Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 26 March

Tonight’s matches were at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced Rye House and at Birmingham where Mildenhall were the visitors. Both fixtures were Premier Trophy matches.


Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 61, Rye House 31


Both teams were at full strength.

The Rockets got off to a bright start. Chris Neath beat Tomas Topinka for a shared race then Danny Betson and Robert Mear followed Simon Lambert home in the reserves race for another 3-3. The Rockets’ chances however were killed stone dead in heat 3. Tai Woffinden fell and was withdrawn from the meeting with cuts and muscle damage. To compound things, Tommy Allen didn’t even complete a lap before withdrawing from the race with engine trouble. This gave the Stars a 5-0 and they followed that with a 4-2 won by Simon Lambert from Stefan Ekberg. This took the score to 15-8.

It didn’t get any better for Rye House when Chris Neath was excluded from heat 5 for touching the tapes and was replaced by Robert Mear. Kings’ Lynn banged home an unchallenged 5-1 and they followed it with another in heat 6 from Tacey and Topinka. The Rockets had hopes of a heat advantage in heat 7 when Tommy Allen worked his way to the front on the opening lap. With John Oliver slipping to the back it looked like a 2-4 but Rusty Harrison swept round the outside of Allen on the third lap to win the race and share the points. A Tacey/Lambert 5-1 in heat 8 then took the score to 33-14.

Heat 9 saw Jaimie Smith make a mess of the first bend. He couldn’t recover but Kevin Doolan won the race for a 3-3 then King’s Lynn scored their fifth five pointer in heat 10 through Topinka and Tacey. Chris Neath took a TR in heat 11 and produced the goods by holding off a strong challenge from Rusty Harrison for the full six points. Luke Bowen could offer no support so the result was a 3-6 to Rye House but the Stars hit back with another 5-1 in heat 12 when Doolan and Lambert finished ahead of the Rockets’ reserves taking the score to 49-25.

Chris Neath, in sparkling form (apart from the tape touch) won heat 13 beating Tomas Topinka again. Rusty Harrison took third from Stefan Ekberg so a shared race was the result. An exciting heat 14 ended with Simon Lambert winning from Tommy Allen and Kozza Smith for a 4-2. Lambert had completed a five ride paid maximum so was nominated for heat 15 with the other maximum man, Kevin Doolan. Chris Neath made the gate but was passed by Simon Lambert and Kevin Doolan on the first lap as the Stars finished with another 5-1 to top the 60 point mark.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Simon Lambert 16+2 (6) (paid maximum), Kevin Doolan 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Shaun Tacey 9+2 (4), Tomas Topinka 9+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 7+1 (4), Kozza Smith 5+2 (4), John Oliver 1 (3).

For Rye House – Chris Neath 13 (5) (with 6 point TR), Rob Mear 5+3 (7), Tommy Allen 5 (4), Stefan Ekberg 5 (5), Danny Betson 2 (5), Luke Bowen 1 (4), Tai Woffinden 0 (1).



Premier Trophy: Birmingham 60, Mildenhall 33 .


Birmingham were at full strength while Mildenhall, still without Robbie Kessler, again used Rider Replacement at number 5. They were also without Shane Colvin so had Jaimie Smith (Reading) as a guest at number 2. Rob Smith was nominated as their number 8.

Mildenhall didn’t exactly get off to a good start. After sharing the opening race they dropped two points behind in the reserves race although Mark Baseby passed Lee Smart for second place. Birmingham then produced two 5-1s increasing their lead to 10 points at 20-10 and it looked like being a long night for the Fen Tigers.

There was some respite for the visitors in heat 5 when Adam Roynon suffered engine failure. Kai Laukkanen and Jaimie Smith shared the points behind Jason Lyons then James Birkinshaw got into the act by winning his first race for the Brummies in heat 6. Kyle Legault was content to follow him home and another 5-1 went the home side’s way. Another comfortable 5-1 for the Brummies followed in heat 7 but the visitors shared heat 8 when Jaimie Smith made a fast start to head home Birkinshaw and Smart taking the score to 33-15.

Birmingham added another 5-1 in heat 9 from Lyons and Roynon but heat 10 was shared. Casper Wortmann was excluded under the two minute time allowance and went from 15 metres back. Kyle Legault won the race but, when James Birkinshaw fell, the Fen Tigers’ pair took the minor places for a shared race. Kai Laukkanen took a TR in heat 11 and won the race by rounding Phil Morris. Hargreaves finished third after Jaimie Smith had fallen so the result was a 3-6 to the visitors. Their joy was short lived. In heat 12 Lee Smart and Jason Lyons gated to another 5-1 taking the score to 49-26.

Kyle Legault fell in heat 13 trying to pass Laukkanen and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Laukkanen from Phil Morris for a 2-4 to the Fen Tigers. The Brummies cancelled that with a 4-2 in heat 14. Adam Roynon won the race while Jack Hargreaves fell and remounted on the second lap. He was rewarded when James Cockle fell on the third lap for Hargreaves to take the third place point. Finally Kai Laukkanen fell on the opening bend of heat 15 leaving Lyons and Legault to sail off for the Brummies seventh 5-1 of the match.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Kyle Legault 10+2 (5), Phil Morris 9+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 8+1 (4), Adam Roynon 7+2 (4), Lee Smart 7+2 (4), James Birkinshaw 5 (4).

For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 13 (5) (with 6 point TR), Jaimie Smith 6+2 (5), Casper Wortmann 6+1 (6), Jan Gravesen 4 (4), Mark Baseby 2 (5), James Cockle 1 (4), Rob Smith 1 (1).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 27 March

Tonight’s matches were at Redcar where the Bears raced Newcastle and at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Stoke both in Premier Trophy matches.



Premier Trophy: Redcar 45, Newcastle 45


Both teams were at full strength.

The Bears made an excellent start with Gary Havelock and Ty Proctor scoring a 5-1 in the opening race. Ben Powell was excluded under the two minute time allowance and was replaced by Sean Stoddart. Since the track had had some surgery altering its length the time of 55.5 became the new track record. Stoddart was out in the reserves race and led from the start. Arlo Bugeja passed him coming out of the second bend to go on and win the race but the Diamonds followed him home for a 3-3. Josef Franc then won heat 3, lowering the track record further to 54.9, while Josh Auty and James Grieves filled the minor places after Jason King fell chasing Grieves. That race was shared too but the Diamonds pulled two points back in heat 4. George Stancl gated to beat Chris Kerr and the 2-4 took the score to 13-11.

The Bears went four in front again thanks to a James Grieves win in heat 5 supported by Josh Auty, who almost caught Christian Henry, in third for a 4-2. In heat 6, George Stancl made another fast start but was passed round the pits bends by Ty Proctor. Stancl fought back and managed to repass Proctor on the line. Gary Havelock, in third, had a good view of the action as the race finished as a 3-3. Newcastle got back to within two points again with a 2-4 in heat 7. Josef Franc won again ahead of Chris Kerr and was supported by Jason King in third but they lost a 5-1 in heat 8 as the impressive Ty Proctor shot from the tapes while Daniel Giffard held off Ben Powell for the maximum which put the Bears six points ahead at 27-21.

Redcar looked like going ten points in front when James Grieves and Josh Auty led George Stancl but, on the third lap, Auty crashed into the fence on the last bend. The race was stopped and awarded as a 3-3 but the Bears scored a 4-2 in heat 10 to go eight in front. George Stancl had lost his unbeaten run in the previous heat and this time it was Josef Franc who did likewise after Gary Havelock had gone to the front on the opening bends. Heat 11 saw the Diamonds storm back into the match with a 1-5 after Chris Kerr had fallen and been excluded from the rerun in which Christian Henry and Ben Powell led Arlo Bugeja home. This cut the home side’s lead to four points and things began to look even more precarious for them when James Grieves withdrew from the rest of the meeting suffering from a chest infection. This meant that Redcar had to track their two reserves in heat 12 against Josef Franc and Jaimie Robertson. They lost a 1-5 and suddenly Newcastle were back on level terms again with the score at 36-36.

