Around the Premier League Tracks - 2008

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 27 May



The sole match today’s match was not as expected on the Isle of Wight but instead at Reading where the Racers raced in front of the Sky Television cameras against Rye House in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Reading 47, Rye House 46 .


Both teams were at full strength.

A match that looked like being pretty mundane after Reading opened up an eight point lead after just three heats burst into life as Rye House got the bit between their teeth to play their part in a thriller with a tremendous fightback which had the Racers decidedly worried when they found their lead reduced to a single point after heat 13. The Rockets were left to rue the fall by Luke Bowen in heat 8. Had he just settled for third place the Rockets would have won by a single point the way the match subsequently unfolded.

The opening race confirmed that the track was…err…difficult. Mark Lemon made the gate and didn’t seem to have problems but behind him the other three struggled. Indeed Robert Mear fell twice but remounted both times to at least finish the race. A wobbly Chris Neath took second from a tentative Chris Mills so the Racers took a 4-2. Luke Bowen made a great start to the reserves race and won it with something to spare. Jaimie Smith finished second as Danny Betson pulled up at the back resulting in a 3-3 but the Rockets lost another 5-1 in heat 3. Ulrich Ostergaard made one of the fastest starts you could ever see for a tapes-to-flag win while Tomas Suchanek railed round the opening bends to pass Tai Woffinden for second. Things looked bleak for the Rockets and the Sky viewers at this stage but the Rye House side pulled two points back in heat 4. Both Stefan Ekberg and Luke Bowen made the gate but Tom P Madsen made an inside pass on Bowen to restrict the visitors to a 2-4 taking the score to 15-9.

Chris Neath made the gate in heat 5 but was soon passed on the inside off bend two by the flying Ostergaard while Suchanek passed Robert Mear for third and a 4-2 stretching the Racers lead to eight points again. Stefan Ekberg anticipated the start in heat 6 to lead from the gate but his lead didn’t last long as Mark Lemon passed him off the second bend. Chris Mills took third from a struggling Betson for another 4-2, increasing the lead to ten points just at the right time for Tai Woffinden to take a Tactical Ride in heat 7. The Racers had any complacency knocked out of them when the Rye House pair responded with the big 1-8. Woffinden was fast away and his partner, Tommy Allen, joined him round the outside to team ride brilliantly denying Tom P Madsen anywhere to go. However when Madsen spotted a gap on the inside on the last bend he was through like a flash to pass Allen. The Rye House man wasn’t finished though and drove off the fourth bend timing his effort to maximum effect by finishing ahead of Madsen but still behind his partner for the best possible result. This was quite a race well worthy of the television audience. The Racers lead had now reduced to just three points and they might well have lost another two points of it in heat 8. Robert Mear finally got his act together and shot from the gate for a tapes-to-flag win. Chris Mills was second but under pressure from Luke Bowen who reeled him in and went for an inside pass on the third bend of lap 3. Unfortunately he fell in the process which allowed Nikki Glanz through for third place, a point that was to prove of great significance they way the match then unfolded. The score at this stage was 27-24.

Another fast start from Ostergaard wrapped up the win for Reading in heat 9 but the action was behind him where Ekberg led Suchanek for most of the race until Suchanek finally passed him after several unsuccessful attempts off the last bend for a 5-1 which increased the home side’s lead to seven points. Tai Woffinden won heat 10 for the visitors but Chris Mills got by Tommy Allen to finish behind Mark Lemon so the race was shared but the Rockets weren’t finished yet and recorded a 1-5 in heat 11. Chris Neath made the gate and Robert Mear, now fully into his stride, roared round the outside to join him for the maximum cutting the gap to three points again. Heat 12 was a cracker! Ulrich Ostergaard made the gate but a magnificent ride from Tai Woffinden took him past Nicky Glanz then Ostergaard on the third bend into the lead. Ostergaard had no answer so the young Rocket won the race. At the back Luke Bowen passed Nikki Glanz for third so Rye House took a 2-4 taking the score to 38-37.

Tom P Madsen made the gate in heat 13 but Stefan Ekberg and Chris Neath slotted in behind him for the 3-3 as Mark Lemon could make no impression at the back. Heat 14 was crucial and it was the home riders who made the gate. Tomas Suchanek was soon away for the race win but behind him there was an almighty battle for the minor places. Tommy Allen got past Jaimie Smith while Luke Bowen nibbled away at Smith on the inside for third place. It might have been a 4-2, 3-3 or 2-4 result but, on the last lap, Tommy Allen got out of shape and slipped to the back as Smith took full advantage to slip through for second place behind his partner for the 5-1 which sealed victory for the Racers. It was just as well for them since Rye House finished with a 1-5 from Ekberg and Woffinden. They were fortunate though since Ulrich Ostergaard, with the race in his pocket, suffered an engine failure on the last lap to surrender the maximum to the visitors. An excellent match which was a credit to the Premier League and wiped out the memory of the last televised Premier League match – the humdrum affair on the Isle of Wight when Reading were the visitors.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 11 (5), Mark Lemon 9 (5), Tomas Suchanek 8+2 (4), Tom P Madsen 7 (4), Chris Mills 6+2 (4), Jaimie Smith 4+1 (4), Nikki Glanz 2+2 (4).

For Rye House – Tai Woffinden 15+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Stefan Ekberg 11 (5), Chris Neath 6+2 (4), Robert Mear 6 (4), Luke Bowen 6 (5), Tommy Allen 2+1 (4), Danny Betson 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 28 May



With the KO Cup match at Birmingham where the Brummies were due to face Rye House being postponed by the weather, the only match tonight was at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced against Newcastle in a Premier League match.


Premier League: King’s Lynn 65, Newcastle 27 .


King’s Lynn were at full strength as were Newcastle for the first time in ages. George Stancl made a return to the team at number 3 and Jerran hart made his debut at number 6 for the Diamonds.

The track was causing some problems for the riders in the opening heat. Kevin Doolan fell and remounted while Richard Juul took an early lead before being reeled in and passed by Shaun Tacey whose win earned the Stars a shared heat. King’s Lynn stormed ahead in heat 2 when they took a 5-1 through Kozza Smith and John Oliver for a four point lead while Jerran Hart fell at the back. In heat 3 Tomas Topinka sailed round George Stancl off the second bend while Simon Lambert passed Jason King for third and a home 4-2 and six point lead. Newcastle then conceded a 0-5 in heat 4. Sean Stoddart was first to fall then Rusty Harrison passed Christian Henry shortly afterwards only for Henry also to fall. The race was stopped and Henry and Stoddart (not under power) were excluded causing the race to be rerun. Rusty Harrison led his partner Kozza Smith home in the rerun for an unchallenged five points which took the score to 17-6.

Things got even worse for the Diamonds when they lost another 5-1 in heat 5. This time it was Simon Lambert and Tomas Topinka who cruised home ahead of Juul and Josef Franc. Heat 6 compounded the misery for the Diamonds as Kevin Doolan and Shaun Tacey added another maximum ahead of Sean Stoddart and Christian Henry. At last Newcastle stopped the rot in heat 7 just as the rain returned. Jason King won the heat for the Diamonds but with George Stancl falling while trying to pass Harrison the race ended as a 3-3. It was back to the 5-1 trail in heat 8 though when Shaun Tacey and Kozza Smith kept their unbeaten records going by beating Richard Juul to take the score to 35-12. The time for this race was some five plus seconds slower than those which had gone before it indicating how much the track conditions had deteriorated.

Tomas Topinka and Simon Lambert added another 5-1 in heat 9 and Kevin Doolan and Shaun Tacey (who completed his four ride paid maximum) did likewise in heat 10. It was hardly thrill-a-minute stuff as John Oliver and Rusty Harrison continued the rout in heat 11 when both passed Josef Franc while Juul fell and remounted bringing up the rear. Heat 12 saw the end of Kozza Smith’s maximum hopes when he fell and was excluded much to his disgust after colliding with George Stancl on the first bend. In the rerun Tomas Topinka went through the formality of winning the race for a 3-3 which took the score to 53-18 giving the Diamonds a chance of reaching the 20 point mark!

Kevin Doolan and Rusty Harrison added a by now routine 5-1 in heat 13 after Christian Henry had fallen then Newcastle provided some interest to the proceedings by giving their sole race winner, Jason King, a Tactical Ride in heat 14. He flew from the gate for an unchallenged win to bring some joy to the Newcastle fans’ hearts and it got better for them when John Oliver suffered an engine failure while third leading to a Newcastle 2-7. In the last race Richard Juul fell on the last bend of the second lap, as King’s Lynn were sitting on a 5-1, and was excluded from the rerun in which Tomas Topinka and Shaun Tacey completed their paid maximums for yet another 5-1 giving the Stars a 38 point victory.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14+1 (5), Shaun Tacey 12+3 (5), Kevin Doolan 9 (4), Rusty Harrison 8+3 (4), Simon Lambert 8+1 (4), Kozza Smith 7+2 (4), John Oliver 7+1 (4).

