Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Saturday, 5 April

There was a programme of three Premier Trophy matches tonight. These were the matches at Rye House between the Rockets and Birmingham , at Stoke between the Potters and Sheffield and at Workington between the Comets and Edinburgh . Two other Premier League tracks were due to host meetings. At Berwick the Karl Friar Memorial Trophy was staged but at King’s Lynn the Elite League Pairs Championship was postponed due to the weather.


Premier Trophy: Rye House 54, Birmingham 36


Rye House were at full strength while Birmingham missing Kyle Legault and James Birkinshaw through injury had Jack Roberts riding at number 2 for Birkinshaw and used Rider Replacement for Kyle Legault at number 1.

Rye House were quickly into their stride with a 5-1 in the rerun of the opening race. Chris Neath and Luke Bowen made the start from Jack Roberts. At the start of lap 2 Adam Roynon (R/R) fell trying to pass his partner as the Rockets raced off for the maximum. Jack Hargreaves scored an excellent win for the Brummies in heat 2 rounding Danny Betson for a shared race but the home side added another 5-1 in heat 3 which had to be rerun after Jason Lyons fell on the second lap. Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen led Adam Roynon home although the former Rocket made inroads later in the race. Birmingham shared the points in heat 4 won by Phil Morris from the gate taking the score to 16-8.

Woffinden and Allen made the start to heat 5 for another Rockets’ 5-1. Behind them Jack Roberts shed a chain while Jason Lyons got into trouble by spinning through 360 degrees. He completed the race though for the third place point but the visitors now trailed by 12 points. They hit back immediately with a 1-5 from Phil Morris and Jack Hargreaves. Chris Neath fell behind the visiting pair attempting a pass on Hargreaves on the third lap so the race was awarded. This cut the home side’s lead to eight points then, in heat 7, Stefan Ekberg fell on the fourth bend after being passed by Jason Lyons so was excluded from the rerun in which Adam Roynon and Jason Lyons scored another 1-5 from Danny Betson to cut the lead further to four points. The rain started falling as heat 8 got underway. Luke Bowen fell on the third lap but Danny Betson won the heat for the Rockets to share the spoils and take the score to 26-22.

Rye House added two points to their lead in heat 9 when Tai Woffinden won from Phil Morris with Tommy Allen third but the alarm bells were ringing for the home side when Birmingham scored another 1-5 in heat 10 as Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon led Luke Bowen and Chris Neath home. The lead was now down to two points but the Rockets hit back hard. In heat 12 Tai Woffinden and Lee Smart made good starts. Smart moved Woffinden out on the first bend but didn’t succeed. Instead he hampered his own partner, Jason Lyons, allowing Robert Mear through for second place and a Rockets’ 5-1 taking the score to 39-33.

Ekberg and Neath gated in heat 13 for another 5-1 ahead of Morris and suddenly the home side were ten points up again. However this afforded the visitors the chance to give Adam Roynon a TR in heat 14. Although Roynon made the gate both Betson and Allen passed him for another 5-1 which saw the Rockets home and dry (or wet as the case may be). The last race produced a fourth consecutive 5-1 to the Rockets with Tommy Allen and Tai Woffinden leading Phil Morris and Jason Lyons home for an eighteen point win which hardly seemed likely after heat 11 when they led by just two points!

Scorers: For Rye House – Tai Woffinden 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tommy Allen 11+2 (5), Danny Betson 10+1 (5), Stefan Ekberg 6+1 (4), Chris Neath 5+1 (4), Robert Mear 4+3 (4), Luke Bowen 4+1 (4).

For Birmingham – Phil Morris 13 (6), Adam Roynon 7+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 7+1 (6), Jason Lyons 6+1 (6), Jack Roberts 2+1 (3), Lee Smart 1 (4)..



Premier Trophy: Stoke 45, Sheffield 48


Stoke were at full strength but Sheffield once again used Simon Lambert at number 7 in place of Lee Smethills.

This match opened with three consecutive shared heats. Ben Barker gated to win the opener from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons then Sam Martin did likewise for the visitors leading Barrie Evans and Mark Burrows home. Lee Complin took heat 3 from Andre Compton and Paul Cooper then in heat 4 Mark Burrows fell at the gate and was excluded from the rerun. Sheffield took the chance to forge ahead as Ben Wilson beat Emiliano Sanchez while Simon Lambert picked up the gift third place point for a 2-4 which took the score to 11-13.

Sheffield then struck again in heat 5 with a 1-5 from Ashworth and Parsons. Lee Complin missed the start and lost out in a tussle with Joel Parsons so the Tigers were now six points ahead. The Potters hit back with a 4-2 in heat 6. Ben Barker came from the back to take the lead down the back straight on the opening lap to head Ben Wilson home while Klaus Jacobsen opened his account by taking third. Heat 7 was a complete disaster for the Potters though as they conceded a 0-5. First of all Barrie Evans fell causing the race to be rerun without him. Then in the rerun Emiliano Sanchez fell leaving Paul Cooper and Andre Compton to complete the race unchallenged. Ben Barker was next to fall in heat 8 causing another rerun in which Mark Burrows won for the Potters to share the race and take the score to 19-28.

Ben Wilson won heat 9 from Lee Complin for another shared race but time was running out for the Potters. They could make no inroads in heat 10 either. Andre Compton gated but Ben Barker chased him down and passed him. There was no support from Jacobsen so another race was shared. Sheffield were out of sight after the Potters lost another 0-5 in heat 11. Emiliano Sanchez fell in the first running of the race and was excluded then in the rerun Barrie Evans fell too to leave Ashworth and Cooper to take another maximum. In heat 12 Ben Barker took a TS from 15 metres back but was beaten by Andre Compton. However he was followed home in third place by Mark Burrows so the Potters managed a 5-3 advantage but still they trailed by 12 points as the score stood at 30-42.

Emiliano Sanchez won heat 13 from Ashworth while Klaus Jacobsen took third for a 4-2 cutting the Tigers’ lead to ten points just right for Lee Complin to take a TR in heat 14. What a fright the visitors got when Complin and Burrows soared away for the big 8-1 setting up a last heat decider with Sheffield now only three points ahead. There was no happy ending however. Ben Barker missed the gate but made a great effort first of all passing Joel Parsons at the end of the first lap then, trying then to pass Compton, he got caught in the fence and fell causing the race to be rerun without him. Lee Complin won the rerun for shared race resulting in a three point win for Sheffield.

Scorers: For Stoke – Lee Complin 15 (5) (with 6 point TR), Ben Barker 13 (6) (with 4 point TS), Mark Burrows 7+3 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (4), Barrie Evans 2 (3), Klaus Jakobsen 2 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 1+1 (3).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 11+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 10 (4), Joel Parsons 8+4 (5), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Paul Cooper 6+2 (4), Sam Martin 3 (4), Simon Lambert 2+1 (4)..



Premier Trophy: Workington 48, Edinburgh 45


Workington were at full strength while Edinburgh , still without Thomas Jonasson, used Rider Replacement at number 3.

Daniel Nermark won the opening race by passing Derek Sneddon on the second lap while Scott Smith took third place as Ryan Fisher fell at the back giving the Comets a winning 4-2 start. Joe Haines gated to win the reserves race while Craig Branney fell at the back as the race was shared. In heat 3 Derek Sneddon (R/R) gated to beat Carl Stonehewer but William Lawson finished behind Charles Wright for another shared heat. Edinburgh looked like taking the lead in heat 4 with a 1-5 but Aaron Summers shed a chain on the second bend of the last lap so Matthew Wethers led Kauko Nieminen home for yet another 3-3 which took the score to 13-11.

Carl Stonehewer made the gate to win heat 5 but Ryan Fisher and Derek Sneddon finished in the minor places to share the race again. This was followed by a lengthy break to allow the snow, which had started falling heavily, to subside. When the action resumed Daniel Nermark beat Matthew Wethers in heat 6 while Scott Smith just held on to third on the line holding off Andrew Tully’s challenge. The 4-2 increased the Comets’ lead to four points and it stayed that way when heat 7 was also shared. Kauko Nieminen got a flyer at the gate to lead Ryan Fisher (R/R) and William Lawson home as Joe Haines fell at the back. Heat 8 produced the sixth shared heat. Derek Sneddon won the race from Scott Smith and Craig Branney taking the score to 26-22.