Redcar weren’t finished though and replied with a 5-1 from Chris Kerr, who lowered the track record further to 54.8, and Gary Havelock who battled past Stancl for second place to put the Bears four points ahead again. Newcastle responded by winning heat 14 by 1-5 with Jason King and Sean Stoddart heading home Bugeja and Auty. This tied the scores again going into the last heat. All looked well for the home side as Chris Kerr was fast away and had the race under control. Behind him Gary Havelock fought his way through to third place for what looked like a 4-2 but he lost a chain and fell causing the race to be stopped. In the rerun Chris Kerr repeated his performance from the gate for the win and 3-3 which tied the scores.


Scorers: For Redcar – Chris Kerr 10 (5), Gary Havelock 9+2 (5), Ty Proctor 8+1 (4), James Grieves 7+1 (3), Arlo Bugeja 5 (5), Daniel Giffard 3+1 (4), Josh Auty 3 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 13 (5), George Stancl 10+1 (5), Christian Henry 6 (4), Sean Stoddart 5+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 4+3 (4), Jason King 4 (4), Ben Powell 3+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: Sheffield 51, Stoke 41 .


Both teams were at full strength.

Ricky Ashworth won the opener for the Tigers while Ben Barker had a great race with Joel Parsons to take second place for a 4-2 but the Potters wiped out the home side’s two point advantage and took the lead with a 1-5 in the reserves race won by Barrie Evans and Mark Burrows. It was all square again when Andre Compton beat Lee Complin who forced his way passed Paul Cooper for second place and a 4-2. Ben Wilson won heat 4 from Emiliano Sanchez while Mark Burrows passed Lee Smethills on the third lap to share the race so the score went to 12-12.

Sheffield took a two point lead again with another Andre Compton win this time from Ben Barker who swooped round the outside of Paul Cooper on the last bend for a 4-2 and they added another in heat 6, won by Ashworth from Sanchez with Parsons third, to increase their lead to four points. Back came Stoke with a 2-4 in heat 7 won by Lee Complin from Ben Wilson. Jesper Kristiansen got on the score sheet by taking third place from Sam Martin and there were just two points between the teams again. Heat 8 was a blow for the Potters. Based on previous results they had high hopes of levelling the match with a 2-4 but lost a 5-1 instead when Joel Parsons and Lee Smethills headed home Ben Barker to take the score to 27-21.

Stoke dropped out of contention when they lost another 5-1 in heat 9 scored by Andre Compton and Paul Cooper from Emiliano Sanchez. The Potters were now ten points adrift and it stayed that way after Ricky Ashworth won heat 10 from Lee Complin. In heat 11 Ben Barker took a TR. Ben Wilson won the race but Barker and Jakobsen finished behind him for a 3-5 cutting the Tigers’ lead to eight points. Andre Compton then won heat 12 for a 3-3 taking the score to 41-33.

Ashworth remained unbeaten by winning heat 13 but Sanchez and Jakobsen relegated Wilson to the back for another 3-3. Stoke pulled another two points back with a 2-4 in heat 14. Lee Complin won from Paul Cooper but this success was too little too late as Sheffield were still six points ahead going into the last race in which Compton and Ashworth completed their maximums with Complin third.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5) (maximum), Ricky Ashworth 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Paul Cooper 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 5 (4), Lee Smethills 3+1 (4), Sam Martin 0 (4).

For Stoke – Lee Complin 11 (5), Ben Barker 9 (5) (with 4 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 7 (4), Mark Burrows 4+2 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 4+1 (4), Barrie Evans 4+1 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 2+2 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 28 March

Three matches were due to be raced tonight but the weather intervened causing the Premier Trophy match at Scunthorpe between the Scorpions and Redcar to be postponed till Sunday. The other two matches did go ahead. At Edinburgh the Monarchs took on Workington while at Somerset the Rebels raced against Newport both matches in the Premier Trophy.


Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 56, Workington 37


Edinburgh were without Thomas Jonasson who had an injured back so used Rider Replacement at number 3. Workington were at full strength.

On a rain-soaked track at Armadale, Edinburgh won by 19 points cruelly exposing the Comets’ weakness in the tail. In fact Scott Smith, Charles Wright, Joe Haines and John Branney didn’t score a ‘genuine’ point between them, contributing just 5 points to the Workington total. On the other hand they did have the outstanding man of the match in Daniel Nermark who seemed completely unfazed by the conditions to rattle up a brilliant and classy 18 point, five ride maximum. He was the only Comet to beat William Lawson and Andrew Tully.

The opening two heats were strange affairs. In heat 1, Daniel Nermark shot from the tapes to lead the race. Ryan Fisher, in pursuit, lost his seat (the one on the bike) on the fourth bend of the second lap and crashed into the fence, just as Daniel Nermark’s bike gave up the ghost. Scott Smith (the forgotten man of the race), a good distance behind, slid into Fisher as the Edinburgh man tried to get to his feet. The red lights came on immediately before any of the riders had crossed the line to start the third lap with Derek Sneddon now leading the race. The referee, Barbara Horley, correctly excluded Fisher but awarded the race to Nermark from Sneddon and Smith for a Workington 2-4! Then in heat two there was a very poor piece of refereeing. Andrew Tully and Aaron Summers led for an Edinburgh 5-1from the second bend. John Branney fell on the fourth bend of the opening lap and, although, he got to his feet, he couldn’t get the bike off the track and was stranded on the middle of the fourth bend as Tully charged into the third bend on the next lap. He baled out just as the red lights came on, far too late. Again the race was awarded, this time as a 5-1 to the Monarchs. Carl Stonehewer led heat three from the tapes and, with Charles Wright behind him, things looked bright for the visitors. However William Lawson raced past both of them and Derek Sneddon followed two laps later for another home 5-1. Matthew Wethers gated to beat Kauko Nieminen in heat 4 while Aaron Summers passed Craig Branney on the second lap for third and a 4-2 taking the score to 16-8.

Nermark shot off again in heat 5 for an easy win ahead of Fisher and Lawson but a halt was called to the meeting at this point for a ‘5 minute’ regrading of the track to take the top surface off. 30 minutes later heat 6 started. Kauko Nieminen made a fast start to head home Fisher and Lawson but a very fast start by Andrew Tully in heat 7 saw him beat Carl Stonehewer by some distance in the fastest time of the meeting. Matthew Wethers third place produced another 4-2 for a ten point lead. Heat 8 provided a comfortable 5-1 from Sneddon and Summers and Edinburgh were almost out of sight at 31-17.

Heat 9 provided an excellent tussle between Matthew Wethers and Kauko Nieminen as the riders passed and repassed each other. Wethers came out on top while William Lawson made his move a lap later lining up and shooting past the Workington man in some style for another 5-1. Carl Stonehewer made another fine gate in heat 10 but Ryan Fisher made an inside pass on the second lap for a 4-2 to the home side who now led by 20 points. Daniel Nermark took a TR in heat 11 and scored all six points although a determined ride by Andrew Tully kept him on his toes. Workington took a 3-6 from the race but lost another 4-2 in heat 12 which was rerun after Joe Haines came to grief on the first bend. In the rerun Carl Stonehewer was fast away again but William Lawson reeled him in and got up to pass him on the line in what must have been a tight decision. With Summers third the score now stood at 47-28.

Daniel Nermark left them all for dead in heat 13. Ryan Fisher with clutch problems made a dreadful gate to drop out of contention while Matthew Wethers slotted into second place. This gave the visitors a 2-4 advantage but they lost the expected 5-1 in heat 14 to Lawson and Tully. Finally Daniel Nermark completed his maximum. He made another jet-propelled start while William Lawson gave chase but attempting an outside pass on the fourth bend, Lawson overslid to lose ground. Stonehewer finished third from Matthew Wethers so the Comets ended the match as they had started it with a 2-4. It was the in between heats that weren’t so good for them!

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 14+1 (6), Andrew Tully 10+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (6), Derek Sneddon 9+2 (5), Ryan Fisher 7 (5), Aaron Summers 6+2 (4).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 18 (5) (with 6 point TR) (maximum), Kauko Nieminen 7 (4), Carl Stonehewer 7 (5), Charles Wright 2 (4), Joe Haines 2 (5), Scott Smith 1 (3), John Branney 0 (4)..



