Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Saturday, 12 April
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The Premier Trophy match at Stoke where the Potters were due to race Newcastle was an early victim to the weather but there were four Premier League matches which survived the elements. At Redcar the Bears faced Sheffield while at Workington the Comets took on King’s Lynn. The third match was at Rye House where the Rockets raced against the Isle of Wight. Finally at Berwick the Bandits had Newport as their visitors.
Premier League: Redcar 47, Sheffield 43
Redcar again had to use Rider Replacement at number 2 for Chris Kerr but Sheffield were at full strength.
This was an entertaining meeting which went to a last heat decider. Sheffield got off to a good start. After a shared opening race they scored 2-4s in heats 2 and 3 to lead 10-14 after four races.
However Redcar moved up a gear with a 4-2 in heat 5 and a 5-1, from Gary Havelock and Arlo Bugeja over Ben Wilson, in heat 6 to turn a four point deficit to a two point lead. Although Paul Cooper replied with a race win for the Tigers in heat 7, Ty Proctor and Arlo Bugeja kept Andre Compton at the back for a 3-3. The Bears extended their lead to four points with another 4-2 in heat 8 taking the score to 26-22.
Yet another home 4-2 in heat 9 put the Bears six points ahead but, after a shared heat 10, Sheffield hit back with a 1-5 from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons ahead of Proctor and Bugeja. This cut the lead to two points but a 5-1 for the Bears in heat 12 restored their six point lead. James Grieves won the heat but it was Daniel Giffard’s second place ahead of Andre Compton which turned out to be decisive in the final outcome. The score was now 39-33.
It looked all over when Havelock and Proctor took a 4-2 in heat 13 which saw the Bears soar eight points ahead with two races to go but Sheffield kept their hopes alive with a 1-5 in heat 14 when Paul Cooper and Lee Smethills headed home Bugeja and Josh Auty to leave them trailing by only four points going into the last race. Ben Wilson led from the start in heat 15 but Gary Havelock and James Grieves had no trouble keeping Andre Compton at the back to see the Bears home.
Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), James Grieves 12+1 (5), Ty Proctor 10 (5), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 4+2 (5), Josh Auty 3+1 (5).
For Sheffield – Ben Wilson 10 (5), Paul Cooper 7 (4), Andre Compton 7 (5), Lee Smethills 6+2 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 6+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (3).
Premier League: Workington 45, King’s Lynn 45
Both teams were at full strength.
Wow! Write King’s Lynn off at your peril. Straight from last night’s humiliation at home by Birmingham the Stars showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with by forcing a draw against highly-rated Workington.
On a rain-soaked track the Comets were stunned in the opening race when Shaun Tacey and Tomas Topinka stormed to a 1-5 ahead of the usually imperious Daniel Nermark but they levelled the score immediately with a 5-1 in the reserves race. Wins for Kevin Doolan and Rusty Harrison in the next two heats resulted in shared races and a score of 12-12.
Charles Wright won heat 5 from Tacey and Topinka with Carl Stonehewer, suffering from flu, stuck at the back. That race was shared but King’s Lynn went ahead again with a 2-4 in heat 6. Again the home fans were in for a shock when the Stars’ reserve, John Oliver, passed Daniel Nermark to win the race. Harrison’s third place gave the visitors a 2-4 and two point lead which they stretched to four in heat 7. Kevin Doolan beat Kauko Nieminen with Kozza Smith third scoring the 2-4 then Shaun Tacey won heat 8 from Scott Smith with Oliver third for a third consecutive Stars’ 2-4 which opened the gap to six with the score at 21-27.
Charles Wright won again in heat 9 from Rusty Harrison while Stonehewer’s third place gave the Comets a 4-2 to shave two points from the Stars’ lead. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 to share the points then Workington took another 4-2 to get within two points of the visitors in heat 11 thanks to Nieminen’s win over Topinka and Joe Haines’ third place ahead of Tacey. A shared heat 12, won by Kevin Doolan, took the score to 35-37.
It all turned round in heat 13 when Nieminen and Nermark took a 5-1 turning their two point loss to a two point lead. Kozza Smith fell in a vital heat 14 but John Oliver won the race to leave the home side leading by two points going into the last race. The Stars weren’t finished though and Kevin Doolan beat Daniel Nermark in heat 15 while Tomas Topinka took third from Nieminen for the 2-4 which earned King’s Lynn a well-deserved point.
Scorers: For Workington – Charles Wright 10 (4), Daniel Nermark 10 (5), Kauko Nieminen 9 (5), John Branney, 6 (4), Carl Stonehewer 4 (4), Joe Haines 4 (4), Scott Smith 2 (4).
For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Shaun Tacey 8 (4), John Oliver 8 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Tomas Topinka 6 (5), Kozza Smith 2 (4).
