Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Friday, 14 March

Three matches were raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced Glasgow in the first leg of the Spring Cup. The other two matches involving Premier League teams were staged on Elite League tracks. The first at Coventry was the return leg of the Challenge Match against Sheffieldraced at Owlerton last night while the other match was at Ipswich where the Witches tried again to complete the second leg of the East Anglian Cup against King’s Lynn .

Spring Cup (first leg): Edinburgh 51, Glasgow 38

Edinburgh introduced new boys Ryan Fisher and Thomas Jonasson while William Lawson and Aaron Summers were also welcomed back. Glasgow were missing broken collar bone victim, Ross Brady, and used Andreas Bergstrom as a guest. They introduced new faces Mitchell Davey and Josh Grajczonek to the side.

Edinburgh became the fifth track to kick-start their season and it looked as though the weather gods were going to be kind. But after a sunny day in the area a heavy shower shortly before the start left the track wet and slippery.

The Monarchs started in style with a 5-1 in the opening heat. Ryan Fisher saw off Shane Parker on the first bend and Derek Sneddon joined him up front for a home maximum. They looked like scoring another 5-1 in the reserves race but Andrew Tully fell on the second lap while his partner, Aaron Summers, ran into him. In the rerun Lee Dicken got the jump from the gate then Aaron Summers fell on the second lap while chasing him. Although he remounted the Tigers had headed off for a 1-5 to level the scores. All eyes were on Thomas Jonasson in heat 3 which had be rerun after Mitchell Davey had crashed into the second bend fence but it was William Lawson who impressed with a tapes to flag win. Jonasson rounded Trent Leverington on the first two bends and Edinburgh again looked like scoring a 5-1 but again it was not to be. Jonasson’s bike began to slow and Leverington passed him leaving Monarchs’ new boy to limp home for third place and a 4-2. It was all square again after heat 4. Robert Ksiezak flew from the gate and was joined up front by Lee Dicken. Although Matthew Wethers passed Dicken he couldn’t catch Ksiezak and the scores were tied at 12-12.

Thomas Jonasson was excluded under the two minute time allowance in heat 5 as was his replacement, Andrew Tully, so the Monarchs went with one rider. However William Lawson streaked from the gate to win the race in the fastest time of the night leaving Shane Parker and Andreas Bergstrom to follow him home. Edinburgh were back in front after heat 6 with another 5-1 from the Fisher/Sneddon pairing. This time Ksiezak did not make a good start and the Monarchs’ pairing raced to a comfortable maximum and four point lead. They added another 5-1 in heat 7 when Andrew Tully made a fine start and was followed home by Matthew Wethers with Leverington in third. Heat 8 won by Derek Sneddon from Lee Dicken was shared so the score was now 28-20.

Heat 9 had to be rerun after Thomas Jonasson had spun and fallen on the outside of the first bend but again William Lawson stormed off to win the race. Ryan Fisher, from gate 4, was eased out of contention on the first bend of heat 10 but gave chase to leaders Derek Sneddon and Trent Leverington. On the third bend he went under Leverington but the two came together and fell. Leverington was none too pleased and was frustrated again in the rerun. Having battled his way passed Sneddon the race was stopped again when Mitchell Davey crashed into the fourth bend fence causing another rerun. This time Sneddon made no mistake and pulled away from Leverington for a 3-2 to complete a paid maximum. Shane Parker finally showed his true form by winning heat 11 with a good bit to spare for a 3-3 then in heat 12 Edinburgh had only one finisher for the fifth time in the match after Thomas Jonasson, making a nightmare debut, fell on the first bend as Leverington, making the faster start, clamped him on the line. In the rerun Leverington, under pressure from Summers, fell on the fourth bend and remounted for third place as Aaron Summers won from an improving Josh Grajczonek for another shared race which took the score to 40-31.

Then came the race of the night! Robert Ksiezak and Shane Parker rocketed from the gate but Ryan Fisher cut back off the second bend to slingshot past both Tigers riding in tandem down the back straight to lead into the bend. Parker was having none of it though and a fantastic race ensued with Parker and Fisher exchanging the lead several times. Parker prevailed so Glasgow took a 2-4 to cut the Edinburgh lead to seven points. However William Lawson still had two more rides to come and he won them both with ease in fast times to complete his maximum. In heat 14 Andrew Tully took third behind Lee Dicken for a 4-2 and in heat 15 Ryan Fisher followed him home ahead of Shane Parker for a 5-1 giving the Monarchs a 13 point lead for the second leg.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 15 (5) (maximum), Derek Sneddon 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Ryan Fisher 10+1 (5), Andrew Tully 6 (5), Matthew Wethers 5+2 (4), Aaron Summers 4 (4), Thomas Jonasson 1 (4).

For Glasgow – Lee Dicken 8 (4), Shane Parker 8 (5), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (5), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4), Josh Grajczonek 6+1 (4), Andreas Bergstrom 3+2 (4), Mitchell Davey 0.



Challenge Match (second leg) (second leg): Coventry 61, Sheffield 31 Coventry won on aggregate by 117-68.


Coventry were at full strength while Sheffield bolstered their side with the addition of Rye House’s Tai Woffinden and Scunthorpe’s Richard Hall. Reserves Lee Smethills and Sam Martin stood down to accommodate them.

After losing at home by 37-56, expectations of success were not particularly high for Sheffield and they eventually went down on aggregate by 49 points.

Sheffield’s star performer on the night was guest, Tai Woffinden, who deprived Chris Harris and Billy Janniro of their maximums by winning heat 15. Woffinden also won heat 10 after passing Rory Schlein and Oliver Allen on the second bend. Joel Parsons also scored well for Sheffield winning the reserves race by beating Stanislaw Burza and Andreas Messing. He was also involved in a close race with Chris Harris in heat 9 but otherwise it was one-way traffic for the home side.

Scorers: For Coventry – Chris Harris 13+1 (5), Simon Stead 12 (4) (maximum), Billy Janniro 11+3 (5), Rory Schlein 8+1 (4), Oliver Allen 7+1 (4), Andreas Messing 5+2 (4), Stanislaw Burza 5+1 (4).

For Sheffield – Tai Woffinden 9+1, Joel Parsons 8, Andre Compton 7, Richard Hall 3+1, Ben Wilson 3+1, Ricky Ashworth 1, Paul Cooper 0.


East Anglian Cup (second leg): Ipswich 61, King’s Lynn 31 Ipswich won the cup on aggregate by 119-65.


Ipswich fielded the same team as last night but King’s Lynn recruited Troy Batchelor to guest for them at number 1. Simon Lambert was nominated as King’s Lynn’s number 8.

Having lost at home by 24 points last night there seemed little prospect of King’s Lynn pushing the Witches in the return even with Troy Batchelor in the team.

As expected Ipswich carried just too much firepower for the Stars. The Premier League side shared heats 2 and 7 at the expense of Witches’ reserve Chris Schramm. They also took a 4-4 from heat 10 when Tomas Topinka took a TR and finished second to Piotr Swiderski ahead of Robert Miskowiak. The Stars had one moment of glory with a 1-5 in heat 11 when Troy Batchelor and Shaun Tacey headed home Jarek Hampel, who had had to go from 15 metres back after breaking the tapes, and Chris Schramm. Although Hampel caught up with Tacey he couldn’t pass him as the two King’s Lynn riders team rode home for the maximum.

Otherwise Ipswich ran up six 5-1s and five 4-2s to win on aggregate by 54 points.

Scorers: For Ipswich – Chris Louis 15 (5) (maximum), Piotr Swiderski 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Jarek Hampel 10 (4), Steve Johnston 8+2 (4), Robert Miskowiak 7+1 (4), Tobias Kroner 7+1 (4), Chris Schramm 1 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 10 (5) (including a 4 point TR), Kevin Doolan 7 (5), Shaun Tacey 5+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 3+1 (4), Troy Batchelor 3 (4), John Oliver 2 (3), Kozza Smith 1+1 (3), Simon Lambert (No 8) 0.

[Merlin]

Saturday, 15 March

Two of the scheduled three matches started tonight but only one finished. At Berwick the Bandits faced Edinburgh in the first Premier Trophy match of the season. The second Premier Trophy match scheduled was at Stoke where the Potters were due to take on Newcastle but this was postponed due to a waterlogged track. At Rye House the Rockets raced against Reading in what was now the first leg of the Thames Valley Trophy but this match only reached heat 7 before a halt was called due to heavy rain..


Premier Trophy: Berwick 42, Edinburgh 48


Berwick were without Manuel Hauzinger who has a broken collar bone. They were not allowed a facility for him so used Greg Blair (Redcar) instead. Edinburgh were at full strength.