Premier Trophy: Somerset 67, Newport 26


Both teams were at full strength.

Well this was a bit of an annihilation. The two Somerset reserves between them scored only three points less than the entire Newport team. In fact had it not been for Craig Watson’s successful TR in heat 11 they would have equalled them.

In heat 1 the unfortunate Henning Loof was brought crashing down by Paul Clews while third behind Doyle and Watson. The race was awarded but Loof took no further part in the meeting. A comfortable reserves race 5-1 to the Rebels was followed by another maximum heat advantage after Simon Walker came through the field to join Emil Kramer up front. A third easy 5-1 in heat 4 left the crowd in little doubt that it was just a case of how many for Somerset (and how few for Newport!) as the score went to 19-5.

Heat 5 produced an excellent race between Craig Watson and Emil Kramer with the Newport man winning it to stop the rot by sharing the points. Then Truminski led heat 6 until the last bend but Jason Doyle got past him on the run in to the line albeit all out of control after hitting the fence then falling after the finishing line! This resulted in a 4-2 but a fourth 5-1 for the Rebels in heat 7 saw the lead stretched to 20 points. There was another good race in heat 8 won by Stefan Katt but the real action was at the back between Paul Clews and Jordan Frampton. This ended when Frampton lost a chain on the last bend. The 4-2 took the score to 35-13.

Two more 5-1s went Somerset’s way in heats 9 and 10 before Craig Watson took a TR in heat 11. He gated for the full six points, beating Brent Werner in the process, to provide Newport’s solitary heat advantage – a 3-6. It was business as usual in heat 12 as Kramer and Katt rattled up the Rebels’ seventh 5-1 taking the score to 53-22.

Craig Watson briefly led heat 13 but was passed by Jason Doyle for a 4-2 but the Rebels took their 5-1 tally to nine with maximum heat wins in heats 14 and 15. Jason Doyle completed a fine maximum in the process as Somerset recorded their biggest home win ever. Emil Kramer, Simon Walker and Brent Werner were only beaten by Craig Watson who scored more than half of the visitors’ total.

Scorers: For Somerset – Jason Doyle 15 (5) (maximum), Stefan Katt 13+3 (6), Emil Kramer 13+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 10+2 (5), Brent Werner 8+1 (4), Simon Walker 7+4 (4), Henning Loof 1 (1).

For Newport – Craig Watson 14 (5) (with 6 point TR), Tony Atkin 4 (5), Sebastian Truminski 3 (4), Nick Simmons 3 (4), Paul Clews 2 (4), Marek Mroz 0 (4), Jerran Hart 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 29 March



Four matches were scheduled for tonight but the weather ruled out three of them: Workington versus Edinburgh, Stoke versus Scunthorpe, and Rye House versus King’s Lynn – all Premier Trophy matches. The Workington against Edinburgh fixture has been rearranged for next Saturday. This left the sole survivor to beat the miserable March weather the Premier Trophy fixture between Berwick and Glasgow.


Premier Trophy: Berwick 52, Glasgow 44.


Berwick were again without Guglielmo Franchetti so used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead. They also introduced new signing, Henning Bager, to the team at number 5 in place of Manuel Hauzinger. Glasgow were at full strength for the first time this season with the return to the side of Ross Brady.

It was a cold evening at Berwick but at least it was dry with only a shower of rain having fallen since mid-afternoon. Berwick were desperate for a home win after successive defeats at Shielfield Park by Newcastle, Edinburgh and Workington while this was Glasgow’s first official away match of the season. They too really needed to win at the home of the Bandits to keep pace with Edinburgh and Workington if they were to challenge as Premier Trophy section winners.

In the opening race Ross Brady made the gate but within a lap he had been passed by the field and retired leaving Adrian Rymel and Norbert Magosi to score a 5-1 ahead of Shane Parker. Magosi was out again to win the reserves race. However Adam McKinna got stuck at the back of the field so Josh Grajczonek and Lee Dicken filled the minor places for a shared race. All eyes were on Henning Bager in heat 3 but it was Tero Aarnio and Trent Leverington who fought for the lead round the opening two bends. Leverington won that battle and sailed off to win the race while Bager, after a good gate slipped back to third to produce another shared race. It was three 3-3s on the trot with another in heat 4. Michal Makovsky made the gate but once again Adam McKinna ended up at the back leaving Ksiezak and Dicken to share the points taking the score to 14-10.

Henning Bager suffered an engine failure at the tapes in heat 5 but, fortunately for him, the referee had already called a stop to the race after Ross Brady had moved at the start so he was allowed in the rerun. Bager re-emerged on Michal Makovsky’s bike but once again it was Ross Brady who led from the tapes. He was passed by Tero Aarnio and, with Shane Parker at the back, it looked like a 4-2 to the Bandits. However Bager retired from the race leading to another 3-3. Instead of using Rider Replacement for Franchetti in heat 6, Norbert Magosi came in as a reserve replacement instead to partner Adrian Rymel again. This pair produced another 5-1 with both making good gates, Magosi winning the race from Rymel and Ksiezak, increasing the home side’s lead to eight points. Norbert Magosi was out again in the next race, his fourth ride in seven heats! He and Michal Makovsky were fast away for another 5-1 to the Bandits putting them 12 points ahead with Trent Leverington third. Makovsky was out again in heat eight to take the R/R ride. He won the race by the proverbial country mile but once again Adam McKinna could make no impression as a shaky Brady was followed home by Lee Dicken for another shared race. The 3-3 took the score to 30-18.

In heat 9 Robert Ksiezak took a TR and won the race after being passed then repassing Henning Bager now on Adrian Rymel’s machine. Tero Aarnio finished third so Glasgow won the race 3-6 cutting Berwick’s lead to nine points. It increased to 11 when the Bandits scored a 4-2 in heat 10. Adrian Rymel and Tero Aarnio (R/R) made the start but Trent Leverington passed Aarnio on the second bend for second place and a 4-2. In heat 11 Ross Brady was replaced by Lee Dicken. Shane Parker won the race beating Michal Makovsky while Lee Dicken finished third with Magosi well at the back. Glasgow won the race 2-4 cutting the lead to nine points again. In heat 12 Shane Parker came out as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres back replacing Josh Grajczonek to partner Robert Ksiezak. He won the race too passing McKinna as early as the first bend and Bager on the second lap. With Trent Leverington second Glasgow scored the big 1-8 to cut the gap to just two points with the score now 40-38.

It was three on the trot for Parker as he was in heat 13 too. He won again but this time there was no support from Robert Ksiezak as Adrian Rymel and Michal Makovsky filled the minor places. The 3-3 kept the Bandits two in front with a vital heat 14 to come. Josh Grajczonek replaced Mitchell Davey as a reserve replacement. Norbert Magosi won the race while Tero Aarnio almost lost control when he reared. He lost ground and ended up in a battle with Lee Dicken for third place behind Josh Grajczonek. The Berwick rider prevailed after Lee Dicken made a mess of the fourth bend on the third lap. Berwick recorded a 4-2 stretching their lead to four points and the scene was set for yet another last heat decider at Berwick. Glasgow won the toss for heat 15 and chose the inside gates but it was Makovsky and Rymel who left Parker and Leverington for dead at the gate to score a 5-1 for an eight point win. At last the Bandits supporters breathed a sigh of relief but it was a good effort from Glasgow to force the last heat decider after trailing by 12 points after heat 8.

Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+2 (6), Norbert Magosi 14+1 (6), Adrian Rymel 12+2 (5), Tero Aarnio 8+1 (5), Henning Bager 4+1 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (4).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15+1 (6) (including a 6 point TS), Robert Ksiezak 9 (4) (with 6 point TR), Trent Leverington 8+1 (5), Lee Dicken 4+3 (5), Ross Brady 4 (3), Josh Grajczonek 4 (4), Mitchell Davey 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 30 March

Five Premier League matches were raced today. First up was the rearranged match at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions faced Redcar while at Newport the Wasps took on Reading . The third match was at Glasgow where the Tigers raced against Workington . Next to start was the match at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers took on Berwick. Finally at Newcastle the Diamonds had Sheffield as their visitors. All the matches were for Premier Trophy points except the one at Mildenhall which was the first Premier League match of the season.