For Newcastle – Jason King 10 (5) (with 6 point TR), George Stancl 5 (4), Richard Juul 4 (5), Josef Franc 3+1 (4), Jerran hart 2+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 2 (4), Christian Henry 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 29 May


With no match at Sheffield this week the only match tonight was at Redcar where the Bears raced against Edinburgh in the first leg of their second round Knock Out Cup tie.


Knock Out Cup (second round, first leg): Redcar 38, Edinburgh 55 .


Redcar were at full strength but Edinburgh were missing William Lawson who was riding in the British Final and Thomas Jonasson who was on his way to Finland for a World under-21 Championship meeting. They had Tomas Topinka as a guest for Lawson at number 1 and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Jonasson.

What was expected to be close run affair turned out another sizeable win for an Edinburgh side currently on fire. The Monarchs produced ten of the race winners and only three last places to leave Redcar with a nigh impossible task in having to pull back a seventeen point deficit in Friday’s second leg.

What a start for Edinburgh! In the opening race Tomas Topinka jetted from the gate to lower the track record to 54.4 followed by Gary Havelock and Andrew Tully (R/R) for a 2-4. The Monarchs added a 1-5 in the reserves race. Andrew Tully gated and waited for Aaron Summers to come round the outside of him before the pair team rode smoothly to keep Josh Auty in third. Six points ahead another fine start from Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher threatened another race advantage for the visitors but Sneddon headed for the second bend fence off the first corner allowing the other three riders to pass him by. Fisher went on to win the race comfortably for a 3-3 then Edinburgh increased their lead to eight points in heat 4 when Matthew Wethers became the fourth Monarchs’ rider to win a heat. He made the best start to the race, rerun after Andrew Tully had been warned for moving at the start, then fended off a challenge from Ty Proctor down the back straight to go on for the win. Tully’s third place gave the visitors another 2-4 taking the score to 8-16.

James Grieves gated to win heat 5 and Daniel Giffard threatened to join him up front briefly before Topinka pulled away from him to cement his second place. The 4-2 pulled Redcar’s arrears back to six points but they were eight down again after heat 6. Gary Havelock made the gate and looked in control of the race but he got a real shock when a charging Andrew Tully thundered under him on the third and fourth bends to take the lead and go on to win. Matthew Wethers took third for a 2-4 and another heat advantage went the visitors’ way in heat 7. Fisher and Sneddon were quickly off and running but a forceful move by Ty Proctor saw him pass Sneddon for second place restricting the damage to a 2-4 which increased Edinburgh’s lead to ten points. The Bears gave Ty Proctor a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8 but it was to no avail. Fisher and Summers soon left Bugeja behind in their charge round the first two bends and, although Proctor did make up some ground on Summers, he never really looked like having any points to double. The resultant 1-5 saw Edinburgh almost out of sight now 14 points ahead with the score at 17-31.

James Grieves was next to appear with the black and white helmet cover, this time taking a Tactical Ride in heat 9. He just got to the corner ahead of Matthew Wethers who pushed him hard all race on the inside without being able to pass him. This gave Grieves the full six points but, with Tully taking third from Giffard, Redcar were restricted to a 6-3 advantage which cut the lead to 11 points. Ryan Fisher made a good start to lead Gary Havelock home in heat 10 but Joni Keskinen scored his first ever ‘genuine’ point for the Bears by fending off the challenge of Derek Sneddon for third resulting in a shared race. Ty Proctor made the gate for an excellent win ahead of Wethers and Topinka in heat 11 for another 3-3 then heat 12 became the third consecutive shared race. Derek Sneddon led from the tapes until towards the end of the third lap when he was passed in quick succession by James Grieves and Andrew Tully taking the score to 32-43.

The charge round bends one and two in heat 13 resulted in Matthew Wethers and Tomas Topinka coming out in front of Havelock and Proctor and that’s the way it stayed for a 1-5 which put the Monarchs 15 points ahead. However Josh Auty finally made a gate to lead home Aaron Summers and Ryan Fisher in heat 14, ruining Fisher’s maximum in the process. Finally Ryan Fisher completed an excellent and classy night’s work in winning heat 15 by the proverbial mile while James Grieves found himself again with his hands full trying to keep Matthew Wethers behind him. He managed it though but the race still finished as a 2-4 to the visitors giving them a 17 point advantage to take into the second leg.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 15+1 (5) (with 6 point TR), Ty Proctor 8 (6), Gary Havelock 7 (4), Josh Auty 4 (4), Daniel Giffard 3 (4), Joni Keskinen 1+1 (3), Arlo Bugeja 0 (4).

For Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 16+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 12 (5), Andrew Tully 11+1 (6), Tomas Topinka 8+2 (4), Aaron Summers 6+2 (4), Derek Sneddon 2+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 30 May

There were two Knock Out Cup matches raced tonight – a second leg tie at Edinburgh between the Monarchs and Redcar and a first leg tie at Somerset between the Rebels and Reading .


Knock Out Cup (second round, second leg): Edinburgh 55, Redcar 38 Edinburgh won on aggregate by 110-76.


Edinburgh were without Thomas Jonasson and Andrew Tully both off in search of World under-21 Championship glory so used Rider Replacement for Jonasson at number 4 and had Sean Stoddart at number 6 for Tully. Redcar were at full strength.

This was an excellent and entertaining match on a warm night at Armadale. The atmosphere was greatly enhanced by a coach load of Bears’ fans, suitably attired for the occasion, who ensured that a good time was had by all. Redcar had too much to do following the first leg result but contributed greatly with some spirited riding which, strangely enough, produced the identical score to the first leg.

In the opening race William Lawson showed he was in great form by scorching to a win in a time 0.2 outside the track record set by Theo Pijper in September 2006. Gary Havelock took second as the Monarchs opened with a 4-2. The usual reserves race maximum for the Monarchs didn’t materialise this time as Josh Auty made the gate to win comfortably. It looked as though the Bears were going to level the match as Arlo Bugeja was comfortably third but Aaron Summers came from a long way back to pass Bugeja on the line as the Bears’ rider seemed to slow so the heat was shared. In heat 3 Derek Sneddon, James Grieves and Ryan Fisher all came together at the same spot entering the first turn causing Grieves and Fisher to fall. In the all-four-back rerun, James Grieves led from the start but Ryan Fisher passed him on the inside coming off bend four. Derek Sneddon, stuck at the back, made a Herculean effort to pass Daniel Giffard on the fourth bend of lap 3 but only succeeded in getting completely out of shape so he retired from the race. This race was shared too as was heat 4. Edinburgh were sitting on a 5-1 from the gate but Aaron Summers made a hash of the third bend and crashed into the fence causing the race to be rerun. Matthew Wethers won that so the score stood at 13-11.

In heat 5 Derek Sneddon made a fast start to lead Gary Havelock off the second bend. Ryan Fisher tried to sweep round the outside but was baulked and could thereafter make no impression on Havelock while Sneddon was flawless on his way to the win. The 4-2 gave the Monarchs a four point lead and it stayed that way after heat 6 after an enthralling race. William Lawson gated to lead down the back straight but he got a shock as Josh Auty passed him going into the third bend. Auty couldn’t make it stick though as Lawson re-passed him off the fourth bend. With Ty Proctor third the result was a 3-3. Heat 7 was another classic. James Grieves was fast away but Matthew Wethers produced his party piece on bend 2 to pass him on the inside up the back straight. James Grieves forced his way to the front again off the top bends but a lap later Wethers drove round the outside of Grieves to win the race. Daniel Giffard took third for another shared race as the Bears resistance continued. In heat 8 Ryan Fisher (R/R) gated for a comfortable win but Aaron Summers having gated poorly and picked off Bugeja fell on the last bend to surrender his third place point to Bugeja for another 3-3 which took the score to 26-22.

Edinburgh then took control. Ryan Fisher headed off in heat 9 after Josh Auty had looked like challenging him then Auty got involved in a great race with Derek Sneddon which saw the riders pass and repass each other. Auty prevailed to take second place but the 4-2 extended the home side’s lead to six points. Heat 10 had to be rerun after Daniel Giffard fell heavily on the first bend just as Lawson and Wethers had passed James Grieves. In the rerun the two Monarchs repeated their moves on Grieves who again made the best start. Coming off bend two William Lawson passed Grieves round the outside while Matthew Wethers nipped through on the inside in a pincer movement. The 5-1 put the Monarchs 10 points ahead but Redcar suffered a bad blow in heat 11 when Gary Havelock, in second place behind Sean Stoddart, got out of shape on the first bend on the second lap. He collected Matthew Wethers and both riders crashed into the fence. Although both were soon up and walking back to the pits it was the end of the meeting for Havelock. In the rerun Wethers and Stoddart led Joni Keskinen home by a distance for another 5-1 so Redcar gave James Grieves a Tactical Ride in heat 12. This was another cracking race. Derek Sneddon gated to lead Grieves from the start. Sneddon rode an excellent race against the faster Grieves, blocking his outside run off bends two and four the whole race until on the last bend when he didn’t quite go wide enough and Grieves finally got past on the outside to win on the line for the full six points. Josh Auty finished third ahead of Aaron Summers so the visitors scored a 2-7 which took the score to 42-33.