Premier League: Rye House 66, Isle of Wight 24
Rye House were without Stefan Ekberg and used Rider Replacement at number 5. The Isle of Wight were without Krzysztof Stojanowski and used Rider Replacement at number 1.
This turned out to be another nightmare at Hoddesdon for the Islanders who were simply blown away by the Rockets for whom Chris Neath, Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen scored paid maximums. Rye House provided fourteen of the race winners with only Glen Phillips taking the chequered flag for the Islanders.
Cory Gathercole split the Chris Neath/Luke Bowen pairing in the opening race for a 4-2 then two 5-1s saw the Rockets race quickly into a ten point lead. The Islanders sole race advantage of the match came in heat 4 won by Glen Phillips in a race awarded after Robert Mear had fallen and been excluded. The score at this stage was 16-8.
The Rockets dropped only one point from the next four races when Paul Fry followed Robert Mear home in heat 7 for a 4-2, This was a sore one for the Islanders though because Jason Bunyan was on a TR in the heat and finished last. After eight heats the score stood at 35-13.
Two more 5-1s in heats nine and ten were followed by some respite for the visitors in heat 11 when Danny Betson fell and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Chris Neath for a 3-3. Tai Woffinden won heat 12 with James Holder second. All eyes were on Robert Mear though when he passed Jason Bunyan and failed narrowly to catch Holder, having to settle for third and a 4-2 which took the score to 52-20.
The Rockets finished with two 5-1s and a 4-2. The 4-2 came in heat 14 when Paul Fry managed a second place behind Tommy Allen.
Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 15+3 (6) (paid maximum), Tai Woffinden 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tommy Allen 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Luke Bowen 11+1 (5), Robert Mear 10 (5), Danny Betson 4+1 (4).
For the Isle of Wight – Cory Gathercole 7+1 (6), Glen Phillips 7 (5), Paul Fry 5 (5), James Holder 3 (5), Andrew Bargh 1 (3), Jason Bunyan 1 (5).
Premier League: Berwick 55, Newport 38
Berwick again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Guglielmo Franchetti while Newport used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Tony Atkin.
On a track made heavy by long periods of rain prior to the meeting the Bandits beat Newport with something to spare. While all of the Bandits scored well apart perhaps from Norbert Magosi, Newport were indebted to Paul Fry for a magnificent 16 points which were much needed considering the poor display by Craig Watson.
An opening 4-2 for the Bandits was followed by two shared races before the home side pulled away with a 5-1 from Michal Makovsky and Adam McKinna, the latter eventually forcing his way past Sebastian Truminski. The score was then 15-9.
Newport fought back with a 1-5 in heat 5 when Craig Watson and Paul Clews shot from the gate to lead the Bandits home and cut the gap to two points again. Berwick pulled two more points clear with a 4-2 in heat 6 with Adrian Rymel winning and Adam McKinna this time just failing to get the better of Truminski. A 5-1 in heat 7 for Makovsky and Tero Aarnio increased the home side’s lead further to eight points but the Wasps recovered two of them with a 2-4 in heat 8. Paul Clews, in excellent form, won the race after passing Norbert Magosi. This took the score to 27-21.
The Bandits then began to put some distance between themselves and the Wasps. A 4-2 in heat 9 was followed by a 5-1 from Aarnio and Rymel in the rerun of heat 10. The race had to be stopped when Nick Simmons was involved in a high speed crash into the fence. After a lengthy spell of medical attention Simmons was withdrawn from the meeting suffering from concussion. Berwick now led by 12 points and lost another 5-1 in heat 11. Craig Watson made the gate but was passed firstly by Tero Aarnio then Michal Makovsky before retiring. The Bandits’ pair made the start in heat 12 but Adam McKinna lost his primary chain and the race was shared taking the score to 44-28.
Craig Watson was brought down by Adrian Rymel and Rymel was excluded from heat 13. In the rerun Watson and Sebastian Truminski made the start but Michal Makovsky passed both to share the spoils. Once again Newport used their TR in heat 14, far too late to make any difference with the match already won. Paul Clews took the ride and made a fast start to win with ease for the full six points and a 3-6 advantage for Newport but in the last race the Bandits finished with style taking another 5-1. It wasn’t exactly straightforward though as Adrian Rymel charged through the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. However he raced past Truminski then Clews to join Makovsky up front for the maximum.
Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 12+2 (6), Adrian Rymel 11+1 (5), Henning Bager 10 (4), Adam McKinna 5+2 (6), Norbert Magosi 3+1 (4).
For Newport – Paul Clews 16 (6) (with 6 point TR), Sebastian Truminski 8+1 (5), Marek Mroz 5 (4), Nick Simmons 5 (6), Craig Watson 3+2 (4), Jerran Hart 1+1 (5).
