Around the Premier League Tracks - 2007

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 23 October

Tonight’s meeting was on the Isle of Wight where the Island Championships took place.

Island Championships: on the Isle of Wight

Winner: Lewis Bridger (Eastbourne)

Second: Filip Sitera (Ak Plzen, Czech Republic)

Third: Jesper Kristiansen (Denmark)

This meeting took the form of a 12 rider individual with 12 qualifying heats. As a result of the rather unsatisfactory nature of the of the race formula some riders met twice in these heats and others not at all. However only four of the field were eliminated as no less than eight riders went through to two semi-finals and a final.

If this was seen as likely to be a successful farewell to Chris Holder who is leaving the Islanders after this meeting it didn’t turn out that way. Holder certainly won the opening race after passing Andrew Bargh who led for three laps but he could only manage a third in his next outing after clipping Leigh Lanham’s back wheel and hitting the fence in a race won by Filip Sitera. A non-appearance in his third and fourth outings due to machine problems left him with just 4 points. However it was academic as he was forced to withdraw from the meeting feeling unwell.

Glen Phillips also pulled out of the meeting after scoring six points from three races due to feeling the effects of the injuries he sustained in a crash last week involving Chris Johnson in the Islanders match at King’s Lynn. This left the meeting wide open for some of the other contestants and Lewis Bridger looked the best bet by winning all of his four qualifying rides. For the Islanders, Cory Gathercole with two wins in his seven points and Krzysztof Stojanowski with one in his seven points kept the fans’ hopes alive of a home success.

As a result of the two withdrawals only two riders were eliminated after the twelve qualifying heats – Casper Wortmann and Daniel Warwick. The other race winners were Lee Smart (twice) and Filip Sitera.

In the first semi-final Jesper Kristiansen led from the gate but a determined effort by Lewis Bridger got him past Kristiansen on the last bend to win the race. Krzysztof Stojanowski finished third and Lee Smart fourth so both were eliminated.

In the second semi-final Filip Sitera won from the gate to beat Cory Gathercole. Leigh Lanham and Andrew Bargh finished third and fourth so they too were eliminated.

The final fittingly resulted in a win for Lewis Bridger who completed a full house with his sixth consecutive race win. Filip Sitera finished second to gain his third podium place in three consecutive days while Jesper Kristiansen finished third with Cory Gathercole falling on the second bend.

Scorers - from the qualifying heats (from 4 rides each): – Lewis Bridger 12, Filip Sitera 9, Cory Gathercole 7, Leigh Lanham 7, Lee Smart 7, Krzysztof Stojanowski 7, Glen Phillips 6 (3), Chris Holder 4 (2), Andrew Bargh 4, Jesper Kristiansen 4, Casper Wortmann 3, Daniel Warwick 2.

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 24 October

There were two matches raced tonight. At King’s Lynn the Stars raced Somerset in the second leg of the Knockout Cup final while at Birmingham the Brummies took on Wolverhampton in the second leg of the Midland Shield.


Knockout Cup final, second leg: King’s Lynn 59, Somerset 34 King’s Lynn won the cup on aggregate by 105-78.


King’s Lynn were at full strength while Somerset were without Magnus Zetterstrom and Simon Walker. Instead they had Ricky Ashworth as a guest at number 1 and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Walker.

Having lost the first leg at home by two points and tracking a weakened team, Somerset’s chances of winning the trophy looked bleak. They recovered from a first heat 5-1 to the Stars from Tomas Topinka and Paul Lee by sharing the reserves race 3-3 thanks to a win for Stephan Katt and then doing likewise in heat 3 when Daniel Nermark fell and was excluded from the rerun. Emil Kramer led the rerun for a couple of laps but when his front wheel lifted Trevor Harding took the opportunity to pass him. Chris Mills fell in heat 4 while chasing race leader Ritchie Hawkins so the Rebels scored a 2-4 when Lambert followed Hawkins home with Daniel Warwick picking up the third place point. This took the score to 13-11 with the Rebels four points behind on aggregate.

Heat 5 was rerun after Trevor Harding had fallen and Jordan Frampton (R/R) was excluded for causing the stoppage. In the rerun Trevor Harding got a flyer from the gate and was followed home by Daniel Nermark for a 5-1 ahead of Ricky Ashworth extending the Stars’ lead to six points but heat 6, won by Topinka, was shared as Stephan Katt and Ritchie Hawkins comfortably consigned Paul Lee to last place. Jordan Frampton and Chris Mills were involved in a nasty looking crash in heat 7 which saw Frampton excluded for a second time. Mills was unable to take his place in the rerun and withdrew from the meeting as did Frampton so Mills was replaced by Simon Lambert. The rerun resulted in a 5-1 to the Stars as Adam Allott and Simon Lambert made stunning starts to leave Emil Kramer for dead. King’s Lynn were now ten points in front on the night and Somerset were now losing touch with their opponents. Adam Allott was out again in heat 8 and won again supported in second place by Paul Lee for another 5-1 which took the score to 31-17.

