Around the Premier League Tracks - 2007

[Merlin]

Thursday, 9 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Sheffield the Tigers raced Edinburgh while at Redcar the Bears took on Mildenhall .


Premier League: Sheffield 59, Edinburgh 31


Sheffield were missing the injured Ben Wilson so used Rider Replacement at number 4 with James Birkinshaw moving to number 2. Edinburgh were missing Daniele Tessari and had Conference League guest, Jack Roberts, at number 6.


A massive pile up on the first bend of the first race ended with all four riders crashing through the fence. Derek Sneddon had made a good start from the inside gate but James Birkinshaw came across him and the riders clashed taking George Stancl and Ricky Ashworth with them. Although Ashworth and Stancl were able to make their own way back to the pits both Birkinshaw and Sneddon were taken to hospital for check ups, Birkinshaw with a suspected broken shoulder and Sneddon with less serious neck injuries. After a delay of over an hour to examine the riders, repair the extensively damaged fence and wait for the ambulance to return to the track heat 1 was eventually rerun with Paul Cooper replacing Birkinshaw and Jack Roberts replacing Sneddon. Ricky Ashworth won the race from George Stancl with Paul Cooper third to get the Tigers off to a 4-2 winning start. They added a 5-1 from the gate in the reserves race won by James Cockle. Ricky Ashworth took the Rider Replacement ride in heat 3 to partner Andre Compton. This race was also won from the gate by Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth who scored another 5-1. Matthew Wethers passed James Cockle on the first lap of heat 4 but Cockle came to grief spectacularly while entering the third bend when he went over the handlebars and bounced down the track causing another delay while he was checked out by the medics. He was excluded from the rerun which was won by Paul Cooper from the gate for a shared heat. This took the score to 17-7.

Heat 5 was won by Andre Compton from George Stancl while Joel Parsons, taking the R/R ride, finished third stretching the Tigers’ lead to 12 points with the 4-2. The Tigers added another 4-2 in heat 6 when Ricky Ashworth won the race holding off a strong challenge from Matthew Wethers while James Cockle was controversially awarded third when some thought he had been pipped on the line by Jack Roberts. In heat 7 Kai Laukkanen took a Tactical Ride but Edinburgh’s miserable night continued as they lost another 5-1 to Parsons and Cooper as Laukkanen blew the TR by finishing third. It looked like yet another 5-1 to Sheffield in heat 8 when Paul Cooper and James Cockle led from the gate. However Andrew Tully chased down Cockle and passed him on the last bend with a good outside run restricting the home side to a 4-2 and taking the score to 34- 14. Andre Compton and James Cockle made the gate in heat 9 but James Cockle was caught and passed by first Matthew Wethers then Jack Roberts for a shared race. In heat 10 Kai Laukkanen made another dreadful gate to watch Ashworth and Cooper sail away for another 5-1 stretching the lead to 36 points. Then came an absolute sensation – an Edinburgh 1-5! Andrew Tully blasted round the outside into the lead and George Stancl moved in behind him to block Joel Parsons. Parsons fell on the last bend while in third position as Edinburgh cut the home side’s lead to 20 points. It stayed that way after heat 12. Andre Compton won the race but Kai Laukkanen and Andrew Tully finished behind him ahead of James Cockle for a shared race which took the score to 46-26.

Ashworth and Parsons gated to another 5-1 in heat 13 although Stancl briefly passed Parsons to open a 24 point lead before there was another Edinburgh sensation in heat 14 when 16 year old Kalle Katajisto won his first ever race in British speedway. He swept round the boards on the third lap in brilliant style to pass the entire field beating Paul Cooper and James Cockle as Andrew Tully, who had been chasing Cooper all this time, suffered an engine failure leading to a shared race. Heat 15 ended up as an inevitable 5-1 to the Tigers as Compton and Ashworth completed their maximums to rattle up a 28 point win which virtually guarantees the bonus point.


Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 16+2 (6)(paid maximum), Andre Compton 15 (5)(full maximum), Paul Cooper 13+3 (7), Joel Parsons 9+1 (5), James Cockle 6+1 (7), James Birkinshaw – withdrawn.

For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 8+2 (7), George Stancl 7+1 (5), Matthew Wethers 7 (5), Kai Laukkanen 5 (4), Kalle Katajisto 3 (4), Jack Roberts 1+1 (5), Derek Sneddon – withdrawn.



Premier League: Redcar 51, Mildenhall 42 Redcar won the aggregate bonus point by 96-89.


Redcar with Josh Auty back in the side were at full strength as were Mildenhall .

Josh Auty marked his return to action by breaking the tapes in heat 1. He was replaced by Jack Hargreaves in the rerun which was won by Gary Havelock for a 3-3. Tomas Suchanek gated to win heat 2 comfortably while Jack Hargreaves and Daniel Giffard finished behind him for another 3-3. An aggressive first bend from Paul Fry in heat 3 took out James Grieves who never really recovered. Fry won the race and the Fen Tigers took the lead when Kyle Legault followed Chris Kerr home for third place and a 2-4. Heat 4 was called back after Mathieu Tressarieu jumped the gate but he made a fast start in the rerun to win the race. Jack Hargreaves also made a good start but was passed by Jason King then Tomas Suchanek so the points were shared and the score went to 11-13.

The Bears hit back in heat 5 as James Grieves and Chris Kerr made the gate and scored an easy 5-1 ahead of Shaun Tacey. Redcar wiped out the Mildenhall lead and went two points up as a result. They added another maximum in heat 6 but not before Mark Baseby passed Gary Havelock before the Fen Tigers’ reserve was repassed by Havelock then passed by Josh Auty on the third lap. The home side now led by six points and it stayed that way after heat 7. Paul Fry again made a good start but Daniel Giffard went on to win the race while Legault finished second for a 3-3 with Tressarieu stuck at the back. Josh Auty made the gate to win heat 8 but again the visitors shared the points with Tacey and Suchanek filling second and third. The score now stood at 27-21 with the Bears holding a four point aggregate lead.

Mildenhall were hit by another Grieves/Kerr 5-1 in heat 9 as the Redcar pair made fast starts to leave the Fen Tigers trailing by ten points. Heat 10, won by Gary Havelock from Legault and Fry was shared then the visitors fell completely out of touch when they lost another 5-1 in heat 11. Mathieu Tressarieu led from tapes-to-flag but behind him there was an exciting battle between Tom P Madsen and Daniel Giffard. Giffard took the second place and the Bears now led by 14 points. Kyle Legault took a Tactical Ride in heat 12 and won the race beating James Grieves in the process. Tomas Suchanek, who had come into the race as a reserve replacement for Mark Baseby, took third place so the visitors scored a 2-7 cutting the gap to 9 points with the score now standing at 42-33.

Mildenhall pulled another two points back in heat 13 when Jason King passed Gary Havelock to win the race with Tom P Madsen taking third place from Mathieu Tressarieu cutting the difference in the scores to 7 points. Any lingering hopes the visitors had were extinguished in heat 14 when Chris Kerr passed Paul Fry while Daniel Giffard kept Tomas Suchanek at the back for a 4-2 which wrapped up the match and bonus point for the Bears. The last race had to be rerun when Paul Fry fell and was excluded. In the rerun Kyle Legault passed both Chris Kerr and Gary Havelock to win the race and share the points for the visitors.


Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), Chris Kerr 10+3 (5), James Grieves 8 (4), Daniel Giffard 7+2 (4), Mathieu Tressarieu 6 (4), Josh Auty 5+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2 (5).

For Mildenhall – Kyle Legault 14 (5)(with 6 point TR), Paul Fry 7+2 (5), Tomas Suchanek 6+2 (5), Jason King 6 (4), Shaun Tacey 4+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 4 (4), Mark Baseby 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 10 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced Newcastle while at Somerset the Rebels took on Newport .


Premier League: Edinburgh 43, Newcastle 46 Newcastle won the aggregate bonus point by 92-87


Edinburgh were missing Derek Sneddon as a result of the neck injury he sustained at Sheffield last night. They were also missing Kai Laukkanen on duty at this weekend’s Grand Prix so had Jason Lyons as a guest at number 3. Daniele Tessari returned to the side at number 7 while Gary Beaton rode at number 8. Newcastle were without Josef Franc who had returned home on the death of his father so they used Rider Replacement at number 3. Sam Dore continued at number 6 in place of Adam McKinna

Edinburgh must have wondered what they had done to deserve this amount of bad luck. Already without Derek Sneddon after last night’s crash at Sheffield they soon had to add George Stancl to the casualty list when he was taken to hospital with ankle injuries sustained in heat 6. With Daniele Tessari clearly still unfit on his return to the side and with Matthew Wethers main bike being wrecked in the heat 6 accident in which Andrew Tully suffered an ankle injury and a head knock Edinburgh were effectively a three man side. To their credit they were still in with a chance of a win and the bonus point going into the last heat as Newcastle struggled to take advantage of the home side’s problems.

