Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Monday, 14 April



Tonight’s match was at Reading where the Racers raced the Isle of Wight in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier Trophy: Reading 52, Isle of Wight 40 .


Reading had Jay Herne as a guest reserve at number 6 while the Isle of Wight had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 in place of the injured Krzysztof Stojanowski. They nominated Kyle Newman as their number 8.

After Reading’s win at Somerset last Friday neutralising the Rebels win at Reading in this Premier Trophy Section, the Racers were out for back to back wins tonight and tomorrow night to qualify from the group as section winners. The Isle of Wight were looking for a better performance that the one they turned in at Hoddesdon against Rye House on Saturday where they lost by 42 points. They both succeeded.

A shared, rerun, opening race was won by Jason Bunyan (R/R) but the Racers scored a 5-1 in the reserves race won by Danny Warwick to move four points ahead. Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 3 but Jason Bunyan passed Tomas Suchanek to rescue two points for the Islanders as Reading scored a 4-2 to lead by six. The Islanders hit back in heat 4 with a win from Glen Phillips who beat Tom P Madsen while James Holder kept heat 2 race winner, Danny Warwick, at the back. The 2-4 took the score to 14-10.

Heats 5, 6 and 7 were all shared. Ulrich Ostergaard produced his second race win in heat 5 while Glen Phillips did likewise in heat 6. Jason Bunyan then won heat 7 after Paul Fry had been excluded under the two minute time allowance and his replacement, James Holder, had fallen and been excluded. However in heat 8 the Racers doubled their lead with a 5-1 from Chris Mills and Daniel Warwick to take the score to 28-20.

The two unbeaten riders met in heat 9 and it was Ulrich Ostergaard who came out on top beating Glen Phillips. Tomas Suchanek’s third place gave the home side a 4-2 putting them ten points ahead at just the right time for Jason Bunyan to take a TR. He won it too beating Mark Lemon in the process while Paul Fry’s third place gave the Islanders a 2-7 heat advantage cutting the gap to just five points. They came roaring back into the match by following up that success with a 1-5 in heat 11 cutting the gap further to just one point. Tom P Madsen was the early race leader but slipped back to third as he was passed by Glenn Phillips (R/R) and Cory Gathercole. Reading hit back though with a 5-1 from Ulrich Ostergaard who team rode Danny Warwick home ahead of Jason Bunyan taking the score to 40-35.

Things looked bright for the visitors in heat 13 as Glenn Phillips and Cory Gathercole (R/R) made the start to take a 1-5 position. However Mark Lemon passed them both while Tom P Madsen passed Gathercole for third turning the heat round to a 4-2 to the home side taking them to a seven point lead with just two races left. It was all over after heat 14. James Holder and Danny Warwick fell while contesting the lead and both were excluded. This resulted in a two man race in which Tomas Suchanek beat Paul Fry though neither rider looked comfortable. The 3-2 put Reading eight points up and they finished with a 5-1 from Ostergaard and Lemon to make the win look more comfortable than it had been at one point.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 15 (5) (maximum), Mark Lemon 10+1 (5), Danny Warwick 7+2 (5), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 6 (4), Tomas Suchanek 5 (4), Jay Herne 3+2 (3).

For the Isle of Wight – John Bunyan 16 (6) (with 6 point TR), Glen Phillips 13 (6), Paul Fry 5 (5), Cory Gathercole 3+2 (5), James Holder 3 (6), Andrew Bargh 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 15 April



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


Premier Trophy: Isle of Wight 50, Reading 42 .


With the return of Krzysztof Stojanowski to the side, the Isle of Wight were back at full strength as were Reading who had Jaimie Smith back at reserve.

Reading needed to avoid a defeat by 22 points or more to clinch their place at the top of their Premier Trophy section. Having lost by just one point on the Island in an early season challenge match their confidence was high.

The opening three races were shared but were not without incident. Mark Lemon and Chris Mills made fast starts in the opening heat but Mills’ bike seemed to be at less than 100% efficiency as Cory Gathercole and Krzysztof Stojanowski passed him to share the points. Then in heat 2 the reverse happened. This time James Holder and Andrew Bargh looked set for a 5-1 from the gate but Jaimie Smith and Danny Warwick passed Bargh again for a shared heat. Heat 3 produced a new track record (66.3) for race winner Jason Bunyan. Paul Fry was in second place when he suffered an engine failure on the third lap then Ulrich Ostergaard packed up on the second last bend but had enough in the tank to cruise over the line for third place and the third consecutive 3-3. The Islanders broke the stalemate in heat 4 as Glen Phillips won from Tom P Madsen. James Holder’s third place gave the home side a 4-2 taking the score to 13-11.

The Islanders stepped up a gear with consecutive 5-1s in heats 5 and 6. Jason Bunyan and Paul Fry got the better of Mark Lemon on the opening bends for the first then Cory Gathercole and Krzysztof Stojanowski had an easy time of it for the second propelling the home side to a ten point lead. This gave Ulrich Ostergaard the chance to take a TR in heat 7 for another eventful race. Andrew Bargh had an engine failure at the tapes as Ostergaard led the race until the back straight of the last lap when his bike slowed dramatically. Glen Phillips raced past to win the race but, as Ostergaard crawled slowly over the line, there was a real pantomime behind him as Tomas Suchanek, aware of the need to let Ostergaard finish second for four points, almost came to a full stop to let his partner home in front of him. The referee considered this as ‘racing’ so Suchanek’s third place was allowed to stand. Reading scored a 3-5 from the heat shaving two points from the lead and a win from Chris Mills kept it that way in a shared heat 8 which took the score to 29-21.

The home side were ten up again after scoring a 4-2 in heat 9. James Bunyan had another comfortable win from the tapes while Paul Fry finished third behind Tom P Madsen. An Ulrich Ostergaard win in heat 10 produced another shared race as did a Glen Phillips win in heat 11 from Lemon and Mills. There were more strange goings-on in heat 12. Andrew Bargh, replacing James Holder, touched the tapes so the referee put on the blue exclusion light while releasing the tapes. Jason Bunyan and Ulrich Ostergaard raced off while Bargh and Jaimie Smith turned back to the pits. When the big two had reached the fourth corner the referee decided to stop the race by putting the red lights on and call for a rerun in which Ostergaard this time got the better of Bunyan. Smith’s third place gave the Racers a 2-4 taking the score to 41-33 and all but booking Reading’s passage through to the semi finals of the competition.

Heat 13 was won by Mark Lemon but not until he’d been involved in a thrilling race with Glen Phillips for all four laps in which he just held on for the three points. Stojanowski was third so the heat was shared. Paul Fry sealed victory on the night for the Islanders by winning heat 14 from Jaimie Smith while Andrew Bargh beat Tomas Suchanek for a 4-2 and ten point lead. In the last race Mark Lemon touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Then Jason Bunyan had an engine failure while lying second and Ulrich Ostergaard came through the field to win the race from Glen Phillips and a 2-4 to the visitors cutting the winning margin to eight points.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Glen Phillips 13 (5), Jason Bunyan 11 (5), Cory Gathercole 8+1 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 6+3 (4), Paul Fry 6+1 (4), James Holder 5+1 (4), Andrew Bargh 1 (4).

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 14+1 (5) (with 4 point TR), Mark Lemon 9 (5), Jaimie Smith 6 (5), Chris Mills 5+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 4 (4), Tomas Suchanek 3+1 (4), Danny Warwick 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 16 April



With the match at Birmingham where Somerset were the visitors being postponed in controversial circumstances apparently due to an overwatered and badly prepared track tonight’s only match was at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced against Edinburgh in a Premier League match.


