Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Saturday, 7 June



Three Premier League matches and one Knock Out Cup tie were raced tonight. The Premier League matches were: Berwick versus Glasgow , Mildenhall versus Newcastle and Stoke versus Scun.thorpe . The Knock Out Cup tie was at Workington where the Comets faced the Isle of Wight .



Premier League: Berwick 54, Glasgow 39


Berwick were without Tero Aarnio and used Rider Replacement at number 4. Glasgow were missing Shane Parker and Josh Grajczonek through injury while Anders Andersen was missing due to European commitments. The Tigers had Tomas Topinka at number 1 in place of Parker and Sam Martin at number 7 in place of Grajczonek. They used Rider Replacement at number 3 for Andersen.

Glasgow’s hopes lay in tatters after losing three 5-1s in the opening three heats but after slipping 18 points in arrears after heat 6, and looking down the barrel of a drubbing, they rallied with a 1-8 from Tomas Topinka and Lee Dicken in heat 7 to trail by 11 points.

The Bandits scored a 5-1 and two more 4-2s over the next three heats to lead by 19 points but another Glasgow maximum, this time a 5-1, from Leverington and Topinka stopped them in their tracks as the deficit was cut to 15 points, a gap that was unchanged at the end of the match.

Lee Dicken won heat 12 for the Tigers stopping Michal Makovsky’s winning run for a shared heat while the teams exchanged 4-2s in heats 14 and 15 as Adrian Rymel completed a full house for the Bandits. Glasgow could take some consolation from this as Rymel guests for them tomorrow in the match against Workington.

For Berwick, Rymel was master of all while three wins apiece for Makovsky and Magosi took the number of home race winners to 10. Scott Smith’s paid 11 and Paul Clews’ paid 7 exposed the weakness in the Glasgow line up at reserve where the Tigers’ pair scored a point apiece without actually beating an opponent. The home pairing of Atkin plus reserve looked vulnerable losing two maximums in their three races together while Glasgow will be hoping that Trent Leverington can quickly get back to full fitness after failing to score in his first three rides.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 13+2 (paid maximum), Michal Makovsky 12 (5), Norbert Magosi 10 (4), Scott Smith 8+3 (6), Paul Clews 6+1 (5), Tony Atkin 5+1 (5).

For Glasgow – Tomas Topinka 15+1 (6) (with 6 point TR), Lee Dicken 9+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 9+1 (6), Trent Leverington 4 (5), Mitchell Davey 1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (4).



Premier League: Mildenhall 39, Newcastle 53


Mildenhall were at full strength while Newcastle had Arlo Bugeja as a guest at number 7 for the injured Richard Juul.

Mildenhall must be wondering if they will go through the entire season without a Premier League win as once again a visiting team had an easy win against them.

The track was not in ideal condition after some heavy rain and further showers during the meeting didn’t help things. The two teams exchanged 5-1s in the opening two heats but Newcastle then rattled off five consecutive heat advantages – three 2-4s and two 1-5s to put themselves almost out of sight with a 14 point lead after heat 7.

Falls for Loof and Stoddart in heat 8 resulted in a 6-2 advantage to the home side since Jan Graversen was on a Tactical Ride at the time. This cut the gap to ten points and the Fen Tigers made further inroads with a 5-1 in heat 11 when Michal Rajkowski and Jan Graversen headed George Stancl home leaving the Diamonds just six points ahead.

Another 5-1 from Robbie Kessler and Mark Baseby over Josef Franc got the home fans excited since the score now stood at 33-35 but it all went pear shaped for the home side after that as Newcastle scored three 1-5s over the last four heats to seal victory.

It was unfortunate for Mildenhall that Kai Laukkanen chose this match to turn in such a low points return otherwise things might have been different but once again a fine performance from Mark Baseby gave the beleaguered home team some consolation. They could be doing with some better scores from their number 1 Michal Rajkowski though.

For Newcastle it all looked as though it might slip away as track conditions worsened but their late burst doomed the Fen Tigers to further home misery. Jerran Hart’s performance at reserve for the Diamonds suggests they might be on to a real winner here.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Jan Graversen 10+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Robbie Kessler 9 (5), Mark Baseby 8+2 (6), Kai Laukkanen 4+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 4 (4), Henning Loof 3 (3), Jari Makinen 1 (3).

For Newcastle – Jason King 12 (5), Josef Franc 10+2 (5), Christian Henry 9 (4), George Stancl 8+2 (4), Jerran Hart 7+2 (5), Arlo Bugeja 4 (3), Sean Stoddart 3+1 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 43, Scun.thorpe 47


Stoke were without the injured Lee Complin and Ben Barker who was riding in the under 21 World Team Cup so had Craig Watson as a guest for Complin at number 1 and Ryan Fisher as a guest for Barker at number 3. Scun.thorpe were without Andrew Moore so used Rider Replacement at number 5.

With only four race winners all match Stoke had little chance of getting a result from this match although they did manage three 5-1s and actually led by 20-16 after heat 6.

Five of the first six heats resulted in 5-1 scores with three going to the Potters and two to the Scorpions giving the home side a four point lead but with only Ryan Fisher winning a race for the home side after that, in heat 9, it was only a matter of time before the visitors went in front. With Magnus Karlsson, Viktor Bergstrom and Carl Wilkinson dominant over the last nine heats it was all Stoke could do to share the points in six of them.

It took the Scorpions until heat 10 though before they could make their race winners’ returns count when they took a 1-5 through Karlsson and Bergstrom from Craig Watson. The two point lead they had following that race remained unchanged until the last race when Magnus Karlsson and Carl Wilkinson took a 2-4 to increase the winning margin to four points.

Apart from Emiliano Sanchez whose 2+1 return was a big disappointment for the Potters they all scored solidly but just not well enough while Scun.thorpe must be delighted to have provided ten race winners, particularly since they were without Andrew Moore.

Scorers: For Stoke – Ryan Fisher 10+1 (5), Craig Watson 9 (5), Klaus Jacobsen 7+1 (4), Mark Burrows 5+3 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 5+2 (4), Barrie Evans 4+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 3+1 (4).

