Around the Premier League Tracks 2009

[Merlin]

Thursday, 16 July



Premier League:

Sheffield v. Berwick

Premier League Knock Out Cup:

Redcar v. Scun'thorpe



Premier League:.... Sheffield 51 (3 points), Berwick 39 (0 points).


Both teams were at full strength.

This was a closely fought match with each of the first seven heats shared. Sheffield then pulled away with successive 5-1s in heats 8 and 9. Berwick managed two 2-4s over the next three heats to cut the deficit to four points but Sheffield finished strongly with two 4-2s in heats 13 and 14 then a 5-1 in heat 15 for all three league points.


Scorers: Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 13+1 (5), Richard Hall 13+1 (5), Paul Cooper 7+1 (4), Josh Auty 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 6+1 (4), Chris Mills 4+1 (4), Hugh Skidmore 2+1 (4).

Berwick – Josef Franc 12 (5), Michal Makovsky 7+2 (5), Stan Burza 6 (4), Tero Aarnio 5 (4), Greg Blair 4+1 (5), Paul Clews 4 (4), Gino Franchetti 1 (3).



Premier League Knock Out Cup:.... Redcar 32, Scun'thorpe 22 Match abandoned after heat nine – the result does not stand..


Team changes: Redcar were at full strength. Scun'thorpe had Ryan Fisher as a guest for Magnus Karlsson at number 1.

The match was called off after a track inspection after heat 9. Initially racing had been suspended to see whether the rain might ease off. Redcar had built up a 10 point lead. Ben Wilson won all three of his races for the Bears and Simon Lambert won all his three races from the reserve spot for the Scorpions. Both topped their respective score charts.


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

Scun'thorpe – Simon Lambert 9, David Howe 5+1 (3), Ryan Fisher 3 (2), Carl Wilkinson 2 (2), Adam Allott 1 (2), Viktor Bergstrom 1 (3), Jerran Hart 1 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 18 July



Premier League:

Berwick v. Somerset
Rye House v. Scun'thorpe
Stoke v. Edinburgh
Workington v. Sheffield



Premier League: .... Berwick 48 (2 points), Somerset 42 (1 point).


Team changes: Berwick without the injured Gino Franchetti and had Mitchell Davey as a guest at number 7 Somerset were at full strength.

With 11 race winners Berwick must have wondered why they dropped a point but one look at the bottom three reveals that they also provided 11 blobs. The Somerset top guns found it so difficult to live with the Bandits from the gate and in most of the heats the Berwick rider made the gate with the visitors following them home like washing strung out on the line. Only Paul Clews generated any real excitement as most races were decided by the second bend. The track was smooth and in incredibly good condition given the water which had fallen on it over the previous 24 hours. Unfortunately there was only one racing line so it was mostly gate and go.

The pattern was set in the opening heat when Michal Makovsky gated to win comfortably from Steve Johnston and Simon Walker. However the Rebels took the lead with a 2-4 in the reserves race as Tom Brown beat Mitchell Davey. The Bandits scored a 5-1 in heat 3 to change the two point lead around. Emil Kramer was invited to examine the fence by Paul Clews on the first bend. By the time he extricated himself from the mound of dirt at the foot of the fence Josef Franc and Paul Clews had disappeared for the maximum heat win. Back came the Rebels in heat 4 as Cory Gathercole made the gate to beat Makovsky. Tom Brown's third place gave the visitors a 4-2 to square the scores at 12-12.

Josef Franc gated again in heat 5 to lead Steve Johnston and Paul Clews home for a 4-2 and two point lead but again the Rebels replied in kind with another good start by Gathercole and third place by Brown tying the score again at 18-18. Burza (did you know it's pronounced 'Boorja'?) won heat 7 and Aarnio heat 8 both from the gate for shared races taking the score to 18-18.

Paul Clews made a stunning opening two bends in heat 9 with Josef Franc slipping in behind him for second for a 5-1 ahead of Gathercole and suddenly the Bandits had opened a four point lead. Unsupported wins for Makovsky, Burza and Clews all from the gate in heats 10, 11 and 12 took the score to 38-34 and it was clear that the Rebels would have to find their gating boots to stand any chance of points over the last three races.

Steve Johnston came to the tapes in heat 13 but had forgotten to turn his fuel tap on. By the time he tried to rectify the situation it was too late and he was excluded and replaced by Tom Brown. Burza and Makovsky cashed in with further good gates for another 5-1 which increased the Bandits lead to eight points leaving them in a good position for all three points. Josef Franc made another fast start in heat 14 to keep his winning run going but it was only for a shared heat so the Rebels needed a heat advantage to salvage a point from the match in the last heat. They got it too! Steve Johnston changed bikes and from the outside gate ran round the field and 'stamped his authority' (c. Kelvin Tatum) on the race as he led the previously unbeaten Franc home. Meanwhile Cory Gathercole coming off the second bend got the better of Burza who eventually gave up so the Rebels took a 2-4 for a point.


Scorers: Berwick – Josef Franc 13+1 (5), Stan Burza 11 (5), Michal Makovsky 10+1 (4), Paul Clews 9+1 (4), Tero Aarnio 3 (4), Mitchell Davey 2 (4), Greig Blair 0 (5).

Somerset – Steve Johnston 8+1 (5), Cory Gathercole 8 (5), Tom Brown 6+1 (5), Nick Simmons 5+2 (4), Emil Kramer 5+1 (4), Simon Walker 5+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 5+1 (4).



Premier League: .... Rye House 53 (3 points), Scun'thorpe 39 (0 points).


Team changes: Rye House used Rider Replacement at number 4 in place of Joe Haines. Scun'thorpe were without Magnus Karlsson and had Emiliano Sanchez as a guest at number 1. They also introduced their new signing Ritchie Hawkins at number 3 in place of Adam Allott.

Another excellent performance from Luke Bowen gave the Rockets the impetus to see off the Scorpions for whom David Howe provided strong resistance dropping only one point to an opponent in his five races. One look at the Rockets' score sheet shows how solid they were with Chris Neath their poorest scorer with six points. By contrast the Scun'thorpe support for Howe was consistent – but consistently inadequate. Nonetheless they provided four different races winners.

Away from home it's a mountain to climb when you lose the opening two heats to home 5-1s and that's what happened here. Neath and Bowen in heat 1 and Silver and Allen in heat 2 did the damage to open up an early eight point lead. There were two exclusions in heat 3 as Sundstrom crashed in the first running then Wilkinson brought down Bowen in the second running. At the third attempt Bowen led Ritchie Hawkins home for a 3-2 then David Howe entered the fray in heat 4. He won that from Silver and Mear for a shared race taking the score to 16-7.

Emiliano Sanchez won heat 4 for the visitors and with Bergstrom picking up third after Andrew Silver had slipped off and been excluded at the first attempt, Scun'thorpe took a 2-4. Bowen won heat 6 from Jerran Hart and Howe for a 3-3 but the Rockets hit a 5-1 in heat 7 as Tommy Allen and Rob Mear gated to lead Hawkins and Wilkinson home. Viktor Bergstrom won heat 8 for his moment of glory and a shared race and the score was then 29-18.

David Howe took a tactical ride in heat 9 and won it from Sundstrom and Mear for a 3-6 cutting the Scorpions' arrears to 8 points. However the Rockets took two 4-2s and a 5-1 over the next three heats with wins for Bowen, Allen and Sundstrom so they extended their lead to 16 points with the score at 45-29.

Emiliano Sanchez took the visitors second tactical ride in heat 13 but finished last behind Howe, Neath and Mear for a shared heat but Simon Lambert won heat 14 after Allen had fallen and been excluded. Sundstrom took second and Wilkinson third for a 2-4 to the visitors. Howe completed a fabulous performance by winning heat 15 after rounding the field on the second bend for another 3-3 but the Rockets took all three points from their 14 point win.


Scorers: Home – Luke Bowen 14+2 (6), Tommy Allen 9+2 (5), Linus Sundstrom 9 (5), Andrew Silver 8 (5), Robert Mear 7+5 (5), Chris Neath 6 (4).

Away – David Howe 16+1 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Emiliano Sanchez 5 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 4 (4), Jerran Hart 4 (4), Simon Lambert 4 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 3 (4), Carl Wilkinson 3 (4),



Premier League: .... Stoke v Edinburgh postponed due to a waterlogged track.



Premier League: .... Workington 47 (2 points), Sheffield 43 (1 point) .


Team changes: Workington again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Charles Wright. Sheffield were at full strength.

For the third time in a home league match this season, Workington dropped a point but having trailed by 35-37 after heat 12 it could have been worse. Advantages in heats 13 and 15 proved to be their salvation but Sheffield were good value for their point. Adrian Rymel crashed heavily on the second bend in heat 9 and went to hospital for a check up leaving the Comets a heat leader short over the last six heats which didn't help their cause.