Workington doubled their lead in heat 9 when Charles Wright made the gate. Matthew Wethers held second place until he was passed by Carl Stonehewer on the last lap for a Comets’ 5-1 which put them eight points ahead. Heat 10 was shared. Daniel Nermark gated for the win but Matthew Wethers (R/R) and William Lawson finished behind him but the Comets stretched their lead to ten points with a 4-2 in heat 11. Kauko Nieminen made the gate from Ryan Fisher while Joe Haines took third place from Sneddon. Racing was now processional due to the amount of spray coming off the track causing the riders visibility problems. In heat 12 William Lawson took a TR and R/R for the Monarchs who struck lucky at just the right time. Carl Stonehewer suffered an engine failure at the tapes while Craig Branney’s challenge fizzled out on the third lap leaving Lawson and Tully clear to score the big 1-8 which cut the Comets’ lead to just three points with the score now standing at 39-36.

Daniel Nermark made another fast start in heat 13 to lead Ryan Fisher while Matthew Wethers saw off Kauko Nieminen behind them to share the points. Edinburgh then cut the lead to one point as William Lawson won again in heat 14 beating Charles Wright who held off Andrew Tully, replacing Aaron Summers, for second place in an exciting tussle. This gave the Monarchs a 2-4 setting up a last heat decider. In heat 15 Workington took a 4-2 as Daniel Nermark completed his maximum. Matthew Wethers finished second while Carl Stonehewer took the third place point after Ryan Fisher had suffered an engine failure while lying third to give the Comets a three point win. With the Comets best chance of qualifying from the section likely to be decided on race points this was nothing like enough given that Edinburgh had a 76 point lead on them going into this match.

Scorers: For Workington – Daniel Nermark 15 (5) (maximum), Carl Stonehewer 8+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 8 (4), Charles Wright 6+1 (4), Joe Haines 4 (4), Scott Smith 4 (4), John Branney 3+2 (4).

For Edinburgh – William Lawson 11+2 (5) (with 6 point TR), Matthew Wethers 11+1 (6), Derek Sneddon 9+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 8 (6), Andrew Tully 5+1 (5), Aaron Summers 1+1 (3).



Karl Friar Memorial Trophy at Berwick: Winner - Michal Makovsky (Berwick)

This twelve rider individual consisted of 12 qualifying heats from which the top two scorers went directly to the final while the riders finishing 3rd to 6th contested a semi-final with the top two finishers joining them.

Josef Franc and Michal Makovsky were the top two who went straight to the final while Magnus Karlsson and Ben Powell finished first and second in the semi-final to fill the two remaining final places. The final was won by Michal Makovsky from Magnus Karlsson and Ben Powell. Josef Franc who had gone through the qualifying races unbeaten finished last!

Scorers: Josef Franc 12, Michal Makovsky 11, Magnus Karlsson 10, Carl Wilkinson 8, Ben Powell 8, Henning Bager 6, Trent Leverington 5 (4), Josh Auty 4 (4), Tero Aarnio 4, Shaun Harmatiuk 2, Adam McKinna 1, Tamas Sike 1.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 6 April

Four matches were scheduled today but two inches of snow covering Ashfield resulted in the postponement of the Premier League match between Glasgow and Redcar. The match between Newcastle and Scun.thorpe was also postponed but the two remaining matches went ahead. At Newport the Wasps faced the Isle of Wight while at Mildenhall the Fen Tigers took on Birmingham . Both were Premier Trophy matches.


Premier Trophy: Newport 47, Isle of Wight 42


Newport were at full strength but the Isle of Wight were without Krzysztof Stojanowski, injured at Somerset on Friday night, so used Rider Replacement at number 3.

Newport, having lost at home to Somerset and Reading in the Premier Trophy, were anxious to record a win over the Isle of Wight, the other team in their Premier Trophy section to avoid a complete whitewash in their home fixtures. When they went nine points in arrears after the opening six heats it looked like another afternoon of misery for them particularly since they lost Tony Atkin after a heat 3 fall. However they fought back well to lead by a point going into the last race in which a home 5-1 saw them succeed for their first win of the season.

The Wasps took a 4-2 from the opening heat as Craig Watson got them off to a winning start by beating Cory Gathercole as Jason Bunyan retired at the back but they followed that with two dreadful heats. Firstly, heat 2 ended up a 1-5 to the Islanders thanks to Andrew Bargh and James Holder then, even worse, they lost a 0-5 in heat 3. Tony Atkin was taken to hospital after falling in the first running of the race then, in the rerun, Marek Mroz retired leaving the visitors to score an unchallenged five points. Nick Simmons won heat 4 for the home side but Sebastian Truminski fell so the race points were shared with the score standing at 8-15.

Marek Mroz won heat 5 from Gathercole and Bunyan and a 3-3 but Newport fell further behind when Glen Phillips beat Craig Watson in heat 6 and was supported with a third place from James Holder. The 2-4 had the Islanders nine points to the good and Truminski’s win in heat 7 was only good enough to share the points to keep it that way. Newport hit back in heat 8, though, with a 5-1 from Paul Clews and Nick Simmons to cut the visitors’ lead by four points and take the score to 21-26.

Another two points were pulled back with a rather fortunate 4-2 from Simmons and Hart, who had replaced Marek Mroz, excluded under the two minute rule, in heat 9 Glen Phillips shed a chain while leading but a 1-5 for the Islanders from Phillips and Fry in heat 10 had the home side struggling badly again facing a 7 point deficit. Truminski won again in heat 11 but Bunyan and Gathercole subdued Simmons at the back for a shared race but the Wasps rallied again scoring a 5-1 in heat 12 thanks to Nick Simmons and Marek Mroz cutting the gap to three points by taking the score to 34-37.

Another 5-1 for the home side took them into the lead for the first time since heat 1. Sebastian Truminski and Craig Watson were the heroes beating Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips for a one point lead with just two races left. There was no change from heat 14. Andrew Bargh won for the Islanders but an engine failure for Paul Fry left Jerran Hart and Nick Simmons to share the points setting up a last heat decider. Sebastian Truminski and Craig Watson made no mistake in heat 15 scoring another 5-1 from Phillips and Gathercole to send the Newport fans home happy.

Scorers: For Newport – Sebastian Truminski 12 (5), Nick Simmons 12 (7), Craig Watson 9 (5), Marek Mroz 5 (4), Paul Clews 5 (4), Jerran Hart 4 (5), Tony Atkin 0 (1).

For the Isle of Wight – Glen Phillips 9 (6), Cory Gathercole 8 (6), Andrew Bargh 7 (4), Paul Fry 7 (5), James Holder 6 (4), Jason Bunyan 5 (5).



Premier Trophy: Mildenhall 32, Birmingham 42 The meeting was abandoned after 12 heats.


Mildenhall had Barrie Evans as a guest at number 2 and again had to use Rider Replacement for the injured Robbie Kessler at number 4. Birmingham had Jack Roberts at number 2 in place of James Birkinshaw and had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 for Kyle Legault.

After their mauling at the hands of the Berwick Bandits last week Mildenhall were going to need a much improved performance to have any chance of beating Birmingham. They got off to the best possible start with a 5-1 in the opening race with Kai Laukkanen and Jack Roberts outpacing (R/R) Adam Roynon for a four point lead. Mark Baseby won a rerun reserves race from Jack Hargreaves and Lee Smart to keep it that way but the Brummies pulled two points back in heat 3. Jason Lyons won the heat while, after an exciting race, (R/R) Mark Baseby fended off Adam Roynon for second place and a 2-4. Things began to look ominous for Mildenhall when the visitors added a 1-5 in heat 4. Lee Smart won the race from the front while Phil Morris passed Casper Wortmann then James Cockle to join his partner up front. This took the score to 11-13.

