Around the Premier League Tracks 2009

[Merlin]

Friday, 24 April



Premier Trophy:

Edinburgh v. Berwick
Scun.thorpe v. King's Lynn
Somerset v. Stoke



Premier Trophy: ..... Edinburgh 53 (3 points), Berwick 43 (0 points).


Team changes: Edinburgh were without both Thomas H Jonasson and Andrew Tully both injured and used Rider Replacement for Jonasson at number 3 while last year's captain, Derek Sneddon, rode as a guest at number 4. Berwick had no injury worries and were at full strength.

With two of the Edinburgh top five missing, Berwick had a unique opportunity to capitalise on the Monarchs' missing middle pairing particularly with Armadale expert and former Edinburgh number 1, William Lawson in their ranks. As it was the Bandits failed again but what a performance they got from Paul Clews and Josef Franc who scored 29 of the Berwick total between them even if it was boosted by two six point tactical rides. In their three outings as a partnership Clews and Franc took two 1-5s and a 2-7 to outscore the Monarchs by 4-17!

It looked like business as usual for the Monarchs when Ryan Fisher outgated William Lawson to win heat 1 for a 4-2 and the reserves followed it up with a 5-1 for an early six point lead. However there was a massive jolt to the home juggernaut when the Bandits took a 1-5 from heat 3. Josef Franc shot from the tapes to win the race while Derek Sneddon and Paul Clews had a ding dong battle for second. Sneddon led until the last bend but a sublime cut back and drive off the fourth bend saw Clews sail past the Edinburgh guest for second. Edinburgh replied with a 5-1 of their own
in heat 4. Makovsky and Wethers made the gate but Wethers took Makovsky wide on turn two allowing Sean Stoddart up the inside. Wethers went on to win the race while Stoddart somehow managed to stay in front of Makovsky to put the Monarchs six up again at 15-9.

Another Ryan Fisher win as R/R in heat 5 against William Lawson provided another 4-2 to the home side who now led by eight points Then there was controversy in heat 6. In the first running of the race Aaron Summers led Michal Makovsky with Fisher in third down the back straight. Fisher dived under Makovsky on the third bend and the Berwick rider baled out. Fisher was excluded. In the rerun Makovsky tried to take Summers wide but Summers saw it coming, dived up the inside off the second bend, and was gone so the race was shared. There was more drama in heat 7. In the first running of the race Josef Franc made the start and was being chased by Matthew Wethers when on the last bend of the second lap Wethers lost control, zig-zagged across the track and crashed into the fence. He was down for some time but eventually recovered to complete the match although he was, of course, excluded from the rerun in which Clews and Franc scored an easy 1-5 ahead of Michal Rajkowski who for once made a poor start. Now there were only four points between the teams again but Edinburgh looked like doubling it in heat 8 when Summers and Stoddart led from the start. However an unconvincing Stoddart was eventually passed by Tero Aarnio so the race resulted in a 4-2 which gave the Monarchs a six point lead at 27-21.

Makovsky made the gate in heat 9 but Wethers and Sneddon soared round him on the opening two bends for a 5-1 which put the Monarchs ten ahead just in time for Paul Clews to take a tactical ride in heat 10. He flew from the tapes and there was nothing that the chasing Ryan Fisher could do about it. Josef Franc took third so Berwick scored a 2-7 from the race cutting their arrears to only 5 points. Rajkowski and Wethers saw off William Lawson on the opening bends of heat 11 so Edinburgh took a 5-1and led by nine. Michal Rajkowski made a stunning start in heat 12 but the magnificent Paul Clews patiently hunted him down before executing the inevitable coup de gras by passing him after two laps of stalking. The race was shared and the score stood at 42-33.

Berwick now needed their top two average men William Lawson and Michal Makovsky to step to the plate in heat 13 but it didn't happen and Wethers stormed round the opening two bends to join Ryan Fisher for another 5-1 which put the match result out of sight for Edinburgh who now led by 13. However there was the little matter of whether they could take all three points as the Bandits gave Josef Franc a tactical ride in heat 14. In the first running Rajkowski, Franc and Sneddon all arrived at the apex to the first and second bends together. There wasn't enough room for them all and Derek Sneddon took a purler. It was all four back and, in the rerun, Franc showed the two Monarchs a clean pair of heels for all six points. However the Berwick reserves continued to be ineffectual as they had been all match so with Franchetti last Berwick took a 3-6 from the race to trail by 10 points. They needed a 1-5 in the last race to get a league point while Edinburgh needed a 2-4 or better for all three. This time Clews found himself behind Fisher and Franc from the tapes and he couldn't improve his position so his paid maximum hopes were ended as Fisher won the race for a 3-3 and all three points.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 13+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 11+1 (6), Michal Rajkowski 10+1 (5), Derek Sneddon 7+1 (5), Aaron Summers 7 (5), Sean Stoddart 5+2 (3).

Berwick – Paul Clews 15+2 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Josef Franc 14+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), William Lawson 6 (4), Michal Makovsky 4 (4), Danny Warwick 2+1 (4), Tero Aarnio 2 (4), Gino Franchetti 0 (4).



Premier Trophy: ..... Scun.thorpe 38 (0 points), King's Lynn 54 (4 points).


Team changes: Scun.thorpe were without Simon Lambert so used Rider Replacement at number 3. King's Lynn were again missing Kozza Smith so they too used Rider Replacement, in their case at number 2.

This had become one of the key matches in the southern group with a number of teams anxiously waiting for the result to see how it affected their chances. Scun.thorpe with a big away win at Birmingham under their belt had only to take three points to continue their 100% home record to take a giant step towards qualification while King's Lynn who had already taken a point at Stoke and at Rye House had a four point away win at Newport to total 6 away points already. They looked a virtual certainty to head the section.

In the event Scun.thorpe will probably want to draw a veil over this match as King's Lynn won with ease thanks to double figure scores from Schramm, Sanchez and Ward who confined the Scorpions to just four race winners all match. Darcy Ward in particular ran the home side ragged with paid 20 from seven rides at reserve while Chris Schramm dropped only a single point in five rides to David Howe in heat 10. Howe scored 15 of the home side's points and broke the track record in heat 1 into the bargain but support from the rest of the team was patchy.

It didn't take long for the Stars to post their intentions! After the track record breaking Howe won the opening race for a shared heat, the visiting reserves banged home a 1-5 in heat 2. Chris Schramm and Christian Henry added a 2-4 in the third race before Ward and Sanchez cracked home another 1-5 in heat 4 to leave the Scorpions reeling at 7-17.

Another 1-5 in heat 5 from Topinka and that man Ward again increased the home side's lead to 14 so David Howe took a tactical ride in heat 6 in an effort to get the home side back into the match. This turned out to be one of the few Scun.thorpe successes of the night. Carl Wilkinson hit the front while, behind him, David Howe had to defend his second place from a pressing Sanchez. A mix up on the last bend resulted in the Scorpions managing only a 7-1 as Wilkinson and Howe failed to sort themselves out for the 8-1. Nonetheless the Scorpions had cut six points from their arrears which now stood at eight points. Any possibility of a comeback was stifled as the visitors took a 2-4 and 1-5 from heats 7 and 8 with Schramm and Ward the race winners. The score after eight heats was 18-32.

Sanchez won heat 9 for a 3-3 then Carl Wilkinson took the home side's second TR in heat 10. David Howe won the race despite Ward's attentions but Carl Wilkinson finished at the back so the points were shared. Ward and Topinka added another 1-5 in heat 11 but Viktor Bergstrom and Jerran hart replied in kind to bring some joy to the home fans as the score stood at 30-44.

A Howe-Karlsson 4-2 in heat 13 was followed by the inevitable 1-5 from Schramm and Ward in heat 14 before Schramm wrapped things up by winning again in the last race for a 3-3. This result cements King's Lynn's first place in the group but is a blow to Scun.thorpe's hopes of qualifying.


Scorers: Scun.thorpe – David Howe 15 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Magnus Karlsson 6+1 (5), Jerran Hart 6+1 (7), Carl Wilkinson 6 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 5+1 (5), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 17+3 (7), Chris Schramm 14 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 10+2 (6), Tomas Topinka 7+1 (4), Jan Graversen 3+2 |(5), Christian Henry 3 (4).


Premier Trophy: ..... Somerset 48 (2 points), Stoke 42 (1 point).


Team changes: Somerset were at full strength but Stoke were without Glen Phillips so used Rider Replacement at number 3.

With only one point so far from their four away matches in the group, Somerset had to continue taking maximum points from their home fixtures to have any chance of finishing second to King's Lynn in the group. Stoke had a mixed record so far in the tournament. They dropped two home points in their home defeat at the hands of Rye House and managed only two points in narrow wins against King's Lynn and Birmingham. However on the credit side they had recorded a big win at Newport which resurrected their fading hopes.

Both sides had riders withdrawn during the meeting. Somerset's Simon Walker was withdrawn with a shoulder injury after he fell after heat 9 had been completed while Stoke's Phil Morris pulled out after falling in heat 6.

A battling Stoke side rescued a point from the match after keeping their arrears down to just six points thus depriving the Rebels of all three points. The teams exchanged 4-2s in the opening two races with Steve Johnston winning heat 1 and Klaus Jakobsen heat 2. Emil Kramer won heat 3 and Cory Gathercole heat 4 but Simon Walker fell in heat 3 and Jay Herne retired in heat 4 so both races were shared. The early exchanges therefore resulted in a tied score of 12-12.

Somerset broke the deadlock in heat 5. Another Kramer win this time over Tom P Madsen resulted in a 4-2 when Simon Walker who had been passed by Madsen finished third ahead of Lee Complin In heat 6 Sedgmen and Morris collided at the end of the first lap after Sedgmen had lifted and controversially Morris was the one excluded from the rerun won by Steve Johnston. A good battle developed for second place between Kristiansen and Sedgmen but it was the Dane who triumphed over the Australian. The resultant 4-2 put the Rebels four points up and it stayed that way after Cory Gathercole easily won heat 7. Tom P Madsen, who had an excellent night for the Potters, won heat 8 and when Herne suffered an engine failure the Potters took a 2-4 narrowing the score to 25-23.

