Around the Premier League Tracks 2009

[Merlin]

Saturday, 11 April



Premier Trophy:
Berwick v. Workington
Stoke v. Rye House



Premier Trophy:.... Berwick 52 (3 points), Workington 38 (0 points) .


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

This was expected to be a close encounter and so it transpired for most of the match. Winning the toss and taking the inside gates Berwick started with a 4-2 when William Lawson outpaced Kevin Doolan to win comfortably with Paul Clews taking third as John Branney retired. The Bandits were hoping to cash in with a further advantage in heat 2 when the two sets of reserves met but Gino Franchetti fell on the third bend causing it to be rerun without him. Danny Warwick gated well for the win but Richard Lawson and Luke Priest had to do little more than finish for a shared race. Workington levelled the scores in heat 3 with a win from Adrian Rymel. Josef Franc was stuck in third place for a couple of laps before passing Charles Wright for second place and a 2-4 for the Comets. Berwick were back in front with a 4-2 in heat 4. Michal Makovsky won it from Andre Compton with Warwick third taking the score to 13-11.

Kevin Doolan won heat 5 in the quickest time of the season but the Berwick pair of Franc and Aarnio shared the heat behind him then Andre Compton came round the outside of William Lawson off bend two to win heat 6. Paul Clews passed Luke Priest for third and another shared heat before the battle of the 'big two' – Makovsky and Rymel in heat 7. Although Adrian Rymel made the gate Makovsky was not to be denied and passed him on the second bend to go on to a comfortable win. Rymel then had to look lively to hold off the challenge of Gino Franchetti but the Bandits had taken another 4-2 to open a four point lead. Paul Clews had his work cut out to hold off Craig Branney in the next race, heat 8. Richard Lawson finished third ahead of Warwick so the 3-3 took the score on to 26-22.

Richard Lawson was out again in heat 9 in place of Luke Priest and gained a valuable point as Josef Franc beat Andre Compton by a distance for another 3-3. There was no change in heat 10 either. Adrian Rymel won from William Lawson while Paul Clews just hung on to third ahead of Charles Wright but Berwick opened up a six point gap in heat 11 as Michal Makovsky continued his unbeaten run by beating Kevin Doolan. Gino Franchetti kept John Branney at the back and the 4-2 took the score to 36-30. There was no joy again for the Comets in heat 12 for, although Adrian Rymel won the race, Luke Priest fell and the race was awarded with Tero Aarnio in second and Danny Warwick in third. The 3-3 took the score to 39-33 and time was running out for Workington's ambitions to amount realistically to no more than gaining a single point from the match.

Heat 13 was a huge one in the context of the match. Kevin Doolan inflicted a rare defeat on Michal Makovsky but behind them William Lawson kept Andre Compton in check. The race ended as a 3-3 and both teams were now striving hard for the points. Heat 14 looked a dangerous one for the Comets since they did not have one of their 'big guns' out. The tension was now showing as the riders of both teams went hell for leather from the start. In the first running of the heat there was carnage as the riders came together on the first bend and the race was rerun with all four back. In the second running Charles Wright fell and was adjudged to have been leaning on Josef Franc. The Comet was excluded from the rerun as Wright went down hard and the ambulance was called for him. He was eventually taken to the County Hospital for a check-over. Richard Lawson was now left to face Josef Franc and Gino Franchetti alone in the rerun. After a lengthy delay, the two Bandits scored a 5-1 maximum ahead of Lawson to stretch their lead to ten points with just one race to go. Workington now needed a 1-5 from the last race to salvage a point from the match while Berwick only needed two points to take the full three league points. However Makovsky and Franc scored a Berwick 5-1 in heat 15 ahead of Rymel and Doolan for a 14 point win on the night and all three points.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14 (5), Josef Franc 12+1 (5), William Lawson 8+1 (4), Paul Clews 6+2 (4), Danny Warwick 5+1 (4), Gino Franchetti 4+1 (4), Tero Aarnio 3+1 (4),

Workington – Adrian Rymel 12 (5), Kevin Doolan 10 (5), Andre Compton 7 (4), Richard Lawson 5+2 (5), John Branney 2 (4), Luke Priest 1+1 (3), Charles Wright 1 (4).



Premier Trophy:.... Stoke 46 (0 points), Rye House 47 (3 points) .


Team changes: Stoke were at full strength butRye House were missing Tommy Allen with a bruised back and Luke Bowen who reportedly had laryngitis. They used Rider Replacement at number 5 for Allen and called up Josh Auty as a guest for Bowen at number 7.

If Stoke were looking for a comfortable win from this match they were in for a shock! It turned out to be a real thriller with plenty of controversy as it unfolded. Linus Sundstrom and Chris Neath were fast away from the tapes for the Rockets in the opening heat but Lee Complin passed Neath so the race ended as a 2-4 to the visitors. Klaus Jakobsen won the reserves race from Silver and Auty and a shared heat then Robert Mear gated in heat 3 but Jason Bunyan came from last place to pass the whole field. Joe Haines held off a challenge from Tom P Madsen for another shared race before the Rockets doubled their lead to four points with a 2-4 in heat 4. Linus Sundstrom took the R/R ride and won the race while Klaus Jakobsen finished ahead of Auty for second. This brought the score to 10-14.

It got worse for the Potters as Chris Neath gated to win heat 5 from Jason Bunyan while Linus Sundstrom took third for another 2-4 and that heat score was repeated in heat 6 when Joe Haines, taking the R/R ride, romped out of the gate to beat Lee Complin. Glen Phillips who had been in second place was passed by both Andrew Silver and Complin to finish at the back and the Rockets now had a six point lead at 14-22. Jesper Kristiansen stopped the run of Rye House race winners by passing Joe Haines and Rob Mear in heat 7 but Phil Morris ran another last so this race was shared. Stoke slipped further behind in heat 8 when Linus Sundstrom gated to win from Jakobsen while Josh Auty passed Glen Phillips on the second lap for a 2-4 which took the score to 19-29.

The next heat turned the match round. Now ten points in arrears Jason Bunyan took a tactical ride in heat 9 while Kristiansen replaced Tom P Madsen while Robert Mear took the R/R ride. Kristiansen gated but Mear was deemed to have brought down Bunyan when the Stoke rider tried to pass him on the outside. Mear was excluded. Bunyan and Kristiansen scored the big 8-1 in the rerun, a task made easy by Silver's sick machine. The gap was down to three points at 27-30 and it got even closer in heat 10 when Lee Complin won after passing Joe Haines with Jakobsen third ahead of Robert Mear. The gap was now a single point at 31-32. The comeback was complete when the Potters added a 5-1 in heat 11 with Kristiansen and Phil Morris team riding for the maximum ahead of Sundstrom and Neath. From ten points down Stoke now led by three points at 36-33.

Rye House didn't take this lying down and they shocked Stoke by hitting back with a 1-5 in heat 12. Josh Auty replaced Andrew Silver for the Rockets and a hard first bend by Joe Haines on Jakobsen was enough to get the visiting pair in front, a lead they did not lose. This put Rye House one ahead again at 37-38! Josh Auty took the R/R ride in heat 13 and brought home the bacon by winning the race. Chris Neath initially gated in second place with Auty but after a fantastic tussle with Lee Complin he lost out on the line to the Stoke man. This produced a 2-4 increasing the Rockets' lead to three points with just two heats to go. Josh Auty was out for his sixth ride of the match in heat 14 and, although Jason Bunyan won it, Auty and Mear kept Kristiansen at the back for a shared heat leaving the Potters requiring a 5-1 in the last heat to win the match by a single point. It was Rye who won it though by a single point as the Potters could only manage a 4-2 from the final race. Lee Complin made the gate but Jason Bunyan was stuck at the back. Although Bunyan passed Joe Haines on the second lap he couldn't catch Linus Sundstrom who finished second.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 15 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Lee Complin 12 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 8+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 8 (5), Phil Morris 2+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 1 (3), Glen Phillips 0 (3).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 13 (6), Josh Auty 10+3 (6), Joe Haines 10+2 (6), Rob Mear 5+1 (5), Chris Neath 5 (4), Andrew Silver 4 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 12 April



Premier Trophy:
Glasgow v. Newcastle
Newport v. King's Lynn



Premier Trophy:.... Glasgow 55 (3 points), Newcastle 35 (0 points) .


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

Newcastle under threat from their management after a string of poor results lost heavily again. Although they kept the scores close early on with a string of shared heats they didn't manage a single heat advantage all match and surrendered to the usual big Glasgow finish. For the second home match in a row Glasgow finished with three 5-1s with Parker and Grieves who provided two of them going through the match unbeaten!

Shane Parker started by winning the opening race from Derek Sneddon and Steve Boxall but the Tigers took the lead in the reserves race with a win from Mitchell Davey from Casper Wortmann who took advantage of a mistake by Anders Andersen to slip through into second place. The result was a 4-2 for a 7-5 Glasgow lead but the next two races were shared with wins from Josh Grajczonek and James Grieves. Derek Sneddon won heat 5 for the Diamonds but again the race was shared with the score at 16-14.

Parker won again in heat 6 with Jason King second but Ross Brady collected third for a 4-2 which doubled the Tigers' lead to four points. James Grieves took heat 7 from the Larsen-Leverington pairing but heat 8 had to be rerun without Craig Branney after he had crashed into Ross Brady trying to pass the Glasgow rider who lay second to Derek Sneddon at the time. In the rerun Ross Brady made the gate but was chased all the way by Sneddon and the Newcastle man's persistence paid off when he beautifully passed Brady on the outside off the last bend to win the race for another 3-3.

Heats 9 and 10 won by Jason King and Shane Parker were both uneventful 3-3s but Mitchell Davey sealed the visitors' fate with a stunning ride in heat 11. James Grieves and Derek Sneddon had a ding-dong battle on the second bend vying for the lead. Grieves pulled away and Sneddon and Boxall settled into the minor placings. Davey passed Boxall on the third lap then chased after Sneddon and brought the house down with a brilliant pass on the last bend of the race to follow Grieves home for the 5-1 which doubled the Glasgow lead to eight points at 37-29. Kenni Larsen won heat 12 without support so Glasgow's eight point lead remained intact.

That was the end for the Diamonds. Parker and Grieves took untroubled 5-1s for the home side but heat 14 was a bit of a disaster for the visitors. Trailing by 12 points they gave Trent Leverington a tactical ride but it produced nothing when his bike failed just after he left the tapes leaving Davey and Grajczonek to score an easy 5-1. So the 8 point gap after heat 12 ended up a 20 point gap three heats later and the proud Diamonds army were sent home again to think again. The two sides meet again tomorrow night at Brough Park but if Newcastle are to have any chance they'll need to find a way of producing more race winners than the four they managed here at Ashfield.

Scorers: Glasgow – Shane Parker 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), James Grieves 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Mitchell Davey 11+2 (6), Josh Grajczonek 7+3 (4), Peter Juul 5 (4), Ross Brady 3 (3), Anders Andersen 1 (3).