Jan Graversen raised home hopes by winning heat 5 but Barrie Evans could offer no support behind Jack Roberts and Lee Smart. Kai Laukkanen then won heat 6 but Evans finished last again as Morris and Hargreaves shared the points. Another 1-5 for the Brummies in heat 7 put them six points ahead. Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon did the damage leaving Casper Wortmann and Mark Baseby to trail home behind them. Heat 8 was rerun with all four back after Barrie Evans had fallen on the first bend. In the rerun Lee Smart won the race while James Cockle and Barrie Evans took second and third ahead of jack Hargreaves. The shared race took the score to 21-27.

The Fen Tigers got two points back in heat 9 when Mark Baseby won from Phil Morris. Jan Graversen finished ahead of Lee Smart for a 4-2 cutting the gap between the sides to four points. However, Birmingham scored a killer 1-5 in heat 10 when Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon relegated Kai Laukkanen to third increasing the visitors’ lead to eight points. They followed it with a 2-4 in heat 11. Casper Wortmann led from the tapes but was passed by the field in the space of the first lap leaving Phil Morris to win the race from Mark Baseby taking the Birmingham lead to ten points. In heat 12 Jan Graversen took a TR while Mark Baseby replaced James Cockle. The race had to be rerun with all four as three riders fell leaving Graversen as the sole survivor. Jason Lyons was withdrawn from the meeting and his place in the rerun was taken by Lee Smart. Jack Hargreaves won the rerun from Graversen while Lee Smart finished third. As a result the heat was shared 4-4 and the score went to 32-42.

There was a bad crash in heat 13 too. Phil Morris seemed to come off worst and was taken to hospital while Casper Wortman had to be assessed by the paramedics. Birmingham’s injury jinx had struck again leaving them with just four riders to complete the last three heats one of whom, Jack Roberts, was ineligible for any of them. At this stage, however, the meeting was abandoned.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Mark Baseby 10 (6), Jan Graversen 8 (4) (with 4 point TR), Kai Laukkanen 7 (3), Barrie Evans 3+2 (5), James Cockle 3 (3), Casper Wortman 1 (3).

For Birmingham – Lee Smart 9+2 (6), Phil Morris 9+1 (4), Jason Lyons 9 (3), Adam Roynon 6+2 (4), Jack Hargreaves 6+1 (4), Jack Roberts 3 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 7 April



Yesterday (Sunday) was yet another appalling day for injuries.

In the match at Newport where the Wasps beat the Isle of Wight Tony Atkin was taken to hospital after a heat 3 fall where it was discovered that he has a broken ankle.

Later in the day there was carnage at Mildenhall. In a heat 12 crash Jason Lyons was withdarwn from the meeting suffering from concussion then in heat 13 there was a dreadful crash when Kai Laukkanen, Phil Morris and Casper Wortman collided after having been moved out by the rider on the inside. The three riders crashed through the fence and although Laukkanen appears to have escaped without injury neither Phil Morris nor Casper Wortman were so lucky. The report on Morris is that he has broken ribs, possibly a punctured lung and also internal bleeding. He also has a damaged wrist that maybe broken!

But Casper Wortman is even worse off and is unlikely to ride again this season, He has broken his pelvis and possibly his thigh and suffered internal injuries. He was transferred to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge during the night and is undergoing an operation this morning.

Birmingham' season is turning into another injury disaster just like last year's Already Kyle Legault looks like being out for the season with a broken femur while James Birkinshaw is still currently on the injured list after a crash last week in the match between Birmingham and Rye House. Now they have lost Phil Morris and, with the current shortage of riders, it's hard to see where they go from here.

During the last week the Isle of Wight lost Krzysztof Stojanowski to an injury and George Stancl broke his collarbone at Scunthorpe. Is there no end to it?

We can only wish all injured riders a speedy recovery. What a season so far!

[Merlin]

Monday, 7 April



Tonight’s match was at Reading where the Racers rode against Newport in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Reading 59, Newport 33 .


Reading were back at full strength again with the return to the side of Danny Warwick. Newport, however, were a rider short missing Tony Atkin who broke an ankle in the match against the Isle of Wight yesterday. They used Rider Replacement at number 4 in his absence.

Reading’s home defeat last week at the hands of Somerset all but ended their chances of heading their Premier Trophy section. Newport having lost at home to both Somerset and Reading were already out of the reckoning.

Newport got off to a decent start when Paul Clews won the opening heat from Chris Mills and Mark Lemon. With Craig Watson last, Clews’ win was only good enough to share the points. Danny Warwick celebrated his return to the side by winning the reserves race again for a shared heat then the floodgates opened! Reading hit the Wasps with four consecutive 5-1s to open a 16 points gap after 6 races. Clews was unable to repeat his heat 1 heroics in heat 3 as Ulrich Ostergaard and Tomas Suchanek scored the first of the 5-1s then Danny Warwick won again in heat 4 with Madsen behind him for the second place taking the score to 16-8. Nick Simmons fell while in third place and took no further part in the meeting.

Another Ostergaard/Suchanek 5-1 in heat 5 from Clews and Watson was followed by Mark Lemon and Chris Mills who joined in the Reading points spree with the fourth of the maximum heat wins from Truminski. Tom P Madsen kept the home race winners coming in heat 7 but Jaimie Smith ran another last place behind Jerran Hart and Marek Mroz so Newport stopped the rot with a 3-3. Reading added another 5-1 in heat 8 as Danny Warwick continued his unbeaten run in heat 8 by following Chris Mills home. It was touch and go though for Warwick as Paul Clews almost caught him on the line for second place. The score now stood at 34-14.

Newport tracked only one rider in heat 9 – Sebastian Truminski – and he finished second to Ulrich Ostergaard ending Suchanek’s unbeaten run. The 4-2 put Reading 22 points ahead and another 5-1 from Lemon and Mills took it to 26. Paul Clews rose to the occasion again in heat 11 by passing Tom P Madsen for the heat win. Jaimie Smith finished last again so Craig Watson took third for a 2-4 to the visitors. Heat 12 was shared after Danny Warwick fell and remounted. Ulrich Ostergaard completed his four ride maximum as the score went to 48-24.

Mark Lemon won heat 13 but Craig Watson, lying second at the time, suffered an engine failure on the last lap. Sebastian Truminski finished second for a home 4-2 then Newport decided to play their TR card in heat 14 although it’s not clear why they bothered so late in the match with the result already known. However Truminski took the TR and finished second to Suchanek. Jerran Hart beat Jaimie Smith so the Wasps scored a 3-5 then, in the last race, Truminski made it three races on the trot and three second places on the trot finishing behind Ostergaard. Chris Mills’ third place gave the Racers a closing 4-2 for a 26 point win.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 15 (5) (maximum), Chris Mills 10+2 (5), Mark Lemon 10+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 8+2 (4), Tom P Madsen 8+1 (4), Danny Warwick 8+1 (4), Jaimie Smith 0 (4).

For Newport – Sebastian Truminski 12 (6) (with 4 point TR), Paul Clews 9 (6), Jerran Hart 6+2 (7), Marek Mroz 4+1 (4), Nick Simmons 1+1 (2), Craig Watson 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 8 April



Tonight’s match was on the Isle of Wight where Somerset were the visitors in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Isle of Wight 58, Somerset 34 .


The Isle of Wight were missing Krzysztof Stojanowski and used Rider Replacement at number 1. Somerset were at full strength.

With away wins in their Premier Trophy section at Newport and Reading the Rebels were going for a clean sweep but they met their match tonight on the Island where the Islanders ran out comfortable winners.

Three race wins in the first five heats by Jason Bunyan helped the home side to an early ten point lead by which time Somerset had used their TR and were struggling. Bunyan (R/R) beat Jason Doyle in the opening heat while Cory Gathercole finished third for a 4-2 then a 5-1 in the reserves race from James Holder and Andrew Bargh under pressure from Jordan Frampton added four more points to the lead. Bunyan won again in heat 3 from Emil Kramer and Simon Walker for a shared heat then the Islanders scored another 5-1 in heat 4 when Glen Phillips and James Holder gated and left Brent Werner to bring up the rear. The score now stood at 17-7

Somerset immediately played their TR card but Jason Doyle finished second again to Jason Bunyan. With Paul Fry third, Doyle’s four points were only enough to share the race. Three more consecutive 5-1s in the next three heats put the Islanders in easy street. Gathercole and Fry were first up in heat 6 to win from Werner, Then Andrew Bargh gated in heat 7 to win the race from his partner, Glen Phillips while Emil Kramer pulled up with mechanical trouble on the last lap in third place. Gathercole and Holder added the third maximum in a rerun heat 8 after Henning Loof had been excluded for bringing Gathercole down on the first bend. The score now stood at 36-14.