Considering that the Bandits had to track a weakened side and that Edinburgh had a convincing win last night in their season opener, many thought this match would be a formality for the Monarchs. It was anything but as the Edinburgh side were consistently outgated in the early part of the match and only hit the front in heat 11. After that the visitors were always in control but it was a spirited display by the Bandits who were in with a shout until heat 14.

There was not a great deal of passing in this match with gating of paramount importance. It was the Berwick heatleaders who excelled in this department in the early stages. Comfortable wins for from the gate for the Bandits by Rymel, Magosi and Makovsky in the opening three heats were countered by the Monarchs by filling the minor places in heats 1 and 2 for shared races but machine problems for Jonasson in heat 3 resulted in a third place for Tero Aarnio and a 4-2 for Berwick to put them in front. In heat 4 a sensational race by young Greg Blair saw him rocket from the tapes and lead the field all the way to the line but Andrew Tully caught and passed him as the two riders crossed the line. Since Matthew Wethers had retired with an engine failure Berwick had hoped to take another 4-2 but had to be content with a shared race taking the score to 13-11.

Michal Makovsky and Adrian Rymel continued winning races for the Bandits in the next two heats but the Monarchs kept following them home although they were lucky when Franchetti dropped out with engine trouble in heat 6 while comfortably third. In heat 7 Edinburgh drew level. In the first running Jonasson and Lawson made the start but Greg Blair ran into Jonasson’s back wheel and fell bringing down his partner, Norbert Magosi. In the rerun William Lawson stormed off to win but Magosi followed him home as Jonasson nursed a sick engine round for third place giving the Monarchs a 2-4. Derek Sneddon won heat 8 from Franchetti while Andrew Tully was all over Adam McKinna for the four laps but couldn’t find a way past. This meant another 3-3 with the score tied at 24-24.

In heat 9 Matthew Wethers had machine trouble and borrowed Derek Sneddon’s bike. The improvement was instant. He shot from the gate to head home Michal Makovsky for a fine win while Tero Aarnio took third place for the match’s seventh shared heat. Adrian Rymel made another fast start to lead from tapes to flag in heat 10 but the Bandits were unlucky when Franchetti surrendered his third place with another engine failure. This allowed Jonasson on a sick motor again to coast round to follow William Lawson for shared heat number eight. The scores were still tied. Edinburgh then moved up a gear and took control of the match. Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher led Norbert Magosi when Greg Blair fell at the back causing the race to be stopped as the riders entered the third lap. The referee stopped the race rather quickly and awarded the 1-5 to Edinburgh although Magosi was still in contention at the time. This put the visitors into a four point lead and it stayed that way after Makovsky won again in heat 12 from Jonasson while Tully chased down Magosi and passed him with a brilliant dive under the Hungarian on the second last bend. The score was now 34-38.

Heat 13 all but sealed the match for the Monarchs. A blistering ride by Matthew Wethers (back on his own machine) saw him round Adrian Rymel on bends one and two to head off to win the race in comfort. Ryan Fisher took third and the 2-4 stretched the lead to six points. William Lawson tied things up for Edinburgh by winning heat 14 although Tero Aarnio was never far behind in a much improved ride. Andrew Tully finished third for another 2-4 which put the visitors eight points ahead. Adrian Rymel stormed from the gate to win the last heat from Matthew Wethers while Makovsky finished third ahead of Lawson who was suffering from clutch problems.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 14 (5), Michal Makovsky 12 (5), Norbert Magosi 6 (6), Tero Aarnio 4+1 (4), Adam McKinna 2+2 (5), Guglielmo Franchetti 2 (4), Greg Blair 2 (4).

For Edinburgh – William Lawson 10 (5), Matthew Wethers 10 (5), Derek Sneddon 9+1 (4), Andrew Tully 7+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 6+2 (4), Thomas Jonasson 4+1 (4), Aaron Summers 2+2 (3).



Thames Valley Trophy: Rye House 26, Reading 19 match abandoned after heat 7 due to heavy rain.


Both teams were at full strength but the match did not make it past heat 7. By that time Rye House had built up a seven point lead while Reading had successfully played their TR card.

The Rockets started in style with a 5-1 from Neath and Bowen while Mark Lemon finished third but the next two races were shared. Jaimie Smith won heat 2 for the Racers then the crowd were treated to an excellent race in heat 3. Tommy Allen fell in the first running and was excluded while in the second running Ulrich Ostergaard led from the tapes and was involved in a terrific tussle with Tai Woffinden. After the riders had passed and repassed, Woffinden finally made his last lap dive under Ostergaard stick to win the race. Chris Mills fell and remounted for third. Robert Mear won heat 4 while his partner, Stefan Ekberg, followed him home for another 5-1 taking the score to 16-8.

Mark Lemon then lowered Tai Woffinden’s colours by winning heat 5 while Tomas Suchanek took third for a Reading 2-4 but another 5-1 from Chris Neath and Luke Bowen stretched the Rockets’ lead to ten points. With the rain falling heavily and the track getting greasy the match now looked in jeopardy. Heat 7 was run however with Ulrich Ostergaard taking a TR. He won it too beating Stefan Ekberg and Danny Betson while Chris Mills fell and remounted. With the riders now looking tentative on the wet surface a halt was called to the proceedings.

Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 6 (2), Tai Woffinden 5 (2), Robert Mear 5 (2), Luke Bowen 4+2 (2), Stefan Ekberg 4+1 (2), Danny Betson 2+2 (2), Tommy Allen 0 (2).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 8 (2) (with a 6 point TR), Mark Lemon 4 (2), Jaimie Smith 3 (2), Tom P Madsen 2 (2), Chris Mills 1+1 (2), Tomas Suchanek 1 (2), Danny Warwick 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 16 March

There were at two Premier Trophy matches raced today. At Glasgow the Tigers raced Berwick while at Newcastle the Diamonds took on Stoke . In addition there were two other meetings. At Newport there was a testimonial meeting for Nick Simmons while at Birmingham they staged the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy.


Premier Trophy: Glasgow 47, Berwick 43


Glasgow were without Ross Brady through injury and used Rider Replacement instead. They also introduced to the side newcomers Mitchell Davey and Josh Grajczonek. Berwick were without Manuel Hauzinger also through injury but were not allowed a facility for him so they tracked Greg Blair (Redcar Cubs) at number 5.

Glasgow grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat in this match. Berwick went into the last two heats leading by four points and were favourites to gain a heat advantage in heat 14 as top scorer Norbert Magosi and the impressive Tero Aarnio went up against Glasgow’s two young Australians, Mitchell Davey and Josh Grajczonek, who up till that point, had been off the pace. However the Tigers’ pair made excellent starts while Aarnio spun on the first bend and withdrew from the race and Magosi made a hash of the first bend and was left stranded at the back. The two Aussies raced off in tandem to record a 5-1 which tied the scores and brought the house down then Trent Leverington and Shane Parker almost inevitably scored another 5-1 in the last race as Adrian Rymel made a stinker of a gate while Michal Makovsky never looked like troubling the Tigers. Berwick lost Greg Blair when he crashed into the fourth bend fence in his first ride. The youngster was taken to the hospital and it was confirmed after the match that he had unfortunately broken his femur.

The Bandits were never behind until heat 15. They opened with a 2-4 as Adrian Rymel gated to lead Shane Parker home while Guglielmo Franchetti took third from R/R Mitchell Davey. Norbert Magosi gated to win the reserves race for a 3-3 then Berwick struck again with a 1-5 from the gate from Michal Makovsky and Tero Aarnio before tragedy struck Berwick’s guest, Greg Blair. He overshot the fourth bend and the bike collided with the fence throwing the youngster over the handlebars. It looked a bad fall and it turned out he had a broken leg. Lee Dicken and Robert Ksiezak had an easy 5-1 in the rerun so the score stood at 11-13.

Adrian Rymel gated again to win heat 5 for a shared race but the Tigers levelled again in heat 6, rerun with all four after Magosi had fallen on the first bend. Shane Parker won by a distance but Norbert Magosi took second from Robert Ksiezak (R/R) for a 4-2. Wins from Ksiezak and Leverington (R/R) in heats 7 and 8 kept the scores tied at 24-24.

Berwick took the lead again in heat 9. Norbert Magosi won the race from Trent Leverington while Adam McKinna finished third for a 2-4 and two point lead. Another Parker win in heat 10 produced a 3-3 but Berwick struck with their second 1-5 in heat 11 to surge six points ahead. Adrian Rymel and Guglielmo Franchetti made fast starts to relegate Robert Ksiezak to third place but Glasgow looked like pulling two points back in heat 12 when Trent Leverington led Michal Makovsky with Lee Dicken in third. However Dicken’s bike gave up the ghost on the last lap letting Norbert through for third. The score was now 33-39 and the Tigers were worried.