Kramer won again in heat 9 but Jesper Kristiansen held on to second after taking Simon Walker wide on the third lap for a 4-2 increasing the home side's lead to four points again. Steve Johnston kept his maximum going with a heat 10 win over Jason Bunyan who had made the gate. Sedgmen's third place made it another 4-2 and six point lead for the Rebels which remained the same after Gathercole had won heat 11 for a share of the points. Stoke hit back with a 1-5 in heat 12. Jason Bunyan and Jesper Kristiansen made the gate and led Tom Brown home to cut four points from the lead taking the score to 37-35.

It was all getting a bit too close for comfort for the Rebels who had produced nine race winners from the twelve races yet only led by two points! However with Johnston and Gathercole out together in heat 13 things looked bright. It turned out that way too as the Rebels took a 5-1 after Gathercole had passed Lee Complin for second behind Johnston taking their lead to six points. Jason Bunyan made a good start to heat 14 and held off Emil Kramer for a shared race leaving Somerset needing any heat advantage for all three league points and Stoke needing a shared race or better for one. It looked a 3-3 in heat 15 when Tom P Madsen led the race from Johnston and Gathercole but it was all change as Johnston passed Madsen at the end of the first lap to complete his full maximum and Bunyan passed Gathercole on lap 3 to share the race in a different fashion.


Scorers: Somerset – Steve Johnston 15 (5) (full maximum), Cory Gathercole 11+1 (5), Emil Kramer 11 (4), Justin Sedgmen 5 (4), Tom Brown 4+1 (5), Simon Walker 2 (3), Jay Herne 0 (4).

Stoke – Tom P Madsen 13 (6), Jason Bunyan 11+2 (6), Jesper Kristiansen 9+1 (7), Klaus Jakobsen 6 (5), Lee Complin 2+1 (4), Phil Morris 1+1 (2).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 25 April



Premier Trophy:

Berwick v. Glasgow
Stoke v. Scun.thorpe
Workington v. Edinburgh



Premier Trophy: .... Berwick 56 (3 points), Glasgow 39 (0 points).


Team changes: Berwick were at full strength. Glasgow still without Ross Brady again used Rider Replacement at number 2. They were also missing Anders Andersen who broke his leg in a crash in Denmark so they had Arlo Bugeja as a guest at number 7 and nominated Adam McKinna as their number 8.


One look at the scorers' chart shows that Berwick scored solidly all down the line while injury-hit Glasgow were effectively a three man team with Parker, Grieves and Grajczonek scoring all but five of their points. There never looked any chance that Glasgow would get close enough for even a point.

They won the opening race though as Shane Parker led from start to finish ahead of Tero Aarnio but the big surprise was the dreadful effort of William Lawson who finished a poor last to Mitchell Davey. The Tigers' 2-4 was a false dawn though as they then conceded 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 to find themselves six points in arrears. Michal Makovsky beat James Grieves in heat 4 for a 4-2 to the home side who now led by eight points at 16-8.

Parker won again in heat 5 for a shared race then another poor ride by William Lawson in heat 5 saw the Tigers take another heat advantage as James Grieves beat Tero Aarnio with Mitchell Davey again picking up the third place point for another 2-4. Warwick and Makovsky replied by scoring a 5-1 for the Bandits against the hard challenging Josh Grajczonek in heat 7 but Grajczonek was out again in heat 8 taking the R/R ride and this time won it from Aarnio and Franchetti for a shared heat which took the score to 29-19.

James Grieves took a tactical ride in heat 9 but could only manage second behind Josef Franc. Paul Clews picked up third place so the race was shared 4-4. A completely different William Lawson turned up in heat 10 which he won while Josh Grajczonek, having passed Tero Aarnio to move into second place, then fell while trying to catch Lawson so the race resulted in another Berwick 5-1. It was Shane Parker's turn to take a tactical ride in heat 11 and this he won easily from Makovsky and Warwick for a 3-6 cutting the gap to 11 but an easy 5-1 in heat 12 for the Bandits put the home side 15 points ahead with the score reading 46-31.

Heat 13 was the race of the night and it was the new-style William Lawson who won it after Shane Parker had made the gate. Lawson got some tremendous drive off the second bend to pass Parker down the back straight and then held off the Glasgow number 1 in an exciting battle that lasted all race long. James Grieves consigned Michal Makovsky to the back so the race was shared but Franc and Warwick added another 5-1 in heat 14 before Glasgow had the satisfaction of winning the last race when Shane Parker beat Josef Franc and Grieves kept the old-style Lawson at the back for a 2-4 which cut the winning margin to 17 points.


Scorers: Berwick – Josef Franc 13 (5), Danny Warwick 9+2 (4), Tero Aarnio 8+1 (4), Paul Clews 7+3 (4), Michal Makovsky 7+1 (4), Gino Franchetti 6+3 (4), William Lawson 6 (5).

Glasgow – Shane Parker 17 (5) (incl 6 point TR), James Grieves 11+1 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Josh Grajczonek 6 (5), Mitchell Davey 4 (6), Peter Juul 1 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (2), Arlo Bugeja 0 (3).



Premier Trophy: .... Stoke 54 (3 points), Scun.thorpe 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Stoke were without Glen Phillips and Phil Morris so had Robbie Kessler as a guest at number 3 for Phillips and used Rider Replacement for Phil Morris at number 5. Scun.thorpe were at full strength.

Maybe Scun.thorpe were still reeling from their home hammering at the hands of King's Lynn last night but they lost the opening three heats all by the 5-1 margin giving themselves the proverbial mountain to climb. Stoke, after becoming the first team to take a point from Somerset at the Oak Tree Arena, had to track a patched up side having lost Glen Phillips and Phil Morris to injury.

Trailing by 15-3 the Scorpions got their act together and Stoke were unable to make further progress. Magnus Karlsson relieved the visitors' gloom by winning heat 4 but only after Klaus Jakobsen had suffered an engine failure while leading. This gave the visitors a 2-4 cutting the gap to 10 points and allowing David Howe to take a tactical ride in heat 5. He duly won the race from Robbie Kessler and Jason Bunyan for a 3-6 which reduced the gap further to 7 points. Magnus Karlsson then won an eventful heat 6 after Tom P Madsen had hit the second bend fence to make it three Scun.thorpe race winners on the trot but they conceded a 5-1 in heat 8 when Klaus Jakobsen and Tom P Madsen 'did the business' for the Potters giving them a 31-20 lead.

A well contested heat 9 ended with Robbie Kessler winning from Magnus Karlsson and Jason Bunyan for a 4-2 increasing the Potters' lead to 13 points but Scun.thorpe then gave Carl Wilkinson a tactical ride in heat 10. He could only finish second to Lee Complin though but, with Viktor Bergstrom taking third place from Madsen, the Scorpions took a 3-5 heat advantage from the race. A Jakobsen win in heat 11 resulted in a 3-3 then Stoke increased their lead to 13 points again by taking a 4-2 in heat 12. Jakobsen was out again and won again! It looked at one point as though the home side would gain a 5-1 but Carl Wilkinson passed Robbie Kessler for second so the Potters had to be content with a 4-2 which took the score to 45-32.

Magnus Karlsson won heat 13 after a great battle with Tom P Madsen while David Howe passed Lee Complin for third for a 2-4 to the visitors but Stoke then took a 5-1 in heat 14 when Bunyan and Kristiansen led Bergstrom home. Finally, in the last heat, David Howe gated to win the race while Bunyan and Karlsson were involved in a blanket finish for second which the referee awarded to Bunyan. The result was a 2-4 and 13 point win for the Potters giving them all three league points.


Scorers: Stoke – Klaus Jakobsen 13+1 (7), Jason Bunyan 10+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 8+2 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 8+2 (5), Robbie Kessler 8+1 (4), Lee Complin 7+1 (4).

Scun.thorpe – David Howe 13 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Magnus Karlsson 12 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Viktor Bergstrom 5+1 (4), Simon Lambert 2+1 (4), Byron Bekker 2 (4), Jerran Hart 0 (4).



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


Team changes: Workington were without Adrian Rymel who was a track reserve for the Grand Prix in Prague so had Tomas Topinka as a guest at number 3. Charles Wright was also missing so they used Rider Replacement at number 4. Edinburgh without Andrew Tully and Thomas H Jonasson and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for the former and had Richard Hall as a guest for the latter at number 3.

On a wet track the Comets still with their big three intact were out to ensure that all three points stayed at Derwent Park. That didn't happen though as a similarly patched up Monarchs side produced seven of the race winners and took the match to a last heat decider.

There were no fewer than nine shared races mainly from the gate. The only 5-1 of the match came in the last heat from what had the feel of a King's Lynn match as Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka clinched victory for the home side.

The opening two races were shared as Ryan Fisher won heat 1 and Michal Rajkowski heat 2. The Comets moved ahead with a 4-2 in heat 3. It might have been a 5-1 but Edinburgh guest Richard Hall passed John Branney on lap two to finish behind Topinka and limit the damage. Matthew Wethers became the third Edinburgh race winner in heat 4 for another shared heat which took the score to 13-11.

When Ryan Fisher missed the gate but swept round Richard Lawson and Tomas Topinka on the first two bends in heat 5 for another win and shared heat the Comets knew they were in for a real struggle. It might have been better at this stage for the visitors had Aaron Summers not suffered bike problems. Kevin Doolan won heat 6 and John Branney took a valuable point for third against Edinburgh's high scoring reserve Michal Rajkowski for a 4-2 which doubled the home side's lead then they pulled further ahead in heat 7. The race looked like it would be shared as Andre Compton led Richard Hall and Michal Rajkowski but Hall fell off on the last bend so the Comets picked up another 4-2 for a six point lead. They never improved on it though! Aaron Summers passed both home riders off the second bend in heat 8 as he finally got his machinery sorted out and went on to win. At the back Sean Stoddart held third place for two laps before being passed by John Branney for a shared heat which took the score to 27-21.

A Topinka win in heat 9 and a Doolan win in heat 10 also produced shared heats but Edinburgh struck back with consecutive 2-4s in heats 11 and 12. Ryan Fisher continued on his unbeaten way in the first of these two races beating Andre Compton and he was supported by Aaron Summers in third place. Then in heat 12 Michal Rajkowski shot from the gate to beat Tomas Topinka while Richard Hall came third to take the score to 37-35 with just three races left.