The floodgates had opened now as King’s Lynn added a third consecutive 5-1 this time from Nermark and Harding in heat 9 after Ritchie Hawkins was excluded for failing to beat the two minute time allowance, elected to go from 15 metres back then was excluded again under a fresh two minute time allowance. It became four 5-1s on the trot in heat 10 as Topinka and Lee added another from Warwick and Kramer. Rather late in the day Ricky Ashworth took a Tactical Ride in heat 11 against the two King’s Lynn reserves and won it warding off a spirited challenge by Simon Lambert in the process. Stephan Katt took third ahead of Adam Allott so the Rebels scored a 2-7 to cut the gap to 17 points. Daniel Nermark won heat 12 but Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt shared the points behind him taking the score to 46-29. The aggregate score was now beyond the Rebels as King’s Lynn confirmed their cup triumph.

Tomas Topinka won heat 13 from Ashworth and Kramer for a shared race then heat 14 produced a good tussle. Stephan Katt led from the tapes but Simon Lambert was first to pass him at the start of the second lap followed by an inside pass by Trevor Harding on the third lap resulting in another home 5-1. The Stars wrapped up a successful evening with a 5-1 in heat 15 but it was by no means routine. Tomas Topinka had a tapes-to-flag win but Daniel Nermark was taken way wide on the first bend leaving him stuck at the back. He thundered back into the race though and roared round the outside of Ritchie Hawkins before passing Ricky Ashworth on the inside to join Topinka for the maximum.

Congratulations go to King’s Lynn for winning the Knockout Cup for the third year in a row. I wonder if they’ll be allowed to keep it now!

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 15 (5)(full maximum), Simon Lambert 11+1 (6), Trevor Harding 10+2 (4)(paid maximum), Daniel Nermark 10+2 (5), Adam Allott 7+1 (5), Paul Lee 6+3 (4), Chris Mills 0 (1).

For Somerset – Ricky Ashworth 11 (5)(with 6 point TR), Stephan Katt 9+1 (7), Ritchie Hawkins 5+2 (6), Emil Kramer 5 (4), Daniel Warwick 3 (5), Jordan Frampton 1+1 (3).



Midland Shield: Birmingham 45, Wolverhampton 45 Wolverhampton won the Shield on aggregate by 100-83.


Birmingham tracked Filip Sitera at number 1. Shaun Tacey at number 4 and Paul Clews at number 6. They also used Rider Replacement at number 5. Wolverhampton had Kenneth Hansen at number 4, Chris Kerr at number 5, and Joe Haines and Jack Hargreaves at reserve.

Having lost by 17 points at Wolverhampton on Monday night, Birmingham’s chances of winning the Midland Shield looked remote even against a scratch Wolves side whose only season-long regulars were Freddie Lindgren and William Lawson.

The Brummies got off to a bad start losing the first heat to a 1-5 from Lindgren and Lawson. They got two points back with a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Lee Smart
Then shared heat 3 when Jason Lyons beat Klindt and Kerr. Kenneth Hansen won heat 4 for the Wolves in a race which it took three attempts to complete after Lee Smart (twice) and Phil Morris had crashed on the first bend resulting in all-four-back reruns. The result was another shared heat taking the score on the night to 11-13.

Heat 5 was shared when Freddie Lindgren won from Jason Lyons and Shaun Tacey but Birmingham wiped out the two point arrears and got their noses in front with a 5-1 in heat 6 from Filip Sitera and Phil Morris who were followed home by Joe Haines and Kenneth Hansen. In heat 7, Sitera was out again taking a R/R ride and won again from Chris Kerr with Paul Clews third. This gave the home side a 4-2 and four point lead but William Lawson won heat 8 from Phil Morris and got support from Jack Hargreaves who beat Lee Smart for a 2-4 taking the score on the night to 25-23.

Jason Lyons kept the Brummies in front by winning heat 9 from Joe Haines and Shaun Tacey then the home side increased their lead to four points in heat 10 with a 4-2 from a heat won by Filip Sitera from Chris Kerr and Phil Morris. Jason Lyons then had two on the trot with a R/R ride in heat 11 which saw him beat William Lawson and Freddie Lindgren for a shared race then another win in heat 10 this time ahead of Nicolai Klindt. On this occasion Lee Smart finished third for a 4-2 to the Brummies extending their lead to six points with the score now 39-33.

Freddie Lindgren stopped Filip Sitera’s winning run in heat 13 while Kenneth Hansen took third place from Shaun Tacey for a 2-4 cutting the difference between the sides to four points again. The scores were once more all square on the night when Wolves took a 1-5 from heat 14. Jack Hargreaves and Chris Kerr did the damage for the visitors leaving Tacey and Clews to bring up the rear. Freddie Lindgren won heat 15 for the Wolves from Sitera and Lyons for a shared race and a drawn match.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15+1 (6), Filip Sitera 13 (6), Phil Morris 8+1 (5), Lee Smart 5+1 (4), Shaun Tacey 2+1 (5), Paul Clews 2 (4).