They cut the lead to four points in heat 13 when Shane Parker produced the race of the match when he reeled in Adrian Rymel to pass him coming off the fourth bend of the third lap. Ksiezak’s third place point gave Glasgow a 4-2 but things looked bleak for the home side as Davey and Grajczonek came to the tapes in heat 14. If the fat lady wasn’t exactly singing she was certainly gargling her throat but the stage was set for a remarkable finish. The Glasgow fans went wild when Davey and Grajczonek made the start leaving Aarnio to spin off the track on the first bend. By the time Magosi sorted himself out the two young Aussies were gone for the 5-1 levelling the scores once again. Leverington and Parker then came out in the last race and finished the Bandits off with another 5-1 leaving them distraught at the turn of events.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 13+1 (5), Trent Leverington 13+1 (6), Robert Ksiezak 8+1 (5), Lee Dicken 7 (6), Mitchell Davey 3 (4), Josh Grajczonek 3+2 (4).

For Berwick – Norbert Magosi 12+1 (6), Adrian Rymel 11 (5), Michal Makovsky 9+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 5+2 (4), Guglielmo Franchetti 4+2 (4), Adam McKinna 2 (5), Greg Blair 0 (1).



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 51, Stoke 42 .


Newcastle were at full strength while Stoke introduced their new Danes Klaus Jacobsen and Jesper Kristiansen. Mark Burrows and Emiliano Sanchez also made their debuts for the Potters.

Ben Barker won the opening race for the Potters to share the points then the visitors took the lead with a 2-4 in heat 2 won by Mark Burrows from Sean Stoddart and Barrie Evans. The Diamonds reversed the lead with a 5-1 from Josef Franc and Jason King then added another 4-2 in heat 3 when George Stancl headed home Emiliano Sanchez after Buzz Burrows had fallen. The Diamonds had opened up a four point lead with the score now 14-10.

Another 5-1 from the King/Franc partnership left Stoke trailing by eight points but Barrie Evans won heat 6 from Christian Henry while Emiliano Sanchez’s third place pulled two points back for Stoke with a 2-4. Stancl won again in heat 7 and Barker in heat 8 with the score standing at 23-19 after heat 8.

A third 5-1 from the Franc/King pair shot the Diamonds into an eight point lead in heat 9 and it stayed that way in heat 10 when Christian Henry won the race. Ben Barker produced his third race win in heat 11 for another 3-3 then Jesper Kristiansen produced his first win in the Potters’ colours ruining Josef Franc’s maximum hopes in the process. With Barrie Evans finishing third Stoke pulled two points back and the score now stood at 39-33.

Stancl and Henry struck a decisive 5-1 in heat 13 for a 10 point lead to the home side just in time for Lee Complin to take a Tactical Ride in heat 14. When Complin and Buzz Burrows led the race it looked like Stoke would take a big 1-8 but Burrows fell on the last bend so they had to settle for a 3-6 advantage and Newcastle were home and dry. Franc rounded things off with a win from Complin in the last race while Stancl in third produced a 4-2 to the bandits and a nine point win.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 13+1 (5), George Stancl 12 (5), Jason King 9+2 (4), Christian Henry 9+1 (4), Ben Powell 3+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 3 (4), Jaimie Robertson 2+2 (4).

For Stoke – Lee Complin 12 (5) (with 6 point TR), Ben Barker 10 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 6+2 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (4), Barrie Evans 5 (4), Mark Burrows 4 (4), Klaus Jacobsen 0 (4).

In the two individual meetings, Lewis Bridger won the Nick Simmons Testimonial meeting at Newport from Chris Harris, Billy Janniro and Mads Korneliussen while the the Alan Hunt Memorial Trophy at Birmingham was won by David Howe from Steve Johnston, Jason Lyons and Ricky Ashworth.

[Merlin]

Monday, 17 March



Tonight’s match was at Reading where the Racers opened their home season with a Challenge Match against Somerset . Reading, who dropped down from the Elite League, have only Mark Lemon from last year’s side. Ulrich Ostergaard and Tom P Madsen join Lemon as heatleaders while Tomas Suchanek and Chris Mills fill the second string berths. Their reserves are Danny Warwick and Jaimie Smith. Somerset, having shed Magnus Zetterstrom from last year’s side, introduced Jason Doyle as Zetterstrom’s replacement while other newcomers to the side are Henning Loof and Brent Werner.



Challenge Match (first leg): Reading 54, Somerset 37 .


Both teams were at full strength.

The two teams had mixed fortunes in the opening heats. Jason Doyle suffered an engine failure in heat 1 leaving Suchanek and Lemon to score a 5-1 but, after three reruns, Katt and Frampton replied with a 1-5 for the Rebels after Danny Warwick had fallen on the second bend. Warwick was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting leading to a busy night for his reserve partner, Jaimie Smith. There was another 5-1 in heat 3 this time to the Racers from Mills and Ostergaard, the latter executing a fine pass on Kramer, with Loof suffering machine failure. Then Reading added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 4 won by Jaimie Smith from Brent Werner to take the score to 15-9.

Jason Doyle was excluded from heat 5 for moving at the gate. He was replaced by Stephan Katt who finished second to Ostergaard. The racers took a 4-2 from the heat but the next two heats, won by Mark Lemon and Emil Kramer, were shared. Then Reading went further ahead in heat 8 with another 5-1 this time from Tomas Suchanek and Jaimie Smith stretching their lead to 30-18.

Chris Mills passed Stephan Katt and Brent Werner to join his partner, Ulrich Ostergaard, up front in heat 9 for another Reading 5-1 as Somerset slipped further behind, trailing now by 16 points. The Rebels gave Emil Kramer a TR in heat 10 but this was not a success as he trailed in third behind Mark Lemon and Tomas Suchanek who registered their second maximum riding as a pair. Henning Loof pulled up with an engine failure as the visitors fell 20 points behind. It stayed that way after heat 11, won by Tom P Madsen from Simon Walker and Jason Doyle who at last got on the scoresheet. Having finished third to Lemon and Suchanek in his tactical ride, Emil Kramer then came out and won ahead of the unbeaten Ulrich Ostergaard in heat 12. Stephan Katt supported him in third place so the Rebels shaved two points from the lead with the 2-4 taking the score to 45-27.

Jason Doyle finally got his act together winning heat 13 from Lemon and Madsen for a shared race then in heat 14 Brent Werner replaced Henning Loof as a tactical substitute starting from 15 metres back. In the first running of the race Chris Mills and Stephan Katt crashed and ended in the air fence. Mills was excluded while Katt was unable to take his place in the rerun so was replaced by Jordan Frampton. Jaimie Smith, taking his seventh ride won the rerun from Frampton and Werner so the Rebels took a 3-4 from the heat. Mark Lemon rounded off the match by winning heat 15 but Emil Kramer and Jason Doyle kept Ostergaard at the back for a shared race. This meant that Somerset had won 14-17 over the last five heats after falling twenty points behind over the first ten.

Scorers: For Reading – Mark Lemon 13+1 (5), Jaimie Smith 10+2 (7), Ulrich Ostergaard 10+1 (5), Tomas Suchanek 8+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 7+1 (4), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Danny Warwick 0 (1).

For Somerset – Emil Kramer 10 (5), Stephan Katt 8+1 (5), Brent Werner 6+1 (5) (with 2 point TS), Jason Doyle 5+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 4+1 (4), Simon Walker 4 (4), Henning Loof 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 19 March



Tonight’s match was at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced against Mildenhall in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 66, Mildenhall 24 .


King’s Lynn were at full strength while Mildenhall were without Robbie Kessler who suffered concussion in a crash at Peterborough last week. They used Rider Replacement instead.

Having got their Elite League challenge matches against Ipswich and Peterborough out of their systems it was time for the two teams to open their Premier Trophy campaigns. There was little joy for Mildenhall from this match, however, as they were blown away from the start and were effectively out of it after the opening four heats in which they managed just six points.

The Fen Tigers might have produced the first race winner but Kai Laukkanen, who made the gate, found Tomas Topinka too hot to handle and was passed on the third lap. This race produced a 4-2, the first of four consecutive heat wins for the Stars. Although James Cockle raced to the front in the reserves race he slipped to the back then fell as the home side banged in a 5-1. Jan Gravesen split the home pair in heat 3, which was awarded after R/R Shane Colvin fell, for a second 4-2 then another 5-1 for the Stars took the score to 18-6.

