Around the Premier League Tracks 2009

[Merlin]

Saturday, 5 September



Premier League:

Berwick v. King's Lynn
Edinburgh v. Somerset
Stoke v. Glasgow

Individual:

Cumberland Classic at Workington



Premier League: .... Berwick 46 (0 points), King's Lynn 49 (3 points).


Team changes: Berwick were at full strength. King's Lynn were without Kozza Snith and Linus Eklof. They used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Smith and had Chris Mills as a guest at number 6 for Eklof.

In reportedly one of the best meetings seen at Shielfield Park this season, King's Lynn took another giant step towards landing the league championship with a hard fought three point win against the Bandits. They were indebted in no small measure though to their guest reserve, Sheffield's Chris Mills, whose paid 14 score was arguably likely to have been considerably more than what might have been expected from Linus Eklof, the rider for whom he was a guest.

Having won at Berwick in late June by 26-57, it looked like the Stars were in for another big pay day when they led the Bandits by 18-30 after 8 heats. However an 8-1 to the Bandits followed by a 7-1 some 4 heats later cut the gap to seven points which gave the home fans some hope. The Stars wrapped things up in heat 14 with a shared race which was just as well since Berwick ended with a 5-1 to finish just three points adrift.

The visitors were relentless from the start. Ward and Mills kicked off with a 2-4 then Mills and Graversen added a 1-5 against the Berwick reserves for a six point lead. Josef Franc stopped the rot in heat 3 after passing Emiliano Sanchez. With Paul Clews also winning a passing and repassing bout with Chris Schramm Berwick took a 4-2 but Topinka and Graversen reversed that in heat 4 with a 2-4 which took the score to 9-15.

Paul Clews had to come from the back to pass Darcy Ward and Jan Graversen to share heat 5 after Josef Franc had retired while holding second place but King's Lynn were on the move again in heat 6 with another 2-4 from Topinka and Mills increasing their lead to eight points. Chris Schramm led Burza and Franchetti home for a shared heat 7 but another 1-5 for the Stars in heat 8 from Sanchez and Mills put them in easy street as the score now stood at 18-30.

Josef Franc took a tactical ride in heat 9 which he won. Behind him Paul Clews hunted down and passed Tomas Topinka for second so the Bandits scored the big 8-1 to trail by just 5 points. King's Lynn responded in style by moving up a gear or three. Makovsky had to pass Sanchez in heat 10 to prevent another 1-5 with Schramm winning the race but the 1-5 was simply delayed as Ward and Mills duly delivered in heat 11 increasing the Stars' lead to 11 points. Berwick lost another 2-4 in heat 12 when Clews could only separate Scramm and Mills. This took the score to 31-44 but it now enabled the Bandits to play a second tactical card.

In a remarkable race Stan Burza was entrusted with the TR but missed the gate. Makovsky didn't though and roared from the tapes. Burza rounded Darcy Ward at the end of the second lap then chased, caught, and finally passed Topinka down the backstraight of the last lap for second place and a 7-1 score which cut the gap to seven points. Josef Franc won again in heat 14 but Sanchez and Mills shared the points to see the Stars home. King's Lynn just needed a 3-3 from heat 15 for all four league points but Schramm fell and was excluded in the first running of the race. This left Darcy Ward needing to win the rerun but the Bandits gated for Makovsky and Franc to score a 5-1.


Scorers: Berwick – Josef Franc 15 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Michal Makovsky 11+1 (5), Paul Clews 8+1 (4), Stan Burza 8+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Tamas Sike 2 (3), Guglielmo Franchetti 1+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 1 (4).

King's Lynn – Chris Mills 11+3 (7), Chris Schramm 9 (5), Darcy Ward 8+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 8 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Jan Graversen 5+1 (4),



Premier League: .... Edinburgh 42 (3 points), Somerset 33 (0 points) match abandoned after 12 heats due to rain – result stands.


Team changes: Edinburgh were at full strength. Somerset were missing Simon Walker so used Rider Replacement (R/R) instead at number 2.

Full credit to both teams for contesting this match on a very wet track. They did well to get to heat 12 when drizzle and rain made visibility very difficulty. At that point both teams settled for an abandonment. Edinburgh were happy to have taken another three points to keep their charge towards the play-off places going while Somerset were no doubt happy that they wouldn't have to make the long journey to Armadale for a third time later in the season to try to complete the fixture. Already using R/R and with Jari Makinen all a sea in the conditions and Justin Sedgmen having difficulty in turning the bike due to a heavily bandaged and swollen arm the Rebels' resources were heavily depleted. Nonetheless they gave the Monarchs an uncomfortable time of it and were still in with a chance of a point when the match was finally abandoned.

It took three attempts to run heat 1. Fisher and Johnston clashed on the first turn and Makinen ran into the second bend fence in the first running. Johnston gated in the second running but Dilger failed to turn early enough on the second bend second lap in the second running and crashed into the fence. He was excluded and Steve Johnston gated again in the second rerun to head Ryan Fisher home while Jari Makinen picked up the gift third place point for a 2-4 for the Rebels. Edinburgh hit back with a 5-1 in the reserves race then Kevin Woelbert gated to lead heat 3. On the second lap a slight shoogle by Woelbert resulted in Emil Kramer going wider than he intended and Matthew Wethers slipped through to second for another 5-1 and six point lead for the Monarchs. Michal Rajkowski made the gate in heat 4 but was chased hard by Cory Gathercole who finally sailed past him on the third lap to win the race. Byron Bekker took third so the race was shared and the score went to 15-9.

Steve Johnston made the gate again in heat 5 from Wethers and Woelbert but Wethers pulled off a stunning pass round the outside on the fourth bend of the second lap to win the race for a 4-2 and an eight point Edinburgh lead. Ryan Fisher made the gate in heat 6 but the impressive Gathercole chased hard only to slide off on the last bend of the third lap. The race was awarded to Fisher with Nick Simmons second having laid down to avoid his stricken partner. The 4-2 put Edinburgh ten points ahead and it stayed that way when Kramer gated to win heat 7 comfortably from Rajkowski and Summers for a 3-3. Cory Gathercole took an R/R ride and tactical ride in heat 8 and stormed off the favourable gate 4 for an easy win ahead of Summers and Bekker with Nick Simmons falling at the start of the last lap after Bekker had dived under him. The 3-6 took the score to 29-22.

Gathercole was out again in heat 9 and again rounded the rest of the field off gate 4 for another comfortable win. Woelbert and Wethers could only follow in his wake for a shared heat but things were about to get much better for the Rebels when Ryan Fisher shed a chain on the first bend of heat 10 causing Max Dilger to run into him. Fisher was excluded from the rerun and Kramer and Simmons had the easiest of 1-5s to cut their arrears to just three points. Steve Johnston chased early race leader, Michal Rajkowski in heat 11 and passed him but Aaron Summers flew past him round the outside for an excellent win. The 4-2 put the Monarchs five ahead and they increased it to nine with an easy 5-1 from Woelbert and Summers in heat 12 taking the score to 42-33 at which point the match was abandoned in the interests of safety.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Aaron Summers 10+3 (5), Kevin Woelbert 9 (4), Matthew Wethers 6+2 (3), Byron Bekker 5+2 (3), Michal Rajkowski 5 (3), Ryan Fisher 5 (3), Max Dilger 2 (3).

Somerset – Cory Gathercole 12 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Steve Johnston 7 (3), Emil Kramer 7 (3), Nick Simmons 6+1 (6), Jari Makinen 1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 0 (4).



Premier League: .... Stoke 50 (3 points), Glasgow 42 (0 points).


Team changes: Stoke were at full strength. Glasgow were without Aleksander Conda and used Rider Replacement at number 4 in his place.

Both teams were anxious for the points to gain qualification for the Young Shield. Glasgow have an excellent record at Stoke but this time they fell just short of taking a point in an eight point defeat. By all accounts it was an entertaining meeting for the fans.