Newcastle – Derek Sneddon 10 (5), Kenni Larsen 9 (5), Jason King 8 (4), Trent Leverington 3+3 (4), Craig Branney 2+1 (5), Casper Wortmann 2 (3) Steve Boxall 1+1 (4).



Premier Trophy:.... Newport 39 (0 points), King's Lynn 51 (4 points) .


Team changes: Newport had Chris Kerr back in their ranks but were missing Brent Werner so used Rider Replacement at number 3. Kyle Newman was their nominated number 8. King's Lynn again used Rider Replacement for Kozza Smith at number 2.

Newport had little chance in this match as Darcy Ward took seven rides and rattled up no less than 20 points for the Stars. The young Australian's sensational scoring will surely make the promoters' think again at their end of season conference on the policy of allowing youngsters to come into a team at reserve on an assessed average with seven rides available. King's Lynn were again able to cash in on Ward's prolific scoring and all the teams the Stars have to face before he is forced into the team proper (at number 1 perhaps?) after he has ridden 12 meetings will be cursing their luck.

In this match Darcy Ward rode in five of the first nine heats scoring a maximum 15 points by which time the Stars were eight points ahead. Newport had started so well taking a 5-1 from the opening race as Tomas Topinka dropped his only two points of the match. Their joy didn't last long as Ward gave notice of his intentions by winning the reserves race by a quarter of a lap from his own partner, Jan Graversen, for a levelling 1-5. Chris Schramm returning to one of his old haunts beat Chris Kerr in the third heat and found support from Christian Henry for a 2-4 and another came the Stars way as Ward won heat 4 from Jordan Frampton with Emiliano Sanchez passing Nick Simmons for third. The score was 10-14 at this point.

Topinka started his winning run in heat 5 but Holder and Kerr shared the points behind him then Darcy Ward produced his third win in heat 6 with a scintillating pass on first Mark Lemon then Paul Fry to demoralise the Wasps. Sanchez had fallen and been excluded in the first running of the race so the points were again shared. Jordan Frampton provided a rare Wasps' race win in heat 7 for the third shared race on the trot then that man Ward came out to win again in heat 8. Holder and Fry kept Sanchez at the back so this fourth shared race took the score to 22-26 and the Wasps were still well in contention.

Ward was out again to win heat 9 after passing Chris Kerr. This time Sanchez did likewise to move into second and the Stars' 1-5 doubled their lead to eight points. Christian Henry continued to pile the pressure on the beleaguered home side by winning heat 10 but Mark Lemon and Paul Fry shared the points behind him as Chris Schramm fell and remounted. Tomas Topinka made it four King's Lynn race winners on the trot in heat 11 but the Wasps continued fighting their rearguard battle when Jordan Frampton took second and James Holder won an exciting passing and repassing bout with Jan Graversen for third.. Finally Wasps managed another heat advantage in heat 12. Paul Fry ended Darcy Ward's winning run while Nick Simmons picked up third after Christian Henry fell at the back. The 4-2 reduced the gap to six points at 33-39.

Tomas Topinka won again in heat 13 but Frampton and Lemon shared the points but the Wasps' hopes of anything from the match ended when Darcy Ward sealed their fate by winning heat 14 in the fastest time of the match. Chris Schramm followed him home so the 1-5 stretched the Stars' lead into a winning one of ten points with one heat to go. Tomas Topinka wrapped things up by winning for the fourth time in the last heat from Paul Fry while Chris Schramm took third for a 2-4 and impressive 12 point win. King's Lynn are now strong favourites to top their Premier Trophy section.


Scorers: Newport – Paul Fry 12+2 (6), Jordan Frampton 9 (5), James Holder 7+1 (7), Mark Lemon 6+3 (4), Chris Kerr 4+1 (4), Nick Simmons 1 (4).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 20 (7), Tomas Topinka 13 (5), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), Christian Henry 5+1 (4, Emiliano Sanchez 3+1 (5), Jan Graversen 2+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Monday, 13 April



Premier Trophy:

Newcastle v. Glasgow
Rye House v. Stoke
Scun.thorpe v. Somerset
Workington v. Berwick



Premier Trophy:.... Newcastle 48 (2 points), Glasgow 45 (1 points) .


Team changes: Newcastle were at full strength but Glasgow were without Ross Brady so they used Rider Replacement at number 2.

In what must have been one of the best matches of the season so far Newcastle and Glasgow fought out a real thriller of a match which had passing galore on a much improved Brough Park circuit. For Newcastle this was a vitally important match as they sought their first win of the season in official fixtures. They looked to be cruising it too until they made the big mistake (!) of going ten points ahead just as Shane Parker was due out in the next race. Two big heat wins for Glasgow in three races brought them roaring back into contention and the match went to the 'wire' (whatever that is!) with a last heat decider in which there was all to play for. Both teams deservedly came out of the match with something for their efforts.

Shane Parker raced to the fastest time of the season on the newly prepared circuit (63.5) to get Glasgow off to a winning start but the points were shared before the Tigers took the lead in heat 2. Anders Andersen and Craig Branney fought a Herculean battle for the win with Andersen just holding on by a tyre's width on the line. Mitchell Davey's third place gave the visitors a two point lead. Josh Grajczonek kept it that way by winning heat 3 but he had to pass both the fast gating Larsen and Leverington down the back straight to do so then heat 4 provided a big surprise. James Grieves made the gate but he was passed by Jason King down the back straight then had Craig Branney to contend with. The Diamond's reserve caught him and passed him right on the line for a 5-1 to the home side which wiped out the arrears and put them in front at 13-11.

Both Glasgow riders gated well in heat 5 but, while Shane Parker went on to win comfortably, Mitchell Davey was quickly passed by both Kenni Larsen and Trent Leverington for a shared heat. Derek Sneddon gave the Diamonds their second race win of the match by passing the fast starting Anders Andersen in heat 6 while James Grieves finished third for a 3-3 but Newcastle doubled their lead to four points with a 4-2 in heat 7. Josh Grajczonek made a fast start but Jason King got the better of him and held on for the four lap chase with the Glasgow rider just losing out. Casper Wortmann beat Peter Juul for the third place point then the Diamonds pulled six points clear with another 4-2 in heat 8. It didn't look like finishing that way after Derek Sneddon had gated and Anders Andersen and Josh Grajczonek had settled in behind him but a determined Craig Branney passed Grajczonek on the last lap to take the score to 27-21.

Trent Leverington won heat 9 but, with Grieves and Andersen in the minor places, it looked like the race would be shared until Kenni Larsen got up on the line to pass Andersen for third to score a 4-2 for the home side increasing the lead to eight points. Steve Boxall won heat ten from Grajczonek and Sneddon to put the Diamonds ten points ahead but this meant that Glasgow had the consolation of having Shane Parker out in heat 11 so he took a tactical ride. He gated well with Jason King but, to the home fans' horror, King, out wide to pass Parker, clipped the kickboards on the second bend and fell heavily. Mitchell Davey also came down as he ploughed into King's machine and he had to withdraw from the rerun. With King excluded, the Diamonds had to rely on Casper Wortmann to contest the race with Parker and Adam McKinna who came in to replace Davey. Although Wortmann led early on Parker passed him for the full six points and McKinna added the gift third place point for a 2-7 which halved the gap and left the visitors only five behind. Heat 12 looked dangerous for the Tigers with the pointless Juul and Anders Andersen out for them but, although Trent Leverington won the race as expected, Peter Juul scored his only two points of the match by finishing ahead of Craig Branney for a 4-2 which stretched the gap to seven points at 41-34.

Newcastle knew that they had to face the Parker-Grieves combine in two of the last three heats so it was clearly going to be a close run affair. Grieves and Parker duly delivered a 1-5 in heat 13 although Steve Boxall was right on their tails as they team rode to victory. Only three in it now but Kenni Larsen won heat 14. With no support from Wortmann the gap was still three points going into the last heat. Newcastle needed a 5-1 from it to take all three points while Glasgow needed a 1-5 to win the match by a point. However Kenni Larsen, off gate 4, made it to the corner ahead of Parker, clamped him on the line, then withstood all of Parker's challenges to become the hero of the hour for the home fans. Grieves won a similarly close fought battle with Boxall behind them but the race ended up being shared for a three point Newcastle victory. Newcastle therefore took 2 league points and Glasgow one from the match which seemed a fair result.


Scorers: Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 11+1 (5), Trent Leverington 8+2 (4), Derek Sneddon 8+1 (4), Craig Branney 6+1 (4), Jason King 6 (4), Steve Boxall 6 (5), Casper Wortmann 3 (4).

Glasgow – Shane Parker 16+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Anders Andersen 9 (7), James Grieves 8+2 (5), Josh Grajczonek 8+1 (5), Peter Juul 2 (4), Adam McKinna 1 (1), Mitchell Davey 1 (3).



Premier Trophy:.... Rye House 63 (3 points), Stoke 30 (0 points) .


Team changes: Rye House, still without Tommy Allen and Luke Bowen, tracked the same team as on Saturday at Stoke with Rider Replacement for Allen at number 5 and Josh Auty at number 7 for Bowen. Stoke were again at full strength.

Having won at Loomer Road by one point at the weekend Rye House looked odds-on to complete the double in this afternoon's match and take all seven points over the two matches. Five 5-1s in the first six heats left the Potters reeling. Only a 2-4 in heat 3 interrupted this run. In this race Jason Bunyan and Rob Mear had a bend 2 altercation with Mear falling. He was excluded but it looked as though Joe Haines would win the race until Jason Bunyan swooped off the last bend to catch the young Rocket to win on the line. With Tom P Madsen picking up the gift third place point the visitors took a 2-4 to get within six points of their hosts. 5-1s in the next three heats took the score to 27-9.

Jason Bunyan took a tactical ride for the Potters in heat 7 and won for the full six points by again beating Joe Haines. Tom P Madsen again took third for a 2-7 which cut five points from the Rye House lead to 13 points. However this was simply an oasis in the desert for the Potters who suffered a 5-1 in heat 8 then a 4-2 in heat 9 when Phil Morris split the Mear-Haines pairing. Rye House's seventh 5-1 in heat 10 took the score to 43-20 before the interval.

In heat 11 Lee Complin took Stoke's second TR but Rob Mear and Andrew Silver had little difficulty scoring Rye's eighth 5-1 to render the tactical move valueless. Jesper Kristiansen gated well to lead both Rockets in heat 12 but Josh Auty soon passed him to take the lead while Joe Haines almost did likewise but just lost out on the line. Stoke scored a 4-2 as a result and repeated it in heat 13 when Phil Morris split the Neath-Silver pairing. Heat 14 produced the third 4-2 in a row. In this one Rob Mear won the race but Jason Bunyan passed Andrew Silver who had got the better of him at the start. In the last heat Linus Sundstrom, looking to score a six ride paid maximum, clipped the kerb and clattered into Phil Morris. He was excluded from the rerun in which Chris Neath shot off for his paid maximum instead. Bunyan and Morris took second and third for a shared heat, the only one of the match!


Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Linus Sundstrom 13+2 (6), Rob Mear 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Josh Auty 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Joe Haines 9 (5), Andrew Silver 7+1 (5).

Stoke – Jason Bunyan 14 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Phil Morris 6+1 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 4 (5), Lee Complin 3 (4), Tom P Madsen 2 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 1 (4), Glen Phillips 0 (3).




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


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

The match looked as good as over for Somerset when they lost three 5-1s and a 4-2 in the opening four races to trail 19-5. Simon Lambert was excluded for touching the tapes in heat 1 but Jerran Hart came in as a replacement and gated with David Howe for the first maximum. Byron Bekker had to pass both Rebels riders in the reserves race to follow home Hart who won again in the second. Heat 3 was an uneventful 5-1 with Wilkinson and Bergstrom winning for the Scorpions while in heat 4 Jay Herne made the gate for the visitors but was passed by Magnus Karlsson as Cory Gathercole had an engine failure for a 4-2.

Heat 5 was certainly not uneventful! Steve Johnston took a tactical ride for the Rebels but the race was recalled after Viktor Bergstrom fell on the first bend. He was excluded then, in the rerun, Carl Wilkinson passed Justin Sedgmen on the opening lap behind Steve Johnston only to fall as Sedgmen repassed him on the second lap. This led to a Somerset 0-8 bringing the Rebels back into the match at 19-13 but it was the visitors who failed to score a point in heat 6! Cory Gathercole had an engine failure on the second lap leaving Tom Brown to finish behind David Howe and Simon Lambert. Brown was then excluded for having no dirt deflector so the Scorpions took a 5-0. The teams exchanged 4-2s in heats 7 and 8 with Emil Kramer winning heat 7 and Lambert heat 8 taking the score to 30-19.

Heats 9 and 10 also produced a 4-2 to either side. Heat 9 looked as though the Rebels might take a 1-5 but Viktor Bergstrom passed Tom Brown on the second lap to follow Cory Gathercole home then David Howe won heat 10 from Emil Kramer with Simon Lambert third. Scun.thorpe's 11 point lead remained intact when heats 11 and 12 were shared. The Scorpions provided both race winners with Magnus Karlsson the first and Carl Wilkinson the second. After 12 races the score stood at 42-31 and Somerset needed to pull five points back to earn a point from the match.

Their chances went up in smoke with a Howe-Karlsson maximum from Steve Johnston in an exciting race involving the first three who passed and repassed each other. The Scorpions now led by 15 points at 47-32 so Emil Kramer took a second tactical ride for the Rebels in heat 14. Jerran Hart made the gate for the home side and Kramer could do no better than finish second. Bergstrom passed Herne for third place so the result was a 4-4 shared race. Emil Kramer had the satisfaction of depriving David Howe of his paid maximum in heat 15. Behind this pair Cory Gathercole passed Magnus Karlsson for third and closed on Howe with the race finishing as a 2-4 to the visitors but a 13 point win for the home side.


Scorers: Scun.thorpe – David Howe 13+1 (5), Magnus Karlsson 10+1 (5), Jerran Hart 9 (5), Simon Lambert 6+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 6 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 5+1 (4), Byron Bekker 4+1 (4).

Somerset – Emil Kramer 13 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Steve Johnston 10 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Justin Sedgmen 5+2 (4), Cory Gathercole 4 (5), Tom Brown 3+1 (4), Simon Walker 3 (4), Jay Herne 2 (4).



Premier Trophy:.... Workington 53 (3 points), Berwick 39 (0 points) .


Team changes: Workington were without Charles Wright so used Rider Replacement at number 4. Berwick were at full strength.

Workington were looking to reverse the match result on Saturday night at Berwick where, to the surprise of many, they lost all three points to a very good Bandits' performance. They had to do so without Charles Wright whose fall at Berwick kept him out of this match.

The Bandits got off to the dreaded double whammy in the opening two heats losing them both 5-1. In the first Kevin Doolan set a new track record (63.0) while John Branney followed him home while in the second Gino Franchetti, leading, for the Bandits, went too wide on the second lap's second bend which allowed Richard Lawson and Luke Priest through. 10-2 down the Bandits hit back big style but with a lot of help from the Comets' heat leaders! In heat 3, Adrian Rymel, well out in front fell on the fourth bend and was excluded from the rerun in which Josef Franc won from John Branney for a 2-4. Andre Compton was next to fall while lying third in heat 4 but Michal Makovsky and Danny Warwick were well in front by then for a Bandits' 1-5 taking the score to 13-11.

Back came the home side with a 5-1 in heat 5 with Richard Lawson and Adrian Rymel leaving William Lawson and Paul Clews miles behind. Now six points ahead, the Comets had to face a rerun of heat 6 with one rider after John Branney had fallen. Kevin Doolan won it so the race was shared but Workington increased their lead to eight points with a 4-2 in heat 7. Andre Compton made up for his heat four bloomer by winning from Josef Franc with Luke Priest third. Another 4-2 in heat 8 won by Richard Lawson from Paul Clews stretched the lead to ten points at 29-19.

As a result Michal Makovsky came out in heat 9 as a tactical substitute but could only finish second to Adrian Rymel. Richard Lawson's third place meant that the heat was shared 4-4 but Berwick got two points back in heat 10. Rather surprisingly it was Tero Aarnio who shot from the gate and held off all Kevin Doolan's challenges for the four laps. Josef Franc finished third for a 2-4 cutting the arrears to eight points. Andre Compton won again to share the points in heat 11 but Adrian Rymel won heat 12 from Gino Franchetti who passed Richard Lawson for second. This took the score to 42-32.

In heat 13 Michal Makovsky cheered up the visitors with a fine win over Doolan and Compton with William Lawson, who was in second place from the tapes, coming out of the second bend in last place so the race was shared. Berwick's hopes of as much as a point from the match died when Andre Compton won heat 14 for a shared heat then, in the final heat, Doolan and Rymel added a 5-1 to put a better gloss on the score for the home side.


Scorers: Workington – Kevin Doolan 13 (5), Richard Lawson 12 (7), Adrian Rymel 10+2 (5), Andre Compton 10+1 (5), John Branney 5+1 (5), Luke Priest 3+1 (3).

Berwick – Michal Makovsky 12+1 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Josef Franc 7+1 (5), Gino Franchetti 7 (5), Paul Clews 5 (4), Tero Aarnio 4 (4), Danny Warwick 2+1 (3) William Lawson 2+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 15 April



Premier Trophy:

Birmingham v. Scun.thorpe
King's Lynn v. Somerset



Premier Trophy:.... Birmingham 41 (0 points), Scun.thorpe 48 (4 points).


Team changes: Both sides were at full strength.

There was never really much between these two sides tonight but eventually Scunthorpe eroded Birmingham's early lead and ended up with all four league points with a seven point win as the home side collapsed after a bright start. It was not a night that Jason Lyons will remember with any fondness as the Birmingham star managed only two points.

Birmingham produced the first race winner in the opening race but it wasn't Jason Lyons who took the chequered flag. Richard Sweetman was involved in a terrific battle with David Howe and just held on to win for a 3-3. Jason Lyons? Well he was pushed wide on the opening bends and couldn't make up the lost ground as Simon Lambert took third for a 3-3. Ben Taylor won the reserves race and, with Marek Mroz taking third behind Jerran Hart, the Brummies went in front with the 4-2. They added a 5-1 heat 3 thanks to a comfortable win from Ludvig Lindgren. Robert Ksiezak passed Carl Wilkinson who got out of shape on the second lap to join his partner up front. That was nullified by a 1-5 to the Scorpions in heat 4 when a strangely uncomfortable looking Tomasz Piszcz finished third behind Magnus Karlsson and Byron Bekker taking the score to 13-11.

Unperturbed the Ksiezak-Lindgren-pairing scored another 5-1 in heat 5. Ksiezak made the gate from David Howe but Lindgren passed Howe to join his partner and put the Brummies six points ahead again. The teams exchanged 4-2s in heats 6 and 7. Magnus Karlsson won the first from Richard Sweetman as an out of sorts Jason Lyons finished last again while, in the second, Tomasz Piszcz held off the challenging Carl Wilkinson until Wilkinson slipped to the back when Piszcz locked up causing him to take avoiding action. This let Viktor Bergtsrom through with Ben Taylor. Richard Sweetman, having an excellent night, won again in heat 8 but it was only for a 3-3 as Simon Lambert and Byron Bekker followed him home. The score now stood at 27-21.

Scunthorpe came back into the match strongly with consecutive 2-4s in heats 9 and 10. In the first Robert Ksiezak fell leaving Magnus Karlsson to head home Ludvig Lindgren then, in heat 10, Viktor Bergstrom won from Jason Lyons who had to execute a fine cut back on the first and second bends to pass Carl Wilkinson with Sweetman at the back this time. These two heats cut the home side's lead to just two points at 31-29 and, after the interval, Tomasz Piszcz kept it that way by beating David Howe and Simon Lambert for a 3-3.

In heat 12 Marek Mroz fell heavily on the fourth bend as his partner, Robert Ksiezak, was out front and he was excluded from the rerun. Although Robert Ksiezak gated well again in the rerun, Carl Wilkinson slipped inside him on the first two bends for another 2-4 which levelled the match at 36-36 so it was now all to race for. In heat 13 the roof fell in for the Brummies! Their top two average men Piszcz and Lyons, still struggling with the track, lost a 1-5 to Magnus Karlsson, who recorded his fourth race win, and David Howe after the home pair had made a real hash of the start. To add to the tension Byron Bekker fell on the second bend causing heat 14 to be rerun without him. Although Ben Taylor rode well to pass early race leader, Viktor Bergstrom, Ludvig Lindgren trying desperately to follow his partner's example crashed into the fourth bend fence on the last lap and failed to finish. This gave Birmingham a 3-2 advantage and left the home side needing a 5-1 to win the match by a point. Scunthorpe on the other hand now had the full four league points in mind needing a 1-5 to succeed. They did it too as Magnus Karlsson completed a full five ride maximum after passing Piszcz with David Howe following him home for the maximum points both in the race and in the match.


Scorers: Birmingham – Tomasz Piszcz 9 (5), Richard Sweetman 8 (4), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 7+1 (5), Ben Taylor 7+1 (5), Jason Lyons 2 (4), Marek Mroz 1 (3).

Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 15 (5) (full maximum), David Howe 9+2 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 7 (4), Carl Wilkinson 5+1 (4), Jerran Hart 5 (4), Simon Lambert 4+2 (4), Byron Bekker 3+2 (4).



Premier Trophy:.... King's Lynn 62 (3 points), Somerset 32 (0 points) .


Team changes: King's Lynn were again without Kozza Smith so used Rider Replacement at number 2. They nominated Darren Mallett as their number 8. Somerset were at full strength.

Somerset were the latest team to fall foul of the King's Lynn steamroller. The Rebels only managed one race winner all night when Justin Sedgmen created a bit of a sensation by preventing Darcy Ward from completing a five ride maximum when he won heat 8 from King's Lynn's precocious 16 year old.