For Wolverhampton – Freddie Lindgren 13+1 (5), Chris Kerr 7+1 (4), William Lawson 7+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 6 (4), Kenneth Hansen 5+1 (4), Nicolai Klindt 4 (4), Joe Haines 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 25 October



Redcar staged tonight’s only meeting. They faced Birmingham in the first leg of the final of the Young Shield.



Young Shield Final, first leg: Redcar 49, Birmingham 41 .


Redcar again used Rider Replacement for the injured Mathieu Tressarieu at number 2 and had Joe Haines at number 4 in place of Josh Auty. Birmingham were once again forced to use three guests in addition to Rider Replacement for their injured riders – Manuel Hauzinger, Henrik Moller, Emiliano Sanchez and Ben Powell. They operated Rider Replacement at number 1 and had Shaun Tacey at number 4, Jason King at number 5 and Barrie Evans at number 6.

The last week in October once again sees the final of the Jack Young Shield with the weather kind enough to avoid any late and awkward rearrangement problems for the two teams (so far!). Redcar got to the final by disposing of Glasgow and Workington while Birmingham knocked out Mildenhall and Stoke. Redcar’s success had been achieved without the need for a sizeable home lead to take to the away leg while Birmingham had somehow managed to see off their opponents despite having to field seriously patched up sides. Everything was set for a real cliff hanger over both legs of the final with the eventual winners too close to call.

You can never write the Redcar Bears off! Just like in the semi-final when Workington led comfortably only to be hit by a late whammy from the Bears, Birmingham led by two points with just the last three races left only to be hit by two 5-1s and a 4-2 to find themselves with an eight point deficit to make up in the second leg. Redcar managed to triumph in the second legs at Glasgow and Workington defending similar leads so the second leg should be a thriller. Unfortunately the match was marred by an injury to Phil Morris in heat 11 in a collision with Chris Kerr which resulted in Morris having to be taken to hospital with what appeared to be an injury to his back.

In the early part of the match Birmingham had the better of the exchanges but Redcar kept hitting back keeping very much in contention. The opening four races were all shared. Gary Havelock won the opening race from the gate but in heat 2 Birmingham looked to be set for a 1-5 when Lee Smart and Barrie Evans gated. However Evans suffered an engine failure on the back straight leaving Smart to win it for a 3-3. Jason Lyons was fast away in heat 3 but James Grieves soon rounded him for the race win then in heat 4 all four riders fell on the first bend. It was an all-four-back decision and Chris Kerr gated to win the race in the rerun. Jack Hargreaves dived under Lee Smart on the third bend of the second lap and was deemed to have caused Smart to fall earning him an exclusion. The second rerun was won by Chris Kerr and this fourth shared race took the score to 12-12.

The deadlock was broken in heat 5 when Jason Lyons got the better of James Grieves while Phil Morris kept Joe Haines pointless for a 2-4 putting the Brummies two points ahead. Redcar hit back with a 5-1 which swopped the two point lead between the sides. Chris Kerr (R/R) and Gary Havelock team rode to keep Jason King at the back but the Bears were two points down again after heat 7. Shaun Tacey and Jason Lyons scored a 1-5 over Chris Kerr as Daniel Giffard fell at the back to regain the visitors’ two point advantage. James Grieves took the R/R ride in heat 8 and had a tapes-to-flag win. Phil Morris was second while Jack Hargreaves finished third after Lee Smart suffered an engine failure. The 4-2 tied the scores again at 24-24.

What a shock for Redcar in heat 9 when Jason King and Barrie Evans headed home James Grieves for another Brummies 1-5 putting them four points ahead. The visitors looked to be completely in command when they added a 2-4 in heat 10 from Jason Lyons who beat Gary Havelock and Shaun Tacey putting them six points ahead. Back came Redcar again in heat 11. Phil Morris made the gate but Daniel Giffard rounded him to lead the race. On the second lap Chris Kerr dived hard inside Phil Morris and both riders came down. The referee excluded Morris, a decision which did not meet with universal agreement. In the rerun Chris Kerr and Jason King had a good battle until King seemed to have a problem with his machine allowing Daniel Giffard through for a 5-1. This clawed four points back for the home side cutting the gap to two points. James Grieves won heat 12 but Jason Lyons and Barrie Evans comfortably kept Giffard at the back for a shared race taking the score to 35-37.