Shane Parker passed Jason Bunyan in the opening race but, with Josh Grajczonek suffering an engine failure at the back, it was only for a 3-3. The Stoke reserves put the Potters four in front with a 5-1 over their Glasgow counterparts in heat 2 then Jakobsen and Complin added two points to the lead with a 4-2 after Complin had passed Mitchell Davey for third at the end of lap 3. James Grieves looked like winning heat 4 for the Tigers but he ground to a halt on the second lap and Jesper Kristiansen and Robert Ksiezak went on to record another 5-1 taking the score to 17-7.

In the next race Glasgow gave Shane Parker a tactical ride but Klaus Jakobsen gated ahead of Parker and held him off for the four laps. Josh Grajczonek took third from Lee Complin though so the Tigers took a 3-5 from the race to trail by eight points. Davey and Grieves gated for the Tigers in heat 6 but Jason Bunyan hunted them down, passing Grieves at the end of lap 2 and Davey at the start of lap 4. The result was a shared race but Mitchell Davey, out again in heat 7, made another fast start and this time won the race from Craig Branney. With William Lawson in third Glasgow shaved another two points from the Stoke lead with the 2-4 and were now just six points in arrears. However they found themselves ten points down again when they conceded a 5-1 to Madsen and Kristiansen, the latter passing Grajczonek for second at the end of the first lap in heat 8.The score now stood at 30-20.

Back came the Tigers in heat 9 with Grieves and Davey making fast starts. Lee Complin passed Mitchell Davey on the third lap restricting the visitors to a 2-4. Stoke replied with a 4-2 with a win by Jason Bunyan from William Lawson who passed Tom P Madsen to take second. Heat 11 produced a 3-3, only the third of the match so far, when Jesper Kristiansen passed firstly Shane Parker then Josh Grajczonek for a fine win but Glasgow pulled two points back again with a 2-4 when Lawson gated to beat Jakobsen with Davey in third. The score now stood at 41-33.

Another Tigers 2-4 from Grieves and Parker reduced their arrears to six points but again Stoke responded in kind when Lee Complin passed Josh Grajczonek and Craig Branney made an inside pass on Mitchell Davey to restore the Potters' eight point lead and secure victory. All that was left to decide was the destination of the third league point with Glasgow needing a heat advantage to nab it. Although James Grieves won the race, Shane Parker slipped from second to last when he was passed by Kristiansen on the second bend then Jason Bunyan on the fourth bend to give Stoke an eight point win and all three league points.


Scorers: Stoke – Jesper Kristiansen 14+1 (6), Jason Bunyan 12 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 6 (4), Lee Complin 6 (4), Tom P Madsen 5+1 (4), Craig Branney 5 (4), Robert Ksiezak 2+1 (3).

Glasgow – James Grieves 10 (5), Shane Parker 9 (5) (incl 4 point TR), William Lawson 8 (4), Mitchell Davey 7 (7), Josh Grajczonek 6 (5), Lee Dicken 2 (4).



Cumberland Classic: .... 1st Chris Kerr;....2nd Simon Stead....; 3rd Kevin Doolan..



This full 16 rider 20 heat individual was surprisingly won by Newport's Chris Kerr with Simon Stead awarded second on the count back after finishing on the same score as home rider, Kevin Doolan.


Scorers: Chris Kerr 13, Simon Stead 12, Kevin Doolan 12, Andre Compton 9, James Wright 8, Ricky Ashworth 8, Joe Haines 8, Tomasz Piszcz 8, Ty Proctor 7, Joe Screen 7, John Branney 7, David Howe 6, Rusty Harrison 5, Jason Lyons 5, Derek Sneddon 4, Simon Lambert 1.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 6 September



Premier League:

Glasgow v. Birmingham
Newcastle v. Rye House
Newport v. Stoke



Premier League: ..... Glasgow v Birmingham match postponed due to the weather.



Premier League: ..... Newcastle 55 (3 points), Rye House 38 (0 points).


Team changes: Newcastle were at full strength. Rye House were without Robert Mear and Luke Bowen. They used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Bowen at number 2 and had Carl Wilkiinson as a guest for Mear at number 4.

Rye House were no match for the Diamonds in this match. Newcastle who have been charging up the league table in recent weeks moved into third place with this win and now look good for a play-off place.

After only four heats the Diamonds had raced into a ten point lead with a 4-2 and two 5-1s leading to the Rockets feeling the need to recover some lost ground with a tactical substitute in heat 5. The task fell to Chris Neath but he could only manage second place after getting out of shape on the third bend and losing his lead. The race was shared 4-4. It wasn't long before they were using their second tactical option. Newcastle stretched their lead to 12 points with a 4-2 in heat 6 and, after a shared heat 7, Rockets' guest, Carl Wilkinson, emerged with the black and white helmet colour. It wasn't a roaring success because Derek Sneddon won the race for the home side. Andrew Silver finished second so Wilkinson's third place produced a 3-4 advantage to the visitors taking the score to 31-20.

A 5-1 in heat 9, courtesy of Jason King and Rene Bach over Linus Sundstrom, was nullified by the Rockets when Kenni Larsen suffered an engine failure in heat 10 after he headed into the 'deep stuff' taking his partner, Derek Sneddon, with him. In heat 12, Joe Haines passed Jason King round the outside and, with Trent Leverington suffering an engine failure, Rye House scored a 2-4 which reduced their arrears to nine points at 42-33.

A 5-1 from Mark Lemon and Kenni Larsen in heat 13 ended the Rockets' hopes of taking a point from the match and in heats 14 and 15 Rene Bach completed his paid maximum then Mark Lemon completed a full five ride maximum for a 17 point win for the Diamonds.


Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (full maximum), Rene Bach 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Jason King 9 (4), Derek Sneddon 8 (4), Kenni Larsen 6+1 (4), Trent Leverington 3 (4), Adam McKinna 2+1 (4).

Rye House – Joe Haines 9+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 8+2 (6) (incl 2 point TR), Chris Neath 8 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Andrew Silver 7+2 (7), Linus Sundstrom 5+1 (4), Tommy Allen 1 (6).



Premier League: ..... Newport 44 (1 point), Stoke 44 (2 points).


Team changes: Newport had Kyle Newman at number 6 in place of Marek Mroz. Stoke were at full strength.

This meeting was anything but dull. Both teams experienced a 0-5 reverse during the match. After looking like suffering another defeat, Newport went into the last heat leading by 4 only to lose a 1-5 to the Potters for a drawn match. Stoke who took five points from their weekend matches were content enough since they had secured their place in the Young Shield.

After two shared heats, Stoke drew first blood with a 2-4 in heat 3 thanks to Klaus Jakobsen and Lee Complin but one race later they found themselves two down when Paul Fry and Jonas Andersson rattled home a 5-1 ahead of Jesper Kristiansen and Robert Ksiezak taking the score to 13-11.

Chris Kerr beat Jason Bunyan in heat 5 and, with Jordan Frampton in third, the Wasps increased their lead to four points with the 4-2. The next two races were shared then Heat 8 was a disaster for the home side when James Holder fell and was excluded. In the rerun Jonas Andersson also hit the deck leaving Kristiansen and Tom P Madsen to score a 0-5 which put the visitor a point in front with the score now 23-24.

Newport were back in front though after heat 9 when Jordan Frampton won from Craig Branney with Chris Kerr in third for a 4-2 giving the Wasps a one point lead. But heat 10 was another disastrous race for the home side. Leigh Lanham fell and was excluded. It was thought that he had sustained a broken arm but since then it happily seems that his injury is not quite as serious as that. Noenetheless he had to be taken to hospital leaving the home side to cope without him with the scores so close. Stoke took advantage by scoring a 2-4 in the rerun as Klaus Jakobsen kept up his winning run by beating James Holder with Lee Complin taking the third place point. This put the Potters a point in front again and, when Madsen and Bunyan added a 1-5 in heat 11 for a five point lead, things looked decidedly bleak for the Wasps. However fortunes changed in heat 12. This time it was the Potters who failed to score as Craig Branney fell and was excluded then Klaus Jakobsen, leading again, suffered an engine failure. The 5-0 for the home side wiped out their five point arrears levelling the scores at 35-35 with three heats to go.

