Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Thursday, 30 August

While King’s Lynn were hosting the Elite League Riders’ Championship at the Norfolk Arena, three tracks ran Premier League matches simultaneously. At Redcar the Bears met Newcastle while at Sheffield the Tigers took on Birmingham. The other match was on the Isle of Wight where Workington were the visitors.


Premier League: Redcar 53, Newcastle 40 Redcar won the aggregate bonus point by 108-78


Redcar were without Mathieu Tressarieu who had been injured racing in France so used Rider Replacement at number 5. Newcastle, however, were at full strength for this match.

After their thumping at home by the Bears, Newcastle were thirsting for revenge in this eagerly awaited local derby. Redcar have proven to be vulnerable at home but not on this occasion although the Diamonds’ cause was not helped when Christian Henry had to withdraw injured after only one ride.

The first three races were all shared. Gary Havelock gated in heat 1 but Henry and Raun tucked in behind him ahead of Auty for the 3-3. In heat 2 Sean Stoddart made the best start but was passed twice by Dan Giffard. Jack Hargreaves retired at the back so it was another 3-3. James Grieves won heat 3 for the Bears but Chris Kerr fell on the second bend leading to another 3-3. Redcar took the lead in heat 4. Carl Wilkinson gated but fell on the same bend as Chris Kerr in the previous heat again on the second lap. Josh Auty moved through to win the race from Sean Stoddart for a 4-2 which took the score to 13-11.

Christian Henry joined the list of fallers when he came off on the first bend of Heat 5. He was excluded from the rerun and took no further part in the meeting with a knee injury. James Grieves and Chris Kerr took a 5-1 from the race to put the home side six points in front. In heat 6 Josh Auty was excluded under the two minute time allowance but his replacement, Daniel Giffard, won the race from Carl Wilkinson and Gary Havelock for a 4-2. Another 4-2 resulted from heat 7 won by Chris Kerr from Josef Franc then heat 8 was shared. Auty and Stoddart fell on the first bend but both took part in the rerun won by Auty from Raun and Stoddart taking the score to 29-19.

Another 5-1 from Grieves and Kerr followed in heat 9 to leave Newcastle struggling. The Bears added another two points to their lead with a 4-2 thanks to a win by Josh Auty from Josef Franc in heat 10. Gary Havelock again finished third. Newcastle got two points back in heat 11 when Sean Stoddart gated to beat James Grieves. Josef Raun took third for a 2-4 to the Diamonds but Grieves was out again in heat 12 and won this time after passing Josef Franc. Daniel Giffard took third for a 4-2 so the score moved to 44-28.

Carl Wilkinson took a Tactical Ride and gated to win heat 13 but Gary Havelock retired leaving Stoddart and Hargreaves to pass and repass each other for third place. Stoddart won that particular battle so the Diamonds registered the big 1-8 cutting the gap to 9 points but the Bears finished with two 4-2s with wins from Chris Kerr and Josh Auty to win by 13 points.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 14 (5), Josh Auty 12 (6), Chris Kerr 11+2 (5), Daniel Giffard 9 (6), Gary Havelock 5 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2 (4).

For Newcastle – Sean Stoddart 12+2 (6), Josef Franc 9+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 9 (5)(with 6 point TR), Jonas Raun 5+1 (4), Christian Henry 2 (2), Paul Clews 2 (4), Sam Dore 1+1 (4).



Premier League: Sheffield 57, Birmingham 36 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 99-83


Both Sheffield were without James Birkinshaw and used Rider Replacement at number 4 instead. They nominated Ben Hopwood as their number 8. Birmingham were without Emiliano Sanchez and used Rider Replacement at number 2.

Trailing by only five points from the match at Birmingham, Sheffield were strong favourites to win tonight’s match and take the bonus. The Tigers were on a roll with two consecutive away wins while Birmingham were also challenging for a top four finish.

This was an incredible match. Sheffield already tracking a six man team plus number 8 and using R/R lost another two riders as a result of a heat 5 crash which saw Andre Compton and James Cockle forced to withdraw from the meeting. The Tigers rallied in fine style to cope with this handicap and beat Birmingham comfortably despite having to contest three races with only one rider and cope with a Brummies 1-8 in heat 7.

It was business as usual for the Tigers when they started with a heat one 5-1 from Wilson and Ashworth but heat 2 was shared after James Cockle forgot to turn on his fuel leaving Paul Cooper to win for a 3-3. Jason Lyons passed both Paul Cooper on the first lap then Andre Compton on the second lap to win heat 3 for a 3-3 but Sheffield doubled their lead in the next race when James Cockle and Joel Parsons won from Ben Powell for a 5-1 to take the score to 16-8.

Then came heat 5. Henning Bager made contact with Andre Compton on the back straight causing the Sheffield rider to fall. James Cockle following behind ploughed into Compton resulting in injuries to both the Sheffield riders and their withdrawal from the meeting. Bager was excluded while number 8, Ben Hopwood, came into the rerun with Paul Cooper. Cooper passed Ben Powell to win the race while Hopwood picked up the gift third place point for a Tigers’ 4-2 putting them ten points ahead. The Tigers’ lead increased to 14 points thanks to another Ashworth/Wilson 5-1 in heat 6. Jason Lyons took a Tactical Ride in heat 7 while Sheffield, having to manage their limited resources carefully, tracked just one rider. Lyons and Moller gated ahead of Joel Parsons for a 1-8 which cut the gap to 7 points. Heat 8 was another with only one Sheffield rider. Again the lone Tiger, Ben Wilson, rose to the occasion by winning the race for a 3-3 and the score now stood at 29-22.

Andre Compton was replaced by Paul Cooper in heat 9 while Ben Hopwood took the R/R ride. Cooper won the race blasting round the two Birmingham riders for another 3-3 but Birmingham shot themselves in the foot in heat 10. Jason Lyons and Henrik Moller gated to head off for a 1-5 but Lyons fell on the third bend causing the race to be rerun in which Ashworth won from Moller with Wilson third resulting in a 4-2 to the home side instead. The Tigers demoralised their visitors with a fine 5-1 in heat 11. Parsons and Cooper hit the front and team rode beautifully to deny any passing opportunity to the hard chasing Hauzinger and Bager for a 5-1 which increased the lead to 13 points. In heat 12 Sheffield again tracked only one rider. This time Lyons won the race from Cooper and Lee Smart picked up the third place for a 2-4 to Birmingham which took the score to 43-32.

Ricky Ashworth continued his unbeaten run by winning heat 13 while Ben Powell passed Joel Parsons for second place as the Tigers added another 4-2. Cooper and Parsons scored a 5-1 ahead of Powell and Moller in heat 14 then Ashworth and Wilson added another in heat 15 as Jason Lyons finished third. This was a magnificent performance by the Tigers who took all three points as a result to keep their play-off chances intact.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Paul Cooper 17+2 (7), Ricky Ashworth 14+1 (5), Ben Wilson 11+2 (5), Joel Parsons 10+1 (5), James Cockle 2+1 (2), Andre Compton 2 (1), Ben Hopwood 1 (2).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13 (5)(with 6 point TR), Ben Powell 10 (7), Henrik Moller 4+1 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 4 (4), Lee Smart 3+2 (4), Henning Bager 2 (5).



Premier League: Isle of Wight 56, Workington 39 Isle of Wight won the aggregate bonus point by 109-81


The Isle of Wight had Tom Brown at number 6 guesting for the injured Andrew Bargh while Workington were missing Mattia Carpanese who had announced that he was leaving Workington to return to Italy. The Comets had been given a dispensation for Carpanese so used Rider Replacement at number 2.

Workington were considered to be stronger without Carpanese who had completely lost confidence. The Islanders had beaten the Comets round Derwent Park by 11 points recently but they had caught the home side on a bad night when they were struggling with injuries.

Holder and Gathercole started with a 5-1 from Ostergaard in heat 1 but the Comets pulled two points back with a 2-4 in the reserves race. John Branney won from Chris Johnson with Charles Wright third. The home side responded with a 4-2 in a race won by Jason Bunyan from James Wright then Kauko Nieminen won heat 4 for a 3-3 which took the score to 14-10.

Heats 5 and 6 resulted in 5-1s to the Islanders thanks to Bunyan and Phillips in heat 5 then Gathercole and Holder in heat 6. This rocketed the home side into a 12 point lead but in heat 7 James Wright took a Tactical Ride. He won it too from Krzysztof Stojanowski and with Craig Branney third the Comets took a 2-7 cutting the deficit to 7 points. Any hopes the Comets had of making further inroads to the home side’s lead were dashed by a home 5-1 in heat 8 from Gathercole and Johnson which took the score to 31-20.

Kauko Nieminen won heat 9 for a 3-3 but another Gathercole/Holder 5-1 in heat 10 put the Isle of Wight 15 points ahead and out of sight. Kauko Nieminen was given a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 11 from 15 metres back but it was Stojanowski who won the race. Ostergaard slowed to let Nieminen through for second place so the Comets did take a 3-5 heat advantage but a 4-2 in heat 12 from Bunyan and Johnson split by James Wright took the score to 46-31.

Chris Holder kept his unbeaten record by winning heat 13 from Ostergaard and Nieminen for a 3-3 then Glen Phillips won heat 14 also for a shared race. In heat 15 Holder completed his paid maximum while Kauko Nieminen finished ahead of Gathercole to deny him his maximum as the race finished as a 4-2 to the Isle of Wight for a 17 point win and all three points.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 13+2 (5)(paid maximum), Cory Gathercole 12+1 (5), Jason Bunyan 11 (4), Glen Phillips 7+2 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 7 (4), Chris Johnson 6+2 (4), Tom Brown 0 (4).


For Workington – Kauko Nieminen 14+1 (6)(with 4 point TS), James Wright 11 (4)(with 6 point TR), Ulrich Ostergaard 5+1 (4), Craig Branney 4 (5), John Branney 4 (6), Charles Wright 1 (5).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Wednesday, 29 August



Just the one Premier League match was raced tonight and that was at Birmingham where Mildenhall were the visitors.



Premier League: Birmingham 58, Mildenhall 34 Birmingham won the aggregate bonus point by 106-76.