Heat 1 ended as a 3-3 but was incident packed. On the second bend Jonas Raun packed up then George Stancl, leading by a mile from Christian Henry, suffered an engine failure on the last bend of the third lap. This was followed by Kalle Katajisto (R/R) falling on the last bend and both Edinburgh riders pushing home for the three points. Heat 2 should have been stopped when Sam Dore clattered into Daniele Tessari causing the Italian to slide out to the fence but Sean Stoddart balanced things up by falling on the fourth bend as Andrew Tully sailed off for an easy heat win. Although Stoddart remounted Dore finished second with Tessari third for an Edinburgh 4-2 and a two point lead. In heat 3 Jason Lyons fell on the opening bend as the field closed up and the race was rerun with all four back. Jason Lyons won the rerun while Kalle Katajisto chased Raun hard at the back before falling off causing the race to be awarded. This resulted in another 3-3 and heat 4 was shared too. Matthew Wethers seemed to have the race sewn up after Carl Wilkinson fell at the back but Sean Stoddart dived up the inside on the first bend of the third lap to win it taking the score to 13-11.

Another win by Jason Lyons in heat 5 from Christian Henry produced another 3-3 but Newcastle squared the match in heat 6 which was an absolute disaster for the Monarchs and proved pivotal in the outcome of the match. Things looked good for Edinburgh as George Stancl, now riding Matthew Wethers’ bike, and Andrew Tully headed off for a 5-1 ahead of Wilkinson as Dore fell at the back but Stancl picked up colossal grip coming off bend 2 and veered across the track causing Andrew Tully to run into him. Both Edinburgh riders were down for a long time and Stancl was removed by ambulance and taken to hospital with an ankle injury. Tully suffered an ankle injury too and also took a hard knock to the head as his bike struck him after he fell. Nonetheless he got up dusted himself down and appeared for the rerun in which he quickly hit the front to lead Carl Wilkinson. However Wilkinson passed him at the start of the second lap for a 2-4 to level things up. Edinburgh now had no-one at number 1 or 2. Christian Henry took the R/R ride in heat 7 and gated with Ross Brady for what looked like a 1-5. Brady made a mess of the fourth bend on the third lap and Matthew Wethers, now having to ride his second bike, passed him for second place. The 2-4 put Newcastle ahead for the first time in the match but not for long as Edinburgh hit back with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers (R/R) taking the score to 25-23.

Jason Lyons won heat 9 from Carl Wilkinson while Kalle Katajisto passed Sam Dore for third place which produced a 4-2 for the home side doubling their lead to four points. They added a point to the lead in heat 10. Ross Brady and Carl Wilkinson made the gate for the Diamonds but Andrew Tully, replacing George Stancl, passed Carl Wilkinson while Gary Beaton taking the R/R ride as the number 8 fell and remounted. Wilkinson then fell on the third lap and Tully passed Brady on the last lap. Unfortunately for Edinburgh Gary Beaton pulled out of the race so the result was only a 3-2 for the Monarchs. The home side’s miserable gating continued as Henry and Raun were quickly off and running in heat 11. Wethers soon passed Raun but couldn’t catch Henry so the Diamonds took a 2-4 cutting the gap to three points. Back came Edinburgh in heat 12 with a 4-2. Although Jason Lyons gated well and was never challenged Stoddart and Brady filled the minor places before Tully passed Brady for third taking the score to 38-33.

Christian Henry and Carl Wilkinson gated to lead heat 13 but Daniele Tessari passed Wilkinson only to fall on the third bend. Matthew Wethers then passed Wilkinson but couldn’t catch Henry so the Diamonds scored a 2-4 to stand just three down again. Heat 14 was a disaster for Edinburgh. Ross Brady and Sean Stoddart flew from the gate as yet again the Diamonds sat on a 1-5 from the tapes. Tully on his seventh ride just couldn’t catch either of them so Newcastle not only wiped out their arrears but now led by one point going into the last heat. Needless to say, Edinburgh lost the vital toss for gate positions in the last heat and Christian Henry on the outside run just got the better of Jason Lyons on the opening bends. Carl Wilkinson got into third place and that’s the way it finished with Newcastle finally winning by three points for all three league points.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 14+1 (7), Jason Lyons 14 (5), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (5), Kalle Katajisto 3 (5), George Stancl 1+1 (2), Daniele Tessari 1 (4), Gary Beaton 0 (1).

For Newcastle – Christian Henry 17 (6), Sean Stoddart 8+1 (5), Ross Brady 8 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (6), Jonas Raun 3+2 (5), Sam Dore 3 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 61, Newport 29 .


Somerset and Newport were both full strength.

A poor Newport side were well beaten by the Rebels with the visitors providing only two race winners all night. The opening race inevitably won by Magnus Zetterstrom was shared when Simon Walker in third place pulled out with an engine failure but a reserves race 5-1 was followed by a 4-2 when Tony Atkin split the home pairing of Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt. Another 5-1 from the team-riding pair of Hawkins and Warwick put the home side in easy street ten points ahead at 17-7.

The Wasps managed another shared race in heat 5 when Emil Kramer won from Michal Rajkowski and Tom Hedley but the Rebels followed this win another two 5-1 race wins in heats 6 and 7. The latter of these was particularly disappointing for the Wasps because Tony Atkin was on a Tactical Ride. Jordan Frampton won the race while Ritchie Hawkins passed Atkin to nullify the TR. Barry Burchatt then followed Simon Walker home for second place and a 4-2 in heat 8 taking the score to 34-14.

Heat 9 was an oasis in the desert for Newport as they enjoyed a 2-4 advantage. However it took an Emil Kramer retiral on the second lap while challenging Chris Schramm for the lead to help them achieve it. Schramm won from Stephan Katt leaving Nick Simmons to pick up the gift third place point. The floodgates really opened after that as Somerset banged home three more 5-1s in heats 10, 11 and 12 taking the score to 51-21.

Magnus Zetterstrom completed a paid maximum in heat 13 while Michal Rajkowski took second for a 4-2 but Newport shared the last two races. In heat 14 Stephan Katt had to battle from the back to hit the front on the third bend while the other three riders battled for the minor places behind him. Barry Burchatt and Tony Atkin got them with Jordan Frampton finishing last. In the last race Chris Schramm scored his second race win against Ritchie Hawkins and Danny Warwick as the visitors just failed to hit the 30 point mark.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 11+1 (4)(full maximum), Ritchie Hawkins 10+2 (5), Daniel Warwick 10+2 (5), Emil Kramer 8+1 (4), Daniel Warwick 8+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 8+1 (4), Stephan Katt 6 (4).

For Newport – Chris Schramm 8 (5), Michal Rajkowski 6+1 (5), Tony Atkin 4+1 (4), Barry Burchatt 4 (4), Tom Hedley 3+1 (4), Phil Morris 2 (4), Nick Simmons 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 11 August

There were four matches raced tonight, three in the Premier League and the other in the Knockout Cup. At Berwick the Bandits faced Birmingham while at Stoke the Potters took on Edinburgh . The third match was at Workington where the Comets raced against Somerset . Finally at Rye House the Rockets rode a second leg Knockout Cup tie against the Isle of Wight .


Premier League: Berwick 40, Birmingham 52


Berwick ,without the two Poles, Sebastian Truminski and Jacek Rempala patched up their side with new signing, Theo Pijper, for Truminski and John McPhail for Rempala who was subject to a one match ban without a facility. Birmingham were on the usual lines.

It was another miserable night for Berwick who went down to their sixth home defeat of the season against a solid Birmingham side without a weakness. The track conditions seemed to confuse the home riders more than their visitors as a lot of new shale had been laid on the bends making the surface grippier than usual.

The Bandits kept in contention in the early part of the meeting with Theo Pijper winning his first race for his new club but two 1-5s from the Brummies middle pairing of Jason Lyons and Henrik Moller had them in trouble as a two point deficit after 6 heats turned into a 10 point arrears after heat 8 when the score stood at 19-29.

Stanislaw Burza took a Tactical Ride in heat 9 but Emiliano Sanchez frustrated Berwick’s efforts to get back into the match by winning the race limiting the Bandits to a 5-3 success. Birmingham were always in control after that and ran out comfortable winners. Michal Makovsky and Stanislaw Burza kept Berwick afloat while Theo Pijper, after his opening win, lost a 1-5 to the Lyons/Moller pairing, followed that with a second place but then, after a fine start to his last race, he was passed by the field and finished at the back.

Sam Martin gave the sparce crowd something to cheer about by pulling a fine ride out of the bag in heat 14 to help Berwick to a rare 5-1 success but the Bandits, having to carry John McPhail in place of Jacek Rempala, simply did not have enough in the bank to trouble the Brummies.