Lawson and Wethers added a textbook 5-1 in heat 13 to seal victory for the home side then Ryan Fisher won heat 14 by a distance. The improving Arlo Bugeja took second comfortably from Sean Stoddart resulting in a 4-2 for the Monarchs before the home side signed off with another 4-2 in heat 15. In another excellent race William Lawson completed his maximum with ease but James Grieves in second place fended off all the challenges that Matthew Wethers could mount for second place.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – William Lawson 15 (5) (maximum), Matthew Wethers 14+2 (6), Ryan Fisher 13 (5), Derek Sneddon 6 (4), Sean Stoddart 6+1 (5), Aaron Summers 1+1 (5).

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



Premier League: Somerset 53, Reading 39 .


Both teams were at full strength.

What should have been the second leg of this tie became the first leg following the postponement of the corresponding fixture at Reading on Monday night. Having already won at Somerset, the Racers had no fears in visiting what had become a fortress in recent weeks.

The Racers got off to a good start in heat 1 when Mark Lemon got the better of Jason Doyle on the opening bend to win the race comfortably. Chris Mills took third for a 2-4 but a reserves race 5-1 from Simon Walker and Brent Werner from the gate changed the two point lead around. Matthias Kroger touched the tapes in heat 3 and was replaced in the heat by Simon Walker. Emil Kramer got the better of Ulrich Ostergaard on the first bend to forge ahead for the race win while Ostergaard was then pressurised by Walker without success. The 4-2 put the Rebels four points ahead but the Racers pulled two points back in heat 4. Tom P Madsen and Nicki Glanz made the gate but Jordan Frampton passed Glanz on the third bend for a 2-4 which took the score to 13-11.

Mark Lemon passed Emil Kramer in heat 5 to win the race for a 3-3 then the Rebels put some daylight between themselves and the visitors with a 5-1 in heat 6. Stephan Katt and Jason Doyle gated to lead Madsen home stretching the Rebels lead to six points. Ulrich Ostergaard gated to win heat 7 for a shared race but the Rebels added another 5-1 in heat 8 when Stephan Katt and Brent Werner gated. Werner held off the challenge of Chris Mills as the score went to 29-19.

Tom P Madsen was fast away in heat 9 but Emil Kramer passed him off the second bend for the win while Jaimie Smith took third for a shared race. Doyle and Katt made the gate in heat 10 and, although Ostergaard passed Katt at the end of the first lap, he couldn’t catch Doyle so the Rebels increased their lead to twelve points with the 4-2. In heat 11 Mark Lemon took a Tactical Ride but, although he gated, he was passed round the outside by Simon Walker while Jordan Frampton was third resulting in a 4-4 shared race. Reading got back into the match by scoring a 1-5 in heat 12. Jaimie Smith and Ulrich Ostergaard hit the front after Ostergaard had pinned Kramer to the line round the first two bends. The maximum race win cut the visitors’ arrears to eight points with the score now 41-33.

Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton led Mark Lemon round the opening bends of heat 13 and, although Frampton suffered an engine failure just before the line, he had enough momentum to cross the line in second place for a 5-1. Ulrich Ostergaard tried a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 14 replacing Nicki Glanz but the move came to nothing when he finished at the back leaving Kroger and Walker to score another 5-1 which increased the Rebels lead to 16 points, a worrying gap for the Racers. However the visitors pulled two points back in the final race as Ulrich Ostergaard beat Jason Doyle with Mark Lemon in third for a 2-4.

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

For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 12+1 (6) (with 2 point TS), Mark Lemon 12 (5) (with 4 point TR), Jaimie Smith 6+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 6 (4), Chris Mills 2 (4), Nicki Glanz 1 (3), Tomas Suchanek 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 31 May

Three matches were raced today. At Berwick the Bandits faced the Isle of Wight and at Workington the Comets took on Sheffield both in Premier League matches while at Rye House the Rockets raced against Birmingham in a first leg Knock Out Cup match.


Premier League: Berwick 46, Isle of Wight 44


Berwick were without Tero Aarnio, Norbert Magosi and Scott Smith. They had Kozza Smith as a guest at number 2, Adam McKinna as a guest at Number 7 and used Rider Replacement for Norbert Magosi, who was riding in the Hungarian Championships, at number 4. The Isle of Wight were missing Paul Fry and used Rider Replacement at number 4.

The opening race, won by Adrian Rymel from Jason Bunyan was shared as was the reserves race won by James Holder after passing Paul Clews coming off the second bend. Clews fought hard but couldn’t re-pass Holder. Behind them Adam McKinna passed Andrew Bargh for third for the 3-3. First blood went to Berwick with a 4-2 in heat 3. Glen Phillips led from the gate but was passed by Michal Makovsky on the third bend while Paul Clews provided third place for the Bandits. The two Islanders led from the gate in heat 4 but, while Krzysztof Stojanowski went on to win the race, Andrew Bargh was passed by firstly Tony Atkin then Adam McKinna for a shared race which took the score to 13-11.

Heat 5, won by Michal Makovsky from Jason Bunyan, was shared too after Kozza Smith fell on the third lap but the Bandits took a 5-1 in heat 6. Kozza Smith came from the back to lead the race in fine style while Adrian Rymel finished second ahead of Stojanowski. This gave the Bandits a six point lead but the Islanders pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat 7. Glen Phillips and Andrew Bargh were sitting on a 1-5 when Tony Atkin fell on the fourth bend causing the race to be stopped and rerun. In the rerun Glen Phillips again led the race but Paul Clews passed Bargh for second salvaging two points from the heat for the Bandits. The visitors then pulled back another two points in heat 8 when Cory Gathercole won the race from Kozza Smith while James Holder took third place taking the score to 25-23.

Krzysztof Stojanowski won heat 9 from Michal Makovsky for a 3-3 and heat 10, won by Adrian Rymel from Glen Phillips after Kozza Smith had fallen and been excluded, produced the same score. However the Islanders took a 1-5 in heat 11 as Jason Bunyan and Cory Gathercole gated to head home Paul Clews to put the visitors two points in front. Berwick countered that with a 5-1 from Paul Clews and Michal Makovsky ahead of Glen Phillips. This put Berwick back in front by two points again with the score now 37-35.

Adrian Rymel won heat 13 but Krzysztof Stojanowski and Jason Bunyan finished behind him for a shared race. Heat 14 provided a 2-4 to the Islanders which levelled the match at 42-42. Krzysztof Stojanowski headed Makovsky round the opening bends to lead the race then, when Makovsky shed a chain on the fourth bend, Paul Clews finished second with Andrew Bargh picking up the gift third place point. So it was a last heat decider in which Adrian Rymel raced round Stojanowski on the first bend with Makovsky trying to follow him through on the inside. Makovsky chased Stojanowski hard but decided that discretion was the better part of valour by turning his attention to keeping Gathercole behind him as the Islander started to threat. He only just managed it! The race finished as a 4-2 to the Bandits who therefore scraped home by two points in a nail biting finish.

Scorers: For Berwick – Adrian Rymel 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Michal Makovsky 11+1 (6), Paul Clews 11 (6), Kozza Smith 5 (5), Tony Atkin 3+1 (5), Adam McKinna 2+2 (3)..

For the Isle of Wight – Krzysztof Stojanowski 14 (6), Jason Bunyan 8+1 (4), Glen Phillips 8 (4), Cory Gathercole 7+3 (5), James Holder 4 (4), Andrew Bargh 3+1 (7).



Premier League: Workington 45, Sheffield 45


Workington were without Carl Stonehewer and used Rider Replacement at number 5. They also introduced their new signing, Tomi Reima, at number 2. Sheffield were without Sam Martin, injured last night, and had Ben Hopwood as a guest at number 6.

Aye, speedway’s a funny old game. Just nine days ago Workington went to Sheffield and comfortably beat the Tigers by ten points. Tonight Sheffield made the trip to Workington in the return fixture and earned a draw. The Comets were of course missing Carl Stonehewer but an uncharacteristic single figure score from Daniel Nermark who only won one race (plus a paid win) didn’t help.