Mildenhall briefly put the brakes on the Stars’ runaway express by sharing heat 5 when Laukkanen and Baseby followed Doolan home but another 5-1 in heat 6 from Topinka and Tacey continued the rout. In heat 7 Jan Gravesen took a TR but, when he caused Rusty Harrison to fall, he was excluded from the rerun rendering the TR worthless. The rerun resulted in another 5-1 putting the Stars 20 points to the good and the Stars’ fifth 5-1 in the match took the score to 36-12.

The maximum heat wins just kept on coming. There were three more in the next four heats with only heat 11 providing some respite for the visitors. Kai Laukkanen passed Rusty Harrison in that heat to head home John Oliver and Harrison for a 3-3 but by heat 12 the score had gone to 54-18 with the Fens Tigers looking highly unlikely to top the 30 point mark.

Kai Laukkanen passed Rusty Harrison in heat 13 and pushed Tomas Topinka before having to settle for second place as King’s Lynn took another 4-2. The Stars’ ninth 5-1 arrived in heat 14 but Mildenhall had the satisfaction of watching Kai Laukkanen ending the maximum hopes of both Tomas Topinka and Kevin Doolan when he passed Tomas Topinka on the second lap to win heat 15 for a shared race.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Tomas Topinka 13+1 (5), Simon Lambert 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), John Oliver 8+3 (4), Shaun Tacey 8+2 (4), Rusty Harrison 7+2 (4), Kozza Smith 6+1 (4).

For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 12 (5), Jan Gravesen 4 (5), Casper Wortmann 4 (5), Mark Baseby 2+1 (7), James Cockle 2 (6), Shane Colvin 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 20 March



With the match at Redcar, where the Bears were due to meet Stoke in a Premier Trophy match, being postponed till Monday because of a waterlogged track, tonight’s sole action was at Sheffield where the Tigers raced against Scunthorpe who were making their first appearance in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Sheffield 57, Scunthorpe 36 .


Sheffield were at full strength although the team was rearranged with Ricky Ashworth moving to number 1 and Andre Compton to number 3. Ben Wilson took over the third heatleader spot at Number 5 with Paul Cooper at number 4 Scunthorpe lined up with Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson at 1 and 2; Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom at 3 and 4; while Richard Hall plus the two reserves, Byron Bekker and Benji Compton, formed the third pairing.

The Scorpions might have wished for a less formidable trip for their first match in Premier League circles than a visit to Owlerton stadium but, if Sheffield thought they were in for an easy time of it, they were mistaken. It wasn’t until the second half of the match that Sheffield pulled well clear of the newcomers.

When Andrew Moore touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back in the first heat, Sheffield cashed in with a 5-1 then added a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Lee Smethills. Magnus Karlsson beat Andre Compton in the third race for a shared heat then the visitors hit back in heat 4 with a 2-4 after Richard hall had come through the field to win the race from Ben Wilson taking the score to 14-10.

An Andre Compton win in heat 5 led to a 4-2 for the Tigers then they pulled away further with a 5-1 from the Ashworth/Parsons combine to stretch the lead to 10 points. The Scorpions might have given the impressive Karlsson a TR in heat 7 but they didn’t. Karlsson won the heat from Ben Wilson while Victor Bergstrom got on the score chart with third producing a 2-4 cutting the lead to eight points. However Sheffield regained their ten point lead with a 4-2 in heat 8 won by Joel Parsons from Benji Compton. Disappointingly for the Scorpions, Carl Wilkinson ran a third consecutive last as the score moved to 29-19.

It was hard to understand the Scorpions’ logic when they handed the TR to Richard Hall in heat 9 when he was up against Andre Compton but they clearly knew what they were doing as Hall obliged with the full six points from Cooper and Compton for a 3-6 cutting the home side’s lead to seven points. The Ashworth/Parsons pairing was proving a real thorn in the visitors’ side as another 5-1 went Sheffield’s way in heat 10 when they both passed the unbeaten Magnus Karlsson relegating him to third place to register their third 5-1 on the trot and increase the Tigers’ lead to 11 points. Ben Wilson won heat 11 for a share of the points but Sheffield added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 12 as Andre Compton reversed his heat 3 defeat by Magnus Karlsson by beating the Swede with Smethills taking third for a 4-2. The score was now 44-31.

Heat 13 provided an excellent race between Ashworth Wilson and Moore. It was won by Wilson from Moore and Ashworth. Sheffield continued to pull further away with this 4-2 and even more so with a 5-1 from heat 14 from Smethills and Cooper. The last heat had to be rerun after Richard Hall fell and was excluded. Ricky Ashworth won the rerun from Magnus Karlsson for a final 4-2 for a 21 point victory.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5), Joel Parsons 11+2 (5), Lee Smethills 10 (5), Andre Compton 9+1 (4), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Paul Cooper 6+2 (4), Sam Martin 1 (3).

For Scunthorpe – Magnus Karlsson 11 (5), Richard Hall 10 (5) (with 6 point TR), Andrew Moore 7 (4), Benji Compton 6+1 (6), Viktor Bergstrom 2 (4), Carl Wilkinson 0 (3), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 21 March

The Good Friday programme was hit by two call-offs when the Premier Trophy match, due to take place between King’s Lynn and Birmingham, was declared victim to a waterlogged track as was the return match between the same two sides at Birmingham. Nonetheless three other matches were raced. At Edinburgh[/color] the Monarchs faced Berwick while at Scunthorpe the Scorpions took on Sheffield both in Premier Trophy matches. The other match was the second leg of a Challenge Match at Somerset where the Rebels had Reading as their visitors.


Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 56, Berwick 35


Edinburgh were at full strength for this match as were Berwick who had Manuel Hauzinger in the side (briefly) having supposedly recovered from his broken collar bone.

Berwick gave a much better account of themselves than the scoreline suggests particularly when they were down to just five men by heat 4. In the opening heat Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher looked set to open with a 5-1 when Adrian Rymel and Guglielmo Franchetti crashed into the second bend fence. It was end of the action for the unfortunate Italian who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collar bone. Rymel gated to win the rerun for a shared race. The Berwick reserves shot from the tapes to lead out of the second bend in heat 2 but by the time the riders reached the third bend both had been passed by Andrew Tully and Aaron Summers in brilliant style. However Tully spoiled the effect by sliding off on the third bend. Summers went on to win the race for another 3-3 but the Monarchs hit the front in heat 3. William Lawson, whose times were over a second faster than anyone else all night, won by a distance from Michal Makovsky with Thomas Jonasson third for a 4-2 and two point lead. Then we had the sad case of Manuel Hauzinger. What do you make of a rider who, in his first ride, leaves the tapes and withdraws from the heat before even turning into the first bend then withdraws from the meeting with a sore shoulder? Matthew Wethers and Andrew Tully cashed in with a 5-1 which took the score to 15-9.

Down to just five men, the Bandits gave it their best shot. William Lawson left Adrian Rymel well behind in winning heat 5 for a 4-2 but a lightning gate and excellent ride from Norbert Magosi in heat 6 was enough to see off Sneddon and Fisher for a shared race. Aaron Summers rode an excellent race in heat 7 to head home an ever-pressing Michal Makovsky for a home 4-2 then Norbert Magosi replaced Guglielmo Franchetti in heat 8 and took a TR at the same time. He jetted from the gate again chased by Sneddon and Tully. Tully dived under him on the third bend just as Magosi tried to close the door and the Berwick rider fell with no apparent contact between the riders. Tully was rather harshly excluded but in the rerun Derek Sneddon made sure that Magosi wasn’t going to leave him trailing at the gate again by making a fast start ahead of him. Andrew McKinna then came to life with a stunning outside pass of the Hungarian to take second but cost his side a point as Magosi’s tactical ride produced only two points instead of four. Berwick took a 3-4 from the race and the score stood at 29-20.

Edinburgh then pulled away with two comfortable 5-1s increasing their lead to 17 points but a fine tapes-to-flag win from Adrian Rymel shared heat 11. Heat 12 was rerun after Magosi and Jonasson came off on the second bend. Magosi was fortunate not to be excluded but the rerun produced a stunning effort from Andrew Tully. Michal Makovsky made the gate and looked to have the race under control but he was stalked on all four laps by Tully who finally caught him in the run in to the line to get the verdict. This gave the Monarchs another 4-2 taking the score to 46-27.

