Around the Premier League Tracks 2009

[Merlin]

Sunday, 31 May



Premier League:

Newport v. Berwick
Glasgow v. Workington
Newcastle v. Birmingham



Premier League: ..... Newport 44 (0 points), Berwick 45 (3 points).


Team changes: Newport had Tony Atkin at number 6 while Berwick were at full strength.

This match swung one way then the other but, in the end, Newport paid dearly for providing only five race winners. Berwick lost the impressive Tero Aarnio in his third ride due to a hand injury leaving only the inexperienced Greg Blair to cope with the remaining reserve rides but the Wasps couldn't take advantage and lost out in a last heat decider.

Fry and Lemon opened with a 4-2 for the Welsh side then the reserves race, won by Tero Aarnio, was shared before a Chris Kerr fall in heat 3 resulted in an awarded 1-5 to Berwick through Franc and Clews. This put the Bandits two points ahead and they increased it to three when Tero Aarnio beat Jordan Frampton in heat 4. There were only two finishers as Gino Franchetti fell and was excluded causing a rerun then Frampton fell and remounted before Holder also fell and was excluded in another awarded race. The score now stood at 10-13.

Werner and Kerr gated for a 5-1 ahead of Makovsky in heat 5 to put the Wasps a point ahead at 15-14 then Fry and Lemon did likewise increasing the Wasps lead to five points in heat 6. Franc won heat 7 from Frampton while Clews took third for a 2-4 which cut the lead to three and it stayed like that when William Lawson won heat 8 in a three rider race after Aarnio had lifted at the start and been excluded for falling. The score was now 25-22.

When Werner and Kerr added another 5-1 in heat 9 for a seven point lead for the Wasps it looked like a home win was on the cards. Lemon won heat 10 to preserve the Wasps' lead but the match turned around in heat 11 when Makovsky and Lawson took a 1-5 ahead of Frampton to cut the home side's lead to just three points. Paul Clews won heat 12 for a 3-3 and the score was now 37-34.

It all turned round again when Makovsky and Franchetti gated to leave Lemon back in third. Jordan Frampton fell on the third lap and the race was awarded as a 1-5 so suddenly Berwick were back in front by a single point at 38-39. Josef Franc flew from the gate in heat 14 to head Chris Kerr home and preserve the Bandits' solitary one point lead then, in the last race, Michal Makovsky produced the win which gave Berwick a one point win as Lemon and Kerr followed him home.


Scorers: Newport – Mark Lemon 9+1 (5), Brent Werner 8+1 (4), Chris Kerr 7+3 (5), Paul Fry 7+1 (4), James Holder 6+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 5 (4), Tony Atkin 2 (3).

Berwick – Josef Franc 10+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 10 (5), Paul Clews 8+1 (4), William Lawson 7+1 (4), Tero Aarnio 6 (3), Gino Franchetti 4+1 (4), Greg Blair 0 (5).



Premier League: ..... Glasgow 41 (0 points), Workington 49 (4 points).


Team changes: Glasgow were without Ross Brady and Josh Grajczonek. They had Aaron Summers as a guest for Brady at number 4 and used Rider Replacement for Grajczonek at number 3. Workington were at full strength.

Glasgow were never in front in this match and didn't have enough scoring power for a very good Workington side who had telling contributions all down the line. The Tigers will be hoping that the changes which bring Rusty Harrison and Ben Taylor into the side will give them a more settled blend. It will hopefully be the end of the continual use of Rider Replacement for Ross Brady which hasn't worked too well for the Tigers.

Right from the start the Comets hit the front with a 2-4 from Adrian Rymel and Charles Wright with Rymel holding off all that Shane Parker could throw at him. Glasgow squared the match again in the reserves race won by Mitchell Davey but it was the last time they enjoyed parity in the fixture. Richard Lawson and Kevin Doolan raced to a 1-5 in heat 3 then Andre Compton made a superb pass on James Grieves in heat 4 for a 2-4 which put the Comets six ahead at 9-15.

Heats 5 and 6 won by Rymel and Parker produced shared heats then the teams traded 4-2s in heats 7 and 8. James Grieves won heat 7 while Mitchell Davey passed Richard Lawson for third but there followed a bad looking crash in heat 8. Charles Wright gated but behind him Mitchell Davey pulled a locker on the first bend causing Smart and Branney to crash into him. Branney came off the worst and went off to hospital for check up on an injured foot. Davey was excluded from the rerun which was won by Charles Wright for the 2-4 heat advantage to the Comets. The score was now 21-27.

Aaron Summers gave the Tigers a lift in heat 9 by gating from Andre Compton and holding him off for all four laps while Lee Smart passed Craig Cook off the last bend for a 4-2 which reduced the gap to four points. Parker won heat 10 then there was another bad crash in heat 11. The first running of the race was stopped as Rymel headed off and the referee then excluded the Workington number 1 for delaying the start. He went from 15 metres back in the rerun in which Grieves made the gate and was gone. When the other three riders reached the fourth bend second time round, Rymel lunged into Mitchell Davey causing him to crash into Charles Wright who needed an ambulance ride back to the pits. Badly shaken Wright didn't appear for the rerun but the drama wasn't finished there! In the rerun Grieves and Davey were set for a 5-1 ahead of Cook when Davey's bike packed up on the third bend, third lap. He had to push it home for one and a quarter laps in the searing heat for third place point. It took him nearly two minutes to recover sufficiently to get up from the centre green and make his way back to the pits. When the dust had settled Glasgow had taken a 4-2 and were now only two points adrift at 32-34. However heat 12 was a disaster for them as Kevin Doolan and Craig Cook made the gate and raced round for a 1-5 which stretched the Comets' lead to six points at 33-39.

Glasgow were once again looking for a rescue act from their big two in heats 13 and 15 but this time they couldn't produce it. In heat 13 Andre Compton gated for a tapes to flag win over Parker and Grieves despite tremendous pressure from Parker for all four laps. The 3-3 left Glasgow with a mountain to climb but it was all over when Richard Lawson gated in heat 14 to win from Summers and Cook stretching the visitors' lead even further to eight points with the 2-4. Although Glasgow had lost the match Workington needed to stay 8 up after heat 15 if they were to record a four point away win. They succeeded. Grieves and Parker made the gate but Compton and Doolan passed Parker off the second bend for the 3-3 the Comets needed so they took all four league points.


Scorers: Glasgow – James Grieves 12+1 (5), Shane Parker 10 (5), Aaron Summers 7+1 (5), Mitchell Davey 7 (6), Lee Smart 5 (6), Robin Tornqvist 0 (3).

Workington – Andre Compton 11+1 (5), Kevin Doolan 10+2 (5), Craig Cook 8+1 (7), Richard Lawson 7+1 (4), Adrian Rymel 6 (4), Charles Wright 4 (4), John Branney 3 (3).



Premier League: ..... Newcastle 48 (2 points), Birmingham 45 (1 point).


Team changes: Newcastle were without Steve Boxall and had Carl Wilkinson as a guest at number 1. They also introduced Adam McKinna to the side at number 6 in place of Casper Wortmann. Birmingham were missing Ludvig Lindgren and used Rider Replacement at number 2 and they had Mark Burrows at number 7 for Richard Sweetman.

It was the late late show again from Birmingham in this match as, just like on Saturday at Workington, the Brummies, trailing by some distance, put in a late rally which once again was too little too late as they forced a last heat decider.

Jason Lyons won the opener for a 3-3 as James Cockle fell and was excluded but the Diamonds took the lead in heat 2 when Adam McKinna making his return to the team won the race from Burrows and Branney for a 4-2 and two point lead. Jason King and Derek Sneddon added a 5-1 in heat 3 to increase the lead to six but a Tomasz Piszcz win from Kenni Larsen in heat 4 produced a 2-4 when Buzz Burrow beat Craig Branney for third. The score now stood at 14-10.

The next three races won by Lyons, Piszcz and McKinna again all resulted in shared races but another 5-1 in heat 8 from Trent Leverington and Craig Branney put the Diamonds eight ahead with the score now at 28-20.

Piszcz won again in heat 9 and Leverington again in heat 10 both for shared races keeping the Diamonds eight points ahead but it looked all over for Birmingham when they conceded a 5-1 in heat 11 to Kenni Larsen and Adam McKinna after Jason Lyons had fallen and been excluded. McKinna was having a sensational return to Brough Park with paid nine from three races at this stage as the Diamonds led by 12 points. Jason King won heat 12 but Craig Branney fell so it was another 3-3 then, with the score at 42-30, came the Birmingham fight back.

The Brummies gave Tomasz Piszcz a tactical ride in heat 13 and he kept his unbeaten run going by winning the race from Kenni Larsen. Jason Lyons took third so the visitors scored a 2-7 cutting their arrears by five points to 44-37. Buzz Burrows then won heat 14 with Robert Ksiezak following him home for a 1-5 which sliced four more points from the lead with the score now at 45-42 and Birmingham now looking for a 1-5 from the unbeaten Piszcz and Lyons for an astonishing win. Piszcz rather spoilt the party though by running his partner wide in a rerun heat 15 causing him to fall. Piszcz was excluded for his efforts and now Jason Lyons, after medical attention, needed to win the last heat to rescue a point for the Brummies. He did it though leading Larsen and King home for a shared race which gave Newcastle 2 league points and Birmingham 1.


Scorers: Newcastle – Jason King 11+1 (5), Trent Leverington 9+1 (4), Kenni Larsen 9 (5), Adam McKinna 8+1 (4), Derek Sneddon 5+3 (4), Carl Wilkinson 3+1 (4), Craig Branney 3+1 (4).