Then came Redcar’s grandstand finish! Chris Kerr and Gary Havelock combined beautifully in heat 13 to see off Jason King and Barrie Evans for a 5-1 putting the Bears two points in front. Heat 14 produced a crucial and thrilling race. Both Giffard and Hargreaves gated for the Bears but Shaun Tacey was not to be denied. He finally got past Hargreaves after a couple of laps but couldn’t quite catch Giffard so the home side took a 4-2 doubling their lead to four points. Finally James Grieves and Gary Havelock got the better of Jason Lyons from the gate in heat 15 and, try as he did, Lyons could not catch either of them. The 5-1 doubled the Bears’ lead again from four to eight points and this could turn out to be a crucial result for both teams. It certainly sets the second leg up nicely with the outcome still delicately balanced.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 15 (6), Chris Kerr 13 (6), Gary Havelock 11+3 (5), Daniel Giffard 6+2 (5), Jack Hargreaves 4 (6), Joe Haines 0 (4).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13+1 (6), Shaun Tacey 9+1 (6), Jason King 8 (5), Lee Smart 4+1 (3), Phil Morris 4+1 (4), Barrie Evans 3+2 (6).

[Merlin]

Friday, 26 October



Somerset wound down their season tonight with a challenge match against an International Select side.



Challenge Match: Somerset 49, International Select 44 .


Somerset tracked Ricky Ashworth at number 1 in place of Magnus Zetterstrom and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Simon Walker. The International Select side consisted of Bjarne Pedersen and Tomas Suchanek as the top pairing, Mark Lemon and Matt Bates at numbers 3 and 4 with the ubiquitous Filip Sitera at number 5 partnering the two reserves Casper Wortmann and Luke Bowen..

Somerset finished off the season by beating a select side which had effectively only four scorers. The Rebels had only five race winners but still managed to finish five points ahead of their opponents for whom Bjarne Pedersen was a class above the rest.

The first race resulted in an easy win for Bjarne Pedersen while Ricky Ashworth’s fall while holding third place cost the Rebels a 2-4 but they replied with a 5-1 in the reserves race. Daniel Warwick won the race while Casper Wortmann lost his second place to Stephan Katt. He slipped to the back when passed by his partner, Luke Bowen, and Bowen’s charge almost got him past Katt on the line. The Rebels then took another 5-1 from heat 3 stretching their lead to six points. Emil Kramer and Jordan Frampton made the gate to head home Mark Lemon but the Select hit back with a 2-4 from heat 4. Filip Sitera drove round the outside of Danny Warwick to win the race then Warwick suffered a puncture on the last lap on the run in to the line allowing Luke Bowen through for third place. The score now stood at 14-10.

Bjarne Pedersen sailed home for another race win in heat 5 from Emil Kramer but, behind this pair, Tomas Suchanek and Jordan Frampton passed and re-passed each other for the third place point which eventually went to Frampton for a shared race. Somerset hit another 5-1 in heat 6 courtesy of Stephan Katt and Ricky Ashworth who left Filip Sitera floundering at the gate. This increased the Rebels’ lead to eight points and they stretched it further to ten with a 4-2 in heat 7. Stephan Katt, out for two on the trot, won again with a flying start this time to beat Mark Lemon. Ritchie Hawkins’ third place added an extra two points to the home side’s lead but the International Select then gave Filip Sitera a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8 replacing Tomas Suchanek. Sitera made light work of his handicap and had gone ahead by the end of the third lap. However Ritchie Hawkins and Stephan Katt filled the minor places so the heat resulted in a 3-6 to the visitors making the score 29-22.

Casper Wortmann had a fearful crash on the back straight of heat 9 requiring medical treatment. He recovered but was excluded from the rerun in which Emil Kramer held off the determined challenge of Filip Sitera to win the race. This gave the Rebels another 4-2 advantage stretching their lead to 9 points. Mark Lemon made the gate to win heat 10 from Ashworth and Warwick for a shared race then Bjarne Pedersen rejoined the fray by winning heat 11 from Ritchie Hawkins. Stephan Katt and Tomas Suchanek had an interesting tussle for the third place point which finally went to Katt for another shared race. It was Lemon to the fore again in heat 12 with another race win but, again, there was no support forthcoming for him so this heat ended as another 3-3 with the score now standing at 42-33.

Heat 13 provided another routine race win for Bjarne Pedersen but there was a great battle behind him between Ricky Ashworth and Filip Sitera for second. Ashworth hung on so the Select were restricted to a 2-4 heat win which closed the gap to seven points. Luke Bowen then joined the list of Select race winners by hanging on to beat Jordan Frampton in heat 14. Stephan Katt suffered an engine failure so Mark Bates picked up the gift third place point for another 2-4 to cut the gap again - this time to five points. It was too little too late with just one heat left in which Bjarne Pedersen completed his maximum heading home Kramer and Frampton with Lemon at the back.

Scorers: For Somerset – Emil Kramer 12 (5), Stephan Katt 11+4 (7), Jordan Frampton 9+3 (6), Ritchie Hawkins 7 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+1 (4), Daniel Warwick 4+1 (3).