Premier League: Redcar 47, Sheffield 43
Redcar again had to use Rider Replacement at number 2 for Chris Kerr but Sheffield were at full strength.
This was an entertaining meeting which went to a last heat decider. Sheffield got off to a good start. After a shared opening race they scored 2-4s in heats 2 and 3 to lead 10-14 after four races.
However Redcar moved up a gear with a 4-2 in heat 5 and a 5-1, from Gary Havelock and Arlo Bugeja over Ben Wilson, in heat 6 to turn a four point deficit to a two point lead. Although Paul Cooper replied with a race win for the Tigers in heat 7, Ty Proctor and Arlo Bugeja kept Andre Compton at the back for a 3-3. The Bears extended their lead to four points with another 4-2 in heat 8 taking the score to 26-22.
Yet another home 4-2 in heat 9 put the Bears six points ahead but, after a shared heat 10, Sheffield hit back with a 1-5 from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons ahead of Proctor and Bugeja. This cut the lead to two points but a 5-1 for the Bears in heat 12 restored their six point lead. James Grieves won the heat but it was Daniel Giffard’s second place ahead of Andre Compton which turned out to be decisive in the final outcome. The score was now 39-33.
It looked all over when Havelock and Proctor took a 4-2 in heat 13 which saw the Bears soar eight points ahead with two races to go but Sheffield kept their hopes alive with a 1-5 in heat 14 when Paul Cooper and Lee Smethills headed home Bugeja and Josh Auty to leave them trailing by only four points going into the last race. Ben Wilson led from the start in heat 15 but Gary Havelock and James Grieves had no trouble keeping Andre Compton at the back to see the Bears home.
Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 13 (5), James Grieves 12+1 (5), Ty Proctor 10 (5), Daniel Giffard 5+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 4+2 (5), Josh Auty 3+1 (5).
For Sheffield – Ben Wilson 10 (5), Paul Cooper 7 (4), Andre Compton 7 (5), Lee Smethills 6+2 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+1 (4), Joel Parsons 6+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (3).
Premier League: Workington 45, King’s Lynn 45
Both teams were at full strength.
Wow! Write King’s Lynn off at your peril. Straight from last night’s humiliation at home by Birmingham the Stars showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with by forcing a draw against highly-rated Workington.
On a rain-soaked track the Comets were stunned in the opening race when Shaun Tacey and Tomas Topinka stormed to a 1-5 ahead of the usually imperious Daniel Nermark but they levelled the score immediately with a 5-1 in the reserves race. Wins for Kevin Doolan and Rusty Harrison in the next two heats resulted in shared races and a score of 12-12.
Charles Wright won heat 5 from Tacey and Topinka with Carl Stonehewer, suffering from flu, stuck at the back. That race was shared but King’s Lynn went ahead again with a 2-4 in heat 6. Again the home fans were in for a shock when the Stars’ reserve, John Oliver, passed Daniel Nermark to win the race. Harrison’s third place gave the visitors a 2-4 and two point lead which they stretched to four in heat 7. Kevin Doolan beat Kauko Nieminen with Kozza Smith third scoring the 2-4 then Shaun Tacey won heat 8 from Scott Smith with Oliver third for a third consecutive Stars’ 2-4 which opened the gap to six with the score at 21-27.
Charles Wright won again in heat 9 from Rusty Harrison while Stonehewer’s third place gave the Comets a 4-2 to shave two points from the Stars’ lead. Daniel Nermark won heat 10 to share the points then Workington took another 4-2 to get within two points of the visitors in heat 11 thanks to Nieminen’s win over Topinka and Joe Haines’ third place ahead of Tacey. A shared heat 12, won by Kevin Doolan, took the score to 35-37.
It all turned round in heat 13 when Nieminen and Nermark took a 5-1 turning their two point loss to a two point lead. Kozza Smith fell in a vital heat 14 but John Oliver won the race to leave the home side leading by two points going into the last race. The Stars weren’t finished though and Kevin Doolan beat Daniel Nermark in heat 15 while Tomas Topinka took third from Nieminen for the 2-4 which earned King’s Lynn a well-deserved point.
Scorers: For Workington – Charles Wright 10 (4), Daniel Nermark 10 (5), Kauko Nieminen 9 (5), John Branney, 6 (4), Carl Stonehewer 4 (4), Joe Haines 4 (4), Scott Smith 2 (4).
For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Shaun Tacey 8 (4), John Oliver 8 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Tomas Topinka 6 (5), Kozza Smith 2 (4).
Premier League: Rye House 66, Isle of Wight 24
Rye House were without Stefan Ekberg and used Rider Replacement at number 5. The Isle of Wight were without Krzysztof Stojanowski and used Rider Replacement at number 1.