Kevin Doolan won the opener for a 3-3 but it was the Tigers who took a four point lead with a 1-5 from Mills and Cooper in heat 2. The Comets hit back immediately with a 5-1 from Rymel and Lawson to tie the scores again and a Compton win in heat 4 kept it that way as the score stood at 12-12.

Rymel and Lawson did it again in heat 5 leading Hugh Skidmore home after Ricky Ashworth had fallen and been excluded so the Comets were now four points up. This time Sheffield hit back immediately in heat 6 with a 1-5 from Auty and Mills after Kevin Doolan had suffered an engine failure to level again. Compton won heat 7 for a 3-3 then Cooper heat 8 after Lawson had fallen on the third lap. John Branney took second and Skidmore picked up the gift third point so the Tigers took a 2-4 and led 23-25.

Adrian Rymel fell in heat 9 after spinning on the second turn and Josh Auty ran into him. There was a delay while Rymel was taken to hospital. When the race was finally run Richard Lawson made the gate and held off the determined challenge of Josh Auty to share the race then Doolan got back to winning ways in heat 10. Richard Hall and Joel Parsons finished behind him again for a shared race but the Comets finally squared the match once more with a 4-2 in heat 11 when Compton continued his unbeaten run by leading Ricky Ashworth home. Back came the Tigers with a 2-4 in heat 12 when Chris Mills beat Branney and Parsons to lead by 35-37.

Compton and Doolan combined for a crucial 5-1 in heat 13 so now the Comets led by two and Sheffield were left to play catch up. Heat 14 was won by Richard Hall but Branney and Lawson kept Cooper at the back so the race was shared leading to a last heat decider with all to race for. However Andre Compton completed a five ride full maximum while Richard Hall won a passing and repassing bout with Kevin Doolan for second. The 4-2 gave the Comets a four point win and the points were shared 2-1.


Scorers: Workington – Andre Compton 15 (5) (full maximum), Kevin Doolan 9+1 (5), John Branney 9 (6), Richard Lawson 8+3 (5), Adrian Rymel 6 (3), Craig Cook 0 (5).

Sheffield – Chris Mills 9+2 (5), Richard Hall 9 (5), Paul Cooper 7+1 (4), Josh Auty 6+1 (4), Ricky Ashworth 5 (4), Joel Parsons 4+2 (4), Hugh Skidmore 3+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 19 July



Premier League:

Glasgow v. Somerset
Newcastle v. Redcar
Newport v. Birmingham



Premier League: ..... Glasgow 48(2 points), Somerset 45 (1 point).


Team changes: Glasgow used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Ross Brady. Shane Parker and Josh Grajczonek returned to the team following injury and William Lawson made his debut, replacing Rusty Harrison, at number 3. Somerset were at full strength.

It looked like a lost cause for Somerset when they lost two 5-1s in the first two heats. James Grieves and Josh Grajczonek gated to head home Steve Johnston in a rerun opening heat then Lee Dicken and Mitchell Davey did likewise to lead Tom Brown home in heat 2. Anticipation was high among the home fans as William Lawson made his debut for the Tigers in heat 3 but they got a jolt when Emil Kramer and Nick Simmons gated to lead Lawson home for a 1-5. There was further bad news for the Tigers when Lee Dicken crashed heavily in heat 4 causing the race to be rerun without him. Justin Sedgmen led the rerun from the start till the last bend when a last gasp swoop by Shane Parker saw the Glasgow man pass him on the inside in the run in to the line. The race was shared and the score was then 14-10.

Steve Johnston had a comfortable win ahead of Lawson and Dicken in heat 5 for a 3-3 but Glasgow slipped up a gear with three 4-2s on the trot. Grajczonek and Grieves looked certainties to take a 5-1 in heat 6 but a last bend lunge by Cory Gathercole got him past a startled Grieves for second. Parker gate to win heat 7 from Kramer then Josh Grajczonek passed early race leader, Simon Walker, in heat 8 to give the Tigers a ten point lead at 29-19.

Immediately the Rebels gave Cory Gathercole a tactical ride in heat 9 and the Rebel found his gating boots to lead from tapes to flag ahead of Lawson for a 3-6 cutting the gap to seven points. Grieves led heat 10 from the gate but Emil Kramer passed Josh Grajczonek to take second. The home side took a 4-2 for a nine point lead but the Rebels replied in kind as Steve Johnston beat Shane Parker with Simon Walker taking third from Mitchell Davey. The three points looked destined for the home side when Lawson and Dicken took a 5-1 from Simmons in a race which had to be rerun when Simmons had brought his partner, Tom Brown, down in the first running. Glasgow now led by 11 points at 43-32 with their favourite heats 13 and 15 still to come.

Unusually it was Somerset who recorded 1-5s in these heats. In heat 13 Gathercole and Johnston gated to lead Grieves and Parker home for the first of their maximums. William Lawson got the better of Emil Kramer from gate 4 in heat 14 for a shared race then Johnston and Gathercole made fine gates in heat 15 to leave Grieves and Lawson to bring up the rear as, for the second night running, the Rebels rescued a point with a last heat advantage for a point to take back home with them.


Scorers: Glasgow – William Lawson 11 (6), Josh Grajczonek 9+1 (4), James Grieves 9 (5), Shane Parker 8 (4), Lee Dicken 7+2 (5), Mitchell Davey 4+2 (6).

Somerset – Cory Gathercole 14+2 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Steve Johnston 12+1 (5), Emil Kramer 9 (4), Nick Simmons 3+1 (4), Justin Sedgmen 3+1 (4), Simon Walker 3 (4), Tom Brown 1 (4).



Premier League: ..... Newcastle 64 (3 points), Redcar 26 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.

There's not a lot of information readily available about this match but suffice to say that the Bears were anything but happy about the state of the Brough Park track.

Redcar started the meeting well with a 2-4 from Ty Proctor and Robbie Kessler and although they also took a similar heat advantage in heat 4 won by Gary Havelock from Mark Lemon the rest of the match saw Newcastle rattle up eight 5-1 heat wins and five 4-2s (there were no shared heats) for their biggest win since most of their fans could remember. Redcar will want to forget the night's proceedings but will no doubt be looking forward to Newcastle's next visit to the South Tees Motor Park!

The Bears trailed by 14-10 after heat 4 but falls by Proctor in heat 5, Stonehewer in heat 7 and Kessler in heat 8 resulted in the Diamonds running up three 5-1s and a 4-2 over heats 5-8 taking the score to 33-15.

Arlo Bugeja was the next faller in heat 12 then Gary Havelock took a tactical ride in heat 13 which yielded nothing as he finished last. Stuart Swales then took a tactical ride in heat 14 but he fell so the two tacticals added nothing to the Redcar score. Best to draw a veil over the rest.


Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 14 (5), Kenni Larsen 11+1 (5), Rene Bach 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Jason King 9+1 (4), Adam McKinna 7+3 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+1 (4), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4).

Redcar – Gary Havelock 9 (5), Ty Proctor 6 (5), Ben Wilson 5 (4), Stuart Swales 3 (5), Robbie Kessler 2 (3), Arlo Bugeja 1 (4), Carl Stonehewer 0 (4).



Premier League: ..... Newport v Birmingham Match postponed due to rain damaged track.

[Merlin]

Friday, 14 August



Premier League:

Edinburgh v. Stoke
Somerset v. Workington
Scun'thorpe v. Rye House



Premier League: ..... Edinburgh v Stoke postponed due to a waterlogged track.

There was never any prospect of this match taking place as billowing black clouds laden with heavy rain swept across central Scotland determined to empty their bowels all over the place from dawn till dusk with no prospect of any let up. Not even a large dose of Imodium could have dried them up! The postponement leaves Edinburgh with a horrific back-log of fixtures; they could probably run well into November with what they now face even if there are no further rain-sodden Fridays in store.


Premier League: ..... Scun'thorpe 49 (3 points), Rye House 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.


Magnus Karlsson and Ritchie Hawkins sprinted off for the Scorpions to a quick 5-1 in the opening heat but the Rockets replied in kind in the reserves race. The only trouble was that Tommy Allen, who won the race, was excluded after the race for having no dirt deflector, silly boy, so Andrew Silver's second place was promoted to first and the race was shared. David Howe won heat 3 for a 3-3 but Carl Wilkinson and Jerran Hart thumped in another maximum for a 16-8 score in heat 4.

Everything seemed hunky dory for the home side at this stage but Joe Haines and Rob Mear made the gate for the Rockets in heat 5 and David Howe had no answer so the 1-5 cut the lead to four points again. Karlsson and Hawkins took advantage of an Allen engine failure to score a 4-2 for a six point lead in the next race but another Rockets' 1-5 in heat 7 from Chris Neath and Linus Sundstrom rang the alarm bells in the home camp as their lead was reduced to just two points. The Scorpion collapse continued with another Rockets' 1-5 this time from Joe Haines and Andrew Silver which put the visitors two in front after heat 8 taking the score to 23-25.