The Comets made the gate in heat 13 but hopes of a 5-1 were dashed when Kevin Doolan ran his partner, Andre Compton, wide allowing Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers through on the inside for second and third to keep the gap at two points. Andre Compton made no mistake in heat 14 though when, on the R/R ride, he made the gate and went on to win. Wethers held second from Lawson but on the third lap Michal Rajkowski rounded Richard Lawson for third and another shared heat ensuring that Edinburgh would not leave empty handed. Edinburgh needed a 1-5 in the last race to win the match or a 2-4 for a draw while Workington, restricted to two league points already, only needed a shared race or better to win. The Comets pairing of Topinka and Doolan gated and that was that – a 5-1 in an entertaining match.

Scorers: Workington – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Tomas Topinka 12+1 (5), Andre Compton 9+1 (5), Richard Lawson 6+2 (7), John Branney 4+2 (5), Luke Priest 3 (3).

Edinburgh – Michal Rajkowski 11+3 (7), Matthew Wethers, 11+1 (6), Ryan Fisher 11 (5), Richard Hall 5 (4), Aaron Summers 4 (5), Sean Stoddart 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 26 April



Premier Trophy:

Newport v. Birmingham
Glasgow v. Berwick
Newcastle v. Edinburgh



Premier Trophy: ..... Newport 50 (3 points), Birmingham 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Newport again had Kyle Newman at number 7 in place of Nick Simmons while Birmingham had Jerran Hart replacing their new signing Daniel Halsey at number 7.

Neither side looked to have a realistic chance of qualifying from the group so there was little at stake in this southern group tie. It was a much better display by the Wasps though who needed to exorcise the demons of last week's thrashing by King's Lynn. Birmingham started well though and the scores were still level after eight heats but the Brummies faded in the closing stages.

Jason Lyons got the Brummies off to a good start by winning the opening heat from Chris Kerr while Richard Sweetman claimed the scalp of Mark Lemon for third and a 2-4. Newport levelled with a 4-2 in the reserves race won by James Holder but the Brummies were back in front with a 2-4 in heat 3 won by Ludvig Lindgren after Paul Fry had fallen. It was all square again after heat 4 was won by Brent Werner from Tomasz Piszcz taking the score 12-12.

Newport hit the front again with a 4-2 in heat 5 thanks to a win from Paul Fry who had an exciting tussle with Jason Lyons before winning by half a wheel. They made it stick with a 3-3 in heat 6 won by Tomasz Piszcz but Birmingham hit back with a 1-5 in heat 7 through Ludvig Lindgren and Robert Ksiezak to wipe out the arrears and take a two point lead. Heat 8 had to be rerun after Richard Sweetman was excluded for bringing down Chris Kerr. In he rerun Kerr beat Jerran Hart for a 4-2 which levelled the scores again at 24-24.

Heats 9 and 10 provided 4-2s for the Wasps with wins from Frampton and Lemon for a four point lead then Brent Werner beat Jason Lyons in heat 11 for a 3-3 before the home side added another 4-2 in heat 12 when Frampton beat Ksiezak taking the score to 39-33.

Tomasz Piszcz fell in heat 13 so Jason Lyons' win was only good enough for a share of the points leaving the Brummies with a lot to do over the last two heats. They got no joy from heat 14 won by James Holder from Jerran Hart with Paul Fry doing a 'wall of death' to get round Lindgren for third place. Brent Werner then finished off one of his better days by winning heat 15, again beating Lyons, with Frampton third for Newport's ninth 4-2 of the match.


Scorers: Newport – Brent Werner 11 (5), Jordan Frampton 10 (5), James Holder 9 (5), Chris Kerr 8 (4), Mark Lemon 5+2 (4), Paul Fry 5 (4), Kyle Newman 2 (3).

Birmingham – Jason Lyons 12 (5), Ludvig Lindgren 8 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 7 (4), Robert Ksiezak 5+1 (4), Jerran Hart 4 (5), Richard Sweetman 2+1 (4), Ben Taylor 2 (3).



Premier Trophy: ..... Glasgow 55 (3 points), Berwick 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Glasgow were without Ross Brady and Anders Andersen so used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Brady and had Arlo Bugeja as a guest for Andersen at number 7. Adam McKinna was their nominated number 8. Berwick were at full strength.

Berwick once again might have fancied at least a point against a patched up Glasgow side but once again their performance was way short of that. Glasgow's two young Australians provided excellent support for their top two and the Tigers ran out easy winners.

Shane Parker and Mitchell Davey got the Tigers off to the perfect start with a 5-1 to which Davey and Arlo Bugeja added four more from a 4-2 with Gino Franchetti the meat in the sandwich. Josh Grajczonek won heat 3 easily for the home side so missed seeing all the action behind him as Paul Clews, Josef Franc, and Peter Juul battled for the minor places. The Bandits duo prevailed so the race was shared as was heat 4 which was awarded to Michal Makovsky when the race was stopped after Franchetti on a 1-5 with his partner hit the fence on the last lap and fell. James Grieves was awarded second and Arlo Bugeja third taking the score to 15-9.

A new look William Lawson gated to win heat 5 from Peter Juul while Tero Aarnio passed Grajczonek on the second lap before the Glasgow man retired. The 2-4 to the Bandits cut the gap to 4 points and it stayed that way after another Makovsky win, this time at the expense of Shane Parker, while Adam McKinna passed Danny Warwick for third. Heat 7, won by James Grieves, was shared too but the Tigers doubled their lead in heat 8 with a 5-1 from Grajczonek and Davey taking the score to 28-20.

Grajczonek was out again in heat 9 and won this one too ending Makovsky's unbeaten run. Franchetti's third place produced another 3-3 then Parker won heat 10 from Franc and Clews to keep the gap at 8. James Grieves won heat 11 from William Lawson while Davey's third place point put the Bandits 10 points down allowing the use of a TR in heat 12. Paul Clews took it but had to come from the back to pass Peter Juul for even second place as Davey won the race. This meant a 4-4 and a 5-1 in heat 13 from Parker and Grieves wrapped up the destination of the points with the score at 47-33.

Josef Franc took Berwick's second tactical ride and won it from Grajczonek and Davey so the Bandits took a 3-6 cutting the lead to 11 points. It was too little too late though and Parker and Grieves wrapped things up with a heat 15 5-1 for a fifteen point lead and three league points.


Scorers: Glasgow – Shane Parker 14 (5), Mitchell Davey 12+3 (6), James Grieves 12+2 (5), Josh Grajczonek 11 (5), Peter Juul 3 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2+1 (3), Adam McKinna 1+1 (2).

Berwick – Josef Franc 11+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Michal Makovsky 10 (5), Paul Clews 8+2 (4) (incl 4 point TR), William Lawson 5 (4), Gino Franchetti 3+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 2 (4), Danny Warwick 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: ..... Newcastle 46 (2 points), Edinburgh 44 (1 point).


Team changes: Newcastle were at full strength. Edinburgh were again without the injured Thomas H Jonasson and Andrew Tully. They used Rider Replacement for Tully at number 4 and had Richard Hall as a guest at number 3 in place of Jonasson.

Edinburgh's chances of winning this match were dealt a serious blow when Ryan Fisher's engine blew up just before the tapes had risen for the first heat. He had to revert to his 'big track' machine but only scored 3 points as a result. The rest of the team fighting a rearguard action for most of the match to defend an early six point lead ran out of steam and Newcastle gleefully stepped in over the last three heats to clinch a win which had seemed unlikely at the half way point.

Fisher's engine blow-up at the tapes resulted in him failing to beat the two minute allowance so he had to go from 15 metres back. Edinburgh still won the heat as Aaron Summers stormed from the gate for an easy win ahead of Steve Boxall. Fisher reeled in a struggling Trent Leverington and passed him for third and a 2-4. Casper Wortmann got himself to the front as the riders struggled with the difficult second bend and raced away to win heat 2 for a shared heat then Newcastle wiped out the Monarchs' lead and took a two point lead themselves with a 5-1 in heat 3 when Jason King and Derek Sneddon stormed from the gate to leave Summers, taking the R/R ride, to follow them home. Edinburgh replied with a 1-5 from Wethers and Stoddart after Kenni Larsen had run into the second bend fence and found himself way at the back. Branney tried a big outside swoop on the third-fourth bend to pass Stoddart but the part of the fourth bend he visited was definitely a no-go area and his challenge died. The score now stood at 11-13.

Aaron Summers and Ryan Fisher looked like adding another 1-5 in heat 5 but Fisher 'did a Branney' on the fourth bend and slipped to the back behind Jason King and Derek Sneddon so the race was shared. The 1-5 was only delayed however since Michal Rajkowski made the gate and Matthew Wethers slipped past Trent Leverington on the second lap of heat 6 as Steve Boxall packed up at the back. This put the Monarchs six points ahead and the next six races were all shared! Kenni Larsen had a huge win in heat 7 from Hall and Rajkowski then Aaron Summers won heat 8 after passing Trent Leverington to take the score to 21-27.

Jason King had an impressive win in heat 9 while Wethers and Rajkowski kept Sneddon at the back then Edinburgh's guest, Richard Hall, made a run round the field on the second bend in heat 10 to win from Boxall and Leverington. Aaron Summers fell heavily on the second bend of heat 11after his engine seized and he was thrown from the bike but he was surprisingly allowed in the rerun in which Kenni Larsen had an easy win from Fisher and Summers to keep things tied as did a big win for Jason King in heat 12 ahead of Hall and Rajkowski. This took the score to 33-39 but there was little doubt that Newcastle were beginning to look the more likely side in the last three heat run in.

Ryan Fisher charged through the tapes in heat 13 and, surprisingly, Edinburgh replaced him with Sean Stoddart when going from 15 metres back would have changed Matthew Wethers gate from four to the much more favourable two. Steve Boxall made a fast start and Kenni Larsen got the better of Matthew Wethers to slip into second. A tremendous effort and last bend charge from Wethers just failed on the line so Newcastle took a 5-1 cutting the gap to just two points. Derek Sneddon gated in heat 14 and Wethers taking the R/R ride passed Branney for second and Newcastle levelled the match with the 4-2 with just one heat remaining. Aaron Summers was out on a borrowed bike in heat 15 along with Matthew Wethers taking three on the trot against Jason King and Kenni Larsen. Larsen made the gate and never looked like being caught by Wethers who moved into second. King's third place point completed a fine Newcastle comeback with the 4-2 needed to win the match.