Jason Lyons went through the card unbeaten with the rest of the Brummies team contributing strongly. Their lowest scorer was Henrik Moller with paid six after featuring in two 1-5 heat wins for the visitors which put them on easy street.

Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 12 (5), Stanislaw Burza 11+1 (5)(with 4 point TR), Theo Pijper 6 (4), Andreas Bergstrom 4+2 (4), Sam Martin 3 (4), David Meldrum 2 (4), John McPhail 2 (4).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 11+1 (4)(paid maximum), Ben Powell 8+1 (4), Henning Bager 8+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 7 (4), Lee Smart 5+2 (4), Henrik Moller 5+1 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 51, Edinburgh 42 Edinburgh won the aggregate bonus point by 100-87


Stoke were missing Claus Vissing who was riding in the Danish Under-21 Championship so used Rider Replacement at number 5. Edinburgh were barely recognisable having to use Rider Replacement for the injured George Stancl at number 1 and guests, Robert Ksiezak at number 2 for the injured Derek Sneddon, Kyle Legault at number 3 for Kai Laukkanen on Grand Prix duty and Scott Richardson as Conference League guest at number 6 for the injured Daniele Tessari.

Few would have given this patched up Monarchs team much of a chance even of taking the bonus point for which they arrived with a 22 point advantage. With only three of their team fit enough to take their places they had to recruit three guests (one from the Conference League) and use Rider Replacement for their number 1, George Stancl. However they recruited the ‘guest of the season’ in Kyle Legault who went through the card in spectacular style for a full 21 point maximum scoring precisely half the Edinburgh total.

With Legault’s help, Edinburgh produced no fewer than nine of the fifteen race winners and it might have been ten if Matthew Wethers had not shed a chain while leading heat 6. Things looked bleak for them when Stoke banged home two 5-1s in the opening two races but when Lee Complin touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back Edinburgh scored a 2-4 in heat 3. Legault won the race while Complin came through to second from his handicap. Kalle Katajisto passed Glenn Cunningham for third place to reduce the Monarchs’ arrears to six points. They then took a 1-5 in heat 4 from Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers in a race which was awarded when Jaimie Smith fell at the back. The score at this stage was 13-11.

Legault won heat 5 for a 3-3 then Wethers suffered his shed chain while leading heat 6 resulting in another home 5-1 for the Barker/Harrison pairing. The Monarchs guests won the next two for shared races with Legault the winner of heat 7 and Ksiezak heat 8 after which the score was 27-21.

With Kyle Legault in such dominant form the bonus point was beginning to look a forlorn hope for the Potters but they looked like adding a 5-1 in heat 9 only for Matthew Wethers to round Lee Complin off the last bend for second place behind Glenn Cunningham and a 4-2. Legault continued his winning streak in heat 10 but Stoke went 12 points ahead with a 5-1 from Barrie Evans and Lee Complin in heat 11. The plus for Edinburgh was that it arrived at just the right time for Kyle Legault to take a Tactical Ride in heat 12 which he duly won. Andrew Tully took third place as Jaimie Smith fell so Edinburgh scored a 2-7 cutting the gap to seven points, clinching the bonus point and taking the score to 41-34.

There was still the little matter of the match to be won and Edinburgh got even closer after heat 13 when Matthew Wethers passed Rusty Harrison to win the race. Robert Ksiezak picked up third for a 2-4 after Ben Barker had pulled out with an engine failure so there were now just five points between the teams with two heats to go. However Stoke finally took the two league points when Lee Complin and Barrie Evans scored a 5-1 in heat 14. Kyle Legault wrapped up a virtuoso performance by completing his maximum with a last to first dash in heat 15 for a final shared race.

Scorers: For Stoke – Ben Barker 11+1 (6), Barrie Evans 10+2 (5), Rusty Harrison 9+3 (5), Lee Complin 9+2 (5), Glenn Cunningham 7 (4), Jamie Smith 5+2 (5).

For Edinburgh – Kyle Legault 21 (6), Matthew Wethers 8+1 (6), Andrew Tully 6 (6), Robert Ksiezak 5 (5), Scott Richardson 1 (3), Kalle Katajisto 1 (4).



Premier League: Workington 51, Somerset 44 Somerset won the aggregate bonus point by 96-92


Workington were back at full strength with the return to the side of Mattia Carpanese and Craig Branney and the introduction of new signing Ulrich Ostergaard for Carl Stonehewer. Somerset were also at full strength.

The Rebels arrived with an 11 point lead from the corresponding match at the Oak Tree Arena leaving the match finely balance for the bonus point. Once again Magnus Zetterstrom dominated for the visitors taking an extra ride as a Tactical Substitute and his 18 points kept the Comets at bay although they did manage a seven point win.

Two shared races were followed by battalion of 4-2s for the Comets before they added a 5-1 in heat 7 as Kauko Nieminen protected Charles Wright in first place ahead of Stephan Katt and Emil Kramer to rocket the Comets into a 12 point lead, one ahead on aggregate. However with Magnus Zetterstrom out in four of the last eight races the bonus point was anything but a done deal for the home side. So it proved. Zetterstrom took a Tactical Substitute ride replacing Simon Walker in an eventful heat 8 from 15 metres back. Somerset also brought Jordan Frampton into the race in place of Danny Warwick but he clipped John Branney’s back wheel and fell causing the race to be rerun without him. Charles Wright rode an excellent race in the rerun to deny the charging Zetterstrom so the heat was shared 4-4 and the score stood at 31-19.

When James Wright and Craig Branney added another 5-1 in heat 9 increasing the Comets’ lead to 16 points, five on aggregate things looked bleak for the Rebels. However Emil Kramer took a Tactical Ride in heat 10 and he produced his one race win of the night for all six points helped by Ulrich Ostergaard shedding a chain at the tapes. Mattia Carpanese did well on Craig Branney’s machine to hold off Stephan Katt for second place denying Somerset a 1-8 success. The 2-7 cut five points off the home side’s lead though and the Rebels were now 11 points down but level on aggregate. Heats 11 and 12 won by Zetterstrom and then James Wright were shared and the score stood at 44-33 with the aggregate scores still tied.

In heat 13 Somerset gained another two points on their hosts. Magnus Zetterstrom and Ritchie Hawkins made the gate while Ostergaard hunted down Hawkins and, after a passing and repassing bout, took second place restricting the Rebels to a 2-4. They added another crucial 2-4 in heat 14 when Jordan Frampton beat Craig Branney with Stephan Katt third putting the Rebels four points ahead on aggregate. Zetterstrom made sure the bonus point went back to Somerset by winning the final race for a 3-3.

Scorers: For Workington – James Wright 13+1 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 9 (5), Kauko Nieminen 7+1 (4), Charles Wright 7+1 (6), Craig Branney 6+1 (4), John Branney 5 (3), Mattia Carpanese 4+1 (3).

For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 18 (6)(with 4 point TS), Emil Kramer 10 (5)(with 6 point TR), Jordan Frampton 7+2 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 4 (4), Stephan Katt 3 (4), Daniel Warwick 2 (3), Simon Walker 0 (3).



Knockout Cup (second leg): Rye House 50, Isle of Wight 43 The Isle of Wight won through on aggregate by 95-90.


Rye House were without injury victim Robbie Kessler so used Rider Replacement at number 2 . The Isle of Wight were missing Andrew Bargh through injury and had Tom Brown as a Conference League guest at number 6.

The Isle of Wight went into this second leg tie with a 12 point lead. In view of Rye House’s current home form it was dubious whether this would be enough but with Chris Holder sand Jason Bunyan in sparkling form the Rockets could not pull the arrears back.

There wasn’t a shared heat in the first six races. Rye House got off to a 4-2 start with Luke Bowen rocketing from the gate to hold off Chris Holder with Chris Neath third then added a 5-1 in the reserves race to lead by six points. In heat 3 Jason Bunyan and Krzysztof Stojanowski made the gate but Stojanowski was passed by Tommy Allen on the second lap and Tai Woffinden on the third as the Rockets mounted a rescue operation. However Allen made a mistake to let Stojanowski back through for third place and a 2-4. Steve Boxall and Adam Roynon produced a 5-1 in heat 4 to take the score to 16-8 and cut the aggregate gap to only four points leaving the Islanders looking vulnerable.

In the next four races the visitors dug in. Woffinden could only split the Holder/Gathercole pairing in heat 5 for a 2-4 then heat 6 ended with the same result. This race had to be rerun after Chris Neath had fallen on the second lap with the Rockets holding a 5-1 position so to lose the race 2-4 in the rerun was a blow for the home side who now led by only four points on the night. Luke Bowen fell in heat 7 but Steve Boxall won the race for a 3-3 then Cory Gathercole won heat 8 also for a shared race taking the score 26-22 with the Islanders still eight points ahead on aggregate.

