Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Friday, 16 May

Three meetings took place tonight. In the Premier League Scun.thorpe faced Newcastle , while at Somerset the Rebels took on Berwick . The other meeting took place at Edinburgh to celebrate the Monarchs’ 60th anniversary and took the form of a four team tournament.


Premier League: Scun.thorpe 56, Newcastle 36


Scun.thorpe were at full strength but Newcastle were without Josef Franc, Ben Powell and George Stancl. They had Tomas Topinka (King’s Lynn) riding at number 1 in place of Josef Franc and Daniel Giffard (Redcar) at number 4 in place of Ben Powell. They also used Rider Replacement at number 2 for George Stancl.

After taking a 2-4 from the opening race thanks to their two guests, with Tomas Topinka beating Carl Wilkinson and Daniel Giffard finishing third, the Diamonds steadily lost ground and it was only in the last two races which they won 3-9 that they cut the Scorpions’ winning margin to 20 points.

After that early success in heat 1 the home side scored two 5-1s and a 4-2 in the next three races for an eight point lead. There was plenty of passing in heats 2 and 3 but Viktor Bergstrom and Byron Bekker finally saw off the Newcastle reserves in heat 2 for a 5-1 then Magnus Karlsson won from Jason King for a 4-2 in heat 3. Heat 4 was all from the gate with Richard Hall and Byron Bekker leading Christian Henry home for a 5-1 which took the score to 16-8.

Tomas Topinka briefly stopped the rot for Newcastle when he won heat 5 by driving round Magnus Karlsson and Benji Compton for a shared heat but two more 5-1s in heats 6 and 8 left the Diamonds with little hope. Carl Wilkinson and Andrew Moore did the damage for the home side in heat 6 but machine trouble for Viktor Bergstrom in heat 7 left race winner, Richard Hall, with no support so Jason King and Christian Henry shared the points behind him. Heat 8 saw Carl Wilkinson and Byron Bekker off for a 5-1 which took the score to 32-16.

Magnus Karlsson won heat 9 for the Scorpions while behind him Benji Compton fended off the challenges from Christian Henry to stay in second for another 5-1 to add to the Diamonds’ misery. In heat 10 the unbeaten Tomas Topinka took a TR and R/R but he didn’t remain unbeaten after Andrew Moore won the race. Indeed Carl Wilkinson threatened to make it another 5-1 when he passed Topinka but Topinka got back into second place on the last lap for a 4-4 shared race. Topinka was out again in heat 11 and things looked bright for the visitors when he was joined up front by Sean Stoddart to leave Newcastle sitting on a 1-5. It didn’t happen though. Richard Hall and Viktor Bergstrom were both past Stoddart within a lap then Hall caught and passed Topinka for a fine win which gave the home side a 4-2 and 22 point lead. Byron Bekker then completed a paid maximum in heat 12 when he finished behind his partner, Magnus Karlsson, for another 5-1, the Scorpions’ sixth of the match, to take the score to 50-24.

Things improved for the Diamonds after that. Tomas Topinka won under pressure from Richard Hall in heat 13 for a shared race then the Diamonds celebrated a 1-5 in heat 14 courtesy of Jason King and Sean Stoddart. There was further joy for them in heat 15 when Tomas Topinka completed a fine performance with another heat win, this time from Magnus Karlsson while Jason King took third place after a fine battle with Richard Hall.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 13 (5), Richard Hall 11 (5), Carl Wilkinson 9 (4), Byron Bekker 8+4 (4) (paid maximum), Andrew Moore 6+2 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 5 (4), Benji Compton 4+2 (4). .

For Newcastle – Tomas Topinka 18 (6) (with 4 point TR), Jason King 8 (6), Sean Stoddart 5+1 (6), Christian Henry 4+1 (5), Daniel Giffard 1 (4), Jaimie Robertson 0 (3).



Premier League: Somerset 58, Berwick 34


Somerset were at full strength while Berwick used Rider Replacement for the missing Benny Johansson at number 4. They also had Jay Herne as a guest at reserve at number 6.

This was a far better match than the score suggests with the Bandits fighting hard for every point to prevent the Rebels from running up another 60+ score at home.

They didn’t start too well though by losing three 5-1s in the first three heats then a 4-2 in heat 4! Jason Doyle gated to win the opening race but Jordan Frampton and Adrian Rymel had a good scrap for second place on the first two laps. A 5-1 it was though as it was in the reserves race too. Somerset had to work hard for this one though as Walker, Werner and Herne had an exciting battle for the lead. The home pair prevailed. Michal Makovsky made the gate in heat 3 but was passed by first Emil Kramer round the outside then Matthias Kroger on the inside for 5-1 number 3. Stephan Katt and Brent Werner were off in heat 4 but Tero Aarnio passed Werner for second and a 4-2 which took the score to 19-5.

Somerset got a jolt in heat 5 though when lost a 1-5 to Adrian Rymel and Norbert Magosi from Kramer and Kroger but the Rebels replied by banging in two more 5-1s in heats 6 and 7. In the first Tero Aarnio led briefly but was swallowed up by Doyle on the outside and Frampton on the inside then, in the latter, Michal Makovsky was excluded after fencing Stephan Katt. In the rerun Walker and Katt had no trouble running up 5-1 number five. Jordan Frampton and Jay Herne had a battle for the lead but in heat 8 Jordan Frampton won from Jay Herne who got up to pass Brent Werner for second place on the line resulting in a 4-2 which took the score to 34-14.

The two ‘K’s Kramer and Kroger scored 5-1 number six in heat 9 then Berwick took a heat advantage in heat 10 when Jason Doyle fell on the first bend leaving Norbert Magosi to win from Jordan Frampton with Makovsky third after the riders had half expected the race to be stopped. This gave Berwick a 2-4 and they then gave Adrian Rymel a TR in heat 11. It was Simon Walker who won the race though with Rymel second for a 4-4 shared race. Emil Kramer won heat 12 for another shared race taking the score to 52-28.

Jason Doyle passed Adrian Rymel in heat 13 while Stephan Katt took third for a 4-2 then the Rebels looked set for another 5-1 in heat 14. However Matthias Kroger suffered an engine failure so Simon Walker, who completed his maximum, won the race for a 3-3. Finally a good contest between Adrian Rymel and Jason Doyle ended with Rymel winning the race for another shared heat giving the Rebels a 24 point victory.

Scorers: For Somerset – Simon Walker 12 (4) (maximum), Jordan Frampton 11+2 (5), Jason Doyle 10+1 (5), Emil Kramer 10 (4), Stephan Katt 7+1 (4), Matthias Kroger 4+2 (4), Brent Werner 4+1 (4).

For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 13 (5) (with 4 point TR), Tero Aarnio 6 (5), Norbert Magosi 5+1 (5), Jay Herne 5 (6), Michal Makovsky 3 (5), Adam McKinna 2+1 (4).



60th Anniversary Meeting at Edinburgh: Old Meadowbank 18, Coatbridge 12, Powderhall 33, Armadale 33


This anniversary meeting took the form of a four team tournament with riders representing the four eras of the Edinburgh Monarchs at Old Meadowbank, Coatbridge, Powderhall and Armadale. The event was won by the Powderhall team after a run off when Carl Stonehewer beat Matthew Wethers in a four rider top scorers’ race in which Andrew Tully finished third and Ryan Fisher was excluded after falling causing a rerun.

Scorers: For Old Meadowbank – Ryan Fisher 8 (4), Derek Sneddon 4 (4), Theo Pijper 4 (4), James Birkinshaw 2 (4).

