Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Thursday, 8 May
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Tonight’s matches were at Redcar where the Bears raced Somerset in a Premier League match and at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Hull in the Yorkshire Cup.
Premier League: Redcar 39, Somerset 54
Redcar were still without Chris Kerr and used Rider Replacement at number 2. Somerset were at full strength.
With Redcar’s new averages kicking in Josh Auty and Daniel Giffard swopped places in the team with Auty moving to number 7 and Giffard to number 4. Somerset, after some very impressive home performances, were hoping for better in this match than on their visit to Scunthorpe last Monday.
The Rebels made a blistering start to this match. They took a 1-5 in the opening race when Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton shot from the gate leaving Gary Havelock in third place unable to make any impression. Then they added a 2-4 in the reserves race with another fine piece of starting from Brent Werner and Simon Walker. Josh Auty rescued second place for the Bears by passing Walker on the second lap but the Bears trailed by six points already. James Grieves won heat 3 but Emil Kramer and Matthias Kroger finished behind him to square the heat. Ty Proctor then won heat 4 but again the Rebels pair finished behind him for another shared race which took the score to 9-15.
There was an even bigger shock for the home side when Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton scored another 1-5 in heat 5 this time at the expense of James Grieves who had no answer to the lightning gates from the Rebels pair. Somerset now led by ten points so the Bears immediately gave a Tactical Ride to Gary Havelock in heat 6. He beat Stephan Katt and Simon Walker but, with Arlo Bugeja at the back, the Rebels advantage was limited to a 6-3 cutting their arrears to seven points. In heat 7 they pulled another two points back when Josh Auty rose to the occasion by beating Emil Kramer with a stunning gate. Ty Proctor took third since Matthias Kroger suffered an engine failure at the gate for a 4-2. The Rebels made stunning gates again in heat 8 with Werner and Frampton leading the way. Ty Proctor passed Frampton for third to limit the damage to a 2-4 which took the score to 22-29.
The Bears came roaring back into the match with a hard fought 5-1 in heat 9. James Grieves drove round the outside on the opening bends to take the lead off the second bend while Daniel Giffard fought his way into second place to lead Simon Walker and Stephan Katt home. However it all went pear-shaped for the Bears when they conceded back-to-back 1-5s in heats 10 and 11. Again the damage was done at the starting gate. Emil Kramer and Matthias Kroger beat Gary Havelock then Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton beat Ty Proctor with no sign of any passing in either heat. In heat 12 James Grieves made the start to beat Emil Kramer while Josh Auty’s third place gave the Bears a 4-2 which took the score to 33-42 with just three heats to go.
In heat 13 Jason Doyle won from Gary Havelock and Ty Proctor for a 3-3 which all but saw the Rebels home and dry. Ty Proctor took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres in heat 14 replacing the pointless Arlo Bugeja but there was no success for the home side as Brent Werner and Matthias Kroger took another 1-5, the Rebels’ fifth of the match. The visitors rounded the match off with a 2-4 with Jason Doyle completing his maximum by beating Gary Havelock and Jordan Frampton beating James Grieves for third place.
Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 10 (5), Ty Proctor 9+1 (6), Josh Auty 6 (6), Daniel Giffard 2+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 0 (3).
For Somerset – Jason Doyle 15 (5), Brent Werner 10+1 (4), Emil Kramer 9 (4), Jordan Frampton 8+3 (5), Matthias Kroger 5+3 (4), Stephan Katt 4 (4), Simon Walker 3+1 (4).
Yorkshire Cup: Sheffield 52, Hull 37.
Sheffield were without Joel Parsons who had swopped sides for the night so had James Birkinshaw at reserve in the side instead. The Hull team featured many of the riders who had previously ridden for the Vikings. Joel Parsons partnered Robbie Kessler at numbers 1 and 2. Tai Woffinden (replacing Magnus Karlsson) and Emiliano Sanchez formed the middle pairing at numbers 3 and 4 while Paul Thorpe making his 2008 debut was at number 5. The reserves were Lee Dicken and Barrie Evans.
With the scheduled meeting between the Tigers and Newport having to be put on ice for the time being, this imaginative match against the Hull Vikings was arranged instead. Hull were evicted from their home at Craven Park in 2005 and have been missing ever since from the Premier League. They were managed by their former rider Garry Stead.
A different format was used for this match. There were no Tactical Substitutes or Tactical Rides. Instead, in the event of either side trailing by six or more points, they were able to choose which gate positions they wanted to use. This was not confined to the usual gates 1 and 3 or gates 2 and 4 but was extended to the trailing team using gates 1 and 2 or 1 and 4 or 2 and 3 etc. It seems that this is one innovation which had never been tried in speedway before.