Premier Trophy: Scunthorpe 45, Redcar 45


Scunthorpe were at full strength but James Grieves had not recovered from his chest infection so Redcar used Rider Replacement at number 3.

The teams exchanged 5-1s in the first two races. In heat 1 Gary Havelock got to the front off the first two bends and he was followed by Ty Proctor one bend later for a Bears’ maximum. It looked ominous for the visitors as their reserves lost a 5-1 in heat 2 to Benji Compton and Byron Bekker to level the scores again. Gary Havelock (R/R) won again in heat 3 while Josh Auty took third from Viktor Bergstrom and a 2-4 which restored Redcar’s lead and it stayed that way when Chris Kerr won heat 4 for a shared heat in the next race taking the score to 11-13.

Magnus Karlsson won heat 5 despite a challenge from Havelock on the last bend. Ty Proctor took third so the race was shared as was heat 6 when Chris Kerr won again. He had no support once more so the shared race kept the visitors two points in front. Although Richard Hall led from the first bend to win heat 7, he didn’t get it all his own way as Josh Auty and Ty Proctor (R/R) challenged him hard. The race was shared to keep the Bears two in front. The Scorpions just couldn’t seem to get back on level terms. Although Carl Wilkinson won heat 8, Proctor and Giffard filled the minor places for another shared race taking the score to 23-25.

In heat 9 Chris Kerr and Viktor Bergstrom crashed on the first bend and the interval was taken as Chris Kerr required ambulance assistance. He had to withdraw from the meeting as a result of what was later diagnosed as a broken right leg leaving the Bears with just one heat leader and five fit riders. The Scorpions cashed in with a 5-1 in the rerun. Byron Bekker replaced Viktor Bergstrom and Daniel Giffard replaced the unfortunate Kerr but it was Magnus Karlsson and Byron Bekker who finished ahead of the Redcar reserves to turn a two point deficit to a two point lead. The Bears fought on though with Josh Auty winning heat 10 from Carl Wilkinson and Andrew Moore for a shared race. Heat 11 provided another 3-3. Richard Hall won from the gate but Proctor and Havelock finished behind him as Byron Bekker fell and retired from the race. Still the short-handed Bears clung on. In heat 12 Magnus Karlsson won the race under some pressure from Josh Auty. Daniel Giffard played his part by relegating Benji Compton to the back giving the visitors another shared race and taking the score to 37-35.

Andrew Moore beat Gary Havelock in heat 13 but Havelock passed Richard Hall to take second place and limit the damage to a 4-2 putting the Scorpions four ahead. The Bears came roaring back in heat 14 though with a 1-5 which squared the match. Josh Auty and Daniel Giffard made the gate and headed Byron Bekker home to set up a last heat decider. This was Ty Proctor’s race! With the Scorpions on a 5-1 with Karlsson and Hall leading the race, Proctor passed Richard Hall on the first lap then Magnus Karlsson on the third lap to win the heat. Unfortunately for the Bears, Gary Havelock could make no impression at the back but this was a remarkable result for Redcar after losing Chris Kerr in heat 9 given they were already without James Grieves.

Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Magnus Karlsson 13 (5), Richard Hall 10+1 (5), Andrew Moore 7+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 6+1 (4), Byron Bekker 5+2 (5), Benji Compton 4+1 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 0 (2).

For Redcar – Ty Proctor 11+3 (6), Gary Havelock 11+1 (6), Josh Auty 11 (5), Daniel Giffard 6+3 (6), Chris Kerr 6 (2), Arlo Bugeja 0 (5).



Premier Trophy: Newport 34, Reading 56


Newport were at full strength for this match but Reading had Mark Burrows as a guest at reserve in place of the injured Danny Warwick.

Both teams were at full strength.

After last week’s home and away hammerings by Somerset the Wasps needed a good result here against one of the league’s new teams. Things looked bright when they took a 5-1 from Craig Watson and Paul Clews in the opening race after Mark Lemon had retired then had Jerran Hart leading in the reserves race. However Hart suffered an engine failure at the end of the third lap and it was Jaimie Smith and Mark Burrows who scored a 1-5 to level the scores. Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 3 but the Wasps’ pair of Atkin and Mroz took second and third for a shared race. Mark Burrows was excluded from heat 4 under the two minute time allowance so was replaced by Jaimie Smith. Sebastian Truminski won the race but another last place for Nick Simmons resulted in another shared race with the score at 12-12.

Tomas Suchanek won heat 5 from Marek Mroz but again Mark Lemon finished at the back so the race was shared but when Craig Watson fell in heat 6 Reading stepped in to score a 1-5 as Tom P Madsen and Jaimie Smith won from Paul Clews. The Racers went further ahead in heat 7 with another Ostergaard win this time from Truminski with Chris Mills third. The 2-4 opened the gap to six points and Newport were in big trouble when they lost another 1-5 in heat 8 as Tomas Suchanek and Mark Burrows left Paul Clews in their wake. The score was now 19-29 and the Wasps were looking down the barrel of another hammering.

It just went from bad to worse for Newport. Marek Mroz brought down Jaimie Smith in heat 9 and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Tom P Madsen from Tony Atkin for a 2-4 opening the lead to 12 points. Newport gave Craig Watson a TR in heat 10 but it was a disaster as the Newport number 1 finished at the wrong end of a 1-5 thanks to Chris Mills and Ulrich Ostergaard. Newport were now 16 points behind with little to look forward to in the closing races. Mark Lemon finally came to the party winning heat 11 but Nick Simmons took second and Sebastian Truminski third to share the spoils. Ulrich Ostergaard completed a four ride paid maximum in heat 12 but again the Wasps filled the minor places for another 3-3 which took the score to 28-44.

Craig Watson gave the home support something to cheer about by winning heat 13 from Mark Lemon. Truminski finished third so the Wasps scored a 4-2 but it was back to Misery City for them when they lost a 1-5 in heat 14. Chris Mills and Mark Burrows did the damage leaving Tony Atkin to trail in third. Finally Ostergaard and Madsen capped off an impressive Reading performance with another 1-5 in heat 15 leaving Truminski and Watson to bring up the rear.

Scorers: For Newport – Sebastian Truminski 8+1 (5), Craig Watson 7 (5), Tony Atkin 6+1 (4), Nick Simmons 5 (4), Marek Mroz 4+2 (4), Paul Clews 4+1 (4), Jerran Hart 0 (4).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tom P Madsen 10+1 (5), Jaimie Smith 7+2 (5), Tomas Suchanek 7 (4), Chris Mills 7 (4), Mark Burrows 6+3 (3), Mark Lemon 5 (4).



Premier Trophy: Glasgow 47, Workington 43


Both teams were at full strength.

Workington hit the front in the opening race. Ross Brady made the gate but was passed by the field and it was Daniel Nermark who won the race from Shane Parker for a 2-4. Lee Dicken won the reserves race but there was a three way battle behind him for the minor places with John Branney and Joe Haines edging out Josh Grajczonek for a shared race. Mitchell Davey had a spectacular set-to with the kickboards on the first bend second time round after Charles Wright had fallen in front of him. The race was stopped and Wright excluded from the rerun which was won by Carl Stonehewer for another shared race. Kauko Nieminen won heat 4 from Lee Dicken and Robert Ksiezak and another 3-3 which took the score to 11-13.

Glasgow fell four points adrift in heat 5 as Daniel Nermark sailed off for a comfortable win from Trent Leverington. Scott Smith took third for a 2-4 to the visitors. Heat 6 had to be rerun with all four after Kauko Nieminen fell on the second bend. The Workington rider was none too pleased at Shane Parker’s involvement in his fall. Nieminen won the rerun after seeing off Parker but Ross Brady took third for a shared heat. Josh Grajczonek passed Stonehewer on the second bend of Heat 7. He held off the challenge of the Workington man to win the race. Robert Ksiezak finished third so Glasgow scored a 4-2 to pull two points back. They then hit the front with a 5-1 in heat 8. Ross Brady won the race with Lee Dicken following him home ahead of Scott Smith for the maximum which gave the Tigers a two point lead with the score now 25-23.