Newport went two points ahead with a 4-2 in heat 13 thanks to on-fire reserve Jonas Andersson and Paul Fry separated by Jason Bunyan. Strangely they decided not to give Andersson another ride in heat 14 by replacing Kyle Newman. However they still took a 4-2 from the race as Jordan Frampton won from Jesper Kristiansen while Kyle Newman took a vital third place from Lee Complin. This put the home side four ahead with one race to go. It wasn't enough for a win though as Jakobsen and Bunyan headed Frampton and Kerr home for the 1-5 the Potters needed for a draw and two league points.


Scorers: Newport – Jonas Andersson 11+1, Jordan Frampton 10, Chris Kerr 7, Paul Fry 5+1, Leigh Lanham 5, Kyle Newman 3+1, James Holder 3+1.

Stoke – Klaus Jakobsen 12, Jason Bunyan 10+2, Jesper Kristiansen 8, Tom P Madsen 6+2, Craig Branney 6+1, Lee Complin 2, Robert Ksiezak 0.

[Merlin]

Monday, 7 September



Premier League:..... Redcar 59 (3 points), Sheffield 37 (0 points).



Team changes: Redcar were without the injured Gary Havelock and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2. Sheffield were at full strength.

Having won last week at Sheffield, Redcar completed the double over the Tigers with their biggest win of the season. Both teams are chasing a top four finish for a place in the play offs but Sheffield's chances are now looking slim while Redcar are perhaps now the dark horse coming up on the rails.

Two 5-1s and a 4-2 in the opening heats rocketed the Bears into a ten point lead after just four races. A win for Chris Mills in the reseves race and a second place for Josh Auty, who passed Stuart Swales, were all the visitors had to celebrate during this spell as the Bears led by 17-7.

Straight away Sheffield put Ricky Ashworth on a tactical ride in heat 5. He won it from the gate but with Carl Stonehewer and Robbie Kessler behind him Sheffield's success was limited to a 3-6. A fine race from Ty Proctor which took him past Auty and Kessler for the win produced a 5-1 in heat 6 giving the home side an 11 point lead. Ben Wilson won heat 7 from Richard Hall for a 4-2 then Ty Proctor (R/R) took heat 8 from Hugh Skidmore for another 4-2 leading to a score of 33-18 at this stage.

Stonehewer won heat 9 under pressure from Auty while Mills kept Kessler at the back for a shared race but the powerhouse pairing of Proctor and Wilson (R/R) added another 5-1 when Wilson passed Richard Hall for second. Ricky Ashworth stopped the run of 5 successive Redcar race winners by leading Wilson and Arlo Bugeja home for a shared heat 11. Stonehewer won again in heat 12 but Mills and Parsons shared the heat behind him taking the score to 47-28.

Another second place from Josh Auty split the Wilson, Proctor pairing in heat 13, ruining Proctor's maximum hopes but giving the home side another two point advantage then Richard Hall took the Tigers' second tactical ride in heat 14. He gated for the full six points but Kessler and Bugeja followed him home for a 3-6 before Proctor and Stonehewer led Ashworth home for a 5-1 in the final heat for a 22 point win.


Scorers: Redcar – Carl Stonehewer 16+1 (6), Ty Proctor 15+1 (6), Ben Wilson 13+1 (5), Robbie Kessler 7+3 (5), Arlo Bugeja 5+2 (4), Stuart Swales 3+1 (4).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 11 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Richard Hall 10 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Josh Auty 7 (5), Chris Mills 6+1 (4), Hugh Skidmore 2 (4), Joel Parsons 1+1 (4), Scott Smith 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 9 September



Premier League:..... King's Lynn 59 (3 Points), Newport 33 (0 Points). .


Team changes: King's Lynn were without Kozza Smith and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2. Newport were without the injured Leigh Lanham and had Ty Proctor as a guest at number 1. They also continued with Kyle Newman at number 6 for the injured Marek Mroz.

This was your actual top versus bottom clash with the words 'lambs' and 'slaughter' coming to mind. Newport anchored firmly at the bottom of the Premier League paid a visit to league champions elect King's Lynn. Until the interval after heat 9 the Stars were winning races for fun and led by 26 points. After the interval they didn't find it so easy though as the Wasps shared the points in the remaining six races to finish with a respectable (at King's Lynn) 33 points.

The visitors had two shared races in the opening four heats. Ty Proctor won the opening race in a time equalling the fastest of the season at the Norfolk Arena leaving Darcy Ward and Jan Graversen (R/R) in his wake. Then the floodgates opened . Eklof and Graversen started with a 5-1 in the reserves race then Schramm and Sanchez added another in heat 3 although Jordan Frampton didn't help the Wasps' cause by touching the tapes and having to go from 15 metres back. Heat 4 was shared with Tomas Topinka winning from Paul Fry and Jonas Andersson as Linus Eklof suffered an engine failure. The score was then 16-8.

Chris Schramm won heat 5 but a good battle developed behind him between Emiliano Sanchez and Ty Proctor which Sanchez finally won by passing Proctor off the last bend. That was 5-1 number 3 and number 4 came along one heat later in heat 7 in which Paul Fry took a tactical ride. He finished behind Ward and Graversen for no doubled points. Tomas Topinka won again in heat 7 while Chris Kerr finished ahead of Eklof for a 4-2. Heat 8 produced 5-1 number 5. Sanchez and Graversen were the winners and the score was now 35-13.

5-1 number 6 came along in heat 9 as Sanchez and Schramm led Fry home. King's Lynn then gave Darren Mallett, their number 8, the R/R ride in heat 10, no doubt believing that a 26 point lead at that stage was more than enough to see them home for all three points. Ward won the race but Frampton and Kerr relegated Mallett to the back for a shared race. Heat 11 was shared too after Proctor had taken a tactical ride and finished second to Topinka with Eklof third for a 4-4. Chris Kerr made an electric start to heat 12 and was too fast for Sanchez and Graversen as the Wasps forced a third consecutive shared race which took the score to 50-24.

In heat 13 Darcy Ward in third place tried a big outside line drive and came to grief causing the race to be run without him. Topinka won the rerun but not util he had repelled the stiff challenges of Ty Proctor. Newport had now shared four races on the trot. It became 5 condecutive shared heats in heat 14 when Jordan Frampton became the third Newport race winner, beating Eklof and Schramm. It soon became six shared races when Ty Proctor gated to hold off Tomas Topinka and Chris Schramm for another race win so the Stars had failed to improve on their 26 point interval lead.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 12+2 (5), Chris Schramm 10+3 (5), Jan Graversen 8+5 (5), Darcy Ward 8 (4), Linus Eklof 7 (5).

Newport – Ty Proctor 13 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Chris Kerr 7+1 (5), Paul Fry 5+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 5 (4), Jonas Andersson 2+1 (4), James Holder 1 (4), Kyle Newman 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 10 September



Premier League:

Redcar v. Rye House
Sheffield v. Somerset



Premier League:.... Redcar 52 (3 points), Rye House 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Redcar were without Gary Havelock and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2. Rye House were without Robert Mear and also used Rider Replacement at number 2.


Redcar, in a rich vein of form, were looking for all three points from a Rockets side who also still had an interest in finishing in the top four for a play-off place. The Rockets made a good start by taking a 2-4 from the opening race. Luke Bowen (R/R) celebrated his return from injury by gating well to beat Carl Stonehewer (R/R) while Chris Neath backed him up with third place ahead of Ty Proctor. Tommy Allen had an exciting tussle with Arlo Bugeja in the reserves race winning the race for a shared heat. The evening got even better for the Rockets in heat 3 when Joe Haines and Luke Bowen, again, shot from the gate to leave Robbie Kessler and Stonehewer floundering in their wake. The 1-5 put the visitors six points ahead however relief was at hand in the shape of Ben Wilson and Stuart Swales who replied with a 5-1 from Linus Sundstrom in heat 4 which took the score to 11-13.