Scun'thorpe replied with a 5-1, the sixth maximum in nine heats, when Viktor Bergstrom and David Howe both passed early race leader, Luke Bowen, in heat 9 to wipe out the arrears and take a two point lead again for the home side but the Rockets hit back with a 2-4 in heat 10. Linus Sundstrom passed Magnus Karlsson while Chris Neath took third to tie the scores at 30-30. When Carl Wilkinson shed a chain in heat 11, Haines and Mear scored a second consecutive 1-5 to put the Rockets four points ahead. However if the Rockets thought they were on the way to an away victory they got a jolt when Viktor Bergstrom won again in heat 12 from Linus Sundstrom and he was supported by Jerran Hart in third place. The 4-2 took the heat 12 score to 35-37.

Robert Mear suffered an engine failure in heat 13 leaving Magnus Karlsson to head off to win the race. Behind him Carl Wilkinson passed Luke Bowen at the end of the second lap so the home supporters were treated to an invaluable 5-1 which once again wiped out the deficit and put the Scorpions into a two point lead. David Howe passed Neath in heat 14 while, after an exciting tussle, Simon Lambert got the better of Andrew Silver for third giving Scun'thorpe a four point lead going into the last race. To the Rockets' dismay Karlsson and Howe landed the 5-1 in heat 15 that gave the home side an eight point win which landed all three points. The Rockets who had contributed so much to an excellent meeting were left licking their wounds with nothing to show for their efforts.


Scun'thorpe: Scun'thorpe – Magnus Karlsson 14 (5), David Howe 11+2 (5), Carl Wilkinson 6+1 (4), Viktor Bergstrom 6 (4), Jerran Hart 5+2 (4), Simon Lambert 4 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 3+1 (4).

Rye House – Joe Haines 10 (5), Linus Sundstrom 8+2 (5), Chris Neath 8 (4), Andrew Silver 6+1 (6), Rob Mear 5+2 (4), Luke Bowen 4 (4),Tommy Allen 0 (3).



Premier League: ..... Somerset 52 (3 points), Workington 41 (0 points).


Team changes: Somerset had Mark Baseby as a guest at number 6 while Workington in a strange quirk of fate had former Somerset rider, Jay Herne, as a guest at number 7.

The Comets certainly had their gating boots on in the early heats but soon found themselves in trouble when they trailed by ten points after six heats. When they lost Richard Lawson to an injury in heat 7 they looked to be up against it.

Steve Johnston had to pass both Phil Morris then Kevin Doolan to win heat 1 for a 3-3 then the Comets' reserves were fast away in heat 2. Mark Baseby passed them both on the first bend then Nick Simmons slipped through to second as Herne and Cook didn't exactly ride the second bend to best advantage. The Rebels now led by four points from the 5-1 and they added another two points to the lead in heat 3 as Emil Kramer recovered from a first bend contretemps with his partner, Justin Sedgmen, to pass both Richard Lawson and Adrian Rymel. Sedgmen also passed Lawson on the third lap so the Rebels took a 4-2. Workington hit back with a 1-5 in heat 4 after Cory Gathercole had pirouetted on the third bend leaving Jay Herne and Andre Compton racing off to leave Simmons in their wake. The score was now 13-11.

Somerset then 'stamped their authority' on the match with consecutive 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 as Sedgmen and Kramer led Kevin Doolan home then Simon Walker and Steve Johnston did likewise to Andre Compton for a ten point lead. Immediately Adrian Rymel took a tactical ride in heat 7. Mark Baseby got out of shape and crashed into Richard Lawson on the fourth bend. Baseby was excluded and Lawson needed a lot of attention from the medics before being taken to hospital. He was replaced in the rerun by Jay Herne. Adrian Rymel won for the full six points while Herne picked up the gift third place point behind Gathercole for a 2-7 which cut the gap to just five points. Simon Walker then won heat 8 for a 3-3 taking the score to 28-23.

Compton and Sedgmen had a thrilling exchange in heat 9 but the Workington rider prevailed, again for a shared race, and it looked like another 3-3 in heat 10 until Adrian Rymel fell in second place so Johnston' win ahead of Herne gave the Rebels another two point advantage and 7 point lead. Workington's luck didn't get any better in heat 11 when Kevin Doolan packed up after being passed by Gathercole leaving Phil Morris to split the Rebels' pair for another 4-2 and 9 point lead. Adrian Rymel beat Justin Sedgmen in heat 12 but the points were shared and the score now stood at 42-33.

Time was now running out for the visitors and heat 13 looked a daunting prospect for them as Kevin Doolan had only scored 3 points from his first three rides while Andre Compton, their other rider in the race, had only won one of his three races. Steve Johnston led from start to finish but Gathercole, who had progressed from fourth to second, fell on the last lap so the race was shared. Kramer and Simmons put the match to bed with a 5-1 in heat 14 but, in a thrilling final heat, Kevin Doolan finally came to life by beating Kramer while Rymel took third from Johnston for a 2-4 to the Comets.

Scorers: Somerset – Steve Johnston 12 (5), Emil Kramer 11+2 (5), Justin Sedgmen 8 (4), Nick Simmons 6+3 (5), Simon Walker 6+1 (4), Cory Gathercole 5 (4), Mark Baseby 4 (3).

Workington – Adrian Rymel 12 (5) (incl 6 point TR), Jay Herne 10+1 (7), Kevin Doolan 8 (5), Andre Compton 7+2 (4), Phil Morris 4+1 (4), Richard Lawson 0 (1), Craig Cook 0 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 15 August



Premier League:

Berwick v. Sheffield
Rye House v. Redcar
Stoke v. King's Lynn
Workington v. Edinburgh



Premier League: .... Berwick 63 (3 points), Sheffield 29 (0 points).


Team changes: Berwick had Luke Priest as a guest at number 6 in place of Gino Franchetti. Sheffield were without Richard Hall, on long track business in Europe, and the injured Paul Cooper. They used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for Hall and introduced new signing Scott Smith to replace Paul Cooper at number 7.

Heat 1 was rerun after Ricky Ashworth came off on the first turn. Josef Franc was fast away in the second running to lead his partner Frank Facher and Ashworth but Ashworth passed the German who then had an engine failure so it was not a case of 'vorsprung durch technik' for him as Sheffield then shared the race. A massive win for Tero Aarnio was only good enough for another shared race in heat 2 then Joel Parsons spun out of heat 3 on the second bend and both he and Paul Clews who ran over him needed the attention of the medics. Burza and Clews took a 5-1 in the rerun for a four point lead to the Bandits. Another 5-1 in heat 4 from Makovsky and Aarnio had Sheffield struggling with the score now 16-8.

A 4-2 and 5-1 for the Bandits in heats 5 and 6 stretched the Bandits lead to 14 points. Heat 6 marked the first race win for Frank Facher in Berwick colours as he headed Franc, Auty and Skidmore home after making a fast start. Michal Makovsky won heat 7 for a 3-3 then Ricky Ashworth took a tactical ride in heat 8 as the R/R. But it was Frank Facher again who romped from the gate this time accompanied by Tero Aarnio to relegate Ashworth to third place and take the score to 33-15 with the 5-1.

Sheffield were now dead and buried and conceded another 5-1 in heat 9 to Clews and Burza then a 4-2 to Franc and Facher after Parsons had been excluded for running into the German. Josh Auty took a tactical ride in heat 12 and finished second to Makovsky. Ashworth was third however so the Tigers managed a 3-5 from the heat. Another Berwick 5-1 from Aarnio and Clews then took the score to 50-24 after heat 12.

Josef Franc suffered an engine failure in heat 13 so the Tigers managed a 3-3. Scott Smith and Chris Mills gated to lead heat 14 but both were passed in brilliant style by Tero Aarnio and Stan Burza for a 5-1 which brought the house down. The demoralised Tigers lost another 5-1 as the Bandits ran riot to lose by 34 points.

Scorers: Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Stan Burza 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Tero Aarnio 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Paul Clews 8+2 (4), Josef Franc 8+1 (4), Frank Facher 7 (4), Luke Priest 0 (3).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 9+1 (6), Josh Auty 7+1 (incl 4 point TR), Chris Mills 6+1 (5), Hugh Skidmore 3+1 (4), Scott Smith 3 (4), Joel Parsons 1+1 (5).



Premier League: .... Rye House 49 (2 points), Redcar 44 (1 point).


Team changes: Rye House were at full strength but Redcar used R/R at number 3 for the injured Robbie Kessler.

It all looked so easy for Rye House when after a shared opening heat won by Joe Haines they banged home two customary 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 for an early eight point lead. However they were in for a few jolts on the way. The first came in heat 4 won by Gary Havelock from Andrew Silver. With Swales keeping Luke Bowen at the back, Redcar took a 2-4 to trail 15-9 after the first four races.