Birmingham – Tomasz Piszcz 15 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Jason King 10 (5), Mark Burrows 7 (6), Robert Ksiezak 6+3 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 6 (4), James Cockle 1+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 3 June



Premier League:

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



Premier League: ..... Birmingham 57 (3 points), Scun.thorpe 38 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

Birmingham returned home after two impressive away performances which may have yielded only a single point but must have given the team a lot of confidence going into this match against Scun.thorpe who beat them by eight points at Perry Barr in April in a Premier Trophy match. The Scorpions found a much better prepared side this time and were well beaten.

No doubt the visitors were lulled into a false sense of security when they opened with a 2-4 from Karlsson and Bergstrom after the race was rerun without Jason Lyons who fell in the first running when his chain came off and ended up entangled in his back wheel. Three heats later the Brummies were eight points ahead with two 5-1s and a 4-2 with the score at 16-8.

Magnus Karlsson recorded his seventh consecutive race win in heat 5 ( he had a full five ride maximum in the April match) at Perry Barr but it only earned the Scorpions a 3-3. Ludvig Lindgren gated to win heat 6 while David Howe had his work cut out to keep Jason Lyons behind him. The home 4-2 put the Brummies ten points up so Carl Wilkinson took a tactical ride in heat 7. He finished second to Tomasz Piszcz but only after he had fallen and remounted! Richard Sweetman suffered an engine failure at the gate and Simon Lambert also fell and remounted! The result was a 3-5 to the visitors who now trailed by eight points. Lindgren won heat 8 for a shared race so the score was now 29-21.

Robert Ksiezak won heat 9 from Howe and Hauzinger for a 4-2 to put the home side ten up again then Lyons and Lindgren scored a 5-1 in heat 10 stretching the lead to 14 points which allowed Magnus Karlsson to take Scun.thorpe's second tactical ride in heat 11. He made it eight wins on the trot by leading Piszcz and Sweetman home for a 3-6 cutting the gap to 11 points but Hauzinger and Cockle added two points in heat 12 with a 4-2 taking the score to 45-32.

Finally Magnus Karlsson's long unbeaten run came to an end in heat 13 when Piszcz and Lyons 5-1-ed him to end any prospects of a point for the visitors. Ksiezak and Cockle added another maximum in heat 14 for a 21 point home lead but Karlsson got back to winning ways by leading Piszcz and Wilkinson home in heat 15 to cut Birmingham's winning margin to 19 points.


Scorers: Birmingham – Tomasz Piszcz 13 (5), Robert Ksiezak 10+1 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 10+1 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 7 (4), Richard Sweetman 6+2 (4), Jason Lyons 6+1 (4), James Cockle 5+2 (4).

Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 16 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 8 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Jerran Hart 4+1 (5), David Howe 4 (4), Simon Lambert 3+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 3 (4), Byron Bekker 0 (3).



Premier League: ..... King's Lynn 59 (3 points), Sheffield 35 (0 points).


Team changes: King's Lynn were at full strength while Sheffield used Rider Replacement for the injured Ritchie Hawkins at number 2.

What a performance from Sheffield! After 5 races they had lost Josh Auty who was taken to hospital after Jan Graversen's bike had lifted and hit him causing him to fall heavily. Then a race later Ricky Ashworth was also withdrawn from the meeting with a suspected broken collarbone after a first bend coming together with Chris Schramm. This left the Tigers, already using Rider Replacement for Ritchie Hawkins with just two main team riders and two reserves to soldier on. They could have been forgiven for collapsing but, instead, they gave the Stars a good fight.

An opening 5-1 from Darcy Ward and Linus Eklof set the Stars on their way but the expected avalanche of points for the home side didn't materialise. Jan Graversen won the reserves race but Darren Mallett failed to beat the two minute time allowance and couldn't overcome the resultant 15 metre penalty so the race was shared. A 4-2 resulted from heat 3 with Richard Hall splitting the home pair of Chris Schramm and Emiliano Sanchez but disaster then struck Sheffield. Jan Graversen's bike reared and struck Josh Auty in heat 4 and the Sheffield rider was taken to hospital with neck injuries. Tomas Topinka won the rerun for a 3-3 as Graversen was excluded and the score was 15-9.

Sheffield suffered a further calamity in heat 5 when Ricky Ashworth went down heavily in a first bend crash with Chris Schramm and he too was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone. Richard Hall won the rerun for another share of the points but the Stars moved a further two points ahead with a 4-2 in heat 6 from Ward and Eklof. Heats 7 and 8 won by Topinka and Eklof respectively were shared so the score now stood at 28-20.

Sanchez and Schramm scored a 5-1 in heat 9 with Paul Cooper Sheffield's sole rider to increase the lead to 12 points so Richard Hall took a tactical ride on heat 10. He finished second to Darcy Ward for a 4-4 so the Tigers then gave Joel Parsons a tactical ride in heat 11. He finished second to Topinka for another 4-4 which kept the difference between the sides at 12 points. Sanchez and Mallet scored a 4-2 in heat 12 which took the score to 45-31.

Sheffield rather ran out of steam after that and lost two 5-1s and a 4-2 over the last three heats which took the Stars' lead from 14 to 24 points so the wounded Sheffield side returned home empty handed to assess how to patch their team up for Thursday night's match against Newcastle.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 15 (5) (full maximum), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Chris Schramm 10+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4), Linus Eklof 7+1 (4), Jan Graversen 4 (5), Darren Mallett 2 (4).

Sheffield – Richard Hall 14 (6), Joel Parsons 13 (7), Paul Cooper 4+3 (7), Chris Mills 4+1 (6), Josh Auty 0 (0), Ricky Ashworth 0 (1).



Premier League: ..... Somerset 50 (3 points), Edinburgh 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Somerset were at full strength but Edinburgh were without Thomas H Jonasson and tracked Matt Bates at number 5 in his place.

It was an eventful night at the Oak Tree Arena which left two big questions to answer. The first was why Thomas H Jonasson failed to arrive leaving Edinburgh with no choice but to track a National League rider at number 5 whose bike failed to last the one race he contested and why the referee allowed the start of the meeting to be delayed by just under an hour so that one rider, Emil Kramer, who was stuck in traffic, could arrive. Speedway's credibility was dealt another blow. However, that said, when the meeting did get under way, by all accounts it was a cracker!

Jonasson's absence left Edinburgh with little chance but nobody told the Monarchs that as they made light of their handicap by kicking off with a 1-5 from Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers in heat 1 for which Kramer was still not ready and was replaced by Simon Walker. This change cost the Rebels dearly because Walker fell and was withdrawn from the meeting with a shoulder injury. Aaron Summers shook off his awful record at the OTA by winning heat 2 for a shared race then Cory Gathercole held off the challenges of |Michal Rajkowski in heat 3 for another 3-3. Steve Johnston and Justin Sedgmen passed the fast gating Sean Stoddart in heat 4 for an expected 5-1 to level the score again at 12-12.

The Monarchs were back in front again in heat 5 after another 1-5 from Fisher and Wethers after Gathercole had fallen trying to pass Fisher. The Rebels countered that with another 1-5 against the weak Edinburgh third pairing with Kramer (now entering the fray) and Sedgmen heading Summers home to level the match again at 18-18. Somerset then took the lead for the first time in heat 7 when Andrew Tully could only split the Johnston-Brown pairing for a 4-2 and two point lead but Edinburgh weren't finished and rattled home another 1-5 in heat 8 with Wethers and Summers seeing off Sedgmen and taking the score to 23-25.

The lead changed hands again in heat 9 as Gathercole and Herne took another 5-1 from the Monarchs' third pair to put them two up and they stretched that lead to six with another maximum in heat 10 in an exciting race which developed behind race leader Kramer. Sedgmen won that from Tully and things were now looking bleak for Edinburgh. Steve Johnston stopped the unbeaten runs of both Fisher and Wethers by winning heat 11 for a 3-3 but a 4-2 in heat 12, which produced a fine win for Justin Sedgmen after a stunning pass on Andrew Tully, took the score to 40-32.

Edinburgh were making it difficult for the Rebels and when Fisher got the better of Kramer in heat 13 behind Johnston for a home 4-2 the home side led by ten points allowing Edinburgh to use a tactical ride in heat 14. Michal Rajkowski wore the black and white helmet and home nerves were jangling after Cory Gathercole had failed to beat the two minute time allowance and had to go from 15 metres back. However Tom Brown made a stunning gate to lead Summers and Rajkowski before Gathercole made up the handicap to pass Rajkowski and almost catch summers on the line. The 4-2 meant the the Rebels were home and dry but Edinburgh rounded off a superb match by taking a 4-2 from the final race in which all four riders were involved in a thrilling chase to the line. Matthew Wethers emerged the victor from Emil Kramer while Ryan Fisher took third from Steve Johnston. The DVD of this match should make for some fabulous viewing.


Scorers: Somerset – Justin Sedgmen 13+3 (7), Steve Johnston 12 (5), Emil Kramer 9 (4), Cory Gathercole 7 (4), Tom Brown 5+1 (5), Jay Herne 4+1 (4),

Edinburgh – Matthew Wethers 11+3 (5), Ryan Fisher 11 (5), Aaron Summers 9+1 (6), Andrew Tully 5+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 3+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 1 (3), Matt Bates 0 (1).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 4 May



Premier League:

Redcar v. Glasgow

Premier Trophy

Sheffield v. Newcastle



Premier League:.... Redcar 49 (3 points), Glasgow 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Redcar were at full strength. Glasgow had Aaron Summers as a guest at number 2 for Ross Brady, introduced one of their new signings, Rusty Harrison at number 3, used Rider Replacement at number 4 for the injured Josh Grajczonek and introduced their other new signing, Lee Dicken at number 7. Got all that?