The Rockets came roaring back with a 5-1 in heat 9 from Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen but heat 10 was shared after Chris Neath had won a great tussle with Jason Bunyan. Rye House got even closer in heat 11. They were on course for a 5-1 when Cory Gathercole fell. The referee stopped the race and ordered a rerun but this time the home side could only manage a 4-2 as Steve Boxall beat Chris Holder. Rye House were now 10 points ahead, two behind on aggregate, but, of course, the Islanders could now play the TR card. Out came Jason Bunyan with the black and white helmet cover in heat 12 to beat Tai Woffinden and Adam Roynon for a 3-6 stretching the visitors’ aggregate lead to five points and taking the score to 41-34.

Chris Holder won a crucial heat 13 for the visitors to edge them nearer success but the whole tie was back in the melting pot when the Rockets took a 5-1 from heat 14. Tommy Allen and Luke Bowen did the damage leading home Krzysztof Stojanowski and the score now stood at 49-38 with the Isle of Wight one point ahead on aggregate going into the last race. What an anti-climax for the home fans when Jason Bunyan and Chris Holder raced off for a comfortable 5-1 to see the Islanders through to the next round.

Scorers: For Rye House – Adam Roynon 10+2 (6), Steve Boxall 10+1 (5), Tai Woffinden 10 (5), Luke Bowen 8+2 (5), Tommy Allen 6+2 (5), Chris Neath 6 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 16 (5)(with 6 point TR), Chris Holder 12+1 (5), Glen Phillips 5 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 4+2 (4), Cory Gathercole 4 (4), Chris Johnson 1 (3), Tom Brown 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 12 August

Four Premier League matches were due to be raced today but only three of them made it to the tapes. At Glasgow the Tigers were due to face Stoke but just as the assembled crowd were ready for the opening heat, the heavens opened and the rain came down in stair-rods causing the meeting to be postponed and Glasgow with a real fixture headache! At Newport however there were no such problems as the Wasps took on Rye House while at Mildenhall the Fen Tigers raced against the Isle of Wight . The last match to start was at Newcastle where the Diamonds faced Redcar in a local derby fixture.



Premier League: Newport 43, Rye House 50 Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 118-66.


Newport were at full strength but Rye House were again without Robbie Kessler so used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead.

Rye House were out to forget last night’s disappointing exit from the Knockout Cup at the hands of the Isle of Wight and already looked certainties for the bonus point having beaten the Wasps by 45 points at Hoddesdon last week.

The Rockets provided the race winners in each of the first three heats – Chris Neath, Adam Roynon and Tai Woffinden. They also provided the lasts with Tommy Allen excluded from a rerun heat 3 for bringing down Phil Morris. This meant that all three races were shared. Steve Boxall touched the tapes in the second rerun of heat 4 so started from 15 metres. The first rerun was because of first bend bunching. This gave the Wasps the opportunity to draw first blood and they did so with a 5-1 when Chris Schramm and Barry Burchatt headed home Adam Roynon to take the score to 14-10.

The teams traded 5-1s in the next two heats. Neath and Roynon scored the first for Rye House in heat 5 while Michal Rajkowski and Tom Hedley produced the second for Newport in heat 6. Tai Woffinden won again in heat 7 but Tommy Allen fell so Schramm and Simmons shared the race for the Wasps. Newport took a giant step forward with another 5-1 in heat 8. Tom Hedley and Barry Burchatt did the damage relegating Adam Roynon to third and taking the score to 31-23.

Steve Boxall, after being on the wrong end of two 5-1s in his first two races, made some amends by winning heat 9 from Phil Morris and Tony Atkin but behind him Luke Bowen returned his fifth zero of the match so the heat was shared. Eight points in front things looked good for Newport but they have been known to finish matches poorly and Rye House were by no means out of it. Tai Woffinden won for the third time in heat 10 but again there was no support as Tommy Allen retired recording his third zero of the match. Bowen and Allen had now contributed eight last places in ten heats leaving Rye House still trailing by eight points at the interval having supplied seven race winners. In heat 11 Tai Woffinden took a Tactical Substitute ride off 15 metres to partner the also unbeaten Chris Neath in place of the R/R ride. What a success this was! Woffinden came through the field to win the race while his partner, Chris Neath, finished second for the big 1-8 which cut the arrears to one point with four heats to go. Woffinden was out again in heat 12 and Adam Roynon replaced Luke Bowen to partner him. The Newport collapse continued as Woffinden and Roynon completely turned the match on its head with a 1-5 from Burchatt and Morris to put the Rockets in front by three points with the score now 36-39.

Chris Neath won heat 13 but Michal Rajkowski and Chris Schramm finished ahead of Steve Boxall for a 3-3 which stemmed the haemorrhaging of points for Newport but the Wasps needed to take an advantage in heat 14 to have any chance of reward. They didn’t get it though. Tony Atkin did his bit by winning the race but Nick Simmons finished at the back behind Roynon and Bowen who finally broke his duck leaving the Rockets three points ahead going into the final heat in which they tracked the unbeaten Chris Neath and Tai Woffinden. Tai Woffinden completed a magnificent 21 point six ride maximum while Chris Neath also completed a paid maximum as the Rockets finished with a 1-5 for a seven point win having pulled back from 8 down after heat 10 but they didn’t look like achieving that when Michal Rajkowski led the race until he fell on the third lap to complete a poor afternoon for the Wasps.

Scorers: For Newport – Tom Hedley 8+2 (4), Michal Rajkowski 8+1 (5), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), Barry Burchatt 6+3 (5), Tony Atkin 6+1 (4), Phil Morris 4+1 (4), Nick Simmons 3+1 (3).

For Rye House – Tai Woffinden 21 (6)(with 6 point TS)(full maximum), Chris Neath 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Adam Roynon 10+2 (6), Steve Boxall 5 (4), Luke Bowen 1+1 (6), Tommy Allen 0 (3).



Premier League: Mildenhall 51, Isle of Wight 43


Mildenhall were at full strength but the Isle of Wight were without Andrew Bargh and used Conference League guest Tom Brown at number 6.

The Islanders arrived fresh from their success at Rye House last night where they put Rye House out of the Knockout Cup. Aiming for a place in the top four, the Islanders would be looking to this match for a possible win.

The Mildenhall riders made the gate in the opening race with Tom P Madsen leading but Chris Holder passed Shaun Tacey for second place leaving the Fen Tigers to take a 4-2 and two point lead. Tomas Suchanek suffered an engine failure in the reserves race but Mark Baseby came from the back to win the race from Chris Johnson for a 3-3. Kyle Legault fresh from his 21 point haul for Edinburgh last night continued his winning streak by beating Jason Bunyan in heat 3 while Paul Fry took third place for another home 4-2 which put the home side four up. Then Jason King and Tomas Suchanek had the visitors in big trouble when they added a 5-1 in heat 4 at the expense of Glen Phillips to take the score to 16-8.

Chris Holder brought Legault’s winning run to an end by passing the Mildenhall man on the second lap in heat 5 while Cory Gathercole beat Paul Fry for third so the Islanders hit back with a 2-4 to trail by six. The Glen Phillips plus reserve partnership again proved vulnerable conceding another 5-1 in heat 6 this time to Madsen and Tacey putting the home side 10 points ahead. Immediately the Isle of Wight gave Jason Bunyan a Tactical Ride in heat 7. Much of the Fen Tigers hard work was undone when the Isle of Wight pair gated to the big 1-8 with Bunyan heading home Stojanowski and King to cut the gap to only three points. Undaunted they replied with another 5-1 from Suchanek and Tacey with Gathercole third after a strong challenge. This put the home side 7 points ahead again with the score standing at 29-22.

Glenn Phillips finished on the wrong end of a 5-1 for the third time in the match as Kyle Legault and Paul Fry all but put the home side out of sight now 11 points in front but the visitors replied in kind with a 1-5 from Jason Bunyan and Krzysztof Stojanowski again cutting the lead to 7 points as both riders passed early race leader Shaun Tacey who finished last. There had only been one shared heat up to this point as the match swung back and forth. Chris Holder won heat 11 but Cory Gathercole packed up on the first bend so this became the second shared race of the match. In heat 12 Kyle Legault was fortunate to be allowed back in the rerun of the race after it had to be stopped when he collided with Jason Bunyan on his outside causing both riders to fall. In the rerun Legault and Suchanek gated to leave Bunyan behind and record another 5-1 to give the home side an 11 point lead with the score at 43-32 with three races to go.