Birmingham without Emiliano Sanchez operated Rider Replacement at number 2. Mildenhall were without Kyle Legault and Mark Baseby but had Stoke’s Lee Complin as a guest for Legault at number 3 and Karl Mason as a reserve guest for Mark Baseby at number 6.

Already tracking a patched up side due to injuries to Kyle Legault and Mark Baseby, Mildenhall were hit further by the injury bug when Shaun Tacey’s primary chain broke causing him to collide with his team mate, Tom P Madsen in heat 5. Madsen withdrew from the meeting and was taken to hospital then, after attempting to ride in heat 8, Shaun Tacey had to withdraw too suffering from concussion.

Having already won by 6 points at West Row, Birmingham were expected to run out comfortable winners and that’s the way it worked out especially following Madsen and Tacey’s withdrawal.

Henning Bager made a fast start to win the opening heat while Manuel Hauzinger had to battle his way past Tom P Madsen for third place to give the home side a winning start with a 4-2. Tomas Suchanek won the reserves race which was shared after Lee Smart had passed Karl Mason then the Brummies doubled their lead to four points with another 4-2 in heat 3. Lee Complin led Jason Lyons for a couple of laps until a Lyons cut back on the fourth bend took him past the Fen Tigers’ guest. The lead was doubled again in heat 4 with a home 5-1 from Hauzinger and Powell taking the score to 16-8.

Heat 5 had to be rerun following the Tacey/Madsen collision with Tacey excluded and, in the rerun, Jason Lyons won the race followed by Madsen’s replacement, Tomas Suchanek, with Henrik Moller third for a home 4-2. Heat 6 was also a 4-2 to the Brummies. Jason King after making a good start was passed by both Bager and Powell but fought back to repass Powell in the run in to the flag. In heat 7, Lee Complin was given a Tactical Ride but it was Manuel Hauzinger who roared off to win the race. Complin had to settle for second place but was followed home by Paul Fry which resulted in a 3-5 heat advantage to the Fen Tigers. Shaun Tacey started heat 8 but had to withdraw from the meeting due to the concussion he had sustained in heat 5 leaving the visitors with five riders. Henning Bager won the race but the overworked Suchanek finished second from Ben Powell for another 4-2 taking the score to 31-19.

Jason Lyons and Henrik Moller gated in heat 9 and that’s the way it finished as Moller held off the strong challenge of Jason King. This stretched the lead to 16 points. Henrik Moller was out again in heat 10 taking the R/R ride and he won it too beating Lee Complin with a fast start. Bager finished third so the Brummies added another two points to their lead with the 4-2. Hauzinger gated to win heat 11 but Karl Mason and Tomas Suchanek followed him home for a shared race then Jason Lyons continued his unbeaten run by winning heat 12 from Lee Complin. Suchanek again finished third so again this heat was shared and the score stood at 46-28.

Henning Bager was back to winning ways in heat 13 while Jason King had his hands full keeping Lee Smart at bay for a 4-2. Henrik Moller won heat 14 from Suchanek and Fry for another shared race then, in the last race, Jason Lyons completed his full maximum by winning from Henning Bager to give the home side a final 5-1 and 24 point win.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Henning Bager 15+1 (6), Jason Lyons 15 (5)(full maximum), Henrik Moller 10+1 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 10 (4), Ben Powell 6+1 (5), Lee Smart 2+1 (5).

For Mildenhall – Tomas Suchanek 11+2 (7), Lee Complin 10 (5)(with 4 point TR), Jason King 7 (5), Paul Fry 2+2 (4), Shaun Tacey 2 (3), Karl Mason 2 (5), Tom P Madsen 0 (2).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Monday, 27 August

Three Premier League tracks jumped on board the Bank Holiday ship to run Premier League matches. At Rye House the Rockets met the Isle of Wight while at Newcastle the Diamonds took on Glasgow. The other match was at Workington where the Comets raced against Berwick.


Premier League: Rye House 69, Isle of Wight 21 Rye House won the aggregate bonus point by 109-71


Rye House were at full strength while the Isle of Wight had Danny Betson at number 6 in place of Andrew Bargh.

It was hard to tell whether Rye House were so good or whether the Isle of Wight were so poor as this match turned into a massacre in front of a television audience of millions. It was probably the former. There’s no doubt that the Rockets can hardly ever have turned in a better display of fast gating, superb riding and total commitment while their visitors wondered what had hit them. By contrast the Isle of Wight handicapped themselves by failing almost completely to live with their opponents from the starts. Most of their effort went into chasing at the back. Even when they did make decent starts the Rockets invariably hunted them down and passed them.

It was heat 7 before any of the visitors finished in front of a home man as the Rockets rattled up six consecutive 5-1s to lead 30-6. This doesn’t mean that there were any lack of incidents in these opening heats. In heat 2 Danny Betson was the meat in a Rocket sandwich and was struck by Adam Roynon’s back wheel. He turned right and high-sided it before crashing heavily through the first bend fence. Luckily he was not seriously injured and was able to take his place in the rerun. In heat 4 both the Islanders made a rare gate but Steve Boxall roared round the pair of them on the second bend. On the second lap Adam Roynon made a stunning move by passing both of them too.

In heat 5 Chris Holder took a Tactical Ride and finished last! He went too wide on the second bend, had to shut off to avoid hitting the fence and never featured thereafter. The Rockets perfect record was dented in heat 7 won by Steve Boxall. Luke Bowen ran wide on the second bend and slipped well to the back to leave Bunyan and Phillips in second and third. However Glen Phillips retired with bike trouble so Bowen picked up a point after all in a Rockets’ 4-2. In heat 8 the Rockets were back to their 5-1 winning ways but not until Adam Roynon had passed Cory Gathercole on the fourth bend on lap 3 to join Stefan Ekberg up front and take the score to 39-9.

Two more 5-1s followed from the gate but Chris Holder finally came to the party by winning heat 11 to give the Islanders something to cheer about – a shared race. Heat 12 Tai Woffinden missed the gate but passed Johnson on the third bend to move into third. Jason Bunyan led at this point but he was chased down and passed in another virtuoso performance by Adam Roynon. Still Bunyan had ended Woffinden’s maximum hopes as the Rockets were restricted to a 4-2. The score now stood at 56-16 and the big question was – would the visitors hit 20 points?

Chris Holder gated in heat 13 and it looked like he might win another race. However the Rockets weren’t having that so Steve Boxall swooped past him on the outside down the back straight while Chris Neath did the same on the inside in a superb pincer movement. That was another 5-1 for the home side and yet another followed in heat 14 after Luke Bowen passed Glen Phillips to join Tommy Allen up front. This left the Isle of Wight needing two points to make it to the 20 point mark and Chris Holder ‘did the business’ when he shot from the gate and got quickly onto the outside line to leave Neath and Boxall in his wake.

Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 13+1 (5), Steve Boxall 12+1 (5), Adam Roynon 10+2 (4)(paid maximum), Tai Woffinden 10 (4), Stefan Ekberg 9+3 (4)(paid maximum), Tommy Allen 9+3 (4)(paid maximum), Luke Bowen 6+3 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 8 (5), Jason Bunyan 6 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 3 (4), Cory Gathercole 2 (4), Danny Betson 1 (3), Glen Phillips 1 (4), Chris Johnson 0 (5).



Premier League: Newcastle 50, Glasgow 44 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 99-88

Both Newcastle and Glasgow were at full strength for this match.

The Glasgow express finally hit the buffers when they lost to a Newcastle team which supplied 12 of the 15 race winners. Having beaten the Diamonds by 17 points at Ashfield yesterday the Tigers were looking for all five points from the two fixtures to keep alive their play-off hopes. They never looked like doing it though.

The opening heat, once it got going, had all the hallmarks of a Glasgow 1-5 until Craig Watson fell off on the first bend of the second lap and was excluded. Track grading took place before the rerun which was won by Christian Henry from David McAllan so the Diamonds opened with a 4-2. Glasgow drew level again with a 2-4 in heat 2 won by Lee Dicken from Sean Stoddart with Michael Coles third but the home side shot four points in front in heat 3 when Shane Parker had an engine failure leaving Josef Franc and Paul Clews to take a 5-1 at the expense of Robert Ksiezak. Carl Wilkinson won heat 4 from Leverington and Dicken for a shared race taking the score to 14-10.

In heat 5 Josef Franc won again beating Craig Watson while David McAllan came off at the back and had to be taken from the track by ambulance with suspected broken toes. The 4-2 put the home side 6 points ahead then, in heat 6, Christian Henry beat Trent Leverington while Jonas Raun was third for another Diamonds’ 4-2 putting them 8 points ahead. Carl Wilkinson kept the Newcastle race winners coming by beating Shane Parker in heat 7 while Ksiezak picked up third by heading home Sam Dore for a shared heat. In heat 8 the Tigers gave Shane Parker a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing the injured McAllan. Sean Stoddart won the race although Parker got through for second. With Lee Dicken third Glasgow scored a 3-5 to cut the deficit to six points again with the score now standing at 28-22.

Newcastle forged 10 points ahead with a 5-1 in heat 9 when Josef Franc and Paul Clews relegated Trent Leverington to third. Josef Raun fell in heat 10 leaving Christian Henry to win the race for a 3-3 ahead of Parker and Ksiezak then in heat 11, with the Tigers still 10 points down, Craig Watson took a Tactical Ride. Carl Wilkinson won the heat to keep his maximum going while Watson and Dicken filled the minor places ahead of Sam Dore. The Tigers took another 3-5 therefore cutting the home side’s lead to eight points. Josef Franc passed Shane Parker to win heat 12 while Sean Stoddart took third ahead of Lee Dicken so the Diamonds took a 4-2 increasing their lead to 10 points again with the score now 43-33.

Carl Wilkinson won again in heat 13 but Christian Henry fell leaving Watson and Leverington to share the race behind him but Glasgow took a 1-5 in heat 14 through Lee Dicken and Robert Ksiezak cutting the arrears to 6 points. It was too little too late to have any bearing on the result but Shane Parker won heat 15 to deny Wilkinson and Franc their maximums while Watson finished last for a shared heat. Newcastle took the two league points but Glasgow won the bonus.