For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Viktor Bergstrom 11+2 (5), Carl Wilkinson 11 (6), Ben Powell 5 (4), Byron Bekker 4 (5), Richard Hall 2+1 (5).



Knock Out Cup (first leg): Workington 53, Isle of Wight 38


Workington used Rider Replacement for the injured Joe Haines at number 4 and nominated David Haigh as their number 8. The Isle of Wight used Rider Replacement for injury victim Paul Fry at number 2.

The Comets looked as though they might struggle to take a decent lead to the second leg on the Isle of Wight when they trailed by three points after the opening four races but, with Jason Bunyan strangely ineffective following a fall in the opening race which had to be rerun after Tomi Reima had crashed into the back of him, the Islanders didn’t have enough firepower to hold the Comets in check.

A 4-2, 5-1score in heats 5 and 6 saw the home side reverse the three point advantage although the Islanders stopped any further erosion of their position by sharing the next three heats taking the score to 28-25 after nine races. Workington then steadily built up a lead with their heat leader trio all winning races over the next four races for two 5-1s and two 4-2s stretching their advantage to 15 points at the end of heat 13. The heat 13 maximum for the Comets was particularly disappointing for the visitors since Krzysztof Stojanowski was on a TR at the time but he finished behind Nermark and Stonehewer.

In heat 14 Glen Phillips took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres and finished second behind John Branney for a 3-5 to the Islanders but a last heat 4-2 from Nermark and Stonehewer neutralised the effects of that advantage and gave the Comets a 15 point lead for the second leg which probably makes them favourites to win the tie on aggregate.

Scorers: For Workington – Daniel Nermark 15 (5), Carl Stonehewer 12+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 9 (4), Tomi Reima 7+2 (5), John Branney 6+2 (5), Charles Wright 4+1 (6).

For the Isle of Wight – Krzysztof Stojanowski 10 (6), Glen Phillips 8+2 (5) (with 4 point TS), Cory Gathercole 8+1 (5), James Holder 5 (5), Jason Bunyan 4 (4), Andrew Bargh 3+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 8 June

Today’s matches were at Glasgow where the Tigers raced against Workington and at Newcastle where the Diamonds took on Stoke in Premier League matches.


Premier League: Glasgow 41, Workington 49


Glasgow were missing Shane Parker and Josh Grajczonek through injury while Anders Andersen was absent through riding in the European Championships. They had Adrian Rymel as guest at number 1 and Adam McKinna as a guest at number 7. They also used Rider Replacement for Andersen at number 3. Workington were missing the injured Joe Haines so used Rider Replacement at number 4.

Already using a six man team with R/R, the last thing Glasgow could cope with in their efforts to beat the high-flying Comets were two non-scoring reserves. As it was they did well with their limited resources and only trailed by two points after heat 10. However Workington’s Daniel Nermark had three rides to come in heats 11, 13 and 15 and he won them all with the Comets scoring 4-2s in each of those races to win by eight points.

Adrian Rymel and Trent Leverington led off the second bend with Daniel Nermark third in the opening heat but Nermark wasn’t doing third places in this match and was soon past Leverington but couldn’t catch Rymel so Glasgow led for the one and only time in the match with the 4-2. An easy reserves race 1-5 for John Branney and Charles Wright reversed the two point lead and 2-4s in the next two heats to the visitors had the Comets in complete control. In the second of those Carl Stonehewer made a superb pass on the fast starting Robert Ksiezak on the first two bends of lap 4 for a 9-15 lead.

Passing was restricted on a fast drying track and although Adrian Rymel’s fast starts were causing the visitors problems there was no change to the their lead after the sides traded 4-2s in heats 6 and 7. A shared heat 8 took the score to 21-27 but Glasgow’s hopes were resurrected by two 4-2 advantages in heats 9 and 10. Ksiezak beat Stonehewer in the first while Rymel did likewise to Nieminen in the second all from the gate as the Tigers now trailed by just 29-31.

Then came the Nermark show. The pick of his three race wins in heats 11,13 and 15 was his win in heat 13 which was quite superb after Ksiezak had made an electric start and ridden to the front on the opening two bends round the boards. Nermark reeled him in and passed him down the back straight on the third lap. Six points down with two heats left, the Tigers’ hopes were briefly raised again in heat 14 when Lee Dicken and Mitchell Davey led from the gate and looked set for a 5-1. However John Branney passed Davey entering the first bend of the second lap and Davey got badly out of shape allowing Charles Wright through as well and the home side’s hopes died. The meeting ended with another excellent race between Adrian Rymel and Daniel Nermark but good though Rymel was he was no match for Nermark who was quite outstanding.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Adrian Rymel 13 (6), Robert Ksiezak 11 (6), Trent Leverington 8 (5), Lee Dicken 7+1 (5), Adam McKinna 1+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 1 (4).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14 (5), Kauko Nieminen 12 (5), John Branney 9+1 (7), Carl Stonehewer 8 (4), Charles Wright 3+2 (4), Tomi Reima 3 (5).



Premier League: Newcastle 48, Stoke 42 .


Home were without Josef Franc and Richard Juul and had Arlo Bugeja as a guest at number 7. They also used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Franc. Stoke were missing Lee Complin and Ben Barker and had Matthew Wethers as a guest at number 1 and Ryan Fisher as a guest at number 3.

It took a heat 14 5-1 to Newcastle and a superb 6 ride 18 point maximum from Jason King to see the Diamonds home in this match. Fortunes swung one way then the other over the opening four heats which saw Newcastle take 4-2s in heats 1 and 3 but lose a 1-5 in the reserves race to Stoke’s two Danes, Klaus Jakobsen and Jesper Kristiansen, after Jerran Hart had fallen and been excluded. The scores were tied at 12-12 at that stage.

Newcastle then pulled six points clear with a 5-1 from Jason King and George Stancl then a 4-2 from Jason King and Sean Stoddart in heats 5 and 6 but, after a Ryan Fisher win over Christian Henry in heat 7 for a shared race, the Potters pulled the arrears back to just 4 points with a 2-4 from Mark Burrows and Jesper Kristiansen in heat 8 which took the score to 26-22.

