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).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2008

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Thursday, 5 June

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Tonight’s matches were at Sheffield where the Tigers took on Birmingham in the second leg of the Premier Trophy semi-final and at Redcar where the Bears took on Mildenhall in a Premier League match.



Premier Trophy (semi-final, second leg): Sheffield 53, Birmingham 37. Birmingham won through to the final on aggregate by 94-90.


Sheffield were without Sam Martin and had Kyle Hughes at number 6. Birmingham were missing Adam Roynon and Phil Morris and had Chris Mills as a guest at number 2 again while using Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon.

Sheffield had 20 points to pull back from the first leg but it took them until heat 10 even to take the lead in this match leaving them too much to do over the closing five heats. Three wins from Craig Watson in the first six heats plus another excellent Owlerton performance from James Birkinshaw sowed the seeds for Birmingham’s overall success and they now meet the winner of the other semi-final between Edinburgh and Reading to contest the final of this year’s trophy.

What a start for the Brummies! They added four points to their 20 point aggregate lead with a 1-5 from the gate in heat 1 through Craig Watson and Chris Mills as Ricky Ashworth retired at the back. Sheffield pulled two of the points back in the reserves race as Lee Smethills beat James Birkinshaw with Kyle Hughes third for a 4-2. Heat three also provided a 4-2 which levelled the match score. Andre Compton won from Jason Lyons with Paul Cooper in third but Birmingham pulled four points clear again with another 1-5 in heat 4. Craig Watson won again and this time was supported by James Birkinshaw who had to fend off Lee Smethills for all four laps while Ben Wilson trailed in last at the back. This took the score to 10-14 (Aggregate: 47-71).

Andre Compton won an exciting race with James Birkinshaw in heat 5 while behind them Chris Mills won his battle with Paul Cooper to share the points. Craig Watson was out again in heat 6 and he won for the third time by fending off the constant challenges of Joel Parsons. Ashworth’s third place resulted in another shared heat all of which was nectar from the gods for the Brummies with such a big lead. Jason Lyons brought them further joy by winning heat 7 after passing Ben Wilson on the third bend while Kyle Hughes passed Lee Smart two laps later for third and another 3-3. In heat 8 Joel Parsons brought down James Birkinshaw and was duly excluded from the rerun in which Lee Smethills produced an excellent race win under pressure from Chris Mills to share the heat taking the score to 22-26 (Aggregate: 59-83).

Craig Watson gated again to lead heat 9 but this time Andre Compton was having none of it and rounded Watson on the third bend to win comfortably. Paul Cooper took third place as Sheffield at last made inroads to Birmingham’s lead. The 4-2 cut the gap on the night to two points and the Tigers added a 5-1 from Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons under pressure from Jason Lyons in heat 10 to put the Tigers in front for the first time in the match by two points. They still had a long way to go to pull back the other 18 points with races fast running out. Heat 11 brought another heat advantage to Sheffield with a 4-2 going their way in a race rerun without Chris Mills after Kyle Hughes had fallen. Ben Wilson won the rerun in fine style from James Birkinshaw. Heat 12 provided excitement from start to finish. Andre Compton led the race but was under severe pressure from Lyons and Birkinshaw. Birkinshaw slipped back and was passed by Lee Smethills at the start of the third lap while Compton won a photo-finish with Jason Lyons for another 4-2 which took the score to 39-33 (Aggregate: 76-90). Exciting race or not, Birmingham sealed victory with these two points as the match was now beyond Sheffield’s reach.

Nonetheless Sheffield pressed on and took a 5-1 in heat 13 from Wilson and Ashworth as this time Lyons and Watson brought up the rear. They added another 5-1 in heat 14 as Lee Smethills and Paul Cooper headed home James Birkinshaw then, in the last race, the crowd were treated to an epic battle. Ben Wilson gated to lead the charge then Jason Lyons passed Andre Compton at the start of the second lap. Compton re-passed Lyons two bends later to challenge Watson in second place. That’s how the race finished though – as a 4-2 to the Tigers who finished 16 points ahead in the match but four points behind on aggregate.