Another home 5-1 from Neath and Sundstrom increased the Rockets' lead to ten points so Gary Havelock took a tactical ride in heat 6 and duly delivered the full six points by beating Joe Haines in a race rerun after Rob Mear had clipped his partner's rear wheel and fallen. With Arlo Bugeja picking up the third place point in the rerun the Bears halved their arrears with a 2-7 to five points. Tommy Allen passed Ben Wilson to win heat 7 with Bowen third so the Rockets took a 4-2 but they got another jolt in heat 8 when Ben Wilson and Stuart Swales banged in a 1-5 ahead of Silver and Haines cutting the gap to just three points at 27-24.

Heat 9, won by Sundstrom, was shared as Chris Neath fell trying to pass Havelock but the home side opened up a seven point gap with a 5-1 in heat 10 as Wilson went from 15 metres back after demolishing the tapes and Stonehewer was passed by Mear and then Haines. Ty Proctor came to the party in heat 11 rounding both Luke Bowen and Tommy Allen to win the race but it was only for a 3-3. When Linus Sundstrom and Andrew Silver added another 5-1 in heat 12 it looked curtains for the Bears who now trailed by eleven points at 43-32.

Not yet though as the Bears delivered another jolt in heat 13 with a 1-5 from Gary Havelock and Ty Proctor after Rob Mear had fallen. This cut the gap to seven points and when Tommy Allen fell and was excluded from heat 14 the home fans were not terribly happy. However Chris Neath won the race for Rye House so the Bears now had to set their sights on rescuing a point from the last race. They needed any heat advantage to do so and got it too! Sundstrom fell in a hard first bend and was excluded from the second rerun (the first was for the same incident but was all four back!). In the second rerun Gary Havelock passed Chris Neath with Ty Proctor third for the 2-4 the Bears needed for a point.


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

Redcar – Gary Havelock 17 (5) (incl a 6 point TR), Ty Proctor 8+1 (5), Ben Wilson 6 (5), Arlo Bugeja 5+2 (5), Stuart Swales 5+2 (6), Carl Stonehewer 3 (4).



Premier League: .... Stoke 33 (0 points), King's Lynn 57 (4 points).


Team changes: Stoke were without Lee Complin and Klaus Jakobsen. They used R/R for Jakobsen at number 3 and had Mark Lemon as a guest for Complin at number 4. King's Lynn had Chris Kerr as a guest for the injured Kozza Smith at number 6.

This match was quite competitive until heat 10 after which the Potters trailed by only four points but then King's Lynn seemed to step up several gears by winning heats 11-15 all by the 1-5 margin to run out easy winners by 24 points!

An opening 2-4 from Darcy Ward and Linus Eklof split by Jason Bunyan saw King's Lynn take the lead in heat 1. Jan Graversen won heat 2 for a 3-3 then Jesper Kristiansen did likewise in heat 3 after Mark Lemon finished at the back. Tomas Topinka won heat 4 but again it was only for a shared heat and the score then stood at 11-13.

Ward and Eklof scored a 1-5 in heat 5 extending the Stars' lead to six points and Topinka consolidated the lead by winning heat 6 for a shared race. A win for Robert Ksiezak was again only good enough for a shared race in heat 7 but the Potters pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 8 when Jesper Kristiansen beat Eklof with Tom P Madsen third. The score now stood at 22-26 .

Topinka produced another shared race by winning heat 9 then Jason Bunyan did the same by winning heat 10 as Kristiansen fell. Then the roof fell in with the total collapse of the home side who lost five consecutive 1-5s during which Stoke gave unsuccessful tactical rides to Jason Bunyan in heat 13 and to Mark Lemon in heat 14. The Potters had no answer to the class of Darcy Ward and Tomas Topinka both of whom went through the card unbeaten by an opponent. The Stars provided 11 of the race winners, and, with nine bonus points, were paid for 66 points in total.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 9 (5), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (5), Jesper Kristiansen 7+1 (6), Mark Lemon 5 (5), Tom P Madsen 4+1 (6), Craig Branney 1+1 (3).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 15 (5) (full maximum), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Linus Eklof 7+2 (4), Chris Schramm 7+2 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 7+2 (4), Chris Kerr 5+1 (5), Jan Graversen 3 (3).



Premier League: .... Workington v Edinburgh match postponed due to a waterlogged track.


Edinburgh's rain sodden weekend continued as Jupiter Pluvius paid a visit to Derwent Park – a terminal one as far as this match was concerned. The match has been rearranged for next Saturday which means that starting from next Friday Edinburgh will now race four matches in a row, or six in eight days if you count up to the following Friday, provided of course that none of them are rained off!

[Merlin]

Sunday, 16 August



Premier League:

Newport v. Redcar
Newcastle v. Stoke

Individual:

Ashfield Classic at Glasgow



Premier League: ..... Newport 49 (2 points), Redcar 43 (1 point).


Team changes: Newport had Kyle Newman at number 6 in place of the injured Marek Mroz. Redcar still without Robbie Kessler used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2.

Newport with a string of home defeats already this season desperately needed a win in this match. Redcar on the other hand were looking for better than the point they took at Rye House last night. The Wasps got off to a good start. Leigh Lanham held off Ty Proctor to win heat 1 for a home 4-2 then Chris Kerr won the reserves race and was supported by Kyle Newman in third when he passed Arlo Bugeja on the line for another 4-2. Jordan Frampton took heat 3 and was joined by his partner, Jonas Andersson who passed Ben Wilson for a 5-1 which put the home side eight points to the good. Paul Fry fell in heat 4 trying to pass race leader, Gary Havelock, and was excluded. Havelock won the rerun while Chris Kerr took second ahead of Stuart Swales to limit the damage to a 2-4 so the score stood at 15-9 after four races.

The Wasps restored their eight point lead when Jordan Frampton won for the second time beating Ty Proctor who had go pass Jonas Andersson for second place and a 4-2. Another 4-2 in heat 6 put the Wasps 10 points up and into Tactical Ride (TR) country. James Holder was the race winner after blasting round the outside of Lanham then Havelock. Havelock held on for second although Lanham almost caught him on the line. Paul Fry beat Carl Stonehewer and Ben Wilson for a shared seventh heat to keep the gap at ten points so the Bears played the TR card in heat 8 with Ben Wilson taking the R/R ride and TR. He didn't win it though although he did make the gate. Chris Kerr passed him to win the race but, behind this pair, a battle between Swales and Holder saw Swales take third place. This gave Redcar a 3-5 heat advantage taking the score to 29-21.

Immediately the Wasps were ten points back in front when Jordan Frampton continued his unbeaten run in heat 9 with Arlo Bugeja taking second place from Jonas Andersson as Havelock was surprisingly tailed off at the back. Wilson shot from the gate to win heat 10 but Lanham and Holder kept Stonehewer at the back so the race was shared. Paul Fry was in the wars again in heat 11 lifting and crashing into the air fence while leading at the time. He was excluded giving Ty Proctor, stuck at the back at the time, another chance. Proctor made no mistake at the second time of asking but had to wait till the last bend of the race before forcing his way past Kyle Newman who took second from Stuart Swales. The 2-4 cut the deficit to eight points. Ben Wilson won heat 12 for the Bears but gained no advantage as Kerr and Andersson filled the minor places so the score was now 41-33.
Paul Fry was withdrawn from heat 13 and replaced by Chris Kerr. Kerr crashed into the back of Gary Havelock in the first running of the race and was excluded from the rerun which produced a blanket finish. When the dust had cleared Gary Havelock had won it from Leigh Lanham and Ty Proctor for a 2-4 which cut the gap to six points with all to race for in the last two races. Jordan Frampton completed a four ride maximum by winning heat 14. To the Wasps' fans joy Chris Kerr followed him home ahead of Swales and Stonehewer so Newport were ten points ahead with just one heat to go. Redcar needed a 1-5 in heat 15 for a single league point. The race was rerun after Jordan Frampton had fallen on the fourth bend leaving Leigh Lanham to fend off the Bears. He didn't do it though as he lost his second place behind Ben Wilson to a big outside blast from Ty Proctor leaving the Bears to romp home for the 1-5 they needed for a point.


Scorers: Newport – Chris Kerr 12+1 (6), Jordan Frampton 12 (5), Leigh Lanham 9 (5), Jonas Andersson 5+2 (4), James Holder 5+1 (4), Paul Fry 3 (3), Kyle Newman 3 (3).

Redcar – Ben Wilson 15+1 (6) (incl 4 point TR), Ty Proctor 10+1 (5), Gary Havelock 8 (4), Stuart Swales 6+1 (6), Carl Stonehewer 2 (4), Arlo Bugeja 2 (5).