For Coatbridge – Mark Burrows 6 (4), Thomas Jonasson 5 (4), Arlo Bugeja 1 (4) , Joni Keskinen 0 (4).

For Powderhall – Carl Stonehewer 12 (5), Andrew Tully 12 (6), Robert Eriksson 9 (5).

For Armadale – Matthew Wethers 10 (4), Jason Lyons 8 (4), Aaron Summers 8 (4), Trent Leverington 7 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 17 May

With the Premier League match at Rye House between the Rockets and Somerset being postponed as a result of the weather forecast for the area, there were just two Premier League matches raced tonight. These were the matches at Stoke where the Potters took on Mildenhall and at Workington where the Comets raced against Scun.thorpe .


Premier League: Stoke 54, Mildenhall 39


Stoke had Luke Priest at number 6 presumably in place of Klaus Jacobsen while Mildenhall had Jack Roberts (Birmingham) at number 6 as a guest for Mark Baseby.

Although Mildenhall were virtually out of this match when they trailed by 14 points after heat 4 they held their own for the rest of the match during which Stoke could only add one point to their lead.

The Potters started with three 5-1s and a 4-2. The opening heat went to Lee Complin and Mark Burrows from the gate and they sat on another 5-1 in heat 2 when Jesper Kristiansen and Luke Priest led from the off. Jack Roberts passed Priest however for a 4-2. Barrie Evans made the gate for the Potters in heat 3 but Ben Barker came from the back to pass the other three riders for the win and another 5-1 before Emiliano Sanchez and Jesper Kristiansen gated for a repeat performance taking the score to 19-5.

Kai Laukkanen raised the visitors’ spirits by winning heat 5 from an ever-pressing Ben Barker and Henning Loof’s third place gave the Fen Tigers a 2-4 heat advantage. This was followed by a shared heat, after Lee Complin had gated to head Robbie Kessler and Jack Roberts home, but the Fen Tigers pulled two more points back in heat 7 when Jan Graversen and Michal Rajkowski gated only for Emiliano Sanchez to pass Rajkowski for second place and a 2-4. The Potters lead was now down to 10 points but they added two more with a 4-2 in heat 8 won by Kristiansen from Loof and Burrows taking the score to 30-18.

Stoke hit home another 5-1 in heat 9. Robbie Kessler gated but he was swallowed up by Barker and Evans off the second bend to increase the Potters lead to 16 points. Lee Complin won again in heat 10 for a shared heat then Mildenhall gave Kai Laukkanen a TR in heat 11 which he duly won from Sanchez while Loof tried hard but in vain to pass Priest. This gave the visitors a 3-6 advantage cutting the lead to 13 but another 5-1 in heat 12 from Barker and Kristiansen, the latter completing a paid maximum, finally ended all hope for the Fen Tigers as the score now stood at 46-29.

Robbie Kessler and Kai Laukkanen gated in heat 13 for the visitors but Lee Complin passed Laukkanen on the second lap for a 2-4. However the visitors’ were not to be denied and finally got their 1-5 in heat 14 when Jan Graversen and Jack Roberts saw off Barrie Evans for their maximum. However Stoke replied in kind in heat 15 when Lee Complin and Ben Barker both fought their way past early race leader, Kai Laukkanen, for a home 5-1 and 15 point win.

Scorers: For Stoke – Lee Complin 14 (5), Ben Barker 13+1 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Emiliano Sanchez 7 (4), Barrie Evans 5+2 (4), Mark Burrows 3+1 (4), Luke Priest 2+1 (4).

For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 12 (5) (with 6 point TR), Jan Graversen 7+1 (5), Robbie Kessler 6 (4), Jack Roberts 6+2 (5), Michal Rajkowski 4 (4), Henning Loof 3 (4), Jari Makinen 1 (3)..



Premier League: Workington 54, Scun.thorpe 39


Workington were without the injured Barry Burchatt so used Rider Replacement at number 2. They nominated Gary Irving as their number 8. Scun.thorpe were without Richard Hall and had Joel Parsons at number 5 as a guest although under what rule this was allowed is beyond me.

Unusually both tonight’s matches ended with the same score. In this match Workington did the main damage with 5-1s in heats 5, 6 and 7 which put the Comets into an eighteen point lead. Although the Scorpions got three points back over the rest of the meeting they never looked like taking anything from the match.

Daniel Nermark and Charles Wright got things underway with a 4-2 with Carl Wilkinson in second then Joe Haines won heat 2 for the home side but Byron Bekker and Viktor Bergstrom filled the minor places for a 3-3. Workington scored the first of their five 5-1s in heat 3 with Kauko Nieminen and Charles Wright leaving Magnus Karlsson behind in third. Carl Stonehewer left the Scorpions still looking for a race winner in heat 4 but Joel Parsons and Byron Bekker kept John Branney at the back again for another 3-3 which took the score to 15-9.

Then came three more 5-1s for the Comets. Nieminen and Wright produced the first against the top opposition pairing of Moore and Wilkinson then John Branney burst into life to follow Daniel Nermark home in the second ahead of Joel Parsons. The third came via Stonehewer and Haines with Karlsson in third place in heat 7 but the visitors stopped the rot in heat 8. Carl Wilkinson was given a TR and won the race and, when Joe Haines suffered an engine failure short of the line, John Branney finished second with Byron Bekker picking up the gift third place for a 2-7 which took the score to 32-19.

Kauko Nieminen won heat 9 but Parsons and Bergstrom shared the race points behind him then the Comets added two points to their lead in heat 10 with a 4-2 from Daniel Nermark who beat Magnus Karlsson and Joe Haines. Scun.thorpe took their second race advantage in heat 11 when Andrew Moore beat Carl Stonehewer with Carl Wilkinson third for a 2-4. They did even better in heat 12 when Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom rocketed from the gate for a tapes-to-flag 1-5 ahead of Nieminen which took the score to 42-33.

Daniel Nermark and Carl Stonehewer righted the home ship again with a 5-1 from Joel Parsons and Andrew Moore then Joe Haines won heat 14 for a 3-3 before Daniel Nermark completed his maximum in heat 15 but he had his work cut out as Joel Parsons got involved in an exciting passing and repassing bout with the Workington number 1 which ended with Nermark just winning it on the line. Stonehewer finished third from Karlsson for a 4-2 giving the Comets a 15 point win.

Scorers: For Workington – Daniel Nermark 15 (5), Carl Stonehewer 11+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 10 (4), Joe Haines 9+1 (6), Charles Wright 5+2 (5), John Branney 4+1 (5).

For Scun.thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 9 (4) (with 6 point TR), Joel Parsons 8 (5), Magnus Karlsson 7 (5), Byron Bekker 6+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 5+4 (5), Andrew Moore 4 (4), Benji Compton 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 18 May

Today’s matches were at Glasgow where the Tigers raced Scun.thorpe and at Newcastle where the Diamonds took on Somerset in Premier League matches.


Premier League: Glasgow 46, Scun.thorpe 44


Glasgow were again without Shane Parker and Josh Grajczonek. They had Kauko Nieminen (Workington) as a guest for Parker and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Grajczonek. They also nominated Gary Beaton as their number 8. Scun.thorpe were without Richard Hall who was injured so used Rider Replacement at number 5.

On a dry and duty track Glasgow rescued a two point win after an uphill struggle when they lost both the opening heats to visiting 1-5s. Scun.thorpe will surely wait a long time to find a better opportunity for an away victory at Ashfield.