Although they trailed for most of the match Glasgow looked to have the resources to, at the very least, take a point and possibly a win. However the Parker-Grieves pairing couldn't manage an advantage in either heat 13 or 15 and the Tigers left empty-handed. It was a solid all round performance from the Bears with every rider except Arlo Bugeja contributing a race win. Glasgow will be happy with the scoring of their two new signings who clocked up 14+1 between them.

Shane Parker won heat 1 for a 3-3 but Glasgow moved ahead in the reserves race with a win from Lee Dicken and third place from Mitchell Davey for a 2-4 and two point lead. Redcar hit back with a 5-1 from Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson which put the Bears two in front but equality was restored when James Grieves and Lee Dicken took a 2-4 in heat 4 taking the score to 12-12.

Carl Stonehewer gated to win heat 5 while Shane Parker passed Ben Wilson for second leaving the Bears with a 4-2 and two point lead again. Another Grieves win in heat 6 for a share of the points was followed by a great race win from Benji Compton again for a 3-3 with Dicken and Harrison keeping Proctor at the back. Redcar doubled their lead to four points when Robbie Kessler won heat 8 with Arlo Bugeja third for a 4-2 which took the score to 26-22.

James Grieves won for the third time in heat 9 but Wilson and Stonehewer followed him home for a 3-3. Redcar moved another two points up with a 4-2 from Havelock and Kessler in heat 10 giving them a six point lead then they added another when Ty Proctor won heat 11 while Parker had to battle past Compton for second. Now eight points ahead the Bears were rocked when Glasgow hit back with a 1-5 in heat 12. Rusty Harrison and Mitchell Davey 'did the business' for the Tigers leaving Stonehewer to trail home in third. This took the score to 38-34 with Glasgow's big two due out in two of the last three heats.

James Grieves won heat 13 under huge pressure from Ty Proctor while Havelock took third from Parker for a shared race but worse was to follow for the Tigers when Ben Wilson and Benji Compton took a 5-1 in heat 14 with Harrison third. Now Glasgow were eight points in arrears and needed a heat advantage in heat 15 to take a single league point home. However Gary Havelock ended their hopes by leading Grieves and Parker home ruining Grieves' maximum hopes in the process.


Scorers: Redcar – Gary Havelock 11+1 (5), Ben Wilson 8+1 (4), Carl Stonehewer 8+1 (5), Ty Proctor 7 (4), Robbie Kessler 6+2 (4), Benji Compton 6+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3 (4).

Glasgow – James Grieves 14 (5), Shane Parker 8+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 8+1 (5), Lee Dicken 6 (5), Mitchell Davey 5+1 (7), Aaron Summers 0 (3).



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


Team changes: Sheffield were at full strength. Newcastle had Lee Complin at number 1 as a guest for the injured Steve Boxall.

There was nothing much at stake in this straggler of a Premier Trophy group stage match with neither side in contention. But what a start for new boy Hugh Skidmore! His 7+1 score in his first ever match included two race wins in his last two rides. Derek Sneddon suffered in a heat 3 crash which saw him withdraw from the meeting with thankfully nothing broken but he was battered and bruised. Newcastle had only four scorers with Larsen and Complin scoring 30 of their 42 points (=71.4%). Remarkably Ricky Ashworth and Josh Auty were both fit and able to take their places in the Sheffield side after their crashes last night at King's Lynn.

Newcastle got off to a winning start in heat 1 with a 2-4 when Lee Complin beat Ricky Ashworth and Craig Branney in third but a 5-1 from Parsons and Cooper in the reserves race reversed the two point lead. Derek Sneddon and Chris Mills collided on the first bend of heat 3 and crashed into the fence. Sneddon had to withdraw from the meeting. In the rerun Jason King won from Hall and Mills for a 3-3 but a 4-2 from the Tigers in heat 4 won by Cooper took the score to 14-10.

Complin and Larsen won heats 5 and 6 leading to shared races then Josh Auty won heat 7 from King and Parsons to put the Tigers six up. Iin heat 8 Hugh Skidmore won his first race in British Speedway leading Paul Cooper, Craig Branney and Trent Leverington home for a 5-1 which stretched the home side's lead to ten points at 29-19.

Another Larsen win produced another 3-3 in heat 9 but Hugh Skidmore won again in heat 10 this time beating Jason King, Ricky Ashworth and Craig Branney. The 4-2 increased Sheffield's lead to 12 points so the Diamonds gave Lee Complin a tactical ride in heat 11. He won it too giving Newcastle a 3-6 heat advantage. Sheffield hit back with a 5-1 from Mills and Cooper in heat 12 which took the score to 44-31.

In heat 13 Kenni Larsen was given a tactical ride but the race had to be rerun after Josh Auty fell and was excluded. Ricky Ashworth was also excluded for not being under power when the race was stopped so, in the rerun, Larsen and Complin rode to an unchallenged 0-8 which brought the Diamonds to within five points of the Tigers. However any hope the visitors may have entertained of securing a point all but died when Hall and Parsons gated to a 5-1 and nine point lead in heat 14 leaving Larsen and Complin needing a 1-5 for the point. It didn't happen though as Richard Hall won a great race with Kenni Larsen while Paul Cooper finished third ahead of Lee Complin giving the Tigers a 4-2 and 11 point win.


Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 12 (5), Paul Cooper 10+3 (5), Joel Parsons 8+1 (4), Hugh Skidmore 7+1 (4), Chris Mills 6+3 (4), Josh Auty 5+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 5 (4).

Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 16 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Lee Complin 14+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Jason King 8 (4), Craig Branney 4 (7), Trent Leverington 0 (4), Adam McKinna 0 (6), Derek Sneddon 0 (0).

[Merlin]

Friday, 5 June



Premier League:

Edinburgh v. Rye House
Scun.thorpe v. Somerset



Premier League:.... Edinburgh 50 (3 points), Rye House 42 (0 points).


Team changes: Edinburgh were without Ryan Fisher and Thomas H Jonasson both of whom are riding in the GP Qualifier at Lonigo tomorrow. They had Jason Lyons as a guest for Fisher at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Jonasson at number 5. Rye House were without Rob Mear and Joe Haines both out injured and had Mark Lemon as a guest for Mear at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Haines at number 4.

Rye House came close but not close enough to trouble Edinburgh in an entertaining match. The Monarchs turned in a patchy display and only really fired on four cylinders with both reserves woeful. By contrast it was the Rockets' reserves who kept them in the match but ultimately the fact that they only produced five race winners, with the reserves taking three of them, consigned them to a defeat which resulted in them leaving empty handed. Nonetheless they forced a last heat decider for the single league point needing only a shared heat but with Matthew Wethers in brilliant, unbeaten, form and Jason Lyons winning the last heat Edinburgh took all three league points.

It looked so good for the Monarchs when they opened with a 5-1 in an excellent race. Mark Lemon led from the start but was soon passed by Matthew Wethers on the third bend then Jason Lyons produced a beautiful outside sweep on Lemon on bends 3 and 4 one lap later. Edinburgh's four point lead had disappeared though two races later! Andrew Silver passed Aaron Summers in the reserves race with Luke Bowen third after Sean Stoddart had fallen and remounted for a 2-4 then Chris Neath touched the tapes and was excluded from heat 3. Luke Bowen replaced him and gated to win the race. Tommy Allen joined him up front as Rajkowski and Tully got in each other's road. Only a last bend pass by Andrew Tully on Bowen prevented a 1-5. The 2-4 squared the match though and it stayed squared when Matthew Wethers (R/R) won again in heat 4. Linus Sundstrom and Andrew Silver finished behind him for a shared race and the score was now 12-12

Edinburgh took the lead again in heat 5 with a 5-1 from Rajkowski and Tully, the latter passing Mark Lemon on the second lap, then added another from Lyons and Wethers again propelling the Monarchs into an eight point lead. Neath and Sundstrom gated in heat 7 but Neath made a dog's breakfast of the second bend allowing Tully and Summers through for a 3-3 the same score as heat 8 won by Wethers but shared by Silver and Bowen (replacing Tommy Allen) when Summers had an engine failure. The score now stood at 28-20.

The Rockets were certainly giving the Monarchs a lesson in gating and Sundstrom and Bowen hit the front in heat 9. Andrew Tully rode a storing first two bends to pass them both and win the race but Rajkowski could make no impression at the back. Edinburgh then went 12 points in front with another 5-1 from the Lyons – Wethers pairing in heat 10 after Neath and Silver had both made the gate. Rye House then gave a tactical ride to Mark Lemon but he could only finish second to the imperious Jason Lyons. Andrew Silver had no trouble taking third ahead of Sean Stoddart so the Rockets enjoyed a 3-5 advantage cutting the gap to ten points. They shaved another two points from the lead in heat 12 with a fine ride from Chris Neath who was passed by, then repassed, Andrew Tully. Bowen held Summers off for third place so the 2-4 meant that the visitors were now only eight points down with the score at 41-33.

A storming gate by Michal Rajkowski won heat 13 for him although he was pressed hard by Linus Sundstrom. Behind this pair the two guests, Lyons and Lemon, had a ding dong battle for third which Lyons won. The 4-2 for the Monarchs restored their ten point lead which meant that they were not far enough ahead for the Rockets to give Chris Neath a TR in heat 14. It was just as well for the home side because Silver and Neath had an easy 1-5 against Rajkowski and Summers bringing the score to 46-40 with one race to go. Rye House needed a 3-3 or better for a point but Matthew Wethers was just too fast for them when he rounded Neath on the opening bends. Jason Lyons passed Linus Sundstrom for third for the 4-2 the Edinburgh side needed for all three points.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Matthew Wethers 17+1 (6) (paid maximum), Jason Lyons 12+2 (6), Andrew Tully 11+1 (5), Michal Rajkowski 7 (5), Aaron Summers 3+1 (5), Sean Stoddart 0 (3).