Scorers: For Newcastle – Carl Wilkinson 14 (5), Josef Franc 13+1 (5), Christian Henry 9 (4), Paul Clews 6+2 (4), Sean Stoddart 6 (5), Jonas Raun 2 (4), Sam Dore 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 13 (6)(with 4 point TS), Lee Dicken 9+3 (6), Craig Watson 8 (5)(with 4 point TR), Trent Leverington 6+1 (4), Robert Ksiezak 5+3 (4), David McAllan 2 (2), Michael Coles 1 (3).



Premier League: Workington 53, Berwick 37 Workington won the aggregate bonus point by 101-82



Both Workington and Berwick were at full strength again for this meeting.

After winning at Berwick on Saturday and given Berwick’s poor record this season, this was perhaps expected to be a runaway win for the home side. Berwick, however, hung in and, aided by some bike problems for the Comets, were still in the hunt with two heats to go.

Andreas Bergstrom and Michal Makovsky gated in heat 1 but Ulrich Ostergaard passed them both on the second bend to race away to win the race. Mattia Carpanese was stuck at the back, however, so the race was shared. The Comets took the lead in heat 2. John Branney was the winner but Sam Martin moved into second when Charles Wright who had been leading the race suffered an engine failure on the third bend of the last lap. He still had enough in the bank to coast round for third place ahead of David Meldrum though! Jacek Rempala led heat three until he was passed by James Wright on the last bend of the second lap then by Craig Branney on the last bend so the home side took a 5-1 to go 6 points in front. Kauko Nieminen won heat 4 from Theo Pijper while John Branney, in third place, got a puncture on the back straight of the last lap and was pipped on the line by David Meldrum. The heat was shared so the score stood at 15-9.

Michal Makovsky won heat 5 from James Wright while Craig Branney passed Andreas Bergstrom for a shared heat. Heat 6 won by Ulrich Ostergaard was shared too as was heat 7. Rempala gated well again but was passed on the second bend by Kauko Nieminen while at the back Charles Wright suffered engine problems letting Stanislaw Burza through for third place. The Bandits got two points back in heat 8. Andreas Bergstrom won the race after gating with David Meldrum. John Branney finally got passed Meldrum on the last bend restricting the Bandits to a 2-4 taking the score to 26-22.

Theo Pijper briefly led heat 9 before being passed by James Wright while Craig Branney finished third for a Comets’ 4-2 increasing their lead to 6 points again. Ulrich Ostergaard worked his way passed the fast starting Bandits’ pair in heat 10. He took Burza on the fourth bend of the first lap then Rempala on the last bend for a 3-3. In heat 11 Charles Wright had an engine failure on the first bend while Kauko Nieminen passed Michal Makovsky on the second bend for another shared race. Heat 12 was a 3-3 too. James Wright won the race but Jacek Rempala and Sam Martin finished behind him as the score went to 39-33.

The home side’s lead stretched to 8 points in heat 13 when Michal Makovsky could only split Ostergaard and Nieminen for a 4-2 but it was all over one heat later. Charles Wright and Craig Branney beat Stanislaw Burza into third place for a 5-1 then the Comets finished with another 5-1 in heat 13 from Nieminen and Ostergaard to stretch the winning margin to 16 points.

Scorers: For Workington – Ulrich Ostergaard 14+1 (5)(paid maximum), Kauko Nieminen 13 (5), James Wright 11 (4), Craig Branney 6+3 (4), John Branney 5 (5), Charles Wright 4 (4), Mattia Carpanese 0 (3).

For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 8+1 (5), Jacek Rempala 8 (5), Andreas Bergstrom 6+1 (4), Theo Pijper 6 (4), Sam Martin 4+2 (5), Stanislaw Burza 3+2 (4), David Meldrum 2+1 (3).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Sunday, 26 August

Bank Holiday Sunday saw four Premier League matches take place. At Glasgow the Tigers faced Newcastle while at Newport the Wasps took on Somerset. The third match was at Mildenhall where the Fen Tigers raced against the Tigers of Sheffield. Finally at Birmingham the Brummies had King’s Lynn as their visitors.


Premier League: Glasgow 55, Newcastle 38


Both Glasgow and Newcastle were at full strength for this match.

The opening two heats were shared. David McAllan made a fast start to heat 1 to beat Jonas Raun and Christian Henry passed Craig Watson on the last bend for a 3-3. Michael Coles won heat 2 but Sam Dore and Sean Stoddart finished behind him for another drawn heat. Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak put the Tigers four points ahead in heat 3 with Parker breaking the track record into the bargain then Trent Leverington made it four race winners on the trot for the home side by winning heat 4. Again however Lee Dicken was last so this heat was shared taking the score to 14-10.

Jonas Raun was excluded for tape touching in heat 5 so was replaced by Sean Stoddart. Parker won again after he pulled away from Christian Henry. Ksiezak was third so the race finished as a 4-2. The same score was recorded in heat 6 when McAllan won again beating Carl Wilkinson who passed Craig Watson so the Tigers were now eight points up. Josef Franc became the first visiting rider to win a race in heat 7 when he beat Trent Leverington. Paul Clews passed Michael Coles for third place so Newcastle scored a 2-4 from the heat. Glasgow replied with a 4-2 in heat 8. David McAllan kept his unbeaten run going by finishing ahead of Jonas Raun while Lee Dicken scored his first point ahead of Sean Stoddart. This took the score to 28-20.

Sam Dore fell in heat 9 causing the race to be rerun. Shane Parker won the heat and with Ksiezak behind him another 5-1 went to the Tigers putting them 12 points ahead. Josef Franc won heat 10 for the Diamonds with Watson and McAllan in second and third for a shared race then Christian Henry was given a Tactical Ride in heat 11. He won the race from Trent Leverington who prevented a 1-8 by passing Jonas Raun on the last bend of the second lap. The Diamonds took a 2-7 though cutting the gap to 7 points. In heat 12 Shane Parker was in front again but at the end of the last lap Josef Franc and Lee Dicken clashed on the last bend of the second lap. Dicken fell and the referee eventually excluded the Newcastle rider. In the rerun Parker and Dicken scored a 5-1 ahead of Sean Stoddart to stretch the gap to 11 points with the score now 43-32.

Craig Watson finally won a race in heat 13 while Christian Henry finished second after a race long tussle with Trent Leverington for a home 4-2. Josef Franc was then given a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back replacing Paul Clews in heat 14. Ksiezak and Coles took a 5-1 from the race as Franc was unable to make up the handicap. In the last race Shane Parker completed his maximum but Henry and Franc finished ahead of McAllan for a shared heat giving the Tigers a 17 point win and Newcastle a lot to do on Monday night to challenge for the bonus point..

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5), David McAllan 11+1 (5), Robert Ksiezak 8+2 (4), Trent Leverington 8 (4), Craig Watson 6 (4), Michael Coles 5+1 (4), Lee Dicken 3+1 (4).

For Newcastle – Christian Henry 13+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Josef Franc 8+1 (6), Jonas Raun 5 (4), Carl Wilkinson 4+1 (4), Sean Stoddart 4+1 (6), Paul Clews 2 (3), Sam Dore 2 (3).



Premier League: Newport 48, Somerset 42 Somerset won the aggregate bonus point by 103-77

Newport were at full strength but Somerset were missing Magnus Zetterstrom who was riding in Poland. The Rebels were only allowed a Conference League guest in his place so had Karl Mason at number 1.

There is only limited information available about this match but it’s clear that Magnus Zetterstrom’s absence cost the Rebels an away win which might yet be significant as so many teams chase a top four finish.

The first four heats were shared leaving things tied at 12-12 before Newport took the lead with a 5-1 in heat 5 from Tony Atkin and Phil Morris. Ritchie Hawkins won heat 6 from Michal Rajkowski with Jordan Frampton third for a 2-4 to Somerset cutting their arrears to two points. It was all square after heat 7 when Emil Kramer won again from Chris Schramm. Stephan Katt was third for a 2-4. The Rebels then took a four point lead with a 1-5 in heat 8 through the efforts of Simon Walker and Jordan Frampton taking the score to 22-26.

Tony Atkin won heat 9 but Phil Morris was excluded so the race points were shared then in heat 10 the Wasps pulled two points back with a 4-2. Rajkowski won the race from Emil Kramer while Hedley picked up third place after Stephan Katt had been excluded. Jordan Frampton won heat 11 for a 3-3 and Phil Morris did likewise in heat 12 taking the score to 35-37. Even with a two point lead the visitors looked fragile without Zetterstrom’s usual heat 13 and 15 appearances.

When Ritchie Hawkins was excluded from heat 13 Chris Schramm and Michal Rajkowski took a 5-1 which put the Wasps two points in front then another 5-1 from Tony Atkin and Nick Simmons sealed a win for the home side. Rajkowski won heat 15 for a shared race and Newport earned a six point win.

Scorers: For Newport – Michal Rajkowski 12+1 (5), Tony Atkin 11 (5), Chris Schramm 9 (4), Phil Morris 6+2 (4), Nick Simmons 5+2 (4), Barry Burchatt 3+2 (4), Tom Hedley 2+1 (4).

For Somerset – Jordan Frampton 13+1, Emil Kramer 10+2 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 10 (5), Simon Walker 7 (4), Stephan Katt 1, Danny Warwick 1, Karl Mason 0 (3).



Premier League: Mildenhall 43, Sheffield 46 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 98-81


Mildenhall were at full strength but Sheffield used Rider Replacement for the injured James Birkinshaw at number 4.

Tom P Madsen suffered a foot injury in heat 1 when Ricky Ashworth made contact with him but Shaun Tacey won the race from Ricky Ashworth and Ben Wilson for a 3-3. The Fen Tigers took the lead in heat 2. Mark Baseby won the race from James Cockle with Tomas Suchanek third for a 4-2 then the home side added a 5-1 in heat 3 from Kyle Legault and Paul Fry with Andre Compton third for a six point lead. James Cockle won heat 3 for Sheffield while Joel Parsons finished third behind Jason King for a 2-4 taking the score to 14-10.