What a start! In the opening heat Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson made fast starts leaving Trent Leverington to trail round in third place for a 1-5 but if that was bad then heat 2 was no better. It was a bit of a pantomime for the Tigers when Mitchell Davey (who had taken the R/R ride in heat 1) was excluded under the two minute time allowance and had to go from 15 metres back. Then Ross Brady charged through the tapes and was excluded from the rerun leaving Davey on his own off the 15 metre mark. Viktor Bergstrom and Byron Bekker will rarely have an easier 1-5 which put the Scorpions eight points ahead. In heat 3 Kauko Nieminen rode round the outside of Magnus Karlsson to take the lead but, when Benji Compton fell on the third bend the race had to be rerun. Karlsson had learned from the first attempt and rode much wider round the opening two bends in the rerun to prevent Nieminen repeating his move in the first running. Although he was on Karlsson’s tail all race, Nieminen couldn’t pass him so the heat was shared. Glasgow pulled four points back in heat 4 when Ross Brady and Robert Ksiezak gated to beat the two Scorpions’ reserves comfortably taking the score to 10-14.

Andrew Moore made the best start in heat 5 but Nieminen drove under him taking him wide to lead off the second bend and go on to win the race. Carl Wilkinson was third for a shared heat but it was all square after another 5-1 in heat 6. Ross Brady and Trent Leverington gated to lead Viktor Bergstrom but the faster Magnus Karlsson (R/R) took up the chase. He didn’t reckon on having to beat three opponents though as Bergstrom, riding with a dreadful lack of appreciation of the situation, blocked his partner’s drive off the fourth bend on each of the first three laps by running wide to the fence down the home straight causing him to have to shut off. By the time the frustrated Karlsson finally got past his partner it was too late to make a challenge on the Glasgow pair. However the Scorpions were back in front in heat 7. Robert Ksiezak made the gate and held off the strongly challenging Karlsson until the last bend when Karlsson finally roared round then outside of him to win the race. Benji Compton beat Mitchell Davey for third so the visitors scored a 2-4. It was level again in heat 8 though as Robert Ksiezak and Ross Brady made fast starts. Carl Wilkinson passed Brady though at the end of the second lap but couldn’t catch Ksiezak so the Tigers took a 4-2 taking the score to 24-24.

Glasgow stormed into a four point lead in heat 9 when Kauko Nieminen and Lee Dicken gated to beat the Scorpions’ reserve pairing for an unchallenged 5-1 but the visitors weren’t finished. In heat 10 Magnus Karlsson gated to lead Ross Brady and Trent Leverington off the second bend. Leverington, covering Brady, was passed off the fourth bend of the third lap by Viktor Bergstrom and subsequently retired from the race as the Scorpions took a 2-4 cutting the gap to two points. That was wiped out and the visitors took a two point lead with a 1-5 in heat 11. Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson stormed from the gate to leave Robert Ksiezak to trail in third. Kauko Nieminen won heat 12 but Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom filled the minor places for a 3-3 which took the score to 32-34.

This left three crucial heats to go and it was Glasgow who struck in a controversial heat 13. Robert Ksiezak and Trent Leverington made the gate leaving Andrew Moore to do the chasing with Carl Wilkinson stuck at the back. Moore reeled in Leverington and lined him up for the pass off the fourth bend of the third lap. He moved level with Leverington over the start line and roared into the first bend just as Leverington tried to close the door on him. The two riders arrived at the same spot on the first bend at the same time and Leverington went sprawling across the track. The race was stopped and awarded to the two Glasgow riders as Moore was harshly excluded in a decision which could have gone either way. The resultant 5-1 put Glasgow two points ahead with two races to go. It looked bad for the visitors when Ross Brady led heat 14 from Viktor Bergstrom and Lee Dicken but Bergstrom passed Brady off the second bend on the last lap to win the race for a 3-3. As expected Kauko Nieminen gated to win heat 15 with Karlsson and Moore poised to take advantage of any mistake or misfortune for the three points Glasgow needed to win the match.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Kauko Nieminen 14 (5), Robert Ksiezak 11+1 (6), Ross Brady 11 (7), Trent Leverington 5+2 (4), Lee Dicken 4+3 (4), Mitchell Davey 1 (4).

For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 14 (6), Andrew Moore 9+1 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 9+1 (7), Carl Wilkinson 8+3 (5), Byron Bekker 3+1 (3), Benji Compton 1 (3).



Premier League: Newcastle 47, Somerset 48 .


Newcastle introduced their new signing Richard Juul at number 2 but were again without George Stancl so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4. Somerset were at full strength.

Newcastle certainly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in this match. Leading by 12 points after heat 10, the Diamonds lost the remaining five heats by 10-23 as Somerset got the bit between their teeth to come storming back for a remarkable victory.

There was no hint of what was to come in the early stages as Newcastle were in complete control. Josef Franc beat Jason Doyle in the opening race while Richard Juul passed Stephan Katt for third to get the Diamonds off to a 4-2 lead. They doubled it in the reserves race as Sean Stoddart made the gate to win from Brent Werner while Jaimie Robertson’s third place gave the home side another 4-2 and four point lead. It got even better for the home side when Sean Stoddart (R/R) made another fast start and was joined up front by Jason King who passed Emil Kramer for a 1-5 doubling the lead again to eight points. Christian Henry made it four winners on the trot for the Diamonds by winning heat 4 for a shared race taking the score to 16-8.

Jason Doyle finally won a race for the Rebels in heat 5 but King and Franc shared the points behind him. Heat 6 was shared too. Josef Franc won for the home side while Richard Juul fell off on the final bend. Things looked better for the Rebels when Emil Kramer and Matthias Kroger gated to lead heat 7 but Christian Henry rode an excellent race to pass both of them on the last lap to win the race and share the points. Brent Werner won heat 8 from Juul and Stoddart for another 3-3 which took the score to 28-20.

It looked a forlorn hope for the Rebels when Newcastle added another 5-1 in heat 9. Jason King made the gate and he was joined by Christian Henry who passed Brent Werner for the home maximum putting the Diamonds 12 points in front. It didn’t improve for the visitors when they gave Emil Kramer a TR in heat 10. He led for a lap but was passed by Josef Franc off the second bend of lap 2. This gave the Diamonds a share of the points in a 4-4 result but things were about to change. At last the Rebels managed a heat advantage when Jason Doyle won heat 11 from Christian Henry while Stephan Katt took third place for a 2-4 cutting the gap to 10 points. It was down to eight after heat 12. The race had to be rerun after Sean Stoddart fell at the end of lap two and was excluded. Stoddart was withdrawn from the meeting and in the rerun Emil Kramer beat Jason King for another 2-4 which took the score to 41-33.

There seemed no need to panic within the Newcastle ranks as a 3-3 in heat 13 won by Doyle from Henry kept them eight points ahead with just two races left. However the Rebels had other ideas and gave Jason Doyle a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 14 replacing Matthias Kroger. Simon Walker without a point to his name at this stage suddenly stormed from the gate and hindered the two Diamonds allowing Jason Doyle to retrieve his handicap. Doyle was soon past Jaimie Robertson and set off in pursuit of Jason King passing him a lap later for an excellent win. Simon Walker who had been passed by King managed to keep third place ahead of Robertson so the Rebels gained a 2-7 from the race cutting their arrears to just three points going into the last race and setting the alarm bells ringing in the home camp. In heat 13 Newcastle won the toss for gate positions electing to go from 2 and 4. However it was Doyle and Kramer who made the gate. Although Christian Henry was after the Rebels’ pair he fell on the third lap and the visitors were home and dry to a one point win.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Josef Franc 12+2 (6), Christian Henry 12+1 (6), Jason King 11+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 7+1 (5), Richard Juul 4 (4), Jaimie Robertson 1 (5).

