Around the Premier League Tracks 2008
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Friday 18 July
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Having returned from a week’s southern tour which took in matches at Stoke (rained off), Reading, Coventry and the Isle of Wight I’ll try and pick this up again as far as time and headaches (!!) allow.
Tonight’s matches were at Edinburgh where the Monarchs raced against Birmingham and at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions took on King’s Lynn in Premier League matches.
Premier League: Edinburgh 52, Birmingham 29. The match was abandoned after heat 13 due to a wet track and deteriorating visibility. The result stands.
Both teams were at full strength.
With thunderstorms around on the Thursday and Friday this match was never looking a certainty to be raced but the track was in reasonable condition until heavy drizzle started late on causing an abandonment after the first running of heat 14. By that time the result was decided as Birmingham turned up with Jason Lyons and Kyle Legault but precious little else. In fact a second place by Craig Watson in his first ride was the best the rest of the team could muster.
The Monarchs got a wake-up call in heat 1 when Kyle Legault hit the front from the tapes and won the race by a mile from Carl Stonehewer and Derek Sneddon to share the points but a 5-1 in heat 2 for Aaron Summers and Thomas Jonasson suggested that the Birmingham reserves were unlikely to figure as much of a threat. Indeed neither Jack Roberts nor James Birkinshaw beat an opponent all match. Jason Lyons gated to win heat 3 with ease after an early challenge from Ryan Fisher but Lee Smart looked way off the pace as this race was shared too. Craig Watson and James Birkinshaw gated to lead heat 4 but Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers were soon past Birkinshaw and Wethers passed Watson on the second lap for a 4-2 taking the score to 15-9.
The next five heats all went to the Monarchs by 5-1. In heat 5 Fisher did not allow Legault to swoop round him on the opening bends and Legault appeared to lose interest in the race thereafter slipping to the back. Heat 6 saw Sneddon round the fast gating Watson on the second bend and a lap later Stonehewer followed through with Watson then losing interest. In heat 7 Jason Lyons and Thomas Jonasson made the gate then Lyons tried to ease Jonasson wide on the first bend only to find that Jonasson was not going to be moved. He clipped the young Swede’s back wheel and slid into the fence before retiring then, in heat 8, the expected maximum from Sneddon and Summers materialised taking the score to 35-13.
The first running of heat 9 saw Jack Roberts demolish the second bend fence after clipping Craig Watson’s back wheel. In the all-four-back rerun Andrew Tully made the gate while Ryan Fisher pressed Craig Watson for second. Watson fell entering the first bend on the second lap and Fisher did well to get his bike down minimising the contact as the two collided. The second rerun provided an easy 5-1 for the home side but that was the last race from which Edinburgh took an advantage. Jason Lyons took a Tactical Ride in heat 10 and won comfortably for a 3-6 then, in heat 11, Matthew Wethers fell chasing Kyle Legault and Thomas Jonasson crashed into him. The Edinburgh pair emerged relatively unscathed but Wethers was excluded from the rerun in which Thomas Jonasson rode round Kyle Legault on the opening bends to lead down the back straight. Legault gave chase but couldn’t catch Jonasson who rode an excellent race to share the heat 3-3. It was Lyons again in heat 12 for another smooth heat win and shared race taking the score to 49-26.
The Birmingham pair of Legault and Watson made the gate in heat 13. While Legault raced off to win the race, Stonehewer and Wethers both passed Watson for another 3-3 before proceedings were brought to a halt after the first running of heat 14 which saw Fisher and Jonasson heading for a 5-1 until Jonasson entered the third bend too fast in the increasingly greasy conditions and fell.
Scorers: For Edinburgh – Derek Sneddon 8+2 (4), Thomas Jonasson 8+1 (3), Carl Stonehewer 8+1 (4), Aaron Summers 8+1 (4), Andrew Tully 7+3 (4), Ryan Fisher 7+1 (3), Matthew Wethers 6+2 (4).
For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 12 (4) (with 6 point TR), Kyle Legault 8 (4), Jack Hargreaves 3+1 (4), Jack Roberts 3 (4), Craig Watson 2 (4), Lee Smart 1 (3), James Birkinshaw 0 (3).
Premier League: Scunthorpe 46, King’s Lynn 43.
Both teams were at full strength.
This match was expected to be a close run affair and so it proved. There were never more than five points between the teams all match. King’s Lynn had the early advantage but were pegged back by the Scorpions who took the lead for the first time in heat 6. Although they provided 9 of the 15 race winners, mainly through Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka who each won four races, the Stars’ back up was just not good enough so they ended up three points short in a match which they had openly declared as a target for an away win.
