Saturday 7 June 2008

Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Friday, 6 June
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Three matches were raced tonight all for Premier League points. At Edinburgh the Monarchs faced the Isle of Wight, at Somerset the Rebels took on Newcastle while at Scunthorpe the Scorpions raced against Redcar.


Premier League: Edinburgh 67, Isle of Wight 23


Edinburgh were without William Lawson and Thomas Jonasson both on under 21 World Cup duty so they had Tomas Topinka as a guest for William Lawson at number 1 and used Rider Replacement for Thomas Jonasson at number 4. The Isle of Wight were without the injured Paul Fry so had to use Rider Replacement at number 4.

The Isle of Wight have never won at Armadale. Their best result was a ten point defeat last year but this was by far their worst result as a rampant home side simply tore them to bits. The Islanders were a bit unlucky to find themselves up against Andrew Tully whose performance in compiling a seven ride full maximum was just about the best ever seen at Armadale. Edinburgh supplied 14 of the race winners and none of the Monarchs had a pointless ride.

The match got off to a tremendous start with a thrilling heat 1. The four riders seemed to hit the opening bend together with Topinka slightly ahead when Corey Gathercole shunted Ryan Fisher over causing the Edinburgh rider to slip to the back as Jason Bunyan powered inside Topinka to take the lead. Fisher soon re-passed Gathercole then his partner, Tomas Topinka, to chase after Bunyan but he couldn’t catch the Islander so the race was shared. This was to be the Islanders only race win of the match and the only race they didn’t lose. James Holder made an impressive gate in heat 2 but Andrew Tully passed him off the second bend to win the race in a time 1.5 seconds faster than heat 1 and only 0.7 off the track record. Aaron Summers had made a terrible gate but passed Andrew Bargh for third place for the first of four consecutive 4-2s for the Monarchs. Andrew Tully was out again in heat 3 as R/R and won the race by a ‘mile’. Derek Sneddon behind him seemed to be struggling to keep his bike tight on the bends and Glen Phillips took advantage to slip through on the inside for second while Andrew Bargh was pressing hard at the back. Heat 4 saw Matthew Wethers win with a tapes-to-flag victory but an impressive ride by James Holder earned him second ahead of Summers to take the score to 15-9.

It was Tully time again in heat 5. He was leading the race when Corey Gathercole tried to round him on the fourth bend but came to grief causing the race to be rerun without him. In the rerun Derek Sneddon gated but was rounded by Jason Bunyan on the second bend only for Andrew Tully to nip past both of them on the inside. Bunyan tried so hard to get on terms with Tully but just kept losing ground to the Edinburgh reserve so another 4-2 went the home side’s way. After these four 4-2s Edinburgh stepped up a gear and rattled in six consecutive 5-1s for the third time this season. Fisher and Topinka gated for the first ahead of Stojanowski; Tully and Wethers did likewise for the second ahead of James Holder; then the third came along in heat 8. In this race Aaron Summers passed early race leader, Corey Gathercole, coming off the fourth bend and took him wide down the home straight much to Gathercole’s obvious displeasure. If he wasn’t too keen on that move he was even further infuriated when Fisher charged under him on the first bend shortly after which caused a momentary wobble for the Islander and another 5-1 for the Monarchs which took the score to 34-14.

Things looked brighter for the visitors when Stojanowski and Bargh gated in heat 9 but Derek Sneddon got them both with an outside pass on the third and fourth bends while Matthew Wethers at the back bided his time before swooping past the visiting pair at the start of the third lap for 5-1 number 4. Number 5 arrived with a fine team ride by Fisher and Topinka in heat 10 with Stojanowski this time taking the third place point. It was time now for the Islanders to give Jason Bunyan a Tactical Ride in heat 11 (a brave move with Andrew Tully in the heat!). Corey Gathercole, now in full ‘narked’ mode, sat on Andrew Tully’s shoulder on gate 3 at the start with Tully off gate 4 and when both gated together it was no surprise when Tully hit the deck on the first/second bend. In the all-four-back rerun Tully was waiting for the same move from Gathercole but simply turned back under him to shoot between Gathercole and Bunyan with sheer class before heading off into the distance. Matthew Wethers joined the fray by passing Bunyan on the third bend then Gathercole on the fourth to join his partner for the 5-1 to leave the Islanders 32 points in arrears with their TR blown. In heat 12 there was a bit of a palaver at the tapes as Glen Phillips was excluded after failing to get his bike going on the track. He elected to go from 15 metres back but suffered the same fate so the visitors went with just one rider. Andrew Bargh made the gate when the race got underway but Derek Sneddon passed him on the fourth bend but then had to fend off Bargh’s challenges for the rest of the raced while Summers was tailed off at the back. The 4-2 took the score to 53-19.