Rye House – Andrew Silver 10+1 (6), Linus Sundstrom 9 (6), Chris Neath 8+1 (5), Luke Bowen 8+2 (6), Mark Lemon 4 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Tommy Allen 1 (3).



Premier League:.... Scun.thorpe 47 (2 points), Somerset 43 (1 point).


Team changes: Scun.thorpe were at full strength. Somerset were without the injured Simon Walker and used Rider Replacement at number 2 instead.

This match went to a last heat decider with the scores tied at 42-42 but a maximum from the Scorpions big two resigned the Rebels to a four point defeat which earned them just the one league point. There were never more than four points between the sides with the Rebels falling just short despite producing the majority of the race winners. Unfortunately for them one of them wasn't in heat 15!

The first three races were all shared as Magnus Karlsson, Tom Brown and Simon Lambert won them but the Scorpions took the lead with a 4-2 from David Howe and Jerran Hart for a 13-11 score after heat 4. The next three races were also shared with Emil Kramer winning heat 5 from Simon Lambert, Steve Johnston beating Magnus Karlsson then David Howe taking the three points ahead of Cory Gathercole but the Rebels finally levelled the match again in heat 8 when Cory Gathercole won from Viktor Bergstrom while Justin Sedgmen picked up his only point of the match at the expense of Jerran Hart. The score now stood at 24-24.

Steve Johnston won an exciting race with Simon Lambert in heat 9 but Carl Wilkinson passed Tom Brown for another 3-3, the seventh in nine races. Scun.thorpe broke the deadlock in heat 10 with a 5-1 from Karlsson and Bergstrom despite Cory Gathercole's best efforts. Emil Kramer then won heat 11 but there was no change as David Howe and Byron Bekker followed him home. Somerset pulled two points back in heat 12 though when Jay Herne beat Jerran Hart who had passed Tom Brown for a 2-4 which took the score to 37-35.

The Rebels then sent shock waves through the home support when Kramer and Johnston pulled off a 1-5 against Karlsson and Howe in heat 13 and suddenly it was the visitors who led by two points with just two heats to go. It was all square again after heat 14 though when Jerran Hart became the hero of the moment by leading Cory Gathercole home. Meanwhile Carl Wilkinson passed Justin Sedgmen for third and a 4-2 for the Scorpions. This left the match up to the big two from both sides. The Rebels' pair were looking for a repeat of the heat 13 score in heat 15 which had an identical line up but the Scorpions pair of Karlsson and Howe got their revenge by taking a 5-1 from the Kramer – Johnston pairing so the home side took 2 points to the visitors' one.


Scorers: Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 12 (5), David Howe 10+1 (5), Jerran Hart 8 (5), Simon Lambert 7 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 5+2 (4), Carl Wilkinson 3+2 (5), Byron Bekker 2+2 (3).

Somerset – Emil Kramer 12 (5), Steve Johnston 10+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 9+1 (5), Jay Herne 7+2 (5), Tom Brown 4 (5), Justin Sedgmen 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 6 June



Premier League:

Berwick v. Rye House
Stoke v. Redcar – match postponed.
Workington v. Somerset



Premier League: ..... Berwick 51 (3 points), Rye House 42 (0 points).


Team changes: Berwick were missing Josef Franc, Gino Franchetti and Tero Aarnio. They had Carl Wilkinson as a guest at number 5 for Franc, used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Franchetti and had Adam McKinna as a guest at number 7 for Aarnio. Rye House were without Rob Mear and Joe Haines. They had Jason Lyons as a guest for Mear at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Haines at number 4.

After coming close to taking a point at Armadale last night the Rockets raced the second leg of their three match Northern tour with some confidence particularly since Berwick were without three of their key men. The Bandits were anxious not to concede points at home following their victory at Newport last Sunday.

Rye House got off to what looked like a good start – a win for Jason Lyons from Michal Makovsky and a third place for Tommy Allen – which looked like a 2-4 but Lyons was excluded for not having a dirt deflector so the result was amended to a 4-2 to the Bandits. The Rockets did manage a genuine 2-4 in the reserves race won by Andrew Silver from Greg Blair so the scores were level again. Chris Neath made an electric start to heat 3 but Paul Clews and William Lawson followed him home for a shared race then a win for Carl Wilkinson resulted in another 3-3 when Adam McKinna suffered an engine failure on the third lap in heat 4 while ahead of Linus Sundstrom. The score was now 12-12.

Jason Lyons won again in heat 5, this time legally, after passing William Lawson while Paul Clews took third for a third consecutive shared race but the Rockets suffered a blow in heat 6 when Luke Bowen lifted on the second bend and crashed into his partner, Linus Sundstrom. Bowen was excluded and removed from the track by the ambulance with what was believed to be a pulled shoulder muscle. He was withdrawn from the meeting. Michal Makovsky made the gate in the rerun but Sundstrom took second from Greg Blair so the Bandits scored a 4-2 for a two point lead. Things didn't get any better for Rye House when, after having received a warning from the referee for moving at the gate, Chris Neath touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back in heat 7. As a result he finished stone cold last as Carl Wilkinson won again from Sundstrom and McKinna to give Berwick another 4-2 which doubled their lead to four points. Rye House hung in though and a win by Andrew Silver in heat 8 resulted in a 3-3 when Greg Blair and Adam McKinna followed him home taking the score to 26-22.

Andrew Silver led heat 9 for a while but he was passed by Paul Clews then William Lawson before retiring giving the Bandits a 5-1 which put some daylight between them and their visitors as they now led by 8 points. Silver was out again in heat 10 taking the R/R ride but finished at the back as his partner, Chris Neath won from Michal Makovsky for a 3-3. Carl Wilkinson remained unbeaten in heat 11 by leading Jason Lyons home while Tommy Allen fell trying to pass Greg Blair on the third lap. The 4-2 put Berwick ten points ahead so Rye House gave Chris Neath a tactical ride in heat 12. He won it too from Paul Clews and, with Andrew Silver taking third place, the Rockets scored a 2-7 which cut the gap to five points with the score now 40-35.

Linus Sundstrom made a rocket like start to heat 13 to beat Wilkinson and Makovsky while Lyons suffered an engine failure. The 3-3 kept the Rockets in the hunt for a point from the match since they still trailed by just five points and it stayed that way when Chris Neath won heat 14 from Lawson and Blair as Silver retired at the back. This meant that Rye House needed a shared heat or better for one point while Berwick needed a heat advantage for all three in the last race. In the first running Chris Neath fell on the second bend and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Michal Makovsky. Carl Wilkinson passed Linus Sundstrom so the Bandits took all three points from the 5-1. Like last night Rye House went into the last race needing only a share of the points for a league point and once again they didn't manage it and left empty handed. Once again they were also disappointed by a lowish return from their guest which didn't help their cause.


Scorers: Berwick – Carl Wilkinson 13+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 12+1 (5), William Lawson 9+2 (5), Greg Blair 8+2 (6), Paul Clews 7+2 (4), Adam McKinna 2 (5).

Rye House – Chris Neath 15 (6) (incl 6 point TR), Linus Sundstrom 10+1 (6), Andrew Silver 9 (7), Jason Lyons 5 (4), Tommy Allen 2 (4), Luke Bowen 1 (3).



Premier League: ..... Workington 50 (2 points), Somerset 45 (1 point).


Team changes: Workington were without injury victims, Charles Wright and John Branney. They used Rider Replacement for Branney at number 2 and had Paul Cooper as a guest at number 7 for Wright. Somerset were missing Simon Walker and used Rider Replacement at number 2.

After coming so close to victory at Scun.thorpe last night the Rebels faced Workington in the second match of their three match tour before moving on to Newcastle tomorrow night. Workington were keen to build on their victory at Glasgow last Sunday which yielded them all four points but had Charles Wright and John Branney missing as casualties from that match.

Paul Cooper (R/R) touched the tapes in the opening race and was replaced by Craig Cook who followed Kevin Doolan home from the gate to get the Comets off to the best possible start. Justin Sedgmen won the reserves race for a 3-3 but the Rebels lost another 5-1 in heat 3 when Adrian Rymel and Richard Lawson kept Cory Gathercole back in third place. Steve Johnston made a fast start to heat 4 and led Andre Compton home for another shared race which took the score to 16-8.

The Comets increased their lead to ten points in heat 5 when Adrian Rymel headed home Justin Sedgmen while Richard Lawson kept Emil Kramer at the back for a 4-2. Immediately Somerset gave Steve Johnston a tactical ride in heat 6 and he won the race with a tapes to flag win over Kevin Doolan and Craig Cook for a 3-6 which cut the Rebels' arrears to seven points. It stayed at that when heat 7, won by Andre Compton from Gathercole and Jay Herne who passed Craig Cook, resulted in a shared race but the Comets soared into an eleven point lead with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Richard Lawson and Paul Cooper taking the score to 31-20.

Steve Johnston kept his unbeaten run going with a win in heat 9 from Lawson and Rymel for a shared heat but Cary Gathercole touched the tapes in heat 10 and was replaced by Justin Sedgmen. Kevin Doolan won the race but Sedgmen and Herne followed him home as Paul Cooper developed machine problems so this race was shared too. Andre Compton won heat 11 in yet another shared heat as Emil Kramer and Justin Sedgmen followed him home. It was four shared heats on the trot after Adrian Rymel won heat 12. Jay Herne and Tom Brown kept Cooper at the back so the score was now 43-32 with just three races to go.