Premier League: King’s Lynn 45, Edinburgh 45 .


Both teams were at full strength.

This was King’s Lynn’s fourth match in six days and they were hoping to restore their home dominance after last week’s home defeat and subsequent draw and win on the road. They didn’t manage it as it took a last heat 5-1 for the Stars to rescue a point against a resilient Edinburgh side who pulled back from an eight point deficit to lead by four points after heat 14.

Tomas Topinka won the first heat but Ryan Fisher fell while third behind his partner, Derek Sneddon, so King’s Lynn started with a 4-2. Aaron Summers was leading heat 2 for the Monarchs when he blew a hole in his engine on the third lap turning a 3-3 into a 5-1 for the home side and six point lead. Kevin Doolan came through the field in heat 3 to lead while Kozza Smith passed William Lawson for third then fell off on lap three. This led to a shared race but Edinburgh pulled two points back in heat 4. Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers led from the gate for the Monarchs but Rusty Harrison passed Wethers on the second lap to limit the damage to a 2-4 taking the score to 14-10.

Kevin Doolan had another comfortable win in heat 5 but an unsteady Kozza Smith retired from the race as Sneddon and Fisher shared the points. King’s Lynn doubled their lead in heat 6 when Tomas Topinka and Shaun Tacey took a 5-1 although Tacey had to look lively to keep ahead of a determined Matthew Wethers who fell on the last bend in his efforts to get by. The Monarchs roared back in heat 7 though when Thomas Jonasson won the race while William Lawson passed John Oliver for a 1-5 cutting the gap to four points again. King’s Lynn added two more points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 8 won by Shaun Tacey from Andrew Tully. Derek Sneddon fell on the last lap while lying second and under no pressure so the score went to 27-21.

Kevin Doolan won heat 9 by a distance but Kozza Smith fell while lying third so the race was shared as was heat 10 won by Tomas Topinka with William Lawson and Thomas Jonasson passing Shaun Tacey. Edinburgh cut the lead again this time to only two points with a 1-5 from Ryan Fisher and Derek Sneddon in heat 11 after Sneddon and Harrison had passed and repassed each other. It was all square when the Monarchs took a 2-4 from heat 12. Thomas Jonasson made the gate and left Kevin Doolan in his wake fending off a strong challenge from Andrew Tully for a 2-4 which took the score to 36-36.

Tomas Topinka continued his winning streak by taking heat 13 but Ryan Fisher finished behind him while Matthew Wethers got up on the line to beat Rusty Harrison for third for a shared heat but the Monarchs then hit the Stars with a 1-5 in heat 14. William Lawson won the race while Andrew Tully won the duel with John Oliver for second. This put Edinburgh four points ahead with one race to go. They lost the toss for gate positions and Topinka and Doolan gated from 1 and 3 to take the 5-1 they needed for a draw. However Doolan didn’t have it all his own way as William Lawson challenged him in vain for the vital second place the visitors needed for the three league points.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 15 (5) (full maximum), Kevin Doolan 13+1 (5), Shaun Tacey 6+1 (4), John Oliver 5 (4), Simon Lambert 3+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 3 (4), Kozza Smith 0 (4).

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

[Merlin]

Thursday, 17 April



The weather claimed another casualty tonight. The match at Redcar , who are no strangers to rain this season, was called off during the afternoon as the wet stuff arrived again. They were due to race Scun.thorpe and the call off left the match at Sheffield where the Tigers raced against King’s Lynn in a Premier League match as the sole survivor.


Premier League: Sheffield 48, King’s Lynn 40 .

Both teams were at full strength.

King’s Lynn stepped in at short notice to fill the blank in Sheffield’s fixture list caused by Berwick being unable to fulfil their scheduled fixture there. This meant that the Stars were racing their fifth match in seven days and it gave them the opportunity to repair the damage from the home draw with Edinburgh in last night’s match.

The match started with a clutch of five shared heats. Joel Parsons won the opening race for the Tigers but Ricky Ashworth finished at the back behind Shaun Tacey and Tomas Topinka. John Oliver then won the reserves race for the Stars but Simon Lambert suffered an engine failure for 3-3 number 2. The third in heat 3 was won by Kevin Doolan from Andre Compton and Paul Cooper then Lee Smethills passed Simon Lambert to win heat 4 while the two heatleaders, Rusty Harrison and Ben Wilson, had their own battle behind them. Rusty Harrison passed Ben Wilson for third place taking the score to 12-12.

King’s Lynn were on a 1-5 from the gate in heat 5 but Andre Compton passed Shaun Tacey off the second bend and Tomas Topinka off the third to win the race, In heat 6 the deadlock was broken but only by one point. In the first running of the race John Oliver fell as Joel Parsons dived under him with Oliver excluded. Then, in the rerun, it looked as though the Tigers were off to a 5-1 until Ricky Ashworth fell on the last bend of lap 2 causing the race to be stopped and rerun again with just two riders. This time there was a close and exciting race between Joel Parsons and Rusty Harrison which ended with Parsons pipping Harrison on the line for a 3-2. Back came King’s Lynn with a 2-4 in heat 7 which reversed the one point lead in their favour. Kevin Doolan won from Ben Wilson while Kozza Smith took third place from Sam Martin after chasing Ben Wilson in vain for second. Lambert and Tacey made the gate in heat 8 but both were passed by Joel Parsons on the third bend resulting in another shared race with the score moving to 23-24.

Heat 9 produced a classic race with Paul Cooper passing race leader, Rusty Harrison, then Andre Compton also hunting down the King’s Lynn man. However Harrison fought his way back to the front to win the race for a 3-3, the same result as heat 10 when Kevin Doolan and Joel Parsons passed and repassed each other. Parsons lost out by drifting too wide on the last lap to let Doolan through for shared race number eight! The sequence was broken in heat 11 when Sheffield turned the one point lead around with a 4-2 with Ben Wilson winning from Tomas Topinka with Lee Smethills in third. Back came King’s Lynn to turn the lead round once again with a 2-4 from Doolan and Lambert split by Compton taking the score after 12 heats to 35-36.

The see-saw continued in heat 13 with Sheffield scoring a 4-2. Ben Wilson got the better of Topinka off the second bend and although Ashworth also passed the Stars’ number 1 he repassed for second place. The Tigers were now a point in front again but heat 14 saw the end of the visitors’ challenge. John Oliver was deemed to be at fault when his bike lifted causing Paul Cooper to run into him and then hit the fence. Oliver was excluded then in the rerun Simon Lambert fell on the third lap challenging Cooper and Smethills. This resulted in an awarded race with the 5-0 to the home side putting them out of reach of the Stars. In the last race Kevin Doolan was excluded for tape touching and had to go from 15 metres back. In the rerun he hit the fence and was thrown down the back straight. He recovered and the race was awarded as a 4-2 with Andre Compton as first and Tomas Topinka second. The 4-2 gave the Tigers an eight point win on the night.

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

For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 12 (5), Tomas Topinka 9+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 6+1 (4), Simon Lambert 5 (5), Shaun Tacey 4+2 (4), John Oliver 3 (4), Kozza Smith 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Friday, 18 April

Tonight’s matches were at Somerset where the Rebels raced Birmingham in a Premier League match and at Scun.thorpe where the Scorpions took on Stoke in a Premier Trophy match.