Kyle Legault and Paul Fry added two points to Mildenhall’s lead with a 4-2 in heat 5 when Ricky Ashworth could only split the home pairing. The Fen Tigers then rocketed into a ten point lead with a 5-1 in heat 6 from Tom Madsen and Shaun Tacey as Joel Parsons could only follow them home. Heat 7 won by Andre Compton was shared then Ben Wilson won heat 8 also for a shared heat taking the score to 29-19. In neither race did Sheffield see fit to use a Tactical Ride, a decision they might have regretted.

Kyle Legault was controversially excluded from heat 9 when he was deemed to have clashed with Paul Cooper although there had not appeared to have been any contact. Paul Fry won the race from Joel Parsons for a 3-2 in a two rider finish to put the home side 11 points in front. There was still no TR from the visitors when in heat 10 Sheffield hit back with a 2-4 from Andre Compton and Paul Cooper with Shaun Tacey taking second place. This cut the gap to 9 points and Sheffield’s opportunity for a TR was gone. Perhaps their arithmetic had gone awry because they tried to give a TR to Ashworth in heat 11 until it was pointed out that they were now only 9 points down. Heat 11 resulted in a 1-5 for the visitors through Ashworth and Wilson cutting the gap to only five points then in heat 12 Kyle Legault lifted and was lucky to be included in the rerun of the heat which was shared taking the score to 35-30.

Tom P Madsen was ruled out of the match as was Kyle Legault leaving the Fen Tigers ill-prepared for the last three heats. In heat 13 Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons raced off for another 1-5 to the Yorkshire Tigers leaving them only one point adrift. Heat 14 was shared leaving the final race as a last heat decider. Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth cashed in by taking a 1-5 to win all three points for the visitors who had turned an 11 point deficit into a 3 point win over the last 6 heats and given their play-off chances a massive, albeit slightly fortunate, boost.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Shaun Tacey 10+1 (5), Paul Fry 9+1 (5), Kyle Legault 7+1 (4), Jason King 6 (4), Mark Baseby 4+1 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (5), Tom P Madsen 3 (3).

For Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 13 (5), Andre Compton 12+1 (5), Ben Wilson 6+2 (4), Joel Parsons 6+1 (5), James Cockle 5 (5), Paul Cooper 4+1 (6).



Premier League: Birmingham 43, King’s Lynn 46

Birmingham were without the unfortunate Emiliano Sanchez so used Rider Replacement at number 2 with Manuel Hauzinger moving to number 5. King’s Lynn were at full strength.

Chris Mills won the opening race with Tomas Topinka at the back while Moller and Bager earned a 3-3 but the Brummies failed to score in heat 2. Lee Smart fell after taking the lead while Ben Powell had an engine failure. This gave the Stars a 0-5 which was to prove crucial to the end result. Daniel Nermark won from the Lyons/Moller pairing in heat 3 for another 3-3 but the Brummies hit back with a 5-1 in heat 4 from Manuel Hauzinger and Ben Powell to take the score to 11-12.

Jason Lyons won heat 5 but Henrik Moller finished behind Topinka and Mills so this race was shared but another 5-1 from Hauzinger (R/R) and Bager in heat 6 put the home side ahead for the first time. King’s Lynn replied in kind with a 1-5 from Nermark and Lee as this time Hauzinger finished third. Chris Mills scored another race win in heat 8 for a 3-3 and the score was now 23-24.

The Brummies were back in front after heat 9 when Lyons beat Harding with Moller third for a 4-2 and it stayed that way after Daniel Nermark won heat 10 from Bager and Powell for another 3-3. Heat 11 was pivotal, too, when Manuel Hauzinger fell leaving Topinka and Mills to score another 1-5 with Lee Smart third. The Stars were now three points to the good but Birmingham pulled two of them back with a 4-2 in heat 12 when Jason Lyons finally lowered Nermark’s colours as Ben Powell picked up third. This took the score to 35-36.

Tomas Topinka won heat 13 from Hauzinger and Bager for a 3-3 but Birmingham took a 4-2 in heat 14 from Ben Powell, who beat Paul Lee, and Henrik Moller. This put the home side 1 point ahead going into the last race. Disaster struck for the Brummies again when Jason Lyons’ bike gave up the ghost at the starting gate leaving Tomas Topinka and Daniel Nermark to race off for a 1-5 which gave the Stars a three point win.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 11 (5), Ben Powell 9+2 (6), Manuel Hauzinger 9 (5), Henning Bager 8+4 (6), Henrik Moller 5+1 (5), Lee Smart 1 (3).

For King’s Lynn – Daniel Nermark 13+1 (5), Tomas Topinka 11 (5), Chris Mills 9+2 (4), Paul Lee 4+1 (4), James Brundle 3+1 (3), Trevor Harding 3 (4), Benji Compton 3 (5).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007
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Saturday, 25 August

With the four Saturday night tracks in action against each other there were only two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Stoke the Potters raced Rye House while at Berwick the Bandits took on Workington.


Premier League: Stoke 47, Rye House 43


Stoke were at full strength as were Rye House who introduced their new signing, Stefan Ekberg, replacing injury-victim Robbie Kessler at number 2.


Rye House looked as though they were heading for an away victory when they opened up an eight point lead after three heats. The turning point was probably as early as heat 4 when Adam Roynon fell causing Steve Boxall to lay down while the Rockets were on a 1-5. Stoke cashed in by turning it round to a 5-1 as the race continued so instead of finding themselves 12 points down they had cut the gap to four points.

New signing Stefan Ekberg made a perfect start on his debut for the Rockets by winning the opening heat from the Stoke pair then the visitors struck with consecutive 1-5s in heats 2 and 3 to open an eight point gap. Barrie Evans fell in heat 2 as Roynon and Bowen romped off for the maximum then the Rockets got a real stroke of luck when Lee Complin packed up while leading heat 3. Tommy Allen and Tai Woffinden beat Glenn Cunningham for 1-5 number two. When Roynon fell in heat 4 causing Boxall to bale out to prevent hitting him, Stoke redressed the balance with a 5-1 from Claus Vissing and Jaimie Smith for a 5-1 which took the score to 10-14.

Lee Complin won heat 5 from Chris Neath while Glenn Cunningham passed Stefan Ekberg for third and a home 4-2 which left them just two points down. Steve Boxall won heat 6 for a 3-3 keeping the visitors ahead and Rye House looked to be going six ahead when Tommy Allen fell on the last bend while leading the race. This left his partner, Tai Woffinden, to pass him for the race win and another shared heat. The Rockets did increase their lead in heat 8 though. Stefan Ekberg won the race from Ben Barker while Adam Roynon took third after Jaimie Smith had fallen. The score now stood at 22-26 with the Rockets having supplied six of the eight race winners.

Stoke pulled two points back in heat 9 when Lee Complin hunted down Steve Boxall to make a stunning pass on the third lap for the race win. Glenn Cunningham was third for the 4-2. Tai Woffinden remained unbeaten for the Rockets by winning heat 10 but this time Tommy Allen missed the gate and finished last so the race was shared. The visitors then increased their lead in heat 11. Ekberg won again beating Claus Vissing while Chris Neath took third for a 2-4 putting the Rockets four ahead again. Then the wheels came off for Rye House. In heat 12 Evans and Cunningham flew from the start leaving Woffinden and Roynon to chase. As the Stoke pair team rode round Woffinden fell trying to get past them and Roynon’s efforts failed too. This gave Stoke a 5-1 and they were back on level terms with the score at 36-36.

Steve Boxall won heat 13 from Claus Vissing while Rusty Harrison passed Chris Neath on the third lap for a 3-3 but the home side finally took the lead for the first time in heat 14. Lee Complin won the race for the Potters but it was Barrie Evans who was the hero as he passed Adam Roynon on lap 2 then Tommy Allen on lap 3 to join Complin for a 5-1 and a four point lead going into the last race. Lee Complin made it four consecutive race wins by winning the last heat from Ekberg and Boxall and the Potters were home and dry leaving Rye House to rue what might have been.


Scorers: For Stoke – Lee Complin 12 (5), Claus Vissing 9 (4), Rusty Harrison 6+2 (4), Ben Barker 6+2 (4), Barrie Evans 6+2 (5), Glenn Cunningham 5+1 (4), Jamie Smith 3+1 (3).

For Rye House – Stefan Ekberg 11 (5), Steve Boxall 10+1 (5), Tai Woffinden 8+1 (4), Adam Roynon 6 (5), Chris Neath 3 (4), Tommy Allen 3 (4), Luke Bowen 2+1 (3).



Premier League: Berwick 45, Workington 48.


Both Berwick and Workington were both at full strength for this meeting.

Berwick must be wondering what they have to do to win a match as they went down at home for the seventh time in ten home league matches. The Bandits stood ten points up with just five heats to go but unbelievably lost the last five heats by 10-23 as Workington stormed back.

Ulrich Ostergaard won the opener for a 3-3 before the Comets took the lead in heat 2 when Charles Wright won from David Meldrum with John Branney third for a 2-4. They then hit the Bandits with a 1-5 in heat 3 through James Wright and Craig Branney with the Rempala/Burza pairing at the back. Theo Pijper made a fast start to win heat 4 for the home side from Kauko Nieminen. John Branney suffered an engine failure as David Meldrum took third for a 4-2 which pulled two points back for the Bandits taking the score to 10-14.

Then Berwick stepped up a gear and hit a rich vein of form. Stanislaw Burza started it of by beating Ulrich Ostergaard with Jacek Rempala third for a 4-2 then, when Kauko Nieminen retired from heat 5, Michal Makovsky and Andreas Bergstrom cashed in with a 5-1 to wipe out the arrears and put the Bandits two points ahead. James Wright suffered an engine failure in heat 7 but Craig Branney came to the rescue for the Comets with a cracking gate to win from Pijper and Martin for a 3-3. It was just a blip for the Bandits though as they cracked home another 5-1 in heat 8 thanks to Andreas Bergstrom and David Meldrum with Charles Wright finishing third. This took the score to 27-21.