This match see-sawed back and forth all night. In the opening heat Joel Parsons touched the tapes and was replaced by Paul Cooper. Ricky Ashworth then led Daniel Nermark home while Paul Cooper took third from the Comets’ new man, Tomi Reima, for third and a 2-4. The Tigers’ lead was wiped out by a Comets’ 5-1 in the reserves race won by Joe Haines and Workington were now two points ahead. Back came the Tigers in heat 3 with a 1-5 although they were fortunate when Kauko Nieminen suffered an engine failure at the end of the third lap while out in front. Andre Compton and Lee Smethills took full advantage by heading Charles Wright home. This restored Sheffield’s two point lead and it stayed that way when Joe Haines won a titanic struggle with Ben Wilson to win heat 4 for a shared race which took the score to 11-13.

Ricky Ashworth fell in heat 5 and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Kauko Nieminen from Joel Parsons for a 4-2 to the home side levelling the scores again. Ben Wilson gated in heat 6 for the Tigers but Tomi Reima passed him round the opening bends and was followed soon after by Daniel Nermark leading to a home 5-1 which put the Comets four points in front. Back came Sheffield in heat 7 with a win from Andre Compton. The Tigers threatened a 1-5 as Lee Smethills joined him up front but Joe Haines passed him at the end of the second lap to turn the result into a 2-4. The visitors were now just two points down but they levelled the match again in heat 8 with another 2-4. Paul Cooper led from the start and again the Tigers were sitting on a 1-5 when Joel Parsons moved into second place behind him. However once more it was down to Joe Haines to rescue the Comets and this he did by passing Parsons right on the line to restrict the Tigers’ heat advantage to two points taking the score to 24-24.

Kauko Nieminen easily won heat 9 and, with Charles Wright in second, it was Workington’s turn to threaten a 5-1. However Ben Wilson passed Wright down the back straight to take second. Nonetheless the Comets took a 4-2 which put them back in front by two points again. They then stretched their lead to six points with a 5-1 from Daniel Nermark and Joe Haines ahead of Andre Compton but Sheffield hit back again in heat 11 when Ricky Ashworth beat Kauko Nieminen with Joel Parsons this time subduing Joe Haines to keep him at the back for a 2-4 which cut the visitors’ arrears to four points. John Branney fell on the second lap of heat 12 as Sheffield sat on a 1-5. He was excluded but it was scant consolation for the Tigers as Kauko Nieminen charged past both Cooper and Compton in the rerun to win the heat. Cooper fell on the second lap but remounted for third to earn a shared race which took the score to 38-34.

The alarm bells started ringing for Workington when Daniel Nermark fell while leading on the last lap in heat 13. The race was awarded to Ben Wilson with Tomi Reima (R/R) second and Ricky Ashworth third. This gave Sheffield another 2-4 cutting their arrears to just two points then they squared the match in heat 14 with yet another 2-4. Lee Smethills and Paul Cooper led from the gate for the Tigers and once again it was left to Joe Haines to rescue second place for the home side. This he did passing Paul Cooper on the second lap off the second bend and setting up a last heat decider in which Andre Compton scored a tapes-to-flag victory for the visitors from Nieminen and Nermark for a shared race which left the match tied.

Scorers: For Workington – Joe Haines 14+1 (7), Kauko Nieminen 13 (6), Daniel Nermark 8+2 (5), Tomi Reima 5 (4), Charles Wright 3 (5), John Branney 2+1 (3).

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 12 (5), Paul Cooper 8+2 (6), Ben Wilson 8 (4), Ricky Ashworth 7 (5), Lee Smethills 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 4 (4), Ben Hopwood 0 (3).



Knock Out Cup (second round, first leg): Rye House 62, Birmingham 30


Both teams were at full strength (briefly).

At last Birmingham welcomed back their injury victims, Phil Morris and James Birkinshaw, but their injury list wasn’t depleted for long. In the opening heat Phil Morris ploughed through the third bend fence while Adam Roynon followed him. Both withdrew from the meeting, Morris with a dislocated shoulder and Roynon with a broken leg, leaving the Brummies yet again in tatters. It seems barely conceivable that the fates could conspire against them so cruelly. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jason Lyons suffered lacerations to his hand after crashing into his stricken partner in heat 12 ruling him out of the last race.

In the opening heat Robert Mear raced inside Phil Morris on the third bend of the second lap. Although there was no contact, Morris straightened up and crashed through the fence causing Adam Roynon to lay down his bike to avoid hitting Morris but he only succeeded in crashing into the fence too. This left both Birmingham riders to take trips to the hospital leaving the Brummies with only five riders and no opening pairing. In the rerun of heat 1 Chris Neath and Robert Mear easily beat James Birkinshaw for a 5-1. Heat 2 had to be rerun too after Luke Bowen fell attempting an outside pass on race leader, James Birkinshaw, at the end of the second lap. He was excluded from the rerun in which Birkinshaw won from the gate from Danny Betson for a 2-4. Tai Woffinden passed Jason Lyons in heat 3 at the end of the first lap and Tommy Allen did likewise on the next lap but Lyons regained his second place soon after. This gave Rye House a 4-2 and four point lead again and they added a 5-1 in heat 4 in yet another rerun race after Craig Watson had fallen on the second lap. Luke Bowen and Stefan Ekberg took all five points in the rerun which took the score to 16-8.

Woffinden and Allen recorded a 5-1 against the two Brummies’ reserves in heat 5 and Neath and Mear added another beating Craig Watson in heat 6 after Mear had passed Watson on the backstraight. In heat 7 Birmingham gave Jason Lyons a Tactical Ride but Stefan Ekberg won the race to deny him all six points. Birmingham still took a heat advantage though when Lee Smart passed Danny Betson for third resulting in a 3-5 to the visitors. In heat 8 Bowen and Mear beat the two Brummies’ reserves for another 5-1 taking the score to 34-16.

In heat 9 Tai Woffinden passed Craig Watson while Tommy Allen took third for a 4-2 which stretched the home side’s lead to 20 points and it stayed that way when Jason Lyons won heat 10 for a shared race. Stefan Ekberg won heat 11 but the two Brummies’ reserves finished ahead of Danny Betson to share this race too. In heat 12 there was more trouble for the depleted visitors when James Birkinshaw fell on the last bend of the second lap and Jason Lyons ran into him hurting his hand in the process. The race was awarded to Luke Bowen and Tai Woffinden for another 5-1 which took the score to 49-25.

Birmingham’s resources were reaching exhaustion point and they were able to track just one rider in heat 13, Craig Watson. Stefan Ekberg took a tapes-to-flag win but Watson passed Chris Neath for second so the race finished as a 4-2 for the Rockets. Jack Hargreaves then fell in heat 14 while at the back so the race had to be rerun. Tommy Allen won it for the home side but Lee Smart held on under pressure from Bowen for second place and another 4-2. To complete a dismal night for Birmingham Craig Watson fell in heat 15 causing that heat to be rerun too, the sixth rerun of the night. Ekberg and Woffinden completed their maximums beating Smart into third place for a 32 point lead to take into the second leg which surely ends Birmingham’s chances of progression.

Scorers: For Rye House – Stefan Ekberg 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tai Woffinden 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Luke Bowen 10 (5), Robert Mear 8+3 (4), Chris Neath 8+1 (4), Tommy Allen 7+1 (4), Danny Betson 2 (3).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 10 (4) (with 4 point TR), James Birkinshaw 8+1 (7), Craig Watson 5 (5), Lee Smart 4+1 (5), Jack Hargreaves 3 (7), Phil Morris 0 (1), Adam Roynon 0 (0).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 1 June

Three matches were scheduled for today. One of them was postponed well in advance of the start time – the Premier League match at Newcastle where the Isle of Wight were due to provide the opposition; one started and lasted two heats before being called off - the Premier League match at Glasgow where Sheffield were the visitors; and one was completed – the Premier League match at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers took on Somerset .


Premier League: Glasgow 6, Sheffield 6 the match was abandoned after heat 2 due to a waterlogged track.


Glasgow were without Shane Parker, Trent Leverington and Josh Grajczonek all on the injury list. They had William Lawson as a guest at number 1 for Parker, used Rider Replacement at number 5 for Leverington and had Adam McKinna at number 7 as a guest for Josh Grajczonek. The Tigers also introduced their new signing, Anders Andersen at number 3. Sheffield were without the injured Sam Martin and had Ben Hopwood at number 6 as a guest.

It is debatable whether this match should ever have started on the already waterlogged track but it did. After two heats with the rain still falling a halt was called to the proceedings to see whether the rain would stop. It didn’t so the inevitable decision to abandon the meeting was made.