Premier League: Somerset 48, Birmingham 45


Somerset were at full strength but Birmingham used Rider Replacement for Kyle Legault at number 1, had James Holder at number 4 in place of Phil Morris and Jack Roberts at reserve in place of James Birkinshaw.

After a whirlwind start by the Rebels which saw them score 5-1s in the opening three heats, they looked to be coasting to victory when they led by 18 points with just five heats to go. However they got the shock of their lives when they lost 13 points of that lead in the next three races against another patched up Birmingham side which continues to battle well in the face of adversity.

It was a perfect start for Somerset. An easy 5-1 in the opening heat and in the reserves’ race was followed by a third after Jason Lyons had touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Adam Roynon stopped the rot by winning heat 4 and was supported by Jack Roberts who passed Brent Werner for third and a 2-4 which took the score to 17-7.

Another 5-1 in heat 5 from Kramer and Katt resulted in the Rebels rocketing to a 14 points lead and the Brummies looking down the barrel of a thrashing. The next two heats were shared with wins from the two Jasons - Jason Doyle and Jason Lyons, the latter having to hold off a strong challenge from Jordan Frampton then Somerset stretched their lead further to 16 points with a win from Henning Loof and a third place from Stephan Katt behind Roynon for the 4-2 which took the score to 32-16.

Kramer and Katt added a 4-2 in heat 9 with Adam Roynon splitting the home pair and this was followed by a Jason Doyle win for a shared heat in heat 10 to keep the Rebels 18 points in front. Then came the fight back! In heat 11 Adam Roynon took an R/R ride and a Tactical Ride. When Jordan Frampton, in second place fell, on the last lap, the Brummies cashed in with the big 1-8 as Lee Smart followed Roynon home ahead of Simon Walker. This cut the lead to 11 points and another two points were knocked off it when Jason Lyons just held on in heat 12 to beat Emil Kramer. Jack Hargreaves took the third place point from Brent Werner for the 2-4 which took the score to 42-33.

The alarm bells were starting to sound in heat 13 as Birmingham made further inroads to the home side’s lead by taking a 1-5 in heat 13 as Roynon and Lyons team rode to keep Jason Doyle in third place. The lead was now down to just five points but Somerset scrambled over the winning line in heat 14. Simon Walker and Stephan Katt were leading 5-1 until Katt developed machine problems which saw him slip to the back. The 3-3 was enough to secure the Rebels’ win but Birmingham finished with a 2-4 in heat 15 with Lyons winning another exciting race with Kramer and Roynon finishing third ahead of Doyle. It was a great effort from Birmingham who won over the last five heats by 9–24.

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

For Birmingham – Adam Roynon 17 (6) (with 6 point TR), Jason Lyons 14+1 (6), Jack Roberts 6+3 (6), Jack Hargreaves 5 (5), Lee Smart 2+1 (4), James Holder 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: Scun.thorpe 47, Stoke 43 .


Both teams were at full strength.

It was another closely fought match at Scun.thorpe with this time the Scorpions running out winners by four points in a last heat decider.

The home side went ahead in heat 1 with Andrew Moore winning from Barker and Wilkinson for a 4-2 but the two point lead changed hands in the reserves race won by Mark Burrows in which Stoke scored a 1-5 after the early race leader, Benji Compton, retired. Magnus Karlsson had an engine failure at the gate in heat 3 but Viktor Bergstrom won the race for the Scorpions for a 3-3. The Potters pulled further ahead in heat 4. With the visitors sitting on a 1-5, Benji Compton fell at the end of lap 1 and was excluded as the race had to be rerun. In the second running Emiliano Sanchez led from the gate to win the race while Richard Hall, on a borrowed bike, got up to pass Buzz Burrows on the line to salvage two points for the home side taking the score to 10-14.

Scun.thorpe were back on level terms again with a 5-1 in heat 5. Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom team rode to keep Ben Barker in third place for the maximum. Emiliano Sanchez then won heat 6 for a shared heat but the visitors were back in front after heat 7 as both home riders fell. Byron Bekker was first to hit the deck on the opening lap but he remounted to complete the race. Richard Hall then fell on the third lap leaving Kristiansen and Complin to score a 1-5 putting the visitors four ahead again. Carl Wilkinson won heat 8 from Burrows and Compton for a 4-2 which pulled two points back and took the score to 23-25.

It was all square again after heat 9. Magnus Karlsson roared round Emiliano Sanchez for the race win while Viktor Bergstrom’s third place gave the Scorpions a 4-2 and equality. In heat 10 Carl Wilkinson led from the start while Lee Complin took Andrew Moore wide leaving him out of contention. Complin passed Wilkinson on the last bend but the home man repassed him on the line for a shared race. Richard Hall’s win in heat 11 produced another 3-3 but the Scorpions were back in front with a 4-2 in heat 12. Richard Hall won from Mark Burrows as Benji Compton finished third. This took the score to 37-35.

The home side struck a massive blow by scoring a 5-1 in heat 13 to go six ahead. Richard Hall and Andrew Moore did the damage after a passing and repassing bout between Hall and Emiliano Sanchez but Stoke pegged two points back in heat 14 as Burrows beat Bergstrom and Complin for a 2-4 which set up a last heat decider. Magnus Karlsson then scored his fourth consecutive race win from Burrows and Sanchez to see the Scorpions home.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 12 (5), Carl Wilkinson 9 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 8+1 (4), Richard Hall 8 (5), Andrew Moore 6+2 (4), Byron Bekker 2 (4), Benji Compton 2 (4).

For Stoke – Mark Burrows 15 (7), Emiliano Sanchez 10+1 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 6+1 (4), Lee Complin 6+1 (4), Ben Barker 4+1 (4), Barrie Evans 2+1 (3), Klaus Jacobsen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 19 April



There was a full scheduled programme of four matches raced tonight. At Berwick the Bandits faced Sheffield in a Premier League match. The other three matches were Premier Trophy matches. At Workington the Comets took on Glasgow , at Rye House the Rockets raced against King’s Lynn , and at Stoke the Potters had Scun.thorpe as their visitors.



Premier League: Berwick 52, Sheffield 41


Berwick could no longer use Rider Replacement for Guglielmo Franchetti since the 28 day facility had expired. Instead they had Scott James (Redcar Cubs) at number 4 as a guest. Sheffield were at full strength.

Berwick shrugged off the loss of the R/R facility and built up a healthy lead until the use of the TR got Sheffield back into the match big style. However, with Rymel and Makovsky in unbeatable form there was never much prospect of an away win.

Berwick got off to a 5-1 after a rerun heat one caused by Joel Parsons falling on the second lap when he hit the back straight fence. In the rerun Adrian Rymel and Norbert Magosi had no problem heading home Ricky Ashworth. Both home riders made the gate in the reserves race but Adam McKinna suffered an engine failure so the race was shared. Sheffield hit back in heat 3 when Andre Compton and Paul Cooper left Henning Bager in their wake but Bager passed Cooper on the last lap limiting the damage to a 2-4. Berwick replied in kind with a 4-2 from Makovsky and Tero Aarnio, who replaced Adam McKinna, taking the score to 14-10.

Henning Bager won heat 5 for a shared race but the Bandits pulled further ahead in heat 6 when Magosi and Rymel both made fast starts to score a comfortable 5-1 increasing the home side’s lead to eight points. It stayed that way when heat 7, won by Makovsky, was shared with Compton and Cooper content to keep Aarnio at the back. Heat 8 resulted in another shared race when Norbert Magosi passed Lee Smethills off the second bend to win it and take the score to 28-20.