There was no change after heat 9. Kauko Nieminen won again this time from Trent Leverington while Mitchell Davey finished third, pipping Joe Haines on the line, for a 3-3. Workington had now provided six race winners from the first nine races yet still trailed by two points! The Comets squared the match in heat 10 however when Carl Stonehewer gated to beat Shane Parker. Charles Wright finished third ahead of a tiring Ross Brady for a 2-4. It stayed all square after Daniel Nermark won heat 11 from Ksiezak and Grajczonek for another 3-3. Heat 12 had to be rerun with all four back after Carl Stonehewer crashed with some help from Lee Dicken. Stonehewer made his displeasure known to Dicken both on the track and off it. He won the rerun from the gate however from Dicken and Leverington for the match’s seventh shared race taking the score to 36-36.

It was building up to a grand finale with Workington represented by the unbeaten Nermark and Nieminen in heat 13 but with Shane Parker to contend with while in heat 14 they had to go with the ineffective Charles Wright and John Branney. Glasgow would have been the happier side to have shared heat 13. Nermark eased to another victory but this time Parker and Ksiezak kept Nieminen at the back for a shared race leaving the Comets to worry about the result of heat 14 in which Lee Dicken replaced Mitchell Davey and Joe Haines replaced John Branney. The Glasgow pair gated for the expected 5-1 which put the Tigers four points ahead going into the last race. Nermark won heat 15 to complete another fine maximum but Parker and Leverington were content to take the minor places to ensure a Glasgow victory. Workington were left to reflect on the statistics which showed that they had 11 first places and 11 zeroes. Indeed the two Glasgow reserves outscored the combined totals of Nieminen, Smith, Wright, Branney and Haines!

Scorers: For Glasgow – Lee Dicken 12+1 (5), Shane Parker 10 (5), Trent Leverington 8+1 (5), Josh Grajczonek 6+2 (4), Robert Ksiezak 5+2 (4), Ross Brady 4+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 2+2 (3).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 15 (5) (maximum), Carl Stonehewer 11 (4), Kauko Nieminen 9 (4), Scott Smith 3 (4), Joe Haines 2 (4), John Branney 2+1 (4), Charles Wright 1 (4)



Premier League: Mildenhall 29, Berwick 61


Mildenhall were again without Shane Colvin and Robbie Kessler so used Rider Replacement for Kessler at number 5 and had John Oliver (King’s Lynn) as a guest at number 2 for Colvin. They nominated Aaron Baseby as their number 8. Berwick , without the injured Shane Colvin, used Rider Replacement at number 2.

This was Mildenhall’s first home match of the season but it turned out to be anything but a happy one! In fact it was a humiliation for the home side who were simply never in the hunt after heat 6 at which point they trailed by only two points. Berwick won the last nine races by 10-52! And rattled up seven 1-5 heat wins. By contrast poor Mildenhall had only two race winners. This must surely be a record away win in a Premier League match.

Adrian Rymel won heat 1 for the Bandits but Kai Laukkanen and John Oliver finished ahead of (R/R) Norbert Magosi to share the heat. The Bandits then took the lead when Magosi won the reserves race from Mark Baseby. Adam McKinna took the third point place from James Cockle for a 2-4. Back came Mildenhall with a 4-2 from John Oliver, who beat Henning Bager, and Jan Graversen. Berwick were back in front after heat 4 though. Michal Makovsky won the race after Casper Wortmann suffered an engine failure for a 2-4 taking the score to 11-13.

Rymel and Makovsky won again in heats 5 and 6 both for shared heats but no less than five consecutive 1-5s for the Bandits put them in Easy Street. Baseby fell in heat 7 as Tero Aarnio and Henning Bager took the first of them from Casper Wortmann then Norbert Magosi and Michal Makovsky banged in another in heat 8 taking the score to 19-29.

Heat 9 provided another Bandits’ 1-5 as Magosi and Makovsky (both out again), headed home Jan Graversen stretching the visitors’ lead to 14 points. Then Kai Laukkanen took a TR in heat 10. The home side’s shambles continued though as Laukkanen suffered a two minutes’ time exclusion resulting in him having to start from 15 metres back. Henning Bager and Tero Aarnio said “thanks” and helped themselves to Berwick’s fourth 1-5 in a row and it went to five when Rymel and Aarnio added another in heat 11 for a 22 point lead. Jan Graversen managed to split the Bager/Magosi pairing in heat 12 so the Bandits had to content themselves with a 2-4 which took the score to 24-48.

At last Mildenhall provided a race winner when Kai Laukkanen won heat 13. It was only good enough for a shared race though as Rymel and Makovsky finished behind him. To add insult to injury though, Tero Aarnio and Adam McKinna raced off for a sixth Berwick 1-5 ahead of a demoralised Baseby and Wortmann before Adrian Rymel and Michal Makovsky brought the curtain down with a seventh 1-5 for the Bandits. Graversen led the race briefly but was brushed aside by Rymel as Makovsky followed him home.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – John Oliver 7+1 (5), Kai Laukkanen 6+1 (5), Jan Graversen 6+1 (5), Mark Baseby 5 (6), James Cockle 3 (4), Casper Wortmann 2 (5).

For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 14 (5), Michal Makovsky 13+4 (6), Tero Aarnio 10+2 (5), Henning Bager 10+1 (4), Norbert Magosi 10 (6), Adam McKinna 4+1 (4).


Premier Trophy: Newcastle 63, Sheffield 27


Newcastle were at full strength but Sheffield had Simon Lambert (King’s Lynn) as a guest at reserve in place of the injured Lee Smethills.

The Diamonds opened with a 5-1 as Christian Henry and Ben Powell headed home Joel Parsons as Ricky Ashworth retired. Sheffield’s guest Simon Lambert won the reserves race for them by beating Sean Stoddart. With Sam Martin picking up third the 2-4 cut the gap to two points. Newcastle rattled in another 5-1 from Josef Franc and Jason King in heat 3 against Andre Compton then added another from Sean Stoddart and George Stancl to take the score to 17-7.

Already ten points down Sheffield fell right out of contention when they lost two more 5-1s in heats 5 and 6. Jason King and Josef Franc did the damage in heat 5 as Ashworth again failed to score then Ben Powell and Christian Henry added another ahead of Ben Wilson in heat 6. Andre Compton stopped the rot in heat 7 beating George Stancl and Jaimie Robertson for a shared race then Sheffield got another 3-3 in heat 8 won by Ben Powell from Joel Parsons and Simon Lambert taking the score to 33-15.

The Tigers were rampant now and banged home another two 5-1s in heat 9 as Josef Franc and Jason King won from Sam Mrtin after Ben Wilson had retired, and heat 10 as Andre Compton could not prevent Christian Henry and Ben Powell scoring another maximum. Joel Parsons managed a second place in heat 11 when he finished second to George Stancl and ahead of Jaimie Robertson. In heat 12 Josef Franc completed his four ride paid maximum while Andre Compton finished behind him for a 4-2 to the Diamonds which took the score to 51-21

Christian Henry fell in heat 13 and the race was awarded to George Stancl from Ashworth and Lambert. Jason King lost out on his paid maximum by finishing third to Paul Cooper in heat 14 when he finished second to Jaimie Robertson. The result was a 4-2 to the Diamonds putting them 32 points in front. Finally Josef Franc completed the rout and a personal five ride maximum accompanied by Christian Henry to bang home another 5-1 against Andre Compton to leave Sheffield in tatters.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Ben Powell 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Christian Henry 10+2 (5), George Stancl 10+1 (4), Jason King 8+2 (4), Sean Stoddart 6 (4), Jaimie Robertson 5+1 (4).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 8 (5), Simon Lambert 6+2 (5), Joel parsons 6 (5), Ricky Ashworth 2 (4), Paul Cooper 2 (4), Sam Martin 2 (4), Ben Wilson 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 31 March



Tonight’s only match was at Reading where the Racers faced Somerset in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Reading 44, Somerset 49 .