The Bandits increased their lead to eight points when Rempala won heat 9 from Nieminen with Burza third for a 4-2 and the lead went to ten points when Michal Makovsky beat James Wright in heat 10. Andreas Bergstrom took third place so another 4-2 went the home side’s way. There was no sign at this stage of the Berwick collapse still to come. Ten points down Workington gave Ulrich Ostergaard a Tactical Ride in heat 11 which he won from Theo Pijper. Sam Martin limited the damage by beating Mattia Carpanese for third place so the Comets took a 3-6. The alarm bells started ringing for the home side though when the Comets struck again this time with a 1-5 from the Wright brothers in heat 12 with Rempala third. The lead had been cut to just three points in the space of two heats with the score now reading 39-36.

The home collapse continued in heat 13 as Kauko Nieminen and Ulrich Ostergaard added another 1-5 ahead of Makovsky and Pijper which not only wiped out the Comets’ deficit but put them one point in front. Stanislaw Burza steadied the ship and gave some hope to the Bandits’ fans by winning heat 14 from Charles Wright. David Meldrum took third place from Craig Branney so the Bandits took a 4-2 which put them one point ahead with just the last race to come. Alas for the Bandits Ulrich Ostergaard and James Wright wrapped up the match with another Comets’ 1-5, their third in four heats, for a three point victory giving them two away victories in two consecutive nights giving them an outside chance of making the play-offs.

Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 10 (5), Andreas Bergstrom 7+2 (4), Theo Pijper 7 (4), Stanislaw Burza 7 (5), David Meldrum 6+1 (5), Jacek Rempala 6 (4), Sam Martin 2+2 (3).

For Workington – Ulrich Ostergaard 16+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), James Wright 10+1 (5), Charles Wright 9+1 (6), Kauko Nieminen 7 (4), Craig Branney 5+1 (4), John Branney 1 (3), Mattia Carpanese 0 (3).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007
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Friday, 24 August

There were two Premier League matches and a Knockout Cup match raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs met Workington while at Somerset the Rebels took on Sheffield both in Premier League matches. The Knockout Cup match was at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced a first leg semi-final tie against the Isle of Wight.


Premier League: Edinburgh 44, Workington 49 Workington won the aggregate bonus point by 99-84


Edinburgh were without Kai Laukkanen on Grand Prix duty and had Jacek Rempala at number three as a guest in his place. They also had Sam Martin at number 7 in place of the injured Daniele Tessari. Workington were at full strength.

Edinburgh went down at home again but their cause wasn’t helped when they discovered shortly before the match that their intended guest for Kai Laukkanen, Jason Lyons, was ineligible due to new averages issued in new green sheets. Jacek Rempala agreed to fill the gap at short notice. Workington were looking for an away win to get their charge for a top four finish restarted.

It all started so well for the Monarchs when George Stancl and Derek Sneddon made the gate in heat 1. Ulrich Ostergaard fell on the second bend and remounted while Mattia Carpanese looking distinctly uneasy took third. The home 5-1 was neutralised in the reserves race when Charles Wright and John Branney left the Edinburgh pair stranded at the gate. James Wright won heat 3 by a mile and it looked as though Craig Branney was going to pass Jacek Rempala for second place when the Workington rider overslid the fourth bend allowing Andrew Tully through for a shared heat. Workington took the lead with a 2-4 in heat 4. Kauko Nieminen won the race comfortably from Matthew Wethers with John Branney third taking the score to 11-13.

Ulrich Ostergaard won heat 5 under pressure from Andrew Tully but there was a pantomime at the back as Jacek Rempala miles behind in third place kept looking uneasily behind him to see whether Mattia Carpanese who was even further adrift was making ground on him. He wasn’t so the race was shared. George Stancl made a mess of the start in heat 6 and never figured in the race. He could only watch from behind as Derek Sneddon played a real captain’s part by beating Kauko Nieminen for another shared race. Workington then eased six points ahead with a 1-5 in heat 7 as Craig Branney and James Wright had an unchallenged ride from Matthew Wethers. Derek Sneddon won heat 8 from the gate. On the first bend, John Branney got out of shape and baulked Sam Martin who had to shut off. The referee saw no wrong though and the race proceeded. Justice was done however when Martin cleverly cut back on the last bend to pass Branney on the run in to the line. This gave Edinburgh a 4-2 and the score was now 22-26.

The Comets looked like taking a 1-5 in heat 9 when Charles Wright made a fast start and was shepherded round by Kauko Nieminen. However Andrew Tully wasn’t giving in and with a marvellous outside drive round Nieminen on the last bend pipped the Comet right on the line. Workington took a 2-4 though and now led by 6 points. James Wright won heat 10 in a canter while Stancl and Sneddon were left to fill the minor places for a shared race. Ulrich Ostergaard made a flying start to heat 11 leaving Matthew Wethers in his wake. Mattia Carpanese was in third place for a while but Kalle Katajisto passed him for a comfortable third place and another 3-3. Charles Wright fell on the opening bend of heat 12 and was excluded from the rerun. Jacek Rempala led round the first bend but was easily passed by James Wright who went on to win the race. Sam Martin then also passed Rempala on the back straight leaving him to drift round at the back for the gift point and a shared race. The score was now 33-39.

It looked all over when Nieminen and Ostergaard added a 1-5 in heat 13 putting the Comets 10 points in front with just two heats to go but there was high drama in heat 14. Andrew Tully was given a Tactical Ride and made a decent start to lead the field. Charles Wright fell on the first bend but remounted then Craig Branney fell on the last bend of the second lap causing the race to be stopped and awarded to Tully and Kalle Katajisto for a big 8-1 to the Monarchs. This dragged the home side mathematically into contention needing a 5-1 in the last heat for what would have been a miracle win. It didn’t happen though. Derek Sneddon completely missed the gate leaving Matthew Wethers to chase after the fast starting Nieminen and James Wright. Wethers produced the pass of the match when he sweetly rounded James Wright on the fourth bend on the second lap for second place. The Comets still won the race 2-4 and took the match by 5 points.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 11+1 (4)(with 6 point TR), Derek Sneddon 9+2 (5), Matthew Wethers 8 (5), George Stancl 5 (4), Kalle Katajisto 4+2 (4), Jacek Rempala 4+2 (4), Sam Martin 3 (4).

For Workington – James Wright 12+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 12 (5), Charles Wright 10+1 (6), Ulrich Ostergaard 8+1 (4), John Branney 3+1 (3), Craig Branney 3 (4), Mattia Carpanese 1 (3).



Premier League: Somerset 41, Sheffield 53 Sheffield won the aggregate bonus point by 108-78


Somerset were at full strength but Sheffield were without James Birkinshaw and used Rider Replacement at number 4. They also nominated Kyle Hughes as their number 8.

Well hands-up if you saw this one coming. When was the last time Magnus Zetterstrom won only one race for the Rebels in a home match? When was the last time (if ever) that a visiting rider scored a maximum at the Oak Tree Arena? When was the last time that the Rebels produced only six race winners in a home league match?

In the opening race it was Ricky Ashworth who took the chequered flag after a tremendous race with Magnus Zetterstrom. Simon Walker was third so the race was shared but Sheffield took the lead with a 2-4 in the reserves race. The race had to be rerun after Danny Warwick had fallen and been excluded. James Cockle held off Jordan Frampton to win the race then the Tigers shot into a six point lead with a heat three 1-5. Paul Cooper and Andre Compton hit the front from the start and there was nothing Emil Kramer could do about it. The Rebels replied in kind with a 5-1 from Ritchie Hawkins and Danny Warwick ahead of James Cockle in heat 4. This took the score to 11-13.

Emil Kramer won heat 5 from Ashworth and Wilson but Stephan Katt looked out of sorts at the back so the race was shared. The home fans were happy again when the Rebels took the lead for the first time in heat 6. Paul Cooper fell and was excluded causing the race to be rerun. Simon Walker and Magnus Zetterstrom scored an easy 5-1 at the second attempt putting the Rebels two points in the lead. The lead didn’t last long! In heat 7 Ritchie Hawkins had machine troubles before the start and had to switch machines. Compton and Cooper did the damage again with another 1-5 as Jordan Frampton retired from the race. Simon Walker won heat 8 but Sheffield earned a 3-3 when Ben Wilson and James Cockle followed him home. The score was now 23-25.

In heat 9 Emil Kramer passed early race leader, Joel Parsons, on the inside but Stephan Katt in third place was passed by Paul Cooper so the race was shared. The next three heats were a disaster for the Rebels. Magnus Zetterstrom led heat 10 by a mile when he suffered an engine failure leaving Joel Parsons and Andre Compton to take a 1-5 stretching the Tigers’ lead to 6 points. It got worse when Ricky Ashworth won heat 11 from Ritchie Hawkins with Ben Wilson third for a 2-4 taking the visitors into an eight point lead. The third consecutive whammy followed in heat 12 with another 1-5 for the Tigers. Emil Kramer led the first running of the race but Danny Warwick fell causing the race to be rerun. At the second attempt the visitors gated with Cooper and Compton again leading Kramer home. The score was now 30-42.

Not surprisingly Magnus Zetterstrom took a Tactical Ride in heat 13. Ritchie Hawkins dived up the inside of Joel Parsons causing the Tiger to fall and Hawkins was excluded from the rerun. Zetterstrom won the rerun for a 6-3 reducing the arrears to nine points so Somerset had little choice but to give Emil Kramer a Tactical Substitute ride in heat 14 replacing Stephan Katt from 15 metres back. However although Kramer got past Cockle, Paul Cooper won the race from Danny Warwick to win the match for the visitors although the Rebels took a 4-3 from the race. To complete a disappointing night for the home side, Magnus Zetterstrom had another engine failure while leading heat 15. Andre Compton and Ricky Ashworth took a 1-5 to win all three points for the Tigers and give their play-off chances a shot in the arm.

Scorers: For Somerset – Magnus Zetterstrom 10+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Emil Kramer 10 (5)(with 2 point TR), Simon Walker 9+1 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 6 (4), Danny Warwick 4+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 2 (3), Stephan Katt 0 (3).

For Sheffield – Paul Cooper 13+2 (7), Andre Compton 12+3 (5)(paid maximum), Ricky Ashworth 12+1 (5), Joel Parsons 7+1 (5), James Cockle 5+1 (4), Ben Wilson 4+1 (4).



