Wednesday 16 April 2008

Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Wednesday, 16 April
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With the match at Birmingham where Somerset were the visitors being postponed in controversial circumstances apparently due to an overwatered and badly prepared track tonight’s only match was at King’s Lynn where the Stars raced against Edinburgh in a Premier League match.


Premier League: King’s Lynn 45, Edinburgh 45.


Both teams were at full strength.

This was King’s Lynn’s fourth match in six days and they were hoping to restore their home dominance after last week’s home defeat and subsequent draw and win on the road. They didn’t manage it as it took a last heat 5-1 for the Stars to rescue a point against a resilient Edinburgh side who pulled back from an eight point deficit to lead by four points after heat 14.

Tomas Topinka won the first heat but Ryan Fisher fell while third behind his partner, Derek Sneddon, so King’s Lynn started with a 4-2. Aaron Summers was leading heat 2 for the Monarchs when he blew a hole in his engine on the third lap turning a 3-3 into a 5-1 for the home side and six point lead. Kevin Doolan came through the field in heat 3 to lead while Kozza Smith passed William Lawson for third then fell off on lap three. This led to a shared race but Edinburgh pulled two points back in heat 4. Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers led from the gate for the Monarchs but Rusty Harrison passed Wethers on the second lap to limit the damage to a 2-4 taking the score to 14-10.

Kevin Doolan had another comfortable win in heat 5 but an unsteady Kozza Smith retired from the race as Sneddon and Fisher shared the points. King’s Lynn doubled their lead in heat 6 when Tomas Topinka and Shaun Tacey took a 5-1 although Tacey had to look lively to keep ahead of a determined Matthew Wethers who fell on the last bend in his efforts to get by. The Monarchs roared back in heat 7 though when Thomas Jonasson won the race while William Lawson passed John Oliver for a 1-5 cutting the gap to four points again. King’s Lynn added two more points to their lead with a 4-2 in heat 8 won by Shaun Tacey from Andrew Tully. Derek Sneddon fell on the last lap while lying second and under no pressure so the score went to 27-21.

Kevin Doolan won heat 9 by a distance but Kozza Smith fell while lying third so the race was shared as was heat 10 won by Tomas Topinka with William Lawson and Thomas Jonasson passing Shaun Tacey. Edinburgh cut the lead again this time to only two points with a 1-5 from Ryan Fisher and Derek Sneddon in heat 11 after Sneddon and Harrison had passed and repassed each other. It was all square when the Monarchs took a 2-4 from heat 12. Thomas Jonasson made the gate and left Kevin Doolan in his wake fending off a strong challenge from Andrew Tully for a 2-4 which took the score to 36-36.

Tomas Topinka continued his winning streak by taking heat 13 but Ryan Fisher finished behind him while Matthew Wethers got up on the line to beat Rusty Harrison for third for a shared heat but the Monarchs then hit the Stars with a 1-5 in heat 14. William Lawson won the race while Andrew Tully won the duel with John Oliver for second. This put Edinburgh four points ahead with one race to go. They lost the toss for gate positions and Topinka and Doolan gated from 1 and 3 to take the 5-1 they needed for a draw. However Doolan didn’t have it all his own way as William Lawson challenged him in vain for the vital second place the visitors needed for the three league points.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Tomas Topinka 15 (5) (full maximum), Kevin Doolan 13+1 (5), Shaun Tacey 6+1 (4), John Oliver 5 (4), Simon Lambert 3+1 (4), Rusty Harrison 3 (4), Kozza Smith 0 (4).

For Edinburgh – William Lawson 9+2 (5), Thomas Jonasson 9+1 (5), Andrew Tully 9+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 6+1 (4), Derek Sneddon 6+1 (4), Matthew Wethers 4+1 (4), Aaron Summers 2+1 (3).

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