For Somerset – Jason Doyle 19+1 (6) (with 6 point TS), Emil Kramer 13 (5) (with 4 point TR), Brent Werner 9+1 (6), Jordan Frampton 4+1 (4), Matthias Kroger 1+1 (3), Simon Walker 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 19 May



Tonight’s only match was at Reading where the Racers raced against Redcar in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Reading 57, Redcar 35 .


With Nicki Glanz having been signed on a 28 day contract as injury cover for Danny Warwick,Reading were at full strength as were Redcar .

This was the first match in Redcar’s two match mini southern tour with the second tomorrow night on the Isle of Wight. The two sides were tied after two races but after that the Racers pulled away steadily to win comfortably as the Bears failed to record a single heat advantage.

Gary Havelock led the Bears to a fine race win in heat 1 passing Mark Lemon off the second bend on lap 2. Chris Mills finished third to share the points then Nicki Glanz and Jaimie Smith led from the gate in the reserves race. However Josh Auty and Arlo Bugeja passed Smith for another shared heat but the Racers stepped up a gear in the following heats. Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 3 while James Grieves contained Tomas Suchanek who finished behind him for a 4-2 then Tom P Madsen and Nicki Glanz led heat 4 until Ty Proctor passed Glanz on the third bend for another 4-2 which took the score to 14-10.

Ulrich Ostergaard passed Gary Havelock on the second lap to win heat 5 while Havelock then had his work cut out to keep ahead of Tomas Suchanek for Reading’s third 4-2 on the trot. They added a 5-1 in heat 6. Mark Lemon and Chris Mills made the gate to team ride round ahead of Josh Auty opening a ten point gap between the teams. As a result James Grieves took a TR in heat 7 but found himself trailing Tom P Madsen and Jaimie Smith from the gate. He passed Smith on the third lap and his second place resulted in a 4-4 shared race. Heat 8 was shared too after a rerun caused by Nicki Glanz falling after contact with Arlo Bugeja. Chris Mills won the second running of the heat taking the score to 30-20.

Reading pulled further away when Ulrich Ostergaard won for the third time while Tomas Suchanek rode a good inside line to pass Josh Auty and Ty Proctor for a 5-1. Mark Lemon and Chris Mills threatened to add another 5-1 in heat 10 but James Grieves passed Mills for second place restricting the Racers’ advantage to a 4-2 and 16 point lead. Heat 11 produced another 4-2 for the home side with Tom P Madsen beating Gary Havelock and Jaimie Smith getting up to pass Joni Keskinen on the line. Ostergaard won heat 12 but Grieves and Auty finished behind him for a 3-3 which took the score to 46-28.

A comfortable win for Gary Havelock in heat 13 was Redcar’s first race winner since he won heat 1. It was only good enough for a shared heat though as Tom P Madsen and Mark Lemon filled the minor places. Heat 14 resulted in a 5-1 for the Racers when Suchanek and Smith gated to head Daniel Giffard home for a 22 point lead but Gary Havelock recorded his third heat win of the evening by winning heat 15 to deny Ulrich Ostergaard his maximum. Tom P Madsen took third from James Grieves so the Bears finished the meeting without a single race advantage.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 14 (5), Tom P Madsen 12+1 (5), Mark Lemon 9+1 (4), Chris Mills 7+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 7+1 (4), Jaimie Smith 4+1 (4), Nicki Glanz 4 (4).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), James Grieves 10 (5) (with 4 point TR), Josh Auty 6+1 (5), Ty Proctor 3 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2+2 (4), Daniel Giffard 1 (4), Joni Keskinen 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 20 May



Tonight on the Isle of Wight the visitors were Redcar in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Isle of Wight 53, Redcar 40 .


The Isle of Wight were without Paul Fry so used Rider Replacement at number 4 while Redcar were at full strength.

Just as he did last night at Reading, Gary Havelock got the Bears off to a good start by winning the opening race. It was only good enough for a shared heat then the Islanders took the lead in the reserves race. James Holder and David Bargh led from the tapes but Josh Auty rode well to come through from last place to pass David Bargh ands finish second restricting the home side to a 4-2. Glen Phillips had a comfortable win in the third heat but James Grieves and Daniel Giffard finished behind him to share the race points. The Islanders doubled their lead in heat 4 after a great race between James Holder and Ty Proctor during which Holder rode well to keep Proctor behind him for the win. Krzysztof Stojanowski finished third for a 4-2 which took the score 14-10.

Gary Havelock scored his second race win in heat 5 fending off the challenges from Glen Phillips all race long. James Holder finished third so the race was shared. However the home side doubled their lead again in heat 6 with an untroubled 5-1 from Cory Gathercole and Jason Bunyan to lead by eight points. The Bears continued to fall further behind when heat 7 resulted in another 4-2 for the home side. David Bargh made a fast start to lead early on then Krzysztof Stojanowski moved past James Grieves and Bargh to take up the lead while Grieves then passed Bargh on the second lap stretching the gap to 10 points. Redcar lost touch completely when they conceded three more 5-1s on the trot. In heat 8 Josh Auty replaced Joni Keskinen but to no avail as Gathercole and Holder were soon off for the first of the 5-1s taking the score to 31-17.

Stojanowski and Phillips added the second despite the best efforts of Proctor for an eighteen point lead then Bunyan and Grieves took the third by gating to lead James Grieves home. Gary Havelock took a TR in heat 11 for the Bears and won the race for the six points. With Stojanowski suffering an engine failure on the opening lap, David Bargh took second and Joni Keskinen third giving the visitors a 2-7 advantage although it was too late to affect the overall result. Spurred on by that success though, Redcar produced another heat advantage in heat 12 when James Grieves won from Glen Phillips. With James Holder packing up on the first lap Josh Auty was left to pick up third for a 2-4 which took the score to 45-30.

In heat 13 Jason Bunyan was excluded for breaking the tapes. Rather than go from 15 metres back he was replaced by James Holder. The home side might have been better choosing the 15 metre option because Holder had an engine failure on the opening lap. Gary Havelock continued his unbeaten run by winning for the fourth time from Krzysztof Stojanowski who had to look lively to keep Ty Proctor back in third. The result was a 2-4, the Bears’ third successive race win, which cut the gap to 13 points. The Bears’ next move was to replace Arlo Bugeja with Ty Proctor as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres in heat 14. He got through to second place but fell on the third lap resulting in the race being awarded to James Holder with Daniel Giffard second and David Bargh third giving the home side a 4-2. In heat 15 the Bears completed an excellent last five heats to the meeting by scoring another 2-4. Gary Havelock completed a superb maximum by winning from Cory Gathercole while James Grieves took third place ahead of Glen Phillips.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – James Holder 12+2 (7), Cory Gathercole 12+1 (5), Glen Phillips 9+1 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 9 (5), Jason Bunyan 6+2 (4), Andrew Bargh 5 (5).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 18 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 9 (5), Josh Auty 5 (5), Ty Proctor 4 (5), Daniel Giffard 3+1 (4), Joni Keskinen 1 (3), Arlo Bugeja 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 22 May



Isn’t speedway a strange sport? Since the season started in March the teams struggled through the cold, miserable weather rearranging fixtures to avoid a backlog and sometimes running more than once a week at home. Now that we’re more than half way through May with some warmer and sunnier weather what happens? Well this week we had one Premier League match on Monday night, one on Tuesday night, none on Wednesday and only one again tonight! Tonight’s match was at Sheffield where the Tigers raced against Workington in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Sheffield 40, Workington 50 .