Tomas Topinka had a tapes-to-flag win in heat 13 but Jason Bunyan slotted into second place behind him. He was passed on the inside by Matthew Wethers but he regained his second place with an outside drive round bends three and four so the race finished as a 4-2. In heat 14 Corey Gathercole took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres replacing the R/R for Paul Fry but this was a forlorn hope against Tully and Fisher who rattled off another 5-1 with ease. Gathercole fell on the third lap so Andrew Bargh took the third place point. Finally, in heat 15, Andrew Tully gated to lead the race but on the fourth bend, just as it looked as though Jason Bunyan was going to try a big round-the-boards drive, Ryan Fisher shot through on the inside to put paid to that idea. The Edinburgh pair cruised home for a final 5-1 after which the delighted Tully got ‘the bumps’ for his astonishing and brilliant display.

Scorers: For Edinburgh – Andrew Tully 21 (7) (maximum), Ryan Fisher 14+3 (6), Matthew Wethers 10+3 (5), Tomas Topinka 8+3 (4), Derek Sneddon 8 (4), Aaron Summers 6 (4).

For the Isle of Wight – Jason Bunyan 8 (5), James Holder 5 (5), Andrew Bargh 4 (5), Glen Phillips 2 (4), Krzysztof Stojanowski 2 (4), Corey Gathercole 2 (5)..



Premier League: Somerset 65, Newcastle 25


Both teams were at full strength.

On their visit to Somerset just 6 weeks ago Newcastle scored just 28 points. They don’t seem to have learned much from that visit since in this match they only managed 25, this time with their full team. However when your three heat leaders manage only 12 points between them there really isn’t much hope. The Diamonds failed to sparkle as Somerset once again topped the 60 point mark.

The first ten heats all produced points advantages for the Rebels. They kicked off with an easy 5-1 in the opening heat from Stephan Katt and Jason Doyle with Sean Stoddart finishing ahead of his more illustrious partner, Josef Franc. The Diamonds were unlucky though in heat 2 when they lost the services of Richard Juul after he had fallen on the third lap and suffered suspected broken ribs. The race was awarded to Simon Walker who was leading Jerran Hart at the time with Brent Werner third for a 4-2. George Stancl gated but, in a pattern that was to be repeated, he was soon passed by the rest of the field. Emil Kramer forced his way to the front while in the three man chase into the third bend Jason King emerged in second place with Matthias Kroger third for another 4-2. Jason Frampton gated in heat 4 and took Christian Henry wide while Brent Werner nipped through into second for a second 5-1 for the home side which took the score to 18-6.

Emil Kramer gated to beat Josef Franc in heat 5 while Matthias Kroger passed Stoddart on the last bend to add a 4-2 for the Rebels before they added four consecutive 5-1s to the score. Doyle and Katt took the first from Christian Henry then George Stancl made the gate again in heat 7 before dropping to the back again while Frampton and Walker added the second of the four 5-1s. Stephan Katt won heat 8 while Jerran Hart put up some resistance by holding off Brent Werner until the last lap when Werner finally got past on the outside for the third of those 5-1s which took the score to 37-11.

Christian Henry raised the visitors’ hopes by leading from the tapes in heat 9 but Emil Kramer passed him down the back straight then Matthias Kroger followed through for the 5-1 at the start of the second lap. Jason Doyle won heat 10 but Jason King took second from Stephan Katt while Stancl finished last again for a 4-2 to the home side but the Diamonds hit a purple patch by sharing the next two heats! In heat 11 Jordan Frampton lifted entering the first bend and brought Josef Franc down. He was excluded from the rerun which was won by Simon Walker who eased round Josef Franc on the first two bends. Heat 12 ended as a 3-3 again with only one home rider finishing the race. Brent Werner suffered an engine failure just after leaving the tapes leaving Emil Kramer to head home Jerran Hart while George Stancl picked up the gift third place point to open his account. The score now stood at 52-20.