Another 5-1 from Stancl and King ahead of Emiliano Sanchez in heat 9 put the home side eight points ahead which looked decisive but the Potters hit back with a 2-4 from Matthew Wethers and Mark Burrows in heat 11 then a 1-5 in heat 13 from Wethers and Sanchez to cut the Diamonds lead to just two points.

The 5-1 from Jason King and Jerran Hart in heat 14 saw the Diamonds home and dry before King completed his maximum in heat 15 holding off the challenges of Ryan Fisher all race long to preserve the home side’s six point lead.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Jason King 18 (6) (maximum), George Stancl 11 (6), Christian Henry 10 (5), Jerran Hart 5 (5), Sean Stoddart 3 (5), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3).

For Stoke – Ryan Fisher 11 (5), Mark Burrows 8+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 7 (4), Matthew Wethers 5+1 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 5+1 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 4+1 (4), Barrie Evans 2+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 9 June



Today’s match was at Reading where the Racers were up against Birmingham in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Reading 48, Birmingham 42 .


Reading were at full strength while Birmingham were without Adam Roynon, Phil Morris and Jack Hargreaves. They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon, had Krzysztof Stojanowski at number 2 for Phil Morris and Paul Clews as a guest reserve for Hargreaves at number 6.

This was the close encounter expected from these two sides. Reading did not have the usual high returns from Ulrich Ostergaard and Tom P Madsen who managed just 9 points between them and they were indebted to a 12 point return from reserve, Jaimie Smith, and 9+2 from Chris Mills to pull them through. Birmingham may be injury ravaged but they sure know which guests to use on specific tracks. Indeed Krzysztof Stojanowski and Paul Clews, their two guests for this match, scored one point short of half their total!

It looked so comfortable for the Racers when they took a six point lead from the first two races. Chris Mills and Mark Lemon opened with a 5-1 from Stojanowski after Craig Watson had fallen and remounted then, when Paul Clews could only split Jaimie Smith and Nicki Glanz in the reserves race, they added a 4-2. Their troubles started in heat 3. With Tomas Suchanek and Ulrich Ostergaard sitting on a 5-1, Ostergaard suffered an engine failure and was never really effective after that on his second bike. Jason Lyons and Lee Smart shared the race behind Suchanek then the Brummies pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat four. They were hoping for a 1-5 as Watson and Birkinshaw led from the tapes but Madsen passed Birkinshaw to restrict them to a two point heat advantage which took the score to 14-10.

They did even better in heat 5 with a dream 1-5 from Lyons and Stojanowski from Ostergaard to level the scores again and Reading knew they were going to have to dig deep for the points. However the Racers hit back immediately with a 5-1 from their top pairing of Mills and Lemon with Lemon sitting shotgun behind Mills to ward off any challenge from Clews and Watson. A 4-2 in heat 7 restored Reading’s early six point lead thanks to a win from Jaimie Smith who clung on desperately to hold off Jason Lyons with Tom P Madsen pressing both of them just behind. Birmingham looked well placed to hit back with a 1-5 in heat 8 as Stojanowski and Birkinshaw gated but Jaimie Smith and Chris Mills both passed Birkinshaw so the heat was shared and the score now stood at 27-21.

Ulrich Ostergaard produced his only race win of the match in heat 9 beating Clews and Watson but with Suchanek stuck at the back the race was shared. Reading then pulled eight points clear with a 4-2 in heat 10. Mark Lemon passed early leader, Jason Lyons, while Chris Mills passed Lee Smart to add two points to their lead. Heat 11 produced another 3-3 in a race won by Jaimie Smith from Stojanowski. A close battle at the back was resolved by Paul Clews who got the better of Tom P Madsen to ensure the points were shared. Birmingham pulled two points back in heat 12 when Jason Lyons beat Ostergaard while Paul Clews finally pipped Nicki Glanz on the line for a 2-4. This took the score to 39-33.

Birmingham looked set to score a 1-5 from heat 13 as Craig Watson sat behind Krzysztof Stojanowski but, on the last lap, Tom P Madsen passed Craig Watson and the Birmingham rider fell. Madsen was excluded to the anger of the home fans and the race was rerun rather than awarded. At the second attempt again the Brummies sat on a 1-5 but Mark Lemon passed Watson on the third lap to rescue two points for the Racers in a 2-4 advantage to the visitors who now trailed by just four points. Tomas Suchanek won heat 14 while Paul Clews passed Jaimie Smith for second place and another 4-2, this time to Reading, which sealed victory for the home side while, in the last race, Jason Lyons won for the Brummies from Lemon and Mills for a shared heat.

Scorers: For Reading – Jaimie Smith 12 (5), Mark Lemon 11+2 (5), Chris Mills 9+2 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 6 (4), Tomas Suchanek 6 (4), Tom P Madsen 3 (4), Nicki Glanz 1 (3).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15 (6), Krzysztof Stojanowski 11+1 (6), Paul Clews 9+1 (6), Craig Watson 5+1 (5), Lee Smart 1+1 (4), James Birkinshaw 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 10 June



Tuesday night means the Isle of Wight where tonight’s match featured Birmingham as the opposition in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Isle of Wight 51, Birmingham 41 .


The Isle of Wight were again without Paul Fry so they used Rider Replacement at number 4. Injury hit Birmingham were once again without Adam Roynon, Phil Morris and Jack Hargreaves so used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon and had Nick Simmons as a guest at number 2 for Morris and John Oliver at number 6 for Hargreaves.

Once again the injury jinx struck Birmingham when, in heat 2, James Birkinshaw fell on the first bend and suffered a leg injury which caused him to withdraw from the meeting leaving the Brummies to soldier on with just three team members and two guests. It meant that their remaining reserve, guest John Oliver, was in for a busy night. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Lee Smart crashed in heat 12 and also had to withdraw from the meeting leaving the visitors with just four fit riders.