Reading were again without the injured Danny Warwick and had Mark Burrows at number 7 in his place. Somerset were without Henning Loof so had to use Rider Replacement at number 2 instead.

In a challenge match just two weeks ago Reading comfortably beat Somerset by 17 points but it was a different story tonight as the same two teams met in this Premier Trophy match. Somerset, with an away win at Newport already under their belts, are now red-hot favourites to qualify as winners of their section.

The Rebels posted the warning signs as early as the opening race when Jason Doyle and (R/R) Stephan Katt raced to a 1-5 ahead of Mark Lemon. Reading’s guest, Mark Burrows, gained a 3-3 for the home side by winning the reserves race while Ulrich Ostergaard’s win in heat 3 also resulted in a shared race. Jordan Frampton won heat 4 after an exciting tussle with Mark Burrows while the two heat leaders, Tom P Madsen and Brent Werner brought up the rear. This third shared race on the trot took the score to 10-14.

Ostergaard won again in heat 5 this time beating Jason Doyle but Simon Walker (R/R) got up to pass Chris Mills on the line to keep the Rebels four points to the good. Reading recovered two points in heat 6 when Mark Lemon beat Brent Werner but they were fortunate when Stephan Katt’s bike packed up allowing Tomas Suchanek through for the third place point and a 4-2. Any hopes of a Reading come back were dashed when the Rebels scored another 1-5 in heat 7. Jordan Frampton and Emil Kramer left Madsen and Smith at the gate to put the visitors six points ahead. Mark Burrows demolished the fence in heat 8 and was excluded from the rerun but Tomas Suchanek kept the Racers afloat by winning the race for a 3-3 taking the score to 21-27.

Chris Mills was excluded in heat 9 which meant that Ulrich Ostergaard’s win was only good enough for another shared race and heat 10 was shared too when Emil Kramer won from Suchanek and Lemon. Somerset went further ahead in heat 11 when Jason Doyle beat Tom P Madsen. Jordan Frampton took third as Jaimie Smith had engine problems for a 2-4 which put the Rebels eight points up. Reading suffered another blow in heat 12 when Ulrich Ostergaard was beaten for the first time by Emil Kramer. Mark Burrows took third from Stephan Katt so the Racers at least shared the race taking the score to 32-40.

Jordan Frampton replaced Brent Werner in heat 13 but was excluded after crashing with Mark Lemon causing the race to be rerun. Lemon withdrew from the meeting and was replaced by Mark Burrows in the rerun which was won by Jason Doyle from Tom P Madsen to keep the visitors eight points in front. Ulrich Ostergaard then came into heat 14 as a Tactical Substitute replacing Jaimie Smith and starting from 15 metres back. It took him less than a lap to pass the field and go on to win for the full six points but he got no support as Chris Mills fell leaving Katt and Walker to pick up the three points consigning Reading to defeat. In the last heat Ulrich Ostergaard won again but Tom P Madsen fell as Jason Doyle and Emil Kramer filled the minor places for a shared race giving the Rebels a 5 point win.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 20 (6) (including a 6 point TS), Mark Burrows 7+2 (5), Tom P Madsen 6+1 (5), Tomas Suchanek 6 (4), Mark Lemon 5+1 (3), Jaimie Smith 0 (3), Chris Mills 0 (4).

For Somerset – Jason Doyle 12+1 (5), Emil Kramer 11+2 (5), Stephan Katt 11 (7), Jordan Frampton 9+2 (6), Simon Walker 3+3 (4), Brent Werner 3+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 1 April



Tonight’s match was on the Isle of Wight where the Islanders raced against Newport in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Isle of Wight 46, Newport 43 .


Both teams were at full strength.

After a string of unimpressive results Newport gave the Isle of Wight a real fright and a run for their money. Indeed if the Wasps had had a number 3 who could actually score some points they most likely would have won this match the way things panned out.

The first four heats were all shared. Craig Watson won the first from Jason Bunyan while Nick Simmons gave notice of what was to come from him by passing Andrew Bargh to win the reserves race. Tony Atkin made it three race winners from three heats for the Wasps after passing Krzysztof Stojanowski and Paul Fry in heat 3 while Glen Phillips provided the first Islanders’ race winner in heat 4 by beating Simmons and Sebastian Truminski taking the score to 12-12.

The Islanders finally broke the deadlock in heat 5 when Stojanowski beat Craig Watson with Paul Fry third for a 4-2 and two point lead. They increased their lead to six points with a Bunyan/Gathercole 5-1 in heat 6 and looked like they might extend it further to ten points in heat 7 as Phillips and Holder held a 5-1 position over Tony Atkin. However Holder lost ground when his throttle got stuck so Atkin nipped through for second. The 4-2 increased the home side’s lead to eight points and it stayed that way when Gathercole won heat 8 for a shared heat taking the score to 28-20.

Paul Fry won heat 9 but again the visitors took second and third after Stojanowski had suffered an engine failure at the back of the field. This 3-3 was followed by another in heat 10 won comfortably by Tony Atkin from Bunyan and Gathercole. Glen Phillips continued the run of shared races by winning heat 11 from Watson and Clews but the Wasps shaved two points from the lead with a 2-4 in heat 12. Nick Simmons won the race by the proverbial mile from Andrew Bargh while Jerran Hart took third taking the score to 39-33.

Craig Watson was excluded from heat 13 after causing Jason Bunyan to fall. Glen Phillips won the rerun but Jason Bunyan had an engine failure at the start of the race so Truminski took second for a 3-2, opening the gap to seven points. Nick Simmons had another big win from Fry and Holder in heat 14 for the ninth 3-3 of the match while in the last heat Newport put a better gloss on the scoreline by taking an easy 1-5 from Craig Watson and Nick Simmons from Jason Bunyan as Glen Phillips suffered and engine failure to cut the winning margin to only three points.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Glen Phillips 12 (5), Jason Bunyan 8 (5), Cory Gathercole 7+3 (4), Paul Fry 7+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 5 (4), Andrew Bargh 4 (4), James Holder 3+2 (4).

For Newport – Nick Simmons 16+2 (7), Craig Watson 10 (5), Tony Atkin 8 (4), Sebastian Truminski 3+1 (4), Paul Clews 3+1 (4), Jerran Hart 3+1 (4), Marek Mroz 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 2 April

There was just the one Premier Trophy match raced tonight - at Birmingham where the Brummies faced Rye House . King’s Lynn was given over to the staging of a qualifier for the British Under-21 Championship to be held at Lakeside on 25 April.


Premier Trophy: Birmingham 50, Rye House 36 match abandoned after heat 14 due to the curfew. The result stands.


Birmingham were at full strength but Rye House were without Tai Woffinden and used Rider Replacement at number 3. They also nominated Jack Roberts as their number 8.

It was a night of falls and crashes at Birmingham in this match which resulted in Kyle Legault and James Birkinshaw being withdrawn by Birmingham and Luke Bowen being withdrawn by Rye House.

Rye House took the lead in the opening race. Chris Neath and Luke Bowen led from the tapes but Bowen was passed By Kyle Legault for a 2-4 to the Rockets. Jack Hargreaves won the reserves race but Danny Betson and Robert Mear shared the points behind him. The Brummies changed their two point deficit to a two point lead with a 5-1 in heat 3 after the race had been rerun when Luke Bowen had fallen under pressure from Jason Lyons. They added another through Jack Hargreaves and Phil Morris in heat 4 to lead by 15-9.

Chris Neath touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back in heat 5. The result was a third consecutive 5-1 to the home side as Lyons and Smart headed Danny Betson home for a ten point lead. It was announced that Luke Bowen had withdrawn from the meeting as a result of his heat 3 fall but it wasn’t long before Birmingham had lost both Kyle Legault and James Birkinshaw too. The home pair clashed on the second lap of heat 6 after Legault had lifted and both required ambulance assistance. Both were then withdrawn from the meeting. In the rerun Jack Hargreaves replaced Birkinshaw and won the race from Stefan Ekberg and Robert Mear for a shared race. Rye House then gave a R/R and TR to Chris Neath in heat 7. Phil Morris fell while well in front gifting what seemed like a 1-8 to the Rockets but, for some reason, Tommy Allen decided to pass Neath to cut the heat advantage to a 1-7! This reduced the gap to four points but a heat eight 5-1 from Smart and Hargreaves against the Rye House reserves increased the Brummies’ lead to eight points with the score at 29-21.