Rye House pulled another two points clear with a 2-4 in heat 5. Carl Stonehewer led the race from the start but Chris Neath passed him at the end of the first lap while Joe Haines comfortably took third place from a well tailed-off Kessler. Linus Sundstrom and Ben Wilson crashed in heat 6 causing the race to be rerun without Sundstrom who was excluded. Ben Wilson took an ambulance ride back to the pits for a check up. Fortunately he was able to take his place in the rerun and celebrated it by following Ty Proctor home for a 5-1 which levelled the scores again. Ben Wilson was out again for the third time in four races in heat 7 but his unbeaten run was halted by Joe Haines who made the gate and led him home. Luke Bowen took third place so the Rockets were back in front again with the 2-4. The lead didn't last long though as Ty Proctor (R/R) and Stuart Swales gated to beat the Rockets' reserve pair for a 5-1 which put the Bears in front by two points at 25-23.

Linus Sundstrom gated to win heat 9 from Carl Stonehewer while Robbie Kessler held on in a good battle to beat Tommy Allen. The result was a shared race but the Rebels pulled away with a 5-1 in heat 10 when Proctor and Kessler gated to lead Bowen and Haines home. Now the Bears held a six point lead and there was no change from heat 11 when Ben Wilson won from Chris Neath while Andrew Silver passed Arlo Bugeja for third and a shared race. The Bears were now well in command and added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 12. Rye House weren't helped by an engine failure for Tommy Allen at the tapes as Carl Stonehewer won the race while Joe Haines had his hands full holding off Stuart Swales for second. The score was now 40-32.

The fat lady was getting ready to sing when Wilson and Proctor increased the home side's lead to 12 points with a 5-1 in heat 13. This allowed the Rockets to give Luke Bowen a tactical ride in heat 14. He won it too but got no support from Andrew Silver so the Rockets took a 3-6 cutting their arrears to nine points and leaving them in with a shout of a point if they could manage a 1-5 in the final race. They couldn't. Indeed they lost the race 4-2 when Ty Proctor gated from Bowen and Wilson giving the Bears an eleven point win.


Scorers: Redcar – Ty Proctor 14+1 (6), Ben Wilson 14+1 (6), Carl Stonehewer 9 (5), Stuart Swales 8+3 (5), Robbie Kessler 6+2 (5), Arlo Bugeja 1+1 (3).


Rye House – Luke Bowen 15+1 (6) (incl 6 point TR), Joe Haines 9 (6), Chris Neath 7 (4), Linus Sundstrom 4 (4), Tommy Allen 4 (5), Andrew Silver 2+1 (5)..



Premier League: .... Sheffield 59 (3 points), Somerset 32 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.


Sheffield's dwindling hopes of a top four place left them needing all three points against Somerset who are still one of the teams involved in fighting it out also for a top four place. The Tigers started well with a 5-1 success from Ricky Ashworth and Hugh Skidmore in the opening race as they gated to leave Steve Johnston to pick up the third place point. Nick Simmons fell in the next race after his handlebars had snapped entering the third bend of the second lap while in second place. He was excluded from the rerun which was won by Chris Mills from the gate from Justin Sedgmen so the Tigers added a 4-2 to their score for a six point lead. Sheffield certainly had their gating boots on and Richard Hall and Joel Parsons left Emil Kramer back in third for another 5-1 and ten point lead. Cory Gathercole stopped the run of Sheffield race winners by passing Chris Mills to take the three points from heat 4. Mills and Auty took second and third to share the heat and the score was now 17-7.

There was no tactical ride for Steve Johnston which was a pity for the Rebels because he won heat 5 from Hall and Parsons for a shared race. The Rebels sat on a 1-5 from the gate but Simon Walker, making a return to the team after a long absence, slipped to the back. Instead Cory Gathercole took the TR in heat 6 but this didn't work out well at all for the Rebels. Ricky Ashworth won a wheel to wheel duel with him before 'stamping his authority' on the race. Worse still for the Rebels Hugh Skidmore passed Gathercole to join Ashworth for a 5-1 which took the home side into a fourteen point lead. Emil Kramer gated to win heat 7 (pity for the Rebels he wasn't wearing the black and white helmet cover!) but Jari Makinen suffered bike problems so the race was shared. Nick Simmons retired from the meeting so Sedgmen replaced him in heat 8. Chris Mills won the race while Simon Walker held Skidmore off for second as Sedgmen retired at the back. The 4-2 took the home side's lead to 16 points with the score 32-16.

Cory Gathercole fell in heat 9 leaving Richard Hall and Joel Parsons to score a 5-1 from Sedgmen which escalated the Sheffield lead to 20 points. As Emil Kramer and Ricky Ashworth were battling wheel to wheel in heat 10, Hugh Skidmore fell causing the race to be stopped. He was excluded from the rerun as was Jari Makinen for not being under power. In the rerun Kramer beat Ashworth in the two rider race for a 2-3, the Rebels' first heat advantage. Steve Johnston took Somerset's second tactical ride in heat 11 but Josh Auty gated with the Somerset man and got the better of him coming off the second bend to pull away for the race win. Scott Smith finished behind Johnston for third place so the race was shared 4-4. Chris Mills was lucky not to be excluded for touching the tapes in heat 12. In the rerun Joel Parsons and Mills made the start for a 5-1 taking the score to 48-25.

Steve Johnston scored his second race win in heat 13 when he got ahead of Ricky Ashworth from the gate and held on win the race while Cory Gathercole in third nibbled at Ashworth's back wheel all race long. This gave the Rebels a 2-4 but they lost another 5-1 to Hall and Smith after both had passed Emil Kramer who had led from the tapes. In the last heat Richard Hall fell on the first bend resulting in an exclusion for Cory Gathercole. In the rerun Steve Johnston led from the tapes but was passed by Richard Hall off the second bend for a 4-2 finish for the Tigers and 27 point win.


Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 14 (5),Chris Mills 11+1 (5), Ricky Ashworth 10 (4), Joel Parsons 8+3 (4), Scott Smith 6+1 (4), Hugh Skidmore 5+2 (4), Josh Auty 5+1 (4).

Somerset – Steve Johnston 13 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Emil Kramer 8 (4), Cory Gathercole 5 (5), Justin Sedgmen 4 (7), Simon Walker 2 (4), Nick Simmons 0 (1).

[Merlin]

Friday, 11 September



Premier League Knockout Cup:

Edinburgh v. Rye House

Premier League:

Edinburgh v. Stoke
Somerset v. Scun'thorpe
Workington v. Berwick



Premier League Knockout Cup, semi final, first leg: .... Edinburgh 63, Rye House 27 .


Team changes: Edinburgh were without Kevin Woelbert and Max Dilger. They had William Lawson as a guest at number 2 for Dilger and used Rider Replacement for Woelbert at number 3. Rye House were without Robert Mear and used Rider Replacement at number 2.


In mitigation of a pretty awful diplay by the Rockets it has to be said that they started with six riders, were down to five after Linus Sundstrom withdrew after falling heavily in heat 4 then were further reduced to four riders when Tommy Allen decided to have a close look at the fourth bend fence and also fell heavily. Chris Neath carried the fight to a rampant Edinburh side for whom Ryan Fisher equalled the track record and Luke Bowen was far better than his four point return.

Edinburgh hit the ground running and had recorded three 5-1s and a 4-2 before the visitors had even drawn breath. During this spell only Andrew Silver headed home a Monarch in the rerun of heat 4 after Linus Sundstrom had crashed heavily on the second bend and subsequently withdrew from the meeting. The score was then 19-5.

Tommy Allen's fall in heat 5 was the last seen of him in this match. In the rerun a spirited ride by Chris Neath saw him pass Ryan Fisher to lead the race briefly before the 'Fish' passed him back again. Another two 5-1s and a 4-2 in heat 8 when Haines finished behind Lawson and ahead of Bekker who had dived under Silver causing the Rye House rider to bale out took the score to 37-11.