It took three attempts to run heat 1. First up Craig Watson fell on the first bend for an all-four-back decision, then, at the second attempt, Watson was moving at the start so it was called back. Thirdly the Islanders gated for an easy 5-1 from Jason Bunyan and Corey Gathercole. Heat 2 saw another first bend bunching incident but this time James Birkinshaw suffered a leg injury and withdrew from the meeting. Undaunted John Oliver rounded Andrew Bargh and James Holder in the three man rerun for a fine win and shared race. Heat 3 was shared. Glenn Phillips won the race under great pressure from Jason Lyons while Andrew Bargh suffered an engine failure on the second lap allowing Lee Smart to pick up the third place point unchallenged. The Islanders pulled six points clear after heat 4 when Krzysztof Stojanowski gated to lead Craig Watson and James Holder home for a 4-2 which took the score to 15-9.

James Holder fell on the first bend and was excluded from the rerun of heat 5 won by Jason Lyons by the proverbial mile from Glen Phillips. With Nick Simmons picking up the gift third place point Birmingham picked up a 2-4 cutting their arrears to four points but Corey Gathercole and Jason Bunyan gated for a 5-1 in heat 6 to increase the home side’s lead to eight points. Birmingham pulled two points back again in heat 7 thanks to another Jason Lyons win this time over Krzysztof Stojanowski while Lee Smart took third place from Bargh. This cut the gap to six points and it stayed that way when Nick Simmons gated to win heat 8 from Gathercole and Holder for a 3-3 which took the score to 27-21.

Another shared heat in heat 9 won by Craig Watson kept the Brummies in the hunt and similarly Jason Lyons won heat 10 but this came at a cost to the Brummies as Lee Smart became their next injury victim when he crashed on the fourth lap and also withdrew from the meeting. Birmingham now fast running out of resources were only able to track one rider in heat 11, Nick Simmons, and he took second place behind Stojanowski for a 4-2 to the Islanders. Jason Lyons kept the good ship Birmingham afloat with another win in heat 12 while Phillips and Holder shared the race behind him taking the score to 40-32.

Bunyan and Stojanowski gated for a 5-1 in heat 13 ahead of Simmons while Watson suffered an engine failure increasing their lead to 45-33 and sealing victory for the home side. Still the Brummies fought on. Nick Simmons took a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 14 from 15 metres and finished second behind James Holder as Andrew Bargh suffered an engine failure so, with John Oliver third, the visitors scored a 3-5. Jason Lyons wrapped things up by winning heat 15 from Bunyan and Phillips to restrict the Islanders to a ten point victory which was quite remarkable all things considered.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 12+1 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 11+2 (5), Glen Phillips 10+1 (5), Corey Gathercole 8+2 (4), James Holder 8+2 (6), Andrew Bargh 2+1 (5).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 17 (6), Nick Simmons 12 (7) (with 4 point TS), Craig Watson 6 (5), John Oliver 4+1 (7), Lee Smart 2+1 (3), James Birkinshaw DNR.

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 11 June

Today’s matches were at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced against Redcar and at Birmingham where the Brummies took on Workington in Premier League matches.


Premier League: King’s Lynn 66, Redcar 27


King’s Lynn were at full strength but Redcar were missing Daniel Giffard and Joni Keskinen, who has returned to Finland, so used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Giffard and had Adam McKinna at number 4 for Keskinen.

With King’s Lynn on a winning roll at home since their early season setbacks, they started big favourites to beat a weakened Redcar side. So it proved as the Stars provided 14 of the 15 race winners.

Kevin Doolan produced the fastest time of the season at the Norfolk Arena in winning heat 1 from Gary Havelock for a 4-2 to the Stars who then scored another in the reserves race. Josh Auty passed John Oliver to follow Kozza Smith home and prevent a home maximum but that duly came along in heat 3 thanks to Tomas Topinka and Simon Lambert from James Grieves to double the home side’s lead to eight points. Rusty Harrison won heat 4 and it looked like another 5-1 for the Stars until Kozza Smith fell at the end of lap 3 allowing Bugeja and Proctor to share the heat taking the score to 21-9.

Another 5-1 was just delayed though as Tomas Topinka and Simon Lambert headed Gary Havelock home in heat 5. In heat 6 it didn’t get any better when Ty Proctor fell on the first bend and was excluded from the rerun in which Kevin Doolan and Shaun Tacey scored another 5-1 for a 16 point lead. In heat 7 Rusty Harrison led from the gate and, although James Grieves put in a determined effort to move into second off the second bend, he was passed on the next bend by John Oliver as the Stars ran off with another 5-1 and 20 point lead. King’s Lynn made it four 5-1s on the trot with another in heat 8 when Kozza Smith and Shaun Tacey gated to lead Josh Auty home taking the score to 36-12.

King’s Lynn extended their run of maximums to five in heat 9 as Lambert and Topinka added another as Josh Auty retired at the back. Finally Redcar produced a race winner when Gary Havelock won a thrilling race with Rusty Harrison right on the line. Even better for the visitors was the fact that Havelock was on a Tactical Ride at the time and with Josh Auty taking third from Oliver the Bears took a 2-7 from the race. Their joy was short-lived as Topinka and Smith, under pressure from Grieves, scored another 5-1 which took the score to 53-22.

Heat 13 was another 5-1 this time from Doolan and Harrison from Havelock then the Stars added a 4-2 from heat 14 when Simon Lambert won from Auty who passed John Oliver for second place. In the last race Kevin Doolan completed his maximum by beating Gary Havelock while Simon Lambert finished third for a 4-2 which gave the Stars a 39 point win.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 15 (maximum), Simon Lambert 11+2 (5), Tomas Topinka 11+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 10+1 (4), Kozza Smith 8+1 (4), Shaun Tacey 7+3 (4), John Oliver 4+1 (4).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (with 6 point TR), Josh Auty 7 (7), James Grieves 4 (4), Ty Proctor 2+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2 (6), Adam McKinna 0 (4).



Premier League: Birmingham 47.5, Workington 42.5 .


Birmingham were without Adam Roynon, Phil Morris, Lee Smart and Jack Hargreaves. They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Adam Roynon, and had Robert Ksiezak as a guest for Morris at number 2, Jason Bunyan as a guest for Lee Smart at number 4 and Paul Clews as a guest at reserve for Jack Hargreaves. Workington by contrast were at full strength.