Another 5-1 went the home side’s way as Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon headed home Stefan Ekberg in heat 9 then Lee Smart and Jack Hargreaves repeated the dose in heat 10 to increase the lead to 16 points. Chris Neath stopped the rot by winning heat 11 for a shared race but Birmingham were now having problems covering the missing spaces in the programme so went with just one rider in heat 12. They only needed one for a shared heat as Jason Lyons remained unbeaten taking the score to 45-29.

In heat 13 Chris Neath won again this time from Phil Morris. Also this time Jack Hargreaves missed the gate so his five race unbeaten run came to an end as he finished last behind Stefan Ekberg. The Rockets took a 2-4 from the race. Adam Roynon won heat 14 but again Hargreaves finished at the back so the race was shared. The curtain came down on proceedings at that juncture since the curfew in effect at Birmingham prevented further racing. The result stands.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jack Hargreaves 13+2 (7), Jason Lyons 12 (4) (maximum), Lee Smart 11+1 (7), Adam Roynon 7+2 (4), Phil Morris 5+2 (4), Kyle Legault 2 (2), James Birkinshaw 0 (1).

For Rye House – Chris Neath 13 (5) (with a 4 point TR), Tommy Allen 7+1 (5), Robert Mear 5+3 (6), Stefan Ekberg 5 (5), Danny Betson 5 (5), Luke Bowen 1 (2).



British Under-21 Championship Qualifier at King’s Lynn Winner: Joe Haines.


The top three riders who qualified for the final were 1st … Joe Haines, 2nd…Sean Stoddart, 3rd…Charles Wright.

The meeting consisted of a full 16 rider, 20 heat individual with the top two scorers progressing directly to a Grand Final from which the top three finishers would qualify for the Main Final at Lakeside. The remaining two places in the final of tonight’s meeting were decided by a race off between the riders who finished in the third to sixth places. Eight of the riders are currently riding in the Premier League, seven of them as reserves. Only Workington’s Charles Wright currently rides in a declared 1-5. Four of the other eight riders were from the Conference League while the remaining four were unattached.

The Premier League riders dominated the first four races which were strewn with fallers. Byron Bekker won an awarded first race and Andrew Tully heat 2 which was also awarded. Sean Stoddart easily won heat 3 then Simon Lambert took heat 4.

The second stanza of four heats saw wins for Joe Haines in heat 5, Andrew Tully in heat 6, Sean Stoddart in heat 7 and Sam Martin in heat 8 to maintain the Premier League domination. Andrew Tully and Sean Stoddart led the field with 6 points each followed by Joe Haines and Sam Martin with 5 each.

The third set of four races started with a third win for Andrew Tully who beat Sean Stoddart to become the outright leader. Joe Haines then beat Simon Lambert in heat 10 and Jerran Hart joined the list of race winners by taking heat 11. Sam Martin won heat 12 to complete the stanza leaving Andrew Tully leading on 9 points with Sam Martin, Joe Haines and Sean Stoddart the main challengers on 8 points each with all the riders now having had three rides each.

Into the fourth set of four races it was Charles Wright who won heat 13 then Sean Stoddart produced a round the boards burst to hit the front while behind him Byron Bekker swept round the outside to pass Jerran Hart for second place in heat 14. A rerun heat 15 provided another race win for Joe Haines. Sam Martin won heat 16 while Andre Tully passed Simon Lambert for second place. This meant that there were four riders sharing the lead on 11 points – Andrew Tully, Joe Haines, Sam Martin and Sean Stoddart.

Jerran Hart took his total to 9 with a heat 17 win from Simon Lambert while Byron Bekker, Andrew Tully and Joe Haines completed their programmed rides with their fourth race wins. Andrew Tully benefited from Scott Richardson’s snapped chain on the last lap of heat 19 when Richardson was in the lead while Joe Haines’ win in heat 20 was at the expense of Charles Wright, Sean Stoddart and Sam Martin. Haines passed Stoddart and Wright to win the race while Stoddart challenged Wright hard for second place.

The semi final consisted of Sam Martin, Sean Stoddart, Charles Wright and Byron Bekker. It was the end of the road for Byron Bekker, who fell after Charles Wright locked up in front of him, and Sam Martin who retired from the race. This left race winner, Sean Stoddart, and Charles Wright to join Andrew Tully and Joe Haines in the Grand Final.

The final was awarded after Andrew Tully fell under pressure from Charles Wright who also fell trying to avoid him. At the time Joe Haines led from Sean Stoddart and Charles Wright will join them in the Main Final with Andrew Tully nominated as the meeting reserve.

Scorers: Joe Haines 14, Andrew Tully 14, Sean Stoddart 12, Charles Wright 11, Sam Martin 11, Byron Bekker 9, Jerran Hart 9, Simon Lambert 8, Adam Lowe 7, Guy Kendrew 6, Kieran Morris 4, Scott Campos 4, Scott Whittingham 3, Scott Richardson 3, Oliver Rayson 2, Ben Hannon 0 Richard Franklin 0 (1).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 3 April



With both Thursday night tracks going head to head there was only one match tonight and that was at Sheffield where the Tigers raced against Redcar in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Sheffield 53, Redcar 39 .


Sheffield were still without Lee Smethills and had Simon Lambert at reserve while Redcar were in some disarray. Chris Kerr’s broken leg plus James Grieves’ chest infection left them without two of their three heat leaders. They had Tomas Suchanek as a guest for Chris Kerr at number 2 and had to use Rider Replacement for James Grieves at number 3. As a consequence Ty Proctor moved to number 5 in the side and David Wallinger was nominated as their number 8.

The two teams traded 4-2s in the first two races but two 5-1s put the Bears on the back foot. Gary Havelock won the opener from Joel Parsons. Ricky Ashworth unusually finished last and suffered a puncture while at the back but the Tigers levelled again when guest, Simon Lambert, won the reserves race. It looked like a 5-1 to the home side but Daniel Giffard got up on the line to pass Sam Martin to limit the damage to a 4-2. Paul Cooper won heat 3 for the Tigers while Tomas Suchanek slipped from second to last. Josh Auty gave Andre Compton a fright by almost catching him on the line but the race ended as a 5-1 to Sheffield and they added another in heat 4 from superguest, Lambert, and Ben Wilson taking the score to 16-8.

Tomas Suchanek led heat 5 from the gate but Andre Compton was past within a lap. Paul Cooper had a puncture (must be a lot of nails on the Owlerton track!) so the race was shared by Havelock and Suchanek. Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons scored a 5-1 in heat 6 to take the lead to 12 points but Redcar pulled two points back when Gary Havelock (R/R) won from Ben Wilson and Josh Auty took third for a 2-4. However another Sheffield 5-1 from Parsons and Lambert, who remained unbeaten, took the score to 31-17 and the match now seemed out of the Bears’ reach.

Another Sheffield 5-1, their fifth of the match, from Andre Compton and Paul Cooper extended their lead further but Josh Auty scored an excellent win against Ashworth and Parsons in heat 10 for a shared race. The Bears then took a two point advantage from heat 11. Gary Havelock took a TR but finished second to Ben Wilson. However Tomas Suchanek was third ahead of Sam Martin so the race resulted in a 3-5 to the visitors. Heat 12 was shared. The race was won by Andre Compton but this time Simon Lambert finished last as Arlo Bugeja and Josh Auty relegated him to the back. The score now read 45-29.