The Stars could not have got off to a better start scoring a 1-5 from Doolan and Shaun Tacey in the opening race. In a twice rerun heat 2 Byron Bekker won from John Oliver after Kozza Smith had been excluded to shave two points from the lead with a 4-2. The Stars went four up when Tomas Topinka won from Viktor Bergstrom and Simon Lambert for a 2-4 but it was all square again when Emiliano Sanchez and Byron Bekker won heat 4 from Rusty Harrison. Indeed the King’s Lynn third pairing of Harrison + reserve was to prove King’s Lynn’s Achilles Heel as it conceded three 5-1s in its three programmed rides. The score after heat 4 was 12-12.
Doolan won again in heat 5 but this time there was no support from Tacey who lost his third place to Magnus Karlsson on the third lap so the race was shared. Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson took a 5-1from the Oliver/Harrison pairing in heat 6 then Topinka won heat 7 from Emiliano Sanchez with Simon Lambert’s third place giving the Stars a 2-4. Then Kozza Smith won heat 8 for the Stars from Wilkinson and Bekker with Tacey stuck at the back for a 3-3 taking the score to 25-23.
The weak third King’s Lynn pairing lost another 5-1 in heat 9 as Bergstrom and Karlsson saw off Rusty Harrison to stretch the Scorpions’ lead to six points but the Stars got two points back when Topinka won heat 10 from Hall with Lambert third for a 2-4 cutting the lead to four points. Kevin Doolan was finally beaten by Emiliano Sanchez in heat 11 but this time Tacey got third place for a 3-3 the same score as heat 12 won by Topinka from Karlsson and Bekker which took the score to 38-34.
Doolan resumed his winning run by taking the chequered flag in heat 13 but Hall and Sanchez shared the race behind him to keep the home side four points ahead with just two heats to go. An eventful heat 14 saw Lambert, Bekker and Bergstrom fall on the fourth bend which resulted in Bekker being excluded much to his obvious annoyance and the crowd’s displeasure. With Bergstrom needing attention there were a few anxious moments for the home support but Bergstrom was able to take his place in the rerun which he duly won. Smith fell and retired so the 3-2 was enough to see the home side home and dry. Doolan won heat 15 but Bergstrom finished second ahead of Topinka to take two points in an excellent race.
Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Viktor Bergstrom 12 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 9+1 (5), Byron Bekker 7+3 (5), Richard Hall 7 (3), Magnus Karlsson 5+2 (4), Carl Wilkinson 5+1 (4), Ben Powell 1 (3).
For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14, Tomas Topinka 13 (5), Simon Lambert 5, Shaun Tacey 3+2 (4), Kozza Smith 3 (6), John Oliver 3 (3), Rusty Harrison 2 (3).
Tonight’s matches were at Edinburgh where the Monarchs raced against Birmingham and at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions took on King’s Lynn in Premier League matches.
Premier League: Edinburgh 52, Birmingham 29. The match was abandoned after heat 13 due to a wet track and deteriorating visibility. The result stands.
Both teams were at full strength.
With thunderstorms around on the Thursday and Friday this match was never looking a certainty to be raced but the track was in reasonable condition until heavy drizzle started late on causing an abandonment after the first running of heat 14. By that time the result was decided as Birmingham turned up with Jason Lyons and Kyle Legault but precious little else. In fact a second place by Craig Watson in his first ride was the best the rest of the team could muster.
The Monarchs got a wake-up call in heat 1 when Kyle Legault hit the front from the tapes and won the race by a mile from Carl Stonehewer and Derek Sneddon to share the points but a 5-1 in heat 2 for Aaron Summers and Thomas Jonasson suggested that the Birmingham reserves were unlikely to figure as much of a threat. Indeed neither Jack Roberts nor James Birkinshaw beat an opponent all match. Jason Lyons gated to win heat 3 with ease after an early challenge from Ryan Fisher but Lee Smart looked way off the pace as this race was shared too. Craig Watson and James Birkinshaw gated to lead heat 4 but Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers were soon past Birkinshaw and Wethers passed Watson on the second lap for a 4-2 taking the score to 15-9.
The next five heats all went to the Monarchs by 5-1. In heat 5 Fisher did not allow Legault to swoop round him on the opening bends and Legault appeared to lose interest in the race thereafter slipping to the back. Heat 6 saw Sneddon round the fast gating Watson on the second bend and a lap later Stonehewer followed through with Watson then losing interest. In heat 7 Jason Lyons and Thomas Jonasson made the gate then Lyons tried to ease Jonasson wide on the first bend only to find that Jonasson was not going to be moved. He clipped the young Swede’s back wheel and slid into the fence before retiring then, in heat 8, the expected maximum from Sneddon and Summers materialised taking the score to 35-13.