Chris Holder won heat 13 but Glen Phillips continued his miserable afternoon by finishing at the back as Jason King and Tom P Madsen shared the heat. Incredibly Phillips, rather than Chris Holder, was nominated for a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 14 when the Islanders still had an outside chance of a draw!
Paul Fry won the heat while Stojanowski finished second ahead of his partner on the TS which gave the Islanders a 3-4 to trail by ten points going into the last race. Chris Holder won heat 15 from Kyle Legault while Jason Bunyan took third from Tomas Suchanek. The 2-4 resulted in an eight point win for the home side.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Kyle Legault 13 (5), Jason King 8 (4), Tom P Madsen 7+2 (4), Tomas Suchanek 7+2 (5), Shaun Tacey 6+1 (4), Paul Fry 6+1 (4), Mark Baseby 4+1 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 14 (5), Jason Bunyan 13 (5)(with 6 point TR), Krzysztof Stojanowski 6+2 (4), Glen Phillips 5+1 (5)(with 2 point TS), Chris Johnson 2 (3), Cory Gathercole 2 (4), Tom Brown 1+1 (4).



Premier League: Newcastle 38, Redcar 55


Newcastle had Josef Franc back in the side but were without Jonas Raun so used Rider Replacement at number 2. Sam Dore continued at number 6 and Paul Clews, replacing Ross Brady, made his debut at number 4. Redcar were at full strength.

The smiles of the Newcastle fans, following their win at Edinburgh on Friday night, was well and truly wiped off their faces as they were taken to the cleaners by a Redcar side firing on all cylinders. Indeed had it not been for an inspirational 16 point score from Sean Stoddart at reserve what the final result might have been must make the Diamonds shudder.

After the opening two races, won by Christian Henry from Gary Havelock and Sean Stoddart from Daniel Giffard, were shared the Bears simply tore Newcastle apart. James Grieves and Chris Kerr started the mauling with a 1-5 in heat 3 ahead of Josef Franc followed by a 3-3 in heat 4 won by Mathieu Tressarieu from Stoddart and Wilkinson to take the score to 10-14.

Josh Auty and Gary Havelock added another 1-5 in heat 5 as Josef Franc was relegated to third again but Newcastle pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 6 won by Stoddart from Tressarieu with Christian Henry third. This cut the gap to six points but James Grieves won heat 7 from Carl Wilkinson while Chris Kerr’s third place gave the Bears another 2-4 and eight point lead. Sean Stoddart was doing his best to keep the Newcastle ship afloat by winning for the third time in heat 8 after Carl Wilkinson had been excluded for tape touching but, with Josh Auty and Jack Hargreaves in the minor places, it was only for a 3-3. The score now stood at 20-28.

Josef Franc finally won a race in heat 9 again only for a 3-3 as Paul Clews finished at the back. Then the Bears stepped up a gear. James Grieves beat Christian Henry in heat 10 with Chris Kerr third for a 2-4 which opened the lead to 10 points. Then Gary Havelock and Josh Auty headed home Sean Stoddart in heat 11 to increase the lead to 14 points and the Diamonds were now completely out of the running. Josef Franc took a Tactical Ride in heat 12 and inflicted the only defeat of the match on James Grieves in winning the race. Sean Stoddart was third for a 7-2 advantage for the Diamonds which took the score to 33-42.

Any lingering hope the home side might still have entertained disappeared when Gary Havelock and Mathieu Tressarieu hammered home another 1-5 in heat 13 to increase the lead to 13 points. Sean Stoddart, still offering resistance, won heat 14 for a shared race but Redcar applied the coup de grace with a final heat 1-5 from James Grieves and Gary Havelock to leave the home side in tatters.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Sean Stoddart 16 (7), Josef Franc 11 (5)(with 6 point TR), Christian Henry 8 (5), Carl Wilkinson 3+1 (5), Sam Dore 0 (4), Paul Clews 0 (5).

For Redcar – James Grieves 14 (5), Gary Havelock 12+2 (5), Mathieu Tressarieu 9+1 (4), Josh Auty 8+2 (4), Chris Kerr 5+2 (4), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 2+2 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 15 August

There should have been two Premier League matches raced tonight but, once again, the weather intervened to cause the postponement of the match at King’s Lynn where the Stars were due to race against Workington . The match at Birmingham where Berwick were the visitors did take place after the track staff had worked on the track following the afternoon rain.


Premier League: Birmingham 59, Berwick 33 Birmingham won the aggregate bonus point by 111- 73


Birmingham were at full strength while Berwick had Lee Complin as a guest at number 3 in place of Jacek Rempala who was racing in the Polish Championship.


Having lost at home by 12 points to Birmingham last Saturday night the bonus was a thing of dreams for Berwick. Tonight they were no match for the Brummies and only a puncture for Henning Bager in heat 15 prevented the home side from topping 60 points.

This match seems to have been a bit of a secret since there’s not much information to be gleaned about it anywhere.

What is known is that the Brummies rocketed into a 17-7 lead after heat 4 after Emiliano Sanchez had passed both Berwick riders in heat 4 to join Ben Powell for a 5-1. Berwick recovered to keep the gap down to 10 points over the next three heats assisted by a Tactical Ride for Lee Complin who finished second in heat 7 to Emiliano Sanchez. A 4-2 advantage to the home side in the next race took the score after heat 8 to 31-19.

Birmingham then pulled away with back to back 5-1s in heat 9 and 10 to increase their lead to 20 points and another four points were added to the lead over the next two heats to take the score after 12 heats to 49-25.

However the Bandits produced some late resistance through two race wins for Michal Makovsky in heat 13 and 15 the latter producing a 2-4 Bandits’ advantage when Andreas Bergstrom finished third behind Ben Powell while in-between they lost another 5-1 to Henrik Moller and Lee Smart.

It was a fine performance from Ben Powell the Brummies’ reserve who won his first four races in his paid 15 point return earning him a nomination for a heat 15 ride. Berwick’s cause was not helped by a failure of either reserve to beat a home rider while Stanislaw Burza also had a disappointing match.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Ben Powell 14+1 (6), Jason Lyons 10 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 9+2 (4), Henrik Moller 8+2 (4), Henning Bager 8+1 (5), Lee Smart 7 (x), Manuel Hauzinger 3+2 (x).

For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 10 (5), Lee Complin 9 (4)(with 4 point TR), Andreas Bergstrom 6 (5), Theo Pijper 5 (4), Stanislaw Burza 2+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (4), Dave Meldrum 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 16 August

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


Premier League: Sheffield 55, King’s Lynn 37 King’s Lynn won the aggregate bonus point by 101-84


Sheffield were without James Birkinshaw who was injured in last week’s match against Edinburgh so used Rider Replacement at number 4. King’s Lynn were at full strength.

With a 35 point deficit from the league match at Saddlebow Road, the bonus point was always only a remote possibility for the Tigers but they needed to keep their 100% home record going to challenge for a top four finish.

The home side got off to a bright start with a 5-1 in heat 1 from Ben Wilson and Ricky Ashworth but they lost a point from the lead when heat 2 finished as a 2-3. The race had to be rerun when Benji Compton fell while in second place and, with Paul Cooper having pulled out with an engine failure, there were only two riders in the rerun. James Brundle outgated James Cockle for the win. A 4-2 in heat 3 had the Tigers five points to the good when Andre Compton beat Daniel Nermark with Paul Cooper recovering from his heat 2 engine failure to finish third ahead of Paul Lee. Trevor Harding fell in heat 4 and was excluded from the rerun which Joel Parsons won with ease. Early race leader, James Cockle, fell on the second lap but remounted to limp round on an ailing machine to follow James Brundle home. This gave Sheffield a 4-2 which took the score to 15-8.

Andre Compton won heat 5 from Tomas Topinka while Paul Cooper, already taking his third ride, finished third for a 4-2 then the Tigers rattled home another 5-1 from the Wilson/Ashworth partnership as Trevor Harding finished third. The Tigers now led by 13 points so in heat 7 Daniel Nermark took a Tactical Ride for the Stars. Nermark duly delivered by winning from Joel Parsons while Paul Lee took advantage of Paul Cooper’s engine problems to pass the Sheffield reserve for third place and a 2-7 heat advantage which cut the home side’s lead to eight points. However a heat eight 5-1 from Ben Wilson and James Cockle over Chris Mills increased the Tigers’ lead to 12 points with the score at 31-19.

King’s Lynn were well and truly out of it after conceding another 5-1 in heat 9 with Andre Compton and James Cockle beating Benji Compton after Trevor Harding had withdrawn with an engine failure while at the back of the field. Daniel Nermark stopped the tide by winning heat 10 from the back ending the Ashworth/Wilson unbeaten run but the race was only shared. Tomas Topinka won heat 11 but again it was for a 3-3 as Parsons and Cooper followed him home after Cooper had passed Chris Mills. Andre Compton won heat 12 for yet another 3-3 as Daniel Nermark and Benji Compton finished behind him. The score was now 45-29.