For the International Select – Bjarne Pedersen 15 (5)(full maximum), Filip Sitera 13 (5)(with 6 point TS), Mark Lemon 9 (5), Luke Bowen 5 (5), Tomas Suchanek 1 (3), Matt Bates 1 (4), Casper Wortmann 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 27 October

There were two individual meetings held tonight. One was the Garry Stead meeting at Stoke while the other was the Ace of Herts meeting at Rye House.



Garry Stead Meeting: at Stoke

Winner: Rory Schlein (Coventry)

Second: Ben Barker (Stoke)

Third: George Stancl (Edinburgh)

The format used was the standard one with 16 riders, 20 heats and each rider meeting each other once. The winner was the top point scorer from the 20 heats. In addition to the main event there were three ‘Old Men Racers’ heats between Les Collins, Gary O’Hare, Alan Grahame and Rob Hollingsworth. In the main event there was one casualty when the unfortunate Gareth Isherwood fell in heat 6 and withdrew from the meeting with a suspected broken wrist.

Rory Schlein won the meeting with a 15 point maximum. However it wasn’t all from the gate. In heat 4 he passed Adam Allott on the third lap on the outside while in heat 6 he didn’t realise that he had only completed three laps and coasted the latter part of the fourth yet still won the race! Mark Lemon led heat 11 from the gate but Rory Schlein passed him coming off the second bend to win that one. In heat 13 Ben Barker gated and looked in good position but Rory Schlein took Rob Grant wide causing him to fall on the first bend. The race was rerun with all four and Schlein made no mistake at the second time of asking. He then went on to beat George Stancl in heat 20 for a full house.

Ben Barker was runner up beaten only by Schlein and Tony Atkin after a titanic struggle between the two in heat 5. Third place went to George Stancl who finished a point ahead of former Potter, Mark Lemon, and James Wright while no fewer than eleven of the sixteen competitors won a race!

The meeting was of course in aid of Stoke’s Garry Stead who suffered such dreadful injuries which have confined him to a wheelchair in the match at Somerset earlier in the season . There was an excellent attendance which resulted in a full grandstand with supporters there from other tracks all of which contributed to an excellent evening’s entertainment including a fireworks display to bring Stoke’s 2007 season to a close.

Scorers - (five rides each): – Rory Schlein 15, Ben Barker 13, George Stancl 11, Mark Lemon 10, James Wright 10, Tony Atkin 9, Emil Kramer 7, Barrie Evans 7, Trent Leverington 7, Lee Dicken 7, Adam Allott 6, Rob Grant 6, Luke Priest 5, Jonathan Bethell 4, Gareth Isherwood 1 (2), Alan Grahame (Res) 1 (1), Aidan Collins 0.

‘Old Men Racers’ Scorers (from 3 rides each): - Alan Grahame 7, Rob Hollingsworth 6, Les Collins 4, Gary O’Hare 1.



Ace of Herts: at Rye House

Winner: Tommy Allen (Rye House)

Second: Chris Neath (Rye House)

Third: Tai Woffinden (Rye House)

Rye House brought their highly successful season to a close with this annual individual event which was followed by a fireworks display. The format for this meeting was a 12 rider, 15 heat one with the top eight riders proceeding to two semi-finals with the top two from each semi-final going through to the final. In the end it was a clean sweep for Rye House for first, second and third although the leader from the qualifying heats was Danny King. Edward Kennett finished third in the qualifying heats yet neither King nor Kennett could finish in the top three.

The four riders eliminated after the opening twelve heats were Robert Mear. Adam Roynon, Luke Bowen and Karlis Ezergailis with the other eight competing in the semi-finals, the first of which produced a win for Tommy Allen from Edward Kennett. Eliminated as a result of finishing third and fourth were Danny King and Lewis Bridger whose chain snapped on the third bend of the last lap causing him to fall while in second place.

In the second semi-final Chris Neath won from Tai Woffinden in a race decided from the gate. Eliminated as a result of finishing third and fourth in this race were Steve Boxall and Leigh Lanham. The final was decided from the gate and, perhaps surprisingly considering he only scored 7 points from his five opening rides, was won by Tommy Allen from Chris Neath and Tai Woffinden with Edward Kennett trailing in last.

Scorers - from the qualifying heats (from 5 rides each): – Danny King 13, Chris Neath 12, Edward Kennett 11, Tai Woffinden 10, Lewis Bridger 8, Leigh Lanham 7, Tommy Allen 7, Steve Boxall 7, Robert Mear 5, Adam Roynon 4, Luke Bowen 4, Karlis Ezergailis 2.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 28 October 2007

There was just the one match raced tonight. It was the last of the major meetings left this season raced at Birmingham where the second leg of the final of the Jack Young Shield took place with Redcar providing the opposition. There was one other match scheduled - a Challenge Match, at Oxford where next year’s prospective Premier League side faced Somerset. The rain washed this out but the two teams will try again tomorrow night.