Sheffield shaved two points from the lead with a 2-4 in heat 9 as Ben Wilson made the gate to win the race. Bager finished second but Sam Martin passed Scott James for third cutting the gap to six points. It was back to eight though when the Bandits took a 4-2 from heat 10 when Andre Compton could only split Rymel and Magosi. Michal Makovsky passed Ricky Ashworth to win heat 11 while Tero Aarnio won the battle for third with Joel Parsons for the 4-2 which put Berwick ten points ahead just in time for Andre Compton to take a TR. Lee Smethills replaced Sam Martin and both Tigers led from the start. Henning Bager brought down Smethills on the last lap so the race was awarded with Sheffield scoring the big 1-8 which cut the gap to three points with the score at 39-36.

Rymel and Makovsky continued their unbeaten run by taking a 5-1 from Ricky Ashworth in heat 13 increasing the bandits’ lead to seven points and it was all over when Tero Aarnio won heat 14 from Cooper and Smethills for the shared heat which sealed a Berwick win. Rymel and Makovsky completed their paid maximums in heat 15 with Andre Compton relegated to third place.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Michal Makovsky 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Norbert Magosi 9+1 (4), Tero Aarnio 8 (5), Henning Bager 7 (4), Adam McKinna 1 (4), Scott James 0 (4).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Lee Smethills 8+3 (6), Ricky Ashworth 6 (4), Paul Cooper 5 (4), Sam Martin 4 (4), Ben Wilson 3 (4), Joel Parsons 2+2 (4).



Premier Trophy: Workington 60, Glasgow 32


Both teams were at full strength.

Workington needed a massive win and Glasgow any kind of win from this match to realistically stay in contention in their Premier Trophy section. Neither were successful although Workington with 13 of the 15 race winners came closer to their goal than Glasgow.

Daniel Nermark passed the fast gating Ross Brady to win the opening heat while Scott Smith finished third with Shane Parker bringing up the rear. This gave the Comets a 4-2 but Glasgow replied in kind as Josh Grajczonek won heat 2. It looked as though the fast-gating Tigers might score a 1-5 but Joe Haines passed Lee Dicken off the second bend for second place. The 2-4 levelled the scores but the Comets then scored two easy 5-1s in heats 3 and 4 to lead 16-8. Nieminen and Wright scored the first at the expense of Leverington, then Stonehewer and Branney did likewise with Lee Dicken in third.

Kauko Nieminen beat Shane Parker in heat 5 but Ross Brady finished third so the race was shared as was heat 6 won by Nermark. With Scott Smith retiring before the first bend the Tigers shared the heat points behind Nieminen. Carl Stonehewer won heat 7 from Leverington and Haines for another 4-2 which put the Comets ten points ahead so Ross Brady took a TR in heat 8. Brady made the gate again but was passed by Smith off the second bend. Smith won the race while Craig Branney relegated Grajczonek to the back. This meant that the race was shared 4-4 with the score moving to 30-20.

Robert Ksiezak gated in heat 9 but was soon passed by Kauko Nieminen down the back straight. With Charles Wright beating Lee Dicken the Comets added a 4-2 to lead by twelve points then they added a 5-1 in heat 10 when Daniel Nermark and Scott Smith scored a 5-1 ahead of Trent Leverington. Another 5-1 went to the home side in heat 11 as Carl Stonehewer won from the gate Joe Haines passed Shane Parker and Ross Brady to follow his partner home stretching the home side’s lead to 20 points. Kauko Nieminen gated to lead Trent Leverington and Josh Grajczonek in heat 12 but John Branney passed Grajczonek to give the home side a 4-2 taking the score to 48-26.

Shane Parker provided Glasgow’s second race winner of the night by winning heat 13 from Nermark and Ksiezak for a Tigers’ 2-4 before the home side finished with two 5-1s. Joe Haines and James Wright took the first from Mitchell Davey after Lee Dicken had fallen then Kauko Nieminen, completing his maximum, and Daniel Nermark, who rounded Shane Parker on the third bend, scored the second for a 28 point win.

Scorers: For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 15 (5) (maximum), Daniel Nermark 13+1 (5), Carl Stonehewer 9 (4), Joe Haines 8+1 (4), Scott Smith 6+1 (4), Charles Wright 5+2 (4), John Branney 4+1 (4).

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



Premier Trophy: Rye House 55, King’s Lynn 35


Both teams were at full strength.

With drizzle continuing to fall throughout the match and during the day the Rye House track got steadily more slippery and there were a number of falls which resulted in the withdrawal from the meeting of Luke Bowen and Kevin Doolan.

There were two fallers in the opening race. Tomas Topinka came off on the first bend causing an all-four-back rerun but Luke Bowen’s crash in the rerun when miles in the lead resulted in an ambulance ride back to the pits and subsequent withdrawal from the meeting with shoulder and arm injuries. Shaun Tacey won the second rerun from Chris Neath so the visitors got off to a winning start with the 2-4. They didn’t have long to enjoy their lead since the Rye House reserves gated to win heat 2 putting the Rockets two points ahead. Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen threatened a 5-1 in heat 3 but Kevin Doolan, who missed the gate, passed Tommy Allen before the end of the first lap to limit the Rockets’ advantage to a 4-2. In heat 4 a superb ride by Robert Mear saw him chase down and pass Rusty Harrison who rocketed from the gate. Stefan Ekberg’s third place gave the Rockets another 4-2 and the score went to 15-9.

Tai Woffinden won heat 5 but, with Tommy Allen falling, Topinka and Tacey shared the points as did Harrison and Oliver in heat 6 for the Stars. They were fortunate though since Robert Mear and Chris Neath were sitting on a 5-1 until Neath developed engine trouble which saw him slip to the back. Any hopes that the visitors still had all but disappeared when Kevin Doolan fell in heat 7 while lying second because he withdrew from the meeting thereafter. In the rerun Kozza Smith in second place fell bringing down Danny Betson. Smith was excluded too and the race was awarded as a 5-0 to the Rockets. This put them 11 points ahead but the Stars rallied with a 1-5 in heat 8. Shaun Tacey and Simon Lambert made excellent gates and the Rye House reserves could not catch them. Hindsight is a great thing and King’s Lynn must have been ruefully reflecting that they could have given Tacey a TR which would have cut their deficit to four points. As it was the score moved to 27-20.

Tai Woffinden roared round the field on the opening bends in heat 9 for another race win while Tommy Allen joined him up front on the third bend of the last lap to provide the home side with another 5-1 which restored their 11 point lead. Another 5-1 went the Rockets’ way in heat 10 as Chris Neath and Robert Mear saw off Simon Lambert, replacing Doolan, and Kozza Smith who fell increasing the gap to 15 points. Tomas Topinka took a TR in heat 11 but he was beaten by Stefan Ekberg. Simon Lambert took third though after Danny Betson had fallen on the second bend so the Stars gained a 3-5 advantage from the race to trail by 13. Then, with the track getting greasier, King’s Lynn had a 0-5 of their own in heat 12. Firstly Tai Woffinden fell while well in front causing a rerun then Robert Mear fell in the rerun resulting in a second rerun with only the two Stars’ riders. The uncontested maximum took the score to 40-32.

The last three heats all finished as home 5-1s. Neath and Ekberg scored the first in heat 13 as Tacey fell then Betson and Allen the second despite a good challenge from Lambert. Woffinden and Ekberg finished off with the third from Topinka and Tacey providing a 20 point win for the Rockets.

