap to 14 points. Another Compton win in heat 12 resulted in a shared race with Cockle falling off at the back and the score stood at 44-30.

Ricky Ashworth won heat 13 but, with Joel Parsons replaced by Simon Lambert who failed to score, the heat was shared. Newport took another race advantage in heat 14 with Tony Atkin winning for the second time in the match. Paul Cooper was second but Nick Simmons’ third place gave the Wasps a 2-4. In the last race Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth scored a 5-1 to give Sheffield a 16 point win and all three points.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14 (5), Ricky Ashworth 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Ben Wilson 9+1 (4), James Cockle 7 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (4), Joel Parsons 4 (3), Simon Lambert 3+1 (5).

For Newport – Tony Atkin 11 (4)(with 4 point TR), Michal Rajkowski 9+1 (5), Tom Hedley 6+1 (4), Chris Schramm 6+1 (5), Nick Simmons 3 (5), Sebastian Truminski 2+2 (4), Barry Burchatt 1 (3).


PS: Apologies for failing to notice that there was a match at Birmingham last night in the first leg of the Midland Shield with Stoke the visitors. The final score was:


Midland Shield (first leg): Birmingham 56, Stoke 37 .

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14 (5), Lee Smart 12+4 (7), Phil Morris 11+2 (6), Ben Powell 10+1 (7), Manuel Hauzinger 9+1 (5), Paul Hurry 0 (1).

For Stoke – Lee Complin 16+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Claus Vissing 7 (5), Ben Barker 4+1 (5), Barrie Evans 4 (5), Glenn Cunningham 3 (4), Rusty Harrison 1 (3), Jaimie Smith 1 (3).

Birmingham introduced their new signing Paul Hurry who replaced Henning Bager but he was involved in a crash on the first bend of heat 1 and had to withdraw from the meeting with hand and rib injuries. Already using Rider Replacement for Henrik Moller the Brummies gave both reserves 7 rides and rose to the challenge to take a 19 point lead for the second leg.

Phil Morris signed to replace Emiliano Sanchez made his home debut and scored well while for Stoke Lee Complin kept the Potters alive with another excellent display. He was the only visiting rider to win a race.

[Merlin]

Friday, 21 September



With the two Friday tracks riding against each other the action tonight was at Edinburgh where Somerset were the visitors in a Premier League Match.



Premier League: Edinburgh 48, Somerset 41 Somerset won the aggregate bonus point by 98-83.


Edinburgh without Daniele Tessari for the rest of the season had Paul Clews as a guest at number 7. They were also without Andrew Tully through injury so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4 in his place. Somerset were without Emil Kramer who was riding in the Swedish play-offs so used Rider Replacement at number 3.

A torrential shower of rain two hours before the meeting rendered the track wet and greasy but there was still plenty of exciting racing particularly from Edinburgh’s guest, Paul Clews, who turned out to be the Monarchs’ trump card. Somerset were effectively a two-man team as Magnus Zetterstrom and Jordan Frampton scored all but 10 of the Rebels’ points.

A traffic accident on the first bend ended with Derek Sneddon falling and Simon Walker being excluded from the opening heat. In the rerun Magnus Zetterstrom won by a frightening distance which suggested that Edinburgh were in for a hard time trying to contain his probable six ride tally. George Stancl and Derek Sneddon followed well behind for a 3-3. The Rebels took the lead in the reserves race which was won by Jordan Frampton who made the gate and spent the race fending off the challenges of Paul Clews. Danny Warwick was third as Katajisto’s bike gave out on the second lap. The 2-4 gave the visitors a two point lead but it was all square after heat 3. Kai Laukkanen won the heat comfortably but Frampton again got the better of Clews from the gate and again held on to beat him. With Stephan Katt stuck at the back the heat gave Monarchs a 4-2 advantage to tie the scores but the home side took a 5-1 in heat 4 when Matthew Wethers and Paul Clews, out for the third time in four heats, beat Ritchie Hawkins into third place to take the score to 14-10.

Somerset pulled two points back in heat 5 with a 2-4. Magnus Zetterstrom again headed off into the distance leaving the field trailing in his wake while Laukkanen finished second. Simon Walker picked up the third place point from Katajisto who again was on an ailing bike. George Stancl was fast away to win heat 6 and Ritchie Hawkins headed Derek Sneddon down the back straight behind him. On the fourth bend Sneddon tried a big outside sweep to pass Hawkins but crashed allowing Jordan Frampton through for third place and a shared heat. Somerset then levelled the match again in heat 7 with another 2-4. Magnus Zetterstrom took the R/R ride and again won easily. Matthew Wethers was a clear second while Stephan Katt took third ahead of Kalle Katajisto but the Monarchs restored their two point lead again in heat 8. It didn’t look too good for the home side when Jordan Frampton led from Paul Clews from the tapes while Derek Sneddon slipped off on the first bend and remounted. However Clews pulled off an excellent pass on Frampton then Danny Warwick fell on the last bend of the third lap causing the race to be stopped and awarded. This meant that Sneddon got a point after all and Edinburgh took a 4-2 to make the score 25-23.