This turned out to be another nightmare at Hoddesdon for the Islanders who were simply blown away by the Rockets for whom Chris Neath, Tai Woffinden and Tommy Allen scored paid maximums. Rye House provided fourteen of the race winners with only Glen Phillips taking the chequered flag for the Islanders.
Cory Gathercole split the Chris Neath/Luke Bowen pairing in the opening race for a 4-2 then two 5-1s saw the Rockets race quickly into a ten point lead. The Islanders sole race advantage of the match came in heat 4 won by Glen Phillips in a race awarded after Robert Mear had fallen and been excluded. The score at this stage was 16-8.
The Rockets dropped only one point from the next four races when Paul Fry followed Robert Mear home in heat 7 for a 4-2, This was a sore one for the Islanders though because Jason Bunyan was on a TR in the heat and finished last. After eight heats the score stood at 35-13.
Two more 5-1s in heats nine and ten were followed by some respite for the visitors in heat 11 when Danny Betson fell and was excluded from the rerun which was won by Chris Neath for a 3-3. Tai Woffinden won heat 12 with James Holder second. All eyes were on Robert Mear though when he passed Jason Bunyan and failed narrowly to catch Holder, having to settle for third and a 4-2 which took the score to 52-20.
The Rockets finished with two 5-1s and a 4-2. The 4-2 came in heat 14 when Paul Fry managed a second place behind Tommy Allen.
Scorers: For Rye House – Chris Neath 15+3 (6) (paid maximum), Tai Woffinden 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Tommy Allen 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Luke Bowen 11+1 (5), Robert Mear 10 (5), Danny Betson 4+1 (4).
For the Isle of Wight – Cory Gathercole 7+1 (6), Glen Phillips 7 (5), Paul Fry 5 (5), James Holder 3 (5), Andrew Bargh 1 (3), Jason Bunyan 1 (5).
Premier League: Berwick 55, Newport 38
Berwick again used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Guglielmo Franchetti while Newport used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Tony Atkin.
On a track made heavy by long periods of rain prior to the meeting the Bandits beat Newport with something to spare. While all of the Bandits scored well apart perhaps from Norbert Magosi, Newport were indebted to Paul Fry for a magnificent 16 points which were much needed considering the poor display by Craig Watson.
An opening 4-2 for the Bandits was followed by two shared races before the home side pulled away with a 5-1 from Michal Makovsky and Adam McKinna, the latter eventually forcing his way past Sebastian Truminski. The score was then 15-9.
Newport fought back with a 1-5 in heat 5 when Craig Watson and Paul Clews shot from the gate to lead the Bandits home and cut the gap to two points again. Berwick pulled two more points clear with a 4-2 in heat 6 with Adrian Rymel winning and Adam McKinna this time just failing to get the better of Truminski. A 5-1 in heat 7 for Makovsky and Tero Aarnio increased the home side’s lead further to eight points but the Wasps recovered two of them with a 2-4 in heat 8. Paul Clews, in excellent form, won the race after passing Norbert Magosi. This took the score to 27-21.
The Bandits then began to put some distance between themselves and the Wasps. A 4-2 in heat 9 was followed by a 5-1 from Aarnio and Rymel in the rerun of heat 10. The race had to be stopped when Nick Simmons was involved in a high speed crash into the fence. After a lengthy spell of medical attention Simmons was withdrawn from the meeting suffering from concussion. Berwick now led by 12 points and lost another 5-1 in heat 11. Craig Watson made the gate but was passed firstly by Tero Aarnio then Michal Makovsky before retiring. The Bandits’ pair made the start in heat 12 but Adam McKinna lost his primary chain and the race was shared taking the score to 44-28.
Craig Watson was brought down by Adrian Rymel and Rymel was excluded from heat 13. In the rerun Watson and Sebastian Truminski made the start but Michal Makovsky passed both to share the spoils. Once again Newport used their TR in heat 14, far too late to make any difference with the match already won. Paul Clews took the ride and made a fast start to win with ease for the full six points and a 3-6 advantage for Newport but in the last race the Bandits finished with style taking another 5-1. It wasn’t exactly straightforward though as Adrian Rymel charged through the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. However he raced past Truminski then Clews to join Makovsky up front for the maximum.
Scorers: For Berwick – Michal Makovsky 14+1 (5), Tero Aarnio 12+2 (6), Adrian Rymel 11+1 (5), Henning Bager 10 (4), Adam McKinna 5+2 (6), Norbert Magosi 3+1 (4).
For Newport – Paul Clews 16 (6) (with 6 point TR), Sebastian Truminski 8+1 (5), Marek Mroz 5 (4), Nick Simmons 5 (6), Craig Watson 3+2 (4), Jerran Hart 1+1 (5).
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