What an incredible match! Workington fought back from a 4 point deficit after heat 4 to take a two point lead after heat 7. Even though the Comets lost a 5-1 in heat 8 they seemed to have all the cards for the run-in particularly when Charles Wright beat Jason Lyons in heat 9 which produced a dead heat for second between Lyons and Stonehewer, then Kauko Nieminen also beat Lyons in the next race. The visitors were a point in front at this stage and with the unbeaten Daniel Nermark out in three of the last five races the odds were very much in their favour. However when Robert Ksiezak came out to beat Nermark in heat 13 for a home 4-2 the whole match turned around and Birmingham pushed home their advantage in fine style to seal victory in heat 14.

Daniel Nermark got the Comets off to a good start by winning the opening race from Robert Ksiezak while Tomi Reima took third from Jason Bunyan giving the visitors a two point lead with a 2-4 but they found themselves two points down after a 5-1 for James Birkinshaw and Paul Clews in the reserves race. Jason Lyons passed Kauko Nieminen on the back straight on the third lap to win heat 3 while Jason Bunyan’s third place at the expense of Joe Haines gave the home side a 4-2 doubling their lead to four points and it remained that way when Craig Watson won heat 4 from Carl Stonehewer for a shared heat taking the score to 14-10.

Daniel Nermark ensured that there would be no Lyons maximum tonight by winning heat 5. Jason Bunyan took second followed by Jason Lyons for another shared race but Workington pulled two points back in heat 6 when Carl Stonehewer beat Craig Watson while Charles Wright took third from Robert Ksiezak for a 2-4. Craig Watson had bike troubles at the start of heat 7 and by the time he sorted things out the Comets had gone with Joe Haines and Kauko Nieminen taking a 1-5 to turn the match around with the visitors now two points ahead. Heat 8 was clearly crucial since none of the visiting heat leaders were programmed to ride. Robert Ksiezak and James Birkinshaw took full advantage to restore the Brummies two point lead with a 5-1 over Tomi Reima which took the score to 25-23.

Jason Lyons still had four races to take in the last seven heats and the home side looked as though they were going to rely heavily on him if they were to see the match through to victory. He found it hard going though. In heat 9 Charles Wright won the race while Jason Lyons and Carl Stonehewer’s battle behind him for second place ended in a dead heat with both getting 1.5 points giving Workington a 1.5-4.5 advantage putting them back in the lead by one point. Kauko Nieminen won heat 10 with Lyons in second place and Ksiezak third sharing the race behind him. With Daniel Nermark out in three of the last five races the odds were now firmly on a Comets’ victory. He duly won heat 11 but Clews and Watson shared the race behind him when Charles Wright fell. Jason Lyons won heat 12 when he beat Kauko Nieminen and, when Paul Clews took the vital third place from Wright, the Brummies scored a 4-2 and went back in front by one point at 36.5-35.5.

What a boost for the Brummies in heat 13. Robert Ksiezak and Craig Watson made the gate to lead Daniel Nermark until the last lap when Nermark passed Watson for second. With Carl Stonehewer finishing last the home side took a 4-2 from a heat from which they must have feared the worst. This increased their lead to three points with just two races remaining giving them real hope. It was well justified too as Paul Clews won heat 14 for them by beating Charles Wright while Jason Bunyan sealed victory for them by taking third place from Joe Haines for a 4-2 leaving the home side five points ahead going into the last race. Finally Jason Lyons produced another race win beating Nermark and Nieminen with Ksiezak last for a shared race and hard-fought victory for the Brummies who once again were indebted to some sparkling contributions from their guests to see them home.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13.5+1 (6), Paul Clews 9+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 9+1 (6), Craig Watson 7+1 (5), James Birkinshaw 5+1 (3), Jason Bunyan 4 (5).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 13 (5), Kauko Nieminen 10+2 (5), Carl Stonehewer 6.5 (4), Charles Wright 6 (6), Joe Haines 3 (4), John Branney 2+1 (3), Tomi Reima 2 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday 2 July



The two Wednesday evening tracks met tonight at Birmingham where King’s Lynn were the visitors in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Birmingham 38, King’s Lynn 54 .


Injury-hit Birmingham were again in some disarray having to use guests Chris Mills (Reading), Andre Compton (Sheffield) and Paul Clews (Berwick) at numbers 2, 3 and 6 together with Rider Replacement at number 1 to cobble a team together. King’s Lynn on the other hand were at full strength.

Things just go from bad to worse for the Brummies. With only three of their own riders in the team from the start they were down to two when Kozza Smith crashed into James Birkinshaw in heat 4 causing an ambulance trip to hospital for the Birmingham man and consequent withdrawal from the meeting. Perry Barr must be a prime candidate for an exorcism; their injury record is quite preternatural.

The home side made a terrible start to the match conceding 1-5s in the first two heats. Craig Watson fell in heat 1 leaving Kevin Doolan and Shaun Tacey to score the first then the King’s Lynn reserves added the second in heat 2. Andre Compton stopped the rot by beating Tomas Topinka for a shared heat 3 before the heat 4 crash between Birkinshaw and Smith. This occurred on the last lap so the race was awarded to race leader Rusty Harrison with Birkinshaw given second and Watson third for another 3-3 which took the score to 8-16.

There was still no joy for the beleaguered home side when they watched Kevin Doolan breaking the Perry Barr track record in heat 5 from which the Stars gained a 2-4 leaving their hosts ten points in arrears. It was only heat 6 but already the Brummies called on Andre Compton to take his R/R ride as a Tactical Ride too. Even this was only partially successful as Rusty Harrison won the race while it took a last bend overtake by Chris Mills on John Oliver to scrape five points from the heat which Birmingham won by 5-3. They got a break in heat 7 though when Tomas Topinka suffered an engine failure on the last lap after both he and Simon Lambert had been passed by Paul Clews. This promoted the woeful Craig Watson to third giving the Brummies a 4-2 cutting their arrears to six points. The Stars were heading for another 1-5 in heat 8 until Paul Clews passed Kozza Smith on the line to rescue two points for the home team taking the score to 21-29. At this stage Birmingham’s guests had scored 17 of their 21 points!