Joel Parsons fell in heat 13 while in second place and was excluded from the rerun in which Tomas Topinka won again from Ricky Ashworth. This gave King’s Lynn a 2-4. In heat 14 Paul Cooper won from Paul Lee while Joel Parsons, taking the R/R ride, passed James Brundle to score a 4-2 then, in the final race, Andre Compton completed his full maximum while Tomas Topinka clashed with Daniel Nermark and pulled out of the race with engine failure. Nermark finished second with Ashworth third for a 4-2 which gave the Tigers an 18 point win.



Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5)(full maximum), Ben Wilson 10+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 9+2 (5), Joel Parsons 8 (5), James Cockle 7+2 (5), Paul Cooper 6+1 (6)

For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 15 (5)(with 6 point TR), Tomas Topinka 8 (5), James Brundle 5 (4), Benji Compton 3+1 (5), Paul Lee 3 (4), Chris Mills 2 (4), Trevor Harding 1 (3).



Premier League: Redcar 35, Isle of Wight 55 .


Redcar were at full strength but the Isle of Wight tracked Ashley Johnson at number 6 in place of the injured Andrew Bargh. Krzysztof Stojanowski moved to number 5 with Glen Phillips taking over at number 4.

Speedway is a funny old game! Last Sunday Redcar went to Newcastle and took the Diamonds to the cleaners recording a massive win but tonight on their own circuit they were given a dose of their own medicine as the Isle of Wight took a giant step towards a top four finish for the end of season play-offs with their third away league win.

The shape of things to come was made evident in heat 1 as the Islanders set out their stall by taking a 1-5 thanks to Chris Holder and Cory Gathercole who comfortably relegated Gary Havelock and Josh Auty to the back. Daniel Giffard won heat 2 but, with Jack Hargreaves falling at the back, Chris Johnson and Ashley Johnson shared the heat behind him. Chris Kerr won heat 3 but surprisingly James Grieves finished well at the back behind Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips for another 3-3. Mathieu Tressarieu won heat 4 by a country mile but again the race was shared as Stojanowski and Johnson finished behind him. This took the score to 10-14.

The alarm bells were ringing for the Bears when they lost another 1-5 to the Holder/Gathercole pairing in heat 5. Chris Kerr finished third but again James Grieves failed to score so the Islanders were eight points to the good. There was no joy for the home side in heat 6 when Krzysztof Stojanowski beat Josh Auty and Gary Havelock for a shared race but Mathieu Tressarieu won heat 7 for the Bears. Bunyan and Phillips shared the points behind him so it was time for Tressarieu to come out again in heat 8 as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres back replacing Jack Hargreaves. This was a disaster for the Bears as they conceded yet another 1-5. The visitors raced from the gate with Cory Gathercole leading his partner, Chris Johnson, home ahead of Tressarieu to increase their lead to 12 points with the score now at 18-30.

Redcar then gave James Grieves a Tactical Ride in heat 9 but this turned out another disaster as Grieves, leading the race, suffered an engine failure. Chris Kerr went on to win from Stojanowski and Johnson for a 3-3 but with both tactical options used the Bears now faced an uphill struggle. They made no inroads in heat 10 either. Gary Havelock burst into life to win the race but Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips consigned Josh Auty to the back for another 3-3. A third consecutive 1-5 from the Gathercole/Holder pairing all but sealed the match for the Isle of Wight. Mathieu Tressarieu finished third behind the unbeaten visiting pair with the lead escalating to 16 points as the interval arrived giving with the home side a chance to get their breaths back. It took only one heat after the interval, heat 12, for the visitors to wrap things up. Jason Bunyan passed James Grieves to win the race for a shared heat consolidating the Islanders 16 point lead with only three heats to go. The score now stood at 28-44.

Another heat advantage went the visitors’ way in heat 13. Chris Holder continued his unbeaten run, winning from Gary Havelock, while Krzysztof Stojanowski took third ahead of Mathieu Tressarieu for a 2-4 and 18 point lead. Glen Philips won heat 14 for a 3-3 leaving the Bears still looking for a heat advantage going into the last race. They didn’t get one here either. Chris Holder completed his paid maximum but Cory Gathercole was denied his when Gary Havelock finished second with Chris Kerr at the back. The 2-4 gave the Islanders a 20 point win which surely guarantees them the bonus point when the teams meet again on the island.

Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 9+1 (5), Chris Kerr 9 (5), Mathieu Tressarieu 8 (5), Daniel Giffard 4+1 (3), James Grieves 2 (4), Josh Auty 2 (4), Jack Hargreaves 1+1 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Cory Gathercole 11+2 (5), Jason Bunyan 9 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 8 (4), Glen Phillips 6+3 (4), Chris Johnson 5+2 (3), Ashley Johnson 2+2 (5).

[Merlin]

Friday, 17 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced a local derby match against Glasgow while at Somerset the Rebels took on Rye House .


Premier League: Edinburgh 41, Glasgow 49


Edinburgh were without the injured George Stancl and had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 instead. They were also missing the injured Daniele Tessari and had James Cockle at number 7 in his place. Kalle Katajisto moved to reserve having completed three home and three away matches so Andrew Tully moved back into the main body of the team at number 4. Glasgow were as usual at full strength.


Edinburgh were behind from heat 2 and never looked like getting back into the match with so many pointless rides. Indeed the Monarchs ran up 11 last places leaving the Tigers a simple job to walk off with both points.

The Monarchs looked as though they might kick off with a 4-2 in heat 1. An excellent race from Derek Sneddon saw off Craig Watson while Andrew Tully had the drop on David McAllan for third. However Tully locked up on the second bend of the third lap to allow McAllan through for third and the race was shared. Michael Coles made the gate in the reserves race with James Cockle second and Lee Dicken third so Glasgow eased into a two point lead with the 2-4. Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak rocketed from the gate in heat 3 while Kai Laukkanen made no impact behind them for third place resulting in a 1-5 which put the Tigers six ahead. Once again it was left to Matthew Wethers to give the home fans something to cheer about in heat 4 as he hunted down the fast starting Trent Leverington to pass him for the win. Cockle fell off on the first bend so the race was shared and the score stood at 9-15.

Kai Laukkanen produced a much better performance in heat 5 to beat Craig Watson by a distance. However a dreadful gate by Andrew Tully left him stranded behind the Glasgow pair so again the race was shared. Edinburgh roared back into the match in heat 6 though. Derek Sneddon and Kai Laukkanen made the gate and were never challenged by Trent Leverington so scored a 5-1 cutting the gap to two points. Glasgow hit back with a 2-4 from Parker and Ksiezak with Matthew Wethers splitting the pair to put the Tigers four ahead. Edinburgh were hoping for a heat advantage in heat 8 but a lightning start from David McAllan scuppered their hopes. Sneddon and Cockle shared the points behind him so the score stood at 22-26.

Kai Laukkanen won heat 9 comfortably from Michael Coles but the battle was for third place behind them. Andrew Tully finally caught and passed Trent Leverington going into the third bend on lap three but Leverington tried too late to stop his move by leaning across Tully only to fall causing the race to be stopped and awarded as a 4-2 to the Monarchs leaving them just two points adrift again. Glasgow again hit back immediately with a 2-4 in heat 10. Shane Parker made a poor gate but, Robert Ksiezak took both Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers on his outside to the fence causing the Edinburgh pair to shut off to avoid an accident. This allowed Parker a free run up the inside to hit the front. Matthew Wethers got the better of Robert Ksiezak for second, Derek Sneddon couldn’t get on terms. An excellent ride by Matthew Wethers in heat 11 was good enough to see off David McAllan and Craig Watson but the race was only shared as again Kalle Katajisto could not recover from a dreadful start. Edinburgh really needed a result from heat 12 but it was Glasgow who got it. Laukkanen was no match for Parker and when James Cockle fell again Michael Coles was left with the simple task of taking the third place point for a 2-4 which increased the Tigers’ lead to six points with the score now 33-39.

The Monarchs were off for a 5-1 in heat 13 through Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers but Watson spun round on the second bend and brought down his partner, Trent Leverington. Watson was excluded from the rerun but you could almost have written the script for what would then happen. Sure enough Matthew Wethers was soon in front but this time Leverington just inched ahead of Sneddon off the second bend and, try as he did, Sneddon couldn’t find a way past. Edinburgh had to settle for a 4-2 leaving them four adrift but it was never going to be good enough given the composition of the last two heats both of which finished as 2-4s to Glasgow. Robert Ksiezak made another lightning start from Andrew Tully while Lee Dicken took third as Cockle fell again then Shane Parker produced an excellent third to first ride in the last race passing early race leader Kai Laukkanen to complete his maximum while David McAllan finished third ahead of the tiring Wethers.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 13+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 13 (6), Derek Sneddon 9 (5), James Cockle 3+1 (5), Andrew Tully 3 (5), Kalle Katajisto 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5)(full maximum), David McAllan 8+2 (5), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Michael Coles 7 (4), Craig Watson 5+1 (4), Trent Leverington 4 (4), Lee Dicken 3+1 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 51, Rye House 42 .