Determined rides by Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers made sure that Rymel’s good start in heat 13 was not going to produce another win for the Berwick captain. The 5-1 put Edinburgh 23 points ahead. William Lawson had looked a racing cert for a maximum but in heat 14 his ignition box failed at the gate and his bike didn’t leave the start. Adam McKinna and Tero Aarnio took advantage of a poor gate by Aaron Summers to race off for a 1-5 to give Berwick some crumbs of consolation. In fact McKinna had improved all night and looked fast and assured taking the heat win. Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers stormed off in heat 15 to lead the Berwick pair but Rymel fell on the third bend while at the back and the race was rerun without him. Fisher again made a determined start and held off Makovsky to win the race with Wethers third for a final 4-2 to the home side.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 11+2 (5), Derek Sneddon 9+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 9+1 (5), William Lawson 9 (4), Aaron Summers 8+1 (4), Thomas Jonasson 5+1 (4), Andrew Tully 5+1 (4).

For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 9 (5), Michal Makovsky 9 (5), Adam McKinna 8+1 (7), Norbert Magosi 7+1 (7), Tero Aarnio 2+1 (4), Guglielmo Franchetti 0 (1), Manuel Hauzinger 0 (1).



Premier Trophy: Scunthorpe 41, Sheffield 48


Both teams were at full strength fielding the same sides as last night at Owlerton although Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth swapped places with Compton moving to number 1 and Ashworth to number 3.

The Scorpions made a disappointing home start to their Premier Trophy campaign losing to Sheffield by seven points. They led briefly through heats two to four but Sheffield pulled away in heat 8 and never looked back. The home side’s problem was a lack of race winners managing only four over the 15 races.

Sheffield opened with a 2-4 in a race won by Joel Parsons from Andrew Moore and Andre Compton but the Scorpions took a 5-1 from the reserves race after Benji Compton had got up on the line to pass Lee Smethills and follow his partner, Byron Bekker, home. Two shared heats followed won by Ricky Ashworth and Richard Hall to give the Scorpions a two point advantage at 13-11.

Sheffield turned the score around with a 1-5 in heat 5 as Parsons and Compton led Magnus Karlsson home but the home side squared the match again in heat 6 after Wilkinson fended off the challenge of Ben Wilson for a 4-2. Richard Hall won again in heat 7 holding off the challenge of Paul Cooper for a 3-3 but Sheffield struck with another 1-5 in heat 8. Joel Parsons and Lee Smethills gated ahead of Carl Wilkinson and that was that. The score was now 22-26.

A Sheffield rider won every one of the last seven races giving the Scorpions no chance of pulling back the deficit. Ben Wilson started with a win over Magnus Karlsson in heat 9 then Ricky Ashworth did likewise in heat 10 both for shared races. There were only two finishers to heat 11. With Sheffield on a 1-5 Richard Hall fell and was excluded from the rerun in which Joel Parsons suffered an engine failure for a 2-3. Ricky Ashworth then had a comfortable win from Karlsson and Compton in heat 12 taking the score to 33-38.

Andre Compton led home Moore and Hall in heat 13 and Paul Cooper repeated this in heat 14 with a win from Bekker and Bergstrom in heat 14. Both races were shared but the visitors finished with a 2-4 in the last race as Andre Compton scored his third race win on the trot and Ricky Ashworth finished third behind Richard Hall.

Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Richard Hall 9+1 (5), Byron Bekker 7 (4), Magnus Karlsson 7 (5), Andrew Moore 6+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 6 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 3+3 (4), Benji Compton 3+2 (4).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 12+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 11+1 (5), Joel Parsons 9 (4), Ben Wilson 7 (4), Paul Cooper 5 (4), Lee Smethills 4+2 (4), Sam Martin 0 (4).



Challenge Match (second leg) : Somerset 52, Reading 41 Reading won on aggregate by 95-89


Somerset opened their home campaign at full strength but Reading were without the injured Danny Warwick and had Robert Mear (Rye House) as a guest at reserve.

The Rebels had a 17 point deficit to overcome from the first leg of this Challenge match at Reading last Monday where they lost 37-54. They were on course when they led by ten points after heat 6 but a massive 1-8 for the Racers in heat 8 left them with too much to do.

Jason Doyle got his Somerset career off to the perfect start by winning heat 1 from Mark Lemon in a shared race then the Rebels rocketed into a four point lead with a 5-1 in the reserves race after Jaimie Smith had packed up on the first bend. Simon Walker retired in heat 3 so Emil Kramer’s win was only good enough to share the race. Tom P Madsen made a good start to heat 4 but Brent Werner rode round him on the third bend to take the lead. This gave the Rebels a 4-2 stretching their lead to 15-9.

The tapes then packed up and after a lengthy delay the meeting was restarted by using elastic at the start line. This seemed to suit the Rebels who scored a 5-1 when Walker and Kramer beat Mark Lemon for a ten point lead. Jason Doyle won again to keep it that way but Ulrich Ostergaard took a TR in heat 7 and gated well with Chris Mills. Despite a massive race-long attempt by Jordan Frampton to pass the pair of them the Racers’ pair held on for the big 1-8 which cut the lead to only three points. Stephan Katt passed Tomas Suchanek going into the last lap for a 3-3 which prevented the Racers from making further inroads to the deficit. This took the score to 27-24.

The two teams exchanged 4-2s in the next two heats then Mark Lemon finally won a race in heat 11 for a 3-3 which kept the lead at three points. Time was running out for Somerset to claw the 17 points back but in heat 12 it looked as though they might take a 5-1 when Katt and Kramer led Ostergaard. However the Reading man passed Kramer and managed to hold him off to restrict the damage to a 4-2 taking the score to 40-35.

Brent Werner made a fast start to win heat 13 while Mark Lemon kept Jason Doyle in third place for another 4-2. Simon Walker and Jordan Frampton then sealed victory on the night for the Rebels by taking a 5-1 in heat 14 before Brent Werner finished the proceedings with a heat 15 win in an exciting race with Lemon and Ostergaard as Doyle retired at the back.

Scorers: For Somerset – Brent Werner 10+1 (5), Stephan Katt 10 (5), Emil Kramer 9+1 (4), Jason Doyle 9 (5), Jordan Frampton 7+2 (4), Simon Walker 7 (4), Henning Loof 0 (4).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 14+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Mark Lemon 10 (5), Tom P Madsen 5+1 (4), Chris Mills 4+2 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3+1 (4), Jaimie Smith 3+1 (4), Rob Mear 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 22 March

Three matches were raced today. At Berwick the Bandits faced Workington in a Premier Trophy match. At Stoke the Potters took on Redcar also in the Premier Trophy while on the Isle of Wight the Islanders raced against Reading in the first leg of the Chalfont Coaches Trophy.


Premier Trophy: Berwick 44, Workington 46


Berwick had Jaimie Robertson as a guest for the injured Guglielmo Franchetti and used R/R for the injured Manuel Hauzinger. Workington introduced their new signings Scott Smith and Joe Haines.

The teams exchanged 5-1s in the opening two heats. Daniel Nermark rode a ruthless first two bends against Adrian Rymel and Jaimie Robertson then Scott Smith passed Rymel to join Nermark for a 1-5 to the Comets. It was a different story in the reserves race when Magosi and McKinna jetted to the front for a 5-1 to the Bandits despite a late challenge from John Branney. A fine race between Stonehewer and Makovsky went the Comet’s way for a shared race but the visitors got their noses in front again in heat 4. Norbert Magosi took the R/R ride but it was Kauko Nieminen who shot from the gate to win the race. John Branney passed McKinna so the Comets took a 2-4 taking the score to 11-13.

Daniel Nermark made the start in heat 5 but it was Tero Aarnio who took up the challenge by passing both Scott Smith and Michal Makovsky almost catching the Workington man. The result was a shared race keeping the Comets two points in front however it was all square after heat 6 when Adrian Rymel led Kauko Nieminen home with Jaimie Robertson third for a 4-2. Berwick used Adam McKinna as R/R in heat 7 so went with an all reserve pairing. Again Stonehewer made the gate while Magosi finished second ahead of Charles Wright. This gave the Comets a 2-4 and they were back in front again at 20-22. Jaimie Robertson rode an excellent race to round Scott Smith to win heat 8 but John Branney got the better of Adam McKinna again so the result was a shared race taking the score to 23-25.

It was all square again after heat 9. Michal Makovsky passed Kauko Nieminen on the opening bend while behind him Tero Aarnio battled hard to pass Joe Haines on the last bend giving the Bandits a 4-2. Carl Stonehewer made the gate in heat 10 but this time Adrian Rymel roared round the outside on the opening two bends to lead down the back straight and head off for a comfortable win. With Jaimie Robertson retiring from the race the points were shared and the two sides remained on level terms. Berwick chose to go with Tero Aarnio as R/R in heat 11 but this was not a success as Workington gated for a 1-5 from Nermark and Smith to take a four point lead at this crucial stage in the match. Berwick were not about to cave in though and replied with a 5-1 from Michal Makovsky and Norbert Magosi, replacing Adam McKinna, ahead of Carl Stonehewer to level the score which now stood at 36-36.