With riders in short supply Rye House fielded only Silver in heat 9 and the home side took another 5-1. Luke Bowen got the better of William lawson in heat 10 to finish behind Fisher for a 4-2 then finally Chris Neath stopped the rot by winning heat 11 brilliantly as the only Rocket in the race. He was off a tactical gate 1 but found himself back in third off the second bend. However he chased and passed Summers on the last bend of the first lap then headed after Rajkowski and passed him too one lap later. Rye House's moment of supreme joy came in heat 12 when they got a 1-5. Silver and Haines gated but Matthew Wethers moved into second off the second bend to chase down Silver. He almost passed him on a couple of occasions but got out of shape on the backstraight of the last lap hitting the fence and slipping back to third. The score was now 50-22 and maybe all was not lost for the visitors if they could hold on over the last three races.
Neath again took a tactical gate in heat 13, this time gate 2, but again Edinburgh gated heading for another maximum. Neath chased after Rajkowski and passed him on the third lap for second. Another 5-1 in heat 14 put the Monarchs 34 points ahead then for some reason or other Rye House only tracked one rider in heat 15! Ryan Fisher won it to complete his maximum while Chris Neath passed William Lawson in fine style for a 4-2 which gives Edinburgh a 36 point lead for the second leg in a week's time.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 17+1 (paid Maximum), William Lawson 13+1 (6), Michal Rajkowski 11+1 (5), Aaron Summers 9+2 (4), Matthew Wethers 9+2 (5), Byron Bekker 4+1 (4).

Rye House – Chris Neath 10 (5), Andrew Silver 9 (7), Joe Haines 4+1 (5), Luke Bowen 4 (5), Linus Sundstrom 0 (1), Tommy Allen 0 (2).



Premier League: .... Edinburgh 60 (3 points), Stoke 31 (0 points).


Team changes: Edinburgh tracked the same team as in the first match of the double header. Stoke were at full strength.

This match started at 8.50pm and finished at 10.02pm. It didn't seem possible to complete 15 races in such a short space of time but with the co-operation of the Potters the double header saw all 30 heats completed. The home fans worried that Stoke might be able to take advantage of a tiring Edinburgh side but it it was the Potters who looked knackered, not Edinburgh. Maybe having to watch the first match had worked off their adrenaline.

It looked as though the Monarchs were going to steam-roller the Potters too as they started with two 5-1s but they were stopped in their tracks in heat 3 when William Lawson lost a primary chain when leading the race by the proverbial mile. This let Lee Complin through to win the heat from Wethers for a 2-4. Robert Ksiezak fell in heat 4 and Byron Bekker took advantage to grab the third place point behind Rajkowski and Kristiansen for a 4-2 taking the score to 16-8.

Ryan Fisher continued winning in heat 6 while Wethers had to pass Madsen to follow Bunyan home for a 4-2. A routine Fisher, Lawson 5-1 in heat 7 put Edinburgh 14 points up so Lee Complin took a tactical ride in heat 7. He passed Rajkowski round the first two bends and looked well set for the win when he ground to a halt on the fourth bend of the second lap. With Jakobsen leading Summers the Potters found that Instead of a 2-7 heat advantage they had lost a 4-2 to trail by 16 points. William Lawson won heat 8 but Bekker had to lay down after Madsen had wobbled on the apex of the first and second bends. The race continued and resulted in a 3-3 with the score now 32-16.

Jesper Kristiansen dislodged a fence board in heat 9 and was excluded. Branney led the rerun for two bends but Rajkowski and Wethers sailed past him for another 5-1 then Lee Complin fell in heat 10. Fisher had rounded Complin on the first two bends then Complin went far too wide on the third and fourth turns and crashed into the fence. In the rerun Fisher had bike problems from the start and tootled round at the back behind Lawson and Jakobsen for another 4-2. Then came the best race of the entire night in heat 11. Jason Bunyan took the second Stoke tactical ride but it was Rajkowski who made the gate as Summers pulled out at the start. Tom P Madsen was all over Rajkowski for all four laps taking the inside line but keeping Bunyan behind him with Rajkowski blocking the outside line. For four laps you could have thrown a blanket over the three riders then on the last bend Madsen seemed level going into the third bend with Bunyan going frantic looking for somewhere to pass the pair of them. Coming off bend four Rajkowski again had the extra drive off the outside but he lifted on the run in and Madsen pipped him on the line while Bunyan made a desperate lunge trying to improve on his third place to no avail. The result was a 2-5 to the Potters. Byron Bekker had his moment of glory in heat 12 by gating and winning protected by Matthew Wethers behind him for another 5-1 taking the score to 48-25.

Rajkowski and Fisher scored another 5-1 in heat 13 then Matthew Wethers won heat 14 but not until he had held off Lee Complin in second. Finally Ryan Fisher won heat 15 from a hard-chasing Complin with Rajkowski in third for a 4-2 and 29 point win.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Michal Rajkowski 14+1 (6), Ryan Fisher 13+3 (6), William Lawson 12 (5), Matthew Wethers 11+1 (5), Buron Bekker 6+1 (4), Aaron Summers 4 (4).

Stoke – Lee Complin 6+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 6 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 6 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 5+1 (5), Jason Bunyan 4+1 (incl 2 point TR), Craig Branney 3 (4), Robert Ksiezak 1 (3).



Premier League: .... Somerset 53 (3 points), Scun'thorpe 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Somerset were at full strength. Scun'thorpe were without Magnus Karlsson and Viktor Bergstrom. They had Tomasz Piszcz as a guest for Karlsson at number 1 and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for Bergstrom.

This match was in the balance until the decisive heats 10 and 11 when Somerset scored a 4-2 and 5-1 to turn a six point lead into a 12 point one. A 2-7 for the visitors in heat 12 cut it to seven but a heat 13 maximum was too much for the Scorpions who left with nothing.

When Tomasz Piszcz fell in the opening race and Simon Walker passed Ritchie Hawkins to finish behind Steve Johnston for a 5-1 Somerset were off to a flying start. The next three heats were all shared so the score after heat 4 was 14-10. Scun'thorpe pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat 5 when Tomasz Piszcz hedl off Emil Kramer with Jerran Hart taking third after Jari Makinen had retired. The Johnston, Walker pairing took a 4-2 in heat 6 to restore the Rebels' four point lead then Cory Gathercole passed David Howe in heat 7 for another 4-2 which gave the home side an eight point advantage. Carl Wilkinson won heat 8 for the visitors and the score was then 27-21.

A shared heat 9 was followed by the two decisive heats. Steve Johnston drove round David Howe to win heat 10 while Simon Walker continued his supporting tole with the vital third place for a 4-2. Sedgmen and Gathercole then added a 5-1 in heat 11 to rocket the Rebels into a 12 point lead.

In heat 12 the Scorpions gave reserve, Jerran Hart, a tactical ride and he responded with a fine win. Ritchie Hawkins in second place looked like producing the big 1-8 but Sedgmen passed him so the Scorpions had to settle for a 2-7 which took the score to 41-34.

Steve Johnston won again in heat 13 for a four ride maximum while Cory Gathercole passed both Wilkinson and Piszcz for second to open the gap to 11 points again, not quite enough for another tactical for the Scorpions. David Howe won heat 14 from Kramer for a shared heat then Cory Gathercole completed his five ride maximum by leading Howe home with Kramer getting the better of Piszcz in a physical battle for third.


Scorers: Somerset – Cory Gathercole 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Steve Johnston 12 (4) (full maximum), Justin Sedgmen 11+2 (6), Emil Kramer 11 (5), Simon Walker 6+1 (4), Nick Simmons 0 (3), Jari Makinen 0 (4).

Scun'thorpe – Jerran Hart 11 (7) (incl 6 point TR), David Howe 10+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 6+1 (6), Tomasz Piszcz 4 (5), Simon Lambert 2 (3).