Kai Laukkanen won heat 9 comfortably followed by Jordan Frampton and Ritchie Hawkins. Paul Clews was chasing Hawkins for third when the Somerset man got slightly out of shape on the first bend of the third lap causing Clews to lay down to avoid any collision. The race resulted in a shared race but Edinburgh doubled their lead to four points in heat 10. George Stancl won the race from Ritchie Hawkins. A strangely ill-at-ease Sneddon held off Stephan Katt for a 4-2 which gave the Monarchs a four point lead. In heat 11 Matthew Wethers roared round the outside of Zetterstrom to open up a comfortable lead down the back straight but Simon Walker fell on the fourth bend causing the race to be rerun without him and giving Zetterstrom another chance. In the second running Magnus Zetterstrom made the gate off gate 1 and took Matthew Wethers off gate 2 out to the fence on the second bend. Well that’s what he clearly meant to do but there was a big snag to his ploy. Matthew Wethers wasn’t there! Wethers had cut back inside Zetterstrom and was well gone by the time the Rebels’ number 1 had sorted himself out. Kalle Katajisto picked up the gift third place point so the Monarchs took a 4-2 for a six point lead. In heat 12 Paul Clews slipped off on the first bend trying a big outside run off gate 4. Kai Laukkanen won the race easily but Jordan Frampton and a very shaky Danny Warwick shared the race behind him to take the score to 39-33.

The Monarchs looked as if they might add a 5-1 in heat 13. George Stancl made a better gate that Magnus Zetterstrom and pinned the Somerset man on the inside while Matthew Wethers roared round the outside to lead down the backstraight. However Ritchie Hawkins fell heavily on the second bend so the race had to be rerun. Zetterstrom had no intention of making the same mistake on the second attempt and, although Stancl made another good start, Magnus moved out behind him to pass Stancl round the outside and head off for another big win and shared race. It was all over after heat 14. Derek Sneddon fell off on the first bend causing the race to be rerun without him. In the rerun Jordan Frampton and Danny Warwick made the gate to give the Rebels some hope. But Frampton ran his partner wide on the fourth bend and Warwick fell off causing the race to be rerun again with just two riders. Again Frampton led but Paul Clews caught and passed him for the three points and the 3-2 put the Monarchs out of reach. Magnus Zetterstrom completed the match with another fine ride and big win in heat 15 but George Stancl and Matthew Wethers comfortably shared the points behind him ahead of Ritchie Hawkins. Edinburgh won the match by seven points but they were never going to get near the bonus point which went back to Somerset.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – George Stancl 12 (5), Paul Clews 11+1 (7), Kai Laukkanen 11 (4), Matthew Wethers 10+2 (5), Derek Sneddon 3+1 (5), Kalle Katajisto 1 (4).

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 17 (6), Jordan Frampton 14+1 (7), Ritchie Hawkins 6+1 (6), Daniel Warwick 2+1 (5), Stephan Katt 1 (3), Simon Walker 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 22 September

Two Premier League matches and a Challenge match were raced tonight. At Berwick the Bandits met Mildenhall while at Rye House the Rockets took on Somerset . The other match was at Stoke where the Potters raced against Birmingham in the second leg of the Midland Shield.


Premier League: Berwick 45, Mildenhall 45


Berwick were missing Matej Kus, Michal Makovsky, Stanislaw Burza and Byron Bekker (have I missed anyone?). They tracked William Lawson for Kus, Tony Atkin for Burza and Paul Clews for Bekker while they used Rider Replacement at number 4 to cover for Makovsky. Mildenhall were without Tom P Madsen, Kyle Legault, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist, and Mark Baseby. They had Josef Franc at number 1 in place of Legault and used Rider Replacement for Madsen at number 3 while Scott James filled the number 6 spot for Baseby.

Details to be added if, as and when they become available.

Scorers: For Berwick – Jacek Rempala 14 (6), Paul Clews 13+3 (7), Tony Atkin 8 (6), William Lawson 7 (5), Sam Martin 2+1 (3), Arlo Bugeja 1+1 (3).

For Mildenhall – Josef Franc 14+2 (6), Shaun Tacey 11+1 (6), Jason King 9 (5), Paul Fry 5 (4), Scott James 4 (4), Tomas Suchanek 2+1 (5).




Premier League: Rye House 56, Somerset 37 Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 98-88


Rye House were at full strength with Stefan Ekberg moving to number 1 and Chris Neath to number 2. Somerset were missing Simon Walker so had to use Rider Replacement at number 2.

It was Somerset’s turn to face the Rye House steamroller with a nine point lead from the match at the Oak Tree Arena in search of the bonus point. Although they lost by 19 points it was the best total scored by a visiting side to Hoddesdon for some considerable time!