Premier League: ..... Newcastle 52 (3 points), Stoke 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Newcastle with Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach competing in the Danish under 21 Final had Chris Neath as a guest at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Bach at number 2. Stoke were missing both Lee Complin and Klaus Jakobsen, the latter also in the Danish under 21 meeting. Carl Wilkinson guested for Complin at number 4 while the Potters used R/R for Jakobsen at number 3.

Stoke got off to a great start with heat wins in the first two heats but, alas, they flattered to deceive and were in arrears two races later. Jason Bunyan and Jesper Kristensen scored a 2-4 in heat 1, after Derek Sneddon had fallen and been excluded, and Tom P Madsen and Craig Branney did likewise in heat 2 but Newcastle levelled the match with a 5-1 in heat 3 as Jason King and Sneddon romped home after Carl Wilkinson had fallen. The Diamonds were in front after a 4-2 when Craig Branney could only split the Mark Lemon, Trent Leverington pairing. The score was now 13-11.

Bunyan and King were excluded from heat 4 so Derek Sneddon's win from Jesper Kristensen was for a 3-2. Adam McKinna and Chris Neath registered a 5-1 to put the home side seven points up then Mark Lemon won heat 7. With Leverington falling at the back it was only for a shared race but another 4-2 this time from King and Leverington in heat 8 took the score to 28-19 as the Diamonds opened up a nine point lead.

Derek Sneddon and Jason King rattled home another 5-1 against the woeful Ksiezak, Branney pairing for a 13 point lead so Carl Wilkinson took a tactical ride for the Potters in heat 10. Chris Neath made the gate though and held off Wilkinson's determined challenges. With Tom P Madsen third the Potters took a 3-5 heat advantage to trail by 11 points. Mark Lemon continued on his winning way with another three points in heat 11 but Stoke pulled another two points back in heat 12 with Carl Wilkinson heading Jason King home with support from Branney in third. The gap was now nine points with the score at 41-32.

A Lemon, Neath 5-1 in heat 13 virtually wrapped things up for Newcastle but Tom P Madsen took a tactical ride in heat 14. With both Wilkinson and McKinna falling and retiring from the race Madsen finished second to Sneddon for a 3-4 advantage for the Potters. Mark Lemon completed his full five ride maximum in the final heat but with Derek Sneddon finishing at the back the race was shared and the Diamonds had won by 12 points.


Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 15 (5) (full maximum), Derek Sneddon 11+1 (6), Jason King 10+1 (5), Chris Neath 9+2 (4), Adam McKinna 5 (5), Trent Leverington 2 (5).

Stoke – Carl Wilkinson 11 (6), Tom P Madsen 10+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Jason Bunyan 7+1 (5), Jesper Kristensen 5+1 (5), Craig Branney 5 (5), Robert Ksiezak 2+1 (5).



Ashfield Classic: ..... First:.... Ryan Fisher (Edinburgh) Second:.... Ricky Ashworth (Sheffield) Third:.... Rory Schlein (Coventry) .



This was run as a 16 rider, 20 heat full individual with the top two seeded directly to a Grand Final and the next four points scorers contesting a semi-final with first and second completing the final.

After the 20 heat qualifier James Wright and Rory Schlein went straight through to the final with 13 points each while the semi final was contested (in gate order) by Ricky Ashworth, Shane Parker, William Lawson and Ryan Fisher. Ryan Fisher won the semi-final comfortably from Ricky Ashworth while William Lawson, in third place, was eliminated along with Shane Parker who pulled up on the last lap when well at the back. Ashworth and Fisher joined Wright and Schlein in the final.

Ryan Fisher won the final from Ricky Ashworth and Rory Schlein.


Scorers: Rory Schlein 13, James Wright 13, Shane Parker 12, Ricky Ashworth 11, Ryan Fisher 10, William Lawson 10, James Grieves 9, Matthew Wethers 9, Michal Rajkowski 6, Ricky Wells 6, Paul Clews 6, Michal Makovsky 5, Filip Sitera 4, David Howe 4, Josh Grajczonek 1, Tero Aarnio 1, Mitchell Davey (Res) 0 (2).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 19 August



Premier League:

Birmingham v. Rye House
King's Lynn v. Glasgow



Premier League:.... Birmingham 58 (3 points), Rye House 36 (0 points).


Team changes: Birmingham had Mark Lemon at number 1 as a guest for Tomasz Piszcz. Rye House were at full strength.


Having won at Hoddesdon ending Rye House's 66 match winning home run, Birmingham completed the double with a 22 point win in their corresponding home match. They certainly chose their guest well as Mark Lemon scored a paid maximum!

Lemon and Rusty Harrison started the match with the first of three 5-1s they rattled up as a partnership. Harrison was thereafter to go through the meeting unbeaten as well also for a paid maximum. The next two heats won by Lee Smart for the Brummies and Chris Neath for the Rockets resulted in shared races but Jason Lyons and Lee Smart added a 4-2 in heat 4 to take the score to 15-9.

Birmingham struck two more 5-1s in heats 5 and 6 to leave the visitors struggling badly. Heat 5 was won by Richard Sweetman and Ludvig Lindgren from Robert Mear after Joe Haines had fallen in the first running and been excluded. Lemon and Harrison 'did the business' again in heat 6 causing Rye House to give Chris Neath a tactical ride in heat 7. He could only finish second to Jason Lyons but with Linus Sundstrom heading Jay Herne home for third place the Rockets took a 3-5 cutting their arrears to 12 points. Rockets were then hit by the announcement that Joe Haines had withdrawn from the meeting from injuries sustained by his fall in heat 5. He was replaced in heat 8 by Tommy Allen while Andrew Silver was given the Rockets' second tactical ride. Harrison won the heat from Silver and Smart so the result was a shared race 4-4 taking the score to 32-20.

Luke Bowen managed to split the Lindgren, Sweetman pairing in heat 9 for a 4-2 but Lemon and Harrison continued banging in the maximums in heat 10 stretching the Brummies lead to 18 points. Jason Lyons meanwhile was also heading for a maximum and he won heat 11 from Robert Mear for a 4-2. At last Rye House tasted success with a 2-4 in heat 12. Linus Sundstrom became their first race winner since heat 3 by beating Ludvig Lindgren. Tommy Allen picked up third after Lee Smart had fallen so the Rockets got a 2-4 taking the score to 47-29.

Lyons and Lemon romped to another home 5-1 in heat 13 but the Rockets, in a fit of defiance, returned a 1-5 of their own in heat 14 through Neath and Silver. However another 5-1 from the home side saw Lyons and Lemon complete their maximums giving the home side a 22 point win giving their impressive championship challenge another boost. With weekend matches away from home against Edinburgh, Berwick and Glasgow on successive nights this weekend (weather permitting!) the strength of their challenge will be fully tested.


Scorers: Birmingham – Mark Lemon 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Jason Lyons 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Rusty Harrison 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Ludvig Lindgren 9+1 (4), Richard Sweetman 5+1 (4), Lee Smart 5+1 (4), Jay Herne 2 (4).

Rye House – Andrew Silver 10+1 (5) (incl 4 point TR), Chris Neath 10+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Linus Sundstrom 5+1 (5), Robert Mear 4 (4), Luke Bowen 4 (4), Tommy Allen 2+1 (5), Joe Haines 1 (2)..



Premier League: .... King's Lynn 64 (3 points), Glasgow 29 (0 points).


Team changes: King's Lynn had Chris Kerr at number 6 in place of Kozza Smith. Glasgow , with the return of Sandi Conda to the team, were at full strength

Glasgow went the way of most other visitors to the Norfolk Arena losing by 35 points. Only Shane Parker was able to win a race for the Tigers as the Stars' steamroller rolled on.

For the second week running the visiting number 1 won the opening race for a shared heat as Parker saw off Darcy Ward's attempts to pass and Linus Eklof passed Josh Grajczonek for third but consecutive 5-1s in heats 2 and 3 had the Tigers eight points in arrears. Tomas Topinka then won heat 4 by the proverbial country mile from James Grieves while Graversen's third place gave the Stars a 4-2 which took the score to 17-7.

This allowed Shane Parker to take a Tactical ride in heat 5 and although first Chris Schramm then Emiliano Sanchez both tried to pass him he held on to win the race for a 3-6 to the visitors. Mitchell Davey ran into Linus Eklof coming off the second bend of heat 6 with both riders falling and Davey was excluded for his efforts. In the rerun Darcy Ward rounded the fast starting Grieves to win the race while Eklof picked up the third place point for a 4-2 and nine point lead for the home side. In a night of many 4-2s Tomas Topinka and Chris Kerr scored another with William Lawson the meat in the sandwich after passing Kerr. The lead was now up to 11 points but a 5-1 in heat 8 from Kerr and Graversen, the latter passing Grajczonek, had Glasgow struggling with the score now 33-18.