Hull went ahead with a 2-4 in heat 1 thanks to a win for Robbie Kessler from Ashworth and Parsons then a James Birkinshaw win in the reserves race resulted in a shared heat. Sheffield equalised with a 4-2 from Andre Compton, who beat Tai Woffinden, and Lee Smethills in heat 3. Ben Wilson and James Birkinshaw then put Sheffield in front with a 5-1 in heat 4 taking the score to 14-10.
Kessler was excluded in heat 5 for knocking Andre Compton off. Compton won the rerun from Parson and Smethills for a 4-2 to increase the Tigers’ lead to six points. It increased to eight when Ricky Ashworth won heat 7 from Lee Dicken and Paul Cooper. Tai Woffinden and Emiliano Sanchez pulled two points in heat 7 when Ben Wilson finished second and Sam Martin pulled up with a puncture. James Birkinshaw fell in heat 8 and was excluded from the rerun won by Paul Cooper for a shared heat taking the score to 27-21.
In heat 9 Andre Compton won from Lee Dicken and Lee Smethills as Paul Thorp fell. This gave Sheffield another 4-2 and eight point lead. The track was now causing problems for some of the riders and Emiliano Sanchez fell in heat 10 causing a rerun in which Tai Woffinden also fell. This gave the Tigers a 5-0 and a 13 point lead. Sam Martin was the next faller in heat 11 which also had to be rerun. Joel Parsons beat Wilson and Kessler for a 2-4 then heat 12, won by Andre Compton from Tai Woffinden, was shared as the score went to 41-30.
Sheffield scored two more 4-2s in heats 13 and 14 won by Ashworth and Smethills respectively then Ricky Ashworth touched the tapes in the last heat causing the race to be run with only three riders. Andre Compton completed his maximum by winning from Parsons and Woffinden.
From heat 6 onwards there were gate positional changes for a few heats from those listed in the programme but no information is available as to how successful this experiment was.
Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5) (maximum), Ricky Ashworth 11 (5), Ben Wilson 8, Paul Cooper 6+1 (4), Lee Smethills 6 (4), James Birkinshaw 5+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (4).
For Hull – Joel Parsons 10 (5), Tai Woffinden 8+1 (5), Lee Dicken 7+1 (4), Robbie Kessler 6+1 (4), Barrie Evans 5+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 1 (4), Paul Thorp 0 (3).
Premier League: Redcar 39, Somerset 54
Redcar were still without Chris Kerr and used Rider Replacement at number 2. Somerset were at full strength.
With Redcar’s new averages kicking in Josh Auty and Daniel Giffard swopped places in the team with Auty moving to number 7 and Giffard to number 4. Somerset, after some very impressive home performances, were hoping for better in this match than on their visit to Scunthorpe last Monday.
The Rebels made a blistering start to this match. They took a 1-5 in the opening race when Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton shot from the gate leaving Gary Havelock in third place unable to make any impression. Then they added a 2-4 in the reserves race with another fine piece of starting from Brent Werner and Simon Walker. Josh Auty rescued second place for the Bears by passing Walker on the second lap but the Bears trailed by six points already. James Grieves won heat 3 but Emil Kramer and Matthias Kroger finished behind him to square the heat. Ty Proctor then won heat 4 but again the Rebels pair finished behind him for another shared race which took the score to 9-15.
There was an even bigger shock for the home side when Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton scored another 1-5 in heat 5 this time at the expense of James Grieves who had no answer to the lightning gates from the Rebels pair. Somerset now led by ten points so the Bears immediately gave a Tactical Ride to Gary Havelock in heat 6. He beat Stephan Katt and Simon Walker but, with Arlo Bugeja at the back, the Rebels advantage was limited to a 6-3 cutting their arrears to seven points. In heat 7 they pulled another two points back when Josh Auty rose to the occasion by beating Emil Kramer with a stunning gate. Ty Proctor took third since Matthias Kroger suffered an engine failure at the gate for a 4-2. The Rebels made stunning gates again in heat 8 with Werner and Frampton leading the way. Ty Proctor passed Frampton for third to limit the damage to a 2-4 which took the score to 22-29.
The Bears came roaring back into the match with a hard fought 5-1 in heat 9. James Grieves drove round the outside on the opening bends to take the lead off the second bend while Daniel Giffard fought his way into second place to lead Simon Walker and Stephan Katt home. However it all went pear-shaped for the Bears when they conceded back-to-back 1-5s in heats 10 and 11. Again the damage was done at the starting gate. Emil Kramer and Matthias Kroger beat Gary Havelock then Jason Doyle and Jordan Frampton beat Ty Proctor with no sign of any passing in either heat. In heat 12 James Grieves made the start to beat Emil Kramer while Josh Auty’s third place gave the Bears a 4-2 which took the score to 33-42 with just three heats to go.