Somerset desperately needed a heat advantage from Kramer and Johnston in heat 13 to give them a chance of a point but their hopes looked to have died when Compton and Doolan produced the 5-1 instead. This left the Rebels trailing by 15 points so they gave Cory Gathercole a tactical ride in heat 14. Justin Sedgmen won the race seemingly unaware that his partner, Cory Gathercole, was behind him so the Rebels took a 1-7 instead of a 1-8 which cut the gap to nine points leaving the Rebels needing a 1-5 in the last race to rescue a single point from the match instead of a 2-4! They did it too! Cory Gathercole gated and was followed home by Steve Johnston from Compton and Rymel for the 1-5 which cut the gap to five points giving the Rebels a point and leaving the Comets with just the two.


Scorers: Workington – Andre Compton 12 (5), Kevin Doolan 10+1 (4), Adrian Rymel 10+1 (5), Richard Lawson 9+1 (5), Craig Cook 5+2 (6), Paul Cooper 4+1 (6).

Somerset – Somerset 14+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Cory Gathercole 11 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Justin Sedgmen 11+1 (7), Jay Herne 4+2 (5), Emil Kramer 4 (4), Tom Brown 1 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 7 June



Premier League:

Glasgow v. Rye House
Newcastle v. Somerset

Premier League Knockout Cup:

Newport v. Redcar – match postponed due to a waterlogged track.



Premier League: ..... Glasgow 48 (2 points), Rye House 42 (1 point).


Team changes: Glasgow were without Ross Brady and Josh Grajczonek. They used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Brady and had Robert Ksiezak as a guest for Grajczonek at number 4. Robert McNeil was nominated as their number 8. Rye House were missing Joe Haines, Linus Sundstrom and Luke Bowen. They used Rider Replacement for Haines at number 4, had Richard Hall as a guest for Sundstrom at number 5 and Joel Parsons as a guest for Bowen at number 6.

Linus Sundstrom and Luke Bowen pulled out of today's meeting following their crash at Berwick last night leaving a patched up Rockets' team with only three of their own riders to complete their Northern tour at Ashfield still looking for a point. Glasgow too were looking for points having lost both their opening Premier League matches.

An opening shared heat won by Shane Parker was followed by a 5-1 for the Tigers in the reserve race through Lee Dicken and Mitchell Davey. Chris Neath won heat 3 for a share of the points then Glasgow added another 5-1 in heat 4 this time through James Grieves and Lee Dicken to give the Tigers an early eight point lead with the score at 16-8. The Tigers never improved on that.

The Rockets then got their act together and pulled four points back over the next four races. Jason Lyons won heat 5 from his Birmingham team mate Robert Ksiezak on different sides today while Tommy Allen took third after Rusty Harrison had laid down thinking that Lyons was going to fall. The 2-4 cut the lead to six points then Parker's heat 6 win resulted in a shared race as Richard Hall and Joel Parsons stopped Lee Dicken's winning run by resigning him to the back. Heat 7 resulted in another 2-4 for Rye House when Chris Neath gated to beat James Grieves while Joel Parsons kept Mitchell Davey at the back. Joel Parsons and Tommy Allen both passed Robert Ksiezak in heat 8 but got into a muddle which resulted in Tommy Allen falling and being excluded. Parsons won the rerun to share the points and take the score to 26-22.

Glasgow restored their six point lead in heat 9 when Rusty Harrison beat Richard Hall with Ksiezak in third for a 4-2 and it stayed that way when Parker won again unsupported for a 3-3. Rye House reduced the gap to just four points again in heat 11 when Jason Lyons and James Grieves had an exciting tussle. Having been passed by Grieves Lyons repassed the Glasgow rider on the third lap to win the race while Joel Parsons picked up another third place point for a 2-4. In heat 12 Chris Neath gated and was chased by Harrison only for Harrison to fall causing Parsons to lay down. Dicken ran into Parsons, the race was stopped and Harrison excluded from the rerun. In the rerun Neath and Parsons gated and, although Lee Dicken passed Parsons, he was repassed as the Rockets scored a 1-5 to level the scores at 36-36 and complete their come back.

It didn't last long though as Grieves and Parker made the gate and team rode to keep Lyons at the back for a 5-1 to put Glasgow four ahead again. Were Rye House again to leave empty handed for the third match running? They had Chris Neath out in the last two races but it was Robert Ksiezak who won heat 14 from Neath and Parsons for a 3-3 leaving Parker and Grieves needing a 5-1 in heat 15 for all three points which would consign the Rockets to another near miss. Rye House won the toss for gate positions and went off gates 1 and 3 in the vital last race. This time they got a point for their efforts. Jason Lyons gated to lead until the last bend when he was passed by Shane Parker while Grieves took third from Neath which gave Glasgow a 4-2 not enough for all three points.


Scorers: Glasgow – Shane Parker14+1 (5), James Grieves 11 (5), Robert Ksiezak 9+1 (5), Lee Dicken 7+2 (6), Rusty Harrison 5 (4), Mitchell Davey 2+1 (5).

Rye House – Chris Neath 12+1 (6), Jason Lyons 11 (5), Joel Parsons 10+3 (7), Richard Hall 6 (5), Tommy Allen 2+1 (4), Andrew Silver 1 (3).



Premier League: ..... Newcastle 55 (3 points), Somerset 37 (0 points).


Team changes: Newcastle were without Steve Boxall, Kenni Larsen and Derek Sneddon. They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Boxall, had William Lawson at number 2 for Sneddon and Lee Complin at number 5 in place of Larsen. Somerset were missing Simon Walker and Jay Herne so had Brendan Johnson at number 3 for Herne and used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Walker.

Somerset completed their three matches in three days with this match at Newcastle. Having gained a point at both Scun.thorpe and Workington they were hoping to go two better in this match. Newcastle found out late on that Kenni Larsen would have to compete in a World under-21 Team Cup tie that was rearranged for today after being rained off yesterday. Lee Complin came to their rescue.

Newcastle started well with a 4-2 in the opening heat when William Lawson won from Emil Kramer while Trent Leverington took third. Craig Branney won the reserves race for a share of the points then the Diamonds scored a 5-1 in heat 3 through Trent Leverington and Jason King which put them six points ahead. The Rebels pulled two back in heat 4 when Steve Johnston beat Lee Complin while Justin Sedgmen took third for a 2-4 which took the score to 14-10.

Newcastle hit back to back 5-1s in heats 5 and 6. In the first Jason King and Trent Leverington led Emil Kramer home then, in the next heat, Steve Johnston made the gate and led but, under pressure from William Lawson, he fell on the fourth bend, last lap. Meanwhile Lee Complin finally passed a lively Tom Brown so the Diamonds took the maximum for a twelve point lead. Cory Gathercole made the start in heat 7 but another terrible gate by Lee Complin saw him stranded at the back. Complin passed Brendan Johnson to slip into third place behind his partner, Adam McKinna, then Brendan Johnson fell at the back so the points were shared 3-3. Still 12 points down Cory Gathercole came into heat 8 as R/R and also took a tactical ride. William Lawson stormed from the gate and Cory Gathercole's machine started to splutter. Craig Branney slipped into second but Gathercole had a quick fiddle and got his bike going again to no avail and he finished at the back as Newcastle landed another 5-1 to lead by sixteen points. The score now stood at 32-16.

In heat 9 Steve Johnston had a go at a tactical ride but he could only follow Jason King home for second place. Trent Leverington's third place denied the Rebels any heat advantage as the race resulted in a 4-4 leaving the Diamonds' sixteen point lead intact. It went to 18 points after heat 10. Cory Gathercole made the start but Jason King blasted past him off the second bend to go on and win the race. Gathercole at least stopped Lawson's winning run by finishing second and the race result was a 4-2 to Newcastle. The Diamonds were incensed when Adam McKinna was excluded after falling on the second bend in heat 11 as Emil Kramer who had gated moved out wide. In the rerun Lee Complin made another poor start leaving Emil Kramer and Tom Brown heading off for a potential 1-5. Complin fought his way past Brown but there was no catching Kramer so the Rebels took a 2-4 which cut their arrears to 16 points again. Heat 12 was pulled back when Brown and Branney hit the deck. The decision was all four back and in the rerun Jason King kept his unbeaten run intact by winning from Justin Sedgmen. Craig Branney's third place point gave the Diamonds a 4-2 restoring their 18 point lead at 46-28. This result confirmed the three points for the Diamonds.

William Lawson produced his fourth win of the evening in heat 13 but Steve Johnston and Emil Kramer followed him home for a shared race. Heat 14 was shared too as Cory Gathercole raced away from Trent Leverington and Adam McKinna. Finally Steve Johnston won the last race comfortably to lead home Leverington and King for a final shared race.


Scorers: Newcastle – Jason King15+2 (6), William Lawson 13 (5), Trent Leverington 11+1 (6), Lee Complin 7+2 (5), Craig Branney 6+1 (4), Adam McKinna 3+1 (4).

Somerset – Steve Johnston 12 (5) (with 4 point TR), Cory Gathercole 8 (6), Emil Kramer 7+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 5+1 (7), Tom Brown 4 (5), Brendan Johnson 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 11 June



Premier League:..... Sheffield v Birmingham match postponed due to waterlogged track.