Scorers: Newcastle – Jason King 12 (5), Kenni Larsen 11+1 (5), Steve Boxall 7 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+2 (4), Trent Leverington 4+1 (4), Craig Branney 3+1 (5), Casper Wortmann 3 (3).

Edinburgh – Matthew Wethers 12+1 (6), Aaron Summers 11+1 (6), Michal Rajkowski 7+4 (7), Richard Hall 7 (4), Sean Stoddart 4+1 (4), Ryan Fisher 3 (4).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 28 April



Premier League:..... Somerset 46 (2 points), King's Lynn 44 (1 point) .


Team changes: Somerset were without the injured Simon Walker so used Rider Replacement at number 2, King's Lynn were still missing Kozza Smith so they also used Rider Replacement at number 2.

This unusual Tuesday night match was the first Premier League match of the season and took place in front of the Sky television cameras. Somerset could hardly have picked stronger opposition to open their Premier League campaign than to take on high-flying King's Lynn who had already qualified for the semi-finals of the Premier Trophy. The match was close throughout with never more than four points between the teams and it all boiled down to a last heat decider with King's Lynn leading 41-43.

Heat 15 had to be run three times after being called back twice for unsatisfactory starts in which Steve Johnston left Tomas Topinka with hardly anywhere to go. Both times Chris Schramm had made electric gates and was away looking for the three points King's Lynn needed for victory but the all four back seemed a fair decision on both occasions. As it turned out it played right into Somerset's hands because the third start saw Topinka's bike pack up on the first bend while Cory Gathercole gave Chris Schramm a dunt to slip through on the inside to join Johnston for the maximum heat win which gave the Rebels a 5-1 and deserved win in an exciting and entertaining match.

From the moment Steve Johnston roared round the outside of the fast gating Tomas Topinka in heat 1 to win by a distance it was clear that it would take some effort to beat him. Topinka and Graversen finished second and third for a shared heat. Jan Graversen, out again in the reserves race, broke the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back but his partner, Darcy Ward, won the race comfortably for another 3-3. The scores remained tied when Emil Kramer stormed from the tapes for an easy win in heat 3 and, after the shakeout on the second bend in heat 4, Cory Gathercole emerged in front and headed off for a comfortable win 4 from Darcy Ward to keep the scores level at 12-12.

Up till now it had been mainly gate and go with little to get excited about but heat 5 saw what looked a bad crash when Justin Sedgmen lifted on the run to the first bend and was thrown from his machine when he crashed into Jan Graversen. It looked a sore one but, amazingly, he seemed little the worse for his fall. He was excluded from the rerun and King's Lynn took advantage to break the deadlock with a 2-4 after Tomas Topinka got the better of Emil Kramer off the second bend and held off the Swede's late challenge to win. Graversen picked up the gift point and the Stars were two up. Steve Johnston gated in heat 6 and raced away from Darcy Ward to win for another 3-3 but the Rebels levelled the scores again in heat 7. A great tussle between Gathercole and Schramm for the lead ended with Schramm falling after Gathercole had taken him out wide on the fourth bend Schramm was excluded from the rerun in which Gathercole gated to win the race comfortably from Christian Henry who had an easy ride for second when Tom Brown only turned his fuel on after he had gone 30 yards. This gave the Rebels a 4-2 but they lost a 1-5 in heat 8 as Emiliano Sanchez rounded the field on the second bend to join Darcy Ward up front giving King's Lynn a four point lead at 22-26.

Emil Kramer rode a hard opening two bends to see off Sanchez and Ward (both out again for the Stars) in heat 9 to share the points but the Rebels squared the match again in heat 10. Cory Gathercole took the R/R ride to partner Steve Johnston in this race and it all looked like going pear shaped for the home pair as they were outgated by Chris Schramm and Christian Henry and found themselves sitting on a 1-5 going down the back straight. However it all turned round as first, Chris Schramm's machine failed, then Henry got out of shape at the end of the third lap letting Steve Johnston through for the lead. The crowd went wild when Cory Gathercole went fence scraping on the third and fourth bends on the last lap to pass Henry on the run in to the line giving the Rebels a 5-1 to make the score 30-30. Somerset then took the lead for the first time in heat 11. Tomas Topinka made a good gate and led down the back straight. However Cory Gathercole produced his party piece again with an outside line swoop past the Stars number 1 on the second bend of lap two for a fine win. Jay Herne took third and the 4-2 gave the Rebels a two point lead which they lost again in heat 12. Darcy Ward made the gate from Justin Sedgmen and won the race with ease. Sedgmen had no trouble beating Henry for third for the 4-2 and 36-36 score.

The unbeaten Johnston and Gathercole came out in heat 13 looking to make a decisive strike but it was Tomas Topinka who got to the second bend in the lead. He couldn't hold it though as Johnston lined him up and passed him on the outside off the fourth bend on lap 3 to win the race. Gathercole's third place ahead of Sanchez gave the Rebels a 4-2 and two point lead with two heats left. They found themselves two points down though after heat 14. Darcy Ward gated to lead round the first two turns with Jay Herne in second. Chris Schramm came off the bend in third while Emil Kramer got caught in the traffic and lost ground. Schramm then went after Herne and caught and passed him on the third lap for a 1-5 to the Stars which turned the score round to 41-43 with just that dramatic heat 15 to come.

The two point win gives Somerset 2 league points to Somerset's 1 but speedway was the real winner in a match which was far more entertaining than anything seen recently on Sky TV.


Scorers: Somerset – Steve Johnston 15 (5) (full maximum), Cory Gathercole 14+2 (6), Emil Kramer 8 (4), Jay Herne 5 (6), Tom Brown 2+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 2 (5).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 16+2 (7), Tomas Topinka 9 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 7+2 (5), Christian Henry 5+1 (4), Chris Schramm 5+1 (5), Jan Graversen 2+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 29 April



Premier League Knockout Cup – first round, first leg:..... Birmingham 43, Rye House 47.


Team changes: With Daniel Halsey fit enough to return to the side at reserve Birmingham were at full strength. Rye House were without Tommy Allen and used Rider Replacement at number 3 with Joe Haines moving to number 5

This Knockout Cup tie was the first to be run under the new rules for this season i.e. no tactical rides allowed and teams 6 points of more behind allowed to choose any combination of gates at the starting line. It was the Brummies though who had the opportunity to test the new option! This is a match they will probably want to forget as Rye House cruised home for a comfortable win after a late challenge by the Brummies leaving the second leg looking like a mere formality.

It all went wrong for the home side as early as heat 1 when they lost a 1-5 to Linus Sundstrom and Chris Neath. It didn't help when Jason Lyons' bike packed up when he was back in third. If that was a real dampener for the home fans it got much worse when the Rockets gated for another maximum in heat 2. Sundstrom gated to win heat 3 from Robert Ksiezak while Ludvig Lindgren passed Robert Mear on the third lap to share the race and prevent the Rockets from pulling further ahead. Tomasz Piszcz became the first home race winner in heat 4 but with Daniel Halsey falling off at the back on the second lap the points were shared and the score read 8-16.

An on fire Sundstrom won for the third time in heat 5 while Chris Neath passed Robert Ksiezak to move into second. However Ludvig Lindgren rescued a point by passing Neath for a 2-4 which put the Rockets 10 points ahead. Finally Jason Lyons and Richard Sweetman gated in heat 6 for a 5-1 to the Brummies which gave them some hope by cutting the gap to six points but the Rockets moved two points further clear with a 2-4 in heat 7 when Joe Haines beat Tomasz Piszcz with Robert Mear third. The gap was back at ten points again with yet another 2-4 heat advantage to the visitors in heat 8. Linus Sundstrom took his personal total to 12 points from four rides by winning from the gate while Andrew Silver followed Richard Sweetman home for third. This took the score to 19-29.

Birmingham then rallied. They got two points back in heat 9 thanks to a win from Ludvig Lindgren from Joe Haines with Robert Ksiezak taking third from Luke Bowen then they took a 5-1 from heat 10 when they exercised their right to take gates 3 and 4. Richard Sweetman and Jason Lyons raced home for a comfortable maximum cutting the gap to just four points and giving the home fans some hope that they might win on the night. Tomasz Piszcz finally lowered Linus Sundstrom's colours by winning heat 11 for a shared race but the Brummies terrible weakness at reserve gave them few opportunities to make further inroads. Robert Ksiezak shook off his lethargy to win heat 12 after an exciting tussle with Robert Mear but again there was no support for him as Ben Taylor finished at the back. The score was now 34-38.

In heat 13 the Brummies got back on level terms at 39-39 with a 5-1 from Tomasz Piszcz and Jason Lyons who team rode in fine style to keep Chris Neath back in third. The home fans' joy didn't last long though as Rob Mear and Andrew Silver took full advantage of an out of shape Ludvig Lindgren on the first two bends to sail off for a 1-5 putting the Rockets four ahead again with just one race remaining. Any hopes of a last heat maximum from the home side for a draw were dashed when Jason Lyons bike misbehaved at the gate and he could only follow the rest of the field home. Tomasz Piszcz won the race to share the points.


Scorers: Birmingham – Tomasz Piszcz 14 (5), Richard Sweetman 8+1 (4), Jason Lyons 7+2 (5), Ludvig Lindgren 7+1 (4), Robert Ksiezak 6 (4), Ben Taylor 1 (5), Daniel Halsey 0 (4).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 15+1 (6), Andrew Silver 8+2 (5), Chris Neath 7+2 (5), Joe Haines 7+1 (5), Robert Mear 6 (5), Luke Bowen 4+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ..... King's Lynn 69 (3 points), Stoke 21 (0 points).


Team changes: King's Lynn again used Rider Replacement for Kozza Smith at number 2. They also had Darren Mallett at number 8. Stoke were without the injured Phil Morris and used Rider Replacement at number 5.

King's Lynn returned to Premier Trophy duty following their defeat at Somerset last night. They were sure to be looking to erase the memory of that defeat and Stoke were the team who turned up to face the music.

The start of heat 1 wasn't in the script, however, as the Potters looked well set to record a 1-5 as Lee Complin and Tom P Madsen led from the tapes. However Madsen's bike packed up at the end of the third lap so Complin went on alone to win the heat from Darren Mallett taking the R/R ride and Tomas Topinka who looked surprisingly out of control at the back. As a result the heat was shared but the Stars scored a 5-1 in the reserves race to take a four point lead. Chris Schramm headed Jason Bunyan home with Christian Henry third in heat 3 for a 4-2 and six point lead then Emiliano Sanchez and Darcy Ward added 5-1 number 2 for the Stars in heat 4 to lead 17-7.