The opening heat was shared. Chris Neath was the winner while behind him Magnus Zetterstrom ran Stefan Ekberg wide and the Rocket fell and remounted. He fell again on the third lap too while at the back and the race was shared with Jordan Frampton taking third place. The Rye House reserves scored a 5-1 in heat 2 to go four points up then Tai Woffinden won heat 3 from Emil Kramer while Tommy Allen took third place for a 4-2 but heat 4 was shared. Adam Roynon won the race from Ritchie Hawkins but Steve Boxall finished at the back after getting out of shape on the opening bends. The score was now 15-9.

Rye House stepped up a gear and won the next two races by 5-1. In heat 5 Zetterstrom gated but Tai Woffinden on the inside and Tommy Allen on the outside passed him down the back straight to take maximum points then in heat 6 the race was awarded to Chris Neath and Stefan Ekberg when Ritchie Hawkins fell at the back. Somerset stopped the rot in heat 7. Emil Kramer took a Tactical Ride and won the race from Boxall and Bowen but Katt finished at the back limiting the Rebels’ success to a 3-6. Heat 8 was shared after Adam Roynon had shed a chain on the second bend and fallen leaving Chris Neath to win the race from Ritchie Hawkins and Danny Warwick and take the score to 31-20.

Tai Woffinden won heat 9 from Ritchie Hawkins and Tommy Allen for a 4-2 then Ekberg and Neath added a 5-1 in heat 10 from Kramer and Katt but the Rebels hit back with a 2-4 in heat 11. At last Magnus Zetterstrom won a race beating Luke Bowen in a heat rerun after Danny Warwick had fallen and Steve Boxall had been excluded as the one to be blamed for causing the race to be stopped. Adam Roynon fell in heat 12 at the back while Tai Woffinden passed both Emil Kramer and Jordan Frampton to share the points and take the score to 45-30.

Magnus Zetterstrom, now fully into his stride, led Ekberg and Boxall home in heat 13 for a 3-3 but the Rockets added another 5-1 in heat 14 with Bowen and Allen leading Frampton home. In the last heat Chris Neath led from the start but he went wide on the fourth bend and Magnus Zetterstrom was through for his third consecutive race win. Tai Woffinden was third so the race was shared.

Scorers: For Rye House – Tai Woffinden 13+1 (5), Chris Neath 13+1 (5), Luke Bowen 8+1 (4), Stefan Ekberg 7+1 (4), Tommy Allen 6+2 (4), Adam Roynan 6 (4), Steve Boxall 3+1 (4).


For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 12 (5), Emil Kramer 10+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Jordan Frampton 6+1 (6), Ritchie Hawkins 6 (4), Daniel Warwick 3+2 (5), Stephan Katt 0 (4).



Midland Shield (second leg): Stoke 47, Birmingham 43 Birmingham won the Shield on aggregate by 99-84.


Stoke were without Rusty Harrison who has stepped down for the season and used Rider Replacement at number 4. Birmingham were again missing Henning Bager (or is it Paul Hurry?) and Henrik Moller so had Chris Schramm as a guest for Moller at number 2 and used Rider Replacement at number 1.

Nineteen points is a big deficit to pull back but that’s the task which was facing Stoke in this second leg tie. They got four of them back in the opening heat though when Lee Complin and Ben Barker scored a 5-1 from Phil Morris as Chris Schramm fell and remounted. Birmingham replied with a 2-4 from the reserves race won by Ben Powell then Glenn Cunningham won heat 3 for the Potters by beating Jason Lyons and Phil Morris for a shared race. Manuel Hauzinger suffered an engine failure on the first bend of heat 4 leaving Claus Vissing and Jaimie Smith to score a 5-1 over Lee Smart and take the score to 15-9.

Jason Lyons was fast away in heat 5 and together with Chris Schramm the Brummies put a spoke in the Potters’ wheel by scoring a 1-5 with Lee Complin (R/R) suffering an engine failure on the last lap leaving Glenn Cunningham to pick up the third place point. This cut the gap to two points and the Potters’ hopes of winning on aggregate were now looking slim but they fought back with a 5-1 in heat 6 through Barker and Complin again with Ben Powell third after Manuel Hauzinger had made the gate. Heat 7 was rerun after Barrie Evans fell on the third lap. In the rerun Jason Lyons led home Claus Vissing who passed Phil Morris for second. Morris fell but was able to remount for the gift third place point giving the Brummies a 2-4. Chris Schramm gated to take the three points in heat 8 for a shared race and the score was now 26-22.

Stoke edged two points more in front in heat 9 when Glenn Cunningham beat Ben Powell while Claus Vissing finished third as Manuel Hauzinger had an engine failure after slipping from first to last. Heat 10 won by Jason Lyons was shared as was heat 11. Barrie Evans won the heat from Chris Schramm and Ben Powell while Claus Vissing, who had gone from 15 metres back after breaking the tapes, fell while chasing Schramm having passed Ben Powell. Birmingham won the trophy on aggregate when they took a 2-4 in heat 12. Jason Lyons gated to beat Glenn Cunningham with Ben Powell picking up the gift third place point after Jaimie Smith had fallen and been excluded. This took the score to 38-34.