Lee Smart continued his row of zeroes in heat 9 but Andre Compton won the race for a 3-3 however another 1-5 for King’s Lynn in heat 10 from Simon Lambert and Tomas Topinka effectively ended any remaining hopes to which the home fans might still have been clinging as their team now trailed by 12 points. Kevin Doolan produced another three points for the Stars by winning heat 11 from Craig Watson and Paul Clews who then took his third ride on the trot in heat 12 and produced another third place. With Andre Compton winning the race from Tomas Topinka the home fans had a 4-2 to celebrate taking the score to 32-42 but it was too little too late.

Kevin Doolan completed a four ride maximum in heat 13 producing a 2-4 for the visitors for a 12 point lead again. Then in heat 14 Lee Smart completed five pointless rides for the Brummies who lost another 1-5 this time to Kozza Smith and Simon Lambert. Heat 15 saw Kevin Doolan complete a five ride maximum but Watson and Compton shared the points behind him for a 3-3 giving King’s Lynn a 16 point victory.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Andre Compton 16+1 (6), Paul Clews 10+1 (7), Craig Watson 8+1 (6), Chris Mills 2+1 (4), James Birkinshaw 2 (2), Lee Smart 0 (5).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 15 (5), Rusty Harrison 9 (4), Simon Lambert 8+2 (5), Tomas Topinka 6+1 (4), Shaun Tacey 6+1 (4), Kozza Smith 6+1 (4), John Oliver 4+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday 3 July

Three matches were due to be raced tonight, all for Premier League points, but Glasgow scheduled to race on their off night against Stoke suffered another rain-off. This left the matches at Redcar where Scun.thorpe were the visitors and at Sheffield, where Mildenhall provided the opposition, as the survivors.


Premier League: Redcar 51, Scun.thorpe 39


Redcar used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Joni Keskinen and had Scott James and James Cockle as guests at reserve in place of Arlo Bugeja and Daniel Giffard while Scun.thorpe were at full strength.

With two Conference League riders at reserve and using R/R Redcar looked to be effectively a five man team but the reserves chipped in well to make victory much easier for the Bears. It was a close fought match with the scores still level after heat 8. However a 5-1 in heat 9 put the home side in the cat bird seat and they were never in danger after that.

Gary Havelock set a new track record (53.4) in the opening race but it was only enough for a shared heat. The Bears got a boost however when their two reserve guests shared heat 2 behind Ben Powell again for a 3-3 the same result as heat 3 won by James Grieves. Ty Proctor equalled the new track record in heat 4 but again the points were shared taking the score to 12-12.

It was the visitors who broke the deadlock in heat 5 when Richard Hall beat James Grieves with Carl Wilkinson taking third place from Josh Auty for a 2-4 but the Bears hit back with a 5-1 from Havelock and James Cockle in heat 6 after Emiliano Sanchez had fallen and been excluded to reverse the two point advantage. A Bergstrom win in heat seven kept it that way but the Scorpions levelled the match again in heat 8 when Carl Wilkinson won from Ty Proctor with Ben Powell third for a 2-4 taking the score to 24-24.

Heat 9 provided some drama when James Grieves broke the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Josh Auty passed early race leader Emiliano Sanchez to lead the race while Grieves caught and passed Byron Bekker before chasing after Sanchez to repeat the process for a 5-1 which put the Bears four points to the good. Wins from Magnus Karlsson, Ty Proctor and James Grieves produced three drawn races in heats 10, 11 and 12 which took the score to 38-34.

Redcar took a giant step towards victory with a 5-1 in heat 13 from Proctor and Havelock ahead of Sanchez and Hall increasing their lead to eight points with just two races left. The Scorpions gated in heat 14 to cause some momentary worry for the home fans but, although Viktor Bergstrom went on to win the race, Josh Auty and James Cockle both passed Ben Powell for a share of the points to clinch the match. Finally in Heat 15 Proctor and Grieves put some icing on the cake with another 5-1 from Karlsson and Hall to give the Bears a 12 point victory.

Scorers: For Redcar – Ty Proctor 16 (6), James Grieves 12+2 (5), Gary Havelock 10+1 (4), Josh Auty 6+1 (5), James Cockle 4+3 (5), Scott James 3+1 (5).

For Scun.thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 7+2 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 7+1 (4), Magnus Karlsson 7+1 (5), Ben Powell 7+1 (5), Richard Hall 7 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 3 (4), Byron Bekker 1 (4).



Premier League: Sheffield 65, Mildenhall 27


Sheffield were at full strength but Mildenhall had Chris Schramm at number 1 as a guest for Kai Laukkanen and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Robbie Kessler.

This match was never likely to bring much joy to the Fen Tigers and it didn’t! Even worse for them they lost Mark Baseby in heat 9 after he crashed into the fence causing damage to both rider and fence. Baseby went off to hospital as a result. Mildenhall’s only successes were in taking a 2-4 in heat 5 and in winning the toss!

Sheffield opened with a 4-2 as Ricky Ashworth beat Michal Rajkowski then the reserves race, won by Paul Cooper, was shared after Kyle Hughes retired at the back with engine trouble. Theo Pijper split the Andre Compton/Lee Smethills pairing for a 4-2 in heat 3 but Sheffield hit the first of their 5-1s in heat 4 thanks to Ben Wilson and Paul Cooper taking the score to 16-8.

Andre Compton was excluded from the heat 5 after crashing into Chris Schramm who took advantage in the rerun by providing Mildenhall’s sole race winner of the night by beating Lee Smethills. Rajkowski’s third place gave the visitors a 2-4 advantage cutting their arrears to six points but it increased to ten when Ashworth and Parsons added a 5-1 in heat 6. The lead then went to twelve when Pijper again split the home pairing of Wilson and Hughes in heat 7 for a 4-2. Joel Parsons and Paul Cooper then continued the 5-1 blitz for Sheffield in heat 8 which took the score to 32-16.