Jason Bunyan came from the back to win heat 9 after his partner, Paul Fry, shed a chain while leading on the third lap. This resulted in a shared race but the Islanders moved a further two points ahead in heat 10 when Cory Gathercole passed Emil Kramer to win the race. Simon Walker had an engine failure so the result was a 4-2. In heat 11 Somerset managed a race advantage when Jason Doyle beat Glen Phillips with Jordan Frampton finishing third ahead of Andrew Bargh for a 2-4. However the Isle of Wight replied with a 4-2 when Jason Bunyan won for the fourth time in heat 12 beating Stephan Katt while James Holder was third. The score was now 49-25.

Glen Phillips won heat 13 but this time Brent Werner and Jason Doyle relegated Cory Gathercole to the back for a 3-3, the same result as heat 14 won by Frampton from Bargh and Holder. Finally Jason Bunyan’s maximum went down the tubes when he forgot to turn his fuel on and pulled up. Glen Phillips won the race while Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton followed him home for a shared race.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 15 (6), Glen Phillips 14+1 6), Cory Gathercole 10 (5), James Holder 9+3 (5), Andrew Bargh 7+1 (4), Paul Fry 3+1 (4).

For Somerset – Jason Doyle 12+1 (5) (with 4 point TR), Jordan Frampton 7+1 (6), Brent Werner 5+1 (4), Emil Kramer 4 (4), Stephan Katt 4 (4), Simon Walker 2+1 (4), Henning Loof 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 9 April



With King’s Lynn staging a Conference League Challenge match tonight the sole action was at Birmingham where Scun.thorpe were the visitors in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Birmingham 53, Scun.thorpe 37 .


Birmingham were forced to field a patched up team with Kyle Legault, James Birkinshaw and Phil Morris all missing through injury. Luckily Jason Lyons had recovered sufficiently from his crash at Mildenhall on Sunday so this meant that they had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 for Kyle Legault. Former Birmingham rider, Ben Powell (Newcastle), replaced James Birkinshaw as a guest at number 2 while Ben Barker (Stoke) rode as a guest at number 5 in place of Phil Morris. With Viktor Bergstrom returning to the side, Scun.thorpe were back at full strength.

It was the scoring power of Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon which was too much for the Scorpions in this match. As a pairing they rattled off two 5-1s and a 4-2 in their three rides together. Considering that Scun.thorpe had five of the heat winners at the half way stage (heat 8) they still found themselves eight points in arrears.

The visitors took 2-4s in the first two races. Magnus Karlsson won the opening race while Byron Bekker took the reserves race. Third places from Wilkinson and Compton saw the Scorpions four up before a 4-2 from Lyons and Roynon, who passed Viktor Bergstrom at the end of the first lap, pulled two points back in heat 3 with Andrew Moore splitting the pair. A heat 4 win from Richard Hall resulted in a shared race and an 11-13 lead for the visitors.

Lyons and Roynon’s 5-1 in heat 5 reversed the two point advantage as the Brummies were now in front, increased to four after Richard Hall could only split Roynon (R/R) and Powell in heat 6 for a 4-2. Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson, who came from the back, won the next two races but they received no support so both heats were shared taking the score to 26-22.

Lyons and Roynon were out for the third time together in heat 9 and scored another 5-1 doubling the Brummies lead to eight points. An unsupported win in heat 10 from Andrew Moore meant another shared heat but the Scorpions pulled four points back in heat 11 with a 1-5 from Carl Wilkinson and Magnus Karlsson as the challenging Ben Barker fell on the last bend while in third place. The home side replied with a 4-2 from the unbeaten Jason Lyons who headed home Andrew Moore with Lee Smart taking third place. This took the score to 39-33.

Ben Barker gated in heat 13 and, with Jason Lyons (R/R) coming from third to pass the leading pair, Birmingham scored a 5-1 to surge ten points ahead leaving the Scorpions with a mountain to climb in the last two races needing a 1-8 in heat 14 to have any chance of success. To maximise their chances they replaced Benji Compton by Byron Bekker and gave Andrew Moore a tactical substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing the pointless Viktor Bergstrom. It was a lot to ask, particularly on a track which was now greasy because of the rain, and it was no surprise when Lee Smart and Adam Roynon scored a 5-1 to ensure victory for the Brummies. Lyons and Roynon were out again in heat 15 but this time Andrew Moore ensured that there was no closing 5-1 for the home side by following home Jason Lyons, who completed his maximum, for a 4-2.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 18 (6) (maximum), Adam Roynon 11+3 (6), Lee Smart 11+1 (6), Ben Powell 6+1 (4), Ben Barker 4+3 (5), Jack Hargreaves 3+1 (3).

For Scun.thorpe – Andrew Moore 13 (6), Carl Wilkinson 8 (5), Richard Hall 6 (4), Magnus Karlsson 5+1 (4), Byron Bekker 4 (5), Benji Compton 1 (3), Viktor Bergstrom 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 10 April

Two matches were raced tonight and neither was for Premier Trophy points. The meeting at Redcar where the Bears raced Edinburgh was the opening Premier League match for both teams while at Sheffield the Tigers met Scun.thorpe yet again this time in the first leg of the Knock Out Cup. The Redcar match didn’t go the distance as the rain intervened once again.


Premier League: Redcar 28, Edinburgh 26 Match abandoned after heat 9 due to a waterlogged track. The result does not stand.


Redcar were minus the injured Chris Kerr and used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead. With Thomas Jonasson returning to the side after a back injury Edinburgh were at full strength.

With just two points separating the sides with 6 races to go very heavy rain arrived at the South Tees Motor Park putting an end to proceedings so the two teams will have to start all over again at a later date.

What a start for Redcar! Gary Havelock was excluded from the opening race under the two minute rule which meant that the Bears fielded their two reserves in both heats 1 and 2. In heat 1 they both made fast starts with Daniel Giffard winning the race from Arlo Bugeja while Ryan Fisher could only chase them round in third for a 5-1 opener. They couldn’t repeat it in heat 2 though as Aaron Summers won from Giffard while Bugeja had to fend off Andrew Tully for third place and a shared race. James Grieves gated in heat 3 but had to look lively for all four laps as Thomas Jonasson pressed him hard all the way. William Lawson’s third place shared the points again but the Monarchs got two points back in heat 4 with a 2-4 when Matthew Wethers passed the fast gating Ty Proctor on the last lap while Aaron Summers took third from Daniel Giffard. The score was now 13-11.

James Grieves gated to lead heat 5 but was passed down the back straight on the first lap by Ryan Fisher who held him off for the four laps to win the race for a 3-3. Heat 6 saw another exclusion for Gary Havelock. Matthew Wethers and the Redcar number 1 had a coming together and Havelock fell. He then failed to remove his bike from the track causing the race eventually to be stopped but not before the following riders just missed his bike as they came round on the second lap. An unhappy Havelock was excluded but in the rerun it was Arlo Bugeja who made the gate. Matthew Wethers passed him at the end of the first lap so the race result was still a 2-4 to the visitors which tied the match score. Ty Proctor made the gate in heat 7 but Thomas Jonasson roared past him down the back straight to win the race. Bugeja took third for the Bears for a shared race and heat 8 was shared too. Proctor out again as R/R made another fast start for a tapes-to-flag win but Summers and Sneddon finished behind him to take the score to 24-24.

An exciting heat 9 ended with a win from James Grieves from Andrew Tully while Josh Auty took third from the previously unbeaten Matthew Wethers for a 4-2 which restored the Bears’ two point lead. Then the rain arrived and, after a delay to see whether it would ease off, the inevitable ‘match abandoned’ message confirmed what the fans suspected.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 8 (3), Ty Proctor 7 (3), Arlo Bugeja 6+3 (4), Daniel Giffard 5 (4), Josh Auty 2+1 (3), Gary Havelock 0 (2).