In the first race William Lawson powered from the start to win by the proverbial mile and Glasgow looked in good shape for a 5-1 when Lee Dicken saw off Ricky Ashworth to move into second place but he fell under no pressure on the second bend of the last lap which allowed Ashworth through. Joel Parsons had lost interest behind the other three riders long before this but kept going no doubt suspecting a fall by someone and his casual interest in the proceedings was rewarded when he coasted home for third place. In the reserves race Adam McKinna, anxious to get on with the heat, charged into the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. When the race got under way, Lee Smethills made a fast start for a tapes-to-flag win while Mitchell Davey took second. Adam McKinna quickly made up his 15 metre handicap to pass Ben Hopwood so the race was shared. Anders Andersen was quickly on to the track for his debut race for the Tigers in heat 3 but was recalled to the pits as the inevitable long-winded discussions took place between all and sundry before the decision was made to call a halt, a decision which had been quite clear as the only one possible to the crowd even before heat 1.

Scorers: For Glasgow – William Lawson 3 (1), Mitchell Davey 2 (1), Adam McKinna 1+1 (1), Lee Dicken 0 (1), Anders Andersen and Robert Ksiezak did not ride.

For Sheffield – Lee Smethills 3 (1), Ricky Ashworth 2 (1), Joel Parsons 1+1 (1), Ben Hopwood 0 (1), Andre Compton and Ben Wilson did not ride.



Premier League: Mildenhall 37, Somerset 55 .


Mildenhall were without Mark Baseby and had Kyle Hughes at number 6 in his place. Somerset were at full strength.

Mildenhall started badly then faded as another of the top Premier League sides came, saw and routed them. They produced only four race winners all match, hardly the recipe for success and Somerset had the points wrapped up by heat 13.

The Fen Tigers got off to a poor start losing the opening two heats to 2-4s, as Jan Gravesen finished behind Jason Doyle in heat 1 and Kyle Hughes finished behind Brent Werner in heat 2, to trail by four points. Heat 3 had to be rerun after Matthias Kroger had fallen while trailing at the back. Kai Laukkanen won the rerun from Emil Kramer while Hughes’ third place gave the home side a 4-2 to cut the gap to two points. Although Robbie Kessler gated to lead heat 4, he was passed by both Jordan Frampton and Simon Walker who took a 1-5 leading to a score of 9-15.

The next three races all produced heat advantages to the visitors. Jason Doyle beat Kai Laukkanen in heat 5 with Katt third for a 2-4 then Jordan Frampton won heat 6 from Graversen, who passed Brent Werner for his two points, and another 2-4. Kramer and Kroger added a 1-5 in heat 7 to increase Somerset’s lead to 14 points then Jan Graversen took a Tactical Ride in heat 8 for the Fen Tigers. His task was made easier when Stephan Katt suffered an engine failure at the gate but he couldn’t take full advantage since Simon Walker won the race for the Rebels. With Graversen finishing second the home side took a 5-3 advantage taking the score to 19-31.

Another 2-4 added two more points to the visitors’ lead in heat 9 won by Frampton from Laukkanen but the home fans had something to cheer about in heat 10 when they witnessed that rarity – a 5-1 for the Fen Tigers! Many though the race should have been pulled back after an unsatisfactory start but the home boys weren’t hanging about for the red light to come on. Michal Rajkowski awoke from the slumbers of his otherwise pointless meeting to win the race while the much improved Jan Graversen took second ahead of the two Ks – Kroger and Kramer. This oasis in the desert pulled the home side’s arrears back to just ten points and they kept it that way after Stephan Katt had fallen and been excluded in heat 11. Jason Doyle won the race for a 3-3 but Somerset pulled away again with another 1-5 in heat 12 from Kramer and Werner taking the score to 30-44.

Robbie Kessler headed Frampton and Doyle home in heat 13 for a shared race, ruining the maximum hopes of both Rebels’ riders in the process, but Somerset added another 1-5 from Kroger and Walker in heat 14. In the last heat Robbie Kessler finished with a flourish by winning again from Doyle and Frampton for another shared race as Somerset ended up with an 18 point win.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Jan Graversen 10+1 (5) (with 4 point TR), Robbie Kessler 9+1 (5), Kai Laukkanen 7 (4), Kyle Hughes 6 (5), Michal Rajkowski 3 (4), Henning Loof 2+1 (4), Jari Makinen 0 (3).

For Somerset – Jason Doyle 12+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 12 +1 (5), Simon Walker 8+2 (4), Emil Kramer 8 (4), Brent Werner 7+1 (4), Matthias Kroger 6+1 (4), Stephan Katt 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 2 June



Tonight’s only match was at Reading where the Racers took on Stoke in a Premier League match.


Premier League: Reading 54, Stoke 41 .


Reading were at full strength but Stoke were without the injured Lee Complin so had Kauko Nieminen as a guest at number 1.

This was a match which Reading might have expected to win comfortably but they found themselves 8 points down after just two races. Unfortunately for the Potters they didn’t provide another race winner until heat 11 when Kauko Nieminen scored 6 points from a Tactical Ride. The resultant 2-7 got the Potters back to within five points of their hosts but their challenge fizzled out after that.

Kauko Nieminen passed Mark Lemon on the second lap of the opening race while Mark Burrows won a good tussle for third from Chris Mills to give the Potters a 2-4 and early two point lead which they doubled in the reserves race. Jesper Kristiansen won from Glanz and Jakobsen for another 2-4 but then Reading replied with a 4-2 in heat 3 with an Ulrich Ostergaard win from Ben Barker while Tomas Suchanek passed Barrie Evans for third. The score was level again when the home side added another 4-2 in heat 4 after Tom P Madsen won from Emiliano Sanchez and Nicki Glanz passed Kristiansen for third. This took the score to 12-12.

Ostergaard and Suchanek gated for a 5-1 in heat 5 with Nieminen surprisingly trailing in last so the Racers now had a four point lead and they doubled it in heat 6 with another 5-1 from Mills and Lemon. This time it wasn’t plain sailing as Emiliano Sanchez made the gate. He was passed by Mills off the second bend and Lemon on the fourth bend so Stoke now found themselves trailing by eight points. Madsen passed Barrie Evans to win heat 8 for a 3-3 then Ben Barker took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8 replacing Klaus Jakobsen. Chris Mills won the race but Ben Barker finally passed Glanz at the end of the second lap then his partner, Mark Burrows, so the visitors took a 3-5 advantage from the race taking the score to 28-22.

Ostergaard won heat 9 while Suchanek passed Jakobsen then Sanchez with an inside line burst to join him for a 5-1 which put Reading ten points ahead. Mark Lemon led heat 10 but an excellent pass by Ben Barker ended with the Stoke rider winning the race while Kristiansen fell and was excluded. This resulted in a shared race and Kauko Nieminen was then nominated for a Tactical Ride in heat 11. When Nieminen and Burrows gated the Stoke pair were sitting on a 1-8 but Madsen passed Burrows on the last lap to rescue two points for Reading leading to a 2-7 for the Potters which cut the lead to five points. Ostergaard won again in heat 12 from Barker while Kristiansen was excluded when he fell in third place. The home 4-2 took the score to 42-35.

A 5-1 from Madsen and Lemon in heat 13 with Nieminen retiring from the race all but sealed victory for the Racers stretching their lead to 11 points. Kristiansen and Suchanek came together in heat 14 and the Reading man was excluded from the rerun. Kristiansen won the rerun from Jaimie Smith for a 2-4 then the home side finished with another 5-1 in heat 15 when Ostergaard and Madsen led Nieminen home.

Scorers: For Reading – Ulrich Ostergaard 15 (5) (maximum), Tom P Madsen 13+1 (5), Mark Lemon 8+2 (4), Chris Mills 7+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 5+2 (4), Nicki Glanz 4 (4), Jaimie Smith 2 (4).

For Stoke – Ben Barker 13 (6) (with 4 point TS), Kauko Nieminen 10 (5) (with 6 point TR), Jesper Kristiansen 6 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (4), Mark Burrows 4+1 (4), Barrie Evans 2+1 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 4 June

Tonight’s matches were at Birmingham where the Brummies raced Sheffield in the first leg of the Premier Trophy semi final and at King’s Lynn where the Stars took on Workington in a Premier League match.


Premier Trophy (semi final, first leg): Birmingham 57, Sheffield 37


Birmingham were missing injury victims, Adam Roynon and Phil Morris. They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon and had Chris Mills as a guest at number 2 for Morris. Sheffield were without Sam Martin and had Kyle Hughes at number 6 as a guest.

Birmingham certainly pulled themselves together, after the disaster of Saturday night, by beating Sheffield by 20 points, giving the Tigers a lot to do to pull the deficit back. The visitors got off to a dreadful start and trailed by 12 points after the first four races. Although they lost another 8 points by the tenth race they dropped just two points thereafter with a number of shared heats to leave some hope for the second leg tomorrow night for a place in the final.