Andre Compton and Lee Smethills added a second consecutive 5-1 to the home total as Baseby crashed out of the match in heat 9 on his way to hospital. Ashworth and Parsons made it four 5-1s from 5 races in heat 10 then Chris Schramm took a Tactical Ride in heat 11. Ben Wilson won the race from Schramm while Kyle Hughes’ third place point resulted in the points being shared 4-4. Compton beat Pijper in heat 12 with Cooper third for a 4-2 taking the score to 50-24.

Sheffield finished with three consecutive 5-1s in the last three heats as the Fen Tigers’ feeble resistance crumbled completely giving the home side a 38 point victory with Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson completing maximums.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 15 (5) (maximum), Ben Wilson 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Andre Compton 9 (4), Joel Parsons 8+2 (4), Paul Cooper 8+2 (4), Lee Smethills 8+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 4+1 (4)..

For Mildenhall – Chris Schramm 9 (5) (with 4 point TR), Theo Pijper 8 (6), Matt Wright 3+1 (6), Michal Rajkowski 3 (5), Mark Baseby 2 (3), Jan Graversen 2 (5).

[Nevs]

Back posting again Merlin after your break --That didnt take long

Was an absolute pleasure to meet you finally for the first time at Cardiff chap after all these seasons.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend-you are one top gent to say the least.

[Merlin]

Thanks Nevs - the feeling was mutual. I really enjoyed the weekend particularly the time spent with fans like yourself in the POW.

It's always difficult to put a face to a name but I must say you don't look a bit like Wurzel Gummidge! I wish we could have had longer to chat. Back to the chatroom I guess!

Great to meet Mininevs too. I hope all goes well with his cycle speedway project. Oh to be young and fit again!! Speak to you soon again my friend.

[Merlin]

Friday, 4 July



Unusually for a Friday there were four Premier League matches raced todnight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced Stoke while at King’s Lynn the Stars took on Birmingham . The third match was at Scun.thorpe where the Scorpions raced against Berwick . Finally at Somerset the Rebels had Sheffield as their visitors.



Premier League: Edinburgh 54, Stoke 39


Edinburgh were without Thomas H Jonasson whose scan confirmed that he had bleeding on the brain following a crash in Sweden on Tuesday. They used Rider Replacement at number 2. Stoke had George Stancl guesting at number 1 in place of Lee Complin.

This will not go down as one of Edinburgh’s most memorable matches. Without Thomas Jonasson and with Aaron Summers riding with a broken rib they also had an unwell Andrew Tully who was sick in the pits during the meeting. Then they lost William Lawson with a broken collar bone when he clipped the back of Andrew Moore’s bike in heat 6 and fell heavily. The three remaining fit riders, Derek Sneddon, Matthew Wethers and Ryan Fisher almost carried the Monarchs to victory on their own with 44 points between them.

Stoke got off to a good start with George Stancl winning the opening heat for a shared race but Edinburgh scored a 4-2 in the reserves race for a two point lead. With Andrew Tully falling in heat 3 and Aaron Summers retiring at the back in heat 4 the Monarchs could only share heats 3 and 4 for a 13-11 scoreline.

George Stancl won heat 5 but Andrew Tully got up on the line for third place behind Ryan Fisher for another shared race before the fateful heat 6. Derek Sneddon was quickly away from Andrew Moore but William Lawson clipped Moore’s back wheel entering the third bend causing both to fall. Lawson was taken to hospital to confirm a broken collar bone. In the rerun Derek Sneddon won for another 3-3 but the Monarchs finally opened a six point lead with a 5-1 in heat 7. Ben Barker and Jesper Kristiansen got into a real fankle on the first two bends allowing Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers to slip through for a maximum race win. Derek Sneddon, having a field day, was away again in heat 8 leading Klaus Jakobsen and Ryan Fisher in his wake. Fisher made a hard inside pass on Jakobsen on the last two bends but Jakobsen fell and Fisher was excluded so the heat was shared and the score stood at 27-21.

Heat 9 was rerun after Barrie Evans had fallen after both Potters had made the gate. Ryan Fisher won the rerun from Andrew Moore and Andrew Tully for a 4-2 stretching the home side’s lead to eight points. Sneddon and Wethers made the gate in heat 10 but a magnificent outside sweep by Ben Barker saw him roar round the Edinburgh men to win comfortably and share the points. Then, in a rerun heat 11, Sneddon and Wethers saw off George Stancl on the first two bends for a 5-1 opening the lead to 12 points. As a consequence Ben Barker took a Tactical Ride in heat 12 which he duly won. Barrie Evans finished behind second-placed Andrew Tully so the visitors took a 2-7 cutting their arrears to seven points with the score now 41-34.

Things looked less than bright for the Monarchs in heat 13 when Derek Sneddon, leading into the first bend, shed a chain, straightened up and collected Matthew Wethers. Wethers was down for a while but recovered to take his place in the rerun. George Stancl looked to have this race in the bag but Wethers had other ideas and produced a stunning inside line drive round bends 1 and 2 on the last lap to deny the Stoke guest sharing the race in the process. Sneddon and Fisher produced the expected 5-1 in heat 14 then Fisher and Wethers rounded things off with another maximum in the last race to give the Monarchs a 15 point victory which had looked highly unlikely at one point.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Derek Sneddon 17 (7), Matthew Wethers 14+3 (6), Ryan Fisher 13+1 (6), Andrew Tully 5+2 (5), Aaron Summers 3+1 (4), William Lawson 2 (2).

For Stoke – Ben Barker 13 (5) (with 6 point TR), George Stancl 9 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 7 (6), Andrew Moore 5+3 (4), Barrie Evans 3 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 1+1 (3), Mark Burrows 1+1 (4).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 66, Birmingham 24


King’s Lynn were at full strength while Birmingham were barely recognisable. James Brundle rode at number 1 in place of Adam Roynon, Kyle Legault returned to the team at number 3 replacing Jason Lyons while Rider Replacement operated at number 4 for Phil Morris. Adam Lowe rode at number 6 in place of Jack Hargreaves while Darren Mallett guested for James Birkinshaw at number 7.

When Craig Watson became the latest Birmingham injury victim when he fell and twisted his knee causing him to withdraw from the meeting in the first running of heat 4 this really was a ‘no contest’ between the Stars and a select team representing the Brummies.