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



Knock Out Cup (first round, first leg): Sheffield 55, Scun.thorpe 36 .


Both teams were back at full strength for this match.

The Scorpions would be disappointed at finishing 19 points in arrears after trailing by only two points through six heats. Oce Sheffield moved up a gear they increased their lead steadily to finish as strong favourites for the aggregate win. However engine failures in heats 13 and 14 for Scorpion riders turned a 1-5 into a 5-1 and a 1-5 into a 3-3. Without them the score would have been 49-42.

A win from the gate by Carl Wilkinson shared the opening race then the Tigers took a two point lead with a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Lee Smethills from former Sheffield rider, Benji Compton, for a 4-2. Scun.thorpe shocked their hosts with a 1-5 in heat 3 as Andrew Moore and Viktor Bergstrom, who passed Andre Compton on the second bend, took maximum points turning their two point deficit into a two point lead. It was all square a heat later when Ben Wilson won comfortably from Benji Compton for a 4-2 taking the score to 12-12.

Andre Compton won heat 5 under pressure from Carl Wilkinson for a shared race but the home side took the lead in heat 6 with an Ashworth/Parsons 4-2 with Hall splitting them. Another two points were added to Sheffield’s lead with another 4-2 in the next heat. Ben Wilson won the race but Andrew Moore was unlucky to suffer an engine failure on lap three while second. Viktor Bergstrom took the second place but the Tigers now led by four points. They doubled it to eight with their first 5-1 in heat 8. Parsons and Smethills did the damage while the impressive Wilkinson this time finished last. The score now stood at 28-20.

Andrew Hall won heat 9 for a shared race ahead of Paul Cooper and Andre Compton but another home 5-1 in heat 10 from Parsons and Ashworth took the lead to 12 points as the Scorpions began to struggle to remain in contention. In heat 11 Carl Wilkinson took a TR but the visitors gave the black and white helmet cover to the wrong man as it was Magnus Karlsson who won the race from Ben Wilson. Wilkinson’s third place gave the Scorpions a 2-5 to pull three points back and they now trailed by only nine points. Richard Hall went as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres replacing Byron Bekker in heat 12 but failed to score. Andre Compton won from Andrew Moore so the 4-2 took the Tigers’ lead to 11 points with the score at 42-31.

Two consecutive 5-1s in heats 13 and 14 increased the gap to 19 points but the visitors were so unlucky in both races. In heat 13 they were on a comfortable 1-5 when Magnus Karlsson suffered an engine failure on the second lap then Richard Hall suffered the same fate on the last lap leaving Ashworth and Wilson to score a Sheffield 5-1 instead. Cooper and Smethills added another 5-1 in heat 14 but again the visitors suffered mechanical gremlins. Viktor Bergstrom was leading the race when his bike packed up on the third lap. The visitors made the gate in heat 15 but Wilkinson was passed by Ashworth and Wilson before falling leaving Richard Hall to win the race for a 3-3.

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

For Scun.thorpe – Richard Hall 9 (6), Carl Wilkinson 7 (5) (with 2 point TR), Andrew Moore 6 (4), Benji Compton 6 (4), Magnus Karlsson 4+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 4+1 (4), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 11 April

There were four matches due to be raced tonight but it was doubtful how many of them would get underway with so many heavy showers around the country. The sole casualty was at Edinburgh where the Monarchs were due to face Newcastle in a Premier League match. The other three matches went ahead. At King’s Lynn the Stars took on Birmingham and at Somerset the Rebels raced against Reading both matches in the Premier Trophy. Finally at Scun.thorpe the Scorpions had Sheffield as their visitors in the second leg of their Knock Out cup tie.

Well it’s not often that three matches in one night produce three away wins. Maybe Edinburgh did well to avoid the jinx. Once again the six o’ clock shower made its appearance on cue to pose the only question – “Dale or no Dale?” It turned out to be ‘no Dale’ as a beautifully prepared track before the downpour was turned into a rain-soaked inevitable postponement.

Now who could have foreseen the result at King’s Lynn? I suppose all teams have their off nights but they were racing a side which had two guests and were using R/R for one of their top two. When was the last time, if ever, that the bottom five scorers in a Stars’ side scored just 11 points between them at home? When, too did King’s Lynn ever have to resort to a tactical ride and a tactical substitute in a home match? It will be interesting to see how they respond at Workington on Saturday night and Glasgow on Sunday afternoon.

It seems that Jason Doyle saw red three times at Somerset after his track altercation with Tom P Madsen in the crucial Premier Trophy match against Reading. Not only did he see the red stop light and the red exclusion light but also the red card as the referee threw him out of the meeting after he threw a punch at Madsen. This may well have cost the Rebels dearly since they lost the match and may well be pipped at the line for qualification from the section. True, Reading lost Madsen but they at least were able to replace him in his remaining rides, a facility the referee denied Somerset. There may also be repercussions when the matter goes to the authorities. They have been known to ban riders for a number of meetings when they have got up to mischief.

Scun.thorpe were certainly unlucky at Sheffield with engine failures in the first leg of their cup tie but it all looked a bit academic when they went down at home to the Tigers in the second leg. The Scorpions don’t have far to look to see where the problems lie. The inconsistency of their top three must be a worry. Magnus Karlsson’s one point return left them with little hope of overturning a 19 point deficit. They will surely be glad to see the back of Sheffield for a while now to ride some home matches against teams less familiar and less comfortable round their track than the Tigers.



Premier Trophy: King’s Lynn 39, Birmingham 55


King’s Lynn were at full strength but Birmingham were missing Kyle Legault (broken femur), James Birkinshaw (broken collarbone) and Phil Morris (broken ribs etc). They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Legault, Mark Burrows (Stoke) at number 2 for Birkinshaw and Ben Barker (Stoke) for Morris.

With only four of the Birmingham declared 1-7 riding in this match it looked as though King’s Lynn were in for a comfortable win but they got a real shock from the patched up Brummies who ripped into them from the start. The home fans must have been in a daze watching this match unfold. The bookies would surely have given huge odds against the Stars failing to hit 40 points in a home match against another Premier League side.

Tomas Topinka won heat 1 after passing Ben Barker but, with Shaun Tacey falling and remounting on the first bend, the race was shared. Birmingham looked to have the reserves race in the bag but, heading for a 1-5, Jack Hargreaves fell on the last bend so Lee Smart’s victory again produced a shared race. It only delayed the Brummies from taking the lead. Adam Roynon won heat 3 for them by a distance from Kevin Doolan while Jason Lyon’s third place gave the visitors a two point lead with the 2-4. They followed that with a 1-5 in heat 4. Rusty Harrison and Simon Lambert gated but Harrison fell on the second bend and remounted while Lambert was passed by both Birmingham riders at the end of the first lap. This took the score to 9-15.

In heat 5 Kozza Smith fell requiring the race to be stooped and rerun. In the rerun Kevin Doolan came from last to pass first Burrows on the second lap then Lee Smart on the third lap. It resulted in a shared race as was heat 6 won by Topinka from Hargreaves and Barker. It went from bad to worse for the Stars when Birmingham added another 1-5 in heat 7 to rocket into a ten point lead. Jason Lyons and Adam Roynon had a comfortable ride to the maximum after Rusty Harrison had fallen causing the race to be rerun without him. The Stars pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 8. Shaun Tacey finally woke up to win the race from Lee Smart while Simon Lambert scored a point after Jack Hargreaves fell while lying third. This took the score to 20-28.

In heat 9 King’s Lynn gave Tomas Topinka a tactical substitute ride from 15 metres replacing Kozza Smith and joining Kevin Doolan in an attempt to pull the deficit back. To the dismay of the Stars Lee Smart, in superb form, gated and never looked like being caught. Indeed Birmingham were heading for a 2-4 until Ben Barker, in third, suffered an engine failure which let Topinka through for third. He was too far behind Doolan to get past for second so the Stars had to settle for a 4-3 advantage. Birmingham still led by seven points and were distinctly unlucky not to be further ahead. There was an interval at this point while some work was done to the track. Topinka won heat 10 from Jason Lyons while Adam Roynon, on an ailing bike, still had enough to finish third ahead of Tacey to share the points. Roynon was out again in heat 11 as R/R and, along with Mark Burrows, the Brummies pair took full advantage of the misfiring Stars third pairing by taking another 1-5 to lead by eleven points. Kevin Doolan took a tactical ride in heat 12 and beat Jason Lyons for the full six points. However Lyons and Hargreaves finished behind him to limit the damage to a 6-3 which took the score to 34-42.