As usual there were no Premier League fixtures on Monday and Tuesday. The Premier League matches at Birmingham (v Somerset) and King's Lynn (v Workington) on Wednesday night fell foul of the weather as did tonight's match. The only action on a Premier League track this week so far was the following which took place tonight:

Stars of Tomorrow .....at Redcar

Winner: Arlo Bugeja (Redcar)
Second: Craig Cook (Workington)
Third: Benji Compton (Redcar)


This event took the form of a 12 rider individual over 12 qualifying heats followed by two semi finals featuring the top eight point scorers with first and second in each semi-final contesting the Grand Final. The field consisted mainly of Premier League reserves and National League riders.

The first semi-final result was: Compton, Mudgway, Blair, Hopwood
The second semi-final result was: Bugeja, Cook, Rutherford, Johnson

The Grand Final result was: Bugeja, Cook, Compton, Mudgway


Scorers from the qualifying heats: Benji Compton 11, Stuart Swales 9 (3) (Wdn), Arlo Bugeja 9, Craig Cook 8, Greg Blair 7, Ben Hopwood 7, Grant Tregoning 6, Jade Mudgway 5, Shelby Rutherford 4, Peter Johnson (Res.) 3, Scott James 1 (3) (Wdn), James Cartmell 1, Jack Hirst 1.

[Merlin]

Friday, 12 June



Premier League:

Edinburgh v. Newcastle
Newport v. Glasgow
Scun.thorpe v. Birmingham

Premier League Knockout Cup:

Somerset v. Rye House



Premier League: .... Edinburgh 55 (3 points), Newcastle 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Edinburgh were without Thomas H Jonasson and used Rider Replacement at number 2 in his place. Johnny Grey was nominated as their number 8. Newcastle were without Steve Boxall and had William Lawson as a guest at number 1.

Edinburgh looked set for a comfortable win with an opening race 5-1 from Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers (R/R) over a hard pressing William Lawson and a 4-2 in the reserves race from Aaron Summers and Sean Stoddart for an early six point lead. The Diamonds rallied however and lost no more ground over the next five heats with some sharp gating and determined riding. Heats 3 and 4 were shared with wins from Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers for a 15-9 score.

The teams then swapped 4-2s in heats 5 and 6. Lawson and Trent Leverington took the first for the visitors while Fisher and Summers replied for the Monarchs. Derek Sneddon then rocketed from the gate in heat 7 while Matthew Wethers content to sit behind a much more lively Sean Stoddart to team ride him home against Jason King for a 3-3 taking the score to 24-18 but a 5-1 in heat 8 from Fisher and Summers ahead of Leverington and Branney put Edinburgh ten ahead with the score 29-19.

When Newcastle took a 1-8 in heat 9 from Kenni Larsen (on a tactical ride) and Adam McKinna against Michal Rajkowski and Andrew Tully, Edinburgh saw the ten point lead they had had to work so hard for reduced to just three and the fast gating Diamonds could smell more than just a single point from this match. Unfortunately all it did was force the Monarchs to step a gear and three 5-1s in the next four heats left the visitors struggling.

The turning point really came in heat 12 with Edinburgh leading by 38-31. Michal Rajkowski, who had not beaten an opponent up to that point, and Aaron Summers, replacing Sean Stoddart, faced Jason King and Adam McKinna, the latter having had had two impressive second places, with some prospects of a 1-5. Instead Rajkowski got his machine going properly and made a fine gate with Summers to score a 5-1 and put some daylight between the Monarchs and their visitors! Newcastle gave Derek Sneddon their second tactical ride in heat 14 but a superb pass by Andrew Tully off the second bend and third place point for Aaron Summers restricted the Diamonds to a 4-4 shared race which left them pointless as Ryan Fisher completed a paid maximum for a 15 point home win.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 17+1 (6) (paid maximum), Matthew Wethers 11+2 (6), Aaron Summers 10+3 (6), Andrew Tully 10+1 (5), Michal Rajkowski 4 (4), Sean Stoddart 3 (3).

Newcastle – Kenni Larsen 11 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Derek Sneddon 10+2 (5) (incl 4 point TR), William Lawson 7 (4), Adam McKinna 4+1 (5), Craig Branney 3+1 (4), Jason King 3 (4), Trent Leverington 2 (3).



Premier League: .... Newport 50 (3 points), Glasgow 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Newport had Shelby Rutherford at number 6 while Glasgow were without Ross Brady and Josh Grajczonek. They used Rider Replacement for Brady at number 2 and had Paul Clews as a guest for Grajczonek at number 4. Tom Young was nominated as their number 8.

After their 44-45 defeat to Berwick in their last home match, the Wasps desperately needed to avoid a similar result against a Tigers' side not lacking in form round the Newport circuit. However they had their best gating boots on and the visitors' challenge was all but dead and buried after heat 8 at which point the home side had built up a sixteen point lead and seen off both Tigers' two tactical rides.

An opening heat 5-1 for the Wasps from Mark Lemon and Paul Fry set the early pattern and they added two 4-2s and another 5-1 over the next three races to lead by 18-6. Holder and Rutherford scored the first of the 4-2s in the reserves race then Brent Werner and Chris Kerr added the 5-1 in heat 3. Jordan Frampton beat James Grieves in heat 4 with James Holder third for the second 4-2 and Glasgow were in disarray.

Shane Parker finally provided Glasgow's first race winner in heat 5 but wasn't given a tactical ride which was a pity for the visitors since Parker was supported by Lee Dicken in third place for a 2-4 which might have been a 2-7! Instead James Grieves took the TR in heat 6 but conceded a 5-1 to Lemon and Fry who scored their second maximum. Paul Clews won heat 7 from Jordan Frampton and Rusty Harrison for a 2-4 Glasgow success cutting the deficit to 12 points so the Tigers then gave their second tactical ride to Clews who was out again as (R/R) in heat 8. This backfired big style when Paul Fry and James Holder added the Wasps' fourth 5-1 of the match for a 16 point lead at 32-16.

The visitors produced the next three race winners. Grieves' win in heat 9 and Clews' win in heat 10 resulted in shared races but Parker's win in heat 11 over Frampton produced a 2-4 to the Tigers when Shelby Rutherford's attempts to pass Mitchell Davey ended when he fell on the last lap. Brent Werner won heat 12 for another 3-3 and the score now stood at 43-29.

The only question left was whether Glasgow could pull another eight points back over the last three races for a single league point. They managed a 2-4 from Grieves and Parker in heat 13 and Paul Clews then won heat 14. However with Kerr and Holder grabbing the minor places for a 3-3 Newport were guaranteed all three points. Parker and Grieves scored another 2-4 in the last race but it was too little, too late.


Scorers: Newport – Jordan Frampton 11 (5), Brent Werner 10 (4), Paul Fry 8+3 (5), Mark Lemon 8 (4), James Holder 7+2 (5), Chris Kerr 5+2 (4), Shelby Rutherford 1 (3).

Glasgow – Shane Parker 10 (5), Paul Clews 10 (5), James Grieves 10 (5), Rusty Harrison 4 (4), Mitchell Davey 3+1 (7), Lee Dicken 3 (4).



Premier League: .... Scun.thorpe 45 (0 points), Birmingham 48 (3 points).


Team changes: Scunthorpe had new signing Nick Simmons at number 6 in place of Byron Bekker. Birmingham were at full strength.

Having gone down by twelve points in the Premier Trophy group match, Birmingham were perhaps not strongly fancied to win the league encounter but win it they did! Only a last heat 5-1 for the Scorpions made it look closer than it was. Once again it was Ludvig Lindgren's performance at the Eddie Wright Raceway which gave the home side so many problems. Last April he scored 14 points in Birmingham's 53-41 defeat. This time he scored 11+1 but without a tactical ride.

The Brummies hit home a 1-5 in the opening race thanks to Jason Lyons and Lindgren but the Scorpions levelled with a 5-1 in the reserves race with newcomer Nick Simmons getting his Scun.thorpe career off to a winning start by passing Richard Sweetman and James Cockle to join Jerran Hart for the maximum. Carl Wilkinson won heat 3 and Tomasz Piszcz led David Howe home in heat 4 both for shared races taking the score to 12-12.

Scun.thorpe took the lead for the one and only time in the match when Wilkinson and Lambert scored a 4-2 in heat 5 after Jason Lyons had fallen on the fourth bend. Birmingham replied in kind with a 2-4 from Piszcz and Cockle after Viktor Bergstrom had fallen on the second bend and been excluded from the rerun. Manuel Hauzinger then passed David Howe in heat 7 for a shared race but the Brummies charged into a lead they were never to relinquish in heat 8 when Lindgren led the race from the start and was joined by Richard Sweetman who passed Jerran Hart on the third lap for a 1-5 which took the score to 22-26.

Tomasz Piszcz inflicted the only defeat of the night on Carl Wilkinson in heat 9 to earn the visitors a 3-3 then Magnus Karlsson finally won a race in the next heat but Hauzinger won a battle with Bergstrom at the back for third so again the points were shared. However the Scorpions were in tatters when Lindgren and Lyons scored a 1-5 in heat 11 ahead of David Howe to stretch their lead to eight points. It got worse for the home side in heat 12 as they lost a 2-4 to Hauzinger and Sweetman to go ten points down with three races to go with the score now standing at 31-41.

Magnus Karlsson took a tactical ride in heat 13 and won it from Piszcz and Lyons with Howe slipping to the back so the result was a 6-3 for the home side cutting their arrears to seven points. It was all over when Ksiezak and Sweetman shared the points behind Wilkinson in heat 14 with the only question left whether or not Birmingham could take all four points. Any heat advantage would have done them but Scun.thorpe got some consolation from a 5-1 from in heat 15 from Karlsson and Wilkinson in a rerun race after Piszcz had been excluded for falling on the third bend in the first running of the heat.