Scorers: For Rye House – Stefan Ekberg 12+1 (5), Tai Woffinden 12 (5), Robert Mear 10+2 (6), Danny Betson 9+1 (5), Chris Neath 7 (4), Tommy Allen 5+1 (4), Luke Bowen 0 (1).

For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 9 (5) (with 4 point TR), Shaun Tacey 8+1 (5), Simon Lambert 7+2 (6), John Oliver 6 (4), Rusty Harrison 3+1 (4), Kevin Doolan 2 (2), Kozza Smith 0 (4).



Premier League: Stoke 51, Scun.thorpe 39


Both teams were at full strength.

With only five shared heats the score swung one way then the other throughout this match but the Potters finished with two 5-1s to perhaps make it look more one-side than it was.

In the first race Andrew Moore came from the back to lose out on the line to race winner, Ben Barker. With Carl Wilkinson in third the race was shared but a 5-1 from Barrie Evans and Mark Burrows had the Potters in front after the reserves race. The Scorpions hit back with a 2-4 in heat 3 when Magnus Karlsson passed Lee Complin for a comfortable win while Viktor Bergstrom kept Complin lively for his second place. The visitors then stormed into a two point lead with a 1-5 in heat 4. Richard Hall won the race while a determined Benji Compton kept both Potters behind him with Emiliano Sanchez eventually falling on the last lap. This took the score to 11-13.

The Potters replied in kind with a 5-1 in heat 5. Lee Complin won the race while behind him Carl Wilkinson passed Jesper Kristensen into second place. He fell however and Andrew Moore was left to take up the chase. He didn’t make it so the home side were now two points in front. They doubled that lead in heat 6 with a 4-2 when Ben Barker passed Richard Hall with Klaus Jakobsen third. Another win from Magnus Karlsson ahead of Emiliano Sanchez and a third place for Viktor Bergstrom who passed Barrie Evans pulled two points back for the Scorpions with the 2-4 then Ben Barker won heat 8 after passing Benji Compton. Mark Burrows passed Carl Wilkinson for third then undid the good work by falling allowing Wilkinson to finish third for a shared race which took the score to 25-23.

A 5-1 for the Potters in heat 9 from Complin and Kristensen stretched the home side’s lead to six points and the Scorpions never recovered from the blow. Another Barker win in heat 10, lowering Karlsson’s colours for the first time, shared the heat while heat 11 was shared too after Andrew Moore had taken the chequered flag for the visitors. Scun.thorpe pulled two points back in heat 12 when another fine win for Magnus Karlsson ahead of Kristensen and third place for Compton resulted in a 2-4 and a score of 38-34.

Andrew Moore won heat 13 after passing Jakobsen for a 3-3 but the Potters stormed home with two 5-1s in the last two races. Barrie Evans and Lee Complin sealed victory for them with the first in a thrilling race which saw Complin pip Bergstrom on the line then Complin and Barker added the second as the latter passed Magnus Karlsson at the end of the first lap.

Scorers: For Stoke – Ben Barker 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Lee Complin 13+1 (5), Barrie Evans 8 (4), Jesper Kristensen 6+2 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 4+2 (4), Mark Burrows 3+1 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 3 (4),

For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 12 (5), Andrew Moore 9 (5), Benji Compton 6+1 (5), Richard Hall 6 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 4+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 2+2 (4), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 20 April

Three matches were raced today. At Newport the Wasps faced Redcar in a Premier League match. At Glasgow the Tigers took on Birmingham in a Knock Out Cup tie while at Mildenhall the Fen Tigers raced against the Isle of Wight in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Newport 46, Redcar 47


Newport once again used Rider Replacement for the injured Tony Atkin at number 4 while Redcar used Rider Replacement for the injured Chris Kerr at number 2. They also had Aaron Summers (Edinburgh) as a guest at number 7 for Daniel Giffard who was ill.

This looked to be an extremely competitive match as both teams were looking for league points. Newport were hoping that Craig Watson had shaken off his problems to give the Wasps a strong spearhead while Redcar, like many visitors to the Welsh track, would look upon this as a target away win. The Bears were in easy street until an unfortunate accident in heat 10 resulted in James Grieves and Josh Auty being withdrawn from the meeting. Although the Wasps nibbled away at Redcar’s healthy lead they couldn’t make their numerical advantage count as the Bears held on for a one point victory

Redcar made a good start. Gary Havelock and Arlo Bugeja (R/R) made the gate in the opening heat but Paul Clews then Craig Watson passed Bugeja for a 3-3. The Bears took the lead with a 2-4 in the reserves race won by Aaron Summers from Marek Mroz with Arlo Bugeja in third as Jerran Hart fell and remounted. James Grieves passed Nick Simmons (R/R) and Sebastian Truminski to win heat 3 for another shared heat but Redcar doubled their lead with a 2-4 in heat 4. Ty Proctor was the race winner from Paul Clews while Aaron Summers passed Mroz for third place. The score was now 10-14.

Things began to look really bleak for the Wasps after heat 5. James Grieves won the race for the Bears but Sebastian Truminski had engine problems and retired from the race. Then Aaron Summers (R/R) passed Jerran Hart (R/R) on the last lap to join Grieves for a 1-5 which doubled the visitors’ lead to eight points. Ty Proctor beat Craig Watson in heat 6 but Nick Simmons passed Arlo Bugeja for third so the race was shared. Heat 7 produced another 1-5 for Redcar with James Grieves and Josh Auty getting the better of the weak Paul Clews/Jerran Hart pairing to stretch the lead to 12 points. Ty Proctor comfortably won heat 8 for the visitors but Simmons and Mroz kept Summers at the back for a shared heat which took the score to 18-30.

Finally the Wasps managed a heat advantage when Sebastian Truminski won heat 9 from Ty Proctor. Marek Mroz (R/R) took third place for a 4-2 cutting the gap between the sides to 10 points. Heat 10 was disaster for the Bears. Craig Watson took a TR but the race had to be stopped when Josh Auty picked up too much grip and ran into James Grieves with both Bears’ riders ending in the fence. James Grieves came off worse and was taken back to the pits by ambulance with a suspected broken rib. Josh Auty was excluded from the rerun while Aaron Summers replaced James Grieves. Watson and Simmons took the big 8-1 from the heat cutting the Bears’ lead to only three points. Paul Clews kept it that way by winning heat 11 from Gary Havelock and Arlo Bugeja for a shared race. With James Grieves out of the meeting, Redcar had to field both their reserves in heat 12. Sebastian Truminski won the race but Aaron Summers took second ahead of Mroz so the home side scored a 4-2 taking the score to 37-38. It was then announced that Josh Auty had withdrawn from the meeting too so Redcar were down to four fit riders. However with Havelock and Proctor due out in two of the last three heats all did not seem lost.

Gary Havelock won heat 13 for the Bears but, with Ty Proctor falling, Craig Watson and Paul Clews shared the race. Paul Clews took the R/R ride for Newport in heat 14 but fell on the second lap leaving Bugeja and Summers to share the race leaving the visitors one point ahead going into the last heat decider. In the first running Ty Proctor fell on the second lap causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. At the second attempt, Craig Watson fell but the race was rerun with the three riders then at the third attempt Gary Havelock scored the win which gave the Bears a shared race and a one point win.

Scorers: For Newport – Craig Watson 13+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Sebastian Truminski 9+1 (5), Nick Simmons 8+3 (5), Marek Mroz 8+1 (6), Paul Clews 7+1 (5), Jerran Hart 1 (4).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 14 (5), Ty Proctor 11 (6), Aaron Summers 10+2 (7), James Grieves 6 (2), Arlo Bugeja 4+1 (7), Josh Auty 2+1 (3).