Immediately Stoke used Lee Complin, winner of heat 1, as a tactical in heat 5 but although he chased Henry hard for second place he finished third behind Henry and Schramm as the Stars scored 5-1 number 3. Mallett again taking the R/R ride and Topinka made the gate and added 5-1 number 4 for an eighteen point lead but Jason Bunyan prevented another maximum in heat 7 by splitting the Sanchez-Graversen pairing for a 4-2 to the home side. Darcy Ward and Darren Mallett then added 5-1 number 5 in heat 8 as Stoke struggled from the gate to stem the tide. The score was now 36-12.

Chris Schramm and Christian Henry added 5-1 number 6 in heat 9 from the two Stoke reserves but Jason Bunyan continued to offer a challenge as he he followed Tomas Topinka home in heat 10 with Mallett third for a 4-2 but the Potters were still 5 points short of the 20 point mark with just five heats remaining. There was no joy for them either in heat 12. Although Complin and Madsen made the gate, Jan Graversen soared round the boards to pass them both. Emiliano Sanchez passed Madsen on the second lap then Complin on the third lap and that was 5-1 number 7. Number 8 came along in heat 12 as Ward and Henry helped themselves to another maximum taking the score to 55-17 and still the Potters had failed to hit the 20 point mark.

Topinka and Sanchez added 5-1 number 9 in heat 13 then Stoke finally used their second TR giving the ride to Jason Bunyan in heat 14 against Chris Schramm and Jan Graversen. Chris Schramm was soon away to win the heat but Jason Bunyan was after the four points for second in a great bout with Jan Graversen. Bunyan passed him but was repassed so the race ended with 5-1 number 10 for the Stars. Christian Henry and Darcy Ward were the nominated riders for the Stars in heat 15 against Jason Bunyan and Lee Complin for the Potters and the big question was whether King's Lynn could hit the 70 point mark. They couldn't! Darcy Ward won the race but Lee Complin passed Christian Henry for second on the second lap with Jason Bunyan also pressing Henry for third. The 4-2 gave the Stars a 48 point win. They didn't have a last place all match and provided all the race winners after Lee Complin's success in the opening race. It was an expensive night for the promotion however since with bonus points the Stars' riders have to be paid for no less than 80 points. The statistics for Stoke make grim reading as only Complin and Bunyan managed to beat an opponent.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Chris Schramm 12 (4) (full maximum), Emiliano Sanchez 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Tomas Topinka 9+2 (4), Jan Graversen 9+1 (4), Christian Henry 8+3 (5), Darren Mallett 8+1 (4).

Stoke – Lee Complin 8 (5), Jason Bunyan 7 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 4 (6), Tom P Madsen 1 (5), Claus Jakobsen 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 30 April



Premier Trophy:

Redcar v. Edinburgh
Sheffield v. Glasgow



Premier Trophy:.... Redcar 41 (0 points), Edinburgh 47 (3 points).


Team changes: With the return of Andrew Tully and Thomas H Jonasson to the Edinburgh team, both sides were at full strength.

What a cracking match this turned out to be with some tremendous racing....for the first nine heats! At this point there was a heavy downpour after which the track was 'dressed' with dry shale and racing continued only for Redcar to fold like a cheap suit. After leading by seven points and looking well placed to win the match the Bears lost the remaining 6 heats by 11-24 as the Monarchs had more appetite for the new track conditions.

Heat 1 produced a great race from the three riders (Aaron Summers never left the start line after shedding a chain) but in a near blanket finish the riders ended in their gating order with Gary Havelock leading Ryan Fisher and Robbie Kessler home. The 4-2 gave Redcar a two point lead but they found themselves two points down after the reserves race. Arlo Bugeja came down in the first running of the race and was excluded when the referee (who made some highly controversial decisions) excluded him while others might have called for an all four back. Michal Rajkowski and Sean Stoddart stormed off ahead of Benji Compton for the 1-5. There was another controversial decision in heat 3. In the first running of the race Redcar were on a 5-1 as Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson led from the tapes. Andrew Tully reeled Wilson in and dived under him on the first bend of the third lap. Wilson went down and Tully was excluded. It could have gone the other way but, having made the decision, the referee should perhaps have awarded the race. He didn't and it was a different story in the rerun! This time Wilson never left the starting gate while Thomas H Jonasson rounded Stonehewer to move in front on the first two bends. Stonehewer moved him over coming off the bend to take up the lead but Jonasson went wide on bend three and cut back under Stonehewer as the riders passed the start line at the beginning of lap 2. Jonasson's win gave Edinburgh a 2-3 and three point lead but Redcar hit back with a 4-2 in the next race with a comfortable win from Ty Proctor over Matthew Wethers. Arlo Bugeja's third point place took the score to 11-12.

Ryan Fisher got the better of Stonehewer and Wilson on the first bend of heat 5 to win the race but another retiral from Summers meant a shared race. Redcar wiped out their arrears and took a three point lead in heat 6 with a fine piece of team riding from Gary Havelock and Robbie Kessler who had their hands full keeping Michal Rajkowski, who was all over them like a rash, at the back for a 5-1. They pulled further ahead in heat 7 which brought even more controversy. Ty Proctor jumped at the gate but avoided missing the tapes. Thomas Jonasson reacted by going with him but he wasn't so lucky, touched the tapes and went from 15 metres back. In the rerun Ty Proctor gated and found himself under pressure from Andrew Tully. Behind them Thomas H Jonasson made up the 15 metres on Compton and soared round the outside of him on the second bend of the second lap. Compton had a glance over his shoulder, saw Jonasson coming and moved over to give the Monarch the big 'E' causing him to fall. The referee stopped the race and excluded Jonasson! In the second rerun another fast start from Proctor saw him hit the front but again Andrew Tully was right on his tail and a fantastic race developed with nothing between the two riders for the four laps. Proctor prevailed though and the Bears took a 4-2 and a five point lead. Aaron Summers finally got going with a storming start in heat 8 while Michal Rajkowski joined him up front. Robbie Kessler passed Rajkowski and charged after Summers but, try as he did, he couldn't pass the young Australian and Edinburgh scored a 2-4 to cut the gap to three points again at 25-22.

Stonehewer and Wilson made the gate in heat 9 and raced off for an untroubled 5-1 which put the Bears seven points ahead. Then came the rain so the interval was taken early and after extensive work which successfully got the track back in racing condition the meeting resumed – but what a change! Thomas H Jonasson was smoothly away in heat 10 to lead Robbie Kessler home while Andrew Tully took third place with Gary Havelock pulling up at the back after the first lap. The Edinburgh 2-4 cut the gap to five but the Bears added a point to it in a second two-finisher race. Benji Compton stormed from the gate while Ty Proctor never left it. Ryan Fisher in second place but well adrift of Compton also retired with ignition box trouble leaving Compton to win comfortably from Aaron Summers. The 3-2 put the Bears 6 up but they were hit with a 1-5 in heat 12 when Jonasson and Rajkowski made light of the heavy conditions to race away from Stonehewer cutting the Monarchs' arrears to just three points at 36-34.

Ty Proctor stormed from the gate to win heat 13 but Fisher and Wethers settled in second and third after switching places on the first lap. Havelock tried hard to get to them but in vain so we had a shared heat for only the second time in the match! Things looked black for the home side when Michal Rajkowski and Thomas H Jonasson left Benji Compton and Ben Wilson in their wake in heat 14 returning a 1-5 in the process to put the Edinburgh side back in front for the first time since heat 4. This left a number of possible outcomes but in the final race Michal Rajkowski again left everyone high and dry (or should it be wet) by heading off in front. Robbie Kessler was in second with Jonasson third. Proctor tried an outside drive off the fourth bend to pass the Edinburgh man but fell in the process and was excluded from the rerun which saw Rajkowski and Jonasson take a 1-5 and six point win which keeps Edinburgh in pole position in the group.


Scorers: Redcar – Robbie Kessler 9 (5), Ty Proctor 9 (5), Carl Stonehewer 8 (4), Benji Compton 6 (4), Gary Havelock 5+1 (4), Ben Wilson 3+2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 1 (3).

Edinburgh – Michal Rajkowski 13+1 (6), Thomas H Jonasson 11+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 7 (4), Andrew Tully 5+1 (4), Aaron Summers 5 (4), Matthew Wethers 4+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 2+1 (3).



Premier Trophy:.... Sheffield 47 (0 points), Glasgow 48 (3 points).


Team changes: Sheffield were at full strength while Glasgow again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Ross Brady. They also introduced Lee Smart at reserve replacing the injured Anders Andersen on a 28 day loan arrangement.

What an extraordinary match this turned out to be as Glasgow came roaring back into contention for a qualifying place in the group by pulling back a 12 point deficit after 10 heats to win by point in a last heat decider.

The record book anoraks were asking when last both Edinburgh and Glasgow won on the road on the same night (if ever) and when (again if ever) a team with only four scorers in the side scored 48 points to win a match.

There was no hint of what was to come when Sheffield started with two 5-1s! In the opening race Paul Cooper and Ricky Ashworth hit the front leaving Shane Parker to trail home third then, in the reserves race, they scored another maximum after Josh Auty had worked his way past Lee Smart and Mitchell Davey. Josh Grajczonek won heat 3 after an exciting tussle with Ritchie Hawkins for a 3-3 then James Grieves gated to win heat 4 for another shared race which took the score to 16-8.

Shane Parker made it three Glasgow race winners on the trot by winning heat 5 from Hawkins while Joel Parsons passed Lee Smart for third and a third consecutive 3-3 but the home side moved ten points in front as Ricky Ashworth won heat 6 comfortably while James Grieves dived under Paul Cooper on the second lap to take second place and limit the damage to the Glasgow score to a 4-2. Josh Grajczonek took a tactical ride in heat 7 but Chris Mills shot from the gate to lead him home. Richard Hall took third so the points were shared 4-4. Grajczonek was out again in heat 8 taking the R/R ride and he won it. Better still for the visitors Mitchell Davey gated well to slot into second place behind him and the home pair of Auty and Cooper couldn't find a way past him. This gave Glasgow a 1-5 taking the score to 28-22.