Premier League: .... Workington 59 (3 points), Berwick 35 (0 points).


Team changes: Workington were without Phil Morris, Adrian Rymel and Richard Lawson. They had Lee Smart as a guest for Morris, Mark Lemon as a guest for Rymel and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 4 for Lawson. Berwick were without Josef Franc and used Rider Replacement at number 5.

Berwick were never serious contenders for a point in this match. Indeed they had only two race winners all night, Michal Makovsky in heat 11and Stan Burza in heat 14 after Andre Compton had an engine failure. After a shared opening race the Comets struck with consecutive 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 then added a 4-2 in heat 4 for a 17-7 lead.

Michal Makovsky took a tactical ride in heat 5 but could only finish second to Mark Lemon for a 4-4 share of the points. Two more 5-1s in heats 6 and 7 sandwiched a 4-2 in heat 7 when Paul Clews managed a second place behind Compton. Another 5-1 in heat 8 saw the Comets 16 points in front at 30-14 with Berwick looking sunk without trace.

Lemon and John Branney added a 4-2 in heat 9 then heat 10 was shared. There was a bad crash in heat 11 when Tero Aarnio fell on the third bend and was run into by his partner, Michal Makovsky. Although Makovsky looked to have escaped unhurt, Aarnio looked to have suffered a serious injury and was taken from the track by ambulance to hospital. In the rerun Makovsky won from Cook and Compton for a shared race then Paul Clews took the Bandits' second tactical ride in heat 12. He did no better than Makovsky before him, however, finishing second to that man Lemon again. However with Franchetti taking third from Branney the Bandits scored their first heat advantage of the match with a 3-5 which took the score to 48-28.

Doolan and Compton took the expected 5-1 in heat 13 then the teams traded 4-2s. Stan Burza won heat 14 from Craig Cook while Tamas Sike took a gift third place point when Andre Conpton suffered an engine failure. Doolan completed his maximum in heat 15 but Clews took second from Compton and Makovsky.


Scorers: Workington – Kevin Doolan 15 (5) (full maximum), Mark Lemon 12 (4) (full maximum), Andre Compton 10+2 (6), Craig Cook 9+2 (5), John Branney 9 (6) Lee Smart 4+2 (4).

Berwick – Paul Clews 13 (6) (incl 4 point TR), Michal Makovsky 12 (6) (incl 4 point TR), Stan Burza 4+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 3+1 (5), Tamas Sike 2 (4), Gino Franchetti 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 12 September



Premier League:

Berwick v. Stoke
Rye House v. Newport
Workington v. Redcar



Premier League: ..... Berwick 54 (3 points), Stoke 42 (0 points).


Team changes: Berwick were without Josef Franc and Tero Aarnio. They had Trent Leverington as a guest for Aarnio at number 2 and used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Franc at number 4. Stoke were at full strength.

Berwick needed to win this match to secure their place in the Young Shield by finishing no lower than twelfth in the league. Stoke had already secured their place so were under no such pressure.

The Bandits got off to a good start and were already leading 12-6 from the opening three races before the Potters managed a shared race in heat 4 when Stan Burza passed the fast gating Robert Ksiezak with Jesper Kristiansen in third taking the score to 15-9.

Another 4-2 for the Bandits in heat 5 took the eight points in front thanks to a win for Paul Clews over Jason Bunyan and there then followed two shared races before the Bandits pulled further ahead with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Trent Leverington and Gino Franchetti which took the score to 30-18.

After a shared heat 9 Michal Makovsky and Trent Leverington added another 5-1 in heat 10 ahead of Lee Complin and Klaus Jakobsen. The Potters now trailed by sixteen point so Jason Bunyan took a tactical ride in heat 11 which he duly won beating Stan Burza in the process. Better still for the visitors Craig Branney took third place so Stoke scored a 2-7 which cut the gap to elevn points but, after Craig Branney had touched the tapes in heat 12 and started from 15 metres back, Berwick extended their lead again to 15 points as Paul Clews and Gino Franchetti took a 5-1 over Jesper Kristiansen. This took the score to 48-33 with three races to go.

Jason Bunyan posted a time just three tenths of a second outside of the Berwick track record in winning heat 13 but with Robert Ksiezak finishing at the back the race was shared. Lee Complin then took the Potters' second tactical ride in heat 14 and duly won it but without support so the Stoke advantage was just three points from their 3-6. With the last heat shared Berwick had won by 14 points to end their depressing run of four successive defeats.


Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 17 (6), Paul Clews 11+1 (5), Stan Burza 11+1 (6), Gino Franchetti 8+3 (6), Trent Leverington 5+1 (4), Tama Sike 2+1 (3).

Stoke – Jason Bunyan 14+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Lee Complin 13 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Craig Branney 6+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 5+1 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 3+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 1+1 (3), Klaus Jakobsen 0 (3).



Premier League: ..... Rye House 45 (2 points), Newport 44 (1 point).


Team changes: Rye House still missing Robert Mear used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 while Newport had David Howe as a guest for Leigh Lanham at number 1 and again used Kyle Newman at number 6 for the injured Marek Mroz.

This was nearly the sensation of the season as bottom of the league Newport came within a point of pulling off a victory against Rye House at Hoddesdon. The Wasps led for most of the match thanks mainly to a superb guest in David Howe and a strong middle pairing of Chris Kerr and Jordan Frampton who carded three 1-5s in their three outings together! It took a last gasp pass by Joe Haines in heat 15 to turn round a one point defeat to a one point victory.

The Rockets got off to a bad start when they lost Tommy Allen in the reserves race when he clipped the back wheel of Jonas Andersson and careered through the fence. He retired from the meeting leaving the Rockets with just five riders. With David Howe, Chris Kerr and Jordan Frampton all unbeaten over the first 11 heats it needed a major recovery to pull this match out of the fire. The Wasps had already built up a 5-12 lead by heat 3 thanks to a David Howe win in the opening race and 1-5 from Kerr and Frampton. The home side hit back with a 5-1 in heat 4 after Andrew Silver had got the better of Paul Fry in a tremendous battle behind Linus Sundstrom for a 5-1 which took the score to 10-13.

By heat 7 the Wasps had extended their lead to 18-23 thanks to another 1-5 from the Frampton, Kerr pairing but the Rockets pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 8 when from Silver and Joe Haines cutting the arrears to 22-25.

Joe Haines was out again in heat 9 and combined with Luke Bowen for a 5-1 which put Rye House in front for the first time in the match at 27-26 but another Kerr, Frampton 1-5 ahead of Chris Neath in heat 10 restored the Wasps' three point lead. They then increased it to five with a 2-4 in heat 11 as David Howe produced his third win of the match ahead of Linus Sundstrom. Then things started to go wrong for the visitors. Joe Haines inflicted the first defeat of the meeting on Chris Kerr in heat 12 while Andrew Silver took third place for a 4-2 which cut the gap to three points with the score standing at 34-37 with three races left.

Linus Sundstrom then ended David Howe's unbeaten run by winning heat 13 with Chris Neath taking third for another 4-2 which cut the gap further to just one point. Disaster hit the Wasps in heat 14 when Jordan Frampton clashed with Andrew Silver and was excluded from the rerun in which the home pair of Silver and Bowen made no mistake to take a 5-1 putting the Rockets in front at 43-40 with one race left. In the last race David Howe and Chris Kerr gated and sat on the 1-5 the Wasps needed for a famous one point victory but Joe Haines became the home side's hero of the night by passing Kerr at the end of the first lap to take second place leaving the Wasps a point short of victory with their 2-4 from the race.


Scorers: Rye House – Andrew Silver 11+2 (7), Joe Haines 11+1 (6), Luke Bowen 9+1 (5), Linus Sundstrom 9 (5), Chris Neath 5 (4), Tommy Allen 0 (1).

Newport – David Howe 14 (5), Chris Kerr 11+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 7+2 (4), Paul Fry 4 (4), James Holder 4 (4), Jonas Andersson 4 (6), Kyle Newman 0 (2).