The first running of heat 9 saw Jack Roberts demolish the second bend fence after clipping Craig Watson’s back wheel. In the all-four-back rerun Andrew Tully made the gate while Ryan Fisher pressed Craig Watson for second. Watson fell entering the first bend on the second lap and Fisher did well to get his bike down minimising the contact as the two collided. The second rerun provided an easy 5-1 for the home side but that was the last race from which Edinburgh took an advantage. Jason Lyons took a Tactical Ride in heat 10 and won comfortably for a 3-6 then, in heat 11, Matthew Wethers fell chasing Kyle Legault and Thomas Jonasson crashed into him. The Edinburgh pair emerged relatively unscathed but Wethers was excluded from the rerun in which Thomas Jonasson rode round Kyle Legault on the opening bends to lead down the back straight. Legault gave chase but couldn’t catch Jonasson who rode an excellent race to share the heat 3-3. It was Lyons again in heat 12 for another smooth heat win and shared race taking the score to 49-26.
The Birmingham pair of Legault and Watson made the gate in heat 13. While Legault raced off to win the race, Stonehewer and Wethers both passed Watson for another 3-3 before proceedings were brought to a halt after the first running of heat 14 which saw Fisher and Jonasson heading for a 5-1 until Jonasson entered the third bend too fast in the increasingly greasy conditions and fell.
Scorers: For Edinburgh – Derek Sneddon 8+2 (4), Thomas Jonasson 8+1 (3), Carl Stonehewer 8+1 (4), Aaron Summers 8+1 (4), Andrew Tully 7+3 (4), Ryan Fisher 7+1 (3), Matthew Wethers 6+2 (4).
For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 12 (4) (with 6 point TR), Kyle Legault 8 (4), Jack Hargreaves 3+1 (4), Jack Roberts 3 (4), Craig Watson 2 (4), Lee Smart 1 (3), James Birkinshaw 0 (3).
Premier League: Scunthorpe 46, King’s Lynn 43.
Both teams were at full strength.
This match was expected to be a close run affair and so it proved. There were never more than five points between the teams all match. King’s Lynn had the early advantage but were pegged back by the Scorpions who took the lead for the first time in heat 6. Although they provided 9 of the 15 race winners, mainly through Kevin Doolan and Tomas Topinka who each won four races, the Stars’ back up was just not good enough so they ended up three points short in a match which they had openly declared as a target for an away win.
The Stars could not have got off to a better start scoring a 1-5 from Doolan and Shaun Tacey in the opening race. In a twice rerun heat 2 Byron Bekker won from John Oliver after Kozza Smith had been excluded to shave two points from the lead with a 4-2. The Stars went four up when Tomas Topinka won from Viktor Bergstrom and Simon Lambert for a 2-4 but it was all square again when Emiliano Sanchez and Byron Bekker won heat 4 from Rusty Harrison. Indeed the King’s Lynn third pairing of Harrison + reserve was to prove King’s Lynn’s Achilles Heel as it conceded three 5-1s in its three programmed rides. The score after heat 4 was 12-12.
Doolan won again in heat 5 but this time there was no support from Tacey who lost his third place to Magnus Karlsson on the third lap so the race was shared. Richard Hall and Carl Wilkinson took a 5-1from the Oliver/Harrison pairing in heat 6 then Topinka won heat 7 from Emiliano Sanchez with Simon Lambert’s third place giving the Stars a 2-4. Then Kozza Smith won heat 8 for the Stars from Wilkinson and Bekker with Tacey stuck at the back for a 3-3 taking the score to 25-23.
The weak third King’s Lynn pairing lost another 5-1 in heat 9 as Bergstrom and Karlsson saw off Rusty Harrison to stretch the Scorpions’ lead to six points but the Stars got two points back when Topinka won heat 10 from Hall with Lambert third for a 2-4 cutting the lead to four points. Kevin Doolan was finally beaten by Emiliano Sanchez in heat 11 but this time Tacey got third place for a 3-3 the same score as heat 12 won by Topinka from Karlsson and Bekker which took the score to 38-34.
Doolan resumed his winning run by taking the chequered flag in heat 13 but Hall and Sanchez shared the race behind him to keep the home side four points ahead with just two heats to go. An eventful heat 14 saw Lambert, Bekker and Bergstrom fall on the fourth bend which resulted in Bekker being excluded much to his obvious annoyance and the crowd’s displeasure. With Bergstrom needing attention there were a few anxious moments for the home support but Bergstrom was able to take his place in the rerun which he duly won. Smith fell and retired so the 3-2 was enough to see the home side home and dry. Doolan won heat 15 but Bergstrom finished second ahead of Topinka to take two points in an excellent race.
Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Viktor Bergstrom 12 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 9+1 (5), Byron Bekker 7+3 (5), Richard Hall 7 (3), Magnus Karlsson 5+2 (4), Carl Wilkinson 5+1 (4), Ben Powell 1 (3).
For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14, Tomas Topinka 13 (5), Simon Lambert 5, Shaun Tacey 3+2 (4), Kozza Smith 3 (6), John Oliver 3 (3), Rusty Harrison 2 (3).
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