Michal Makovsky took the R/R ride in heat 13 to join Adrian Rymel against the unbeaten Nermark but it was the Comets’ pair who gated to another 1-5 leaving the Bandits trailing by four points once more. Back came Berwick though with a 4-2 from Norbert Magosi and Tero Aarnio split by Charles Wright to leave the home side trailing by two points going into the last heat decider. It was not to be for the Bandits though as Daniel Nermark won the race completing his paid maximum while Makovsky and Rymel finished in the minor places for a shared race.

Scorers: For Berwick – Norbert Magosi 13+1 (6), Michal Makovsky 12+1 (5), Adrian Rymel 8+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 5+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 4 (4), Adam McKinna 2+1 (4).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Kauko Nieminen 10 (5), Carl Stonehewer 9 (4), Scott Smith 6+2 (4), Charles Wright 4+1 (4), John Branney 3+1 (5), Joe Haines 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Stoke 49, Redcar 41


Stoke were without Klaus Jakobsen and used Rider Replacement at number 1. Redcar riding their first match of the season introduced newcomer Ty Proctor.

Gary Havelock got the Bears off to a winning start, beating Ben Barker, while Ty Proctor took third for a 2-4. Mark Burrows was the reserves race winner but the Redcar pair of Giffard and Bugeja finished behind him for a shared heat. The Potters levelled the scores with a 4-2 in heat 3 when Lee Complin defeated James Grieves while Claus Kristensen took third from Josh Auty. However Redcar were back in front again with a 1-5 in heat 4 which was won by Chris Kerr with Daniel Giffard passing Mark Burrows for second. The score now stood at 10-14

The Bears stretched their lead to six points after a great race between Lee Complin and Gary Havelock won by the Redcar skipper. Ty Proctor took third for a 2-4 to the visitors then heat 6, won by Lee Complin, resulted in a shared race. The Potters pulled back two points with a 4-2 in heat 7 when the hitherto pointless Barrie Evans won the race from Josh Auty while Emiliano Sanchez relegated James Grieves to the back. The home side then shaved another two points from Redcar’s lead with another 4-2 in heat 8 when Ben Barker won from Ty Proctor and Mark Burrows picked up third place. This took the score to 23-25.

Heat 9 won by Lee Complin was shared as was heat 10 won by James Grieves then, in heat 11 Gary Havelock fell and was excluded from the rerun. Ty Proctor was excluded from the rerun for touching the tapes so Daniel Giffard came into the heat as the lone Bear as reserve replacement. Sanchez and Evans made no mistake in the second rerun with a 5-1 which wiped out Redcar’s lead and put the Potters two points ahead. James Grieves won heat 12 but with Bugeja finishing last behind Burrows and Kristiansen it was only good enough for a shared race taking the score to 37-35.

It was some time before the rest of the match took place. First of all the lights failed then, when they were sorted and racing was due to resume, the ambulance was called away and they had to wait for another. Eventually the last three heats were raced. Emiliano Sanchez registered his first win beating Gary Havelock in the process. With Ben Barker taking third place as Chris Kerr fell the 4-2 increased the Potters’ lead to four points. They wrapped the win up with a 5-1 from Complin and Evans in heat 14 for an eight point lead. In the last heat Chris Kerr was excluded under the two minute time allowance rule but elected to start from 15 metres back. Finally a very long evening was brought to a conclusion with a shared race won by James Grieves from Barker and Complin.

Scorers: For Stoke – Lee Complin 15+1 (6), Ben Barker 9+1 (6), Emiliano Sanchez 9 (5), Barrie Evans 7+2 (5) Mark Burrows 7 (4).

For Redcar – James Grieves 11 (5), Gary Havelock 8 (4), Chris Kerr 7 (5), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (5), Ty Proctor 4 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3+3 (4), Josh Auty 3 (4).



Chalfont Coaches Trophy (first leg): Isle of Wight 48, Reading 47


The Isle of Wight introduced newcomers Paul Fry and James Holder in this their first home match of the season. Reading had Sam Martin (Sheffield) as a guest reserve in place of the injured Danny Warwick.

The Racers drew first blood when Mark Lemon gated from Jason Bunyan. Tomas Suchanek took third as Cory Gathercole’s bike began to slow on the approach to the line so the visitors opened with a 2-4. Reading’s guest reserve, Sam Martin, won heat 2 for a shared race and Ulrich Ostergaard did likewise in heat 3. The Islanders were back on level terms again after heat 4 when Glen Phillips won the race from Tom P Madsen with support in third from James Holder for a 4-2 taking the score to 12-12.

Heat 5 was won by Mark Lemon again for a 3-3 but the Islanders finally took the lead in heat 6 with a 5-1 from Cory Gathercole and Jason Bunyan for a four point advantage. They increased it to six points in heat 7 as Ulrich Ostergaard had an engine failure while leading the race. This allowed Glen Phillips through for the win while Chris Mills passed James Holder on the last bend to limit the damage to a 4-2. The home side continued their run of success with another 5-1 in heat 8 thanks to Cory Gathercole and David Bargh from Tomas Suchanek putting them ten points ahead at 29-19.

The Islanders forged further ahead with another 5-1 in heat 9 this time from Krzysztof Stojanowski and Paul Fry against the weak Reading third pairing. They now led by 14 points but Reading responded with a 2-4 in heat 10 when Ulrich Ostergaard passed Jason Bunyan to win the race. Cory Gathercole fell leaving Chris Mills to pick up the third place point. Mark Lemon took a TR in heat 11 but it was Glen Phillips who won the race. Lemon was second with Suchanek third so the Racers won the race 3-5 to pull another two points back. Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 12 from Stojanowski and Jaimie Smith for yet another 2-4 to chip another two points from the Islanders’ lead taking the score to 41-33.

Glen Phillips scored his fourth win of the match in heat 13 beating Mark Lemon. Jason Bunyan took third so the Islanders took another 4-2 to restore their ten point lead. In heat 14 Ulrich Ostergaard took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing Sam Martin. He delivered the goods too! By the second lap he had already passed James Holder and Chris Mills. He then chased down and passed Paul Fry on the third bend, third lap to go on and win the race. Chris Mills was third so the Racers scored a 2-7 from the race to cut the home side’s lead to five points. Heat 15 was a disaster for the Islanders. Glen Phillips failed to complete his maximum and only scored a point after Jason Bunyan’s bike gave up the ghost on the second lap when he lay second. This left Lemon and Ostergaard to pick up a 1-5 leaving the Islanders with a one point victory for their efforts.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Glen Phillips 13 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 8+1 (4), Paul Fry 7+2 (4), Jason Bunyan 7+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 6 (4), Andrew Bargh 4+1 (4), James Holder 3+1 (5).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 17+1 (6) (with 6 point TS), Mark Lemon 15 (5) (with 4 point TR), Chris Mills 4 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3+1 (4), Sam Martin 3 (3), Tom P Madsen 3 (4), Jaimie Smith 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 23 March

Four matches were raced today. At Newport the Wasps faced Somerset while at Newcastle the Diamonds took on Redcar both in the Premier Trophy. The other two matches were at Glasgow where the Tigers raced against Edinburgh in the second leg of the Spring Trophy and at Reading where the Racers took on the Isle of Wight in the second leg of the Chalfont Coaches Trophy.


Premier League: Newport 43, Somerset 50


Newport , racing their first home match of the season, introduced newcomers Paul Clews, Marek Mroz and Jerran hart to the side while welcoming the return of Craig Watson. Somerset were at full strength.

The Wasps were never in the hunt in this match and were never likely to be with only five race winners. After losing a 1-5 in the opening heat to Jason Doyle and Simon Walker it was an uphill struggle to reach respectability. Two more 2-4s had them already eight points down although Sebastian Truminski raised their hopes by producing the first Newport race winner in heat 4 which produced a 4-2. The score after four heats stood at 9-15.

Further 2-4 heat advantages to the Rebels in heats 5, 7 and 8 put Somerset out of sight at 18-30 with Jason Doyle and Emil Kramer both unbeaten after eight races.

You would have thought that the Wasps might have used their TR in a heat where neither Doyle not Kramer were out for Somerset, for example in heat 9 when Atkin and Mroz scored a 5-1 over Katt and Werner to pull four points back and cut the deficit to eight but you would have been wrong. Kramer won again in heat 10 which produced another 2-4 after Craig Watson had retired leaving the home side ten points behind again. Truminski took the TR in heat 11 but it was Jason Doyle who continued his winning run although Truminski and Simmons finished second and third for a Newport 5-3 cutting the lead to eight points again. Another Somerset 1-5 in heat 12 from Kramer and Katt finished the Wasps off with the score now at 31-43.