Premier League: ..... Workington 46 (3 points), Redcar 38 (0 points) match abandoned after heat 14 because of curfew – the result stands.


Team changes: Workington were missing Phil Morris, Adrian Rymel and Richard Lawson. They had Simon Lambert as a guest for Morris, Ricky Ashworth as a guest for Rymel and used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Lawson. Redcar were missing Gary Havelock and used Rider Replacement in his place at number 2.

This match had to be abandoned after the first running of the last race in which Kevin Doolan fell and had to be shipped to hospital. The subsequent delay and lack of medical cover brought proceedings to a halt just when Redcar could smell the possibility of taking a point from a race which was due to be rerun with only one Comets' rider. It was not to be, however, so Workington took all three points and the Bears recent successful run came to an end.

The Bears opened with a 2-4 when Robbie Kessler gated and held off Kevin Doolan for the win while Ty Proctor finished in third. The next two races were shared but the Comets wiped out their arrears and moved two points in front with a 5-1 in heat 4 with Andre Compton and John Branney producing the goods as Ben Wilson suffered an engine failure while third. This took the score to 13-11.

The next four races which produced two wins for Ty Proctor for the Bears and a win apiece for Kevin Doolan and Andre Compton for the Comets meant that the gap remained at just two points with the score after heat 8 standing at 25-23.

The home side doubled their lead to four points which their guest Ricky Ashworth won heat 9 from Ben Wilson with John Branney third for a 4-2. Another three shared heats followed with wins for Kevin Doolan, Ty Proctor and Carl Stonehewer which took the score after 12 races to 38-34 with just three races to go.

Finally Workington put some distance between themselves and their visitors by doubling their lead again this time with a 5-1 from Compton and Doolan whose task was made much easier when Ty Proctor broke the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Andre Compton won heat 14 from Robbie Kessler and Stuart Swales for a shared race which meant that the Bears needed a 2-4 or better for a single league point in the last race. In heat 15 Kevin Doolan lifted on the fourth bend as the Comets sat on a 5-1. He was excluded from the rerun but it was never raced since Doolan had to go to hospital.


Scorers: Workington – Andre Compton 14 (5), Kevin Doolan 10+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 9 (4), John Branney 7+3 (6), Craig Cook 5+2 (5), Simon Lambert 1+1 (4).

Redcar – Ty Proctor 10 (5), Carl Stonehewer 10 (5), Robbie Kessler 7+2 (5), Ben Wilson 5 (5), Stuart Swales 3+2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 13 September



Premier League:

Glasgow v. Redcar
Newport v. Newcastle
Stoke v. Edinburgh



Premier League: ..... Glasgow 50 (3 points), Redcar 43 (0 points).


Team changes: Glasgow were without Sandi Conda and used Rider Replacement (R/R) in his absence at number 4. Redcar were without Gary Havelock and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 in his place.

An unusually deep and heavy Ashfield track faced the riders in a match which had more significance for Redcar, chasing points for a play-off place, than for Glasgow destined to finish in thirteenth place in the league.

Redcar couldn't have wished for a better start as Ty Proctor and Robbie Kessler gated to lead Josh Grajczonek and Shane Parker home for a 1-5 but it was all square a heat later when Lee Dicken and Mitchell Davey similarly gated for a 5-1 ahead of Arlo Bugeja as Stuart Swales slid off at the back. The Tigers took the lead with a 4-2 in heat 3. William Lawson gated to lead Carl Stonehewer home while Mitchell Davey (R/R) took third as Robbie Kessler pulled up on the first lap. Stuart Swales was the unlikely winner of heat 4 as the riders struggled in the conditions. James Grieves took second and Dicken third with Ben Wilson falling and remounting. The race was shared and the score now stood at 13-11.

There was another 'from the gate' in heat 5 with Lawson winning it from Proctor and Dicken for a 4-2 and four point Glasgow lead. The next heat produced the same result with Josh Grajczonek heading home Ben Wilson and Shane Parker then heat 7 won by James Grieves retained Glasgow's six point advantage with a shared race. Glasgow continued to build on their lead with another 4-2 in heat 8 and another Grajczonek win from Swales and Dicken after Proctor (R/R) suffered an engine failure just after leaving the tapes. This took the score to 28-20.

The Tigers' fifth 4-2 of the match arrived in heat 9 with Lee Dicken winning this one from Ben Wilson and Mitchell Davey who had replaced William Lawson after Lawson had gone through the tapes. The lead was now ten points and a sixth Glasgow 4-2 in heat 10 stretched it further to twelve points. Grajczonek scored his third win of the meeting gating to beat Robbie Kessler. Stonehewer looked like taking third but he retired letting Parker through for third. Redcar now gave Ty Proctor a tactical ride in heat 11. Ben Wilson gated and was gone but the excitement was behind him where James Grieves and Ty Proctor jousted for second place passing and repassing each other. Proctor finally got the better of Grieves and just had enough time to pass Wilson on the line for first place giving the Bears a big 1-8 heat advantage. This cut the gap to five points and the Bears followed this up by running up a 1-5 in heat 12 when Stonehewer and Swales won a rerun race after Lee Dicken had been excluded from the first running after a clash with Swales. It looked as though William Lawson would win the rerun until he shed a chain and could only coast home for third place. There was now just a single point separating the teams with the score at 38-37.

The Tigers took their seventh 4-2 in heat 13 as Grieves won from Proctor. Parker passed Wilson on the last bend to give the home side a three point lead. Kessler won heat 14 from Grajczonek and Davey so Glasgow still had a three point advantage going into the last race. Bears needed a 1-5 to win the match and Glasgow needed a 5-1 for all three points. It was Glasgow who succeeded though as Proctor fell on the third bend and was excluded and in the rerun Grieves and Lawson scored the 5-1 needed for all three points for the Tigers.


Scorers: Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 12 (5), James Grieves 12 (5), William Lawson 9+1 (5), Lee Dicken 9+1 (6), Mitchell Davey 5+2 (6), Shane Parker 3 (4).

Redcar – Ty Proctor 13 (6), Robbie Kessler 10+1 (6), Stuart Swales 7+1 (5), Ben Wilson 6+1 (5), Carl Stonehewer 6 (5), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3).



Premier League: ..... Newport 38 (0 points), Newcastle 52 (4 points).


Team changes: Newport were without injury victims Leigh Lanham and Marek Mroz. They had David Howe as a guest for Lanham at number 1 and Kyle Newman continued at number 6 for Mroz. Newcastle were at full strength.

Newport might have hoped for better than this after losing by just one point at Rye House last night but they collapsed in the last six heats over which they lost 12-24 to a Newcastle side who moved to third place in the league with this victory.

From the moment that Kenni Larsen and Derek Sneddon raced off for a 1-5 in the opening heat with Newport guest, David Howe, in last place the writing was on the wall for the beleaguered home side. However Kyle Newman and Jonas Andersson took a 4-2 in the reserves race and the gap was cut to two points. Heats 3 and 4 were shared taking the score to 11-13.

Both sides dug in after that and Heats 5 to 8 were also all shared leaving the fans anticipating a close and exciting finish. It didn't happen although the score at this stage stood at 23-25.

Heat 9 was the seventh consecutive shared race then the Diamonds stepped up a gear or two. Rene Bach passed David Howe to win heat 10 while Jason King took third doubling the visitors' lead to four points. It stayed that way over heats 11 and 12 when the score read 34-38.

Then the roof fell in for the Wasps. Mark Lemon returning to his old stomping ground was followed home by Kenni Larsen in heat 13 for a 1-5 which put the Diamonds eight points up with just two races to go. Rene Bach won heat 14 and Trent Leverington swooped round the outside of Jordan Frampton for second and the 1-5 shot the visitors into a twelve point lead. Mark Lemon then completed his full maximum by winning heat 15 with the Diamonds finishing with a 2-4 which gave them all four league points as a result of this fourteen point win. They outscored the Wasps by 4-14 over the last three heats.