Birmingham finally sealed victory with yet another 1-5 in heat 13. Jason Lyons and the immense Lee Smart saw off Tomas Topinka to take the Brummies out of sight now twelve points ahead. A further 1-5 in heat 14 from Smart and Roynon looked inevitable against the struggling John Oliver and Kozza Smith before Jason Lyons wrapped things up by winning from Topinka and Doolan in the last heat.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Tomas Topinka 14+1 (6) (with 2 point TS), John Oliver 5 (5), Simon Lambert 3+1 (4), Shaun Tacey 3 (4), Rusty Harrison 0 (3), Kozza Smith 0 (3).

For Birmingham – Lee Smart 17+2 (7), Jason Lyons 14 (6), Adam Roynon 11+3 (6), Ben Barker 6+1 (4), Mark Burrows 4+3 (3), Jack Hargreaves 3+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: Somerset 42, Reading 47


Somerset were at full strength while Reading had Jay Herne replacing Jaimie Smith at number 6.

Reading needed to win this match to have any chance of displacing Somerset at the top of their Premier Trophy section. It turned out a stormy match as the Racers ‘did the business’ although their cause was helped by the dismissal of Jason Doyle in heat 6.

Jason Doyle won the opener from Lemon and Mills but the Racers edged a point in front in heat 2 with a 2-3. Former Rebel, Danny Warwick, celebrated his return to his old track by winning the reserves race from Jordan Frampton after Stephan Katt had been excluded for a tapes offence and Jay Herne had been excluded for delaying the start. Frampton went from 15 metres back after touching the tapes and nearly caught Warwick on the race to the line. The Rebels moved a point in front with a 4-2 in heat 3. Emil Kramer won the race while Ulrich Ostergaard had to fend off a determined challenge by Simon Walker for second place. Things started to go pear-shaped for the home side when Reading took a 1-5 in heat 4. Danny Warwick and Tom P Madsen made the gate leaving Katt and Brent Werner to bring up the rear. This took the visitors into a three point lead with the score standing at 10-13.

Simon Walker got the better of Mark Lemon and Chris Mills on the opening bend of heat 5 but the Reading pair combined to keep Emil Kramer at the back to share the heat. Then came an eventful heat 6. Jordan Frampton replaced Henning Loof. Down the back straight Madsen and Doyle fell with the Somerset number 1 anything but happy with Madsen. However it was Doyle who was excluded. Madsen needed attention from the paramedics before the race could be rerun but he came out to win it from Frampton and a 2-4 putting the Racers five points in front. It was then announced that Jason Doyle was banned from the rest of the meeting after attempting to throw a punch at Madsen while Madsen was also withdrawn from the meeting suffering from mild concussion. Since Doyle had been thrown out of the meeting Somerset were not allowed to use a replacement for him in any of his remaining rides. It got worse for the Rebels when Ostergaard and Tomas Suchanek added another 1-5 from Frampton and Werner in heat 7 to stretch their lead to nine points but, in heat 8, Stephan Katt and Jordan Frampton recovered some of the damage with a 5-1 after the race had been rerun when Danny Warwick brought down Henning Loof and was excluded. Loof hurt his hand and was withdrawn from the meeting. The score now stood at 21-26.

The Rebels then came roaring back into contention with another 5-1 in heat 9. Emil Kramer and Simon Walker finished ahead of Jay Herne, after Danny Warwick had fallen, to leave the home side trailing by just one point. Reading stretched their lead again to three points with a 2-4 in heat 10 when Ostergaard beat Katt, who replaced Loof. Since there were only three riders in the race, Tomas Suchanek picked up the gift third place. The home side got some much-needed luck in heat 11 when Chris Mills suffered an engine failure while on a 1-5 with Mark Lemon. This left Frampton and Werner to share the race. Ostergaard won heat 12 for a 3-3 taking the score to 34-37.

Somerset could only field one rider in heat 13. Mark Lemon won the race but Brent Werner passed Danny Warwick, in for Madsen, for second. However it was another two point gain for Reading who now led by five points with just two heats to go. Somerset needed a 5-1 from heat 14 to keep their hopes alive. They were comfortably on course as Walker and Frampton led Suchanek but Jordan Frampton lost a chain on the third lap so the heat was shared 3-3 sealing a Reading victory. Emil Kramer won heat 15 from Ostergaard and Lemon but it was all academic by then.

Scorers: For Somerset – Emil Kramer 12 (5), Simon Walker 10+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 9+1 (6), Stephan Katt 7+1 (5), Jason Doyle 3 (2), Brent Werner 2 (4), Henning Loof 0 (1).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 13 (5), Mark Lemon 11+1 (5), Danny Warwick 8+1 (7), Tom P Madsen 5+1 (2), Tomas Suchanek 5+1 (4), Chris Mills 4+2 (4), Jay Herne 2 (3).



Knock Out Cup (first round, second leg): Scun.thorpe 44, Sheffield 48 Sheffield won on aggregate by 103-80


Both teams were at full strength.

Engine failures cruelly hit the Scorpions late on last night in the first leg of this cup tie leaving the home side with a massive 19 point deficit to claw back instead of the 7 points it might have been. It looked like they would need a large slice of luck themselves to overturn the Tigers who started as strong favourites to qualify for the next round. In the event Sheffield ran out comfortable winners again to set up a second round tie against the Isle of Wight.

The teams traded 4-2s in heats 2 and 4 while shared races in heat 1 and 3 kept the scores tied. Joel Parsons won heat 1 for the Tigers but Ricky Ashworth’s retiral at the back led to Carl Wilkinson and Magnus Karlsson sharing the race. It turned out to be Karlsson’s only point of the match! Byron Bekker won the reserves race for a 4-2 then Andre Compton took heat 3 for another shared race. Sheffield levelled the scores with a win from Ben Wilson in heat 4 with the sides locked at 12-12.

A shared heat 5 won by Andrew Moore was followed by another Ben Wilson success in heat 6. He was supported by Sam Martin who passed Magnus Karlsson to follow Carl Wilkinson home for a 2-4 which put Sheffield two points ahead. Andre Compton then won again in heat 7 and Carl Wilkinson heat 8 with both heats shared and the score progressing to 23-25.

The home side levelled the match again with a 4-2 in heat 9. A fine sweep round the unbeaten Ben Wilson by Andrew Moore led to him winning the race while Viktor Bergstrom got the better of Sam Martin for third place. Sheffield were back in front though with another 2-4 in heat 10. It was the pointless-till-then Paul Cooper who suddenly came to life to win from Carl Wilkinson while Andre Compton’s third place gave the Tigers a two point advantage again and a lead they were not to lose. The fat lady was getting ready to sing when Ashworth and Parsons gated to take a 1-5 from Richard Hall in heat 11. Sheffield now led by six points, 25 overall, and were home and dry on aggregate. Andrew Moore won a rerun heat 12 from Andre Compton and Sam Martin after Benji Compton had fallen and been excluded. This took the score to 33-39.

Any hopes that Scun.thorpe entertained of winning on the night ended when Ashworth and Wilson scored a 1-5 from Richard Hall and Magnus Karlsson in heat 13. The Scorpions, now ten points adrift, tried a tactical substitute in heat 14 when Richard Hall, replacing Bergstrom, went from 15 metres back. He successfully passed Lee Smethills and his partner, Byron Bekker, but just couldn’t catch Paul Cooper. However the Scorpions took a 5-3 from the heat and ended the match with a consolation 5-1 from Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson to put a bit of gloss on the score.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Andrew Moore 14 (5), Carl Wilkinson 11+1 (5), Richard Hall 10 (5) (with 4 point TS), Byron Bekker 5+2 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 2+1 (3), Magnus Karlsson 1+1 (4), Benji Compton 1 (4).