Doyle’s colours were finally lowered in heat 13 when Craig Watson beat him. Truminski’s third place gave the home side a 4-2 then Watson came into heat 14 as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres back in place of Nick Simmons but it was Tony Atkin who won the race for the Wasps. Stephan Katt took second with Watson third after Jordan Frampton had fallen causing the race to be awarded. This gave Newport a 5-2 while the last race, also won by Watson, resulted in Emil Kramer dropping his only point of the meeting in a shared race.

Scorers: For Newport – Craig Watson 11 (6) (with 2 point TS), Sebastian Truminski 10 (5) (with 4 point TR), Tony Atkin 10 (4), Paul Clews 5 (4), Nick Simmons 4 (4), Marek Mroz 2+1 (4), Jerran Hart 1 (3).

For Somerset – Emil Kramer 14 (5), Jason Doyle 12+1 (5), Stephan Katt 10+1 (5), Simon Walker 4+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 4+1 (4), Brent Werner 3+1 (4), Henning Loof 3 (3).



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 52, Redcar 38


Both teams were at full strength for this local derby match. Newcastle opened up an early lead in this match and Redcar were never able to get within touching distance although there were only six points in it after eleven heats. The Bears main problem was that neither reserve was able to beat an opponent so they were effectively a five man side.

Redcar led 2-4 after Gary Havelock won the rerun of the opening race from Christian Henry but Newcastle responded with a 5-1 in the reserves race despite Sean Stoddart having to start 15 metres back after touching the tapes. This turned the score around with the Diamonds now leading by two points instead. James Grieves, returning to his former stamping ground, won heat 3 for a shared race but Newcastle took a 4-2 in heat 4 when Chris Kerr could only split the Stancl/Stoddart pairing. This took the score to 14-10.

Gary Havelock touched the tapes in heat 5 and was replaced by Arlo Bugeja. Jason King won the race while Ty Proctor took an excellent second place ahead of Josef Franc. This gave the home side another 4-2 while heat 6, won by Chris Kerr who passed Christian Henry, was shared. James Grieves won heat 7 from George Stancl and this time was backed by Josh Auty for a Bears’ 2-4 cutting the difference to four points then Ty Proctor won heat 8 for a 3-3 taking the score to 26-22.

Newcastle increased their lead to six points again with a 4-2 from Franc and King in heat 9 while Christian Henry ended James Grieves’ hopes of a maximum by winning heat 10. Josh Auty took third so the race was shared as was heat 11 won by Stancl from Havelock and Proctor. The Diamonds extended their lead to eight points with another 4-2 in heat 12. James Franc beat James Grieves with Stoddart third taking the score to 40-32.

Christian Henry broke the tapes in heat 13 so had to go from 15 metres back. Stancl won from Kerr and Havelock so the heat was shared. Still eight points down Redcar gave Chris Kerr a tactical substitute ride, replacing Daniel Giffard, from 25 metres back in heat 14. This was not a success as Jason King and Sean Stoddart took a 5-1 to clinch the points for the home side. A 4-2 went to the Diamonds in the last race when Stancl beat Grieves with Henry third.

Scorers: For Newcastle – George Stancl 14 (5), Sean Stoddart 9+1 (6), Josef Franc 9 (4), Jason King 8+1 (4), Christian Henry 8 (5), Ben Powell 2+2 (3), Jaimie Robertson 2+1 (3).

For Redcar – James Grieves 12 (5), Chris Kerr 10 (6), Ty Proctor 7+1 (4), Gary Havelock 6+1 (4), Josh Auty 2+1 (4), Daniel Giffard 1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 0 (4).



Spring Trophy (second leg): Glasgow 41, Edinburgh 49 Edinburgh won the trophy on aggregate by100-79


Glasgow were without Ross Brady and again used Rider Replacement at number 2. Edinburgh were at full strength.

Edinburgh regained the Spring Trophy after completing the double over Glasgow to win on aggregate by 21 points. Although the Monarchs’ early lead was wiped out mid-match they pulled away again in the latter stages to win comfortably.

There was a shock in the opening race. Mitchell Davey (R/R) shot round the first two bends to enter the home straight with Ryan Fisher. Fisher pulled away leaving Davey and Derek Sneddon to contest second place as Shane Parker got caught in the traffic at the back. Sneddon passed Davey down the back straight of the second lap as did Parker on the second bend of the third lap but the Glasgow captain could make no impact on Sneddon who followed Fisher home for a 1-5. Aaron Summers headed the field down the back straight in the reserves race but was passed round the outside of bends 3 and 4 by Josh Grajczonek who went on to win the heat. Andrew Tully was third so the race was shared. Thomas Jonasson won his first race for Edinburgh when he hit the front and pulled away in heat 4. Trent Leverington was content to remain behind with Mitchell Davey covering the gaps to prevent William Lawson from passing either of them. This produced another 3-3 but Edinburgh scored another 1-5 in heat 4. Matthew Wethers gated well to lead Robert Ksiezak. Andrew Tully gave chase and passed Ksiezak on the second bend, second lap to follow his partner home for the maximum taking the score to 8-16. It was interesting to note that both Edinburgh 1-5 successes had been off the inside gates.

In heat 5, Derek Sneddon fell on the first bend and stayed down until the referee stopped the race much to the disgust of the Glasgow fans and referee alike. He was excluded from the rerun won with ease by Ryan Fisher after a brilliant opening two bends which took him round the outside of Mitchell Davey then up the inside of Trent Leverington on the second bend (if you’ll pardon the expression!) . This race was shared but Glasgow pulled two points back in heat 6 when Robert Ksiezak made a fast start with Matthew Wethers in pursuit. Shane Parker got stuck behind this pair and with Wethers challenging Ksiezak all race Parker was unable to improve his position and finished third. The 4-2 cut the lead to six points and Glasgow now had the benefit of the inside gates for the next four heats. They certainly took full advantage in heats 7 and 8 with 5-1s in both. Ksiezak (R/R) and Grajczonek were quickly away from Thomas Jonasson who briefly hampered William Lawson. Grajczonek rode an excellent race to follow Ksiezak home and he was out again in the next race for a similar result. This time it was Trent Leverington (R/R) who led from the start while Josh Grajczonek slotted in behind him. Andrew Tully chased him all race long but couldn’t pass so the maximum not only wiped out the Monarchs lead but put the Tigers two points in front at 25-23. At this stage Josh Grajczonek was still on a paid maximum after three rides.

Trent Leverington won again in heat 9 but there was no joy for Mitchell Davey who trailed home behind Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers for a shared race. William Lawson made the start in heat 10 to lead Shane Parker home while Josh Grajczonek passed Thomas Jonasson for third and a shared race. Edinburgh were now back on the inside gates and made them work in heat 11 when Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher left Robert Ksiezak behind for a 1-5 reversing the two point advantage by putting the Monarchs two ahead. A Trent Leverington win in heat 12 from Jonasson, Tully and Grajczonek resulted in a shared heat which took the score to 35-37.

Another excellent first two bends by Ryan Fisher took him past Robert Ksiezak in heat 13 while Matthew Wethers led Shane Parker out of the second bend for an Edinburgh 2-4 putting them four points ahead. Glasgow were now in the same position as they had been last week in the match against Berwick but this time there was no magic 5-1 from the two young Australians in heat 14. William Lawson stormed to a tapes-to-flag victory and would have been followed home by Andrew Tully had he not shed a chain on the last bend of the third lap. This resulted in a 3-3 which meant a last heat decider. The match was over when Edinburgh won the toss and took the favourable inside gates. Ryan Fisher completed an impeccable paid maximum while Matthew Wethers followed him home for a 1-5 and an eight point victory. Trent Leverington finished third while Shane Parker, off the graveyard gate 4 for the second time in the match, retired on the last lap while at the back. Indeed gate 4, despite providing two winners (Ksiezak and Fisher), produced only 14 points from 15 heats.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Trent Leverington 13+1 (6), Josh Grajczonek 10+3 (6), Robert Ksiezak 10 (5), Mitchell Davey 4+2 (5), Shane Parker 4 (5), Lee Dicken 0 (3).

For Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (5), William Lawson 7 (4), Andrew Tully 5+3 (5), Derek Sneddon 5+1 (4), Thomas Jonasson 5 (4), Aaron Summers 3+1 (3).



Chalfont Coaches Trophy (second leg): Reading 56, Isle of Wight 36 Reading won the Trophy on aggregate by 103-84.