Somerset were at full strength but Rye House still without Robbie Kessler and his replacement, Stefan Ekberg, had to use Rider Replacement at number 2.

An opening 5-1 from Magnus Zetterstrom and Simon Walker from Chris Neath got the Rebels off to the best possible start and they added a 4-2 in heat 2 when Adam Roynon could only split the home pairing of Danny Warwick and Jordan Frampton. Tai Woffinden replied with a win in heat 3 for the Rockets and they took a 2-4 when Emil Kramer fell on the last bend allowing Tommy Allen through for third place behind Stephan Katt. Back roared the Rebels after this piece of insolence with a 5-1 from Warwick and Hawkins who came through from the back to take the score to 16-8.
The Rebels hit another 5-1 in heat 5. This race had to be rerun after Chris Neath had fallen on the third bend with his partner, Adam Roynon, leading. Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt prevented a repeat of this as Roynon finished third. The Rebels now led by 12 points and it stretched to 14 when Zetterstrom won heat 6 from Luke Bowen with Walker third. Rye House gave a Tactical Ride to Tai Woffinden in heat 7 and this turned out to be another heat where the rerun produced a totally different result from the first running. In the first attempt, Tommy Allen and Ritchie Hawkins fell on the fourth bend with Woffinden, on the TR, stuck at the back. Allen was excluded and in the rerun Woffinden made good use of his second chance by winning the race with a tapes-to-flag effort for all 6 points producing a 3-6 for the Rockets and cutting the lead to 11 points. Back came the Rebels with a 4-2 in heat 8 thanks to a win from Simon Walker from Adam Roynon. Danny Warwick finished third and it was the only time Warwick dropped points all match. The score now stood at 32-19.

Another 4-2 went the Rebels’ way in heat 9 when Emil Kramer beat Roynon with Katt third but the Rockets hit back with a 1-5 in heat 10. Magnus Zetterstrom dropped a chain at the starting gate leaving Tommy Allen and Tai Woffinden to head home Simon Walker and cut the gap to 11 points. They did it again in heat 11! This time it was Adam Roynon and Chris Neath who scored the maximum ahead of Frampton to produce a few worried frowns on the home fans’ faces with the Rebels’ lead now down to 7 points. However the balance was redressed when Tai Woffinden fell in heat 12 and was excluded from the rerun leaving Warwick and Kramer to take a 5-1 ahead of Luke Bowen and the score to 43-32.

Another 5-1 in heat 13 from Warwick, who replaced Hawkins who had touched the tapes, and Zetterstrom sealed the match points but Rye House scored another 1-5 in heat 14. Again Adam Roynon won for the Rockets and Tommy Allen finished second ahead of Stephan Katt. The Rockets finished with another heat advantage in the last race. The locals were stunned when Tommy Allen drove round the outside of Magnus Zetterstrom on the third bend to win the race from the Rebels’ number 1 while Tai Woffinden finished third.

Scorers: For Somerset – Danny Warwick 13 (5), Magnus Zetterstrom 10+1 (5), Emil Kramer 8+1 (5), Simon Walker 7+1 (4), Stephan Katt 6+1 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 4+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 3+1 (4).

For Rye House – Adam Roynon 14 (7), Tai Woffinden 12+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Tommy Allen 9+1 (6), Chris Neath 3+1 (4), Luke Bowen 3 (5), Steve Boxall 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 18 August

There were five meetings scheduled today but three of them were wiped out by the rain and one was abandoned after eight heats. The survivor, but only just, was the meeting at Berwick where they ran the 40th Anniversary Meeting which had been rained off some weeks ago. The match at Mildenhall between the Fen Tigers and Newport was the one which was abandoned while the meetings at Rye House, Stoke and Workington were all early casualties to the weather.


Premier League: Mildenhall 30, Newport 18 match abandoned after 8 heats – the result does not stand.


Mildenhall and Newport were both at full strength.


When this match started the rain had stopped but by heat 6 it had started again and by heat 8 the track was unraceable so the meeting was abandoned leaving both teams having to do it all again at a later day.

Shaun Tacey and Tom P Madsen got the meeting underway with an easy 5-1 for the Fen Tigers but heat 2 there was a collision on the first bend between Barry Burchatt and Tomas Suchanek which caused a delay before the rerun with all four back could be raced. This had to be stopped too when Nick Simmons and Mark Baseby collided causing another all four back rerun in which Burchatt streaked from the gate while Tomas Suchanek suffered an engine failure at the tapes. Mark Baseby passed Simmons for second place so the Wasps had to settle for a 2-4. Paul Fry and Kyle Legault team rode round in heat 3 for a 5-1 opening a six point lead but Barry Burchatt made another fast start to win heat 4 from Jason King. Chris Schramm finished third for another 2-4 to the visitors and the score now stood at 14-10.

Another Legault/Fry 5-1 in heat 5 put the Fen Tigers eight ahead and the lead stretched to 12 points when Tacey and Madsen repeated the score in heat 6. Phil Morris managed a second place in heat 7 behind Jason King while Tony Atkin finished third for a shared race then, in heat 8, with the conditions deteriorating badly, another lightning start by Barry Burchatt produced another race` win for him and a shared race. The score now stood at 30-18 and the meeting was called off.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Shaun Tacey 7+1 (3), Kyle Legault 5+1 (2), Paul Fry 5+1 (2), Jason King 5 (2), Tom P Madsen 4+2 (2), Mark Baseby 2 (2), Tomas Suchanek 2 (3).

For Newport – Barry Burchatt 9 (3), Phil Morris 3 (2), Chris Schramm 2 (2), Tony Atkin 1+1 (2), Michal Rajkowski 1 (2), Nick Simmons 1 (2), Tom Hedley 1 (3).



40th Anniversary Meeting at: Berwick

Winner: Kevin Doolan
Second: Chris Holder
Third: Michal Makovsky

This was another rain affected meeting as Berwick again had little luck in the staging of their 40th Anniversary Meeting. This time they did manage to run it but the rain fell throughout the meeting.

The format of this Individual meeting was a 12 rider, twelve heats affair with the top two scorers seeded directly to the final and the next four to a semi-final from which the first and second completed the final line-up.

At the end of the twelve qualifying heats the unbeaten Chris Holder and Kevin Doolan were the top two so went straight to the final. The semi-final consisted of Craig Watson, Josef Franc, Michal Makovsky and Jacek Rempala, three of them Berwick or former Berwick riders. However, it was Glasgow’s Craig Watson who won the race from Michal Makovsky to join Holder and Doolan in the final which was won by Doolan from Holder with Makovsky third.

Scorers from the qualifying heats:: Chris Holder 12 (4), Kevin Doolan 11 (4), Craig Watson 10 (4), Josef Franc 9 (4), Michal Makovsky 8 (4), Jacek Rempala 7 (4), Matej Kus 5 (4), Casper Wortmann 4 (4), Kozza Smith 3 (4), Andrew Moore 1 (2), Kalle Katajisto 1 (4), Stanislaw Burza 1 (4),

[Merlin]

Sunday, 19 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Glasgow the Tigers raced the return local derby match against Edinburgh while at Newport the Wasps took on Birmingham .


Premier League: Glasgow 55, Edinburgh 38 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 104-79.


Glasgow were again at full strength. Edinburgh , on the other hand, were without George Stancl and Daniele Tessari through injury. They had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 and had James Cockle at number 6 for Tessari.

Glasgow had an eight point lead from the match on Friday at Armadale so started as strong favourites for all three points. Edinburgh were effectively a three man team but fought well until two 5-1s in the last two heats enabled Tigers to take a 17 point win.

There was a shock for the home fans in the opening heat when Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers saw off Craig Watson on the first two bends to score an unchallenged 1-5. This was followed by a win in heat 2 by James Cockle, former Tigers’ rider, from Coles and Dicken for a shared heat. Shane Parker rocketed from the gate to win heat 3 with Kai Laukkanen on his tail. Ksiezak finished third so the Tigers scored a 4-2 to pull two points back then repeated that score in heat 4 when Trent Leverington made the start to win from Matthew Wethers. This levelled the scores at 12-12.

Shane Parker made another fast start in heat 5 and Robert Ksiezak muscled his way past Cockle and Sneddon to join him up front for a 5-1 which put Glasgow four points ahead. Craig Watson made the gate in heat 6 then had to fend off the challenging Matthew Wethers for four laps while McAllan finished third as Cockle pulled up at the back. This gave the home side another 4-2 putting them six points ahead. It stayed that way when Kai Laukkanen won heat 7 by a distance from Trent Leverington. Behind this pair Michael Coles took third place from Andrew Tully who was slow away from the tapes again. This provided a drawn race and heat 8 was shared too. This race had to be rerun after being pulled back by the referee with David McAllan warned to stay still at the gate. In the rerun McAllan again made a fast start but he was hunted down by Derek Sneddon who pulled off one of the best passes of the day to win the race. This took the score to 27-21.