Not for the first time this season an away team found themselves almost down and out after conceding three 5-1s and a 4-2 in the opening four races to trail by 19-5. Somerset's only 'success' during this run of four races came in heat 1 when Steve Johnston gated to lead the race only to be passed by Tomas Topinka, on his way to yet another home paid maximum, on the third bend.

Steve Johnston took a tactical ride in heat 5 but he soon found himself trailing Chris Schramm and Christian Henry. However he passed Henry on the back straight of the opening lap to take second place and 4 points in the shared race. David Mallett, the Stars' number 8, was given the Rider Replacement ride in heat 6 and he contributed to the Rebels' misery by winning the race after being protected by Topinka all way round to leave a frustrated Cory Gathercole back in third place. The 5-1 put the home side 18 points ahead but Somerset mounted a spirited rally after this and only conceded four points over the next five heats. In heat 7, Emil Kramer and Simon Walker took advantage when early race leader, Jan Graversen, took too high a line to slip through for the minor places behind race winner, Emiliano Sanchez, for a 3-3. The Rebels then scored their one and only heat advantage of the night when Justin Sedgmen held on to beat Darcy Ward after Ward had made a poor start. Ward passed Jay Herne but couldn't catch Sedgmen so the result was a 2-4 to the visitors taking the score to 33-17.

King's Lynn won the next three races all by the 4-2 margin with wins from Chris Schramm, Tomas Topinka and Darcy Ward but another 5-1 came their way in heat 12 from Ward and Henry. The next two races were both shared. In heat 13 Steve Johnston led until he was passed by Tomas Topinka while Cory Gathercole took third after Emiliano Sanchez suffered an engine failure while challenging Johnston. In heat 14 Emil Kramer once again made this his tactical ride heat but soon found himself behind Schramm and Graversen. However he passed Graversen for four points and another shared heat then, in the last heat, Topinka and Schramm completed their paid maximums with a 5-1 from a pressing Justin Sedgmen and Steve Johnston.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Tomas Topinka 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Chris Schramm 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Darcy Ward 14 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 7+1 (5), Christian Henry 6+2 (4), Jan Graversen 4+1 (4), Darren Mallett 3 (2).

Somerset – Emil Kramer 8 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Steve Johnston 8 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Justin Sedgmen 6 (5), Cory Gathercole 5+1 (4), Simon Walker 3+1 (4), Jay Herne 2 (4), Tom Brown 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 16 April



Premier Trophy:

Redcar v. Workington
Sheffield v. Newcastle



Premier Trophy:.... Redcar 48 (2 points), Workington 42 (1 point).


Team changes: Redcar were at full strength but Workington were without Charles Wright and John Branney both of whom had been injured in the home and away matches against Berwick last weekend. They used Rider Replacement for Wright at number 4 and had Jerran Hart (Scunthorpe) as a guest at number 2 for Branney.

Redcar got off to the perfect start with a 5-1 in the opening race which was rerun with all four back after Kevin Doolan had fallen on the first bend. Gary Havelock and Robbie Kessler held off Kevin Doolan for the maximum in the rerun but Workington hit back in heat 2 which was also rerun after a first bend pile up. This time Arlo Bugeja was excluded and the rerun was won by Richard Lawson from Benji Compton for a 2-4. Adrian Rymel won heat 3 unsupported for a 3-3 then Ty Proctor did likewise in heat 4 taking the score to 13-11.

Kevin Doolan made a fast start to win heat 5 but again there was no support for him so the points were shared for the third consecutive heat and the Bears kept two points ahead. They stretched their lead to six though when the 5-1 pairing of Havelock and Kessler from heat 1 again made great starts to repeat the score in heat 6 against Andre Compton who finished third. The only difference this time was that Kessler led Havelock home instead of vice versa. In the seventh heat Adrian Rymel was disqualified for causing Ty Proctor to fall. Rymel had gated but was under severe pressure from Proctor. As the two riders entered the last lap with Proctor outside the Workington man he was left with no room and crashed into the fence in what looked a bad accident. However he was soon up and walking back to the pits to the relief of the home fans. The race was awarded to Proctor with Richard Lawson second and Arlo Bugeja third resulting in a 4-2 to the Bears increasing their lead to eight points. Robbie Kessler made another strong gate to win heat 8 but Jerran Hart and Richard Lawson finished in second and third as Benji Compton (replacing Arlo Bugeja) fell and remounted on the last lap. The heat was shared and the score now stood at 28-20.

Andre Compton made the gate to win heat 9 but the Bears' middle pairing of Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson shared the points for the third time on the trot then the unbeaten Havelock-Kessler pair appeared for their third outing together in heat 10. There was no 5-1 this time though as Adrian Rymel won the race from the gate sharing the points for the sixth time in the match. 3-3 number seven duly arrived in heat 11 when Kevin Doolan beat Ty Proctor and Benji Bugeja then 3-3 number eight was provided by an unsupported Adrian Rymel win in heat 12 taking the score to 40-32.

Heat 13 also finished as a 3-3 but this time it was a Redcar rider who won the race. Ty Proctor fell on the third lap while Gary Havelock passed both Andre Compton then Kevin Doolan to share the points but the sequence of shared heats was broken in heat 14 but only because Ben Wilson had an engine failure on the last bend while lying second. Andre Compton took his R/R ride in this race and won it but Wilson's misfortune promoted Richard Lawson to third behind Benji Compton for a 2-4 which proved vital. The Comets now trailed by just six points and needed only to share the last race or better for a league point while Redcar needed any heat advantage for all three points. In the first running of heat 15 Kevin Doolan moved the other three riders out on the first bend and fell heavily along with Robbie Kessler. The Redcar fans were not impressed with the referee's all four back decision. In the rerun Gary Havelock won but unfortunately for the Bears Robbie Kessler finished at the back behind Kevin Doolan and Andre Compton for shared race number ten. Bears six point win earned them 2 league points to Workington's one.


Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 13+1 (5), Robbie Kessler 9+2 (5), Ty Proctor 8 (4), Carl Stonehewer 7+1 (4), Benji Compton 5+1 (4), Ben Wilson 4+2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2+1 (4).

Workington – Kevin Doolan 11 (5), Adrian Rymel 10+1 (5), Andre Compton 10+1 (5), Richard Lawson 8+2 (7), Jerran Hart 2 (5), Luke Priest 1 (3).



Premier Trophy:.... Sheffield v Newcastle . Match abandoned.


Well the bikes were warmed up and Sheffield had won the toss and elected to go from gates 2 and 4 in heat 1 but that's as far as the proceedings got. With the rain which had been ongoing for some time getting heavier the match was abandoned without a wheel being turned. At least the riders won't have dirty bikes to clean!

[Merlin]

Friday, 17 April



Premier Trophy:

Edinburgh v. Workington
Scun.thorpe v. Rye House
Somerset v. Birmingham.



Premier Trophy: ....Edinburgh 60 (3 points), Workington 34 (0 points).


Team changes: Edinburgh were again at full strength but Workington were still missing Charles Wright and John Branney. They used Rider Replacement to cover Wright's absence and had Colin Cook at number 2 in place of Branney.

This was Workington's second match in their schedule of four matches in four days (one home and three away). Last night they gained a point at Redcar where they lost by six points and they were out to increase their tally against Edinburgh tonight. There was never any prospect of that however as the Monarchs' top three outscored the Comets' three big guns by 37+2 to 27.

Workington took the first heat 2-4 to get off to a promising start. In the first running of the heat Aaron Summers and Kevin Doolan reached the first turn together but Summers ran into Doolan causing the Comet to fall and he was excluded. Doolan beat Ryan Fisher from the gate in the rerun and rode off to win the race to give the visitors an early two point lead. It didn't last long though as Sean Stoddart and Michal Rajkowski raced off for a 5-1 in the reserves race to put the Monarchs two ahead. Heat 3 was another which had to be rerun. Adrian Rymel ran Thomas H Jonasson into the fence on the second bend and was rightly excluded for his effort. Jonasson's bike was badly damaged and he had to jump on his second machine only to discover a carburettor problem which caused the bike to splutter all the way round in the rerun in which Luke Priest made an electric start. Andrew Tully passed him off the fourth bend so the result was a 4-2 doubling Edinburgh's lead. Heat 4 made it three reruns in the first four races when Richard Lawson fell trying to avoid running into Sean Stoddart on the second bend and was excluded. Andre Compton won the rerun for a shared race taking the score to 14-10.

Kevin Doolan made another fast start to heat 5 but Andrew Tully executed a superb cutback off the second bend to pass the Comet down the back straight for a second win. Jonasson still on a slow machine followed them home for a 4-2 which extended the home side's lead to six points. Andre Compton rode an excellent first two bends in heat 6 to pass Fisher and Summers for a win which resulted in a shared heat but Edinburgh then slipped up a gear! Heat 8 resulted in the predictable 5-1 from Summers and Stoddart against the Comets' lesser lights and the score went to 31-17.

Andre Compton who had won his first two rides took a tactical ride in heat 9 but, although he briefly led down the back straight, he was no match for Andrew Tully who passed him as if he were standing still. Compton's second place meant that the points were shared 4-4 but Edinburgh hit home another 5-1 in heat 10. Fisher and Summers left the Workington pair well behind at the tapes and headed off for a comfortable maximum heat win as Adrian Rymel fell on the fourth bend and remounted. In heat 11 Kevin Doolan tried his luck with the tactical ride ploy but soon found himself back in third place as Michal Rajkowski and Matthew Wethers made the gate. However Doolan pressed the Monarchs pair and Wethers, in second, had to pass and leave Rajkowski on his own since he wasn't going fast enough. Doolan then passed Rajkowski but Wethers was long gone by then. This mean another 4-4 shared race but the Comets took a 2-4 from heat 12 when Rymel gated and headed off a strong challenge from Thomas Jonasson before winning the race. Luke Priest beat Sean Stoddart for third and a two point advantage for the visitors which took the score to 51-31.

Fisher and Wethers stormed round the first two bends to leave Doolan in third in heat 13. They went on to take another 5-1 as Doolan fell on the first bend on the last lap while well behind. Andre Compton took the R/R ride in heat 14 but Andrew Tully won the race comfortably with Rajkowski third for a 4-2 then in the last race Tully produced his party piece again. Andre Compton led from the tapes but Tully produced a phenomenal burst of speed off the second bend to pass him down the back straight. Ryan Fisher then got into the act by diving inside Compton on the third bend and the two Monarchs raced off for the home side's sixth 5-1 of the match to reach the 60 point mark for the second week in a row round Armadale. Andrew Tully was the star of the show with a full 15 point maximum, a lot of them won the hard way!


Scorers: Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 15 (5) (full maximum), Ryan Fisher 12+1 (5), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (4), Aaron Summers 6+2 (4), Michal Rajkowski 6+2 (4), Sean Stoddart 6+2 (4), Thomas H Jonasson 5 (4).