Sheffield were at full strength but Workington were without the unfortunate Barry Burchatt so had to use Rider Replacement instead at number 2.

It’s not often the Tigers get turned over at home but Workington won this match with some ease. In fact the home side managed just one heat advantage all match – a 4-2 in heat 3 – while the Comets provided ten of the fifteen race winners. The key to their success was the stunning performance of their young reserve, Joe Haines, who scored paid twelve from his seven rides to back up the visitors’ top three. He would have scored more but for an engine failure on the last bend when leading heat 14! Every one of the Comets’ riders was paid for at least one race win.

The opening two races were shared with Daniel Nermark winning the opener, after cruising round Joel Parsons on the top bends of the third lap, and Joe Haines rocketing from the gate to win the reserves race for the Comets. However it was the Tigers who took the lead with a 4-2 in heat 3 when Andre Compton passed Kauko Nieminen on the third lap while Charles Wright fell at the back. The lead lasted just one race because Workington replied with a shock 1-5 in heat 4. The Tigers were unlucky when Paul Cooper suffered an engine failure while lying third but Carl Stonehewer and John Branney relegated Ben Wilson to the back turning a two point deficit to a two point lead with the score now at 11-13.

Andre Compton won heat 5 but the race was shared when Daniel Nermark and Joe Haines who struck the fence coming off the second bend finished behind him. Carl Stonehewer won again in heat 6 although he blocked his partner, Joe Haines’, run down the back straight resulting in Ricky Ashworth moving past into second place. This resulted in a 2-4 which doubled the visitors’ lead to four points. Ben Wilson gated to win heat 7 but the Tigers made no impression on their arrears because Nieminen and Wright slotted in behind him for a 3-3. Heat 8 was shared too by virtue of a Joe Haines win so the score moved to 22-26.

Workington’s big three won the next three races. Carl Stonehewer took heat 9 from Andre Compton and Lee Smethills for another 3-3 then Kauko Nieminen won heat 10 from Ashworth and Parsons. Daniel Nermark kept the winning run going for the Comets with a heat 11 success from Ben Wilson but this time he was supported in third place by Joe Haines for a 2-4 increasing the visitors’ lead to six points. Andre Compton broke the trend by winning heat 12 but Kauko Nieminen and Joe Haines kept the Workington lead intact by sharing the heat taking the score to 33-39.

With three heats left Sheffield were struggling but things looked a bit brighter when Ben Wilson and Ricky Ashworth made the gate in heat 13. It was not to be however as Carl Stonehewer passed Ricky Ashworth then closed the door on him allowing Daniel Nermark to pass them both with a run round the outside. Wilson’s win resulted in a shared race and it was all over for the Tigers when heat 14 was shared. This time it was Charles Wright’s turn for the glory as he led Paul Cooper and Lee Smethills home after Joe Haines suffered an engine failure on the last bend while leading the race. The race was shared then the Comets rubbed salt in the wound by finishing with a 1-5 as Daniel Nermark and Carl Stonehewer led Wilson and Compton home in the last race.

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

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 13 (5), Carl Stonehewer 12+2 (5), Joe Haines 10+2 (7), Kauko Nieminen 9 (4), Charles Wright 4 (4), John Branney 2+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Friday, 23 May

Tonight’s matches were at Edinburgh where the Monarchs raced Scun.thorpe and at Somerset where the Rebels took on Stoke in Premier League matches. Not for the first time in recent days the two matches produced identical scorelines.


Premier League: Edinburgh 68, Scun.thorpe 22


Edinburgh were at full strength but Scun.thorpe were without Viktor Bergstrom, injured riding in Sweden, and had Scott James (Redcar Cubs) at reserve in his place. Having dropped Benji Compton they had Scott Richardson from their Conference League side at number 4.

This really was a top drawer performance from the Monarchs which left the Scorpions in tatters. Even if the visitors had had the missing Compton and Bergstrom in their team it is hard to see how they could have made any difference. Although William Lawson and Matthew Wethers went through the meeting unbeaten the Monarchs’ star man was undoubtedly Andrew Tully who recorded his first ever 15 point Premier League maximum in times just one second outside the track record.

Carl Wilkinson led the opening race for about 50 yards by which time William Lawson had rounded him on his way to setting the fastest time this season at Armadale (55.5). Thomas Jonasson was in third place but his machine started to slow and eventually gave up the ghost allowing Andrew Moore through for a shared race. In heat 2 Andrew Tully gated and was gone. However Aaron Summers was baulked on the first bend by Byron Bekker then caught a patch of deep dirt on the second bend which had him struggling to stay on his machine. With the Scorpions nearly half a lap up on him by the time he had sorted himself out he set off in pursuit and was rewarded when Bekker fell on the second lap. He then reeled in Scott James and caught and passed him on the line for second place and a 5-1. Magnus Karlsson made the gate in heat 3 and sailed off for an untroubled race win and a shared race but a Monarchs’ 5-1 in heat 4 put them eight points ahead. Aaron Summers gated while Matthew Wethers cut back under Richard Hall on the second bend to join him and take the score to 16-8.

The Monarchs, not for the first time this season, then reeled off six consecutive 5-1s. In heat 5 Derek Sneddon touched the tapes, was excluded and replaced by Andrew Tully who passed Carl Wilkinson off the inside of bend two for an unchallenged win. Ryan Fisher passed Wilkinson on the next bend for 5-1 number 2. Lawson and Jonasson added number 3 from the gate in heat 6 then Magnus Karlsson was given a Tactical Ride in heat 7. He made the gate too but Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers were on his tail and executed a beautiful pincer movement on the third bend when Tully passed Karlsson round the outside while Wethers nipped past on the inside to leave the Scorpion’s man wondering what happened. Jonasson and Summers added 5-1 number 5 which took the score to 36-12.

Fisher and Sneddon gated for maximum number 6 then, in heat 10, Magnus Karlsson again made the gate. William Lawson passed him with a fine cut back on the second bend of lap 2 but Jonasson made no impression and had to settle for third. The home side stretched their lead to 30 points with the 4-2 then added another 5-1 in heat 11 as Andrew Tully blasted round for another heat win with Wethers following him home. The Scorpions stopped the rot in heat 12 when Magnus Karlsson again made the gate and this time pulled away from Sneddon and Summers for a shared race which took the score to 53-19.

Lawson and Wethers added 5-1 number nine in heat 13 then in heat 14 Richard Hall replaced Scott Richardson as a Tactical Substitute from 15 metres. He got nowhere near that man Tully who won again from Ryan Fisher for 5-1 number 10. In the last race William Lawson completed his maximum but Matthew Wethers was baulked at the first bend. He quickly passed Magnus Karlsson then chased after Richard Hall who kept closing the door on the entrance to the bends. However Matthew had had enough of this after a couple of laps so changed lines to blast round the outside of Hall on bends three and four for Monarchs’ eleventh 5-1 of the match.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 15 (5) (maximum), Andrew Tully 15 (5) (maximum), Matthew Wethers 11+4 (5) (paid maximum), Ryan Fisher 8+3 (4), Aaron Summers 7+4 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+1 (4), Thomas Jonasson 6+1 (4).

For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 9 (5), Carl Wilkinson 5 (4), Richard Hall 4 (6), Andrew Moore 2+1 (4), Scott James 1 (4), Byron Bekker 1 (4), Scott Richardson 0 (3).