Ritchie Hawkins and James Grieves were best away in heat 9 but Hawkins got round Grieves on the last bend of the first lap to win the race. With Joel Parsons third Sheffield took a 4-2 to go eight points up again. In heat 10 Sheffield took a 5-1 to go twelve points ahead when Ashworth and Cooper saw off Grajczonek but this allowed Glasgow to use their second tactical ride with Shane Parker taking it in heat 11. Parker made a flying start along with Mitchell Davey. Richard Hall then fell at the end of the second lap trying to pass Davey leaving Davey to race off from Chris Mills and the big 1-8 cutting the Sheffield lead to five points. Back came Sheffield though and they took a 4-2 from heat 12 after Mitchell Davey and Peter Juul had made the gate for the visitors. Ritchie Hawkins passed Juul on the top bends of lap 2 then rounded Davey at the start of lap 3. Then Josh Auty got into the act by passing Juul on the last bend of the third lap to turn a prospective 1-5 to a 4-2. This took the score to 42-35 but what a finish was in store.

Parker and Grieves gated for a heat 13 1-5 to set the alarm bells ringing in the home camp with the
lead down to three. Glasgow had their tails up now and Mitchell Davey gated in heat 14 to lead Mills and Parsons home with Grajczonek stuck at the back. The 3-3 kept the gap at three points but the Glasgow comeback was complete when Parker and Grieves saw Ricky Ashworth off on the opening bends to bring home the bacon with a last heat 1-5 to win by a point. This result brings Glasgow back into the mix for one of the two qualifying places from the group making for some interesting times ahead.


Scorers: Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 10+2 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 10 (5), Chris Mills 9 (4), Paul Cooper 6+1 (4), Josh Auty 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 4+3 (4), Richard Hall 2+2 (4).

Glasgow – Shane Parker 16 (5) (incl 6 point TR), James Grieves 11+2 (5), Josh Grajczonek 11 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Mitchell Davey 10+2 (7), Peter Juul 0 (4), Lee Smart 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Friday, 1 May



Premier Trophy:..... Edinburgh 57 (3 points), Redcar 35 (0Points) .


Team changes: Edinburgh were without Thomas H Jonasson so used Rider Replacement at number 3. Redcar were at full strength.

Frankly this turned out to be a very disappointing meeting. The riders took time to adjust to track conditions. There had been some heavy rain earlier in the day but the track looked as if it had dried out well. It also seemed to be unusually rough resulting in a number of falls. Edinburgh won easily enough but the Redcar challenge was rather feeble.

Edinburgh kicked off with a 4-2 with Ryan Fisher coming round the field on the opening two bends to lead Gary Havelock home. Robbie Kessler retired after dropping a chain which got wrapped round his foot. He took one more ride but retired again and withdrew from the match. There was a real shock for the Monarchs when the Bears' reserves scored a 1-5 in heat 2 (when did that last happen away from home?). An uncomfortable looking Michal Rajkowski was hunted down by Arlo Bugeja and Benji Compton after Sean Stoddart had slipped off on the opening two bends. Rajkowski passed Compton again but Compton repassed him on the run in to the line. The Bears were now two points to the good but it was all square after heat 4. Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson made the start but Andrew Tully passed them both down the back straight then Aaron Summers (R/R) passed Ben Wilson for third and a 4-2. Edinburgh then took a 5-1 in heat 4. Ty Proctor passed both Matthew Wethers and Sean Stoddart down the back straight and had the race in his pocket when he suddenly lost control on the opening bends of lap three pulling a huge locker. Matthew Wethers couldn't avoid him and crashed heavily. Proctor was excluded and the Monarchs were awarded the 5-1 to take a 14-10 lead.

Ryan Fisher (R/R) was fast away again in heat 5 to lead Gary Havelock home but Havelock knew exactly how to thwart the challenging Tully by denying him the inside run off the second bend for second place. Kessler again retired from the race and then withdrew from the meeting leaving Aaron Summers to take third place. The 4-2 put the Monarchs six points ahead and it was ten one heat later after a fast gate from Summers and Fisher left Benji Compton to take third. In heat 7 Carl Stonehewer took a tactical ride but he missed the gate and never looked like scoring a point. Had the Bears given it to Ben Wilson it would have been a different story as he gated well and led all the way. As it was the race win resulted in a shared race with Wethers and Rajkowski filling the minor places. Arlo Bugeja fell on the last bend of the second lap of heat 8 causing the race to be rerun without him. Summers shot from the gate in the second running of the race while Benji Compton got the better of Sean Stoddart for second place. The 4-2 gave the Monarchs a 12 point lead with the score now 30-18.

Andrew Tully stormed away in heat 9 but Matthew Wethers had bike problems and took a while to leave the gate. As a result Proctor and Bugeja followed Tully home for a shared race with Wethers retiring on the last lap. Ben Wilson fell on the second bend of heat 10 and could only watch as Fisher and Summers raced off for a 5-1. Gary Havelock then took the Bears' second tactical ride in heat 11. He was no match for the fast starting Michal Rajkowski who won the heat but he did finish second after a tussle with Wethers who retired again. Arlo Bugeja's third place gave the Bears a 3-5 advantage but Edinburgh replied with a 4-2 from Rajkowski and Tully. Carl Stonehewer split the Edinburgh pair and rode a good race to hold off Tully's challenges. The score now stood at 45-29.

Wethers finally sorted his machine problems out and won heat 13 with ease. Fisher took second from Havelock and Proctor for a 5-1 and 20 point lead. They added another through Sean Stoddart and Michal Rajkowski while heat 15 provided three falls from two riders! Gary Havelock got to the front from the gate. The chasing Ryan Fisher fell trying an extravagant drive round the top bends on the second lap then one bend later Stonehewer came off. Fisher who had remounted chased Stonehewer but it was only for third place as Aaron Summers followed Havelock home. On the top bends of lap three Ryan Fisher fell again and, with Havelock fast approaching, the referee had to stop the race and award it as a 2-4 to the visitors.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 13+2 (6), Aaron Summers 12+1 (6), Michal Rajkowski 10+2 (5), Andrew Tully 8 (4), Matthew Wethers 8 (5), Sean Stoddart 6+1 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Arlo Bugeja 6+2 (5), Carl Stonehewer 6 (5), Benji Compton 5+1 (5), Ben Wilson 4 (4), Ty Proctor 2 (4), Robbie Kessler 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Date



Premier Trophy:

Berwick v. Newcastle
Rye House v. Somerset

Premier League:

Stoke v. Workington



Premier Trophy: ..... Berwick 57 (3 points), Newcastle 36 (0 points).


Team changes: Berwick were without Gino Franchetti and had Michal Rajkowski at number 7 as a guest. Newcastle were missing Kenni Larsen and Casper Wortmann and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Larsen and had Jaimie Courtney as a guest at number 7 for Wortmann.

Berwick needed to take all three points from this match to maintain their challenge for one of the qualification spots from the group but Newcastle had already lost interest in qualification.

Berwick were quick off the mark with wins from William Lawson, Michal Rajkowski, Josef Franc then Michal Makovsky which produced three 4-2s and a 5-1, in the reserves race, from the opening four races to lead by ten points but there was then a delay while the track was watered and graded. An engine failure for Paul Clews in heat 5 prevented another 4-2 as Josef Franc won the heat unsupported for a 3-3. William Lawson passed Jason King in heat 6 to join Tero Aarnio for a 5-1 which put the Bandits 14 points ahead. Michal Makovsky then won heat 7 for a 3-3 leaving the Diamonds still looking for a race winner. They got one in heat 8 though as Jason King took the R/R ride and also came in on a TR. Aarnio and Rajkowski filled the minor places but the Diamonds took a 3-6 from the race taking the score to 31-20.

Craig Branney was the surprise winner of heat 9 from Josef Franc and it was only a pass by Paul Clews on Jason King which prevented another heat advantage for the Diamonds. However the Bandits pulled away again with a 5-1 from Lawson and Aarnio in heat 10. It was Steve Boxall's turn to take a TR in heat 11 but it was not a success! Daniel Warwick gated while Michal Makovsky moved across from the inside to baulk the Newcastle riders much to the irritation of the Diamonds' fans. The race was over after that with Berwick taking another 5-1 for a 44-25 score. Trent Leverington won heat 12 for the Diamonds beating Paul Clews while Craig Branney consigned Michal Rajkowski to last. The 2-4 cut the gap to 17 points at 46-29.

Lawson and Makovsky added a 5-1 in heat 13 and Josef Franc took heat 14 for a shared race as Branney and Sneddon took second and third. Finally Makovsky won heat 15 from Sneddon and Boxall with Lawson bringing up the rear giving the Bandits a 21 point win.


Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), William Lawson 11+1 (5), Josef Franc 11 (4), Tero Aarnio 8+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 5+1 (4), Danny Warwick 4+2 (4), Paul Clews 4+1 (4).

Newcastle [/u] - Jason King 9 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Derek Sneddon 8+1 (6), Steve Boxall 7+1 (5), Craig Branney 6 (6), Trent Leverington 5+2 (5), Jaimie Courtney 1 (3).



Premier Trophy: ..... Rye House 55 (3 points), Somerset 37 (0 points).


Team changes: Rye House were without Linus Sundstrom and Tommy Allen. They had Josh Auty as a guest for Tommy Allen at number 3 and used Rider Replacement for Linus Sundstrom at number 2. Somerset were missing Simon Walker and used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead..

This was Rye House's last group stage match in the Premier Trophy and with Scunthorpe and Stoke breathing down their necks they needed all three points to keep alive their push to join King's Lynn as one of the two qualifiers from the southern group. Nothing but a good win would do for Somerset who were still looking for away points from the group stage.

It's tough going when you lose the opening heats to 5-1s leaving you eight points down to pull back at such an early stage but that was Somerset's experience when Joe Haines passed Steve Johnston to join Chris Neath in the opening heat then the Rockets reserves ran away with heat 2. Emil Kramer stopped the rot with a heat 3 win then Joe Haines was excluded from heat 4 after his partner, Andrew Silver had put him through the fence. In the rerun Tom Brown also had a trip through the fence to join the list of the excluded so a second rerun was needed with only two riders. Andrew Silver eventually won the race after getting the better of Cory Gathercole on the second bend. The score was then 16-7.