Workington – Andre Compton 14 (6) (incl 4 point TR), Kevin Doolan 9 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Adrian Rymel 4 (5), Luke Priest 3 (6), Richard Lawson 3 (6), Colin Cook 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: ....Scun.thorpe 52 (3 points), Rye House 43 (0 points).


Team changes: With Tommy Allen and Luke Bowen returning to the Rye House side both teams were at full strength.

Rye House went into this match with fine home and away victories against Stoke but Scun.thorpe too were on a high after winning at Birmingham on Wednesday night and taking all four league points into the bargain.

Rye House got off to a great start and led by six points after the first four races but back to back 5-1s from the home side in heats 5 and 6 seemed to knock the stuffing out of them as the home side moved up a gear to pull away for a handsome 16 point lead by heat 13. A 1-8 for the visitors in heat 14 gave them a glimmer of hope of rescuing a point but a shared last heat put paid to that.

Chris Neath and Linus Sundstrom shocked the home fans by relegating David Howe to third from the tapes in the opening heat giving the Rockets an early 1-5 and four point lead. The reserves race, won by Jerran Hart, was shared before the visitors extended their lead to six points with a 2-4. It looked like a 5-1 to Scun.thorpe from the tapes in heat 3 but Joe Haines passed Viktor Bergstrom at the end of the third lap then Carl Wilkinson fell on the last lap to hand the Rockets a two point heat advantage taking the score to 6-12. An interesting heat 4 was eventually shared after Magnus Karlsson passed Tommy Allen while Luke Bowen and Byron Bekker traded places at the back. Bowen won this scrap for a 3-3 and the score now stood at 9-15.

The Scorpions then woke up. Wilkinson and Bergstrom took a 5-1 in heat 5 and Howe and Lambert did the same in heat 6. Joe Haines won for the second time in heat 7 but it was only for a shared race before Simon Lambert passed Linus Sundstrom in heat 8 with Byron Bekker third for a 4-2 which saw the home side lead by 26-22, quite a turn round!

Wilkinson and Bergstrom repeated their 5-1 success from heat 5 in heat 9 and now the Scorpions' lead stood at eight points. It went to ten after Rob Mear was passed by David Howe in heat 10 with Simon Lambert finishing third ahead of the previously unbeaten Joe Haines who seemed to have bike problems. Rye House gave Chris Neath a tactical ride in heat 11 but it was Jerran Hart who raced into the lead down the back straight while Chris Neath and Magnus Karlsson fought their own personal duel for second. Neath won that one but his second place was only good enough for a 4-4 shared race. Another home 5-1 in heat 12 by Carl Wilkinson and Jerran Hart, who executed a pincer movement down the back straight on Andrew Silver, all but sealed the three points for the Scorpions as they now led by 44-30 with just three heats left.

David Howe and Magnus Karlsson looked to be off for a 5-1 in heat 13 but Chris Neath passed Karlsson for second place and a 4-2 which put the Scorpions 16 points to the good. The Rockets had a sting in the tail though. In heat 14 Rob Mear took a second tactical ride and. in the first running of the heat, Viktor Bergstrom fell on the first bend but Jerran Hart was the rider excluded. Rob Mear won the rerun while Luke Bowen and Bergstrom passed and repassed each other with the Rocket taking second place for a big 1-8 which had the home fans checking their programmes for an updated position on the state of play. Rye House needed a 1-5 from the last heat to take a point from the match but, although Chris Neath won it for them, Wilkinson and Howe followed him home for the shared heat which gave the home side all three league points.


Scorers: Scun.thorpe – David Howe 11+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 11 (5), Jerran Hart 10+1 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 7+2 (4), Simon Lambert 6+1 (4), Magnus Karlsson 6+1 (4), Byron Bekker 1 (3).

Rye House – Chris Neath 12 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Rob Mear 9 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Joe Haines 6 (4), Luke Bowen 5+2 (4), Linus Sundstrom 5+1 (5), Tommy Allen 4 (4), Andrew Silver 2+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ....Somerset 52 (3 points), Birmingham 43 (0 points).


Both teams were at full strength.

Birmingham never seriously threatened to take anything from this match and it was only a late match rally which cut seven points from Somerset's lead over the last five heats that put a better gloss on the scoreline for the visitors.

The opening race was shared after Steve Johnston got round Jason Lyons on the first two bends to head off for the win but the Rebels scored a 5-1 in the reserves race for a four point lead. Emil Kramer won heat 3 but, with Simon Walker pushed to the back, the points were shared again before the home side added another 5-1 in heat 4 which was rerun after Tomasz Piszcz was excluded for bringing down Cory Gathercole on the third lap. This took the score to 16-8.

Two points were added to the Rebels' lead in heat 5 after Emil Kramer got the better of Jason Lyons round the first two bends before pulling away for the three points with Simon Walker in third for a 4-2 and ten point lead. It stayed that way when Tomasz Piszcz beat Steve Johnston after an 'interesting' first two bends for a 3-3 following which Birmingham gave a tactical ride to Ludvig Lindgren. When Lindgren passed Cory Gathercole to take the lead things looked bright for the visitors but Gathercole wasn't finished and repassed the Birmingham man, Robert Ksiezak finished third so the visitors took a 3-5 advantage to cut the gap to eight points. Somerset pulled away again with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Jay Herne and Tom Brown; Richard Sweetman's challenge ended when he fell on the second bend. The Rebels now led by 31-19.

Another 5-1 in heat 9 with Simon Walker and Emil Kramer outgating Tomasz Piszcz stretched the lead even further to sixteen points. Robert Ksiezak won heat 10 for the visitors but there was no support for him as Lindgren moved through to second only to drift to the back again for a 3-3. Jason Lyons took the second tactical ride for Birmingham in heat 11 but both he and Gathercole fell on the first bend of the last lap as he passed Gathercole on the inside. The Somerset man was excluded and the race win awarded to Lyons from Tom Brown. Justin Sweetman's third place gave the visitors a 2-7 cutting the gap to 11 points. It was soon back to thirteen with a Rebels' 4-2 in heat 12.
Simon Walker won the race from Robert Ksiezak while a late pass by Herne on Taylor gave him the third place point. This made the score 45-32.

The Brummies took a 2-4 from heat 13 thanks to a win from Tomasz Piszcz ahead of Johnston and Lyons but Somerset replied in kind in heat 14 after Emil Kramer got the better of Ludvig Lindgren from the start. In the last race Birmingham had the consolation of taking a 1-5 courtesy of Piszcz and Lyons depriving Emil Kramer of a paid maximum in the process but there was no coconut for them as they had suffered a nine point defeat.


Scorers: Somerset – Emil Kramer 12+1 (5), Steve Johnston 9 (5), Jay Herne 8+2 (4), Tom Brown 8+1 (5), Simon Walker 7 (4), Cory Gathercole 6 (4), Justin Sedgmen 2+2 (3).

Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Tomasz Piszcz 10 (5), Ludvig Lindgren 8 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Robert Ksiezak 7+2 (4), Richard Sweetman 2+1 (4), Marek Mroz 2 (3), Ben Taylor 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 18 April



Premier Trophy:

Rye House v. Scun.thorpe
Stoke v. Birmingham
Workington v. Redcar

David Meldrum Testimonial – Meldrum's Milestone at Berwick



Premier Trophy: ....Rye House 67 (3 points), Scun.thorpe 25 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

This match was all over by heat 6. At that point Rye House led by 27-11 having started with three 5-1 heat wins. Scun.thorpe had used both their tactical rides with David Howe's second place in heat 5 earning the Scorpions a 4-4 and Magnus Karlsson's in heat 5 gaining nothing as Rye House rattled in their fourth 5-1.

When Tommy Allen failed to negotiate the second bend at the start of heat 7 there was a bad crash involving him, Andrew Silver and Viktor Bergstrom. Bergstrom suffered an injury to his right leg and both he and Allen, who sustained a wrist injury, were withdrawn from the meeting. One way traffic was resumed thereafter as the next six heats resulted in 5-1s for the Rockets as the Scorpions seemed to disintegrate without much of a challenge. The score after heat 12 had 'rocketed' to 57-17.

The sequence was broken in heat 13 as David Howe gated to beat Chris Neath while Magnus Karlsson took third from Andrew Silver for a 2-4 to the visitors. An eleventh 5-1 in heat 14 was followed by a second David Howe race win in the last race for a 3-3. It was an expensive night for the Rye House promotion since the Rockets, once bonus points were added, needed to be paid for no less than 79 points!

Scorers: Rye House – Luke Bowen 15+2 (6), Linus Sundstrom 13+1 (5), Robert Mear 10 +4 (5), Andrew Silver 10+2 (5), Joe Haines 10 (4), Chris Neath 8+3 (4), Tommy Allen 1+1 (1).

Scun.thorpe – David Howe 12 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Magnus Karlsson 5 (5), Byron Bekker 4 (6), Jerran Hart 2 (5), Simon Lambert 1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ....Workington 51 (3 points), Redcar 38 (0 points).


Team changes: Workington welcomed back John Branney and Charles Wright so were back at full strength. Redcar however were without Ty Proctor and Robbie Kessler who suffered injuries in Thursday night's clash between these two sides at the South Tees Motor Park. They had to use the Rider Replacement facility for Proctor at number 5 and had Josh Auty as a guest for Kessler at number 2.

Now back to full strength and with Redcar missing two of their key riders a sizeable home win was expected but things didn't quite go to plan for the home side. What a nightmare start to the meeting it was for Workington who were looking to put their hammering at Edinburgh last night behind them. Redcar won the first two heats 2-4 for a four point lead with Kevin Doolan finishing last in heat 1 and Luke Priest crashing out of the meeting in heat 2. He was withdrawn after hitting the second bend fence. Ben Wilson was next to crash into the fence in heat 3 but, in the rerun, Carl Stonehewer won from Charles Wright and Adrian Rymel for a 3-3. Gary Havelock taking the R/R ride won heat 4 from Andre Compton and Richard Lawson for another 3-3 and the score stood at 10-14 with Workington still looking for their first race winner.

They were still looking after Gary Havelock won heat 5 as well but only after a rerun without Adrian Rymel who fell on the second lap in the first running of the race and Josh Auty who was not under power when the race was stopped. Even at that Workington struggled to take two points from the two man race as Charles Wright had to nurse a failing bike round for the best part of the four laps. Kevin Doolan finally won a race for the Comets but it only produced a shared race before Richard Lawson and Andre Compton took a 5-1 from the Wilson-Stonehewer pairing in heat 7 following which there was a contretemps between Keith Denham, the Workington owner, and Stonehewer. Richard Lawson and John Branney added a second 5-1 after Josh Auty had to go from 15 metres back after missing the two minute deadline when he had to go back to the pits to change his helmet cover! Now Workington led by 25-22.

Adrian Rymel was having a miserable night and he was excluded from the rerun of heat 9 after being adjudged to have caused Benji Compton to fall. However Charles Wright won the rerun for a 3-3 then the Bears replied with a 2-4 when Carl Stonehewer beat Kevin Doolan with Ben Wilson third. Andre Compton was excluded from heat 11 after clashing with Josh Auty but, in the rerun, Richard Lawson beat both Gary Havelock and Josh Auty for another shared race. Richard Lawson was out again in heat 12 and made another fast start to win the race. Stonehewer passed Adrian Rymel for a 4-2 which took the score to 37-34.