For Sheffield – Ben Wilson 10+1 (5), Joel Parsons 9+1 (5), Andre Compton 9 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7+1 (4), Paul Cooper 6 (4), Sam Martin 4+1 (4), Lee Smethills 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 12 April

The Premier Trophy match at Stoke where the Potters were due to race Newcastle was an early victim to the weather but there were four Premier League matches which survived the elements. At Redcar the Bears faced Sheffield while at Workington the Comets took on King’s Lynn . The third match was at Rye House where the Rockets raced against the Isle of Wight . Finally at Berwick the Bandits had Newport as their visitors.


Premier League: Redcar 47, Sheffield 43


Redcar again had to use Rider Replacement at number 2 for Chris Kerr but Sheffield were at full strength.

This was an entertaining meeting which went to a last heat decider. Sheffield got off to a good start. After a shared opening race they scored 2-4s in heats 2 and 3 to lead 10-14 after four races.

However Redcar moved up a gear with a 4-2 in heat 5 and a 5-1, from Gary Havelock and Arlo Bugeja over Ben Wilson, in heat 6 to turn a four point deficit to a two point lead. Although Paul Cooper replied with a race win for the Tigers in heat 7, Ty Proctor and Arlo Bugeja kept Andre Compton at the back for a 3-3. The Bears extended their lead to four points with another 4-2 in heat 8 taking the score to 26-22.

Yet another home 4-2 in heat 9 put the Bears six points ahead but, after a shared heat 10, Sheffield hit back with a 1-5 from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons ahead of Proctor and Bugeja. This cut the lead to two points but a 5-1 for the Bears in heat 12 restored their six point lead. James Grieves won the heat but it was Daniel Giffard’s second place ahead of Andre Compton which turned out to be decisive in the final outcome. The score was now 39-33.

It looked all over when Havelock and Proctor took a 4-2 in heat 13 which saw the Bears soar eight points ahead with two races to go but Sheffield kept their hopes alive with a 1-5 in heat 14 when Paul Cooper and Lee Smethills headed home Bugeja and Josh Auty to leave them trailing by only four points going into the last race. Ben Wilson led from the start in heat 15 but Gary Havelock and James Grieves had no trouble keeping Andre Compton at the back to see the Bears home.

Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), James Grieves 12+1 (5), Ty Proctor 10 (5), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 4+2 (5), Josh Auty 3+1 (5).

For Sheffield – Ben Wilson 10 (5), Paul Cooper 7 (4), Andre Compton 7 (5), Lee Smethills 6+2 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 6+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (3).



Premier League: Workington 45, King’s Lynn 45


Both teams were at full strength.

Wow! Write King’s Lynn off at your peril. Straight from last night’s humiliation at home by Birmingham the Stars showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with by forcing a draw against highly-rated Workington.

On a rain-soaked track the Comets were stunned in the opening race when Shaun Tacey and Tomas Topinka stormed to a 1-5 ahead of the usually imperious Daniel Nermark but they levelled the score immediately with a 5-1 in the reserves race. Wins for Kevin Doolan and Rusty Harrison in the next two heats resulted in shared races and a score of 12-12.

Charles Wright won heat 5 from Tacey and Topinka with Carl Stonehewer, suffering from flu, stuck at the back. That race was shared but King’s Lynn went ahead again with a 2-4 in heat 6. Again the home fans were in for a shock when the Stars’ reserve, John Oliver, passed Daniel Nermark to win the race. Harrison’s third place gave the visitors a 2-4 and two point lead which they stretched to four in heat 7. Kevin Doolan beat Kauko Nieminen with Kozza Smith third scoring the 2-4 then Shaun Tacey won heat 8 from Scott Smith with Oliver third for a third consecutive Stars’ 2-4 which opened the gap to six with the score at 21-27.

Charles Wright won again in heat 9 from Rusty Harrison while Stonehewer’s third place gave the Comets a 4-2 to shave two points from the Stars’ lead. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 to share the points then Workington took another 4-2 to get within two points of the visitors in heat 11 thanks to Nieminen’s win over Topinka and Joe Haines’ third place ahead of Tacey. A shared heat 12, won by Kevin Doolan, took the score to 35-37.

It all turned round in heat 13 when Nieminen and Nermark took a 5-1 turning their two point loss to a two point lead. Kozza Smith fell in a vital heat 14 but John Oliver won the race to leave the home side leading by two points going into the last race. The Stars weren’t finished though and Kevin Doolan beat Daniel Nermark in heat 15 while Tomas Topinka took third from Nieminen for the 2-4 which earned King’s Lynn a well-deserved point.

Scorers: For Workington – Charles Wright 10 (4), Daniel Nermark 10 (5), Kauko Nieminen 9 (5), John Branney, 6 (4), Carl Stonehewer 4 (4), Joe Haines 4 (4), Scott Smith 2 (4).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Shaun Tacey 8 (4), John Oliver 8 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Tomas Topinka 6 (5), Kozza Smith 2 (4).



Premier League: Rye House 66, Isle of Wight 24


Rye House were without Stefan Ekberg and used Rider Replacement at number 5. The Isle of Wight were without Krzysztof Stojanowski and used Rider Replacement at number 1.

This turned out to be another nightmare at Hoddesdon for the Islanders who were simply blown away by the Rockets for whom Chris Neath, Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen scored paid maximums. Rye House provided fourteen of the race winners with only Glen Phillips taking the chequered flag for the Islanders.

Cory Gathercole split the Chris Neath/Luke Bowen pairing in the opening race for a 4-2 then two 5-1s saw the Rockets race quickly into a ten point lead. The Islanders sole race advantage of the match came in heat 4 won by Glen Phillips in a race awarded after Robert Mear had fallen and been excluded. The score at this stage was 16-8.

The Rockets dropped only one point from the next four races when Paul Fry followed Robert Mear home in heat 7 for a 4-2, This was a sore one for the Islanders though because Jason Bunyan was on a TR in the heat and finished last. After eight heats the score stood at 35-13.

Two more 5-1s in heats nine and ten were followed by some respite for the visitors in heat 11 when Danny Betson fell and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Chris Neath for a 3-3. Tai Woffinden won heat 12 with James Holder second. All eyes were on Robert Mear though when he passed Jason Bunyan and failed narrowly to catch Holder, having to settle for third and a 4-2 which took the score to 52-20.

The Rockets finished with two 5-1s and a 4-2. The 4-2 came in heat 14 when Paul Fry managed a second place behind Tommy Allen.

Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 15+3 (6) (paid maximum), Tai Woffinden 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tommy Allen 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Luke Bowen 11+1 (5), Robert Mear 10 (5), Danny Betson 4+1 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Cory Gathercole 7+1 (6), Glen Phillips 7 (5), Paul Fry 5 (5), James Holder 3 (5), Andrew Bargh 1 (3), Jason Bunyan 1 (5).



Premier League: Berwick 55, Newport 38


Berwick again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Guglielmo Franchetti while Newport used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Tony Atkin.

On a track made heavy by long periods of rain prior to the meeting the Bandits beat Newport with something to spare. While all of the Bandits scored well apart perhaps from Norbert Magosi, Newport were indebted to Paul Fry for a magnificent 16 points which were much needed considering the poor display by Craig Watson.

An opening 4-2 for the Bandits was followed by two shared races before the home side pulled away with a 5-1 from Michal Makovsky and Adam McKinna, the latter eventually forcing his way past Sebastian Truminski. The score was then 15-9.

Newport fought back with a 1-5 in heat 5 when Craig Watson and Paul Clews shot from the gate to lead the Bandits home and cut the gap to two points again. Berwick pulled two more points clear with a 4-2 in heat 6 with Adrian Rymel winning and Adam McKinna this time just failing to get the better of Truminski. A 5-1 in heat 7 for Makovsky and Tero Aarnio increased the home side’s lead further to eight points but the Wasps recovered two of them with a 2-4 in heat 8. Paul Clews, in excellent form, won the race after passing Norbert Magosi. This took the score to 27-21.