Young Shield, final – second leg: Birmingham 43, Redcar 46 Redcar won the Shield on aggregate by 95-84.


Birmingham need a head count these days to see how many guests they’re going to need for their matches. Tonight Lee Smart was able to ride so the Brummies only needed four guests in addition to using Rider Replacement at number 1 for Manuel Hauzinger. Replacing any four of Henning Bager, Emiliano Sanchez, Henrik Moller, Phil Morris and Ben Powell were Joel Parsons at number 2, Shaun Tacey at number 4, Chris Schramm at number 5 and Paul Clews at number 6. Redcar missing Mathieu Tressarieu and Josh Auty used Rider Replacement at number 2 and had Simon Lambert at number 4.

This match seemed delicately poised after a late rally by the Bears in the first leg saw them take an eight point lead. This had been good enough to see off Glasgow in the first round and, although they had a ten point lead, would have been good enough to beat Workington in the semi-final. Birmingham were wondering whether they would be left to rue the late collapse at Redcar last Thursday.

The match opened with a shared race won by Gary Havelock but things started to go badly for Birmingham in heat 2. Redcar looked to be heading for a 1-5 from Daniel Giffard and Jack Hargreaves until Lee Smart passed Hargreaves on the line to limit the damage to a 2-4. If that was bad for the Brummies, heat 3 was an absolute disaster and probably the turning point of the whole match even that early in the proceedings. Simon Lambert made the gate and James Grieves nursed him round for the whole race to relegate Jason Lyons to third place. This 1-5 left the home side gasping already six points down on the night and now with 14 points to pull back. They got no joy from heat 4. Although Chris Schramm won it for them Chris Kerr and Jack Hargreaves kept Lee Smart at the back for a shared race which took the score to 9-15.

Gary Havelock won heat 5 beating Jason Lyons in the process for another 3-3 but heat 6 offered Birmingham a chance to strike back when Chris Kerr fell on the third bend bringing down Chris Schramm and being excluded as a result. In the rerun, though, Chris Schramm’s bike gave up the ghost with an early fireworks display at the starting gate. Although Joel Parsons won the race for the home side, Daniel Giffard picked up the gift two points in the two finisher race. Birmingham won the heat 3-2 but this was really another body blow to their chances. Paul Clews raised home hopes by passing James Grieves on the last bend of the opening lap to win heat 7 while Chris Schramm finished third for a 4-2 to the Brummies cutting their arrears on the night to three points. James Grieves was out again in heat 8 which finished as a 3-3. Grieves passed Joel parsons at the start of lap 2 but Lee Smart again pipped Jack Hargreaves on the line for third place taking the score to 22-25.

Finally Jason Lyons came to the party. He won heat 9 from Chris Kerr and Shaun Tacey while Daniel Giffard’s attempt at an outside sweep for third place ended when his bike packed up. Again the result was a shared race and Birmingham were now fast running out of races to make inroads to their arrears. They could only share heat 10 as well as James Grieves won comfortably from Paul Clews and Joel Parsons but any lingering hopes they might still have had all but disappeared after heat 11 when Redcar took a 2-4 to increase their lead to three points again, eleven on aggregate. Chris Kerr was the race winner from Chris Schramm while Gary Havelock’s third place point was enough to put Redcar in the comfort zone. Birmingham replied with a 4-2 in heat 12 when Jason Lyons beat James Grieves from the tapes with Lee Smart third to get to within a point of the Bears with the score now 35-36 and Redcar still leading by nine points on aggregate.

Chris Kerr rode a brilliant first two bends in heat 13 to go from last to first but he was passed by Jason Lyons, taking the R/R ride, who went on to win the race. Kerr and Havelock were content to fill the minor places to give Redcar one hand on the trophy. It was finally done and dusted when Jack Hargreaves won heat 14 to ensure that every single Bears rider had recorded at least one race win. Paul Clews got past Simon Lambert who finished third ahead of Shaun Tacey for a 2-4 advantage to Redcar giving them a three point lead going into the last race. Jason Lyons won heat 15 but Chris Kerr and Gary Havelock took second and third to ensure a Redcar win on the night to add icing to the cake.

Congratulations go to Redcar for winning this trophy. There can be no argument that the Bears were the form team of the tournament. They were never able to build up sizeable leads from their home legs but, in truth, they never needed them. Their ploy of using James Grieves in heats 7, 8 and 10 (away) gave them a strong mid-match line-up and with Chris Kerr being able to join Gary Havelock in heats 11 and 13 for the away matches they posed problems which none of their opponents were able to solve.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15 (6), Joel Parsons 8+1 (5), Paul Clews 7 (5), Chris Schramm 6 (5), Lee Smart 4+1 (4), Shaun Tacey 3+2 (5).

For Redcar – James Grieves 12+1 (5), Chris Kerr 11 (6), Gary Havelock 9+2 (5), Jack Hargreaves 5+1 (4), Daniel Giffard 5 (5), Simon Lambert 4 (5).