Knock Out Cup (first leg, second round): Glasgow 40, Birmingham 52


Glasgow were at full strength again but Birmingham again without Kyle Legault used Rider Replacement at number 1 and had Jason King (Newcastle) as a guest at number 4 in place of Phil Morris.

With some extremely impressive away results in the last couple of weeks, Birmingham were hoping to at least keep the score in this match to reasonable proportions to maximise their chances of progress in the return leg next Wednesday. Glasgow were buoyed by their fighting finish in last week’s home Premier League match in which they almost pipped King’s Lynn after trailing badly during the earlier part of the match.

The Tigers got off to the best possible start by scoring a 5-1 in the opening race. Shane Parker and Ross Brady led from the tapes and, although Brady was pressed by Lee Smart, the Tigers’ pair took the maximum. The home side must have been looking for a repeat score in heat 2 particularly when Josh Grajczonek and Lee Dicken gated but Jack Hargreaves took Lee Dicken wide allowing Jack Roberts to slip through to second with Dicken slipping to the back for a shared race. It was all square again after heat 3. The two Jasons – King and Lyons – recorded a 1-5 for the Brummies after making the gate then the visitors took the lead in heat 4. The race was rerun with all-four-back after Dicken and Roberts clashed on the opening bend. In the rerun Adam Roynon made the gate while Lee Dicken slotted into second place with Jack Roberts leading Robert Ksiezak at the back. Dicken slipped back to last after making a mess of the opening bends but he fought with great determination to pass firstly his partner, Ksiezak, then Roberts to take second place. This limited the damage to a 2-4 as the score went to 11-13.

Trent Leverington and Mitchell Davey made the gate in heat 5 to sit on a 5-1 but, on the second lap, Davey lost control of his machine and baled out onto the centre green clearly in some pain. He was taken from the track by ambulance as a precaution. The race was awarded to Leverington with Lee Smart second and Jason King (R/R) third for a shared race. Davey withdrew from the meeting with bruising to his upper thigh. Glasgow levelled again in heat 6 with a 4-2. Although Ross Brady made the gate it was Shane Parker who came through from third to win the race while Adam Roynon finished second with Brady third. Birmingham went four points ahead with a 1-5 in heat 7. Jason King made the gate with Robert Ksiezak in pursuit but Jason Lyons worked his way past Ksiezak to join his partner up front for the maximum. Heat 8 was awarded after Ross Brady had fallen on the second bend of the third lap. Lee Dicken took the three points while Lee Smart and Jack Roberts took the minor placings for a 3-3 which took the score to 22-26.

Josh Grajczonek gated with Trent Leverington in heat 9 but Adam Roynon passed Grajczonek for second so the Tigers had to be content with a 4-2 which cut the gap to two points. Jason Lyons got the better of Shane Parker in heat 10 and with Jason King beating Lee Dicken, who replaced Ross Brady, Glasgow slipped four points behind as Birmingham took a 2-4. The Brummies then rocked Glasgow with an easy 1-5 in heat 11 from Lee Smart and Adam Roynon ahead of Robert Ksiezak doubling their lead to eight points. This signalled a Tactical Substitute ride for Shane Parker from 15 metres in heat 12. Although Glasgow hopes were raised when Trent Leverington made the gate, he was passed off the second bend by Jason Lyons who went on to win the race. Parker got by Hargreaves and Leverington for second so Glasgow took a 3-5 advantage from the heat cutting the gap to six points with the score now 34-40.

Jason Lyons stormed from the tapes to win heat 13 from Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak but it was all over for the Tigers when they conceded another 1-5 in heat 14. Jason King and Jack Roberts headed home the two Glasgow reserves to put the Brummies into an unassailable 10 point lead. In the last race Jason Lyons completed a paid maximum by beating Shane Parker again while Adam Roynon finished third ahead of Trent Leverington for a 12 point win for the Brummies. It seems there’s no stopping this Birmingham side.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 16 (6) (with 4 point TS), Trent Leverington 8+1 (5), Josh Grajczonek 5 (5), Lee Dicken 5 (5), Ross Brady 3+1 (3), Robert Ksiezak 3+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 0 (2).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 16+2 (6) (paid maximum), Jason King 11+1 (5), Adam Roynon 10+1 (5), Lee Smart 8 (4), Jack Roberts 6+2 (4), Jack Hargreaves 1 (5)..



Premier League: Mildenhall 41, Isle of Wight 52


Mildenhall introduced their new signing Jari Makinen at number 2 to make an all Finnish top pairing (is this a first?). They also used Rider Replacement for Casper Wortmann at number 4 and had Chris Schramm as a guest for Robbie Kessler at number 5. The Isle of Wight were at full strength.

Mildenhall were hoping that Lady Luck would smile on them for a change after a series of rain-offs and injuries which has so far decimated their season. After home hammerings at the hands of Berwick and Birmingham they were also hoping to record their first win of the season. The Isle of Wight, now back at full strength were, of course, hoping to cash in on the Fen Tigers’ misfortunes. It turned out to be another hard afternoon for the home side.

The opening heat was shared but only after Jason Bunyan had fallen and remounted. Cory Gathercole won the race from the two Finns, Kai Laukkanen and Jari Makinen. Mildenhall’s problems began in the reserves race during which both home riders fell. James Holder and Andrew Bargh stayed on though for the four laps to record a 1-5. Jan Graversen (R/R) came through the field brilliantly to win heat 3 but Krzysztof Stojanowski and Paul Fry finished in the minor places for another shared race. Then the Islanders hit home another 1-5 from James Holder and Glen Phillips with Chris Schramm finishing third. This took the score to 8-16.

Things went from bad to worse for the Fen Tigers when both Graversen and Mark Baseby fell on the first bend of heat 5. Graversen was excluded and Baseby could do nothing to prevent Bunyan and Gathercole from running away with another 1-5 in the rerun to put the visitors twelve points ahead. Kai Laukkanen came out as a TR in heat 6 and won the race from Phillips and Bargh for a 6-3 shaving three points from the Islanders’ lead but the visitors added two more points to it with a 2-4 in heat 7 when Stojanowski beat Schramm with Paul Fry third. Heat 8 was another disaster for Mildenhall as James Holder scored his third successive race win with his partner, Cory Gathercole in second for another 1-5 for the Islanders which took the score to 18-33.

The home side rallied with a 5-1 in heat 9 as Jan Graversen and Chris Schramm (R/R) led Glen Phillips home. Then Kai Laukkanen won heat 10 for a shared race but it was then announced that Mark Baseby had withdrawn from the meeting with an ankle injury leaving the pointless James Cockle to complete his remaining rides. Chris Schramm won heat 11 beating Gathercole and Bunyan with Cockle last for another shared race. Jan Graversen won heat 12 but, with Cockle last again, Stojanowski and Bargh shared this heat too taking the score to 32-43.

The last three heats were all shared as the Isle of Wight successfully defended their lead. Kai Laukkanen beat Bunyan and Phillips in heat 13 while Paul Fry took heat 14 by winning from Graversen while James Cockle at the seventh attempt finally got on the score sheet by finishing third. Kai Laukkanen completed a brilliant personal display by winning heat 15 but again their was no heat advantage for the home side as Gathercole and Bunyan followed him home to share the points.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 17 (5) (with 6 point TR), Jan Graversen 11 (6), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), Jari Makinen 2+1 (5), Mark Baseby 2 (2), James Cockle 1+1 (7).