Jason Doyle gated to lead heat 13 while Jordan Frampton passed Josef Franc to go on and win the race for another 5-1 then Newcastle had the temerity to give Jason King a Tactical Ride. It was all in vain though as Walker and Kroger raced off for the 5-1 while Jerran Hart relegated his TR partner to last. Then, hallelujah!, Newcastle provided a race winner in the last heat when Josef Franc became a real spoilsport by winning from Emil Kramer and Stephan Katt for a shared race ruining Kramer’s maximum in the process.

Scorers: For Somerset – Emil Kramer 14 (5), Simon Walker 11+1 (4) (paid maximum), Jason Doyle 10+2 (4) (paid maximum), Stephan Katt 10+2 (5), Jordan Frampton 9 (4), Matthias Kroger 6+2 (4), Brent Werner 5+2 (4).

For Newcastle – Josef Franc 8 (5), Jerran Hart 6 (7), Jason King 5 (5), Christian Henry 3 (4), Sean Stoddart 2+1 (4), George Stancl 1+1 (4), Richard Juul 0 (1).



Premier League: Scunthorpe 52, Redcar 41


Scunthorpe introduced their new signing, Ben Powell, at number 6 and, with Viktor Bergstrom back from injury, were at full strength. Redcar, without the injured Daniel Giffard, used Rider Replacement at number 2 and nominated Adam McKinna as their number 8.

Redcar must have had high hopes when they shot into a 6 point lead after just two races but, alas for the Bears, that lead had disappeared like snow off a dyke, by heat 5. The Scorpions then hit a purple patch mid-match to leave their visitors fighting an uphill battle in vain.

Gary Havelock got Redcar off to a good start by winning under pressure from Carl Wilkinson. Adam McKinna (R/R) took advantage of bike problems for Richard Hall to take third for a 2-4 before Arlo Bugeja won heat 2 while Josh Auty joined him up front by passing Byron Bekker after Ben Powell had fallen for a 1-5 giving the Bears a six point lead. Viktor Bergstrom won heat 3 from James Grieves while Magnus Karlsson passed Joni Keskinen for third and a 4-2 pulling two points back for the home side. Ty Proctor then won heat 4 for the Bears for a shared race which took the score to 10-14.

The Scorpions levelled the scores in heat 5 when Viktor Bergstrom won again from the gate while Magnus Karlsson, then Adam McKinna, both passed Gary Havelock for a 5-1 and equality. Josh Auty led from the gate for the Bears in heat 6 with Richard Hall in second. Ty Proctor then passed Carl Wilkinson to move into third while at the end of lap 3 Richard Hall rounded Auty to win the race for the home side for a 3-3. The home side finally took the lead in heat 7 when Ben Powell scored his first race win for them beating James Grieves in the process while Andrew Moore finished third for a 4-2 and two point lead. Carl Wilkinson flew from the tapes in heat 8 while Byron Bekker held on to second under pressure from Auty to score a 5-1 for the Scorpions taking the score to 27-21.

Heat 10 was an easy 5-1 to the home side as Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson won from James Grieves to open up a ten point gap just at the right time for Gary Havelock to take a Tactical Ride in heat 11. In this race Andrew Moore fell and was excluded from the rerun. Even worse, he withdrew from the meeting injured. In the rerun Redcar were sitting on a 1-8 but Ben Powell passed Josh Auty on the last bend restricting the Bears to a 2-7 advantage which cut the gap to nine points. The Bears got two points closer with a 2-4 in heat 12 when James Grieves beat Magnus Karlsson while Josh Auty picked up third from Byron Bekker which took the score to 41-34.

Gary Havelock kept the visitors’ comeback alive by winning heat 13 as it started to rain quite heavily. But Hall and Powell kept Proctor at the back to share the points. Arlo Bugeja led heat 14 from the tapes but he was passed by Ben Powell on the second lap and by Bergstrom, completing his paid maximum, a lap later for a 5-1 which sealed victory for the Scorpions. In the last race Gary Havelock won again this time from Richard Hall while Magnus Karlsson in third ensured a shared heat.

Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Magnus Karlsson 10+1 (5), Richard Hall 10 (5), Viktor Bergstrom 9+3 (4) (paid maximum), Ben Powell 9+1 (5), Carl Wilkinson 7+1 (4), Byron Bekker 5+1 (4), Andrew Moore 2+1 (3).

For Redcar – Gary Havelock 15 (5) (with 6 point TR), James Grieves 8 (5), Josh Auty 7+1 (7), Ty Proctor 5+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 4 (4), Adam McKinna 2 (2), Joni Keskinen 0 (3).

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