A fine race by Josh Auty who rounded the field on the second bend was good enough to win heat 6 after the first attempt came to an end when Neath and Gathercole came together on the fourth bend with the fence winning. Neath was controversially excluded for crashing into it. There was another shared race in heat 7 as Emil Kramer showed his team mates how to do it again. Haines and Bowen got a good view behind him. However the Rebels found themselves 13 points in arrears after a heat eight 5-1 from Neath and Silver with the score now 30-17.

There was another rerun in heat 9 with Rob Mear joining the growing list of excludees after falling on that fourth bend again. Josh Auty produced his party piece again by rounding the other two riders on the first two bends but this time Gathercole was having none of it and chased and passed Auty on the line with Herne picking up the gift third place for a 2-4 cutting the Rebels' arrears to 11 points. Inevitably it was Emil Kramer who was entrusted with the TR in heat 10. Alas he fell after missing the gate badly and overcooking it on the second bend of the last lap. Neath and Silver were awarded the 5-1 leaving the visitors trailing by 15 points. Cory Gathercole (R/R) took Somerset's second TR in heat 11 and won it from Luke Bowen. Steve Johnston finished third so the Rebels took a 2-7 to cut the gap to 10 points. Jay Herne was the surprise winner of heat 12 when he gated and held Josh Auty at bay for the whole race. Andrew Silver took third for a shared race taking the score to 42-32.

Rye House clinched the match with a 4-2 in heat 13 as Haines beat Gathercole with Neath keeping Johnston at the back in an exciting race. Mear and Bowen added a 5-1 after passing Emil Kramer in heat 14 then Chris Neath brought proceedings to a close by winning the last race from Steve Johnston while Andrew Silver just managed to keep Emil Kramer at the back.


Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 13 (6), Andrew Silver 12+3 (6), Josh Auty 11+1 (5), Luke Bowen 7+3 (4), Joe Haines 7+1 (5), Robert Mear 5 (4).

Somerset – Cory Gathercole 15 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Emil Kramer 7 (5), Steve Johnston 6 (5), Jay Herne 5+1 (6), Tom Brown 2+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 2 (5),



Premier League: ..... Stoke 48 (2 points), Workington 42 (1 point).


Team changes: Stoke were missing Glen Phillips and Klaus Jakobsen. Instead they used Rider Replacement for Phillips at number 3 and had Lee Smart as a guest at number 7. Workington were missing Adrian Rymel so used Rider Replacement at number 3..

This match suffered a long delay after Phil Morris crashed into the third bend fence in his opening heat – heat 4 – and was taken to hospital in some pain. He must have had a feeling of deja vu since hospital visits are no stranger to him! His absence meant that the Potters had to face the Comets with only four of their own riders plus a guest reserve.

Workington's Kevin Doolan fell in the first staging of heat 1 after clipping Tom P Madsen's back wheel. He was excluded from the rerun and Lee Complin and Madsen took advantage to score a 5-1. Heat 2 needed a rerun too after Jesper Kristiansen had touched the tapes and had to start from 15 metres back. Then, at the third attempt, Luke Priest fell in a first bend melee and was excluded leaving Richard Lawson to win from Lee Smart for a shared race. Richard Lawson and Charles Wright gated for the Comets in heat 3 but Jason Bunyan passed them both while Tom P Madsen also passed Wright for a 4-2. Then came the accident in heat 4 which, after the lengthy delay, resulted in a 1-5 to Andrew Compton and Richard Lawson with Lee Smart picking up the gift third place point. The home side's lead was now back to just two points at 13-11.

Kevin Doolan won heat 5 for a 3-3 but the Potters took a 4-2 from heat 6 when Lee Complin passed both Comets' riders to win the race from Andre Compton in a photo finish. Madsen also passed Priest to double the home side's lead to four points. There was another rerun in heat 7 when Charles Wright fell at the back with the Potters on a 4-2. As often happens the rerun benefited the offending side as Kevin Doolan won the rerun for a 3-3. Workington hit back with a 2-4 in heat 8 when John Branney again gated with Richard Lawson. Tom P Madsen passed Lawson to rescue two points from the race for the Potters taking the score to 25-23.

Jason Bunyan beat Andre Compton in heat 9 with Jesper Kristiansen taking third for a 4-2 which put the Potters four up again then Andre Compton won heat 10 for a 3-3. However the Potters were feeling the effects of Morris's absence and when Doolan and Branney outgated the home reserves in heat 11 for a 1-5 the scores were level again at 33-33. However Stoke rallied and Bunyan and Smart scored a 5-1 in heat 12 to restore their four point lead taking the score to 38-34.

It was all to ride for over the last three races. Heat 13 was a disaster for the home side as Doolan and Compton gated for a big 1-5 which levelled the scores at 39-39. Heat 14 was crucial for both sides. Stoke needed an advantage from it with the Comets having to field their two reserves in the absence of Charles Wright who had to be withdrawn from the meeting following his heat 7 fall. They got it too as Jason Bunyan and Jesper Kristiansen gated to take a much needed 5-1 restoring the Potters' four point lead again with just the one race to go. Tom P Madsen became the home hero by winning heat 15 from Kevin Doolan while Jason Bunyan took third from Compton for a 4-2. The two points were enough to earn Workington a point as they lost by only six points.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 15 (6), Tom P Madsen 11+1 (6), Jesper Kristiansen 9+3 (7), Lee Complin 7+1 (4), Lee Smart 6+2 (6), Phil Morris 0 (1).

Workington – Kevin Doolan 14 (6), Andre Compton 12+1 (6), Richard Lawson 8+1 (7), John Branney 6+1 (4), Luke Priest 2 (5), Charles Wright 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 3 May



Premier Trophy:

Newport v. Somerset
Glasgow v. Sheffield
Newcastle v. Workington
Birmingham v. Workington



Premier Trophy: ..... Newport 46 (1 point), Somerset 46 (2 points).


Team changes: Newport were without Chris Kerr, Jordan Frampton and Nick Simmons. They used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Kerr, had Joe Haines as a guest for Frampton at number 3 and Kyle Newman at number 6 for Simmons. Somerset were without Simon Walker and used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead..

On a dry dustbowl of a track with gating the key to nearly every heat the two teams fought out a rare 46-46 draw. Somerset after a dreadful start found themselves ten points down after 6 races then used a TR in heat 7 which produced the two extra points for a 3-5 advantage then they followed that with four consecutive 2-4s to level the match at 34-34.

Just as they did last night at Rye House, Somerset lost the first two heats to 5-1s for an eight point deficit. Emil Kramer stopped the rot by winning heat 3 and with Paul Fry falling while in second place the visitors took a 2-4 cutting the gap to six. Brent Werner won heat 4 and Steve Johnston heat 5 for shared races then in heat 6 Werner won again with support from Mark Lemon in second for a 5-1 giving the Wasps a ten point lead at 23-13. In heat 7 Emil Kramer took a TR but finished second behind Werner who won again. Justin Sedgmen's third place resulted in a 3-5 advantage to the Rebels. Brent Werner had won heats 4, 6 and 7 but he didn't score a single point after that in three more races! After seven heats the score was 26-18.

Somerset then produced four 2-4s on the trot. Justin Sedgmen started the run by beating Mark Lemon in heat 8 then, in heat 9, with Jay Herne leading Joe Haines fell at the back causing a rerun in which Cory Gathercole beat Paul Fry. Emil Kramer won heat 10 from Lemon and Sedgmen with Haines at the back and Cory Gathercole took the three points in heat 11 while Kyle Newman led Steve Johnston home for 2-4 number four completing the Rebels' comeback at 34-34.

Joe Haines and James Holder gated to win heat 12 putting the Wasps back in front again but Somerset hit back in kind with a 1-5 from Gathercole and Johnston to square the match again. Kramer and Herne led heat 14 but Paul Fry passed both of them at the end of lap two to deny the Rebels a heat advantage leaving the scores tied with one race to go. Mark Lemon led Kramer home in the deciding heat 15 but Cory Gathercole passed Paul Fry and held on as Fry tried to repass for the shared race which also meant a drawn match.


Scorers: Newport – Mark Lemon 13+1 (6), Brent Werner 9 (5), Paul Fry 8+2 (6), Joe Haines 7 (5), James Holder 5+1 (4), Kyle Newman 4+1 (4).

Somerset – Emil Kramer 14 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Cory Gathercole 13+1 (6), Steve Johnston 7+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 6+1 (5), Jay Herne 3+1 (5), Tom Brown 3+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ..... Glasgow 52 (3 points), Sheffield 38 (0 points).


Team changes: Glasgow were still without Ross Brady so used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead. Adam McKinna was again nominated as their number 8. Sheffield were at full strength.

An early push by Sheffield suggested that Glasgow might struggle to beat the Yorkshire side but they flattered to deceive and only managed one race winner after heat 5 at which point they found themselves six points ahead.

A shared opening heat won by Shane Parker was followed by a 1-5 to the visitors as Chris Mills and Josh Auty gated to lead Mitchell Davey home for a four point lead. Joel Parsons fell on the opening bends of heat 3 and was excluded. However Ritchie Hawkins won the rerun for a 3-3 and James Grieves won heat 4 again for a shared race and 10-14 score.

Ricky Ashworth won heat 5 from Josh Grajczonek and the visitors took a 2-4 with a third place from Paul Cooper putting them six ahead. That however was as good as it got for Sheffield as they faded out of the match. Glasgow took 4-2s from heats 6 and 7 won by Parker and Grieves respectively to cut the gap to two points then Grajczonek and Davey gated for a 5-1 in heat 8 which put the home side ahead for the first time at 25-23.

History was made in heat 9 when Peter Juul won his first ever race for Glasgow after an electric start. Richard Hall took second from Grajczonek so the 4-2 put Glasgow four ahead. A Parker win in heat 10 resulted in a 3-3 then James Grieves beat Ricky Ashworth in heat 11 for a 4-2 taking the home side's lead to six points. Josh Auty gated to win heat 12 from Davey while Ritchie Hawkins kept Peter Juul at the back again leading to a Sheffield 2-4 which cut the gap to four points with the score now 38-34.

Grieves and Parker took their usual heat 13 maximum leaving Sheffield eight points adrift and without much hope of even a point from the match. Grajczonek won heat 14 from Parsons for a 4-2 which put Glasgow ten points ahead but with only heat 15 to come it was too late for a TR for the visitors. Parker and Grieves continued their heat 15 run of successes with another 5-1 giving Glasgow a 14 point victory.