Scorers: For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13 (5), Ben Wilson 11 (5), Lee Smethills 11 (5), Ricky Ashworth 6+2 (4), Joel Parsons 5+1 (4), Paul Cooper 4+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 3+1 (3).

For Birmingham – Craig Watson 13 (6), James Birkinshaw 10+2, Jason Lyons 9 (6), Chris Mills 5+2 (4), Lee Smart 0 (4), Jack Hargreaves 0 (3).



Premier League: Redcar 53, Mildenhall 40.


Redcar were without the injured Daniel Giffard so used Rider Replacement at number 2. They also nominated Adam McKinna as their number 8.With Mark Baseby returning to the team at number 6, Mildenhall were at full strength.

When Redcar went 14 points ahead after just five races it looked as though Mildenhall were in for a real thrashing. However the Fen Tigers rallied to pull a point back over the remaining ten races during which they provided six of the race winners and took six heat advantages.

Things looked bright for the Fen Tigers when Jan Graversen led the opening heat until he fell on the last lap allowing Gary Havelock and Adam McKinna (R/R) through for a 5-1 then they lost another 5-1 in heat 2. Josh Auty won the race while Arlo Bugeja rounded Mark Baseby and Henning Loof to join his partner while Loof fell on the second lap. This was not the start the visitors were looking for but they shared heat 3, won by James Grieves, through Kai Laukkanen and Jari Makinen before losing a 4-2 in heat 4 when Ty Proctor made an electric start to beat Robbie Kessler and Arlo Bugeja taking the score to 17-7.

James Grieves won heat 5 while Joni Keskinen made an outside swoop past the visiting pair to put Redcar firmly in the driving seat with a 5-1 and 14 point lead. They were never to increase it though. Robbie Kessler and Mark Baseby made the gate in heat 6 and, although Gary Havelock passed Baseby on the back straight, Kessler went on to win and the Fen Tigers grabbed a 2-4 cutting their arrears to 12. Striking while the iron was hot, Kai Laukkanen took a Tactical Ride in heat 7 and won the race. It looked as though he might get some support from Jari Makinen but Josh Auty was soon past him while Ty Proctor also passed him on the second lap. This gave the visitors a 3-6 race advantage cutting the gap further to 9 points and it was down to 7 after the visitors made it three heat advantages in a row in heat 8. Mark Baseby won for Mildenhall after a close battle with Arlo Bugeja while Graversen took third from Auty for a 2-4 which took the score to 29-22.

Redcar pulled another two points clear in heat 9 when James Grieves won again this time from Robbie Kessler while Keskinen finished third after Loof had fallen on the opening lap while at the back . This gave the Bears a 4-2 but heat 10 saw Mildenhall reply in kind as Kai Laukkanen beat Gary Havelock while Mark Baseby won a close tussle behind them with Adam McKinna for the third place point. The 2-4 cut the gap to seven points again. However the Bears took a decisive step to sealing victory with a 5-1 in heat 11 through Josh Auty and Ty Proctor from Michal Rajkowski to increase the lead to 11 points. Back came the visitors though with another 2-4 in heat 12 as Kai Laukkanen ended Grieves’ maximum hopes by winning the race while Mark Baseby took another third place point which took the score to 42-33.

Havelock and Proctor finally ended the visitors’ hopes with a 5-1 in heat 13 with Kessler having to settle for third after Havelock had worked him wide on the fourth bend to leave space for Proctor to come past. Still Mildenhall wouldn’t lie down and they scored another 2-4 in heat 14 when Jari Makinen won the race from Josh Auty with Henning Loof in third. The final heat went to the Bears with another Grieves win on the line from Kai Laukkanen with Proctor third.

Scorers: For Redcar – James Grieves 14 (5), Gary Havelock 10 (4), Josh Auty 10 (5), Ty Proctor 9+3 (5), Arlo Bugeja 5+1 (4), Joni Keskinen 3+1 (4), Adam McKinna 2+1 (3).