Scorers: Newport – Jordan Frampton 11, Paul Fry 7, James Holder 5+1, David Howe 5, Kyle Newman 4+1, Jonas Andersson 3+2, Chris Kerr 3+1.

Newcastle – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (full maximum), Kenny Larsen 11+1, Rene Bach 9+1, Jason King 7+1, Trent Leverington 6+1, Derek Sneddon 4+3, Adam McKinna 0.



Premier League: ..... Stoke 49 (3 points), Edinburgh 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Stoke were at full strength but Edinburgh were without Max Dilger and Kevin Woelbert. They had Paul Clews as a guest for Dilger at number 2 and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 3 for Woelbert.

It was a rare Sunday afternoon meeting for Stoke and it seemed that they hadn't quite got the track watering right as both sets of riders struggled to master difficult conditions. Stoke were anxious to get back on track after two away defeats on consecutive nights while Edinburgh were very much in need of points to boost their play-off hopes.

With Paul Clews, Edinburgh's guest, stuck in traffic and missing at start time, the Monarchs used reserve, Aaron Summers, in the opening heat in his place. He won it too with Ryan Fisher sitting behind him for the perfect 1-5 start for the visitors. They were a point down though after heat 2! Craig Branney touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Then Aaron Summers fell on the first bend and was excluded from the rerun in which Byron Bekker jetted from the tapes and was the length of the straight ahead of second place Jesper Kristiansen when he fell off. It looked as though he had time to remount and still be leading but the referee put the red lights on and awarded the race to Kristiansen and Branney for a 5-0 to the Potters. Klaus Jakobsen gated in heat 3 to lead Matthew Wethers and Ryan Fisher home for a shared race then Edinburgh pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat 4. Michal Rajkowski made the gate while Robert Ksiezak in second spent all race warding off Aaron Summers. This took the score to 11-12 with Edinburgh back in front again albeit by just one point.

Lee Complin gated to lead heat 5 with Ryan Fisher in second place. However Jakobsen passed Fisher at the end of the third lap so the home side took a 5-1 which put them three points ahead.
Bunyan passed the fast starting Michal Rajkowski to win heat 6 while Madsen passed Bekker for third and the 4-2 put the Potters five points up. Edinburgh hit back with a 1-5 in heat 7 with Rajkowski (R/R) and Wethers heading Branney home. This cut the gap to just one point again and it stayed that way when Madsen beat Clews and Summers in heat 8 for a shared heat. The score now stood at 24-23.

Jakobsen won heat 9 for the home side while Complin got the better of Rajkowski for a 5-1 which stretched the Potters lead to five points and they extended it further to seven points in heat 10. Jason Bunyan gated but got out of shape on the apex of the first two bends causing the rest of the field to shut off. He then headed off to win the race while Clews passed Madsen for second and Wethers fell off at the back. Edinburgh clawed two points back in heat 11. Ksiezak gated to lead for the first lap but was passed by Paul Clews. Ryan Fisher back in third tried hard to follow Clews' example but couldn't pass the Potter so the Monarchs had to settle for a 2-4 and five point deficit. Both home men made the gate in heat 12 but Summers and then Wethers passed Jakobsen to share the spoils taking the score to 38-33.

Jason Bunyan rocketed from the gate in heat 13 to lead Ryan Fisher while Robert Ksiezak fell trying to pass Michal Rajkowski so the race points were shared preserving the Potters' five point lead. Time was running out for Edinburgh and Summers and Wethers could only follow a fast starting Lee Complin home in heat 14 leaving the Monarchs needing a 3-3 or better to rescue a point from the last race. However Bunyan and Complin gated to leave Fisher chasing in vain for a 5-1 and nine point lead which gave Stoke all three points.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 12+1 (5), Lee Complin 11+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 8+1 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 6 (5), Tom P Madsen 5 (4), Robert Ksiezak 4 (4), Craig Branney 3+1 (3).

Edinburgh – Michal Rajkowski 10+1 (6), Aaron Summers 9+1 (6), Ryan Fisher 8+2 (6), Paul Clews 7 (4), Matthew Wethers 6+3 (5), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 14 September



Premier League:..... Newcastle 66 (3 points), Newport 27 (0 points) .


Team changes: Newcastle were at full strength. Newport again had David Howe at number 1 for the injured Leigh Lanham and Kyle Newman at number 6 for Marek Mroz.

Not much to say about this match other than that Newcastle scored eight 5-1s and six 4-2s. There was one shared race and the other was an advantage to the Wasps by 3-6 thanks to a win for Jordan Frampton as a tactical substitute, Newport's only race winner of the match.

The Diamonds opened with a 4-2 from Kenni Larsen and Derek Sneddon split by David Howe. They added a 5-1 in the reserves race but heat 3 won by Rene bach was shared as Jordan Frampton and Chris Kerr followed him home. Another 5-1 from Mark Lemon and Trent Leverington took the score to 17-7.

Immediately Newport gave David Howe a tactical ride but it was a failure as he finished third behind Bach and King for another home 5-1 their third at that stage. Their fourth arrived in the next race with Larsen and Sneddon heading Paul Fry home. Chris Kerr fell in heat 7 but Jordan Frampton took second place behind Lemon for a 4-2 but Sneddon and Leverington produced a fifth 5-1 in heat 8 taking the score to 42-12.

Newcastle's sixth 5-1 came in heat 9 via King and Bach but three 4-2s slowed the runaway Diamonds in heats 10, 11 and 12 as Frampton, Howe and Kerr managed second places. This took the score to 59-19.

Lemon and Larsen took the expected 5-1 in heat 13 then Jordan Frampton took a second tactical ride in heat 14. He won it too beating Rene Bach and Adam McKinna for Newport's sole moment of joy as they took a 3-6 advantage. However Lemon and Larsen repeated their heat 13 success with another 5-1 in the last heat for a massive 39 point win for the home side.


Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (full maximum), Kenni Larsen 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Rene Bach 10+1 (4), Jason King 8+1 (4), Trent Leverington 7+3 (4), Derek Sneddon 7+1 (4), Adam McKinna 6+1 (4).

Newport – Jordan Frampton 12 (5) (incl 6 point TR), David Howe 7 (5), Kerr 3+1 (4), Paul Fry 3 (4), James Holder 1 (4), Jonas Andersson 1 (4), Kyle Newman 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 15 September



Premier League:..... King's Lynn 60 (3 points), Workington 34 (0 points).


Team changes: King's Lynn used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for Kozza Smith. Workington missing Kevin Doolan (injured), Phil Morris (retired) and Richard Lawson (out for the season) had Ben Wilson as a guest for Doolan at number 1 and Simon Lambert as a guest for Phil Morris at number 2. They used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Lawson.

King's Lynn took another big step towards the Champioship crown with this win over a scarcely recognisable Comets side. The patched up visitors were sunk without trace so were unable to improve their chances of a Play-off place.

King's Lynn took two 5-1s in the opening four heats although they were pegged back by a 2-4 for the Comets in a race won by Adrian Rymel in heat 3. The gap was then six points at 15-9 but by heat 8 it had rocketed to 18 points at 33-15 thanks to another two 5-1s and two 4-2s.

A 4-2 in heat 9 was followed by a spell of sterner resistance from the Comets. Rymel beat Darcy Ward in heat 10 for a 3-3 then Ben Wilson took a tactical ride and finished behind Tomas Topinka in heat 11. Simon Lambert took third after an Eklof retiral for a 3-5. Rymel took a tactical ride in heat 12 and finished second to Jan Graversen for a 4-4 which took the score to 47-29

Two more 5-1s and a 4-2 for the Stars over the last three races stretched the home side's win to 26 points.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Jan Graversen 14+3 (7), Darcy Ward 13+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 9+1 (4), Chris Schramm 9 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Linus Eklof 7+1 (5).

Away – Adrian Rymel 12 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Ben Wilson 10 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Andre Compton 6 (5), Simon Lambert 3+2 (5), Craig Cook 2 (5), John Branney 1 (6).