Andre Compton and Kevin Doolan scored a 5-1 from Gary Havelock in heat 13 to put the Comets seven ahead before Richard Lawson produced his fifth consecutive race win in heat 14 from Arlo Bugeja. Charles Wright's third place point wrapped up all three league points for the Comets while in heat 15 Compton and Doolan repeated their 5-1 success in heat 13 with Carl Stonehewer third.


Scorers: Workington – Richard Lawson 18+1 (7), Andre Compton 10+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 9+2 (5), Charles Wright 8 (4), John Branney 4+1 (4), Adrian Rymel 2+1 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (6), Carl Stonehewer 11 (6), Benji Compton 6+1 (4), Josh Auty 3+1 (5), Ben Wilson 3+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 3 (4).


Premier Trophy: ....Stoke 48 (2 points), Birmingham 45 (1 point) .


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

Neither side look like qualifying from the group stage to the later stages of the Premier Trophy so there was little at stake. The teams had already met in an early season challenge match for the M6 Trophy in which Stoke won by 54-41. Birmingham on a poor run at the moment were hoping to improve on their 41 point total which had included 5 TR points. Marek Mroz was one rider who would be looking forward to returning to the Loomer Road track since he scored 10+2 from his six rides there almost a month ago.

This match swung first one way then the other. After a Jason Lyons win in the opening heat for a 3-3. the Stoke reserves gave the home side a four point lead with a 5-1 but Birmingham hit back by taking advantages from the next three heats! Ludvig Lindgren won heat 3 from Jason Bunyan while Robert Ksiezak took third from Glen Phillips for a 2-4. They followed that with a 1-5 from Tomasz Piszcz and Marek Mroz with Klaus Jacobsen third after Phil Morris had suffered an engine failure. This took the score to 11-13.

The Brummies doubled their lead to four points when Jason Lyons beat Jason Bunyan in heat 5 with Richard Sweetman third after Glen Phillips had machine trouble. Then it was Stoke's turn to hit a purple patch only theirs lasted for the next five heats. Tomasz Piszcz was next to have an engine failure in heat 6 leaving Lee Complin and Tom P Madsen to take a 5-1 which level the scores at 18-18. Jesper Kristiansen won heat 7 from Ksiezak and Morris for a 4-2 and two point lead then Madsen and Jakobsen gated for a 5-1 in heat 8 which took the score to 27-21.

Tomasz Piszcz could only split the Bunyan-Phillips pairing in heat 9 for another 4-2 to the Potters then Lee Complin and Tom P Madsen passed Robert Ksiezak in heat 10 for a 5-1 which took the home side into a 12 point lead at 36-24. Then the pendulum swung back to the Brummies. Jason Lyons took a tactical ride in heat 11 and won it. Richard Sweetman rose to the occasion by gating with him and holding Morris and Kristiansen off for all four laps for a big 1-8 which cut the gap to five points. Jakobsen won heat 12 but Ksiezak held on to second place from a pressing Phillips to leave the home side with a 4-2 which saw Stoke seven points ahead again at 41-34.

Birmingham weren't finished though and Piszcz and Lyons gated in heat 13 to bring them roaring back into the contention with a 1-5 which reduced their arrears to just three points. However Jason Bunyan took the win in heat 14 from Lindgren and Kristiansen for a 4-2 which put Stoke five up with one race to go. Stoke now needed a 4-2 or better for all three points while Birmingham needed a shared heat or better to salvage a point. Birmingham were the winners of heat 15 with Tomasz Piszcz winning from Jason Bunyan who had passed Jason Lyons for a 2-4 giving Stoke two league points and Birmingham one.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 12 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 9+1 (4), Tom P Madsen 8+3 (5), Lee Complin 8 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 7+1 (5), Phil Morris 2 (3), Glen Phillips 2 (4).

Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR),Tomasz Piszcz 11 (5), Robert Ksiezak 6 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 5 (4), Richard Sweetman 4+1 (4), Marek Mroz 3+1 (4), Ben Taylor 1 (4).



David Meldrum Testimonial: ....Meldrum's Milestone at Berwick.



David Meldrum himself organised this event with a large line up for two individual contests. No fewer than 32 riders (including four reserves) battled it out with the top prize for the main event the sum of £1000.

The “mini” event, or veteran’s trophy had many old names returning to track action which for those who watched avidly at the Berrington Lough track back in the 80s probably had a wealth of happy memories flooding back once more.

The list of 80s stars included Rob “The Woolly Bully” Grant, Scott Lamb, Scott Robson, Martin “Mad Dog” Dixon, David Meldrum, Alan Mogridge (former Bandit of the year), Shawn McConnell (top US ice racer), Kevin “Sid” Little, and Paul “Banga” Bentley.

In the main event, Andreas Bergstrom was back in action at Shielfield Park for the first time in two seasons having been one of the most popular Bandits in recent seasons, and he was joined by a host of current riders from both top British leagues.

From Belle Vue of the Elite League was James Wright along with Jason King (Newcastle), Ricky Ashworth (Sheffield), James Grieves and Shane Parker (Glasgow), Josef Franc and Michal Makovsky (Berwick) to name but seven of the 16-strong line-up.


Results unavailable at the time of writing.

[Merlin]

Sunday, 19 April



Premier Trophy:

Newport v. Stoke
Glasgow v. Workington
Newcastle v. Berwick



Premier Trophy: ..... Newport 37 (0 points), Stoke 55 (4 points).


Team changes: Newport were without Nick Simmons and had Kyle Newman at number 7. Stoke were at full strength.

Having dropped a point to Birmingham last night at home, the Potters made amends in sensational fashion by taking an increasingly fragile Newport side to the cleaners. Having drawn the opening heat with a Mark Lemon win, the Wasps had both their reserves excluded in heat 2 leaving the two Potters' reserves to score an unchallenged 0-5. Jason Bunyan won heat 3 from Paul Fry and Glen Phillips then Klaus Jakobsen won heat 4 from James Holder and Phil Morris both for 2-4s to the visitors who were no doubt rather bemused to be looking at a 7-16 score.

Paul Fry rallied home spirits in heat 5 by beating Lee Complin and Tom P Madsen for a shared race but Stoke banged home three more heat advantages in the next three races. Heat 6 resulted in a 2-4 after Phil Morris, returning to one of his old stomping grounds, beat Brent Werner and Jesper Kristiansen with, depressingly enough for the Wasps' fans, Mark Lemon stuck at the back. Heat 7 was even worse for Newport as they conceded a 1-5 to Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips. Even more depressing was the fact that Jordan Frampton had taken a tactical ride in this heat but his third place gained the Wasps nothing. Klaus Jakobsen, having a great meeting, rattled off his third win of the match in heat 8 ahead of James Holder. Madsen's third place gave the Potters another 2-4 and the score now stood at 15-32.

Paul Fry took Newport's second tactical ride in heat 9 and he won it for the full six points. There was no support for him though as Chris Kerr failed to score for the third time in a row. This gave the home side their first heat advantage by 6-3 cutting their arrears to 14 points. The Wasps began to rally with this and Brent Werner won heat 10 but again Mark Lemon was stuck at the back as Bunyan and Phillips shared the points. Jordan Frampton was the next Wasp to win a race in heat 11 beating Lee Complin in the process. This time there was support from James Holder who finished third ahead of Madsen so the Wasps took a 4-2 and the gap was cut to 12 points. Paul Fry won heat 12 but this race was shared as Kristiansen and Phillips followed him home. The score now stood at 31-43 and Stoke were all but home and dry. The only question now was whether they would hold on to their lead for all four league points.

The visitors' lead was cut to ten points with a Mark Lemon win in heat 13 from Complin with Frampton third but Klaus Jakobsen completed a four ride maximum for the Potters in heat 14 winning from his partner Jason Bunyan ahead of Chris Kerr and James Holder for the 1-5 which sealed all four pour league points for the visitors. Even the last race brought no joy to the home side as Jason Bunyan and Lee Complin took a 1-5 from Fry and Lemon to compete a miserable afternoon for the Wasps. Stoke's all round solidity was demonstrated by the fact that they had only two pointless rides throughout the match.


Scorers: Newport – Paul Fry 15 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Mark Lemon 6 (5), Brent Werner 5 (4), Jordan Frampton 5 (4), James Holder 5 (5), Chris Kerr 1 (4), Kyle Newman 0 (3).

Stoke – Jason Bunyan 13+1 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 12 (4) (full maximum), Lee Complin 9+2 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 6+2 (4), Phil Morris 6 (4), Glen Phillips 5+3 (4), Tom P Madsen 4+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ..... Glasgow 50 (3 points), Workington 43 (0 points).


Team changes: Ross Brady failed a late fitness test for Glasgow so the Tigers used Rider Replacement at number 2. Adam McKinna was nominated as their number 8. Workington were missing Luke Priest who crashed heavily in the match against Redcar last night so Craig Cook took his place at number 6.

This was the Comets' fourth meeting in four days. Having scored only one point from their matches at Redcar and Edinburgh, Workington needed to pick up more points on the road to mount a challenge for one of the top two places in the group. Glasgow, having achieved a point at Newcastle during the week, needed to keep taking three points from their home matches to do likewise.

Workington got off to a winning start when Kevin Doolan made the gate to beat Shane Parker in heat 1 while John Branney finished third ahead of Mitchell Davey who took the R/R ride for a 2-4. The teams then traded 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 with the Glasgow reserves passing Craig Cook off the second bend in the former and Charles Wright and Adrian Rymel gating to leave Josh Grajczonek back in third in the latter. Workington doubled their lead in heat 4. Although the Tigers made the gate Andre Compton eased to the front when James Grieves got out of shape on the second bend and Richard Lawson passed Anders Andersen whose bike misbehaved on the third lap. This took the score to 10-14.

Josh Grajczonek made a flying start in heat 5 to lead Doolan and Branney home for a shared race but disaster struck Glasgow in heat 6. Andre Compton and Craig Cook were fast away from the tapes while any challenge Shane Parker might have launched disappeared when he suffered an engine failure on the last lap. This doubled the Comets' lead again as they now led by eight points. The Tigers were in disarray when they lost another 1-5 in heat 7. Adrian Rymel and Charles Wright took their second maximum as a partnership to leave James Grieves back in third. Now 12 points down Glasgow gave Josh Grajczonek, taking the R/R ride, a tactical ride in heat 8. He won it too but Richard Lawson took second place while, at the back, there was an exciting race between Anders Andersen and John Branney for third which the Glasgow rider won. This gave Glasgow a 7-2 taking the score to 22-29.