For the Isle of Wight – Cory Gathercole 11+2 (5), James Holder 9 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 8+1 (4), Jason Bunyan 7+2 (5), Paul Fry 7+1 (4), Glen Phillips 6+2 (4), Andrew Bargh 4+3 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 21 April

With Newcastle switching from a Sunday to a Monday night there were two matches raced tonight. One was a Premier League match at Reading where the Racers faced Workington and the other the Premier Trophy match at Newcastle between the Diamonds and Scun.thorpe .


Premier League: Reading 54, Workington 39


Both teams were at full strength.

Both teams have been tipped as potential top four qualifiers this season so this match provided an opportunity to weigh up their claims. For Workington this was the first of a two match southern tour which would take them to the Isle of Wight tomorrow night. They would be disappointed if they had to return home empty handed.

With Carl Stonehewer providing only 6 points and the Workington tail scoring the same in total between the four of them the Comets’ big two had too much to do. Reading had only two last places all match and that statistic almost guaranteed them victory.

Workington almost got off to a winning start. Daniel Nermark won the opening race by some distance while Scott Smith held third behind Lemon until the second lap when a mistake allowed Chris Mills home for third place and a shared race. Jaimie Smith won the reserves race for the home side while Daniel Warwick had a fight on his hands to hold on to second against the Workington reserves. He succeeded though so the Racers stormed into a four point lead with the 5-1. Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 3 from Kauko Nieminen while Tomas Suchanek’s third place provided a 4-2 which increased Reading’s lead to six points. The home side threatened another 5-1 in heat 4 when Tom P Madsen and Danny Warwick led the race. Carl Stonehewer passed Warwick then Warwick got into trouble on the last bend which let Jon Branney through for third and a 3-3 taking the score to 15-9.

Reading pulled further ahead in heat 5 after a titanic battle between Ostergaard and Nermark won by the home man. Suchanek backed him up by passing Scott Smith for third and a 4-2 put the Racers eight points ahead. Workington hit back in style in heat 6 though. Carl Stonehewer and young reserve, Joe Haines, led home Mark Lemon for a 1-5 which cut the gap to four points. Kauko Nieminen then won heat 7 from Jaimie Smith and Madsen to keep it that way but another 4-2 went the Racers’ way in heat 8 won by Chris Mills from Joe Haines and Jaimie Smith in an exciting race which took the score to 27-21.

When Ostergaard and Suchanek took a 5-1 from Stonehewer in heat 9 Workington fell ten points behind and Nieminen’s win for a share of the points in heat 10 kept it that way. In heat 11 Daniel Nermark took the expected Tactical Ride and won from Jaimie Smith and Madsen by a mile. The 3-6 cut the gap to seven points then Kauko Nieminen became one the few riders to beat Ulrich Ostergaard round Smallmead this season in heat 12. Again though he had no support so the heat was shared and the score now stood at 41-34.

Another 4-2 in heat 13 left the Comets struggling. Carl Stonehewer suffered an engine failure on the first bend while Mark Lemon came to life by beating Daniel Nermark. Madsen also suffered an engine failure but since it was on the last lap he was able to push home for the point which put the Racers within touching distance of victory. Workington gave Kauko Nieminen a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 14 in place of Jon Branney but he couldn’t prevent Suchanek and Jaimie Smith from scoring the 5-1 which sealed a win for the home side. Ostergaard beat Nermark again in heat 15 while Suchanek finished third for a 4-2 which stretched the winning margin to 15 points.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 14 (5), Jaimie Smith 10+1 (5), Tomas Suchanek 8+1 (5), Mark Lemon 7+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 6+2 (4), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Danny Warwick 3+1 (3).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 15 (5) (with 6 point TR), Kauko Nieminen 12 (6), Carl Stonehewer 6 (4), Joe Haines 4+1 (6), John Branney 2+1 (3), Scott Smith 0 (3), Charles Wright 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: Newcastle 43, Scun.thorpe 47 .


Newcastle again had to operate Rider Replacement for the injured George Stancl at number 2 while Scun.thorpe were at full strength.

There was little at stake in this match but with former Diamonds Carl Wilkinson and Byron Bekker in the Scorpions’ side there was plenty of interest. Again Newcastle looked vulnerable in George Stancl’s absence and Scun.thorpe took full advantage by romping to a four point win. Every Scorpions’ rider won at least one race apart from Benji Compton who nevertheless had two paid wins.

Newcastle scored a 5-1 in the opening race. Carl Wilkinson was the early race leader but slipped to the back as Josef Franc and Ben Powell (R/R) provided the maximum but after Sean Stoddart retired at the start of the reserves race Byron Bekker and Benji Compton scored a 1-5 for the visitors to level the scores. Christian Henry passed Magnus Karlsson to win heat 3 while an interesting battle between Ben Powell and Viktor Bergstrom ended in success for the Diamond. The 4-2 put the home side two points ahead again. Jason King touched the tapes in heat 4 so went from 15 metres back. Richard Hall won the race for the visitors while Jason King passed Benji Compton for a shared race which took the score to 13-11.

Ben Powell won heat 5 from Andrew Moore but with Christian Henry finishing last the race was shared but the Diamonds took a 4-2 from heat 6 won by Josef Franc to move four points in front. The Scorpions were unlucky in heat 7. Sitting on a 1-5 Magnus Karlsson suffered an engine failure on the third lap leaving Viktor Bergstrom to race home on his own for a 3-3 but the maximum was only delayed by one race. In heat 8 Carl Wilkinson and Benji Compton headed Sean Stoddart home after Josef Franc (R/R) had fallen on the last bend after being passed by Wilkinson. This levelled the scores again at 24-24.

Newcastle started again in heat 9 by producing a 4-2 with Christian Henry winning from Byron Bekker while Ben Powell kept Richard Hall at the back. Josef Franc won heat 10 but Karlsson and Bergstrom shared the points then in heat 11 the Diamonds lost another 1-5 when Wilkinson and Moore scored an easy maximum ahead of Jason King to put the visitors two points ahead. Magnus Karlsson then beat Christian Henry in heat 12 for a shared heat which took the score to 35-37.

It looked as if the visitors might take another 1-5 in heat 13 when Andrew Moore and Richard Hall led the race but Josef Franc passed Hall to limit the damage to a 2-4 so Newcastle now trailed by four points. They pulled two points back in heat 14. Ben Powell passed Viktor Bergstrom to win the race while Jaimie Robertson took third. This set up a last heat decider with the Diamonds trailing by two points. There was to be no happy ending for them though as Carl Wilkinson won the race from Christian Henry while Andrew Moore’s third place ahead of Josef Franc was the icing on the cake as the Scorpions won by two points.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Ben Powell 11 (5), Josef Franc 10+1 (6), Christian Henry 10 (5), Jaimie Robertson 5+1 (5), Jason King 4+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 3+1 (4)

For Scun.thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 10+1 (5), Andrew Moore 9+1 (5), Magnus Karlsson 7 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 6+1 (4), Richard Hall 6 (4), Byron Bekker 5 (4), Benji Compton 4+2 (4).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 22 April



It was Tuesday night on the Isle of Wight where the visitors were Workington in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Isle of Wight 49, Workington 44 .


Both teams were at full strength.

After losing at Reading last night Workington made the trip across the Solent to take on the Isle of Wight who were still savouring their win at Mildenhall on Sunday afternoon. There were some tasty looking encounters lined up between Bunyan, Phillips and Stojanowski for the home side and Nermark, Nieminen and Stonehewer for the visitors. By a quirk of the new interim averages Jason Bunyan found himself at number 5 instead of number 1 for the home side.