James Grieves took Glasgow's second tactical ride in heat 9 but finished behind Sanchez and Schramm for another 5-1 which put the home side 19 points ahead. The next three heats resulted in 4-2s. Lawson split the Ward, Eklof pairing in heat 10 then Tomas Topinka was fast away to win heat 11. Behind him Grajczonek and Parker tried to team ride for a share of the spoils but Chris Kerr had other ideas and passed Parker on the run in to the line. Heat 12 saw Lawson pass Graversen to finish behind Sanchez which took the score to 50-25.

Topinka and Ward scored an unchellenged 5-1 in heat 13 over Parker and Grieves extending the lead to 29 points and it soared to 33 after Schramm and Kerr added another in heat 14 over Lee Dicken and Sandi Conda. An excellent last race saw Shane Parker pass Tomas Topinka on the second lap to lead the race but Darcy Ward followed him through into second then hunted down Parker to pass him a lap later for a fine win. The 4-2 meant that Glasgow failed to reach the 30 point mark by a single point. However, although they provided only three race winners, they prevented any of the Stars scoring a maximum.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 13+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 13 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 11 (4), Chris Kerr 9+2 (5), Chris Schramm 8+3 (4), Jan Graversen 7+1 (4).


Glasgow – Shane Parker 12 (5) (incl 6 point TR), William Lawson 7 (5), James Grieves 5 (4), Josh Grajczonek 3 (4), Mitchell Davey 1 (3), Lee Dicken 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Thursday, 20 August



Premier League:

Sheffield v. Glasgow

Best Pairs Event:

Teesside Best Pairs at Redcar



Premier League:.... Sheffield 51 (3 points), Glasgow 39 (0 points).



Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.


When Glasgow trailed by just two points after 12 heats one league point was the least they might reasonably have expected from this match but two 5-1s and a 4-2 for Sheffield in the last three heats saw all three league points remain at Owlerton as Sheffield maintain their challenge for a play-off spot.

Just like last night at King's Lynn Shane Parker got the Tigers off to a winning start as both Glasgow riders worked their way to the front. However Josh Grajczonek suffered an engine failure so the race was shared. Again like last night Glasgow lost a 5-1 in the reserves race to trail by four points. Richard Hall started an unbeaten night by leading William Lawson home in heat 3. With Joel Parsons falling, remounting then retiring from the race, Sandi Conda picked up the third place point for another shared race. James Grieves managed to hold off the determined challenge of Hugh Skidmore to win heat 4 while Josh Auty took third for another 3-3 taking the score to 14-10.

Richard Hall won again in heat 5 while the three remaining riders passed each other leading to Parker taking second and Parsons third for a 4-2 which increased the home side's lead to six points. James Grieves won for the Scottish Tigers in heat 7 while Chris Mills fell leaving Mitchell Davey to take third for a 2-4 as the Scots cut the deficit to four points again. William Lawson won heat 7 to make it four race winners for the visitors. Josh Auty and Scott Smith followed him home for a shared race then Josh Grajczonek made it five Glasgow race winners in 8 heats by taking heat 8 from Skidmore. Davey was third so Glasgow scored another 2-4 taking the score to 25-23.

Richard Hall won for the third time in heat 9 but his partner, Joel Parsons, continued his miserable evening when his bike packed up leaving Davey and Grieves to share the race. Still the visitors hung on as Ashworth won heat 10 from Lawson and Conda for a 3-3. Then the home fans looked on in dismay as Parker and Grajczonek gated in heat 11. However Grajczonek lifted on the second bend and slipped to the back for another share of the points. William Lawson kept the pressure on the home side by winning heat 12 despite a strong challenge from Skidmore. Parsons took third for the fourth 3-3 on the trot taking the score to 37-35.

Glasgow's challenge then wilted as the business end of the meeting was reached. Ashworth and Parker enjoyed a thrilling race for the lead in heat 13 while Josh Auty pressed hard behind them. He succeeded in passing Parker to join Ashworth for a 5-1 which increased the home side's lead to six points. Richard Hall gated to win heat 14 while Davey finished ahead of Smith and Dicken. This gave Sheffield a 4-2 which guaranteed a home win as they now led by eight points. Glasgow needed a 2-4 or better from the last race for a point but Lawson and Parker were left trailing at the back as Hall raced off to complete a full 5 ride maximum and Ashworth followed him home for a 5-1 which clinched all the points for the home side.


Scorers: Sheffield – Richard Hall 15 (5) (full maximum), Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5), Hugh Skidmore 8+1 (4), Josh Auty 7+2 (4), Scott Smith 6+2 (4), Joel Parsons 2+1 (4), Chris Mills 1+1 (4).

Glasgow – William Lawson 11 (5), Shane Parker 9 (5), James Grieves 7+1 (4), Mitchell Davey 7 (6), Josh Grajczonek 3 (4), Sandi Conda 2+2 (3), Lee Dicken 0 (3).




Teesside Best Pairs: .... Winners: Ben Wilson and Jan Graversen 17 points.....Second: David Howe and Arlo Bugeja 16 points (after a run off).....Third: Ty Proctor and Kurt Shields 16 points..

This was a full best pairs meeting in which each pair met all the others in the field over 15 races. Normal scoring was used not the 4320 system of national pairs events. A run off was required to determine the runners up as both second and third pairs tied on 16 points. Richard Lawson withdrew with a shoulder injury after falling in his third ride.

Scorers: Ben Wilson 14 and Jan Graversen 3 (17); David Howe 14 and Arlo Bugeja 2 (16 ); Ty Proctor and Kurt Shields 2 (16); Carl Stonehewer 6 and Chris Kerr 9 (15); Stuart Swales 4 and Gary Havelock 10 (14); Richard Lawson 3 (3) and Emiliano Sanchez 9 (12).

[Merlin]

Friday, 21 August



Premier League:

Edinburgh v. Birmingham
Scun'thorpe v. Glasgow
Somerset v. Rye House



Premier League: ..... Edinburgh 38 (2 points), Birmingham 34 (1 point) match abandoned after heat 12 due to heavy rain – result stands..


Team changes: Edinburgh introduced new signing, Kevin Woelbert to the side at number 5. Birminghamwere at full strength.

Edinburgh were starting a run of four fixtures in four days against a Birmingham side on a run of impressive results. With two newcomers in the side the Monarchs might have preferred less powerful opponents than the Brummies but Birmingham had not shown much liking for the Armadale track on their previous visits.

A strange thing happened at Armadale on Friday night – the rain stopped at 7.05pm allowing the match to proceed on a wet and heavy track. The forecast was for more of the wet stuff to descend in lumps soon after and so it prove. After heat 13 had been stopped when Jason Lyons fell and Tomasz Piszcz crashed into him proceedings came to a halt before the race could be rerun with the scoreline standing as a completed match.

The Monarchs took the lead in the opening heat with a comfortable win for Ryan Fisher ahead of Rusty Harrison with Michal Rajkowski in third for a 4-2. Edinburgh looked like adding a 5-1 in heat 2 but Byron Bekker following Aaron Summers home crashed into the fourth bend fence after running too wide. The race was stopped and rerun with Aaron Summers again winning for a shared race. Heat 3 saw Max Dilger win his first ever race for the Monarchs after rounding the field on the opening bends to lead down the back straight. Richard Sweetman was in hot pursuit but had to fend off Matthew Wethers challenging hard. Wethers worked his way past Sweetman and sat behind the German for a home 5-1 and six point lead to the Edinburgh side. Jason Lyons and Lee Smart were fast away in heat 4 but Monarchs debutant, Kevin Woelbert, made a fine pass inside Smart for second retstricting the Brummies to a 2-4 heat advantage. This took the score to 14-10.

Birmingham pulled another two points back in heat 5. Tomasz Piszcz won the heat from Matthew Wethers while Rusty Harrison passed Max Dilger for third and a 2-4 but Edinburgh hit another 5-1 home in heat 6 thanks to Fisher and Rajkowski. Jason Lyons fell on the third lap trying to round Rajkowski so Jay Herne picked up the third place point. Back came Birmingham with another 2-4 in heat 7 cutting the gap to four points. Richard Sweetman beat Kevin Woelbert while Ludvig Lindgren headed Aaron Summers home for third. They then levelled the match with a fine 1-5 in heat 8. Rusty Harrison gated and was gone while the impressive Lee Smart rounded Aaron Summers on the last lap. Summers fell so Rajkowski took third. The score was now 24-24.

Birmingham now on a roll made it three heat advantages on the trot with a 2-4 in heat 9 to take a two point lead. Jason Lyons won the race from Matthew Wethers while Lee Smart passed Dilger for third. Edinburgh levelled again in heat 10 when Ryan Fisher, in unbeatable form, won from Ludvig Lindgren who passed Michal Rajkowski for second after Richard Sweetman had pulled out on the second bend. Heat 11 looked a dangerous one for the Monarchs but Aaron Summers gated well to lead home Rusty Harrison and Tomasz Piszcz for a shared heat. Heat 12 also looked a vulnerable one for the home side as the Monarchs tracked both reserves. However the pendulum swung firmly the home side's way when Aaron Summers again gated well to lead from the tapes. Byron Bekker joined him with a fine drive round the first and second bends leaving Jay Herme and Ludvig Lindgren to chase in vain. The 5-1 put the Monarchs four in front at 38-34.