Chris Schramm won heat 13 for the Brummies for a shared race and heat 14 produced the same result when Ben Barker led Powell and Morris home. Finally in heat 15 Jason Lyons gated to another win from Complin and Barker with Schramm at the back for a third consecutive shared race.

Scorers: For Stoke – Ben Barker 12+3 (6), Lee Complin 10+2 (6), Glenn Cunningham 9 (4), Claus Vissing 8 (5), Barrie Evans 5 (5), Jaimie Smith 3+2 (4).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 17 (6), Chris Schramm 10+1 (6), Ben Powell 10+1 (6), Phil Morris 4+2 (5), Lee Smart 2 (4), Manuel Hauzinger 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 23 September

Four Premier League matches were raced today. At Newport the Wasps faced the Isle of Wight while at Glasgow the Tigers took on Redcar . The third match was at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers raced against Berwick . Finally at Newcastle the Diamonds had Birmingham as their visitors.


Premier League: Newport 39, Isle of Wight 50 the Isle of Wight won the bonus point by 119-60


Newport were missing the injured Tom Hedley so had to use Rider Replacement at number 2. The Isle of Wight were at full strength.

This was an important match for both teams with Newport chasing a Young Shield place and the Isle of Wight a top four place. Unfortunately the rain soaked the track and there was a delay to let the worst of it pass before the match proceeded. Chris Holder won the opening race for a shared heat then, in heat 2, Chris Johnson fell on the second bend and was excluded. However Andrew Bargh for the Islanders to keep the scores tied. The visitors then took the lead in heat 3 when Jason Bunyan won from Tony Atkin and Glen Phillips for a 2-4. Chris Johnson fell again in heat 4 and was excluded. In the rerun Chris Schramm won from Krzysztof Stojanowski. Nick Simmons fell on the last bend but pushed home for the gift third place point. This gave the Wasps a 4-2 to square the match at 12-12.

In heat 5 the Islanders took the lead again when Chris Holder won for the second time. Sebastian Truminski took second ahead of Cory Gathercole for a 2-4 but on a very wet track there were three fallers in heat 6. Firstly Michal Rajkowski fell on the third bend while leading and was excluded from the rerun in which Krzysztof Stojanowski fell on the second lap and was excluded from the second rerun. This time it was Barry Burchatt (R/R) who fell and the race was awarded to the sole survivor, Andrew Bargh, for a 0-3 to the Isle of Wight which gave them a five point lead. Worse was to follow for the home side as Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips added a 1-5 ahead of Chris Schramm to put the Islanders well ahead with a nine point advantage. Cory Gathercole won heat 8 for the visitors but Simmons and Atkins finished behind him for a shared race taking the score to 18-27.

Newport then rocked the Islanders with consecutive 5-1s. In heat 9 Truminski and Simmons beat Stojanowski then in heat 10 Rajkowski and Schramm did likewise to Phillips and Bunyan. This reduced the Wasps’ arrears to one point but Chris Holder and Cory Gathercole replied with a 1-5 ahead of Chris Schramm to stretch the gap to five points again. In heat 12 the visitors turned the screw with a 2-4. Andrew Bargh was the race winner with Barry Burchatt taking second ahead of their more illustrious partners, Bunyan and Truminski. The 2-4 extended the Isle of Wight’s lead to seven points with the score now 31-38.

It was all over for the Wasps when Stojanowski and Holder added another 1-5 in heat 13 ahead of Schramm and Rajkowski which put the visitors eleven points ahead but it did allow the Wasps to give a Tactical Ride to Nick Simmons in heat 14. Glen Phillips won from Simmons and Atkin but the Wasps took a 5-3 advantage then, in the final race, another 2-4 to the visitors from Jason Bunyan who beat Chris Schramm and Glen Phillips gave the Isle of Wight an eleven point win and all three points.


Scorers: For Newport – Nick Simmons 12+2 (7)(with 4 point TR), Chris Schramm 10+1 (6), Sebastian Truminski 5 (5), Tony Atkin 4+2 (4), Michal Rajkowski 4+1 (4), Barry Burchatt 4 (4),

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 11+1 (4)(full maximum), Jason Bunyan 10 (5), Andrew Bargh 9 (5), Glen Phillips 8+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 6+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 6 (4), Chris Johnson 0 (2).



Premier League: Glasgow 48, Redcar 47 Redcar won the aggregate bonus point by 98-89


Glasgow were at full strength but Redcar were without Mathieu Tressarieu, Josh Auty and Jack Hargreaves. They had to use Rider Replacement for Tressarieu and had Paul Cooper as a guest for Auty at number 2 with Adam McKinna filling in for Hargreaves at number 7.

The match was marred by a horrific crash between Shane Parker and James Grieves in heat 3 which resulted in both riders being withdrawn from the meeting and Grieves being taken to hospital for a check up. This however was an unfortunate prelude to a thrilling and sensational match in which the Bears produced a truly magnificent performance in the circumstances. The real winners were the spectators!