The Bandits then began to put some distance between themselves and the Wasps. A 4-2 in heat 9 was followed by a 5-1 from Aarnio and Rymel in the rerun of heat 10. The race had to be stopped when Nick Simmons was involved in a high speed crash into the fence. After a lengthy spell of medical attention Simmons was withdrawn from the meeting suffering from concussion. Berwick now led by 12 points and lost another 5-1 in heat 11. Craig Watson made the gate but was passed firstly by Tero Aarnio then Michal Makovsky before retiring. The Bandits’ pair made the start in heat 12 but Adam McKinna lost his primary chain and the race was shared taking the score to 44-28.

Craig Watson was brought down by Adrian Rymel and Rymel was excluded from heat 13. In the rerun Watson and Sebastian Truminski made the start but Michal Makovsky passed both to share the spoils. Once again Newport used their TR in heat 14, far too late to make any difference with the match already won. Paul Clews took the ride and made a fast start to win with ease for the full six points and a 3-6 advantage for Newport but in the last race the Bandits finished with style taking another 5-1. It wasn’t exactly straightforward though as Adrian Rymel charged through the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. However he raced past Truminski then Clews to join Makovsky up front for the maximum.

Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 12+2 (6), Adrian Rymel 11+1 (5), Henning Bager 10 (4), Adam McKinna 5+2 (6), Norbert Magosi 3+1 (4).

For Newport – Paul Clews 16 (6) (with 6 point TR), Sebastian Truminski 8+1 (5), Marek Mroz 5 (4), Nick Simmons 5 (6), Craig Watson 3+2 (4), Jerran Hart 1+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 13 April

The weather resulted in two more casualties today as the matches at Newport where Birmingham were the visitors in a Premier League match was abandoned after the opening race (which resulted in a 2-4) due to heavy rain and the meeting at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers were due to race against Rye House in a Premier Trophy match was postponed due to a waterlogged track. The two other scheduled matches were raced however. At Glasgow the Tigers faced King’s Lynn and at Newcastle the Diamonds took on Workington both in Premier League matches.


Premier League: Glasgow 46, King’s Lynn 47


Both teams were at full strength.

King’s Lynn were racing their third match in three days. Having recovered from their home defeat at the hands of Birmingham on Friday night to force a draw at Workington last night they were looking better prepared for this match than they might have been. Glasgow had not ridden for over a week after last week’s postponement against Redcar.

The Stars gated in the opening heat but Topinka went wide on the opening bends to let Ross Brady and Shane Parker through to follow Shaun Tacey home for a shared race. The Tigers went ahead in heat 2. Although John Oliver led from the gate he was passed by Lee Dicken while Josh Grajczonek finished third for a 4-2 and a two point lead. It was all change in heat 3 though when Kevin Doolan and Kozza Smith made superb starts to leave Trent Leverington to bring up the rear. The 1-5 switched the two point home lead to a two point away lead. Rusty Harrison won heat 3 from the gate followed by Lee Dicken while Simon Lambert picked up third place after Robert Ksiezak fell resulting in a 2-4 which took the score to 10-14.

Shaun Tacey won again in heat 5 while Trent Leverington did well to hold off Tomas Topinka for second. The result was another 2-4 to the visitors extending their lead to six points. In heat 6 it looked as though Glasgow would get four points back with Shane Parker and Ross Brady leading for a 5-1. However Ross Brady fell on the third bend of the last lap and the race was shared. Heat 7 had to be rerun with all four after Kozza Smith ended in the first bend fence. The rerun was won by Kevin Doolan from the gate with Ksiezak in second. Kozza Smith took third place for a 2-4 giving the Stars an eight point lead. It was increased to ten points when Shaun Tacey scored his third race win with Lee Dicken second. Ross Brady had engine trouble so the Stars added another 2-4 taking the score to 19-29.

Glasgow gave Shane Parker a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 9 from 15 metres back to partner Trent Leverington. The race was rerun with all four when Simon Lambert hit the first bend fence and fell. In the rerun Trent Leverington and Rusty Harrison contested the lead with Leverington prevailing. At the back Shane Parker got past Lambert but could not catch the front two so the heat result was a 5-2 to Glasgow cutting their deficit to seven points. Shane Parker was out again in heat 10 and won this time from Kevin Doolan. Kozza Smith took third as Ross Brady’s machine problems continued so the race was shared. King’s Lynn rocketed into an eleven point lead in heat 11. Tomas Topinka won the race while Shaun Tacey completed a four ride paid maximum by passing Robert Ksiezak on the third lap for second although he almost made a mess of it after locking up. Now struggling badly Glasgow gave Trent Leverington a TR in heat 12 but he could only finish behind Doolan. Lee Dicken’s third place gave the Tigers a 5-3 advantage from the race taking the score to 33-42.

Glasgow came roaring back into the match with a 5-1 in heat 13. Shane Parker opened a gap on the first lap to allow Robert Ksiezak through for the maximum cutting King’s Lynn’s lead to just five points. Heat 14 was stopped when Mitchell Davey and Kozza Smith collided with Smith excluded. Glasgow replaced Mitchell Davey with Lee Dicken so presumably Davey must have been unfit to take his place in the rerun since he had only taken two rides up to this heat. Incredibly King’s Lynn failed to substitute Simon Lambert, who hadn’t beaten an opponent, with John Oliver and it was no surprise when they lost the inevitable 5-1 to Grajczonek and Dicken which left them just one point ahead going into the last race. Kevin Doolan won heat 15 however to see the visitors home in what was a nail-biting finish. Shane Parker and Trent Leverington finished behind Doolan and ahead of Shaun Tacey for a shared race.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 14+1 (6) (with 2 point TS), Trent Leverington 11+1 (5) (with 4 point TR), Lee Dicken 10+2 (6), Robert Ksiezak 5+1 (4), Josh Grajczonek 4 (3), Ross Brady 2 (4), Mitchell Davey 0 (2).

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Shaun Tacey 11+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Tomas Topinka 5 (4), Kozza Smith 4+2 (4), John Oliver 4+1 (4), Simon Lambert 2 (4).



Premier League: Newcastle 42, Workington 48


Newcastle were again without George Stancl so used Rider Replacement at number 2. Workington were at full strength.

Newcastle were anxious to get a good win under their belt to maintain their home form but Workington were looking to recover from the point they dropped at home last night to King’s Lynn. In the end the Comets had too many race winners – nine in all and with sparkling performances from their two reserves who scored 15 to their opponents 10.

After Josef Franc had beaten Daniel Nermark to share the opening race, Workington drew first blood by winning the reserves race 1-5 for a four point lead. Christian Henry beat Carl Stonehewer in heat 3 with third place going to Ben Powell for a 4-2 which pulled two points back but the Comets replied with a 2-4 from Nieminen and Branney to lead by four again with the score 10-14.

The next three races, all won by the Workington big three, were shared but Newcastle shaved two points from the lead with a 4-2 in heat 8 when Josef Franc (R/R) beat John Branney with Sean Stoddart taking third. This took the score to 23-25.

Christian Henry won heat 9 for a shared race then the Diamonds levelled the scores with a 4-2 from Josef Franc and Jason King in heat 10. Daniel Nermark won heat 11 but Jaimie Robertson and Jason King kept John Branney at the back for a 3-3 to keep the scores tied. Carl Stonehewer won heat 12 from Sean Stoddart and, with Christian Henry failing to score, the Comets were back in front again with the 2-4 which took the score to 35-37.

Things began to look black for the Diamonds when they lost another 2-4 to Nieminen and Nermark. Jason King split the visiting pair while Josef Franc finished last. A third consecutive 2-4 for the Comets in heat 14 as John Branney won from Ben Powell and Joe Haines sealed victory for the visitors. Christian Henry had the consolation of beating Daniel Nermark and Kauko Nieminen in a rerun heat 15 after Josef Franc had fallen and been excluded.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Christian Henry 11 (5), Josef Franc 11 (6), Jason King 6+1 (5), Jaimie Robertson 6+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 4+1 (4), Ben Powell 4+1 (5).

For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 11+2 (5), Daniel Nermark 11 (5), Carl Stonehewer 10 (4), John Branney 9 (5), Joe Haines 6+1 (5), Scott Smith 1+1 (3), Charles Wright 0 (3).