Lyons and Piszcz gated to lead heat 13 but Ryan Fisher was having none of it and passed the Brummies down the back straight. Jason Lyons got into difficulties on the third bend and fell while Tomasz Piszcz crashed into him. With Fisher and Woelbert left to face Piszcz on his own in the rerun Edinburgh looked likely to extend their lead but whether or not they would have will never be known. After a lengthy delay the meeting was brought to a halt as the rain which had started again had caused too much damage.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 9 (3), Aaron Summers 9 (5), Matthew Wethers 6+1 (3), Michal Rajkowski 5+1 (4), Kevin Woelbert 4 (3), Max Dilger 3 (3), Byron Bekker 2+1 (3).

Birmingham – Rusty Harrison 8 (4), Lee Smart 6+1 (4), Jason Lyons 6 (3), Tomasz Piszcz 4+1 (3), Richard Sweetman 4 (3), Jay Herne 3+1 (3), Ludvig Lindgren 3 (4).



Premier League: ..... Scun'thorpe 50 (3 points), Glasgow 40 (0 points).


Team changes: Scun'thorpe were at full strength but Glasgow were without Aleksander Conda and used Rider Replacement at number 4 instead.

Glasgow were facing their third match in three nights after losing at King's Lynn and Sheffield on Wednesday and Thursday. After a good display at Sheffield they were looking for some reward from this, the least daunting of their three matches. They led by two points after 12 races but three consecutive 5-1s turned the match around and they left empty-handed. Normally so competitive in heats 13-15, Glasgow lost 43-5 over these heats in their three consecutive away matches.

Glasgow got off to a winning start when Josh Grajczonek passed Ritchie Hawkins to win the opening heat. Shane Parker's third place point gave the Tigers a 2-4. Mitchell Davey gated to win the reserves race for a shared heat but the Scorpions reversed Glasgow's two point lead in heat 3 with a 5-1 from David Howe and Viktor Bergstrom after William Lawson pulled up at the back. Glasgow replied in kind with a 1-5 of their own in heat 4. Davey made another fine gate and was joined up front by his partner, James Grieves with Carl Wilkinson falling on the second lap. The score was now 11-13.

David Howe got to the front on the opneing two bends in heat 5 to lead Josh Grajczonek home. Behind this pair Viktor Bergstrom, challenging for second, suffered an engine failure towards the end of the first lap allowing Parker through for third and a shared race. Magnus Karlsson gated to lead Lee Dicken home in heat 6 while Ritchie Hawkins got the better of James Grieves to pinch third place on the line. This gave the home side a 4-2 which levelled the match at 18-18. William Lawson gated to win heat 7 from Jerran Hart while Carl Wilkinson and Mitchell Davey battled for third. Wilkinson won it so the race was shared. Hawkins and Lambert worked themselves to the front in heat 8 but Grajczonek dived between them to win on the line for another shared race taking the score to 24-24.

Viktor Bergstrom made a fast start to heat 9 and David Howe passed James Grieves on the third lap to give the Scorpions a 5-1 and valuable four point lead but the Tigers pulled two points back with a 2-4 in heat 10 as Mitchell Davey saw off Magnus Karlsson to win the race while William Lawson passed Ritchie Hawkins for third off the last bend. The gap was down to two points but Glasgow then stormed two ahead with a 1-5 in heat 11. Grajczonek gated while Parker passed Wilkinson on the third bend to follow him home. Bergstrom went to the front in heat 12 on the fourth bend but Lawson and Davey kept Simon Lambert at the back for a 3-3 which took the score to 35-37.

Then the roof caved in again for Glasgow. Wilinson and Karlsson scored a 5-1 over Parker and Grieves in heat 13 firing the Scorpions back in front by two points. William Lawson led heat 14 until firstly David Howe passed him on the second lap then Jerran Hart did likewise for a 5-1 which clinched the match for the home side. Any chance of a point for the visitors went up in smoke as Howe and Bergstrom completed a hat trick of maximums by leading Parker and Grajczonek home in heat 15.


Scorers: Scun'thorpe – David Howe 14+1 (5) (paid nmaximum), Viktor Bergstrom 10+2 (5), Magnus Karlsson 7+1 (4), Jerran Hart 5+2 (4), Carl Wilkinson 5+1 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 5 (4), Simon Lambert 4+1 (4).

Glasgow – Mitchell Davey 11+1 (7), Josh Grajczonek 11 (5), Shane Parker 6+2 (5), William Lawson 6 (5), James Grieves 3+1 (4), Lee Dicken 3 (4).



Premier League: ..... Somerset 46 (2 points), Rye House 44 (1 point).


Team changes: Somerset were without the unfortunate Brendan Johnson currently in intensive care at Southampton General Hospital after a high speed crash on the Isle of Wight. They had two guest reserves, Ben Hopwwod at number 6 and Andy Braithwaite at number 7. Rye House were at full strength.

This match was nip and tuck all the way going to a last heat decider with the scores tied at 42-42. Rather strangely Rye House did not nominate their top rider on the night, Tommy Allen who had suffered just one defeat by an opponent in his five rides by Emil Kramer in heat 9. Instead they chose Chris Neath who failed to meet the two minute deadline and had to go from 15 metres back in heat 15 and finished last. Somerset were handicapped by their enforced weak reserve pairing with Andy Braithwaite falling in the reserves race and withdrawing from the meeting. As a result the Rye House reserves eclipsed their home counterparts by 17-2.

The Rebels got off to a cracking start with a 5-1 from Steve Johnston and Simon Walker but were a little fortunate that Joe Haines shed a chain while in second place. Immediatey the Rockets replied with a 1-5 in the reserves race. This was followed by two shared races won by Emil Kramer and Cory Gathercole, who had a ding-dong battle with Linus Sundstrom, for a 12-12 score after heat 4.

Somerset went in front again with a 5-1 from Kramer and Justin Sedgmen in heat 5 but the Rockets again levelled the scores with an immediate 1-5 response in heat 6 through Sundstrom and Tommy Allen. Heats 7 and 8 were shared the former won by Gathercole after a good tussle with Neath, the latter by Simon Walker for a 24-24 score.

Kramer rocketed from the gate to win heat 9 but Sundstrom and Allen finished in the minor places for another share of the points. Then the Rebels went in front for the third time, again with a 5-1, from Johnston and Walker. Yet again Rye House levelled in the very next race with a 1-5 from Joe Haines and Rob Mear after Cory Gathercole had fallen and been excluded. Rye House took the lead for the first time in heat 12 when Tommy Allen won a terrific passing and repassing bout with Justin Sedgmen. Luke Bowen was third so the 2-4 put the Rockets two ahead with the score reading 35-37.

Back came the Rebels with a 5-1 from Gathercole and Johnston in heat 13 which wiped out the Rockets' lead and put Somerset two ahead again. But the Rockets weren't finished and they levelled the match with a 2-4 in heat 14 with Tommy Allen beating Emil Kramer and Chris Neath picking up third. The last heat decider resulted in a win for Johnston from Sundstrom with Neath retiring after getting nowhere from his 15 metre handicap for missing the two minute allowance. The 4-2 was what the Rebles needed for the narrowest of victories.


Scorers: Somerset – Steve Johnston 12+1 (5), Emil Kramer 12 (5), Cory Gathercole 9 (4), Simon Walker 7+2 (4), Justin Sedgmen 4+1 (4), Ben Hopwood 2 (7), Andy Braithwaite 0 (1).

Rye House – Tommy Allen 12+2 (5), Linus Sundstrom 9 (5), Chris Neath 6 (5), Andrew Silver 5+2 (3), Robert Mear 5+1 (4), Joe Haines 4 (4), Luke Bowen 3+2 (4).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 22 August



Premier League:

Berwick v. Birmingham
Rye House v. Somerset
Workington v. Edinburgh



Premier League: ..... Berwick 42 (0 points), Birmingham 48 (3 points).


Team changes: Berwick had Jason King as a guest in place of Josef Franc at number 1. Birmingham were at full strength.

After taking a point from the abandonment at Armadale last night, Birmingham moved down the A1 to tackle Berwick in the second of their three match northern tour. Berwick have put together a run of excellent wins at home and had Gino Franchetti back in the side.