Knockout Cup, semi-final, first leg: King’s Lynn 49, Isle of Wight 44


King’s Lynn were at full strength but the Isle of Wight had Simon Lambert at number 7 in place of the injured Andrew Bargh.

King’s Lynn’s hopes of taking a sizeable lead to the island for the second leg were dashed by an 18 point maximum for Chris Holder. The Stars won there in a televised match earlier in the season but things have changed since then and the Islanders will fancy their chances of an aggregate win for a place in the final.

Chris Holder won the first heat while Cory Gathercole fell so the points were shared. James Brundle won heat 2 but Simon Lambert and Chris Johnson shared the race behind him. The Stars took the lead in heat 3 when Daniel Nermark won from Jason Bunyan with Paul Lee third for a 4-2. Trevor Harding and Benji Compton led heat 4 but Compton shed a chain on the last bend causing Stojanowski to run in to him. The race was awarded as a 3-3. Chris Holder won again in heat 5 from Nermark and Lee for another 3-3 but Chris Mills and Tomas Topinka scored a 5-1 in heat 6 from Stojanowski to increase their lead to 6 points. Jason Bunyan won heat 7 from Brundle and Harding for a 3-3 then Chris Mills beat Gathercole and Lambert for another shared race in heat 8 taking the score to 27-21.

The Stars went 8 ahead with a 4-2 in heat 9. Daniel Nermark won the heat from Stojanowski with Paul Lee third then the lead went to 10 points when Tomas Topinka won heat 10 from Bunyan and Mills for a 4-2. AS a result Chris Holder was able to take a Tactical Ride in heat 11 and won it beating Trevor Harding. Cory Gathercole was third so this resulted in a 2-7 to the Isle of Wight cutting their arrears to just five points. In heat 12 Simon Lambert reared coming off the second bend and collected Brundle and Nermark. Lambert was excluded and the Stars got back to seven in front with another 4-2 when Nermark beat Jason Bunyan. This took the score to 41-34.

Chris Holder won again in heat 13 beating Tomas Topinka again while Krzysztof Stojanowski took third from Trevor Harding. The 2-4 cut the lead to 5 points again but back came the Stars with a 4-2 in heat 14. James Brundle held on to win from Glen Phillips with Paul Lee third then in the last heat Chris Holder completed a brilliant maximum again beating Topinka while Jason Bunyan did well to relegate Daniel Nermark to the back for a final 2-4 cutting the winning margin to five points.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 11+1 (5), Daniel Nermark 11 (5), James Brundle 9 (5), Chris Mills 8+1 (4), Trevor Harding 6+1 (4), Paul Lee 4+1 (4), Benji Compton 0 (3).

For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 18 (5)(with 6 point TR)(full maximum), Jason Bunyan 10 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 6 (4), Simon Lambert 4+2 (4), Cory Gathercole 3 (4), Glen Phillips 2 (4), Chris Johnson 1+1 (4).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Thursday, 23 August



The sole action tonight was at Sheffield where the Garry Stead Benefit Grand Prix meeting took place. Redcar had thoughtfully declined to run on the same night in order to maximise the Sheffield crowd and to let Gary Havelock and Chris Kerr compete in the meeting in aid of Garry Stead who was cruelly injured in a crash at Somerset earlier in the season sustaining injuries which have left him paralysed from the waist down confining him to a wheelchair.



Garry Stead Benefit Grand Prix: at Sheffield.

Winner: Lee Complin (Stoke)

Second: Freddie Lindgren (Wolverhampton)
Third: Andre Compton (Sheffield)

Sixteen riders from eleven different tracks took part in this meeting the first part of which consisted of a full 16 rider, 20 heat format with every rider programmed to meet each of his opponents once. This had to be curtailed to 16 heats after each rider had had four programmed rides. The top eight scorers progressed to two semi-finals from which first and second in each went on to contest the final.

In the first set of four heats, there were wins for Tai Woffinden and Andre Compton in heats 1 and 2. In heat 3, Richard Hall fell on the second bend and required treatment causing the meeting to be held up for a while. Following medical advice he was pulled out of the meeting and taken to hospital. The rerun of heat 3 was won by Simon Stead while heat 4 went to Gary Havelock.

Before heat 5 was run there was a Golden Oldies race in which Alan Mogridge fell and was taken back to the pits by ambulance. The rerun was won by Sam Ermolenko from Les Collins with Alan Grahame third.

Back to the main event, heat 5 saw Andre Compton win again, beating Tai Woffinden, then heat 6 had to be rerun after Chris Kerr had fallen on the first lap. In the rerun Freddie Lindgren won then Simon Stead became the second rider to score two heat wins in heat 7. Magnus Zetterstrom recovered from his first heat blob by winning heat 8 so after two races for all the riders Andre Compton and Simon Stead led the field with 6 points while, close on their heels with five, were Tai Woffinden and Freddie Lindgren while Gary Havelock had 4.

Before heat 9 the scheduled match race between Chris Morton and Michael Lee didn’t take place because Michael Lee wasn’t there. Morton did some demonstration laps instead.

Three of the leading contenders met in heat 9 and it was Freddie Lindgren who emerged victorious ahead of Tai Woffinden and Simon Stead. Andre Compton lost his unbeaten record, too, in heat 10 when he was beaten by Lee Complin. Indeed Compton had to pass Steve Johnston to take second place in this race. There were only two finishers in heat 11 when Gary Havelock suffered an engine failure on the first bend and Ben Barker (replacing Richard Hall) fell on the second lap. Jason Lyons won the race from Rusty Harrison. In heat 12 Ricky Ashworth beat Magnus Zetterstrom to complete three rides for each rider. At this point Andre Compton and Freddie Lindgren had 8 points while Tai Woffinden, Lee Complin and Simon Stead had 7. Next in line was Jason Lyons with 6.

In heat 13, Gary Havelock was excluded for tape touching leaving Steve Johnston to beat Paul Cooper with Tai Woffinden third then Lee Complin beat Simon Stead in heat 14. Heat 15 saw Chris Kerr going from third to first on the first lap only for Jason Lyons to pass him a lap later. Lyons went on to win the race from Kerr while George Stancl relegated Andre Compton to last place. Freddie Lindgren blasted round the outside to hit the front in heat 16 while Ben Barker and Joel Parsons finished ahead of Magnus Zetterstrom as the Somerset man’s bike slowed on the last bend.

Meanwhile another Golden Oldies race was won this time by Alan Grahame from Sam Ermolenko and Les Collins while Chris Morton did another couple of demonstration laps.

Because of time constraints, the meeting was curtailed at this point to the 16 qualifying heats which had been raced leaving the two semi-finals and final still to go. Although the top seven qualifiers were clear cut, two riders, Ricky Ashworth and Magnus Zetterstrom tied for the final eighth place with 5 points each. Both had one race win to their credit but, since Ricky Ashworth had beaten Magnus Zetterstrom when the two had met, he was the one who took the final place.

First Semi Final: Andre Compton won this race from Freddie Lindgren while Simon Stead passed Steve Johnston on the last bend.

Second Semi Final: Lee Complin was the winner of the second semi-final from Jason Lyons while Ricky Ashworth was third and Tai Woffinden last.

Final: The final was a race worthy of the event. Freddie Lindgren passed Lee Complin at the end of the first lap but Complin chased back and by the end of the third lap the two riders were side by side. It was Lee Complin who edged ahead to go on to win the race. Andre Compton finished third with Jason Lyons at the back.

Scorers: From the qualifying heats – Freddie Lindgren 11, Lee Complin 10, Jason Lyons 9, Simon Stead 9, Tai Woffinden 8, Andre Compton 8, Steve Johnston 7, Ricky Ashworth 5, Magnus Zetterstrom 5, Rusty Harrison 4, Gary Havelock 4, Joel Parsons 4, Chris Kerr 4, Paul Cooper 3, George Stancl 2, Ben Barker 2, Richard Hall 0 (1).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2007

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Tuesday, 21 August



It was Isle of Wight night tonight where the might of Mildenhall provided the opposition in a Premier League Match.



Premier League: Isle of Wight 60, Mildenhall 33 The Isle of Wight won the aggregate bonus point by 103-84.


The Isle of Wight had Tom Brown at number 6 in place of Andrew Bargh while Mildenhall had Jay Herne at number 6 in place of Mark Baseby.

The Islanders lost by 51-43 at Mildenhall nine days ago so had eight points to pull back in the fight for the bonus point. However a 20 point win at Redcar on Thursday night gave them a massive boost in the race for a play-off place making the result and bonus point a must for them tonight. Mildenhall lost another meeting to the weather on Sunday when their match against Newport was called off after heat 8 with the Fen Tigers leading by 12 points.

It took the Isle of Wight just two heats to wipe out their aggregate arrears. In the opening heat, Chris Holder and Cory Gathercole (surely the strongest pairing in the league these days) ran up a 5-1 with Shaun Tacey trailing home third. In the reserves race, Jay Herne fell on the opening bends and was excluded when the race had to be rerun. Chris Johnson and Tom Brown added another maximum at the expense of Tomas Suchanek in the second running of the race but the Fen Tigers hit back with a 2-4 in heat 3. Paul Fry was the race winner from Jason Bunyan with Kyle Legault picking up the third place point. However the home side countered that with a 4-2 in heat 4. Krzysztof Stojanowski was the race winner while Jason King finished second ahead of Chris Johnson to take the score to 16-8.

The Isle of Wight made two decisive strikes in heats 5 and 6, both ending up 5-1s to the home side. Glen Phillips and Jason Bunyan did the damage in heat 5 against Shaun Tacey as Tom P Madsen fell at the back causing the race to be stopped and awarded. Cory Gathercole and Chris Holder added another maximum in heat 6 with Jason King taking third to put the Islanders 16 points in front. Paul Fry was given a Tactical Ride in heat 7 and won it too. Krzysztof Stojanowski finished second ahead of Kyle Legault so the visitors scored a 2-7 from the race cutting the home side’s lead to 11 points. They increased it to 13 in heat 8 when Cory Gathercole continued his unbeaten run by winning the race. Tomas Suchanek came to life with second place from Chris Johnson while Shaun Tacey finished last. This took the score to 32-19.