Shane Parker won heat 9 while Matthew Wethers worked himself into second ahead of Robert Ksiezak for a Glasgow 4-2 and heat 10 ended the same way. Craig Watson made the gate but Kai Laukkanen passed David McAllan for second place so Glasgow added another two points to their lead which had now stretched to 10 points. It was time for Kai Laukkanen to take a Tactical Ride for the Monarchs in heat 11. When Derek Sneddon and Laukkanen sped round the opening bends it looked like they would score the big 1-8 but on the third lap Derek Sneddon slowed going down the back straight, perhaps to let Laukkanen through, but Trent Leverington passed him too. Sneddon’s third place gave the visitors a 2-7 heat advantage cutting the Tigers’ lead to five points but they increased it to seven again with a 4-2 in heat 12. Kai Laukkanen was out for the third race on the trot and, while Shane Parker again made a fast start, this time he had to look lively to stay ahead of Laukkanen. Lee Dicken finished third against a tailed-off Cockle for third place and the score stood at 41-34.

Craig Watson gated to win heat 13 while Wethers followed him home. Derek Sneddon was briefly in third place but was passed by Trent Leverington as the Tigers added another 4-2. Matthew Wethers replaced Kalle Katajisto as a Tactical Substitute in heat 14 but never figured in the race as Ksiezak and Coles took a 5-1 ahead of Andrew Tully. Parker and Watson made the gate again in heat 15 for another 5-1 as Kai Laukkanen pulled up with a puncture giving the home side a 17 point win.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5)(full maximum), Craig Watson 12+1 (5), Trent Leverington 8 (4), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Michael Coles 5+2 (4), Lee Dicken 4+2 (4), David McAllan 4 (4).

For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 15 (6)(with 6 point TR), Matthew Wethers 11+1 (7), Derek Sneddon 8 (5), James Cockle 3 (5), Andrew Tully 1 (4), Kalle Katajisto 0 (3).



Premier League: Newport 42, Birmingham 48 Birmingham won the aggregate bonus point by 110-69.


Both Newport and Birmingham were at full strength for this match.

What a start for Birmingham! Newport gave themselves a mountain to climb by losing both the opening heats by 1-5 to trail by eight points. However they got their crampons out and made a good fist of it. Jason Lyons won heat 3 but Morris and Atkin shared the spoils before the Wasps scored a 5-1 in heat 4. Barry Burchatt and Chris Schramm gave the home fans some hope by heading home Emiliano Sanchez cutting the deficit in half and taking the score to 10-14.

Another two points were shaved off the Brummies’ lead in heat 5 by Phil Morris who beat Henning Bager and Tony Atkin who finished third after Manuel Hauzinger had fallen on the first bend. The come back was complete when the Wasps took the lead in heat 6 with another 5-1 from Michal Rajkowski and Tom Hedley ahead of Sanchez which put them two points in front. However their euphoria was short-lived. Birmingham recovered from the shock by taking a 2-4 in heat 7 from Lyons and Moller split by Schramm to level the scores. The Wasps were in arrears again when they conceded a 1-5 in heat 8 to Manuel Hauzinger and Ben Powell taking the score to 22-26.

Emiliano Sanchez, seemingly fed up at being on the wrong end of 1-5s, came out to win heat 9 from Atkin and Morris for a 3-3 then Tom Hedley ended Jason Lyons’ winning run by beating him in heat 10. Ben Powell was third though so this heat was shared too. Birmingham increased their lead to 6 points in heat 11 when Henning Bager won from Chris Schramm with Hauzinger third for a 2-4 and it stayed that way when Phil Morris won heat 12 with Lyons and Smart behind him for a 3-3. The score now stood at 33-39.

The Newport collapse continued when the visitors took a 2-4 in heat 13. Sanchez won again this time ahead of Chris Schramm while Henning Bager took third with Rajkowski last. The lead was now 8 points so, in heat 14 with a last throw of the dice, Newport replaced Nick Simmons with Phil Morris from 15 metres back as a Tactical Substitute. Tony Atkin won the race but, although he passed Ben Powell, Phil Morris couldn’t get up on Henrik Moller who finished second. This resulted in a 5-2 advantage to the Wasps but it was too little, too late. Finally in heat 15 Chris Schramm suffered an engine failure then Emiliano Sanchez collided with Tom Hedley and took a tumble. The race was awarded to Jason Lyons with Tom Hedley second for a 2-3 to Birmingham and a six point win for the Brummies which gives them a massive boost in their quest for one of the four play-off places.

Scorers: For Newport – Phil Morris 11+1 (5)(with 2 point TS), Tom Hedley 9+1 (5), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), Tony Atkin 7+1 (4), Barry Burchatt 4 (4), Michal Rajkowski 3 (4), Nick Simmons 0 (3).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13 (5), Henning Bager 8+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 7 (4), Ben Powell 6+2 (5), Lee Smart 3+2 (4), Henrik Moller 3 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 21 August



It was Isle of Wight night tonight where the might of Mildenhall provided the opposition in a Premier League Match.



Premier League: Isle of Wight 60, Mildenhall 33 The Isle of Wight won the aggregate bonus point by 103-84.


The Isle of Wight had Tom Brown at number 6 in place of Andrew Bargh while Mildenhall had Jay Herne at number 6 in place of Mark Baseby.

The Islanders lost by 51-43 at Mildenhall nine days ago so had eight points to pull back in the fight for the bonus point. However a 20 point win at Redcar on Thursday night gave them a massive boost in the race for a play-off place making the result and bonus point a must for them tonight. Mildenhall lost another meeting to the weather on Sunday when their match against Newport was called off after heat 8 with the Fen Tigers leading by 12 points.

It took the Isle of Wight just two heats to wipe out their aggregate arrears. In the opening heat, Chris Holder and Cory Gathercole (surely the strongest pairing in the league these days) ran up a 5-1 with Shaun Tacey trailing home third. In the reserves race, Jay Herne fell on the opening bends and was excluded when the race had to be rerun. Chris Johnson and Tom Brown added another maximum at the expense of Tomas Suchanek in the second running of the race but the Fen Tigers hit back with a 2-4 in heat 3. Paul Fry was the race winner from Jason Bunyan with Kyle Legault picking up the third place point. However the home side countered that with a 4-2 in heat 4. Krzysztof Stojanowski was the race winner while Jason King finished second ahead of Chris Johnson to take the score to 16-8.

The Isle of Wight made two decisive strikes in heats 5 and 6, both ending up 5-1s to the home side. Glen Phillips and Jason Bunyan did the damage in heat 5 against Shaun Tacey as Tom P Madsen fell at the back causing the race to be stopped and awarded. Cory Gathercole and Chris Holder added another maximum in heat 6 with Jason King taking third to put the Islanders 16 points in front. Paul Fry was given a Tactical Ride in heat 7 and won it too. Krzysztof Stojanowski finished second ahead of Kyle Legault so the visitors scored a 2-7 from the race cutting the home side’s lead to 11 points. They increased it to 13 in heat 8 when Cory Gathercole continued his unbeaten run by winning the race. Tomas Suchanek came to life with second place from Chris Johnson while Shaun Tacey finished last. This took the score to 32-19.

Another 5-1 in heat 9 from Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips put the match way beyond the Fen Tigers as the interest fell on three unbeaten riders contesting heat 10. Two of them had their maximum chances ruined. Chris Holder won the race to remain unbeaten but it was Kyle Legault who finished ahead of Cory Gathercole and Paul Fry for a 4-2 to the home side giving them a 19 point lead. It increased to 23 points with another home 5-1 from Krzysztof Stojanowski and Tom Brown who passed Shaun Tacey for second place. There was some respite from the onslaught for the visitors when they shared heat 12. Jason Bunyan won the race while Kyle Legault and Tomas Suchanek kept Chris Johnson at the back taking the score to 49-26.

Jay Herne replaced Tom P Madsen in heat 13 in which what looked like an inevitable 5-1 materialised. Stojanowski finished ahead of Holder while Jason King finished third. This was followed by a 4-2 when Glen Phillips beat Paul Fry. Tom Brown again scored an impressive point by beating Tomas Suchanek then, in the last race, the Fen Tigers took a 2-4 as Paul Fry rounded off an excellent evening by beating Chris Holder while Kyle Legault beat Krzysztof Stojanowski.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 12+2 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 11 (5), Jason Bunyan 10+1 (4), Cory Gathercole 9+1 (4), Glen Phillips 8+1 (4), Tom Brown 5+2 (4), Chris Johnson 5 (4).

For Mildenhall – Paul Fry 14 (5)(with 6 point TR), Kyle Legault 7 (5), Jason King 5 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (5), Shaun Tacey 3 (4), Tom P Madsen 0 (3), Jay Herne 0 (4).