The first heat had to be rerun after Ricky Ashworth brought off Craig Watson on the second lap. Ashworth was excluded and Craig Watson led the rerun from the off with Joel Parsons holding off Chris Mills for second for a 4-2. James Birkinshaw got off to a fast start in heat 2 while Jack Hargreaves joined him for a 5-1 by passing Lee Smethills on the third lap. The six point lead went to eight in heat 3 when Jason Lyons led Andre Compton from the gate for a 4-2 then the Brummies added another 5-1 in heat 4 in a brilliant race. Ben Wilson and Lee Smethills gated for the Tigers until, firstly, Craig Watson then James Birkinshaw passed both visitors to turn a potential 1-5 into a 5-1 which took the score to 18-6.

The Tigers got back into the match in heat 5 after Jason Lyons had fallen on the first bend and been excluded. In the rerun Ricky Ashworth led Lee Smart home with Parsons third for a 2-4 then Andre Compton took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 6 replacing Kyle Hughes. Chris Mills won the race for the home side while Andre Compton’s chase ended on the line as he just failed to pass him for all six points. Birkinshaw’s third place meant that the heat was shared 4-4. Compton was out again in heat 7 and he won this one from Craig Watson while Paul Cooper took third for a 2-4 which cut the arrears to eight points. Birmingham responded with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Mills and Birkinshaw who came through the field from last to second to join his partner up front. This took the score to 31-19.

The Brummies hit maximum mode again in heat 9 as Lee Smart passed Ben Wilson on the last lap to join Jason Lyons who led from the start. Sheffield were now slipping behind badly and they lost another 4-2 in heat 10 when Jason Lyons led Andre Compton home again with Mills third. In heat 11 Ricky Ashworth took a Tactical Ride but he could only finish second to Craig Watson. With Birkinshaw taking third place the heat was shared 4-4. Heat 12 was also shared. Jason Lyons again beat Andre Compton but Kyle Hughes passed Jack Hargreaves on the line to rescue a shared heat for the Tigers taking the score to 47-29.

Heat 13 produced another 4-2 for the Brummies when Craig Watson won from Ricky Ashworth with Chris Mills third and the home side no doubt expected another heat advantage in heat 14. However Lee Smethills burst into life to win this one for the Tigers for a 3-3. Sheffield looked likely to win the last race as Ricky Ashworth led from the tapes. Jason Lyons reeled him in, however, and passed him off the last bend to deny Sheffield any advantage as Compton beat Watson for the third place point.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15 (6), Craig Watson 14 (6), James Birkinshaw 11+2 (6), Chris Mills 9 (5), Lee Smart 6+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2+1.

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14+1 (6) (with 4 point TS), Ricky Ashworth 11 (5) (with 4 point TR), Joel Parsons 4 (4), Lee Smethills 4 (4), Ben Wilson 2 (4), Kyle Hughes 1+1 (3), Paul Cooper 1 (4).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 61, Workington 32 .


King’s Lynn were at full strength but Workington were without Carl Stonehewer so had to use Rider Replacement at number 5.

This is not a match Workington will wish to remember! They were hammered by an on-song King’s Lynn side for whom every rider was paid for at least one race win. With Kauko Nieminen, Tomi Reima and John Branney scoring just one (gift) point between them the Comets were a three man team. To compound matters for them Joe Haines crashed into a fallen Daniel Nermark in the last race and suffered a suspected broken arm!

With no bonus point to worry about this season, a poor match can just be written off as a bad day at the office. This was certainly a bad one for the Comets. The first four races were all from the gate. Kevin Doolan beat Daniel Nermark in the first race with Shaun Tacey third for an opening 4-2 then the Stars rattled home three consecutive 5-1s. John Oliver and Kozza Smith won the reserves race while Tomas Topinka and Simon Lambert did likewise in heat 3 from Joe Haines with Kauko Nieminen trailing in last at the back. Harrison and Smith added the third maximum with Joe Haines (R/R) again left to pick up the third place point. This took the score to 19-5.

King’s Lynn added a 4-2 in heat 5 after Tomas Topinka had inflicted another defeat on Daniel Nermark in the fastest time of the season at the Norfolk Arena. Simon Lambert was on Nermark’s tail as the race finished with another 2 points being added to the home side’s lead. Heat 6 brought no joy to the visitors either as Kevin Doolan won the race from Charles Wright. Shaun Tacey who completely missed the gate finally reeled in Tomi Reima to pass him on the run in to the line. This resulted in another 4-2 as did heat 7 won by Rusty Harrison from Joe Haines while Kauko Nieminen was well out of the race at the back. Finally Workington stopped the rot by sharing heat 8 although they were helped by a fall by Kozza Smith. They were still looking for a race winner though as Shaun Tacey led home Wright and Reima taking the score to 34-14.

Simon Lambert and Tomas Topinka added another 5-1 in heat 9 then Doolan’s win from Joe Haines in heat 10 resulted in another 4-2 when Shaun Tacey took third. Finally Daniel Nermark won a race for the visitors! He was on a Tactical Ride too so his six points after a terrific race with Rusty Harrison, which saw the lead change hands twice, gave the Comets a 3-6 advantage. King’s Lynn replied to this aberration by hitting home another 5-1 in heat 12 when Tomas Topinka and Kozza Smith led home Charles Wright taking the score to 51-24.

Nermark won again in heat 13 to end Kevin Doolan’s unbeaten run but with Harrison third the race was shared. Then the Comets took another race advantage in heat 14 when Joe Haines won from Lambert and Wright for a 2-4. In the last race Daniel Nermark fell on the first bend and Joe Haines ploughed into him. Haines was thought to have a broken his arm and was replaced by Charles Wright. It was an all-four-back decision and, in the rerun Doolan and Topinka team rode to keep Daniel Nermark back in third place for a final 5-1 to the home side who scored a 29 point victory.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Rusty Harrison 9+1 (4), Simon Lambert 8+1 (4), Kozza Smith 6+3 (4), Shaun Tacey 6 (4), John Oliver 5+1 (4).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14 (5) (with 6 point TR), Joe Haines 9 (5), Charles Wright 8 (7), Tomi Reima 1+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 0 (3), John Branney 0 (5).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 5 June


Tonight’s matches were at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Birmingham in the second leg of the Premier Trophy semi-final and at Redcar where the Bears took on Mildenhall in a Premier League match.



Premier Trophy (semi-final, second leg): Sheffield 53, Birmingham 37 Birmingham won through to the final on aggregate by 94-90.


Sheffield were without Sam Martin and had Kyle Hughes at number 6. Birmingham were missing Adam Roynon and Phil Morris and had Chris Mills as a guest at number 2 again while using Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon..

Sheffield had 20 points to pull back from the first leg but it took them until heat 10 even to take the lead in this match leaving them too much to do over the closing five heats. Three wins from Craig Watson in the first six heats plus another excellent Owlerton performance from James Birkinshaw sowed the seeds for Birmingham’s overall success and they now meet the winner of the other semi-final between Edinburgh and Reading to contest the final of this year’s trophy.

What a start for the Brummies! They added four points to their 20 point aggregate lead with a 1-5 from the gate in heat 1 through Craig Watson and Chris Mills as Ricky Ashworth retired at the back. Sheffield pulled two of the points back in the reserves race as Lee Smethills beat James Birkinshaw with Kyle Hughes third for a 4-2. Heat three also provided a 4-2 which levelled the match score. Andre Compton won from Jason Lyons with Paul Cooper in third but Birmingham pulled four points clear again with another 1-5 in heat 4. Craig Watson won again and this time was supported by James Birkinshaw who had to fend off Lee Smethills for all four laps while Ben Wilson trailed in last at the back. This took the score to 10-14 (Aggregate: 47-71).

Andre Compton won an exciting race with James Birkinshaw in heat 5 while behind them Chris Mills won his battle with Paul Cooper to share the points. Craig Watson was out again in heat 6 and he won for the third time by fending off the constant challenges of Joel Parsons. Ashworth’s third place resulted in another shared heat all of which was nectar from the gods for the Brummies with such a big lead. Jason Lyons brought them further joy by winning heat 7 after passing Ben Wilson on the third bend while Kyle Hughes passed Lee Smart two laps later for third and another 3-3. In heat 8 Joel Parsons brought down James Birkinshaw and was duly excluded from the rerun in which Lee Smethills produced an excellent race win under pressure from Chris Mills to share the heat taking the score to 22-26 (Aggregate: 59-83).