Premier League: Somerset 68, Stoke 22 .


Both teams were at full strength.

This match nearly didn’t take place as a torrential burst of rain waterlogged parts of the track. Only after some hard work by the track staff could the match proceed. Stoke probably wished it hadn’t as they suffered a real hammering.

Jason Doyle beat Lee Complin to win the opener as Mark Burrows pulled up at the back then a 5-1 in the reserves race won by Simon Walker put the Rebels six points ahead. Emil Kramer won heat 3 but Ben Barker and Barrie Evans kept Matthias Kroger at the back for a shared race before Jordan Frampton won heat 4. Emiliano Sanchez took second from Brent Werner for a 4-2 which took the score to 16-8.

Emil Kramer gated to win heat 5 while Matthias Kroger rounded Lee Complin to join him for a 5-1 then Jason Doyle and Stephan Katt separated by Emiliano Sanchez scored a 4-2 in heat 6 for a 14 point lead. In heat 7 Ben Barker was given a Tactical Ride but it amounted to nothing when Walker and Frampton scored another 5-1. Heat 8 provided another maximum from the home side. Emil Kramer led the race from Mark Burrows from the start but Werner passed Burrow round the outside on the third lap for the Rebels’ sixth 5-1 which took the score to 35-13.

Kramer and Kroger added another easy 5-1 in heat 9 but Ben Barker gave the visitors some joy by passing Jason Doyle at the end of the third lap of heat 10 to win the race for a 3-3. Somerset responded to that piece of impudence by rattling home five consecutive 5-1s in the last five heats to rattle up a 46 point win. The only point of interest during these heats was Sanchez’s effort in heat 13 when he led Jordan Frampton for half a lap before being swallowed up. In heat 15 Simon Walker, bidding for his paid maximum, had a good tussle with Ben Barker for second place behind Kramer until Barker fell off on the last lap.

Scorers: For Somerset – Emil Kramer 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Simon Walker 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Jason Doyle 11 (4), Jordan Frampton 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Brent Werner 8+2 (4), Matthias Kroger 7+2 (4), Stephan Katt 6+1 (4).

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

[Merlin]

Saturday, 24 May

Tonight’s matches were at Berwick where the Bandits raced Scun.thorpe and at Stoke where the Potters took on Workington in Premier League matches.


Premier League: Berwick 48, Scun.thorpe 42


Berwick were without Adrian Rymel and Norbert Magosi both racing abroad. They had Tomas Topinka as a guest at number 1 and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Magosi. They also introduced new signings Tony Atkin ay number 4 and Paul Clews at number 6. Scun.thorpe were again obliged to use Conference League guests for Benji Compton at number 4 and Viktor Bergstrom at number 6. Scott Richardson rode at 4 while Adam McKinna guested for them at number 6.

Berwick went into this match with their declared ‘dream team’ but they soon woke up to some harsh reality when they found themselves down to five riders and an arrears of eight points after heat 5. However, having clawed their way back into the match and leading by six points after heat 9, they then lost Tero Aarnio to a high speed accident leaving them with just four riders to complete the remaining six heats. Nonetheless they had sealed a remarkable victory with a heat to spare!

The Scorpions got off to a great start. They gated well in the opening heat and it took a round-the-third-bend swoop by Berwick’s guest, Tomas Topinka, to pass Carl Wilkinson and separate them with Andrew Moore winning the race. This gave the visitors a 2-4 and they added another in the reserves race as Adam McKinna gated to lead home Paul Clews. Scott Smith injured his leg again and Byron Bekker passed him to give the Scorpions a four point lead. Smith withdrew from the meeting depleting the Bandits’ resources further. Magnus Karlsson won heat 3 holding off a strong challenge from Michal Makovsky to do so for a shared race then the visitors went six points clear with another 2-4 in heat 4. This time it was Richard Hall who gated for the visitors to win the race from Paul Clews. Tero Aarnio was baulked by his partner and finished last. The score was now 9-15.

The Scorpions went eight points ahead with their fourth 2-4 of the match in heat 5. Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson made the start and, although Michal Makovsky drove hard under them both to pass them on the second bend, Moore regained his lead for the heat advantage. Berwick then woke up! Tomas Topinka saw off the challenge of Richard Hall on the second bend of heat 6 while Adam McKinna suffered an engine failure giving the Bandits a 4-2. They then added two 5-1s in heat 7 and 8. The first was a from-the-gate effort; the second saw Paul Clews gate to lead round the top bends with Michal Makovsky riding Carl Wilkinson out to the fence to successfully join his partner up front. Berwick had now turned their eight point arrears into a two point lead as the score stood at 25-23.

Heat 9 produced a third consecutive home 5-1 as this time Tony Atkin led from the gate. Michal Makovsky passed Adam McKinna and Richard Hall for the maximum then Berwick hit problems again in heat 10. Tomas Topinka and Tero Aarnio seemed well set to add a fourth 5-1 on the trot only for Aarnio to shed a chain on the third lap and clatter the fence. The race was awarded as a 3-3 while Aarnio withdrew from the meeting with suspected broken ribs. Down to just four riders, Berwick could only track Paul Clews in heat 11 and he succumbed to a Wilkinson/Moore 1-5 for the visitors cutting the gap to two points. Michal Makovsky, again the lone Bandit, produced a stunning race in heat 12 by passing Adam McKinna before chasing after Magnus Karlsson. He caught him off the last bend to take the win right on the line for a shared race which took the score to 37-35.

Tomas Topinka was on his own for the Bandits in heat 13 to win a close race with Andrew Moore for another 3-3 which kept the Bandits in front by two points but it was all over when the home side, at last able to track two riders again, scored a 5-1 in heat 14 to seal victory. It wasn’t easy though as Adam McKinna and Byron Bekker made the start. However the luck changed hands as McKinna fell and Bekker picked up a puncture leaving the Bandits to record their match winning maximum. In the last race Topinka won while behind him Makovsky, Moore and Karlsson had a terrific scrap for the minor places which eventually went to the visitors.

Scorers: For Berwick – Tomas Topinka 14 (5), Paul Clews 12+2 (7), Michal Makovsky 12+1 (6), Tony Atkin 7+2 (5), Tero Aarnio 3 (3), Scott Smith 0 (1).

For Scun.thorpe – Andrew Moore 11+2 (5), Magnus Karlsson 10 (5), Richard Hall 6+1 (4), Adam McKinna 6+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 5 (4), Byron Bekker 3 (4), Scott Richardson 1+1 (3).



Premier League: Stoke 36, Workington 59 .


Stoke were at full strength but Workington without Barry Burchatt used Rider Replacement at number 2.

From the moment they lost a 1-5 in the opening race, Stoke were in trouble and never looked like pulling this match out of the fire. An 8-1 in heat 6 got them back to within three points of the Comets but the visitors just pulled away again. Nermark, Nieminen, Stonehewer and Haines scored enough between them to win the match for them!

It was depressing enough for the home fans watching Daniel Nermark win the opening heat with ease without having to watch Workington second string, Charles Wright, taking the R/R ride see off Mark Burrows and Lee Complin to follow him home for an opening 1-5. Joe Haines won the reserve race after John Branney had fallen so the result was a 3-3. Ben Barker was the first home race winner in heat 3 but his win was only good enough for a 3-3 as Kauko Nieminen and Charles Wright kept Barrie Evans at the back. The Comets added two points to their lead with a 2-4 in heat 4. Carl Stonehewer won the race from Emiliano Sanchez while John Branney passed Jesper Kristensen for third place to take the score to 9-15.