Glasgow pulled another two points back in heat 9 when Grajczonek took Compton and Cook wide on the opening bends allowing Peter Juul through into third place for a 4-2. Adam McKinna took the R/R ride in heat 10 and what a stroke of genius this turned out to be. Shane Parker flew from the tapes to lead the race from Adrian Rymel but on the second lap Rymel got out of shape and McKinna slipped through into second place. Rymel couldn't get back on terms with McKinna so Glasgow scored an unlikely 5-1 cutting their arrears to just one point. In heat 11 James Grieves just got the better of Kevin Doolan off the second bend and went on to win. Anders Andersen, who replaced Mitchell Davey, finished at the back behind John Branney so the race was shared. With Workington now rattled, Adrian Rymel broke the tapes in heat 12 and went from 15 metres back against the two Glasgow reserves as Mitchell Davey replaced Peter Juul. Richard Lawson came in for Workington in place of Craig Cook. This time Richard Lawson made the gate from Mitchell Davey while Adrian Rymel made up his handicap to pass Anders Andersen off bend two. This gave the Comets a 2-4 and took the score to 36- 39.

With the big heats 13 and 15 looming it was still all to race for and Glasgow went back in front for the first time since heat 2 with a 5-1 from Parker and Grieves for a one point lead. Although Parker gated there was a struggle behind him on the second bend for second place which Grieves won. Doolan passed Grieves on the second lap but Grieves forced his way back into second place to follow his partner home. Glasgow still needed advantages from both the remaining races to take all three points. Workington just needed a share of the points in heat 14 to ensure that they left with at least a point. The result was a 4-2 to Glasgow. Davey made the gate from Lawson and Grajczonek and that's the way it stayed. Charles Wright was excluded for foul riding after nudging Grajczonek's wheel while trying to pass him off the fourth bend. This took the score to 45-42 leaving Glasgow needing a 5-1 for all three points and Workington needing only two points for one league point or a 1-5 for a win and three league points. It looked like winning the toss for gate positions could be vital. Glasgow won and took gates 1 and 3. It was the same line up as in heat 13 with Andre Compton in gate 2 this time and Kevin Doolan in gate 4. Grieves and Parker made the gate and that was that.


Scorers: Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 14 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 11+1 (5), Shane Parker 10+1 (5), Mitchell Davey 7+1 (5), Anders Andersen 5 (6), Adam McKinna 2+1 (1), Peter Juul 1 (3).

Workington – Kevin Doolan 9 (5), Richard Lawson 9 (5), Andre Compton 8 (5), Adrian Rymel 7+1 (4), Charles Wright 5+1 (4), John Branney 3+2 (4), Craig Cook 2+1 (3).



Premier Trophy: ..... Newcastle 39 (0 points), Berwick 51 (4 points).


Team changes: Newcastle were without Steve Boxall who has an injured knee and used Rider Replacement at number 1. Berwick were at full strength.

Having managed to put their first points on the board with the win over Glasgow last Monday, the Diamonds were looking to build on that in this local derby match against the Bandits. Berwick on the other hand really needed points from this match to get back into contention in the group. It turned out to be a strange meeting as the first seven heats were all shared. Nothing unusual about that? Well actually, yes, since Berwick provided all the race winners and all the last places. The Newcastle riders by default took all the seconds and thirds! No doubt they would look upon this as good for the pay packets with seven bonus points to be paid for. Just as staggering though was the Newcastle collapse after leading by four after heat 9.

William Lawson returning to one of his former tracks won the opening heat from Leverington and Sneddon then Gino Franchetti did likewise for the Bandits in the reserves race again for a shared heat but the Bandits were on a 1-5 until Danny Warwick went just too wide on the second lap letting Casper Wortmann through then he was passed by Craig Branney on the third lap. Heat three – and it was three race winners for the Bandits. This time it was Josef Franc but again Newcastle packed the minor places to share the points. Heat 2 race winner, Gino Franchetti, was excluded for bringing down Kenni Larsen on the first bend of heat 4. Michal Makovsky won the rerun to keep the sequence of shared heats going and take the score to 12-12.

William Lawson made another fast start to win heat 5 from King and Sneddon for 3-3 number 5 then Danny Warwick fell in heat 6 which was won by Michal Makovsky. There was no change in heat 7 either when Josef Franc headed Larsen and Wortmann home with Clews challenging at the back. Finally in heat 8 Newcastle managed a race winner!Trent Leverington stunned home and visiting fans alike by making the gate and winning from Aarnio and Branney gaining the Diamonds a 4-2 and the lead at 25-23!

Jason King fell at the start of heat 9 but, to the consternation of the visiting support, all four were called back for the rerun. King won it to become Newcastle's second and last race winner. Michal Makovsky took second and Derek Sneddon third with Danny Warwick finishing last thus keeping the Berwick record of providing all the last places intact! The 4-2 doubled the home side's lead to four points. After the interval Berwick made short work of wiping out that lead. Paul Clews after two zeroes to his name passed both Trent Leverington and Jason King, taking the R/R ride, on the first two bends to lead his partner Josef Franc home for a 1-5 tying the match score at 30-30. Then the Bandits took the lead in heat 11 as William Lawson won for the third time from Kenni Larsen. Tero Aarnio scored the third place point by beating Casper Wortmann so the 2-4 put the visitors two up. They followed that with another 1-5! Paul Clews now in winning mode won again while Gino Franchetti followed him home, both Bandits having gated ahead of Jason King. Now the Bandits led by six with the score at 33-39 and Newcastle were in big trouble.

It got even worse for the Diamonds in heat 13 when Trent Leverington, taking the R/R ride fell on the second bend and was excluded from the rerun in which William Lawson completed his four ride maximum. Kenni Larsen did some damage limitation by beating Michal Makovsky but the Bandits now led by eight points with just two races left. - enough for all four points if they could hold it. They not only held it but increased it as the Diamonds collapsed completely. Gino Franchetti and Josef Franc gated to lead Casper Wortmann and Derek Sneddon for another 1-5 which increased the Bandits' lead to twelve points. In the last race William Lawson completed a five ride maximum but the Diamonds at least earned a share of the points by filling the minor places with King second and Leverington third. Berwick had taken all four points leaving the demoralised Diamonds to reflect on the statistics which showed they had only two race winners all match. Their collapse after heat nine when they led by four points was such that they lost the last six races by 10-26!


Scorers: Newcastle – Jason King 10 (6), Kenni Larsen 9+1 (5), Trent Leverington 8+2 (6), Derek Sneddon 4+3 (5), Casper Wortmann 4+1 (4), Craig Branney 4+1 (4).

Berwick – William Lawson 15 (5) (full maximum), Josef Franc 10+2 (5), Michal Makovsky 9 (4), Gino Franchetti 8+1 (5), Paul Clews 6 (4), Tero Aarnio 3 (4), Danny Warwick 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 22 April



Premier Trophy:

Birmingham v. Somerset
King's Lynn v. Newport



Premier Trophy:.... Birmingham 47 (2 points), Somerset 43 (1 point).


Team changes: Birmingham ,having released Marek Mroz, introduced new signing Daniel Halsey to the team at reserve so were at full strength as were Somerset [/b].

Having lost their last two home matches, Birmingham were anxious to halt this trend by getting back to winning ways. Improved displays at Somerset and Stoke over the last week and a shake up at reserve gave them some impetus to do so while Somerset, again looking a powerful home side this season, needed a big win to get themselves into contention in the southern group.

After a shared first race won by Steve Johnston things looked bright for the home side when their new reserve partnership of Ben Taylor and Daniel Halsey looked set to take a 5-1 from the reserves race but Halsey fell on the second lap causing the race to be rerun without him. It was a different story the second time though as Jay Herne and Tom Brown got the better of Taylor on the first bend to romp off for a 1-5 for the Rebels. Robert Ksiezak and Ludvig Lindgren quickly restored equality by gating to head home Emil Kramer for a 5-1 in heat 3 then Tomasz Piszcz had a comfortable win in heat 4 while Daniel Halsey retired on the third lap while trailing at the back. The 3-3 took the score to 12-12.

Somerset were back in front after heat 5. Steve Johnston rounded the field on the first two bends for an easy win while behind him Justin Sedgmen passed Robert Ksiezak at the end of the second lap to follow Ludvig Lindgren home for a 2-4 and two point lead. It was all square again after Birmingham responded with a 4-2 in heat 6. Jason Lyons won the race from Cory Gathercole while Richard Sweetman was third. Tomasz Piszcz won again for the Brummies in heat 7 but Emil Kramer and Simon Walker filled second and third places for another shared race keeping the scores tied. Meanwhile Daniel Halsey's debut was curtailed as, after being examined by the medics, he withdrew from the meeting with a twisted back leaving Ben Taylor with a lot to do to cover his other two rides. His first was in heat 8 in which Justin Sedgmen led for three laps before being passed by Richard Sweetman. Jay Herne never left the tapes so Taylor took a valuable third place point which gave the Brummies a 4-2 which put them in front for the first time at 25-23.

Flushed with success the Brummies pair of Ksiezak and Lindgren stormed from the tapes to add a 5-1 in heat 9 with Gathercole in third which opened up a six point lead. It stayed that way when Emil Kramer got the better of Jason Lyons on the first bend of heat 10. He went on to win the race from Sweetman and Lyons for a shared heat. Heat 11 caused a turn up for the books. Tomasz Piszcz led from the tapes and survived a hard challenge by Johnston on the first bend. Justin Sedgmen then dived inside the Birmingham rider on the third bend and Piszcz fell heavily. The race was rerun with Piszcz excluded leaving reserve, Ben Taylor, to face Steve Johnston and Justin Sedgmen on his own. However he rose to the occasion in fine style by tenaciously beating both of them to share the points and keep the home side's six point lead intact. Heat 12 was stopped after Tom Brown had fallen on the second lap. He was excluded from the rerun which Robert Ksiezak won from Simon Walker and the 4-2 put Birmingham eight points ahead with the score standing at 40-32.

In heat 13 Steve Johnstone again got the better of Jason Lyons by clamping him on the first bend causing Piszcz and Gathercole to move into second and third but Lyons was quickly past Gathercole again for a 3-3 which kept the Brummies eight points up. There was plenty to race for in the last two races as the two teams looked to gain what they could from the match. Emil Kramer and Jay Herne headed off for a 1-5 in heat 14 but Ludvig Lindgren attempting an outside drive round the boards on the fourth bend fell and brought Taylor down with him. The race was rerun with Lindgren excluded leaving Ben Taylor again to face the Rebels pairing on his own. He didn't win this one but took second behind Emil Kramer as the Rebels cut the gap to six points going into the last race. Ksiezak and Piszcz represented the Brummies in heat 15 against Kramer and Johnston. The race was rerun after Piszcz had fallen and been excluded. Steve Johnston won it with Ksiezak second from Kramer. The final 2-4 resulted in Birmingham taking two points to Somerset's one.


Scorers: Birmingham – Robert Ksiezak 11 (5), Richard Sweetman 8 (4), Tomasz Piszcz 8 (5), Ben Taylor 8 (6), Jason Lyons 6+3 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 6+2 (4), Daniel Halsey 0 (2).