Craig Watson gated again to lead heat 9 but this time Andre Compton was having none of it and rounded Watson on the third bend to win comfortably. Paul Cooper took third place as Sheffield at last made inroads to Birmingham’s lead. The 4-2 cut the gap on the night to two points and the Tigers added a 5-1 from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons under pressure from Jason Lyons in heat 10 to put the Tigers in front for the first time in the match by two points. They still had a long way to go to pull back the other 18 points with races fast running out. Heat 11 brought another heat advantage to Sheffield with a 4-2 going their way in a race rerun without Chris Mills after Kyle Hughes had fallen. Ben Wilson won the rerun in fine style from James Birkinshaw. Heat 12 provided excitement from start to finish. Andre Compton led the race but was under severe pressure from Lyons and Birkinshaw. Birkinshaw slipped back and was passed by Lee Smethills at the start of the third lap while Compton won a photo-finish with Jason Lyons for another 4-2 which took the score to 39-33 (Aggregate: 76-90). Exciting race or not, Birmingham sealed victory with these two points as the match was now beyond Sheffield’s reach.

Nonetheless Sheffield pressed on and took a 5-1 in heat 13 from Wilson and Ashworth as this time Lyons and Watson brought up the rear. They added another 5-1 in heat 14 as Lee Smethills and Paul Cooper headed home James Birkinshaw then, in the last race, the crowd were treated to an epic battle. Ben Wilson gated to lead the charge then Jason Lyons passed Andre Compton at the start of the second lap. Compton re-passed Lyons two bends later to challenge Watson in second place. That’s how the race finished though – as a 4-2 to the Tigers who finished 16 points ahead in the match but four points behind on aggregate.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13 (5), Ben Wilson 11 (5), Lee Smethills 11 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+2 (4), Joel Parsons 5+1 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 3+1 (3).

For Birmingham – Craig Watson 13 (6), James Birkinshaw 10+2, Jason Lyons 9 (6), Chris Mills 5+2 (4), Lee Smart 0 (4), Jack Hargreaves 0 (3).



Premier League: Redcar 53, Mildenhall 40 .


Redcar were without the injured Daniel Giffard so used Rider Replacement at number 2. They also nominated Adam McKinna as their number 8.With Mark Baseby returning to the team at number 6, Mildenhall were at full strength.

When Redcar went 14 points ahead after just five races it looked as though Mildenhall were in for a real thrashing. However the Fen Tigers rallied to pull a point back over the remaining ten races during which they provided six of the race winners and took six heat advantages.

Things looked bright for the Fen Tigers when Jan Graversen led the opening heat until he fell on the last lap allowing Gary Havelock and Adam McKinna (R/R) through for a 5-1 then they lost another 5-1 in heat 2. Josh Auty won the race while Arlo Bugeja rounded Mark Baseby and Henning Loof to join his partner while Loof fell on the second lap. This was not the start the visitors were looking for but they shared heat 3, won by James Grieves, through Kai Laukkanen and Jari Makinen before losing a 4-2 in heat 4 when Ty Proctor made an electric start to beat Robbie Kessler and Arlo Bugeja taking the score to 17-7.

James Grieves won heat 5 while Joni Keskinen made an outside swoop past the visiting pair to put Redcar firmly in the driving seat with a 5-1 and 14 point lead. They were never to increase it though. Robbie Kessler and Mark Baseby made the gate in heat 6 and, although Gary Havelock passed Baseby on the back straight, Kessler went on to win and the Fen Tigers grabbed a 2-4 cutting their arrears to 12. Striking while the iron was hot, Kai Laukkanen took a Tactical Ride in heat 7 and won the race. It looked as though he might get some support from Jari Makinen but Josh Auty was soon past him while Ty Proctor also passed him on the second lap. This gave the visitors a 3-6 race advantage cutting the gap further to 9 points and it was down to 7 after the visitors made it three heat advantages in a row in heat 8. Mark Baseby won for Mildenhall after a close battle with Arlo Bugeja while Graversen took third from Auty for a 2-4 which took the score to 29-22.

Redcar pulled another two points clear in heat 9 when James Grieves won again this time from Robbie Kessler while Keskinen finished third after Loof had fallen on the opening lap while at the back . This gave the Bears a 4-2 but heat 10 saw Mildenhall reply in kind as Kai Laukkanen beat Gary Havelock while Mark Baseby won a close tussle behind them with Adam McKinna for the third place point. The 2-4 cut the gap to seven points again. However the Bears took a decisive step to sealing victory with a 5-1 in heat 11 through Josh Auty and Ty Proctor from Michal Rajkowski to increase the lead to 11 points. Back came the visitors though with another 2-4 in heat 12 as Kai Laukkanen ended Grieves’ maximum hopes by winning the race while Mark Baseby took another third place point which took the score to 42-33.

Havelock and Proctor finally ended the visitors’ hopes with a 5-1 in heat 13 with Kessler having to settle for third after Havelock had worked him wide on the fourth bend to leave space for Proctor to come past. Still Mildenhall wouldn’t lie down and they scored another 2-4 in heat 14 when Jari Makinen won the race from Josh Auty with Henning Loof in third. The final heat went to the Bears with another Grieves win on the line from Kai Laukkanen with Proctor third.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 14 (5), Gary Havelock 10 (4), Josh Auty 10 (5), Ty Proctor 9+3 (5), Arlo Bugeja 5+1 (4), Joni Keskinen 3+1 (4), Adam McKinna 2+1 (3).

For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 16 (5) (with 6 point TR), Robbie Kessler 8 (5), Mark Baseby 7 (5), Jari Makinen 4+1 (3), Michal Rajkowski 3 (4), Jan Graversen 1 (4), Henning Loof 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 6 June

Three matches were raced tonight all for Premier League points. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced the Isle of Wight , at Somerset the Rebels took on Newcastle while at Scun.thorpe the Scorpions raced against Redcar .


Premier League: Edinburgh 67, Isle of Wight 23


Edinburgh were without William Lawson and Thomas Jonasson both on under 21 World Cup duty so they had Tomas Topinka as a guest for William Lawson at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Thomas Jonasson at number 4. The Isle of Wight were without the injured Paul Fry so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4.

The Isle of Wight have never won at Armadale. Their best result was a ten point defeat last year but this was by far their worst result as a rampant home side simply tore them to bits. The Islanders were a bit unlucky to find themselves up against Andrew Tully whose performance in compiling a seven ride full maximum was just about the best ever seen at Armadale. Edinburgh supplied 14 of the race winners and none of the Monarchs had a pointless ride.

The match got off to a tremendous start with a thrilling heat 1. The four riders seemed to hit the opening bend together with Topinka slightly ahead when Corey Gathercole shunted Ryan Fisher over causing the Edinburgh rider to slip to the back as Jason Bunyan powered inside Topinka to take the lead. Fisher soon re-passed Gathercole then his partner, Tomas Topinka, to chase after Bunyan but he couldn’t catch the Islander so the race was shared. This was to be the Islanders only race win of the match and the only race they didn’t lose. James Holder made an impressive gate in heat 2 but Andrew Tully passed him off the second bend to win the race in a time 1.5 seconds faster than heat 1 and only 0.7 off the track record. Aaron Summers had made a terrible gate but passed Andrew Bargh for third place for the first of four consecutive 4-2s for the Monarchs. Andrew Tully was out again in heat 3 as R/R and won the race by a ‘mile’. Derek Sneddon behind him seemed to be struggling to keep his bike tight on the bends and Glen Phillips took advantage to slip through on the inside for second while Andrew Bargh was pressing hard at the back. Heat 4 saw Matthew Wethers win with a tapes-to-flag victory but an impressive ride by James Holder earned him second ahead of Summers to take the score to 15-9.

It was Tully time again in heat 5. He was leading the race when Corey Gathercole tried to round him on the fourth bend but came to grief causing the race to be rerun without him. In the rerun Derek Sneddon gated but was rounded by Jason Bunyan on the second bend only for Andrew Tully to nip past both of them on the inside. Bunyan tried so hard to get on terms with Tully but just kept losing ground to the Edinburgh reserve so another 4-2 went the home side’s way. After these four 4-2s Edinburgh stepped up a gear and rattled in six consecutive 5-1s for the third time this season. Fisher and Topinka gated for the first ahead of Stojanowski; Tully and Wethers did likewise for the second ahead of James Holder; then the third came along in heat 8. In this race Aaron Summers passed early race leader, Corey Gathercole, coming off the fourth bend and took him wide down the home straight much to Gathercole’s obvious displeasure. If he wasn’t too keen on that move he was even further infuriated when Fisher charged under him on the first bend shortly after which caused a momentary wobble for the Islander and another 5-1 for the Monarchs which took the score to 34-14.