It was a bright start for the Bears as they took a 2-4 from the opening race. Gary Havelock was the winner from Craig Watson while Daniel Giffard beat David McAllan for third. However the two point lead changed hands with an easy 5-1 for the Tigers in the reserves race before there was carnage in heat 3. In the first running of the race Paul Cooper fell as Robert Ksiezak made contact with him. Controversially the referee excluded Cooper. In the rerun James Grieves clipped the back of Shane Parker’s back wheel and both riders were thrown into the air, landed heavily and their bikes finished on top of them. Parker was able to limp back dazedly to the pits with what looked like an arm injury while Grieves was eventually taken from the track by ambulance. Parker was withdrawn from the meeting and Grieves went to hospital for X-rays. James Grieves was excluded from the rerun leaving the Bears without a rider to contest it and Michael Coles replaced Parker for an uncontested 5-0 which put the Tigers seven points ahead. Chris Kerr won heat 4 from Leverington and Dicken to take the score to 15-8.

Lee Dicken replaced Shane Parker in heat 5. Gary Havelock won again but after a good race behind him Ksiezak and Dicken fended off Adam McKinna for a 3-3. Glasgow added four points to their lead with a 5-1 in heat 6. Craig Watson made the gate but it was the progress of McAllan which excited the crowd. He was last away from the gate but passed Chris Kerr on the second lap then Daniel Giffard on the third and his partner, Craig Watson, on the last lap to win the race. Heat 7 was won by Trent Leverington but Paul Cooper and Daniel Giffard shared the points behind him after Giffard had passed Michael Coles on the third lap. Chris Kerr won again in heat 8 from McAllan and Dicken for a 3-3 which took the score to 29-18.

Lee Dicken was out again in heat 10 and won the race by beating Chris Kerr who had led from the tapes. Dicken passed Kerr on the third bend and Ksiezak passed the Bear as well at the end of the second lap but Kerr got back into second place again by repassing Ksiezak for a 4-2. It looked all over for the visitors when Watson and McAllan added a 5-1 in heat 10 to put the Tigers 17 points ahead. But Redcar weren’t about to give up! Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 11. He not only won it, but with a fine piece of team riding, was followed home by Paul Cooper ahead of Trent Leverington for the big 1-8 which cut the gap to 10 points again leaving the aggregate scores tied. There was a further shock for Glasgow in heat 11 when Paul Cooper replaced James Grieves as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres back. He rode a brilliant race to make up the ground and pass both Coles and Dicken on the final bend while Daniel Giffard was unlucky not to be awarded third place on the line. The 3-6 cut the Glasgow lead to seven points at 42-35.

The Bears were in full flow now and looked to be heading for a 1-5 in heat 13 as Havelock and Kerr led Watson and Leverington until Watson dived up the inside on the third bend and fell causing the race to be rerun without him. The Bears were undaunted though and still took a 1-5 as Havelock and Kerr saw off Trent Leverington in the rerun cutting the gap now to three points. It stayed that way after heat 14. Robert Ksiezak won the race but Paul Cooper, who pressed Ksiezak all the way to the last bend, and Daniel Giffard filled the minor places for a shared race which set up a last heat decider. David McAllan and Craig Watson went for Glasgow and the unbeaten, Gary Havelock, and Chris Kerr for the Bears. Redcar won the toss for gate positions and took 2 and 4. In the first running of the race David McAllan jumped the tapes while Chris Kerr fell off on the first bend causing the race to be rerun with all-four-back. In the rerun Gary Havelock completed his full five ride maximum while Craig Watson took second place by the width of a tyre from Chris Kerr. The Bears finished with a 2-4 but fell a point short of what would have been a sensational win given that they were down to five riders after heat 3 and trailed by 17 points after heat 10. They did have the consolation of taking the bonus point after winning over the last four races by 10-26 to frighten the living daylights out of the Tigers in one of the best matches ever seen at the Ashfield stadium.


Scorers: For Glasgow – Lee Dicken 11+3 (7), Craig Watson 9+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 9 (4), David McAllan 7+1 (5), Trent Leverington 7 (4), Michael Coles 5+3 (5), Shane Parker DNR.

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 18 (5)(with 6 point TR)(full maximum), Paul Cooper 12+1 (6), Chris Kerr 11+1 (6), Daniel Giffard 5+2 (7), Adam McKinna 1 (5), James Grieves 0 (1).



Premier League: Mildenhall 54, Berwick 39 Mildenhall won the aggregate bonus point by 99-84


Mildenhall were without Kyle Legault, Tom P Madsen and Mark Baseby. They used Rider Replacement at number 3 in place of Madsen and had Steve Boxall as a guest to replace Kyle Legault. Joe Haines filled the number 6 berth in place of Baseby. Berwick were without Matej Kus, Michal Makovsky, Stanislaw Burza and John Morrison. They used Rider Replacement for Kus at number 3 and had Tommy Allen at number 1 as a guest for Makovsky. Danny Halsey filled the number 7 spot.

Mildenhall needed to beat Berwick by more than ten points to pip Edinburgh for a Young Shield place but they made heavy weather of it as the Berwick guests scored 29 points more than the Bandits’ own riders.