With the track already dry and dusty, gating was at a premium as passing was well nigh impossible. Nermark and Branney gated in heat 5 for a 1-5 which opened the Comets’ lead to 10 points. Stoke immediately gave Lee Complin a Tactical Ride in heat 6 and he and Mark Burrows struck gold after Carl Stonehewer fell and was excluded from the rerun. Joe Haines made the gate in the rerun but was passed by Mark Burrows at the end of lap 2 then by Lee Complin at the end of lap 3 for the Potters to score the big 8-1 and cut their arrears to three points. Workington replied to this set back with consecutive 1-5s in heats 7 and 8. In the former Nieminen and Wright made the gate against Sanchez and in the latter Haines and Branney did the damage after Mark Burrows had had to go from 15 metres back after tape touching. This took the score to 20-31.

Ben barker had a tapes-to-flag win in heat 9 for a 3-3 then in heat 10 Lee Complin and Mark Burrows made the gate but the Potters knew it wasn’t their night when Burrows hit the fence on the second lap and fell. He was excluded from the rerun in which Lee Complin cleverly cut back to pass Kauko Nieminen on the third lap resulting in a shared race. Daniel Nermark now rejoined the fray and duly won heat 11 from Emiliano Sanchez while John Branney beat Klaus Jacobsen for third and a 2-4. With the Comets reigning supreme at the gate Kauko Nieminen was next up for a tapes-to-flag win while Joe Haines followed him home for a Comets’ 1-5 which took the score to 29-46 clinching the match for them.

Yet another 1-5 went the Comets way when Stonehewer and Nermark led Sanchez home in heat 13 for a 21 point lead. This was Workington’s sixth 1-5 of the match. In heat 14 Stoke gave Ben Barker a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing Barrie Evans. Charles Wright was then excluded under the two minute time allowance and also had to go from 15 metres back. It was Joe Haines though who gated for the win. Barker made it through to second and Kristiansen finished third so the Potters took a 5-3 advantage from the heat. Finally the Comets sealed an excellent win with a 1-5 from Nermark, who completed his maximum, and Nieminen.

Scorers: For Stoke – Ben Barker 12 (6) (with 4 point TS), Lee Complin 9 (4) (with 6 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 6 (5), Mark Burrows 4+1 (4), Jesper Kristensen 4+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 1+1 (3), Barrie Evans 0 (3).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Joe Haines 13+2 (6), Kauko Nieminen 12+1 (5), Carl Stonehewer 8 (4), Charles Wright 6+4 (5), John Branney 6+2 (5).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 25 May



With the match at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers were due to race Reading being postponed because of heavy rain the sole match today’s match was at Glasgow where the Tigers raced against Redcar in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Glasgow 42, Redcar 48 .


Glasgow were without Shane Parker, Trent Leverington and Josh Grajczonek. They patched up the side by using Kauko Nieminen as a guest in place of Parker at number 3, Luke Priest as a guest for Josh Grajczonek at number 2 and Rider Replacement for Trent Leverington at number 1. Redcar were without Josh Auty and used Adam McKinna as a guest at number 6.

Glasgow didn’t have their troubles to seek in this match. Starting with only six riders, including Luke Priest as a guest and rookie reserve Mitchell Davie, they then had to contend with the withdrawal of key reserve, Ross Brady, before he even completed a race to leave them a decimated and considerably under-strength team. They then found that Redcar had struck gold with their choice of guest, Adam McKinna, replacing Josh Auty, as the former Berwick rider rattled up his best ever score at Ashfield which included winning his first three races.

The fact that the Tigers took the match to a last heat decider was astonishing, and to their credit, but they couldn’t produce the 5-1 needed to salvage a draw. Redcar by contrast must be wondering how on earth they weren’t out of sight before heat 15. They must also be delighted with McKinna’s performance which undoubtedly was the key to their success. His score must have been way beyond their wildest expectations!

Glasgow got off to a good start by taking a 4-2 in the opening heat. Kauko Nieminen beat Gary Havelock while Luke Priest scored his only point of the match when Joni Keskinen had an engine failure. The picture turned black for the Tigers in heat 2. The race had to be rerun with all four back after Mitchell Davey had fallen on the first bend. In the rerun Ross Brady gated to lead the rerun but all was not well with him and he pulled up in pain to leave Adam McKinna and Arlo Bugeja to score a 1-5 turning the two point advantage around. Kauko Nieminen was out again in heat 3 and this time took care of James Grieves while Lee Dicken’s third place gave Glasgow another 4-2 which levelled the score again. At this stage Brady’s withdrawal from the meeting was announced but, undaunted, Glasgow were back in front again after heat 4. In the first running of the race, Ty Proctor fell and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Robert Ksiezak. Arlo Bugeja finished second ahead of Mitchell Davey so Glasgow took another 4-2 which resulted in a score of 13-11.

Kauko Nieminen took his third ride in heat 5 and beat Gary Havelock again while Lee Dicken’s third place increased the Tigers’ lead to four points by virtue of the 4-2. However a very disappointing and perhaps ultimately decisive race for the Tigers in heat 6, when McKinna and Proctor gated to lead Robert Ksiezak home, resulted in a 1-5 which levelled the scores again. James Grieves had a tapes –to-flag win in heat 7 to beat Robert Ksiezak while Daniel Giffard took third from Mitchell Davey to earn the Bears a 2-4 which put them back in front again by two points. They doubled that lead with another 2-4 in heat 8 as Adam McKinna continued his scoring spree to win the race. Mitchell Davey took second after fending off the challenge of Arlo Bugeja as the score went to 22-26.

Back came Glasgow again in heat 9. Kauko Nieminen led from the gate and was followed home by Lee Dicken ahead of Proctor and McKinna to restore the home side’s hopes with a 5-1 which levelled the scores once again. The home joy was short-lived though as Redcar responded in kind as James Grieves and Daniel Giffard gated to lead Lee Dicken home for a 1-5 in heat 10 which restored the Bears’ four point lead. Gary Havelock gated to win heat 11 from Ksiezak while Mitchell Davey beat Joni Keskinen for third place to share the race points. Kauko Nieminen then won heat 12 from Grieves and McKinna for another 3-3 which took the score to 34-38.

In heat 13 Robert Ksiezak gated for a valuable win for the Tigers beating Gary Havelock in the process. Ty Proctor’s third place from Luke Priest kept the Bears four points ahead and it stayed that way when heat 14 was shared too. Lee Dicken gated to beat Daniel Giffard but Adam McKinna took third from Mitchell Davey to ensure a 3-3 which left the Bears four points to the good going into the last race. Glasgow need a 5-1 to draw the match but it was Gary Havelock who got to the front off the second bend after taking Robert Ksiezak very wide while Nieminen and Grieves slotted in behind him for a 2-4 to the visitors giving them a six point win.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Kauko Nieminen 17 (6), Robert Ksiezak 11 (6), Lee Dicken 8+1 (5), Mitchell Davey 5+1 (7), Luke Priest 1 (5).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5), Adam McKinna 11+2 (6), James Grieves 11 (5), Arlo Bugeja 5+1 (3), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (4), Ty Proctor 4+2 (4), Joni Keskinen 0.