[Merlin]

Monday, 29 October



There was a rare Monday night match tonight at Redcar where the Bears took on Newcastle in the second leg of the Tyne Tees Trophy.



Tyne Tees Trophy: Redcar 53, Newcastle 40 Redcar won the Trophy by 98-85.


Redcar had Adam Roynon as a guest at number 2 in place of Mathieu Tressarieu and used their Conference League side, the Cleveland Bays’ Martin Emerson, at number 4 in place of Josh Auty. Newcastle had George Stancl as a guest at number 1 in place of Christian Henry while Robert Ksiezak was due to fill the number 2 spot in place of Jonas Raun. However Ksiezak did not arrive (it was announced that he had returned to Australia!) so the Diamonds had to use Rider Replacement for him instead.

With the first leg at Newcastle ending in a 45-45 draw and with Redcar still in a state of euphoria following their Jack Young Shield win last night, the stage was set for the Bears to bring their season to a close in a blaze of glory by winning silverware on consecutive nights.

The Newcastle resistance lasted one heat. George Stancl gated to head home Gary Havelock and Adam Roynon for a 3-3 in heat 1 but the reserves race provided Redcar with a 5-1 and four point lead with Hargreaves and Giffard leading Paul Clews home. The Bears added a 4-2 from heat 3 as James Grieves passed both Newcastle riders to lead down the back straight on his way to the heat win. Martin Emerson rode a good race to beat Sean Stoddart for third increasing the Bears’ lead to six points. When Chris Kerr and Jack Hargreaves hit the front in heat 4 another 5-1 looked on the cards but Hargreaves got out of shape on the fourth bend and Carl Wilkinson got through for second and a 4-2 which took the score to 16-8.

James Grieves won heat 5 for the Bears but George Stancl and Sean Stoddart (R/R) filled the minor places as Martin Emerson fell at the back. This meant that the race was shared but Redcar pulled another two points in front in heat 6 when Gary Havelock, the early race leader, was nearly reeled in by Carl Wilkinson but held on to win the race. Adam Roynon finished third so the result was a 4-2 for a ten point lead. It got worse for Newcastle when the rampant Bears scored a 5-1 in heat 7. Chris Kerr and Daniel Giffard did the hard work on the opening bends leaving Josef Franc to trail in third. Now 14 points adrift, Newcastle gave Carl Wilkinson, taking the R/R ride, a Tactical Ride in heat 8. He duly delivered the six points by beating off a terrific challenge by Adam Roynon. With Jack Hargreaves third the Diamonds took a 3-6 from the race and the score now stood at 31-20.


James Grieves made it three rides, three wins in heat 9 but Carl Wilkinson was second and Sam Dore third so the race finished as a 3-3. Gary Havelock kept the pressure on Newcastle by passing Josef Franc to win heat 10 while Adam Roynon passed Sean Stoddart for third giving the Bears another 4-2 stretching the home side’s lead to 13 points. Heat 11 produced a great race between George Stancl and Chris Kerr with Stancl getting the verdict on the line. Paul Clews (R/R) took third place for a 2-4 pulling two points back for the Diamonds while heat 12 was won by James Grieves again this time by passing Josef Franc on the fourth bend. Jack Hargreaves fell on the second lap and although he remounted the race finished as a 3-3 taking the score to 43-32.

Redcar clinched the Trophy in heat 13 with a 5-1 from Gary Havelock and Chris Kerr after Kerr had passed both Wilkinson and Stancl on the third and fourth bends. Daniel Giffard won heat 14 for a 3-3 then, in heat 15, Josef Franc spoiled the Redcar party by ending James Grieves’ maximum hopes in winning the race. Although Grieves finished second Carl Wilkinson finished third ahead of Gary Havelock for third giving the Diamonds a consolation 2-4.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 14 (5), Gary Havelock 11 (5), Chris Kerr 10+1 (4), Daniel Giffard 7+2 (4), Adam Roynon 5+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 5+1 (4), Martin Emerson 1 (4).

For Newcastle – Carl Wilkinson 13 (6)(with 6 point TR), Josef Franc 10 (5), George Stancl 9 (4), Paul Clews 4 (5), Sean Stoddart 2+2 (5), Sam Dore 2+2 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 30 October



……and so to the last match of the season (there’s not one tomorrow is there?! The final match of 2007 was a challenge match at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions, next year’s Premier League newcomers, took on Sheffield in a Challenge Match for the Halloween Trophy.



Halloween Trophy: Scunthorpe 44, Sheffield 45 .


Scunthorpe used Rider Replacement at number 3 and had Adam Roynon at number 2 in place of Chris Kerr who was due to guest for the Scorpions but who had to withdraw due to a broken bone in his hand. They also had Carl Wilkinson as a guest at number 5. Sheffield used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Ricky Ashworth, who allegedly had what is commonly known as ‘the runs’. They also had Simon Lambert at number 2 in place of Ben Wilson and a reserve partnership of Ricky Scarboro and Luke Priest.