Scorers: Scun.thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 14 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Carl Wilkinson 13 +1 (5), Jerran Hart 7+1 (5), David Howe 5 (4), Nick Simmons 3+2 (3), Simon Lambert 2+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 1 (4).

Birmingham – Ludvig Lindgren 11+1 (5), Tomasz Piszcz 11 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 8+2 (4), Jason Lyons 6+2 (4), Richard Sweetman 6+2 (6), Robert Ksiezak 4 (4), James Cockle 2 (3).



Premier League Knockout Cup – second round, first leg: .... Somerset 53, Rye House 37.


Team changes: Somerset were without Jay Herne and had Brendan Johnson at number 3 in his place. Rye House were missing Rob Mear and Joe Haines. They had Ty Proctor as a guest at number 1 in place of Mear and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Haines.

Somerset knew they would need a double figure lead at least if they were to face the trip to Hoddesdon with a realistic chance of victory on aggregate over the two legs of this second round cup tie. They didn't look like getting it as the teams were still level after nine races but the Rebels slipped up a gear or two to hammer home two 5-1s and four 4-2s over the remaining six races for a 16 point lead leaving the match delicately poised for the second leg tomorrow night given that there are no tactical rides allowed in this competition.

Somerset started with a 4-2 from Emil Kramer and Simon Walker in the opening heat but the next four races were all shared. Tom Brown won the reserves race, Cory Gathercole heat 3 and Linus Sundstrom heat 4 taking the score to 13-11.

Gathercole won again in heat 5 but again the Rockets shared the points as Ty Proctor and Tommy Allen followed him home. A Sundstrom win over Kramer in heat 6 with Bowen taking third after Simon Walker lost his third place point when his bike developed problems wasn't in the Somerset script because the 2-4 levelled the scores at 18-18. Steve Johnston put an end to Sundstrom's winning run in heat 7 while Tom Brown took third ahead of a woeful Chris Neath for a 4-2 which put the Rebels two up again but the Rockets levelled again with a 2-4 in heat 8 won by Tommy Allen. Andrew Silver looked like taking second for a 1-5 when Sedgmen's retiral caused Simon Walker to lose ground as he was baulked but Walker hunted Silver down to pass him on the last bend and rescue second place for the home side. The score was now 24-24.

It all changed after that. Rye House who had produced three of the eight heat winners couldn't buy a heat win over the last seven heats as the Rockets faded badly. Cory Gathercole kept his unbeaten run going in heat 9 beating Sundstrom and Bowen in the process for a 3-3 but the Rebels were back in front with a 5-1 in heat 10 when Kramer and Walker worked their way to the front for a four point lead. The lead stretched to six points with a 4-2 from Johnston and Brown in heat 11 and another 4-2 in heat 12 from Brown and Sedgmen took the score to 40-32 even though the Rockets had used the tactical gates rule taking gates 1 and 2 and leaving Somerset to go from gates 3 and 4.

Rye House tried the tactical gates option again in heat 13 changing to 1 and 3 from 2 and 4 but still lost a 4-2 to Johnston and Kramer with Proctor taking second place and the lead now up to ten points for the Rebels. Cory Gathercole won again in heat 14 from Bowen and Brown taking it to 12 points with the 4-2 then Gathercole completed his full five ride maximum in heat 15 while Steve Johnston joined him for a last heat 5-1 by passing Proctor and Sundstrom on the second lap giving the Rebels a 16 point lead for the return.


Scorers: Somerset – Cory Gathercole 15 (5) (full maximum), Steve Johnston 13+1 (5), Emil Kramer 9 (4), Tom Brown 9 (5), Simon Walker 5+ (4), Justin Sedgmen 2+1 (4), Brendan Johnson 0 (3).

Rye House – Linus Sundstrom 11 (6), Luke Bowen 9+1 (6), Tommy Allen 7+2 (5), Ty Proctor 6 (5), Andrew Silver 2+1 (4), Chris Neath 2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 13 June



Premier League:

Stoke v. Scun'thorpe
Workington v. Newport

Premier League Knockout Cup:

Rye House v. Somerset

Premier Trophy

Berwick v. Sheffield



Premier League: .... Stoke 56 (3 points), Scun'thorpe 37 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

After losing at home to Birmingham last night Scun'thorpe were anxious to take something from this match but despite holding their own over the first four races the Potters pulled away to win comfortably.

Scun'thorpe took the lead in the opening race with Magnus Karlsson recovering from his first heat blues from the previous evening by beating Jason Bunyan after a passing and repassing episode on the third and fourth laps. Viktor Bergstrom finished third so the Scorpions were two ahead. It didn't last long though as the home side's reserves once again exposed the big weakness in the Scorpions' line up with a 5-1 from Tom P Madsen and Buzz Burrows to change the two point lead around. Carl Wilkinson won heat 3 and David Howe heat 4 both for shared races and the score then stood at 12-12.

Back to back 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 left the visitors reeling. In the first Lee Complin and Klaus Jakobsen gated relegating Magnus Karlsson to third and, in the second, Jesper Kristiansen and Jason Bunyan added a second. David Howe started off in second place but fell leaving Bunyan to race through for the maximum. Carl Wilkinson continued his run of good form with a race win in heat 7 for a 3-3 but Stoke added a 4-2 in heat 8 when Bergstrom could only split the Kristiansen, Madsen pairing taking the score to 29-19.

Another 4-2 came the Potters way in heat 9 when Howe was the meat in the Jakobsen, Complin sandwich and the home side now led by twelve points. It was therefore tactical time for the Scorpions and Carl Wilkinson emerged bedecked in black and white in heat 10. However he could only finish second to Jason Bunyan so there was no advantage to the visitors as Kristiansen finished third for a 4-4. There was a bad crash in heat 11 when Buzz Burrows fell heavily in a first-second bend melee and had to be removed from the track by ambulance to be ferried to hospital. In the rerun Phil Morris kept the home side's lead intact with a race win from Bergstrom and Karlsson but it was all but over when Jakobsen and Madsen took a 5-1 in heat 12 which took the score to 45-29.

Scun'thorpe played their second tactical card in heat 13 with Magnus Karlsson entrusted to bring home the six pack. However he finished behind race winner, Jason Bunyan, and his own partner David Howe who didn't seem concerned about shedding a point by not slowing for his partner on the TR. This resulted in the rather unusual score of 3-4 which mathematically ended all hope for the Scorpions of even a point. Stoke ended with a brace of 4-2s in heats 14 and 15 with Lee Complin winning both of them from first Wilkinson then Karlsson.


Scorers: Stoke – Lee Complin 12 (5), Jason Bunyan 11+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 8+2 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 8+1 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 7 (4), Phil Morris 6+1 (4), Mark Burrows 4+1 (3).

Scun'thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 12 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Magnus Karlsson 9+2 (5), (incl 4 point TR), David Howe 7 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 5 (4), Jerran Hart 2 (4), Simon Lambert 1 (4), Nick Simmons 1 (4).



Premier League: .... Workington 53 (3 points), Newport 43 (0 points).


Team changes: Workington were without the injured John Branney and Charles Wright so used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Branney and had Danny Warwick as a guest at number 7 for Wright. Newport were at full strength.

Workington were never seriously challenged in this match but in a curious twist of fate the Wasps provided only three race winners all match yet registered two 1-8s and a 1-5 to keep themselves in contention for a league point right up until the last heat from which they needed a 3-3 or better. They didn't get it though so all three league points went to the Comets.

Once Kevin Doolan had headed Mark Lemon and Paul Fry home in the opening heat for a 3-3 the floodgates opened and the Comets hit the Wasps with a barrage of a 4-2 and two 5-1s over the next three heats to lead by 17-7. Two shared heats followed so that by heat 6 the score was 23-13 with the home side having produced all six race winners – Kevin Doolan two, Adrian Rymel two, Craig Cook one and Andre Compton one. The Comets extended their lead to 12 points with a 4-2 from Compton and Cook in heat 7 but the first tactical shock appeared in heat 8 when the Wasps gave Paul Fry the black and white tea cosy. Along with James Holder they scored a big 1-8 ahead of Richard Lawson to cut the home side's lead to five points at 28-23.

So it was back to the drawing board for Workington and in heats 9 and 10 they added another eight points to their lead with back to back 5-1s from Rymel and Lawson then Doolan and Cook. That made the score 38-25 and Newport had now successfully fallen 13 points behind which allowed them to pass the tea cosy to Mark Lemon for tactical ride number 2. Again the Wasps rattled home a 1-8 and rattled the home fans into the bargain as Lemon and Paul Fry led Andre Compton home to cut the gap between the two sides to 39-33 – just six points.

So it was back to the drawing board again for Workington who then scored a 5-1 from Rymel and guest, Danny Warwick, to go ten points ahead. Heat 13 was rerun when a duel between Compton and Jordan Frampton ended with both hitting the deck and Compton excluded. This left Doolan to win the three rider race for a shared heat so the Wasps trailed by ten points at 47-37. The Wasps would have rattled home a third 1-8 if they had been allowed a third tactical ride. Instead they had to be content with a 1-5 from James Holder and Chris Kerr from Richard Lawson in heat 14. This cut the Welsh side's deficit to six points going into the last race so they only needed a share of the points to take a single league point for a real piece of daylight robbery. However Doolan and Rymel soothed the home nerves by scoring a 5-1 from the Lemon Fry (sounds like a chip shop!) partnership to give the Comets a ten point win.