Another 5-1 in heat 9 from Jason Bunyan and Glen Phillips put the match way beyond the Fen Tigers as the interest fell on three unbeaten riders contesting heat 10. Two of them had their maximum chances ruined. Chris Holder won the race to remain unbeaten but it was Kyle Legault who finished ahead of Cory Gathercole and Paul Fry for a 4-2 to the home side giving them a 19 point lead. It increased to 23 points with another home 5-1 from Krzysztof Stojanowski and Tom Brown who passed Shaun Tacey for second place. There was some respite from the onslaught for the visitors when they shared heat 12. Jason Bunyan won the race while Kyle Legault and Tomas Suchanek kept Chris Johnson at the back taking the score to 49-26.

Jay Herne replaced Tom P Madsen in heat 13 in which what looked like an inevitable 5-1 materialised. Stojanowski finished ahead of Holder while Jason King finished third. This was followed by a 4-2 when Glen Phillips beat Paul Fry. Tom Brown again scored an impressive point by beating Tomas Suchanek then, in the last race, the Fen Tigers took a 2-4 as Paul Fry rounded off an excellent evening by beating Chris Holder while Kyle Legault beat Krzysztof Stojanowski.

Scorers: For the Isle of Wight – Chris Holder 12+2 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 11 (5), Jason Bunyan 10+1 (4), Cory Gathercole 9+1 (4), Glen Phillips 8+1 (4), Tom Brown 5+2 (4), Chris Johnson 5 (4).

For Mildenhall – Paul Fry 14 (5)(with 6 point TR), Kyle Legault 7 (5), Jason King 5 (4), Tomas Suchanek 4+1 (5), Shaun Tacey 3 (4), Tom P Madsen 0 (3), Jay Herne 0 (4).

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Sunday, 19 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Glasgow the Tigers raced the return local derby match against Edinburgh while at Newport the Wasps took on Birmingham.


Premier League: Glasgow 55, Edinburgh 38 Glasgow won the aggregate bonus point by 104-79.


Glasgow were again at full strength. Edinburgh , on the other hand, were without George Stancl and Daniele Tessari through injury. They had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 and had James Cockle at number 6 for Tessari.

Glasgow had an eight point lead from the match on Friday at Armadale so started as strong favourites for all three points. Edinburgh were effectively a three man team but fought well until two 5-1s in the last two heats enabled Tigers to take a 17 point win.

There was a shock for the home fans in the opening heat when Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers saw off Craig Watson on the first two bends to score an unchallenged 1-5. This was followed by a win in heat 2 by James Cockle, former Tigers’ rider, from Coles and Dicken for a shared heat. Shane Parker rocketed from the gate to win heat 3 with Kai Laukkanen on his tail. Ksiezak finished third so the Tigers scored a 4-2 to pull two points back then repeated that score in heat 4 when Trent Leverington made the start to win from Matthew Wethers. This levelled the scores at 12-12.

Shane Parker made another fast start in heat 5 and Robert Ksiezak muscled his way past Cockle and Sneddon to join him up front for a 5-1 which put Glasgow four points ahead. Craig Watson made the gate in heat 6 then had to fend off the challenging Matthew Wethers for four laps while McAllan finished third as Cockle pulled up at the back. This gave the home side another 4-2 putting them six points ahead. It stayed that way when Kai Laukkanen won heat 7 by a distance from Trent Leverington. Behind this pair Michael Coles took third place from Andrew Tully who was slow away from the tapes again. This provided a drawn race and heat 8 was shared too. This race had to be rerun after being pulled back by the referee with David McAllan warned to stay still at the gate. In the rerun McAllan again made a fast start but he was hunted down by Derek Sneddon who pulled off one of the best passes of the day to win the race. This took the score to 27-21.

Shane Parker won heat 9 while Matthew Wethers worked himself into second ahead of Robert Ksiezak for a Glasgow 4-2 and heat 10 ended the same way. Craig Watson made the gate but Kai Laukkanen passed David McAllan for second place so Glasgow added another two points to their lead which had now stretched to 10 points. It was time for Kai Laukkanen to take a Tactical Ride for the Monarchs in heat 11. When Derek Sneddon and Laukkanen sped round the opening bends it looked like they would score the big 1-8 but on the third lap Derek Sneddon slowed going down the back straight, perhaps to let Laukkanen through, but Trent Leverington passed him too. Sneddon’s third place gave the visitors a 2-7 heat advantage cutting the Tigers’ lead to five points but they increased it to seven again with a 4-2 in heat 12. Kai Laukkanen was out for the third race on the trot and, while Shane Parker again made a fast start, this time he had to look lively to stay ahead of Laukkanen. Lee Dicken finished third against a tailed-off Cockle for third place and the score stood at 41-34.

Craig Watson gated to win heat 13 while Wethers followed him home. Derek Sneddon was briefly in third place but was passed by Trent Leverington as the Tigers added another 4-2. Matthew Wethers replaced Kalle Katajisto as a Tactical Substitute in heat 14 but never figured in the race as Ksiezak and Coles took a 5-1 ahead of Andrew Tully. Parker and Watson made the gate again in heat 15 for another 5-1 as Kai Laukkanen pulled up with a puncture giving the home side a 17 point win.

Scorers: For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5)(full maximum), Craig Watson 12+1 (5), Trent Leverington 8 (4), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Michael Coles 5+2 (4), Lee Dicken 4+2 (4), David McAllan 4 (4).

For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 15 (6)(with 6 point TR), Matthew Wethers 11+1 (7), Derek Sneddon 8 (5), James Cockle 3 (5), Andrew Tully 1 (4), Kalle Katajisto 0 (3).



Premier League: Newport 42, Birmingham 48 Birmingham won the aggregate bonus point by 110-69.


Both Newport and Birmingham were at full strength for this match.

What a start for Birmingham! Newport gave themselves a mountain to climb by losing both the opening heats by 1-5 to trail by eight points. However they got their crampons out and made a good fist of it. Jason Lyons won heat 3 but Morris and Atkin shared the spoils before the Wasps scored a 5-1 in heat 4. Barry Burchatt and Chris Schramm gave the home fans some hope by heading home Emiliano Sanchez cutting the deficit in half and taking the score to 10-14.

Another two points were shaved off the Brummies’ lead in heat 5 by Phil Morris who beat Henning Bager and Tony Atkin who finished third after Manuel Hauzinger had fallen on the first bend. The come back was complete when the Wasps took the lead in heat 6 with another 5-1 from Michal Rajkowski and Tom Hedley ahead of Sanchez which put them two points in front. However their euphoria was short-lived. Birmingham recovered from the shock by taking a 2-4 in heat 7 from Lyons and Moller split by Schramm to level the scores. The Wasps were in arrears again when they conceded a 1-5 in heat 8 to Manuel Hauzinger and Ben Powell taking the score to 22-26.

Emiliano Sanchez, seemingly fed up at being on the wrong end of 1-5s, came out to win heat 9 from Atkin and Morris for a 3-3 then Tom Hedley ended Jason Lyons’ winning run by beating him in heat 10. Ben Powell was third though so this heat was shared too. Birmingham increased their lead to 6 points in heat 11 when Henning Bager won from Chris Schramm with Hauzinger third for a 2-4 and it stayed that way when Phil Morris won heat 12 with Lyons and Smart behind him for a 3-3. The score now stood at 33-39.

The Newport collapse continued when the visitors took a 2-4 in heat 13. Sanchez won again this time ahead of Chris Schramm while Henning Bager took third with Rajkowski last. The lead was now 8 points so, in heat 14 with a last throw of the dice, Newport replaced Nick Simmons with Phil Morris from 15 metres back as a Tactical Substitute. Tony Atkin won the race but, although he passed Ben Powell, Phil Morris couldn’t get up on Henrik Moller who finished second. This resulted in a 5-2 advantage to the Wasps but it was too little, too late. Finally in heat 15 Chris Schramm suffered an engine failure then Emiliano Sanchez collided with Tom Hedley and took a tumble. The race was awarded to Jason Lyons with Tom Hedley second for a 2-3 to Birmingham and a six point win for the Brummies which gives them a massive boost in their quest for one of the four play-off places.

Scorers: For Newport – Phil Morris 11+1 (5)(with 2 point TS), Tom Hedley 9+1 (5), Chris Schramm 8+1 (5), Tony Atkin 7+1 (4), Barry Burchatt 4 (4), Michal Rajkowski 3 (4), Nick Simmons 0 (3).

For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 13 (5), Henning Bager 8+1 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8 (5), Manuel Hauzinger 7 (4), Ben Powell 6+2 (5), Lee Smart 3+2 (4), Henrik Moller 3 (3).

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Saturday, 18 August

There were five meetings scheduled today but three of them were wiped out by the rain and one was abandoned after eight heats. The survivor, but only just, was the meeting at Berwick where they ran the 40th Anniversary Meeting which had been rained off some weeks ago. The match at Mildenhall between the Fen Tigers and Newport was the one which was abandoned while the meetings at Rye House, Stoke and Workington were all early casualties to the weather.


Premier League: Mildenhall 30, Newport 18 match abandoned after 8 heats – the result does not stand.

Mildenhall and Newport were both at full strength.


When this match started the rain had stopped but by heat 6 it had started again and by heat 8 the track was unraceable so the meeting was abandoned leaving both teams having to do it all again at a later day.

Shaun Tacey and Tom P Madsen got the meeting underway with an easy 5-1 for the Fen Tigers but heat 2 there was a collision on the first bend between Barry Burchatt and Tomas Suchanek which caused a delay before the rerun with all four back could be raced. This had to be stopped too when Nick Simmons and Mark Baseby collided causing another all four back rerun in which Burchatt streaked from the gate while Tomas Suchanek suffered an engine failure at the tapes. Mark Baseby passed Simmons for second place so the Wasps had to settle for a 2-4. Paul Fry and Kyle Legault team rode round in heat 3 for a 5-1 opening a six point lead but Barry Burchatt made another fast start to win heat 4 from Jason King. Chris Schramm finished third for another 2-4 to the visitors and the score now stood at 14-10.