The Fen Tigers started with a 5-1 from Steve Boxall and Jason King but Sam Martin won the reserves race for Berwick for a 3-3. Steve Boxall (R/R) won again in heat 3 but Chris Mills and Tommy Allen finished behind him for another shared race. In heat 4 the home side added another 5-1 from Shaun Tacey and Paul Fry while a pitiful Rempala finished way at the back behind young Danny Halsey. The score was now 16-8 and Mildenhall looked well on their way.

A 4-2 in heat 5, won by Shaun Tacey from Tommy Allen, took the lead to the magic ten points but it wasn’t all plain sailing after that. Steve Boxall won heat 6 while Rempala and Martin shared the points by finishing ahead of Jason King then Chris Mills took a Tactical Ride for Berwick. He won it too beating Paul Fry and Shaun Tacey but unfortunately for Berwick he got no support from Jacek Rempala who finished last. The Bandits now trailed by only seven points so the Fen Tigers had to rebuild their lead. They started with a 5-1 in heat 8 with Jason King and young Joe Haines heading home Arlo Bugeja and Danny Halsey to take the score to 31-20.

Tomas Suchanek won heat 9 from Rempala while Paul Fry took third from Martin. The 4-2 stretched the home side’s lead to 13 points. Chris Mills won heat 10 for the Bandits after it looked like finishing as a 5-1 to the home side. Steve Boxall got out of shape on the last bend allowing Mills through to share the points then Berwick hit back with a 2-4 in heat 11. Tommy Allen was proving an excellent choice of guest for the Bandits and he won heat 11 from Shaun Tacey while Arlo Bugeja finished third ahead of Joe Haines. Back came Mildenhall with a 4-2 when Tomas Suchanek beat Chris Mills. On the last bend Paul Fry got by Sam Martin to put the home side 13 points ahead again with the score now 44-31.

Tommy Allen won again in heat 13 but Rempala could offer him no support by finishing at the back behind Tacey and Boxall so the points were shared. In heat 14 Chris Mills fell and was excluded from the rerun in which Fry and Suchanek took a 5-1 ahead of Halsey. In the last race Tommy Allen completed an excellent performance by beating his usual team mate, Steve Boxall, while Chris Mills, another very good guest for the Bandits, finished third for a 2-4 to cut the winning margin to 15 points.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Steve Boxall 14+1 (6), Shaun Tacey 11+1 (6), Paul Fry 10+2 (6), Tomas Suchanek 9+1 (5), Jason King 6+2 (4), Joe Haines 4+1 (3).

For Berwick – Chris Mills 14 (6)(with 6 point TR), Tommy Allen 13+1 (6), Sam Martin 4+1 (5), Jacek Rempala 4 (5), Arlo Bugeja 2 (4), Daniel Halsey 2 (4).



Premier League: Newcastle 43, Birmingham 47 Birmingham won the aggregate bonus point by 104-79


Newcastle without Christian Henry and Jonas Raun had George Stancl at number 1 and used Rider Replacement at number 2. Birmingham again without Henning Bager/Paul Hurry and Henrik Moller used Rider Replacement at number 1 and had Derek Sneddon as a guest at number 2.

George Stancl won the opening heat for the Diamonds from Phil Morris and Sam Dore’s third place point gave the home side a 4-2 but this was levelled out by a 2-4 in heat 2. In the first running of the race Sam Dore fell when he hit the fence on the third lap. He was excluded from the rerun and taken to hospital with a knee problem. In the rerun Ben Powell beat Paul Clews to square the match. Birmingham took the lead in heat 3 with a win from Jason Lyons. It looked like being a 1-5 when Phil Morris was in second place in the race for the line but Sean Stoddart passed him for second place with Josef Franc stuck at the back. Back came Newcastle in heat 4. Lee Smart led from Carl Wilkinson from the gate with Manuel Hauzinger in third but the Diamonds turned the race around with Wilkinson passing Smart and Clews passing Hauzinger for a 4-2 which took the score to 12-12.

In heat 5 Jason Lyons (R/R) won again after passing Josef Franc while Sean Stoddart passed Sneddon for a shared race. George Stancl won again in heat 6 but Ben Powell and Manuel Hauzinger kept Sean Stoddart at the back for another 3-3. The deadlock was broken again in heat 7 when Jason Lyons won for the third time from Carl Wilkinson. With Sam Dore out of the meeting and Newcastle using R/R for Raun the Diamonds elected not to use one of Paul Clews’ valuable rides by going with just the one rider so Phil Morris was left to pick up the gift third point giving the Brummies a 2-4 and two point lead. Newcastle replied in kind in heat 8 with Wilkinson (R/R) winning this time from Lee Smart in a race where positions changed constantly. Paul Clews finished third ahead of Ben Powell so the 4-2 levelled the scores again at 24-24.