Scorers: Glasgow – James Grieves 15 (5) (full maximum), Shane Parker 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Josh Grajczonek 11 (5), Mitchell Davey 8+1 (7), Peter Juul 4 (4), Lee Smart 1 (4).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 9 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 7+1 (5), Richard Hall 6 (4), Josh Auty 5+1 (4), Chris Mills 5+1 (4), Joel Parsons 4 (4), Paul Cooper 2+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: ..... Birmingham 39 (0 points), King's Lynn 53 (4 points).


Team changes: Birmingham were at full strength while King's Lynn were again without Kozza Smith and used Rider Replacement at number 2.

King's Lynn were expected to win this match comfortably and so they did! They effectively rode without Christian Henry too as he was stretchered off the track in the first running of heat 3 and taken to hospital after a first bend collision. The Stars also demonstrated the wisdom of having a number 8 when using R/R. Without Darren Mallett the Stars would have had to go in one of the races with only one rider.

The Brummies started quite well though and after six races the scores were tied. However back to back 1-5s in heats 7 and 8 effectively ended their chances particularly since their reserves managed only two points between them and were outscored by the Stars' reserves by 19+3 to 2.

Tomas Topinka got the match underway by winning heat 1 from Jason Lyons and Richard Sweetman for a shared race but the Stars took a 2-4 in the reserves race won as expected by Darcy Ward. The heat 3 accident on the first bend and withdrawal from the meeting by Christian Henry gave the Stars a lifeline and they took it as Ludvig Lindgren and Robert Ksiezak took a 5-1 from Chris Schramm to put the Brummies 10-8 in front but the lead didn't last long as Emiliano Sanchez won heat 4 from the gate from Tomasz Piszcz with Darcy Ward third for a 2-4 which took the score to 12-12.

Ludvig Lindgren fell in heat 5 while Topinka won again warding off the pressure from Robert Ksiezak for a 2-4 and two point lead for the Stars. Richard Sweetman won heat 6 though for the Stars while Jason Lyons came third behind Sanchez for a 4-2 which levelled the match again but when Schramm and Ward then Sanchez and Ward scored 1-5s in heats 7 and 8 the writing was on the wall for the Brummies who suddenly trailed 20-28.

Robert Ksiezak won heat 9 for the home side but Lindgren finished at the back so the points were shared. Richard Sweetman fell in heat 9 but Jason Lyons won the race for the home side leaving the gap still at eight points. It went to ten though after Topinka had won for the third time in heat 11. Tomasz Piszcz took third but Darren Mallett took third for a 2-4. Birmingham gave Robert Ksiezak a TR in heat 12 but it was Darcy Ward who won the race with Ksiezak second. Jan Graversen passed Ben Taylor for third so the race was shared 4-4 and the gap stayed at ten points with the score 32-42.

Jason Lyons suffered an engine failure in heat 13 after passing Tomas Topinka but Tomasz Piszcz won it for the home side for another shared heat. Ward and Schramm took a 1-5 in heat 14 then in heat 15 Piszcz, Topinka and Schramm all fell on the first bend. Topinka was not fit to take his place in the rerun so was replaced by Emiliano Sanchez. In an exciting race Tomasz Piszcz took the three points but the Stars' pair of Schramm and Sanchez kept Ksiezak, who was given a 15 metre handicap for continually moving at the start, at the back for a final 3-3 and 14 point win which gives them all four league points.


Scorers: Birmingham – Robert Ksiezak 11+1 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Tomasz Piszcz 11 (5), Jason Lyons 6 (4), Richard Sweetman 5+1 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 4 (4), Daniel Halsey 2 (4), Ben Taylor 0 (4).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 16+2 (7), Emiliano Sanchez 12+2 (6), Tomas Topinka 11 (5), Chris Schramm 9+2 (5), Jan Graversen 3+1 (5), Darren Mallett 2 (3), Christian Henry 0 (0).



Premier Trophy: ..... Newcastle 43 (0 points), Workington 47 (3 points).


Team changes: Newcastle were again without Kenni Larsen so had to use Rider Replacement at number 2. Workington were without Charles Wright and Luke Priest. They used Rider Replacement for Wright at number 4 and had Benji Compton for Priest at number 6. They nominated Johnny Grey as their number 8.

Five different Workington riders won the first five heats leaving the Diamonds struggling. John Branney was the winner of the opening heat from Trent Leverington. The heat leaders were stuck at the back with Kevin Doolan finishing ahead of Steve Boxall so the race resulted in a 2-4 to the Comets. Richard Lawson won the reserves race from Craig Branney and Benji Compton for another 2-4 followed by a third 2-4 in heat 3. Adrian Rymel won it from Derek Sneddon and John Branney. The run of 2-4s was briefly halted when Andre Compton won heat 4 from Trent Leverington and Jason King for a shared race to break the trend but it was business as normal in heat 5 when Kevin Doolan joined in the Comets' race-winning spree beating Leverington and John Branney for Workington's fourth 2-4 giving them an eight point lead at 11-19.

Finally Newcastle got their act together in heat 6 when Steve Boxall and Craig Branney hit back with a 5-1 after Andre Compton had got stuck at the tapes briefly at the start of the race. Jason King won heat 7 after it had been rerun without Adrian Rymel who had fallen on the first bend and been excluded. Richard Lawson took second but Newcastle took a 4-2 from the race cutting the gap to two points. Their comeback was complete when they added a 5-1 in heat 8 won by Craig Branney from Jason King taking the score to 25-23 with the Diamonds leading for the first time in the match.

Andre Compton was fast away to win heat 9 but Leverington and Sneddon filled the minor places for a shared race but the match was level again after heat 10. Adrian Rymel made a very fast gate and briefly had his partner Richard Lawson behind him in second. Derek Sneddon passed Lawson but try as he did Steve Boxall couldn't follow him through so the Comets scored a 2-4. Kevin Doolan won heat 11 but it was only good enough for a shared race then, in heat 12 Workington went in front again. Adrian Rymel won the race from Craig Branney with Richard Lawson in third for a 2-4 which took the score to 35-37.

The crucial heat 13 went Workington's way after a three man battle between Kevin Doolan who gated, Steve Boxall and Andre Compton. That's the way it finished with Boxall just pipped on the line by Doolan for first place. The 2-4 increased the Comets' lead to four points at 37-41. The Diamonds sorely needed a heat advantage from heat 14. However with Andre Compton in the race it wasn't going to be easy especially as the Comets now had their sights on all four league points! Andre Compton gated and raced away for the win but Derek Sneddon and Craig Branney took second and third for a 3-3. The Comets' needed a 1-5 from the last race to take the maximum four league points while Newcastle needed a 5-1 for a draw. Since the Diamonds had managed only three race winners all night that seemed unlikely. Adrian Rymel made the gate with Kevin Doolan but Steve Boxall rode a stunning race to pass both Comets and pull away for a fine win. Unfortunately for the Diamonds Jason King was stuck at the back and could make no impression so the race finished a 3-3 giving Workington a four point lead and three league points. That dropped fourth point may yet come back to haunt them as the fight for the two qualification spots in the group intensifies.


Scorers: Newcastle – Craig Branney 13+3 (7), Jason King 8+2 (6), Steve Boxall 8 (5), Derek Sneddon 7+1 (5), Trent Leverington 6 (4), Jaimie Courtney 1 (3).

Workington – Kevin Doolan 12 (5), Andre Compton 11 (5), Adrian Rymel 10+1 (5), Richard Lawson 8 (7), John Branney 5 (5), Benji Compton 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Monday, 4 May



Premier League:

Rye House v. Berwick
Workington v. Stoke – match postponed, waterlogged track.



Premier League:.... Rye House 59 (3 points), Berwick 33 (0 points).


Team changes: Rye House were without the injured Tommy Allen so used Rider Replacement at number 3. They also nominated Dan Blake as their number 8. Berwick were at full strength.

This Premier League match was a low key affair which Rye House won in a canter. A run of six 5-1s in a row from heats 5 to 10 left the Bandits without a prayer but a late rally saw the visitors take a 14 – 18 advantage over the last five heats to add some gloss to the score.

The match started with a 4-2 as Tero Aarnio was the meat in a Neath-Sundstrom sandwich in the fastest time of the season on the Hoddesdon track. This was followed by a 5-1 in the reserves race after Gino Franchetti had touched the tapes and gone from 15 metres back. The Rockets six point lead became 8 when Josef Franc fell in heat 3 leaving Rob Mear to lead home Franchetti, out in place of Paul Clews who was excluded under the two minute rule. Berwick provided their first race winner in heat 4 after Andrew Silver was excluded for causing Michal Makovsky to fall on the third lap. The Berwick man got up shook himself down then came out to win the rerun from Joe Haines for a 2-4 taking the score to 15-9.

It was yawn time after that as the Rockets rattled off six consecutive 5-1s. The main incidents of note during this spell was fine ride by Luke Bowen who passed Josef Franc and Paul Clews in heat 7 to join Joe Haines up front, a tactical ride by Michal Makovsky which yielded the Bandits nothing in heat 9 and a neat pincer movement by Chris Neath and Linus Sundstrom to pass Josef Franc on either side on the second bend of heat 10. The score now stood at 45-15.

Rye House added a 4-2 in heat 11 with a Haines win from Aarnio then the visitors showed some fight over the last four races. Paul Clews took a tactical ride in heat 12 and finished second to Rob Mear after an exciting battle with Andrew Silver for a 4-4 shared race. The Bandits did better in heat 13 when Michal Makovsky and William Lawson gated to take a 1-5 from Chris Neath then Josef Franc won heat 14 from the gate in a three rider race with Franchetti due a third ride but unable to take take it for some reason or other. Finally Makovsky won again in heat 15 from Rob Mear. Behind them Chris Neath passed Tero Aarnio then suffered an engine failure giving Berwick a 2-4.


Scorers: Rye House – Robe Mear 14+2 (6), Joe Haines 11 (5), Chris Neath 10 (5), Linus Sundstrom 9+2 (5), Luke Bowen 8+1 (4), Andrew Silver 7+3 (5).

Berwick – Michal Makovsky 11 (5), Tero Aarnio 6 (5), Paul Clews 5 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Josef Franc 4 (4), William Lawson 3+1 (4), Guglielmo Franchetti 3 (3), Danny Warwick 1 (6).