Scorers: Workington – Kevin Doolan 15 (5) (full maximum), Adrian Rymel 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Andre Compton 7 (4), Richard Lawson 6+2 (5), Craig Cook 6+1 (7), Danny Warwick 5+2 (4).

Newport – Mark Lemon 13 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Paul Fry 10+3 (5) (incl 6 point TR), James Holder 9+1 (5), Chris Kerr 4+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 4+1 (4), Brent Werner 2 (3), Kyle Newman 1+1 (4).



Premier League Knockout Cup – second round, second leg: .... Rye House 56, Somerset 34 – Rye House win on aggregate by 93-87.


Team changes: Rye House were without Rob Mear and Joe Haines. They had Jason Lyons as a guest for Mear at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Haines at number 3. Somerset were at full strength.

Somerset's 16 point lead from the first leg suggested that the return leg would make an exciting close run affair for qualification to the next round of the cup. However the Rebels failed to fire on all cylinders and suffered a 22 point defeat to surrender the silverware they won last year.

Although the Rockets got off to a 5-1 winning start from Tommy Allen and Jason Lyons the next three races were all shared. On an ultra slick and dusty track with hardly any grip Luke Bowen won the reserves race then Chris Neath passed Cory Gathercole in heat 3 to win the race. Tommy Allen fell on the fourth bend while in third position so the points were shared. Steve Johnston won heat 4 for the Rebels in a close fought battle with Andrew Silver but Linus Sundstrom finished third taking the score to 14-10.

A 5-1 from Neath and Sundstrom against an out of sorts Kramer doubled the Rockets lead to eight points and they made it ten with a 4-2 in heat 6 when Jason Lyons beat Steve Johnston and Tommy Allen took third. In heat 7 the Rockets went from gates 1 and 2 under the tactical gates rule. Linus Sundstrom was excluded for tape touching and was replaced by Andrew Silver. Then Silver fell with the Rockets on a 5-1 and was excluded . Finally Luke Bowen passed Cory Gathercole to share the points in the second rerun but the Rockets lead was up to 14 points after a 5-1 in heat 8 from Allen and Silver so the score stood at 31-17 with the Rebels first leg lead reduced to only two points.

Steve Johnston won heat 9 from Chris Neath for a 3-3 but the Rockets took an aggregate lead after scoring a 5-1 in heat 10 through Allen and Lyons and the visitors' prospects now looked bleak. Sundstrom and Bowen added a 4-2 in heat 11 with Emil Kramer stuck at the back and a 5-1 from Silver and Neath in heat 12 seemed to wrap things up as the score was now 48-24 (85-77 on aggregate).

Somerset weren't quite finished though and after taking tactical gates 1 and 2 in heat 13 Johnston and Kramer stunned the home fans with a 1-5 which cut the second leg lead to 20 points and left them four down on aggregate. Unfortunately for the visitors Neath and Bowen replied with a 5-1 in heat 14 which clinched victory on aggregate although the Rebels, in an act of defiance, took a 2-4 in heat 15 won by Johnston from Lyons with Gathercole taking advantage of Neath's engine failure to.


Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 13+1 (6), Luke Bowen 10+2 (5), Tommy Allen 10 (5), Jason Lyons 9+2 (5), Linus Sundstrom 7+1 (5), Andrew Silver 7+1 (5).

Somerset – Steve Johnston 14 (5), Cory Gathercole 7 (5), Emil Kramer 4+1 (4), Jay Herne 3+2 (4), Simon Walker 3 (4), Justin Sedgmen 2 (5), Tom Brown 1+1 (4).



Premier Trophy: .... Berwick 45 (1 point), Sheffield 45 (2 points) .


Team changes: Berwick were missing Tero Aarnio and had Sean Stoddart as a guest in his place at number 7. Sheffield were at full strength.

Although this match was a real straggler from the group stage of the Premier Trophy it was still a very important one. Berwick needed to win by ten points or more to qualify as runners up to Edinburgh for a semi final tie against King's Lynn. If they failed in their objective then Workington would qualify instead. They failed so it's the Comets who go through to the semi finals.

Ricky Ashworth won the opening race for a 3-3 then the Sheffield reserves, Joel Parsons and Paul Cooper, exposed Berwick's weakness at reserve with a 1-5 in heat 2. Josef Franc and Paul Clews scored a 4-2 in heat 3 and Franchetti and Stoddart did likewise in heat 4 which was rerun after Joel Parsons had been excluded after falling while in front and been excluded. The score was level again at this stage at 12-12.

Franc passed Ashworth to win heat 5 and with Clews third the Bandits took the lead with the 4-2 but, after a Makovsky win had shared the points in heat 6, Sheffield levelled again in heat 7 with a 2-4 from Richard Hall and Chris Mills. The Bandits suffered a real setback when Hugh Skidmore and Joel Parsons scored a 1-5 in heat 8 after William Lawson had had to go from 15 metres back after coming out wearing the wrong helmet colour! The score now stood at 22-26.

Paul Cooper won heat 9 from Clews and Franc for a shared race much to Berwick's disappointment but the Bandits pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 10 when Michal Makovsky won and Richard Hall passed William Lawson. Ricky Ashworth won heat 11 for another shared race then Paul Clews did likewise in heat 12 taking the score to 35-37.

The ten point win the Bandits needed was now looking a forlorn hope and became impossible after Ricky Ashworth had won heat 13 from Franchetti and Makovsky who didn't impress Josh Auty in the way he defended his third place. Berwick levelled the scores again with a 4-2 in heat 14 won by Josef Franc from Richard Hall while Sean Stoddart picked up a lucky third place point when Joel Parsons' bike expired on the run in to the line. Finally Michal Makovsky won the last race from Hall and Ashworth for another 3-3 which resulted in a draw from which the Bandits took one point and the Tigers two.


Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 12+1 (5), Josef Franc 10+1 (5), Gino Franchetti 8+1 (4), Paul Clews 7 (4), William Lawson 3+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 3 (5), Greg Blair 2 (3).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5), Richard Hall 11 (5), Paul Cooper 8+2 (4), Joel Parsons 7+1 (5), Josh Auty 3+1 (4), Hugh Skidmore 3 (4), Chris Mills 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 14 June



Premier League:

Glasgow v. Newport
Newcastle v. King's Lynn match postponed due to rain



Premier League: ..... Glasgow 66 (3 points), Newport 26 (0 points).


Team changes: Glasgow were without Ross Brady and Josh Grajczonek so used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Brady and had Ben Wilson at number 4 for Grajczonek. Robert McNeil was nominated as their number 8. Newport were at full strength.

Glasgow were looking for revenge for the defeat they suffered at the Hayley Stadium last Friday and must have targeted a three point victory in this one. The Wasps faced their third match in three days having followed their win over Glasgow at home with a defeat at Workington which they took to the last race unsuccessfully chasing a point. It didn't turn out to be one of their better days at the office as they were outgated all afternoon and left chasing shadows.

Newport started with a 2-4 in the opening race with Mark Lemon leading home Shane Parker and Paul Fry but they then wished the match had ended there and then because what followed was utter carnage. The Tigers hit them with five 51s and a 5-0 over the next six races. Heat 5 was the biggest disaster of the lot for the visitors. Ten points down at that point they gave Mark Lemon a tactical ride but that was blown out of the water as soon as the second bend when Lemon fell and was excluded from the rerun. To make matters worse Paul Fry fell in the rerun so instead of a hoped for heat advantage the Wasps lost a 5-0. After the opening 7 heats the score was 32-9 with nearly half the Newport points coming from heat 1!

|Paul Fry took the second tactical ride for the visitors in heat 8 and stopped the rot by winning it for a 3-6 advantage. Was this the start of a Newport revival? Nope! - there was a bad crash in heat 9 as an out of control Jordan Frampton ran into Rusty Harrison and Ben Wilson on the first bend with all three falling. Harrison and Frampton brushed themselves down and headed back to the pits but Ben Wilson needed the help of the ambulance to make his way back. He didn't take any further part in the meeting. Frampton was excluded for his part in the crash. With Wilson unable to take his place in the rerun he was replaced by Lee Dicken who, along with Harrison, jetted from the gate for Glasgow's seventh maximum race win of the match. With the score at 40-16 maybe Glasgow felt that they had secured the three points with their 24 point lead so they gave their number 8, Robert McNeil, the last Rider Replacement ride in heat 10. The two Wasps, Chris Kerr and Brent Werner took advantage by following Shane Parker home for a shared race which took the score to 43-19.

The Wasps were in a 3-3 position in heat 11 when Mark Lemon briefly led James Grieves but the Glasgow rider passed him down the back straight so, with Mitchell Davey third, the result was a 4-2 to the Tigers. However another 5-1 was only a heat away and Dicken and Harrison came up with it in heat 12 to stretch the home side's lead to 30 points. Grieves and Parker added another in heat 13 but Newport managed two points from heat 14 when Mitchell Davey gated to lead Chris Kerr home for a 4-2 leaving the Wasps needing a 1-5 in the last heat to reach the giddy heights of 30 points. They didn't make it! Grieves and Parker scored a 5-1 instead, Glasgow's tenth maximum of the match, to leave the woeful Wasps with a long trudge back home to reflect on a 40 point defeat.


Scorers: Glasgow – Lee Dicken 16+2 (7), James Grieves 15 (5) (full maximum), Shane Parker 11+3 (5), Rusty Harrison 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Mitchell Davey 8+2 (5), Ben Wilson 6+2 (3), Robert McNeil 0 (1).

Newport – Paul Fry 7 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Mark Lemon 6 (5), Chris Kerr 5 (5), Brent Werner 3+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 3 (4), Kyle Newman 2 (4), James Holder 0 (4).