Heat 9 was shared with Josef Franc winning for the Diamonds. Sean Stoddart disappointed by finishing behind Powell and Hauzinger and the match remained all square. Disaster struck the home side in heat 10 when George Stancl’s machine failed at the tapes leaving Jason Lyons to win for the fourth time supported by Phil Morris with Clews in third. This gave the Brummies a 1-5 which put them four points ahead for the first time in the match. Newcastle needed an advantage in heat 11 against a weakish Birmingham pairing. They got it too scoring a 5-1 courtesy of Wilkinson and Clews with Derek Sneddon third. The match was therefore level again but Birmingham struck with another 1-5 in heat 12. Jason Lyons led the race but the Diamonds were sitting on a 3-3 until Josef Franc made a mistake moving his partner, Paul Clews, out and allowing Ben Powell through for the Birmingham maximum. This took the score to 34-38.

The match continued to ebb and flow as Newcastle hit back with another 5-1 in heat 13 to level the scores again. This time Carl Wilkinson and George Stancl headed home Hauzinger and Powell after both Diamonds had passed Ben Powell, the early race leader. Not to be outdone it was Birmingham’s turn to score a 1-5 in heat 14. Phil Morris and Lee Smart beat Clews and Stoddart to take a four point lead again with just one race left. In heat 15 George Stancl won for the Diamonds, ending Jason Lyons’ maximum hopes, but Morris and Lyons were content to fill the minor places to keep Carl Wilkinson at the back for all three points.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Carl Wilkinson 14 (6), George Stancl 11+1 (5), Paul Clews 8+1 (7), Josef Franc 6 (4), Sean Stoddart 3+1 (5), Sam Dore 1 (2).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 16+1 (6), Phil Morris 11+1 (6), Ben Powell 9+1 (6), Lee Smart 7+1 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 3+2 (4), Derek Sneddon 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 25 September



The meeting on the Isle of Wight tonight was a challenge match between two teams named Martin’s Mad Dogs and Crouch’s Cougars .



Pete Redfern Memorial Trophy (on the Isle of Wight): Martin’s Mad Dogs 43, Crouch’s Cougars 47 .


This meeting was staged in memory of Pete Redfern who was a promoter at Rye House and Oxford and a founder shareholder of the Islanders. He was also a great contributor to many younger riders when they started their careers. (c. Speedway Star)

The teams were a cosmopolitan collection of riders of different experiences and abilities and included the Isle of Wight riders except Jason Bunyan and Chris Holder whose brother, James Holder, rode instead.

The meeting turned out to be a long drawn out affair with numerous falls, one of which resulted in Sam Martin, Berwick’s reserve, withdrawing from the meeting and going to hospital with a suspected ankle fracture. James Holder’s performance was viewed with interest. After scoring only one point from his first two rides he finished off with two race wins.

Scorers: For Martin’s Mad Dogs – Krzysztof Stojanowski 13 (5), Jesper Kristensen 8 (5), Andrew Bargh 6 (4), Chris Johnson 5 (4), Patrick Hougaard 5 (4), Daniel Halsey 3+2 (4), Joni Keskinen (No 8) 2 (2), Sam Martin 1 (2).

For Crouch’s Cougars – Glen Phillips 14 (5), Cory Gathercole 9+1 (5), Casper Wortmann 9 (4), James Holder 7 (4), Robert Mear 5+2 (5), Tero Aarnio 3 (4), Terry Day 0 (3), Sam Hurst (No 8) DNR.

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 26 September

Three meetings were due to take place tonight but yet again a meeting at King’s Lynn , where the Stars were due to meet the Isle of Wight in a Premier League match, fell victim to the weather and was postponed. The meetings at Stoke , where the Potters took on Berwick in a Premier League match, and at Birmingham where they staged the Second City Trophy did go ahead.


Premier League: Stoke 60, Berwick 31 Stoke won the aggregate bonus point by 108-73


Stoke were again without Rusty Harrison and used Rider Replacement at number 4 while Berwick again had to track four guests and use Rider Replacement. At number 1 in place of Matej Kus they had Trent Leverington, at number 4 in place of Stanislaw Burza they had Chris Kerr, at reserve they had two guests – Scott James and Jonathan Bethell and they used Rider Replacement at number 3 in place of Michal Makovsky.

Stoke only had to win this match to take all three points and ensure their qualification for the Young Shield. There was never much danger of them failing to do that against a very weak Berwick side.

The match started with an easy 5-1 to the Potters as Lee Complin and Ben Barker left Trent Leverington well behind but the reserves race was shared. Barrie Evans fell twice on a very slippery track and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Jaimie Smith for a 3-3. In heat 3 Chris Kerr shed a chain and it was left to Bugeja and Evans to battle it out for second place behind Glenn Cunningham. Bugeja won that battle but the Potters added a 4-2. Jaimie Smith suffered an engine failure in heat 4 but Claus Vissing headed home Jonathan Bethell with Jacek Rempala coasting round at the back for the third place point to share the race. The score was now 15-9.