Scunthorpe, the Conference League Champions, had an opportunity to size up the reaction to the visit of a Premier League side before their proposed elevation to the higher flight next season. They must have been pleased with the size of the crowd – probably the best ever seen at the track on a bitterly cold night. The start of the meeting had to be delayed due to the traffic such was the interest.

Simon Walker made the best start in the opening heat but Tai Woffinden was soon past him while Joel Parsons (R/R) kept Adam Roynon at the back to share the points but the Scorpions took the lead in the reserves race. Luke Priest made the gate for the Tigers and had an excellent battle with Byron Bekker before Bekker got the better of him. Scott Richardson finished third for a 4-2 to the home side but Sheffield looked well placed to take a 1-5 in heat 3 when Paul Cooper and Andre Compton led from the start. Tai Woffinden (R/R) and Benji Compton passed Andre Compton on the inside on the third bend then chased after Paul Cooper. Woffinden got past him on the first bend of the second lap but Benji Compton went too wide on the third bend and crashed into the fence. The race had to be stopped and rerun without the younger of the Compton brothers. Tai Woffinden won the rerun from the gate for another shared heat. There was another excellent race in heat 4 as Joel Parsons, Carl Wilkinson and Byron Bekker passed and re-passed for the opening three laps. Eventually Parsons closed the door on Wilkinson to go on and win the race while the two Scorpions finished behind him for yet another shared race which took the score to 13-11.

Heat 5 produced the third 3-3 on the trot but this time the race was incident-free as Adam Roynon led home Paul Cooper and Simon Lambert from the gate but heat 6 had to be rerun after Tai Woffinden clipped Joel Parsons’ back wheel and went into the fence at some speed. Woffinden, who was excluded from the rerun, had to return to the medical room in the ambulance feeling a bit less than tickety-boo. Unfortunately for Scunthorpe Woffinden was to take no further part in the meeting. In the rerun there was another exciting race when Joel Parsons and Adam Roynon had a ding-dong battle which Parsons eventually won. Ricky Scarboro picked up the third place point so the Tigers scoreed a 2-4 to level the match. Sheffield followed this with a 1-5 in heat 7 when Andre Compton and Paul Cooper gated to beat Carl Wilkinson to shoot the Tigers into a four point lead. Back came the Scorpions in heat 8 with a 4-2. Adam Roynon won the race but the excitement was behind him as Byron Bekker came from the back to pass Luke Priest on the third lap before chasing after Lambert unsuccessfully on the last lap. The score now stood at 23-25.

There was another rerun in heat 9. Carl Wilkinson fell on the third bend of the opening lap when Joel Parsons dived underneath him. Wilkinson was not pleased but he was excluded nonetheless. In the rerun an inspired Benji Compton gave Parsons a hard race and after the riders had passed and re-passed each other the younger Compton won the race for the Scorpions for a 3-3. Adam Roynon won heat 10 for the home side after passing Andre Compton but Byron Bekker, replacing Tai Woffinden, just couldn’t get past Paul Cooper after spending the race tied to his exhaust pipe. This shared race was followed by a big 5-1 for the Scorpions in heat 11. Andre Compton taking the R/R ride was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back. He was then excluded after being adjudged to have caused Scott Richardson to fall when passing him and, in the rerun, Richardson was nursed home by Carl Wilkinson to keep Simon Lambert at the back. The maximum heat win wiped out the Scorpions’ two point deficit and put them two points in front and it stayed that way when heat 12, won by Andre Compton, was shared taking the score to 37-35.

Carl Wilkinson passed Simon Lambert on the fourth lap to win heat 13 but Woffinden’s absence was felt as the Tigers shared the points behind him. Sheffield levelled the scores in heat 14 with a 2-4. Paul Cooper won the race from Benji Compton while Luke Priest passed Scott Richardson on the third lap for the vital third place. The drama continued until the last bend of the last heat. Andre Compton led from the start but Paul Cooper crashed on the last bend while trying an outside sweep on Carl Wilkinson. This might have given Scunthorpe a draw but, unfortunately, Adam Roynon suffered an engine failure after falling so the race was awarded to Compton the elder and Wilkinson for a 2-3 which gave Sheffield a one point win.

The result was academic though as the huge crowd enjoyed a fabulous meeting full of incident and excitement to bring the 2007 season to a close.

Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Carl Wilkinson 11 (6), Adam Roynon 11 (6), Benji Compton 7 (5), Byron Bekker 6+2 (5), Tai Woffinden 6 (3), Scott Richardson 3+1 (5).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13 (6), Joel Parsons 10+2 (5), Paul Cooper 9+3 (6), Simon Lambert 8+1 (5), Luke Priest 3 (4), Ricky Scarboro 2+1 (4).