Birmingham got off to the perfect start with a 1-5 in heat 1 as Tomasz Piszcz and Rusty Harrison led Jason King and Frank Facher home. The Bandits pulled two points back with a 4-2 from the reserves race won by super-reserve Tero Aarnio from Jay Herne and Gino Franchetti. Justin Sweetman won heat 3 for the visitors but Paul Clews and Stanislav Burza shared the points behind him. Berwick levelled the scores in heat 4 when Michal Makovsky won from Lee Smart. Tero Aarnio finished third ahead of Jason Lyons so the 4-2 took the score to 12-12.

There was no change in heat 5 won by Piszcz from Burza and Clews for a 3-3 then, in heat 6, Jay Herne fell and was excluded from the rerun won by Jason Lyons from King and Facher for another 3-3. Makovsky won heat 7 but again the points were shared as Sweetman and Lindgren followed him home. Tero Aarnio won heat 8 but again the Brummies packed the minor places for a shared race and the score stood at 24-24.

Paul Clews fell in heat 9 and was excluded but, in the rerun, Stanislav Burza came to the Bandits' rescue by beating Jason Lyons for another shared heat, the fifth on the trot. Finally the deadlock was broken and it was Birmingham who pulled ahead with a 2-4. Ludvig Lindgren was the race winner beating Tero Aarnio who replaced Frank Facher. Richard Sweetman took third from Jason King so the Brummies led by two points. Michal Makovsky continued on his unbeaten way with a heat 11 win but Tomasz Piszcz and Rusty Harrison finished ahead of Gino Franchetti for another 3-3. The Brummies increased their lead to four points in heat 12 when Ludvig Lindgren produced another race win this time beating Paul Clews. Lee Smart beat Tero Aarnio so the score now read 34-38.

When Piszcz finally lowered Makovsky's colours by winning heat 13 with Jason Lyons third the 2-4 for the visitors put them 6 points ahead and Berwick's prospects looked bleak. Aarnio won heat 14 but, unfortunately for Berwick, Burza finished at the back behind Smart and Sweetman. The 3-3 meant that Birmingham had won the match but there was still the little matter of whether the Brunnies took three or four points for their win. They needed a 2-4 for an eight point lead for a maximum away win. They didn't get it though because, although Tomasz Piszcz won the race, Makovsky and Aarnio kept Lindgren at the back.


Scorers: Berwick – Tero Aarnio 13+1 (7), Michal Makovsky 13 (5), Stanislav Burza 6+1 (4), Paul Clews 5+1 (4), Jason King 3 (4), Frank Facher 1+1 (3), Gino Franchetti 1 (3).

Birmingham – Tomasz Piszcz 14 (5), Richard Sweetman 7+1 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 7+1 (5), Lee Smart 6+1 (5), Jason Lyons 6 (4), Rusty Harrison 5+2 (4), Jay Herne 3 (3).



Premier League: ..... Rye House 57 (3 points), Somerset 35 (0 points).


Team changes: Rye House were at full strength while Somerset used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Simon Walker at number 2 and had Ben Hopwood at number 6 and Matt Wright at number 7.

After losing by only two points at the Oak Tree Arena Rye House were seeking revenge but they didn't get off to the best of starts when Robert Mear and Steve Johnston went through the first bend fence in the opening heat. Mear was excluded for his part in the incident but Linus Sundstrom made the gate to win from Johnston and Sedgmen for a shared heat. The Rockets scored the expected 5-1 against the inexperienced Somerset reserves in heat 2 although Andrew Silver made heavy weather of it after running beyond the second bend camber and slipping to the back. Emil Kramer won heat 3 from Chris Neath but Luke Bowen passed Justin Sedgmen for third before Sedgmen retired. The race was shared as was heat 4 won by Cory Gathercole for the Rebels taking the score to 14-10.

The Rebels shaved two points from the lead with a 2-4 in heat 5 won by Steve Johnston after passing Luke Bowen while Chris Neath retired while 'miles' in the lead. This cut the gap to two points but it returned to four with a Rockets' 4-2 in heat 6 when Sundstrom beat Gathercole with Mear third. Heat 7 had to be rerun after Tommy Allen went through the third bend fence and was excluded for his efforts. The rerun was won by Joe Haines from Kramer and Sedgmen so the Rockets stayed four points up. Tommy Allen was then announced as having withdrawn from the meeting suffering from a suspected broken finger. Heat 8 saw the home side double their lead with a 5-1 from Sundstrom and Silver with both passing Gathercole off the second bend. The score was now 28-20.

Another 5-1 this time from Neath and Bowen again over Gathercole put the Rockets 12 points ahead. There was no tactical ride in heat 10 but it might have been a good idea to have given it to Emil Kramer as he won the race from Sundstrom and Mear for a shared heat. The tactical came in heat 11 with Steve Johnston being entrusted with the black and white helmet cover. It was Joe Haines who won the race however with Silver third so the heat result was a 4-4 shared race. It was effectively all over when another home 5-1 from Bowen and Silver put the Rockets 16 points ahead after heat 12 with the score standing at 45-29.

Robert Mear won heat 13 from Gathercole and Johnston for a 3-3 then Emil Kramer took a tactical ride in heat 14. It was a waste of time though as he finished last as Neath and Silver added another Rockets' 5-1 for a 20 point lead. Heat 15 provided a 4-2 for the Rockets. Linus Sundstrom won the race from Emil Kramer while Chris Neath passed Cory Gathercole for third.


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

Somerset – Steve Johnston 10+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Emil Kramer 10 (5), Cory Gathercole 9 (6), Justin Sedgmen 3+2 (5), Ben Hopwood 3 (5), Matt Wright 0 (5).



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


Team changes: Workington were without Richard Lawson and Craig Cook. They used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 4 for Lawson and had Scott James as a guest at number 6 for Cook. Edinburgh were at full strength.

Workington suffered a blow blow as early as heat 1 when Phil Morris, trying to pass Michal Rajkowski for third, crashed and withdrew from the meeting suffering from a shoulder injury. Ryan Fisher won the race from Kevin Doolan so the Monarchs went two points ahead with the 2-4. The Comets levelled again in heat 2 with a win from John Branney. Scott James scored a valuable point by beating Byron Bekker for third and a 4-2. Workington then took the lead with a 4-2 in heat 3. Adrian Rymel won the race from Matthew Wethers and Branney passed Max Dilger for third to put the home side two points ahead. Workington suffered another blow in heat 4 when Adrian Compton suffered an engine failure while leading the race. Kevin Woelbert and Byron Bekker scored a 1-5 by heading John Branney home taking the score to 11-13.

Adrian Rymel won heat 5 from Fisher and Rajkowski for a shared race then Kevin Doolan did likewise in heat 6 beating Woelbert and Summers. Andre Compton won heat 7 but again the points were shared as Wethers and Dilger finished in the minor places. In heat 8 Edinburgh doubled their lead to four points with a 2-4 when Aaron Summers gated to win the race. Michal Rajkowski in second resorted to his old habit of looking behind him and was soon passed by John Branney on the third lap. The Monarchs now led by 22-26.

Heat 9 produced another Edinburgh 2-4. Workington decided not to give anyone an R/R ride and went with three riders. Adrian Rymel made the gate and led for three laps. However Kevin Woelbert wound it on round the third and fourth bends to pass Rymel on the run in to the line. Summers picked up the gift third place point as the fans wondered why Edinburgh hadn't chosen to give Byron Bekker his third ride in the three rider race. The Monarchs now led by six but it was soon back to four when Kevin Doolan won heat 10 from Wethers with Branney beating Summers for third and a 4-2 for the Comets. Andre Compton won heat 11 from Fisher and Rajkowski for another shared race but things were beginning to look less promising for Edinburgh as the Workington big guns were due to dominate the last four races. Edinburgh's four point lead had been achieved with only four race winners! There was a very lengthy delay after this race as an ambulance had to be called for after Ian Thomas had reportedly fallen in the Workington pits. When the action got underway again Adrian Rymel and John Branney took a 4-2 split by Summers to cut the deficit to two points with the score now 35-37.

It looked like Workington were going to take the lead when they gated for a 5-1 in heat 13 but again Andre Compton suffered an engine failure so Fisher and Woelbert shared the points behind Kevin Doolan to remain two points up. Edinburgh then took a four point lead with a 2-4 in heat 14. Matthew Wethers gated to win the race from Andre Compton while Byron Bekker took third from Scott James. This meant that Workington needed a 5-1 for a draw and Edinburgh needed a 1-5 for all four points.Edinburgh looked like getting the two points they needed to secure a win but Matthew Wethers fell on the second lap while second and was excluded from the rerun in which Rymel and Doolan took the 5-1 the Comets needed for a draw.


Scorers: Workington – Adrian Rymel 14 (5), Kevin Doolan 13+1 (5), John Branney 9 (7), Andre Compton 8 (5), Scott James 1 (6).

Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 10 (5), Kevin Woelbert 9+1 (4), Aaron Summers 9+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 9 (5), Michal Rajkowski 4+1 (4), Byron Bekker 3+2 (3), Max Dilger 1+1 (3).