Complin and Cunningham added a 5-1 in heat 5 but they didn’t get it all their own way. Trent Leverington worked his way to the front coming off the second bend but Complin passed him two bends later with Cunningham following suit on the second lap. The riders were still having a very difficult time of it on the greasy surface. In heat 6 Jacek Rempala made a fast start but fell on the second bend. This left Ben Barker and Lee Complin to take an easy 5-1 ahead of Scott James to increase the home side’s lead to 14 points. Claus Vissing won heat 7 from Chris Kerr while Barrie Evans passed Trent Leverington for third place to give the Potters a 4-2. Ben Barker and Jaimie Smith scored another 5-1 for Stoke in heat 8 as Arlo Bugeja fell at the back and the score now stood at 34-14.

Claus Vissing fell while leading heat 9 while the Potters were on a 5-1 with Jacek Rempala coasting round at the back. In the rerun Jacek Rempala made a fast start but lost interest when passed by Glenn Cunningham for a 3-3. In heat 10 Jacek Rempala was given a Tactical Ride which seemed a strange decision given he was facing the unbeaten Complin/Barker pairing. Lee Complin won the race but Ben Barker fell on the first bend. Chris Kerr finished second while Barker remounted to finish just behind the coasting Rempala having made up the best part of a lap on him. This gave Berwick a 3-4 heat advantage. The Potters replied with a 4-2 in heat 11 with Claus Vissing beating Trent Leverington. Jaimie Smith gated to win heat 12 for the Potters but Scott James and Chris Kerr shared the race taking the score to 47-26.

Complin and Vissing added another 5-1 in heat 13 ahead of Leverington while Rempala again made no attempt to race then in heat 14 Berwick supplied a race winner in the shape of Chris Kerr. Ben Barker and Jaimie Smith filled the minor places for a shared race then in the last race the Potters finished off with a 5-1 as Claus Vissing made the gate and Lee Complin passed Trent Leverington for second place.

Scorers: For Stoke – Lee Complin 16+2 (6)(paid maximum), Claus Vissing 14+1 (6), Ben Barker 10+1 (5), Jaimie Smith 9+2 (5), Glenn Cunningham 8+1 (4), Barrie Evans 3 (4).

For Berwick – Chris Kerr 8+1 (5), Scott James 6+1 (4), Trent Leverington 6 (6), Jacek Rempala 5+1 (6)(with 2 point TR), Jonathan Bethell 4+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2 (5).




The Second City Trophy at: Birmingham

Winner: Jason Lyons
Second: Rory Schlein
Third: David Howe

An impressive line-up had been assembled for this meeting which took the form of a 16 rider, 20 heat individual with each rider programmed to have five rides facing each opponent once. The winner would be decided on total points scored.

Unfortunately Craig Watson and Chris Neath had to withdraw from the field and their places were taken by Chris Schramm and Lee Smart. Henrik Moller was also missing so his place was taken by Adam Lowe (Boston). Before the start the Birmingham promoter, Graham Drury, announced to the crowd that the BSPA had decided that it was not in the interests of British Speedway for Ronnie Correy to join the Brummies for the rest of the season. Birmingham had planned to bring Correy into the side for the rest of the season as a solution to their injury problems.

After the first group of four heats the unbeaten riders were Billy Janniro, Jason Lyons, Rory Schlein and Cameron Woodward with Phil Morris, Andre Compton, David Howe and Joe Screen all with two points to their names. In heat 3 Andy Smith fell and had to withdraw from the meeting to take a trip to hospital.

Over the second set of four races Jason Lyons and Rory Schlein won again to sit on six points while David Howe and Joe Screen had five with Billy Janniro and Andre Compton a further point adrift on four.

The third set of four races saw Rory Schlein win again to lead the field on his own with nine points after Jason Lyons was beaten by David Howe to leave both of these riders on eight together with Joe Screen. Their nearest challengers on six points were now Billy Janniro and Josef Franc.

In the fourth stanza of races Rory Schlein made it four wins on the trot to get one hand on the trophy while home rider, Jason Lyons, kept up the pressure by moving on to the eleven point mark along with Joe Screen. David Howe had slipped back to the nine point mark along with Billy Janniro. They were the only other riders within touching distance as the last four races approached. In heat 16 Ben Powell withdrew due to a wrist injury and, rather incredibly, Henrik Moller who had been having problems with his bike appeared in this race having been replaced initially by Adam Lowe.

It’s never over until the fat lady sings and she hadn’t yet sung as Rory Schlein found out by finishing third in a fantastic final race of the meeting behind Jason Lyons and Billy Janniro. This meant that Lyons won the meeting by finishing on 14 points from Schlein on 13. With Joe Screen finishing with a last and David Howe with a win it was Howe who finished third for a rostrum place.

Scorers:– Jason Lyons 14, Rory Schlein 13, David Howe 12, Billy Janniro 11, Joe Screen 11, Kauko Nieminen 10, Cameron Woodward 10, Josef Franc 9, Phil Morris 6, Andre Compton 6, Ronnie Correy 6, Chris Schramm 5, Lee Smart 3, Henrik Moller 2 (2), Ben Powell 1 (3), Adam Lowe 1 (7), Andy Smith 0 (1).