Another Legault/Fry 5-1 in heat 5 put the Fen Tigers eight ahead and the lead stretched to 12 points when Tacey and Madsen repeated the score in heat 6. Phil Morris managed a second place in heat 7 behind Jason King while Tony Atkin finished third for a shared race then, in heat 8, with the conditions deteriorating badly, another lightning start by Barry Burchatt produced another race` win for him and a shared race. The score now stood at 30-18 and the meeting was called off.

Scorers: For Mildenhall – Shaun Tacey 7+1 (3), Kyle Legault 5+1 (2), Paul Fry 5+1 (2), Jason King 5 (2), Tom P Madsen 4+2 (2), Mark Baseby 2 (2), Tomas Suchanek 2 (3).

For Newport – Barry Burchatt 9 (3), Phil Morris 3 (2), Chris Schramm 2 (2), Tony Atkin 1+1 (2), Michal Rajkowski 1 (2), Nick Simmons 1 (2), Tom Hedley 1 (3).



40th Anniversary Meeting at: Berwick

Winner: Kevin Doolan

Second: Chris Holder

Third: Michal Makovsky

This was another rain affected meeting as Berwick again had little luck in the staging of their 40th Anniversary Meeting. This time they did manage to run it but the rain fell throughout the meeting.

The format of this Individual meeting was a 12 rider, twelve heats affair with the top two scorers seeded directly to the final and the next four to a semi-final from which the first and second completed the final line-up.

At the end of the twelve qualifying heats the unbeaten Chris Holder and Kevin Doolan were the top two so went straight to the final. The semi-final consisted of Craig Watson, Josef Franc, Michal Makovsky and Jacek Rempala, three of them Berwick or former Berwick riders. However, it was Glasgow’s Craig Watson who won the race from Michal Makovsky to join Holder and Doolan in the final which was won by Doolan from Holder with Makovsky third.

Scorers from the qualifying heats: Chris Holder 12 (4), Kevin Doolan 11 (4), Craig Watson 10 (4), Josef Franc 9 (4), Michal Makovsky 8 (4), Jacek Rempala 7 (4), Matej Kus 5 (4), Casper Wortmann 4 (4), Kozza Smith 3 (4), Andrew Moore 1 (2), Kalle Katajisto 1 (4), Stanislaw Burza 1 (4).

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Friday, 17 August

There were two Premier League matches raced tonight. At Edinburgh the Monarchs raced a local derby match against Glasgow while at Somerset the Rebels took on Rye House.


Premier League: Edinburgh 41, Glasgow 49

Edinburgh were without the injured George Stancl and had to use Rider Replacement at number 1 instead. They were also missing the injured Daniele Tessari and had James Cockle at number 7 in his place. Kalle Katajisto moved to reserve having completed three home and three away matches so Andrew Tully moved back into the main body of the team at number 4. Glasgow were as usual at full strength.


Edinburgh were behind from heat 2 and never looked like getting back into the match with so many pointless rides. Indeed the Monarchs ran up 11 last places leaving the Tigers a simple job to walk off with both points.

The Monarchs looked as though they might kick off with a 4-2 in heat 1. An excellent race from Derek Sneddon saw off Craig Watson while Andrew Tully had the drop on David McAllan for third. However Tully locked up on the second bend of the third lap to allow McAllan through for third and the race was shared. Michael Coles made the gate in the reserves race with James Cockle second and Lee Dicken third so Glasgow eased into a two point lead with the 2-4. Shane Parker and Robert Ksiezak rocketed from the gate in heat 3 while Kai Laukkanen made no impact behind them for third place resulting in a 1-5 which put the Tigers six ahead. Once again it was left to Matthew Wethers to give the home fans something to cheer about in heat 4 as he hunted down the fast starting Trent Leverington to pass him for the win. Cockle fell off on the first bend so the race was shared and the score stood at 9-15.

Kai Laukkanen produced a much better performance in heat 5 to beat Craig Watson by a distance. However a dreadful gate by Andrew Tully left him stranded behind the Glasgow pair so again the race was shared. Edinburgh roared back into the match in heat 6 though. Derek Sneddon and Kai Laukkanen made the gate and were never challenged by Trent Leverington so scored a 5-1 cutting the gap to two points. Glasgow hit back with a 2-4 from Parker and Ksiezak with Matthew Wethers splitting the pair to put the Tigers four ahead. Edinburgh were hoping for a heat advantage in heat 8 but a lightning start from David McAllan scuppered their hopes. Sneddon and Cockle shared the points behind him so the score stood at 22-26.

Kai Laukkanen won heat 9 comfortably from Michael Coles but the battle was for third place behind them. Andrew Tully finally caught and passed Trent Leverington going into the third bend on lap three but Leverington tried too late to stop his move by leaning across Tully only to fall causing the race to be stopped and awarded as a 4-2 to the Monarchs leaving them just two points adrift again. Glasgow again hit back immediately with a 2-4 in heat 10. Shane Parker made a poor gate but, Robert Ksiezak took both Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers on his outside to the fence causing the Edinburgh pair to shut off to avoid an accident. This allowed Parker a free run up the inside to hit the front. Matthew Wethers got the better of Robert Ksiezak for second, Derek Sneddon couldn’t get on terms. An excellent ride by Matthew Wethers in heat 11 was good enough to see off David McAllan and Craig Watson but the race was only shared as again Kalle Katajisto could not recover from a dreadful start. Edinburgh really needed a result from heat 12 but it was Glasgow who got it. Laukkanen was no match for Parker and when James Cockle fell again Michael Coles was left with the simple task of taking the third place point for a 2-4 which increased the Tigers’ lead to six points with the score now 33-39.

The Monarchs were off for a 5-1 in heat 13 through Derek Sneddon and Matthew Wethers but Watson spun round on the second bend and brought down his partner, Trent Leverington. Watson was excluded from the rerun but you could almost have written the script for what would then happen. Sure enough Matthew Wethers was soon in front but this time Leverington just inched ahead of Sneddon off the second bend and, try as he did, Sneddon couldn’t find a way past. Edinburgh had to settle for a 4-2 leaving them four adrift but it was never going to be good enough given the composition of the last two heats both of which finished as 2-4s to Glasgow. Robert Ksiezak made another lightning start from Andrew Tully while Lee Dicken took third as Cockle fell again then Shane Parker produced an excellent third to first ride in the last race passing early race leader Kai Laukkanen to complete his maximum while David McAllan finished third ahead of the tiring Wethers.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Kai Laukkanen 13+1 (6), Matthew Wethers 13 (6), Derek Sneddon 9 (5), James Cockle 3+1 (5), Andrew Tully 3 (5), Kalle Katajisto 0 (3).

For Glasgow – Shane Parker 15 (5)(full maximum), David McAllan 8+2 (5), Robert Ksiezak 7+1 (4), Michael Coles 7 (4), Craig Watson 5+1 (4), Trent Leverington 4 (4), Lee Dicken 3+1 (4).



Premier League: Somerset 51, Rye H House 42.


Somerset were at full strength but Rye House still without Robbie Kessler and his replacement, Stefan Ekberg, had to use Rider Replacement at number 2.

An opening 5-1 from Magnus Zetterstrom and Simon Walker from Chris Neath got the Rebels off to the best possible start and they added a 4-2 in heat 2 when Adam Roynon could only split the home pairing of Danny Warwick and Jordan Frampton. Tai Woffinden replied with a win in heat 3 for the Rockets and they took a 2-4 when Emil Kramer fell on the last bend allowing Tommy Allen through for third place behind Stephan Katt. Back roared the Rebels after this piece of insolence with a 5-1 from Warwick and Hawkins who came through from the back to take the score to 16-8.

The Rebels hit another 5-1 in heat 5. This race had to be rerun after Chris Neath had fallen on the third bend with his partner, Adam Roynon, leading. Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt prevented a repeat of this as Roynon finished third. The Rebels now led by 12 points and it stretched to 14 when Zetterstrom won heat 6 from Luke Bowen with Walker third. Rye House gave a Tactical Ride to Tai Woffinden in heat 7 and this turned out to be another heat where the rerun produced a totally different result from the first running. In the first attempt, Tommy Allen and Ritchie Hawkins fell on the fourth bend with Woffinden, on the TR, stuck at the back. Allen was excluded and in the rerun Woffinden made good use of his second chance by winning the race with a tapes-to-flag effort for all 6 points producing a 3-6 for the Rockets and cutting the lead to 11 points. Back came the Rebels with a 4-2 in heat 8 thanks to a win from Simon Walker from Adam Roynon. Danny Warwick finished third and it was the only time Warwick dropped points all match. The score now stood at 32-19.

Another 4-2 went the Rebels’ way in heat 9 when Emil Kramer beat Roynon with Katt third but the Rockets hit back with a 1-5 in heat 10. Magnus Zetterstrom dropped a chain at the starting gate leaving Tommy Allen and Tai Woffinden to head home Simon Walker and cut the gap to 11 points. They did it again in heat 11! This time it was Adam Roynon and Chris Neath who scored the maximum ahead of Frampton to produce a few worried frowns on the home fans’ faces with the Rebels’ lead now down to 7 points. However the balance was redressed when Tai Woffinden fell in heat 12 and was excluded from the rerun leaving Warwick and Kramer to take a 5-1 ahead of Luke Bowen and the score to 43-32.

Another 5-1 in heat 13 from Warwick, who replaced Hawkins who had touched the tapes, and Zetterstrom sealed the match points but Rye House scored another 1-5 in heat 14. Again Adam Roynon won for the Rockets and Tommy Allen finished second ahead of Stephan Katt. The Rockets finished with another heat advantage in the last race. The locals were stunned when Tommy Allen drove round the outside of Magnus Zetterstrom on the third bend to win the race from the Rebels’ number 1 while Tai Woffinden finished third.

Scorers: For Somerset – Danny Warwick 13 (5), Magnus Zetterstrom 10+1 (5), Emil Kramer 8+1 (5), Simon Walker 7+1 (4), Stephan Katt 6+1 (4), Ritchie Hawkins 4+1 (4), Jordan Frampton 3+1 (4).

For Rye House – Adam Roynon 14 (7), Tai Woffinden 12+1 (5)(with 6 point TR), Tommy Allen 9+1 (6), Chris Neath 3+1 (4), Luke Bowen 3 (5), Steve Boxall 1 (3).