Kevin Doolan locked up in the opening race causing Lee Smart to run into him and the race to be rerun without him. Shaun Tacey won the rerun for a shared race but King’s Lynn then rattled off eight consecutive 5-1s during which the main interest centred on Kyle Legault’s comeback for the Brummies. He retired from heat 3 then fell in heat 7 before managing three second places in his last three rides. The score after the opening nine races was 43-11 but Kyle Legault ended the maximum run by passing Shaun Tacey in heat 10 for second place behind Kevin Doolan and a 4-2. Then the Brummies had their solitary success in heat 11 when James Brundle outgated the rest of the field to win the race from Rusty Harrison. Lee Smart finished third for a 2-4 which was matched by a 4-2 in heat 12 for the Stars as Kyle Legault challenged unsuccessfully for the lead with Tomas Topinka winning for the home side. The score now stood at 53-19.

King’s Lynn scored two more 5-1s in heat 13 and 14 but, in the last heat, Legault and Smart both passed Rusty Harrison to finish behind Tomas Topinka for a shared race giving the Stars a 42 point victory.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Simon Lambert 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Kozza Smith 10 (4), Rusty Harrison 9+2 (5), Kevin Doolan 9 (4), Shaun Tacey 8+2 (4), John Oliver 6+3 (4).

For Birmingham – Lee Smart 6+1 (5), Kyle Legault 6 (5), Darren Mallett 6 (7), James Brundle 5+1 (5), Adam Lowe 1 (7), Craig Watson 0 (1).



Premier League: Scun.thorpe 52, Berwick 41


Scun.thorpe were at full strength but Berwick had Henning Bager at number 1 in place of Adrian Rymel.

The Scorpions were never behind in this match but there were only three points between the teams after heat 12 before the home side hit home two 5-1s in the last three heats. Berwick were unfortunate to lose Tony Atkin after he fell in heat 1 and injured his hand causing him to withdraw from the meeting.

Henning Bager won the opening heat for a 3-3 but the home side struck a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Ben Powell from Scott Smith. Tero Aarnio won heat 3 for the Bandits and it looked for a while as though they would take a 1-5 until both Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom passed Michal Makovsky for a shared race. Emiliano Sanchez won heat 4 for another 3-3 which took the score to 13-11.

The Scorpions doubled their lead to four points with a 4-2 in heat 5 when Bager could only split the Bergstrom/Karlsson pairing but heats 6 and 7 were shared. The lead stretched to six points in heat 8 when Carl Wilkinson won from Paul Clews and Byron Bekker taking the score to 27-21.

Norbert Magosi earned the Bandits a 3-3 by winning heat 9 from the Scorpions’ pairing of Bergstrom and Karlsson but it looked all over for the Bandits when Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson scored a 5-1 in heat 10 from Makovsky taking the lead to 10 points. Henning Bager immediately took a TR and won it from Sanchez. Scott Smith took third place so the Bandits took a 2-7 cutting the lead to five points. It was down to three when Michal Makovsky won heat 12 from Byron Bekker and Paul Clews kept Magnus Karlsson at the back for a 2-4 taking the score to 39-36.

Henning Bager broke the tapes in heat 13 and had to go from 15 metres back. Hall and Sanchez hit the front for the home side and although Bager made up lost ground he couldn’t quite catch Sanchez so the Scorpions took a 5-1 for a seven point lead. Viktor Bergstrom scored the race win the home side needed to clinch the match in heat 14 and Hall and Bergstrom put a bit of gloss on the final score by adding another 5-1 for an eleven point victory.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Richard Hall 13+1 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 11+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 9+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 7+1 (4), Magnus Karlsson 4+1 (4), Ben Powell 4+1 (4), Byron Bekker 4 (4).

For Berwick – Henning Bager 12 (4) (with 6 point TR), Michal Makovsky 8 (5), Norbert Magosi 7 (5), Scott Smith 5+2 (5), Tero Aarnio 5 (4), Paul Clews 4+1 (6), Tony Atkin 0 (1).



Premier League: Somerset 60, Sheffield 30


Somerset were without Simon Walker so used Rider Replacement at number 4. Sheffield were at full strength.

Somerset dropped just two points from the first five races to lead by 23-7. This left the Tigers with too much to do and the Rebels sailed home in some comfort thereafter.

After two opening home maximums Andre Compton took a second place behind Emil Kramer for a 4-2. Paul Cooper did likewise behind Matthias Kroger, who replaced tape touching victim Jordan Frampton, in heat 4 taking the score to 18-6.

Joel Parsons was next to touch the tapes in heat 5 then Sheffield’s woes continued when Ricky Ashworth fell on the first bend of the rerun and was excluded as the heavens opened. Frampton and Kramer won the rerun 5-1 but Jason Doyle fell in heat 6 and was excluded. Stephan Katt won the race for a 3-3 then the Tigers scored their one and only race advantage in heat 7 when Andre Compton won from Kroger while Lee Smethills picked up the third place point after Jordan Frampton had suffered an engine failure. This gave Sheffield a 2-4 and some crumbs of comfort. Katt and Werner replied with a 5-1 in heat 8 and the score now stood at 33-15.

Ben Wilson won heat 9 for a shared heat but two successive home 4-2s put the Rebels 22 points ahead. Heat 11 was particularly disappointing for Sheffield as Ricky Ashworth fell while on a Tactical Ride and was excluded from the rerun. Andre Compton had a comfortable win in heat 12 for another shared race and the score went to 47-25.

Somerset rounded the match off with two 4-2s and a 5-1 for a 30 point win but none of the home riders was able to complete a maximum.

Scorers: For Somerset – Matthias Kroger 14+2 (6), Jason Doyle 12 (5), Stephan Katt 10+1 (5), Brent Werner 9+1 (5), Emil Kramer 8+2 (4), Jordan Frampton 7+1 (6).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 11 (5), Ben Wilson 5 (5), Paul Cooper 5 (5), Ricky Ashworth 3 (4), Lee Smethills 3 (4), Joel Parsons 2 (4), Kyle Hughes 1+1 (4).