For Mildenhall – Kai Laukkanen 16 (5) (with 6 point TR), Robbie Kessler 8 (5), Mark Baseby 7 (5), Jari Makinen 4+1 (3), Michal Rajkowski 3 (4), Jan Graversen 1 (4), Henning Loof 1 (4).

Around the Premier League Tracks 2008

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Wednesday, 4 June

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Tonight’s matches were at Birmingham where the Brummies raced Sheffield in the first leg of the Premier Trophy semi final and at King’s Lynn where the Stars took on Workington in a Premier League match.


Premier Trophy (semi final, first leg): Birmingham 57, Sheffield 37


Birmingham were missing injury victims, Adam Roynon and Phil Morris. They used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Roynon and had Chris Mills as a guest at number 2 for Morris. Sheffield were without Sam Martin and had Kyle Hughes at number 6 as a guest.

Birmingham certainly pulled themselves together, after the disaster of Saturday night, by beating Sheffield by 20 points, giving the Tigers a lot to do to pull the deficit back. The visitors got off to a dreadful start and trailed by 12 points after the first four races. Although they lost another 8 points by the tenth race they dropped just two points thereafter with a number of shared heats to leave some hope for the second leg tomorrow night for a place in the final.

The first heat had to be rerun after Ricky Ashworth brought off Craig Watson on the second lap. Ashworth was excluded and Craig Watson led the rerun from the off with Joel Parsons holding off Chris Mills for second for a 4-2. James Birkinshaw got off to a fast start in heat 2 while Jack Hargreaves joined him for a 5-1 by passing Lee Smethills on the third lap. The six point lead went to eight in heat 3 when Jason Lyons led Andre Compton from the gate for a 4-2 then the Brummies added another 5-1 in heat 4 in a brilliant race. Ben Wilson and Lee Smethills gated for the Tigers until, firstly, Craig Watson then James Birkinshaw passed both visitors to turn a potential 1-5 into a 5-1 which took the score to 18-6.

The Tigers got back into the match in heat 5 after Jason Lyons had fallen on the first bend and been excluded. In the rerun Ricky Ashworth led Lee Smart home with Parsons third for a 2-4 then Andre Compton took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 6 replacing Kyle Hughes. Chris Mills won the race for the home side while Andre Compton’s chase ended on the line as he just failed to pass him for all six points. Birkinshaw’s third place meant that the heat was shared 4-4. Compton was out again in heat 7 and he won this one from Craig Watson while Paul Cooper took third for a 2-4 which cut the arrears to eight points. Birmingham responded with a 5-1 in heat 8 from Mills and Birkinshaw who came through the field from last to second to join his partner up front. This took the score to 31-19.

The Brummies hit maximum mode again in heat 9 as Lee Smart passed Ben Wilson on the last lap to join Jason Lyons who led from the start. Sheffield were now slipping behind badly and they lost another 4-2 in heat 10 when Jason Lyons led Andre Compton home again with Mills third. In heat 11 Ricky Ashworth took a Tactical Ride but he could only finish second to Craig Watson. With Birkinshaw taking third place the heat was shared 4-4. Heat 12 was also shared. Jason Lyons again beat Andre Compton but Kyle Hughes passed Jack Hargreaves on the line to rescue a shared heat for the Tigers taking the score to 47-29.

Heat 13 produced another 4-2 for the Brummies when Craig Watson won from Ricky Ashworth with Chris Mills third and the home side no doubt expected another heat advantage in heat 14. However Lee Smethills burst into life to win this one for the Tigers for a 3-3. Sheffield looked likely to win the last race as Ricky Ashworth led from the tapes. Jason Lyons reeled him in, however, and passed him off the last bend to deny Sheffield any advantage as Compton beat Watson for the third place point.