Things looked brighter for the visitors when Stojanowski and Bargh gated in heat 9 but Derek Sneddon got them both with an outside pass on the third and fourth bends while Matthew Wethers at the back bided his time before swooping past the visiting pair at the start of the third lap for 5-1 number 4. Number 5 arrived with a fine team ride by Fisher and Topinka in heat 10 with Stojanowski this time taking the third place point. It was time now for the Islanders to give Jason Bunyan a Tactical Ride in heat 11 (a brave move with Andrew Tully in the heat!). Corey Gathercole, now in full ‘narked’ mode, sat on Andrew Tully’s shoulder on gate 3 at the start with Tully off gate 4 and when both gated together it was no surprise when Tully hit the deck on the first/second bend. In the all-four-back rerun Tully was waiting for the same move from Gathercole but simply turned back under him to shoot between Gathercole and Bunyan with sheer class before heading off into the distance. Matthew Wethers joined the fray by passing Bunyan on the third bend then Gathercole on the fourth to join his partner for the 5-1 to leave the Islanders 32 points in arrears with their TR blown. In heat 12 there was a bit of a palaver at the tapes as Glen Phillips was excluded after failing to get his bike going on the track. He elected to go from 15 metres back but suffered the same fate so the visitors went with just one rider. Andrew Bargh made the gate when the race got underway but Derek Sneddon passed him on the fourth bend but then had to fend off Bargh’s challenges for the rest of the raced while Summers was tailed off at the back. The 4-2 took the score to 53-19.

Tomas Topinka had a tapes-to-flag win in heat 13 but Jason Bunyan slotted into second place behind him. He was passed on the inside by Matthew Wethers but he regained his second place with an outside drive round bends three and four so the race finished as a 4-2. In heat 14 Corey Gathercole took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres replacing the R/R for Paul Fry but this was a forlorn hope against Tully and Fisher who rattled off another 5-1 with ease. Gathercole fell on the third lap so Andrew Bargh took the third place point. Finally, in heat 15, Andrew Tully gated to lead the race but on the fourth bend, just as it looked as though Jason Bunyan was going to try a big round-the-boards drive, Ryan Fisher shot through on the inside to put paid to that idea. The Edinburgh pair cruised home for a final 5-1 after which the delighted Tully got ‘the bumps’ for his astonishing and brilliant display.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 21 (7) (maximum), Ryan Fisher 14+3 (6), Matthew Wethers 10+3 (5), Tomas Topinka 8+3 (4), Derek Sneddon 8 (4), Aaron Summers 6 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 8 (5), James Holder 5 (5), Andrew Bargh 4 (5), Glen Phillips 2 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 2 (4), Corey Gathercole 2 (5)..



Premier League: Somerset 65, Newcastle 25


Both teams were at full strength.

On their visit to Somerset just 6 weeks ago Newcastle scored just 28 points. They don’t seem to have learned much from that visit since in this match they only managed 25, this time with their full team. However when your three heat leaders manage only 12 points between them there really isn’t much hope. The Diamonds failed to sparkle as Somerset once again topped the 60 point mark.

The first ten heats all produced points advantages for the Rebels. They kicked off with an easy 5-1 in the opening heat from Stephan Katt and Jason Doyle with Sean Stoddart finishing ahead of his more illustrious partner, Josef Franc. The Diamonds were unlucky though in heat 2 when they lost the services of Richard Juul after he had fallen on the third lap and suffered suspected broken ribs. The race was awarded to Simon Walker who was leading Jerran Hart at the time with Brent Werner third for a 4-2. George Stancl gated but, in a pattern that was to be repeated, he was soon passed by the rest of the field. Emil Kramer forced his way to the front while in the three man chase into the third bend Jason King emerged in second place with Matthias Kroger third for another 4-2. Jason Frampton gated in heat 4 and took Christian Henry wide while Brent Werner nipped through into second for a second 5-1 for the home side which took the score to 18-6.

Emil Kramer gated to beat Josef Franc in heat 5 while Matthias Kroger passed Stoddart on the last bend to add a 4-2 for the Rebels before they added four consecutive 5-1s to the score. Doyle and Katt took the first from Christian Henry then George Stancl made the gate again in heat 7 before dropping to the back again while Frampton and Walker added the second of the four 5-1s. Stephan Katt won heat 8 while Jerran Hart put up some resistance by holding off Brent Werner until the last lap when Werner finally got past on the outside for the third of those 5-1s which took the score to 37-11.

Christian Henry raised the visitors’ hopes by leading from the tapes in heat 9 but Emil Kramer passed him down the back straight then Matthias Kroger followed through for the 5-1 at the start of the second lap. Jason Doyle won heat 10 but Jason King took second from Stephan Katt while Stancl finished last again for a 4-2 to the home side but the Diamonds hit a purple patch by sharing the next two heats! In heat 11 Jordan Frampton lifted entering the first bend and brought Josef Franc down. He was excluded from the rerun which was won by Simon Walker who eased round Josef Franc on the first two bends. Heat 12 ended as a 3-3 again with only one home rider finishing the race. Brent Werner suffered an engine failure just after leaving the tapes leaving Emil Kramer to head home Jerran Hart while George Stancl picked up the gift third place point to open his account. The score now stood at 52-20.

Jason Doyle gated to lead heat 13 while Jordan Frampton passed Josef Franc to go on and win the race for another 5-1 then Newcastle had the temerity to give Jason King a Tactical Ride. It was all in vain though as Walker and Kroger raced off for the 5-1 while Jerran Hart relegated his TR partner to last. Then, hallelujah!, Newcastle provided a race winner in the last heat when Josef Franc became a real spoilsport by winning from Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt for a shared race ruining Kramer’s maximum in the process.

Scorers: For Somerset – Emil Kramer 14 (5), Simon Walker 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Jason Doyle 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Stephan Katt 10+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 9 (4), Matthias Kroger 6+2 (4), Brent Werner 5+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 8 (5), Jerran Hart 6 (7), Jason King 5 (5), Christian Henry 3 (4), Sean Stoddart 2+1 (4), George Stancl 1+1 (4), Richard Juul 0 (1).



Premier League: Scun.thorpe 52, Redcar 41


Scun.thorpe introduced their new signing, Ben Powell, at number 6 and, with Viktor Bergstrom back from injury, were at full strength. Redcar , without the injured Daniel Giffard, used Rider Replacement at number 2 and nominated Adam McKinna as their number 8.

Redcar must have had high hopes when they shot into a 6 point lead after just two races but, alas for the Bears, that lead had disappeared like snow off a dyke, by heat 5. The Scorpions then hit a purple patch mid-match to leave their visitors fighting an uphill battle in vain.

Gary Havelock got Redcar off to a good start by winning under pressure from Carl Wilkinson. Adam McKinna (R/R) took advantage of bike problems for Richard Hall to take third for a 2-4 before Arlo Bugeja won heat 2 while Josh Auty joined him up front by passing Byron Bekker after Ben Powell had fallen for a 1-5 giving the Bears a six point lead. Viktor Bergstrom won heat 3 from James Grieves while Magnus Karlsson passed Joni Keskinen for third and a 4-2 pulling two points back for the home side. Ty Proctor then won heat 4 for the Bears for a shared race which took the score to 10-14.

The Scorpions levelled the scores in heat 5 when Viktor Bergstrom won again from the gate while Magnus Karlsson, then Adam McKinna, both passed Gary Havelock for a 5-1 and equality. Josh Auty led from the gate for the Bears in heat 6 with Richard Hall in second. Ty Proctor then passed Carl Wilkinson to move into third while at the end of lap 3 Richard Hall rounded Auty to win the race for the home side for a 3-3. The home side finally took the lead in heat 7 when Ben Powell scored his first race win for them beating James Grieves in the process while Andrew Moore finished third for a 4-2 and two point lead. Carl Wilkinson flew from the tapes in heat 8 while Byron Bekker held on to second under pressure from Auty to score a 5-1 for the Scorpions taking the score to 27-21.

Heat 10 was an easy 5-1 to the home side as Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson won from James Grieves to open up a ten point gap just at the right time for Gary Havelock to take a Tactical Ride in heat 11. In this race Andrew Moore fell and was excluded from the rerun. Even worse, he withdrew from the meeting injured. In the rerun Redcar were sitting on a 1-8 but Ben Powell passed Josh Auty on the last bend restricting the Bears to a 2-7 advantage which cut the gap to nine points. The Bears got two points closer with a 2-4 in heat 12 when James Grieves beat Magnus Karlsson while Josh Auty picked up third from Byron Bekker which took the score to 41-34.

Gary Havelock kept the visitors’ comeback alive by winning heat 13 as it started to rain quite heavily. But Hall and Powell kept Proctor at the back to share the points. Arlo Bugeja led heat 14 from the tapes but he was passed by Ben Powell on the second lap and by Bergstrom, completing his paid maximum, a lap later for a 5-1 which sealed victory for the Scorpions. In the last race Gary Havelock won again this time from Richard Hall while Magnus Karlsson in third ensured a shared heat.

Scorers: For Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 10+1 (5), Richard Hall 10 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Ben Powell 9+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7+1 (4), Byron Bekker 5+1 (4), Andrew Moore 2+1 (3).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 15 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 8 (5), Josh Auty 7+1 (7), Ty Proctor 5+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 4 (4), Adam McKinna 2 (2), Joni Keskinen 0 (3).