Gary Havelock won heat 13 for the Bears beating Ashworth and Wilson then Redcar pulled another two points back with a 2-4 in heat 14. Josh Auty won from Sam Martin right on the line in a thrilling race while Arlo Bugeja finished third ahead of Paul Cooper then the last heat was shared. Gary Havelock pressed Andre Compton all the way without success while Ben Wilson retired for a shared race.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Joel Parsons 8+2 (4), Ben Wilson 8+2 (5), Simon Lambert 8+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7 (4), Paul Cooper 5+1 (4), Sam Martin 3 (4).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 17 (6) (with 4 point TR), Josh Auty 10+2 (6), Arlo Bugeja 5 (5), Tomas Suchanek 3+2 (5), Ty Proctor 3 (5), Daniel Giffard 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 4 April

With Redcar joining the two Friday tracks by arranging a meeting for tonight three matches were due to be raced. Unfortunately the weather decided otherwise and heavy rain early in the evening wiped out the Redcar versus Sheffield match. The other two matches went ahead though. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced Glasgow while at Somerset the Rebels took on the Isle of Wight , both matches in the Premier Trophy.



Premier Trophy: Edinburgh 57, Glasgow 36


Edinburgh were without Thomas Jonasson so used Rider Replacement at number 3. Glasgow were at full strength.

Edinburgh continued their unbeaten run with a comfortable win against Glasgow despite a magnificent 17 point return from Shane Parker who seems to be scoring better away from home than at Ashfield so far this season. There were only four points between the teams after the opening five heats but the Monarchs then had a five heat spell in which they outscored the Tigers by 22-8 to end the visitors’ hopes.

In heat 1 all four riders reached the first bend almost together. Ross Brady failed to turn hard enough and crashed straight into the fence causing Ryan Fisher to fall too. The unfortunate Brady looked to have recovered OK as he walked back to the pits but he took no further match in the meeting having apparently damaged his collarbone again. Shane Parker stormed from the gate to win the rerun leaving Ryan Fisher and Derek Sneddon to follow him home to share the points. In heat 2 the Glasgow riders made the start but an excellent cutback on the second bend by Aaron Summers took him past them both into the lead. Andrew Tully then passed Josh Grajczonek to take up the chase on Lee Dicken. However he slid off on the second lap so the race points were shared again. Edinburgh took the lead in heat 3 as Derek Sneddon (R/R) and William Lawson made the gate for a comfortable 5-1 but heat 4 was shared. Matthew Wethers rode an excellent first two bends to head off down the back straight and win the race. Aaron Summers spun off on the first bend however so the result was another 3-3 taking the score to 14-10.

The imperious Parker blitzed from the tapes again to win heat 5 by a distance as Lawson and Fisher followed him round for another 3-3 but the Monarchs doubled their lead with an easy 5-1 from Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher in heat 6 ahead of a struggling Robert Ksiezak. Matthew Wethers raced into the lead in heat 7 while Andrew Tully passed Trent Leverington coming off bend two on the second lap. However Tully slid off again, this time on the third bend so the race was shared but another 5-1 in heat 8 put the home side 12 ahead. Derek Sneddon made the gate from Lee Dicken but Aaron Summers again cut back on the second bend to pass Dicken much to the Glasgow rider’s annoyance as he felt that Summers had cut across him. The score was now 30-18.
Robert Ksiezak made the gate in heat 9 but William Lawson rode round the outside then cut back on him on the first two bends while Matthew Wethers was all over him going into the third bend. Ksiezak fell trying to keep Wethers at bay leaving the Edinburgh riders to race off for another 5-1. Josh Grajczonek fell on the last bend but remounted to take the third place point. Trent Leverington gated in heat 10 to lead the race for three laps but Ryan Fisher who had made another poor gate chased him down and passed him on the last lap. Derek Sneddon finished third so the Monarchs took a 4-2. Shane Parker re-entered the fray in heat 11 and took a TR into the bargain. He was out of the gate like a bolt of lightning and never challenged while Lee Dicken slotted into third place. However Andrew Tully passed Dicken on the third lap to cut the Glasgow heat advantage to 3-6. Trent Leverington again made a good start in heat 12 but William Lawson was soon passed him and away. Lee Dicken took third place holding off the challenge from Aaron Summers all race for a shared heat which took the score to 45-30.

Another fast start from Shane Parker produced another three points for the Glasgow captain. Things looked bright for the Tigers when Robert Ksiezak also made a good start to slot in behind him but he couldn’t hold Matthew Wethers who made an outside swoop on the fourth bend despite being taken very wide by Ksiezak. Ryan Fisher recovering from an awful start slipped up the inside so the heat was shared. William Lawson won heat 14 comfortably but Lee Dicken held second place until Andrew Tully passed him on lap 2 to join Lawson for the 5-1 which brought us to the best race of the night – heat 15. Shane Parker made the gate but didn’t have quite the advantage he had enjoyed in previous races. William Lawson took up the chase for the whole of the race but with Parker on the outside line there didn’t seem to be much chance of him getting past. The Glasgow fans were already celebrating the Parker maximum when Shane went just a fraction too wide on the last bend no doubt to protect an outside run challenge and Lawson was quick to switch inside and pass him on the run-in. Matthew Wethers finished third so Edinburgh signed off with a 4-2 and 21 point win.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 16+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 13+1 (6), Derek Sneddon 11+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 9+3 (5), Aaron Summers 5+1 (4), Andrew Tully 3+2 (4).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 17 (5) (with 6 point TR), Lee Dicken 7+1 (7), Trent Leverington 7 (5), Robert Ksiezak 2+1 (4), Josh Grajczonek 2+1 (5), Mitchell Davey 1+1 (4), Ross Brady - Withdrawn.



Premier Trophy: Somerset 54, Isle of Wight 39


Both teams were at full strength.

A comfortable win for the Rebels maintained the stranglehold they have in their Premier Trophy section. The Islanders kept the Rebels’ lead down to six points over the opening six heats but when Krzysztof Stojanowski had to withdraw from the meeting after his heat three fall they were unable to prevent their hosts building up a 15 point winning margin.

Jason Doyle won the opening race although Cory Gathercole stopped him having an easy time of it. Jason Bunyan took third so the match opened with a 3-3. The Rebels took the lead in heat 2 when Jordan Frampton won from James Holder for a 4-2 but the visitors lost Krzysztof Stojanowski after he fell when the tapes rose in heat 3. Paul Fry rode a good race in the rerun to beat Emil Kramer for a shared race. In heat 4 the Rebels took a 5-1 when Brent Werner won the race with Stephan Katt holding off a late surge by Glen Phillips to take the score to 15-9.

Jason Doyle won heat 6 for a shared race then another 5-1 went the Rebels’ way in heat 7 with another win by Brent Werner. This time he was supported in second place by Jordan Frampton who came from the back to join his partner and put the Rebels ten points in front. The Islanders immediately played their TR card giving the ride to Cory Gathercole and he duly obliged by passing Stephan Katt and winning the race. Katt and Jordan Frampton followed him home resulting in a 3-6 advantage to the visitors and taking the score to 29-22.

It looked as though the Rebels might score a 5-1 in heat 9 until Simon Walker suffered mechanical problems on the last bend allowing Glen Phillips to catch him in the run in turning the score to a 4-2. Jason Doyle won heat 10 for a shared race then the Isle of Wight enjoyed another heat advantage in heat 11 when Jason Bunyan won from Jordan Frampton. Cory Gathercole took third after Brent Werner made a hash of the first bend giving the Islanders a 2-4 and cutting their deficit to seven points again. Back came the Rebels with a 5-1 in heat 12 as the visitors, in the absence of Stojanowski, had to field their two reserves. Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt cashed in taking the score to 43-32 and all but seal victory.

Jason Doyle won again in heat 13 but again Brent Werner finished last so the heat was shared. Paul Fry suffered an engine failure at the tapes in heat 14 leaving Simon Walker and Jordan Frampton to score another 5-1 as Andrew Bargh picked up the odd point. Cory Gathercole fell in heat 15 at the back as Jason Bunyan won the race ruining Jason Doyle’s maximum in the process for a shared heat leaving the Rebels to celebrate a 15 point victory.

Scorers: For Somerset – Jason Doyle 14 (5), Emil Kramer 12+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 10+3 (5), Stephan Katt 7+2 (4), Brent Werner 6 (4), Simon Walker 5+1 (4), Henning Loof 0 (3).

For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 10+2 (5), Cory Gathercole 10 (5) (with 6 point TR), Glen Phillips 7 (4), Paul Fry 5 (4), James Holder 4+2 (5), Andrew Bargh 3 (6), Krzysztof Stojanowski 0 (1).