In heat 13 Jason Doyle won from Gary Havelock and Ty Proctor for a 3-3 which all but saw the Rebels home and dry. Ty Proctor took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres in heat 14 replacing the pointless Arlo Bugeja but there was no success for the home side as Brent Werner and Matthias Kroger took another 1-5, the Rebels’ fifth of the match. The visitors rounded the match off with a 2-4 with Jason Doyle completing his maximum by beating Gary Havelock and Jordan Frampton beating James Grieves for third place.
Scorers: For Redcar – Gary Havelock 12 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 10 (5), Ty Proctor 9+1 (6), Josh Auty 6 (6), Daniel Giffard 2+1 (5), Arlo Bugeja 0 (3).
For Somerset – Jason Doyle 15 (5), Brent Werner 10+1 (4), Emil Kramer 9 (4), Jordan Frampton 8+3 (5), Matthias Kroger 5+3 (4), Stephan Katt 4 (4), Simon Walker 3+1 (4).
Yorkshire Cup: Sheffield 52, Hull 37.
Sheffield were without Joel Parsons who had swopped sides for the night so had James Birkinshaw at reserve in the side instead. The Hull team featured many of the riders who had previously ridden for the Vikings. Joel Parsons partnered Robbie Kessler at numbers 1 and 2. Tai Woffinden (replacing Magnus Karlsson) and Emiliano Sanchez formed the middle pairing at numbers 3 and 4 while Paul Thorpe making his 2008 debut was at number 5. The reserves were Lee Dicken and Barrie Evans.
With the scheduled meeting between the Tigers and Newport having to be put on ice for the time being, this imaginative match against the Hull Vikings was arranged instead. Hull were evicted from their home at Craven Park in 2005 and have been missing ever since from the Premier League. They were managed by their former rider Garry Stead.
A different format was used for this match. There were no Tactical Substitutes or Tactical Rides. Instead, in the event of either side trailing by six or more points, they were able to choose which gate positions they wanted to use. This was not confined to the usual gates 1 and 3 or gates 2 and 4 but was extended to the trailing team using gates 1 and 2 or 1 and 4 or 2 and 3 etc. It seems that this is one innovation which had never been tried in speedway before.
Hull went ahead with a 2-4 in heat 1 thanks to a win for Robbie Kessler from Ashworth and Parsons then a James Birkinshaw win in the reserves race resulted in a shared heat. Sheffield equalised with a 4-2 from Andre Compton, who beat Tai Woffinden, and Lee Smethills in heat 3. Ben Wilson and James Birkinshaw then put Sheffield in front with a 5-1 in heat 4 taking the score to 14-10.
Kessler was excluded in heat 5 for knocking Andre Compton off. Compton won the rerun from Parson and Smethills for a 4-2 to increase the Tigers’ lead to six points. It increased to eight when Ricky Ashworth won heat 7 from Lee Dicken and Paul Cooper. Tai Woffinden and Emiliano Sanchez pulled two points in heat 7 when Ben Wilson finished second and Sam Martin pulled up with a puncture. James Birkinshaw fell in heat 8 and was excluded from the rerun won by Paul Cooper for a shared heat taking the score to 27-21.
In heat 9 Andre Compton won from Lee Dicken and Lee Smethills as Paul Thorp fell. This gave Sheffield another 4-2 and eight point lead. The track was now causing problems for some of the riders and Emiliano Sanchez fell in heat 10 causing a rerun in which Tai Woffinden also fell. This gave the Tigers a 5-0 and a 13 point lead. Sam Martin was the next faller in heat 11 which also had to be rerun. Joel Parsons beat Wilson and Kessler for a 2-4 then heat 12, won by Andre Compton from Tai Woffinden, was shared as the score went to 41-30.
Sheffield scored two more 4-2s in heats 13 and 14 won by Ashworth and Smethills respectively then Ricky Ashworth touched the tapes in the last heat causing the race to be run with only three riders. Andre Compton completed his maximum by winning from Parsons and Woffinden.
From heat 6 onwards there were gate positional changes for a few heats from those listed in the programme but no information is available as to how successful this experiment was.
Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 15 (5) (maximum), Ricky Ashworth 11 (5), Ben Wilson 8, Paul Cooper 6+1 (4), Lee Smethills 6 (4), James Birkinshaw 5+1 (4), Sam Martin 1 (4).
For Hull – Joel Parsons 10 (5), Tai Woffinden 8+1 (5), Lee Dicken 7+1 (4), Robbie Kessler 6+1 (4), Barrie Evans 5+2 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 1 (4), Paul Thorp 0 (3).
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