Reading had Sam Martin (Sheffield) guesting again at number 7 in place of the injured Danny Warwick. The Isle of Wight were at full strength.

After Reading had reduced the Islanders’ 14 point lead in the first leg to a mere one point they were expected to win the Trophy comfortably. So it transpired. With Mark Lemon and Ulrich Ostergaard going through the card unbeaten and Tom P Madsen dropping only one point to the Islanders’ sole race winner, Jason Bunyan, it was one way traffic. The visitors were left to scrap for the minor places and produced 11 second places to prevent an even heavier defeat.

Cory Gathercole looked as if he might get the Islanders off to a winning start but he fell while leading leaving the Racers to take a 4-2. This was the first of four 4-2 race results which put Reading eight points ahead after four races at 16-8.

The visitors held on well over the next four heats. Jason Bunyan and Cory Gathercole followed Ulrich Ostergaard home after Chris Mills had fallen in heat 5 then a Lemon/Suchanek 4-2 put the Racers ten points ahead so the Isle of Wight gave Krzysztof Stojanowski a tactical ride in heat 7. He finished second to Mark Lemon but Paul Fry’s third place gave the visitors a 3-5 advantage cutting the deficit to eight points again. Suchanek won heat 8 for a share of the points so the score stood at 29-21.

Ostergaard and Mills took a 5-1 in heat 9 to stretch the lead to 12 points and it stayed that way after a Lemon win produced a shared heat 10. Then came the Islanders sole success of the night. Jason Bunyan beat Tom P Madsen in heat 11 while Cory Gathercole took third for a 2-4 cutting the gap to 10 points. Ulrich Ostergaard won again in heat 12 for a shared race so the score moved on to 42-32.

It was curtains after that for the visitors as they conceded two 5-1s and a 4-2 over the last three heats to stretch the winning margin to 20 points.

Scorers: For Reading – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (maximum), Ulrich Ostergaard 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tom P Madsen 10+1 (4), Jaimie Smith 6 (4), Tomas Suchanek 5 (4), Chris Mills 4+1 (1), Sam Martin 2 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Krzysztof Stojanowski 11 (5) (with 4 point TR), Jason Bunyan 8 (5), Glen Phillips 5 (4), Cory Gathercole 4+1 (4), Paul Fry 4+1 (4), James Holder 3+1 (4), Andrew Bargh 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 24 March

Today’s matches were at Rye House where the Rockets raced Mildenhall and at Workington where the Comets took on Berwick . Both were Premier Trophy matches.


Premier Trophy: Rye House 59, Mildenhall 33


Rye House were at full strength but Mildenhall were without Robbie Kessler so used Rider Replacement at number 4. They were also missing Shane Colvin so had Lee Smart as a guest at number 2. Aaron Baseby was nominated as their number 8.

There’s really no hope when you lose the first six heats by 5-1 to trail by 24 points but Mildenhall recovered sufficiently only to lose another two points over the remaining nine races.

There was just no stopping the Rockets over the early heats although James Cockle’s exclusion in the reserves race then Jan Gravesen’s exclusion in heat 3 for causing Tommy Allen to fall didn’t help the Fen Tigers. Lee Smart looked like breaking the run of Rye House maximums in heat 4 but he was passed on the last bend by Robert Mear for the fourth 5-1 taking the score to 20-4.

Kai Laukkanen was at the wrong end of another 5-1 in heat 5 then Mark Baseby was excluded for falling in heat 6 as another maximum went the home side’s way. The tide finally turned in heat 7 when Stefan Ekberg was excluded for causing Jan Gravesen to fall. Gravesen won the rerun from Danny Betson for a 2-4 to the Fen Tigers. Lee Smart then won heat 8 for a shared race but it might have been a 1-5 until James Cockle fell on the third lap while on the maximum with his partner. The score now stood at 35-13.

Mark Baseby fell and was excluded from the rerun of heat 9 which resulted in Rye House’s seventh 5-1 from Woffinden and Allen ahead of the Mildenhall number eight, Aaron Baseby. In heat 10 the visitors responded with a 1-5 from Jan Gravesen and Casper Wortmann from Luke Bowen and Chris Neath. Back came Rye House in heat 11. It looked like it might be another 5-1 when Ekberg and Betson led but Kai Laukkanen got up to pass Betson on the line to limit the damage to a 4-2. Jan Gravesen then took a TR in heat 12. He finished second to Tai Woffinden and with Robert Mear in third the race was shared 4-4 taking the score to 45-21.

Laukkanen split the Ekberg/Neath pairing in heat 13 for a Rockets’ 4-2 then heat 14 was shared. Tommy Allen broke the tapes and went from 15 metres back. James Cockle was the early heat leader but he was passed by Danny Betson for a 3-3. Tai Woffinden fell in the last race leaving Stefan Ekberg to lead home Jan Gravesen and Kai Laukkanen for another shared race.

Scorers: For Home – Stefan Ekberg 12 (5), Tai Woffinden 11+1 (5), Luke Bowen 8+1 (4), Danny Betson 8+1 (4), Tommy Allen 7+2 (4), Robert Mear 7+2 (4), Chris Neath 6+1 (4).

For Away – Jan Gravesen 12 (5) (with 4 point TR), Kai Laukkanen 7+1 (5), Casper Wortmann 6+2 (5), Lee Smart 4 (5), James Cockle 2 (4), Aaron Baseby 1 (2), Mark Baseby 1 (4).



Premier League: Workington 53, Berwick 40 .


Workington were at full strength while Berwick , without Guglielmo Franchetti and Manuel Hauzinger, used Rider Replacement at number 5 and Jaimie Robertson as a guest at number 2.

The match was dominated by Workington’s heat leaders and they pulled steadily away with a number of early 4-2s. Nermark and Smith kicked off with the first in heat 1 as Rymel finished second then heats 2 and 3, won by Magosi for Berwick and Stonehewer for Workington after Charles Wright had fallen and been excluded, were shared. Kauko Nieminen won heat 3 after passing Magosi with Scott Smith third for another 4-2 which took the score to 14-10.

Carl Stonehewer beat Rymel in heat 5 with Charles Wright third for Workington’s third 4-2 then Norbert Magosi took second to Daniel Nermark in heat 6 for a fourth. Michal Makovsky won heat 7 for Berwick from Nieminen for a shared race to stop the rot then Norbert Magosi won heat 8 for another share of the spoils. This took the score to 28-20.

Heat 9 was another home 4-2. Carl Stonehewer won for the third time while Tero Aarnio finished second. The Comets were now ten points ahead. Michal Makovsky, having beaten Nieminen in heat 7 now did likewise to Daniel Nermark in heat 10. Makovsky and Aarnio made the gate in this race but Nermark passed Aarnio to limit the damage to a 2-4. If Berwick had played their TR card they could have reduced the deficit to five points instead of eight. As it was they didn’t now have the option of a TR. Adrian Rymel fell and was excluded from the rerun of heat 11. This left Norbert Magosi to go on his own but the Comets took the first 5-1 of the match as Nieminen and Joe Haines headed the Hungarian home. Carl Stonehewer completed his four ride maximum in heat 12 against Magosi and Makovsky and the score now stood at 42-30.

Berwick continued their policy of using Michal Makovsky in heat 13 as Rider Replacement ensuring he has three hard races in four heats at the end of a match. This tactic may well have cost them a point against Workington at Berwick on Saturday when this extravagant use of resources was nullified by a Comets’ 1-5. It failed yet again in this match when Nieminen and Nermark cashed in with another 5-1. Rymel was relegated to third as he was passed by first Nieminen and then Nermark. This stretched the Comets’ lead to 16 points. Finally Berwick played their TR card. They gave it to Tero Aarnio in heat 14 and he duly delivered by winning the race. Even better for the Berwick fans he was followed home by Norbert Magosi after both Berwick riders had made the gate. The big 1-8 was welcomed by the visitors but it was too little too late as the gap was narrowed to just nine points going into the last heat. Aarnio was rewarded with a heat 15 nomination to partner Michal Makovsky but it was Carl Stonehewer, completing a full five ride maximum, who won the race with Kauko Nieminen following him home for a last heat 5-1 to the Comets.

Scorers: For Workington – Carl Stonehewer 15 (5), Kauko Nieminen 13+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 10+1 (4), Joe Haines 6+2 (4), John Branney 4+1 (4), Scott Smith 3+1 (4), Charles Wright 2 (4).

For Berwick – Norbert Magosi 15+1 (7), Tero Aarnio 11 (6) (with 6 point TR), Michal Makovsky 9+2 (6), Adrian Rymel 5 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (3), Jaimie Robertson 0 (4).