[Merlin]

Monday, 26 May

Today’s matches were at Scun.thorpe where the Scorpions raced Edinburgh in a Premier League match and at Workington where the Comets took on Stoke in the Knock Out Cup. Two other matches were postponed because of the weather. They were the matches at Rye House where the Rockets were due to race Berwick in a Premier League match and at Reading where the Racers were due to meet Somerset in a Knock Out Cup tie.


Premier League: Scun.thorpe 39, Edinburgh 53


Scun.thorpe without Benji Compton and Viktor Bergstrom used Scott Richardson at number 4 and had Adam McKinna as a guest at number 6. Edinburgh were at full strength.

What a strange match this was. The first nine races all finished as 3-3s then Edinburgh simply took off. In fact had Andrew Tully not suffered a puncture while on a 1-5 with Ryan Fisher in heat 14, the Monarchs would have won the last six heats by 8-28. It had looked as though this match could well end up as a last heat decider but once Edinburgh stepped up a gear they were simply unstoppable.

Thomas Jonasson won the opening race and it looked as though, with William Lawson in third, the visitors would open with a 2-4. Lawson however was looking uncomfortable and eventually slipped to the back after being passed by Andrew Moore. Andrew Tully returning to his old stomping ground gave notice of his intentions, on this his 21st birthday, by easily winning heat 2 but Aaron Summers was off the pace at the back. Again it looked as though Edinburgh were off and running when Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher worked their way to the front in heat 3 but Sneddon came down on the third bend causing Fisher to have to lay down and Karlsson to take some quick avoiding action. Sneddon was excluded from the rerun (once the referee who originally excluded Fisher got her act together). Fisher made sure the race was shared with a tapes-to-flag win. Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers then looked as though they would break the deadlock when they gated in heat 4 but Summers went very wide at the start of lap 2 and the rest of the field passed by. This fourth consecutive shared heat took the score to 12-12.

Magnus Karlsson became the first Scorpions’ rider to win a race in heat 5 but Thomas Jonasson and William Lawson finished behind him for 3-3 number 5. Heat 6 was rerun after Wethers and Wilkinson came together on the first bend. In the rerun Andrew Tully was fast away for a comfortable win but Matthew Wethers got stuck behind Carl Wilkinson and Andrew Moore at the back. On the run-in to the line Wethers tried a big outside drive but clouted the fence and fell heavily just short of the line. In heat 7 an excellent race developed between Andrew Hall who made the gate and Ryan Fisher with Fisher just losing out on the line. It was the only point he was to drop all match. Heat 8 was won by Andrew Tully although he was made to work for it by Carl Wilkinson. Thomas Jonasson seemed unhappy with his bike and was tailed off at the back as another 3-3 took the score to 24-24.

Magnus Karlsson gated to win heat 9 but Aaron Summers came to life by passing Wethers and Scott Richardson for second place and another shared race but the whole match changed in the next race. Andrew Tully replaced Derek Sneddon and joined Ryan Fisher up front to team ride beautifully for a 1-5 which finally broke the deadlock and put Edinburgh four points in front. They doubled it to eight with another 1-5 in heat 11. This time it was William Lawson who sprung to life by gating for a comfortable win while Thomas Jonasson finally broke loose from Richard Hall to finish second. Andrew Tully won heat 12 but not before he had been passed by Byron Bekker slipping back to third. He repassed Bekker then set off after Magnus Karlsson finally passing him in great style off the fourth bend to win the race for a shared heat which took the score to 33-45.

It was all over after heat 13 when the Monarchs rattled in their third 1-5 in four heats. William Lawson and Matthew Wethers forced their way to the front off the opening two bends to leave Andrew Moore and Richard Hall trailing in their wake. This put the visitors twelve points up so the Scorpions tried a Tactical Substitute ride for Richard Hall replacing Scott Richardson from 15 metres back. It looked a forlorn hope when Ryan Fisher and Andrew Tully led the race from the start but Tully’s maximum hopes died when he suffered a puncture on the fourth bend allowing Bekker and Hall through. Bekker then also had a puncture but limped home behind his partner to give the Scorpions their only heat advantage of the match with a 5-3. In the last race Lawson gated again while Fisher passed Wilkinson for second place to register a fourth 1-5 for the Monarchs and 14 point win.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 10 (5), Richard Hall 10 (5) (with 4 point TS), Carl Wilkinson 8 (5), Byron Bekker 6+3 (5), Andrew Moore 3+2 (4), Scott Richardson 1+1 (3), Adam McKinna 1+1 (3).

For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 14+1 (6), Ryan Fisher 13+1 (5), William Lawson 9+2 (5), Thomas Jonasson 7+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 7+1 (4), Aaron Summers 2 (3), Derek Sneddon 1+1 (3).



Knock Out Cup (second round, first leg): Workington 54, Stoke 36 .


Workington again used Rider Replacement at number 2 in place of Barry Burchatt. Stoke were missing Lee Complin who was involved in a car accident and had Adam Roynon (Birmingham) as a guest at number 1.

Having lost heavily at home to Workington on Saturday night, Stoke could not have been too optimistic about keeping this match close and they weren’t helped by the news that Lee Complin had been injured in a car smash.

Workington opened with three 5-1s in the first four heats. Daniel Nermark and Charles Wright scored the first in the opening heat but Jesper Kristensen won the reserves race for a shared heat. In heat 3 Kauko Nieminen and Charles Wright again scored another 5-1 for an eight point lead then Carl Stonehewer took time out from winning heat 4 to shepherd his partner, John Branney, home ahead of Emiliano Sanchez for yet another 5-1 which took the score to 18-6.

The Potters managed a shared race in heat 5. Adam Roynon gated for the Potters but Nieminen passed him off the second bend to go on and win. Mark Burrows finished third for the 3-3 but another 5-1 went the Comets’ way when Nermark and Branney led home Sanchez in heat 6. Stoke were now trailing by 16 points and gave a TR to Ben Barker in heat 7. Barrie Evans passed Carl Stonehewer to lead the race briefly but Stonehewer re-passed him to go on and win. With Ben Barker stuck at the back the TR was wasted and Evans’ second place resulted in a 4-2 to the Comets. Mark Burrows gated to win heat 8 but it was only good enough to share the points as Jesper Kristensen, who had also made a fast start, slipped to the back. This took the score to 33-15.

Stoke rallied in heat 9 when Klaus Jakobsen and Emiliano Sanchez gated leaving Charles Wright and Kauko Nieminen to follow them home for a 1-5 to the Potters. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 after Ben Barker had ploughed through the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. However Joe Haines’ engine failure gave the visitors a shared race before Heat 11 provided another 1-5 to the visitors. Carl Stonehewer had withdrawn from the meeting and been replaced by John Branney but it was Roynon and Burrows who won the race for the Potters cutting their arrears to just 10 points. Kauko Nieminen won heat 12 for the home side but John Branney shed a chain resulting in a shared race which took the score to 41-31.

Daniel Nermark continued his way to a maximum by winning heat 13 but Stoke’s luck held as Joe Haines again had an engine failure resulting in another shared race. Workington then took two 5-1s in the last two races to open the winning margin to 18 points. In heat 14 Joe Haines finally finished a race and he did it in style by winning from Wright and Evans then Nieminen and Nermark added the second maximum in heat 15.

Scorers: For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Kauko Nieminen 12 (5), John Branney 8+3 (6), Charles Wright 7+3 (5), Joe Haines 7+1 (7), Carl Stonehewer 6 (2).

For Stoke – Adam Roynon 8 (4), Mark Burrows 6+2 (5), Ben Barker 6 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 5+2 (4), Barrie Evans 4+1 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 4+1 (4), Jesper Kristensen 3 (4).