The opening heat was shared. Daniel Nermark won it for the Comets but it was clear that the track had been overwatered. New shale had been laid on it but apparently it hadn’t bedded in well so there was a delay before the running of the reserves race while the track was regraded. When it eventually was raced all four were called back after Branney had been taken wide and fallen on the first bend. There was more grading before the rerun in which John Branney suffered an engine failure on the first bend. James Holder won from Joe Haines for a 4-2 for the home side and they doubled the lead with another in heat 3. Glen Phillips won the race but the challenge didn’t come from Kauko Nieminen as expected but from Charles Wright who caught and passed Paul Fry on the last bend for second place. Another 4-2 in heat 4 put the Islanders six ahead. Although Carl Stonehewer made a blinder of a gate it took Jason Bunyan till half way down the back straight to pass him and go on to win by a mile. James Holder picked up third taking the score to 15-9.

Daniel Nermark won again in heat 5 but once more he received no backing so the points were shared but the Isle of Wight soared into an eight point lead with their fourth 4-2 in heat 6 when Cory Gathercole won unchallenged from Stonehewer while Stojanowski took third passing Haines off bend 2. Heat 7, won by Jason Bunyan from Nieminen and Wright, was shared but in heat 8 the home side struck a 5-1 from Cory Gathercole and James Holder to increase their lead to twelve points. Joe Haines held second place until the last lap when he was passed by Holder and then fell. The score now read 30-18.

In heat 9 the Comets fell another two points in arrears when they lost a 4-2. Glen Phillips beat Carl Stonehewer while Paul Fry passed John Branney for third so the lead increased to 14 points. Workington pulled two points back in heat 10. Kauko Nieminen won from Cory Gathercole while Charles Wright finished third after Krzysztof Stojanowski had an engine failure on the second lap. The gap was back to twelve and Daniel Nermark took a TR in heat 11 attempting to get Workington even closer. He succeeded too beating the impressive Jason Bunyan. Better still for the Comets Andrew Bargh had an engine failure so Scott Smith finished third giving Workington a 2-7 heat advantage and cutting their arrears to seven points. Nieminen kept the pressure on the Islanders by winning heat 12 but, again, he received no support so the result was a 3-3 taking the score to 41-34.

The Comets made further inroads to their deficit with a 2-4 in heat 13. Daniel Nermark won comfortably from Jason Bunyan while Carl Stonehewer’s third place cut the arrears further to five points but it was all over one race later when the Islanders secured victory with a 5-1 from Paul Fry and James Holder. The Comets finished with a bang though as Nieminen and Nermark scored a last heat 1-5 after Jason Bunyan had fallen on the second bend in the shake out. It was too little too late as the home side won by five points.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Cory Gathercole 11 (5), Jason Bunyan 10 (5), James Holder 9+2 (5), Glen Phillips 9+1 (4), Paul Fry 7 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 2+1 (4), Andrew Bargh 1 (3).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 17+1 (5) (paid maximum), Kauko Nieminen 11 (5), Carl Stonehewer 7 (4), Charles Wright 4+1 (4), Joe Haines 2 (3), John Branney 2 (6), Scott Smith 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 23 April



In what must be one of the wettest ever starts to the season, tonight saw yet another casualty when heavy rain during the day caused the postponement of the King’s Lynn versus Newcastle Premier League match. One fixture did take place, however, and that was the second leg of the first round Knock Out Cup tie at Birmingham between the Brummies raced and Glasgow .


Knock Out Cup (first round, second leg): Birmingham 43, Glasgow 47 Birmingham won through to the second round on aggregate by 95-87.


Birmingham introduced at number 7 their new signing, Mattia Carpanese, who took over from Jack Roberts who in turn had deputised for James Birkinshaw and was nominated as their number 8 for this match. They also had Chris Schramm as a guest at number 4 in place of Phil Morris and used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Kyle Legault. Glasgow were missing Ross Brady and Mitchell Davey who were both recovering from injuries. They had Chris Mills (Reading) as a guest for Mitchell Davey and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Ross Brady.

Trailing by twelve points from the first leg of the tie at Ashfield last Sunday, Glasgow had the proverbial mountain to climb to have any further interest in this competition. Birmingham despite all their injury problems seem capable of rising to any occasion and must have been confident of winning through with something to spare. It didn’t work out that way though.

Clearly Glasgow hadn’t read the script! They shot into a four point lead with a 1-5 in the first heat when Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak (R/R) led home Lee Smart and the Birmingham number 8, Jack Roberts, who took the (R/R) ride then promptly increased their lead to six in heat 2 with a 2-4. Mattia Carpanese went through the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back in his debut for his new club. Josh Grajczonek won the rerun from Jack Hargreaves with Lee Dicken third. Back came Birmingham in heat 3 with a 5-1 from Jason Lyons and Chris Schramm against Trent Leverington to cut the gap to two points and it stayed that way after a shared heat 4. Robert Ksiezak and Lee Dicken led from the start but Adam Roynon passed both Glasgow riders within a lap to win the race with Carpanese trailed off at the back taking the score to 11-13.

Birmingham completed the recovery by levelling the match again in heat 5. Jason Lyons beat Shane Parker while Chris Schramm took third from Josh Grajczonek (R/R) for a 4-2. The home side then stormed four points in front with a 5-1 in heat 6. Jason Lyons (R/R) won the race while Lee Smart caught and passed Robert Ksiezak in fine style to join him up front for the maximum. However the Brummies got another rude awakening when Trent Leverington won heat 7 from Adam Roynon while Chris Mills took third from Hargreaves for a 2-4 which cut the gap to two. Then they found themselves behind again when they lost another 1-5 in heat 8! Josh Grajczonek and Trent Leverington (R/R) headed home Lee Smart and Mattia Carpanese for the maximum which put the Tigers two points ahead again with the score now 23-25.

Birmingham wiped out the Glasgow lead to go two up again with a 5-1 in heat 9 when Jason Lyons and Chris Schramm beat Robert Ksiezak then a thrilling heat 10 involving all four riders was won by the Glasgow guest, Chris Mills. Roynon (R/R) and Smart kept Leverington at the back so the race was shared. Adam Roynon won heat 12 by a distance for the home side but Shane Parker and Chris Mills (R/R) kept Jack Hargreaves at the back for the second of three consecutive shared races. The third was won by Jason Lyons who had to pass Leverington and Grajczonek as Carpanese again finished last so the score went to 37-35.

The scores were level again after heat 13 when Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak made the gate. Adam Roynon passed Ksiezak so the Tigers took a 2-4 then they added a 1-5 in heat 14. This was a tale of two guests. Chris Mills won for Glasgow while Chris Schramm suffered an engine failure for Birmingham. Josh Grajczonek followed Mills home ahead of Jack Hargreaves who had had a miserable night so the Tigers went four points ahead with one race to go. Shane Parker won heat 15 from Roynon and Lyons to see the Tigers home. It was a great result for Glasgow which served only as consolation as they were beaten on aggregate.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 16+1 (6), Adam Roynon 14 (6), Lee Smart 5+2 (4), Chris Schramm 5+2 (5), Jack Hargreaves 3 (4), Jack Roberts 0 (1), Mattia Carpanese 0 (4).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 13 (5), Josh Grajczonek 9+2 (6), Chris Mills 8+1 (5), Trent Leverington 8+1 (6), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (5), Lee Dicken 2+1 (3).