Scorers: For Birmingham – Jason Lyons 15 (6), Craig Watson 14 (6), James Birkinshaw 11+2 (6), Chris Mills 9 (5), Lee Smart 6+1 (4), Jack Hargreaves 2+1.

For Sheffield – Andre Compton 14+1 (6) (with 4 point TS), Ricky Ashworth 11 (5) (with 4 point TR), Joel Parsons 4 (4), Lee Smethills 4 (4), Ben Wilson 2 (4), Kyle Hughes 1+1 (3), Paul Cooper 1 (4).



Premier League: King’s Lynn 61, Workington 32.


King’s Lynn were at full strength but Workington were without Carl Stonehewer so had to use Rider Replacement at number 5.

This is not a match Workington will wish to remember! They were hammered by an on-song King’s Lynn side for whom every rider was paid for at least one race win. With Kauko Nieminen, Tomi Reima and John Branney scoring just one (gift) point between them the Comets were a three man team. To compound matters for them Joe Haines crashed into a fallen Daniel Nermark in the last race and suffered a suspected broken arm!

With no bonus point to worry about this season, a poor match can just be written off as a bad day at the office. This was certainly a bad one for the Comets. The first four races were all from the gate. Kevin Doolan beat Daniel Nermark in the first race with Shaun Tacey third for an opening 4-2 then the Stars rattled home three consecutive 5-1s. John Oliver and Kozza Smith won the reserves race while Tomas Topinka and Simon Lambert did likewise in heat 3 from Joe Haines with Kauko Nieminen trailing in last at the back. Harrison and Smith added the third maximum with Joe Haines (R/R) again left to pick up the third place point. This took the score to 19-5.

King’s Lynn added a 4-2 in heat 5 after Tomas Topinka had inflicted another defeat on Daniel Nermark in the fastest time of the season at the Norfolk Arena. Simon Lambert was on Nermark’s tail as the race finished with another 2 points being added to the home side’s lead. Heat 6 brought no joy to the visitors either as Kevin Doolan won the race from Charles Wright. Shaun Tacey who completely missed the gate finally reeled in Tomi Reima to pass him on the run in to the line. This resulted in another 4-2 as did heat 7 won by Rusty Harrison from Joe Haines while Kauko Nieminen was well out of the race at the back. Finally Workington stopped the rot by sharing heat 8 although they were helped by a fall by Kozza Smith. They were still looking for a race winner though as Shaun Tacey led home Wright and Reima taking the score to 34-14.

Simon Lambert and Tomas Topinka added another 5-1 in heat 9 then Doolan’s win from Joe Haines in heat 10 resulted in another 4-2 when Shaun Tacey took third. Finally Daniel Nermark won a race for the visitors! He was on a Tactical Ride too so his six points after a terrific race with Rusty Harrison, which saw the lead change hands twice, gave the Comets a 3-6 advantage. King’s Lynn replied to this aberration by hitting home another 5-1 in heat 12 when Tomas Topinka and Kozza Smith led home Charles Wright taking the score to 51-24.

Nermark won again in heat 13 to end Kevin Doolan’s unbeaten run but with Harrison third the race was shared. Then the Comets took another race advantage in heat 14 when Joe Haines won from Lambert and Wright for a 2-4. In the last race Daniel Nermark fell on the first bend and Joe Haines ploughed into him. Haines was thought to have a broken his arm and was replaced by Charles Wright. It was an all-four-back decision and, in the rerun Doolan and Topinka team rode to keep Daniel Nermark back in third place for a final 5-1 to the home side who scored a 29 point victory.

Scorers: For King’s Lynn – Kevin Doolan 14 (5), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Rusty Harrison 9+1 (4), Simon Lambert 8+1 (4), Kozza Smith 6+3 (4), Shaun Tacey 6 (4), John Oliver 5+1 (4).

For Workington – Daniel Nermark 14 (5) (with 6 point TR), Joe Haines 9 (5), Charles Wright 8 (7), Tomi Reima 1+1 (5), Kauko Nieminen 0 (3), John Branney 0 (5).