Somerset – Steve Johnstone 14 (5), Emil Kramer 10 (5), Jay Herne 5+1 (4), Cory Gathercole 5 (4), Justin Sedgmen 4+1 (4), Simon Walker 3+1 (4), Tom Brown 2+1 (4).



Premier Trophy:.... King's Lynn 63 (3 points), Newport 31 (0 points).


Team changes: King's Lynn , still without Kozza Smith used Rider Replacement at number 2. Darren Mallett was again nominated as their number 8. Newport again had Kyle Newman at number 6 in place of Nick Simmons..

Having cruised to a comfortable 12 point win at Newport last Sunday and in such invincible form at home, this match looked one of the biggest home bankers of the season. It would have been a brave man who would have put money on the Wasps getting anything other than a hiding from this match.

King's Lynn started by giving the R/R ride to Darren Mallett and the Wasps might have shared this heat behind leader, Tomas Topinka, had Chris Kerr not fallen while third letting Mallett through for the point and an opening 4-2. The reserves race had to be rerun after Kyle Newman had big problems on the second bend causing Darcy Ward to lay down to avoid a nasty accident. Newman was excluded and, in the rerun, the Stars pair scored a 5-1 by a distance for a six point lead. It was ten after Christian Henry and Chris Schramm added another five points to the home side's total in heat 3 and that was followed by a ….yes 5-1 for King's Lynn in heat 4. Jordan Frampton fell on the second lap causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. Emiliano Sanchez and Darcy Ward saw off James Holder taking the score to 19-5 with yet another visiting team to the Norfolk Arena eligible to use the TR facility as early as heat 5.

And so it was that Mark Lemon appeared wearing the black and white hat in heat 5. Schramm and Henry led from the tapes but Mark Lemon passed Henry on the first lap for a second place which earned the Wasps a 4-4 share of the points and raised their total to the giddy heights of nine points!
Darren Mallett was out again taking the R/R ride in heat 6 and he won it too! Tomas Topinka covered him in second place for another....yes 5-1 and eighteen point lead. However the visitors produced a race winner in heat 7 when Paul Fry held off the challenge of Emiliano Sanchez for the three points. Jan Graversen was third so the race was shared then Darren Mallett took the third R/R ride in heat 8. Again Mallett made the gate and Darcy Ward slotted in behind him trying to team ride him home for another 5-1. However Chris Kerr rather spoiled the script when his persistent challenges paid off as he passed both home riders on the run in to the line in a very entertaining race. This shared heat took the score to 34-16.

Schramm and Henry, in formation, posted the 'business as usual' notice in heat 9 while a frustrated Jordan Frampton chasing them fell on the last bend of the second lap causing the race to be awarded as a 5-1. Darren Mallett had taken all the R/R rides when he appeared in heat 10. There was no happy ending for him this time though since, although Tomas Topinka continued on his winning ways, Mallett finished at the back behind Fry and Werner so the race was shared. Chris Kerr took Newport's second tactical ride in heat 12. It looked as if Newport were going to gain the big 1-8 when they led until the third lap but Emiliano Sanchez went between them to take the lead and go on to win. Kerr and Lemon filled the minor places so the visitors took a 3-5 advantage from the race. Christian Henry was well away to win heat 12 but Paul Fry got the better of Darcy Ward. Ward did pass him on the second lap but Fry repassed to take second. The 4-2 took the score to 49-27.

Topinka and Sanchez scored the Stars' sixth 5-1 of the match in heat 13 and they added a 4-2 in heat 14 with Schramm beating Holder while Jan Graversen, who made a complete mess of the gate, caught and passed Werner for third. Schramm and Topinka added a final 5-1 in the last race for a 32 point win for the Stars.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Chris Schramm 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 10+1 (4), Christian Henry 9+1 (4), Darcy Ward 8+1 (4), Darren Mallett 5+1 (4), Jan Graversen 4+2 (4).

Newport – Paul Fry 8 (5), Chris Kerr 8 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Mark Lemon 7+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), James Holder 4, Jordan Frampton 2 (4), Brent Werner 1+1 (4), Kyle Newman 1 4).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 23 April



Premier Trophy:

Redcar v. Glasgow
Sheffield v. Workington



Premier Trophy:.... Redcar 54 (3 points), Glasgow 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Redcar were at full strength but Glasgow, again without Ross Brady, used Rider Replacement at number 2.

Redcar, in a good position in the group after their big win at Sheffield, needed all three points to keep their challenge on track having failed to take a point at either Workington or Glasgow. Glasgow on the other hand needed away points to add to their perfect home record to mount a challenge.

Redcar got off to the perfect start with a 5-1 from Gary Havelock and Robbie Kessler against Shane Parker but Glasgow had the perfect reply with a 1-5 from the reserves race to level again. Another home 5-1 in heat 3 from Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson put the Bears four points up again and this time there was no comeback from the Tigers as a Ty Proctor win over track specialist, James Grieves, produced a shared race in heat 4 and a score of 14-10.

Another 5-1 in heat 5 from Wilson and Stonehewer had Glasgow in trouble now eight points down and their arrears reached ten points in a remarkable heat 6. Robbie Kessler and Gary Havelock looked set for another 5-1 but Glasgow reserve, Mitchell Davey, passed Havelock down the back straight and held on for the two points which limited Redcar's advantage to a 4-2. Glasgow were now in a position to use a tactical ride and Josh Grajczonek was given the job in heat 7. There was no gain for the visitors though as Ty Proctor won the race from Grajczonek while Benji Compton took third from Davey for a 4-4 shared heat. Robbie Kessler won heat 8 but when Josh Grajczonek passed Arlo Bugeja for third to follow his partner. Anders Andersen, home this race was shared too and the score stood at 30-20.

James Grieves burst into life in heat 9 to halt the Wilson-Stonehewer partnership's 5-1 successes by winning the race for another 3-3 but Redcar increased their lead to 12 points with a 4-2 in heat 10. Havelock and Kessler quickly forced their way to the front for a likely maximum but Josh Grajczonek chased them hard and was rewarded with a second place when he passed Kessler on the line. Conveniently the Tigers' 12 point arrears co-incided with Shane Parker's appearance in heat 11 so he came out on a tactical ride. This time there was no mistake as he won it from Proctor and Compton for a 3-6 which cut the gap to nine points. However Glasgow's chances of taking even a point from the match looked to have gone up in smoke when Arlo Bugeja and Carl Stonehewer took a 5-1 from the weak Juul-Davey pairing to stretch their lead to 13 points at 45-32 with just three races to go.

Glasgow have had great success in heats 13-15 at home but they made no inroads into the home side's lead in this match over these heats. Grieves won a tremendous tussle with Proctor to win heat 13 with Havelock ahead of Parker at the back for a 3-3 then the teams traded 4-2s in the last two races. Ben Wilson won heat 14 for the Bears while Grieves won heat 15 in fine style by passing Wilson for the Tigers. Redcar took all three league points from their 14 point win.


Scorers: Redcar – Ben Wilson 12+1 (5), Ty Proctor 10 (4), Robbie Kessler 9 (4), Carl Stonehewer 8+2 (5), Gary Havelock 8 (4), Arlo Bugeja 4 (4), Benji Compton 3+1 (4).

Glasgow – James Grieves 11 (5), Josh Grajczonek 9+1 (6) (incl 4 point TR), Anders Andersen 7+1 (5), Shane Parker 7 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Mitchell Davey 6+1 (6), Peter Juul 1 (3), Adam McKinna 0 (1).



Premier Trophy:.... Sheffield 53 (3 points), Workington 42 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

With away matches running out, Workington desperately needed to take something from this match but, after a bright start, it was not to be. In addition their secret weapon, reserve Richard Lawson, had to withdraw after his first ride with a shoulder dislocation. Sheffield looked a much more solid side than of late with the whole team scoring well and each rider taking at least a paid win over the match.

Sheffield got off to a 4-2 winning start when Ricky Ashworth beat Kevin Doolan in the fastest time of the season with Paul Cooper third. Luke Priest won the reserves race for the Comets but Richard Lawson, trying to pass Josh Auty for third behind Chris Mills, fell heavily and was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting with a shoulder injury. The race was shared but it was Workington who led after scoring a 1-5 in heat 3. Charles Wright won the race with Adrian Rymel in second after an exciting race with Joel Parsons who fell on the last bend. This put the Comets two ahead and they kept their lead after sharing heat 4 won by Richard Hall from Andre Compton. The score stood at 11-13.

Kevin Doolan won heat 5 but, with John Branney falling at the back, the result was another 3-3. Sheffield levelled the match with a 4-2 in heat 6 by virtue of an Ashworth win over Andre Compton with Paul Cooper third. Richard Hall kept the match tied by winning heat 7 from Rymel and Wright but Sheffield were not to be denied and decisively swung the match their way with three consecutive 5-1s. Heat 8 saw a fine ride from under pressure Paul Cooper. Luke Priest led from the start for the visitors but Cooper passed him on the third bend with Priest falling and Ritchie Hawkins took second for the first of the maximums which took the score to 26-22.

Andre Compton contributed to the Comets' misery by falling on the third lap of heat 9 when well clear leaving Joel Parsons and Ritchie Hawkins to cash in with 5-1 number 2. Heat 10 had to be rerun after a shoulder to shoulder battle between Paul Cooper and Adrian Rymel ended with Rymel hitting the deck and being excluded. Ashworth and Cooper gated in the rerun for the third of the 5-1s which put the Tigers 12 points ahead. It was time for a tactical ride and out came Kevin Doolan with the black and white helmet cover in heat 11. Richard Hall gated however and the best Doolan could do was to finish second. With Chris Mills taking third the result was a 4-4 shared race. Nothing daunted the Comets tried again this time giving the tactical ride to Adrian Rymel. The race had to be rerun after Josh Auty had fallen after lifting at the start and finding the bike falling on him at a great rate of knots. In the rerun Adrian Rymel won for the full six points while Priest finished behind Hawkins for a 2-7 which cut the gap to seven points with the score at 42-35. Auty's injury resulted in a trip to hospital.

Richard Hall won again in heat 13 from Kevin Doolan while Andre Compton's second fall in the match left Ricky Ashworth to pick up third for a 4-2. Heat 14 had to be awarded after Charles Wright had rounded Joel Parsons before hitting the fence hard. Chris Mills and Joel Parsons added a 5-1 to the score while, in the last race, Workington enjoyed a 2-4 after Adrian Rymel had beaten Richard Hall who had fought his way past Kevin Doolan. This reduced the final margin to nine points but it wasn't close enough for the Comets to take as much as a point.


Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 14 (5), Ricky Ashworth 10 (4), Paul Cooper 7+1 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 7+1 (4), Joel Parsons 6+2 (4), Chris Mills 6 (4), Josh Auty 3+2 (4).

Workington – Adrian Rymel 13+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Kevin Doolan 12 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Luke Priest 7+1 (7), Charles Wright 5+1 (4), Andre Compton 4 (4), John Branney 1 (4), Richard Lawson 0 (1).