[Merlin]

Friday, 2 October



Young Shield:

Scun'thorpe v. Redcar
Somerset v. Stoke

Scottish Cup:

Edinburgh v. Glasgow



Young Shield, quarter final, second leg: ..... Scun'thorpe 56, Redcar 34 Scun'thorpe won 99-83 on aggregate..


Team changes: Scun'thorpe again used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for Viktor Bergstrom while Redcar had Ricky Ashworth as a guest for Ty Proctor at number 1. They also used Rider Replacement for Carl Stonehewer at number 2.

Redcar's 6 point lead from the first leg was always likely to be hard to defend and so it proved. The Scorpions took just two heats to wipe it out and they pulled ahead steadily after that to reach the semi-finals with plenty to spare. Again Redcar's new signing Maks Gregoric opened a few eyes winning four of his six races while being excluded in his other two.

David Howe got the home side off to a winning start by beating Ricky Ashworth in heat 1 while Jerran Hart supported him in third for a 4-2. A reserves race 5-1 levelled the aggregate scores but Redcar stopped the rot in heat 3 when Maks Gregoric gated to lead home Simon Lambert and Magnus Karlsson both of whom had passed Robbie Kessler for a 3-3. Wilkinson added a 4-2 in heat 4 for Scun'thorpe and the score was then 16-8 with the home side two points ahead on aggregate.

Ricky Ashworth could only split the Karlsson, Lambert pairing in heat 5 for another 4-2 then Howe and Lambert split by Ben Wilson added another in heat 6. Maks Gregoric was given a tactical ride in heat 7 but he was excluded from the rerun leaving Wilkinson and Hart to score a 5-1 for a 16 point lead which made Redcar's task look hopeless. Gregoric was out again in heat 8 for an R/R ride and he won it too from Ritchie Hawkins. This time he was supported by Arlo Bugeja in third after Carl Wilkinson had fallen for a 2-4 which took the score to 31-17 (74-66 on aggregate).

Ben Wilson took Redcar's second tactical ride in heat 9 but again this provided nothing for the Bears as Lambert and Karlsson scored another 5-1 to end any lingering hopes the visitors might have had. Heat 10 had to be rerun twice. Robbie Kessler fell and the race was rerun with all four back. Maks Gregoric fell in the rerun and David Howe was excluded for his part in the incident. In the second rerun Gregoric won an exciting race with Ritchie Hawkins while Kessler picked up the gift third place point for a 2-4 to the vsitors. Ricky Ashworth won heat 11 for a shared race then Lambert and Hawkins added a 5-1 in heat 12 for a twenty point lead with the score now 46-26.

Howe and Gregoric won the next two races for shared heats then Gregoric was excluded from heat 15 after falling. Howe won a great battle with Wilson in the rerun for a 4-2 for the home side giving them a 22 point win on the night and 16 point win on aggregate.


Scorers: Scun'thorpe – David Howe 12 (5), Simon Lambert 10 (5), Magnus Karlsson 9+2 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 9+2 (5), Jerran Hart 8+3 (5), Carl Wilkinson 8 (5).

Redcar – Maks Gregoric 12 (6), Ben Wilson 9 (5), Ricky Ashworth 8+1 (4), Arlo Bugeja 3 (7), Robbie Kessler 2 (5), Stuart Swales 0 (3).



Young Shield, quarter final, second leg: ..... Somerset 49, Stoke 43 Stoke won on aggregate by 95-92.


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.


Stoke carried a nine point advantage from the first leg at Loomer Road and it proved to be enough to see them home to join Scun'thorpe in the semi-finals with the other two ties to be decided tomorrow. It didn't look like they were going to do it when they trailed on aggregate by a single point after heat 13 but heat advantages in the last two heats saw them through with the last heat decider certainly providing the shock of the tie. Tom P Madsen once again made his presence felt at the Oak Tree Arena with a fine paid 13 performance.

Any hopes the Rebels might have had of making early inroads to their deficit went out of the window when the first four heats were all shared thanks to wins from Jason Bunyan, Justin Sedgmen, Emil Kramer and Tom P Madsen for a 12-12 scoreline.

The deadlock was broken in heat 5 when Emil Kramer beat Jason Bunyan with Jari Makinen in third for a 4-2 to the Rebels. They added another in heat 6 with a win for Steve Johnston over Robert Ksiezak with Simon Walker third doubling their lead to four points and cutting the aggregate arrears to five points. A 5-1 in heat 7 from Cory Gathercole and Justin Sedgmen gave them just the impetus they needed as they doubled their lead again to eight points to trail on aggregat by just one point. However Stoke were not about to collapse and they shared the points behind Simon Walker in heat 8 to take the score to 28-20 (71-72 on aggregate).

Robert Ksiezak held off Emil Kramer with great determination to win heat 9 for another shared heat. Klaus Jakobsen then won heat 10 for the Potters for another shared race to keep their noses in front by that single poiint. There was no joy for Somerset in heat 11 either as Jason Bunyan beat Gathercole and Sedgmen for another shared race then Tom P Madsen made it four race winners on the trot for the Potters in heat 12 again for a shared race taking the score to 40-32 (83-84 on aggregate).

Finally the Rebels took an aggregate lead with a 4-2 in heat 13. Steve Johnston won the race from Jason Bunyan while Cory Gathercole passed Robert Ksiezak on the third lap for third to lead 44-34 and by one point on aggregate. The only downside for them about this was that Stoke were able to give Lee Complin a tactical ride in heat 14. He led the race for two laps before being passed by Emil Kramer but with Tom P Madsen finishing third the Potters took a 3-5 from the race to go back in front on aggregate by one point. It all came down to the last race and it was Tom P Madsen who made the gate. He stuck to the white line and won the race from Steve Johnston while Emil Kramer in third was passed by Jason Bunyan on the last lap for a 2-4 which gave the Potters a three point aggregate win.


Scorers: Somerset – Emil Kramer 11 (5), Steve Johnston 10+2 (5), Cory Gathercole 8 (4), Simon Walker 8 (4), Justin Sedgmen 6+2 (5), Jari makinen 4+1 (4), Nick Simmons 2+2 (3).

Stoke – Tom P Madsen 11+2 (5), Jason Bunyan 11 (5), Klaus Jakobsen 6 (4), Lee Complin 5+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Robert Ksiezak 5 (4), Craig Branney 3+1 (4), Jesper Kristiansen 2 (4).



Scottish Cup, first leg: ..... Edinburgh 60, Glasgow 30.


Team changes: Edinburgh were at full strength while Glasgow had Jason Lyons as a guest for the injured Shane Parker at number 5; they replaced Sandi Conda with Anders Andersen at number 3 and used Rider Replacement (R/R) for the hospitalised James Grieves at number 1.

A scarcely recognisable Glasgow side with only four of its declared line up and without their top two riders were no match for Edinburgh and were indebted to reserve Lee Dicken and William Lawson who scored all but 6 of their points leaving the return leg at Ashfield looking a bit of a formality.

Edinburgh started with a 5-1 from Ryan Fisher and Michal Rajkowski ahead of William Lawson but heat 2 had only two finishers with Aaron Summers leading home Lee Dicken after Boris Bekker had fallen and been excluded from a rerun in which Mitchell Davey's bike paked up on the second lap. The Monarchs looked like taking another 5-1 in heat 3 as Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers led William Lawson. However Tully fell on the apex of bends 3 and 4 and Wethers had to swerve towards the fence to avoid him allowing Lawson through for the win. Tully remounted and still had time to csatch and pass Anders Andersen for third and share the points. Kevin Woelbert then passed Jason Lyons to win heat 4 with Bekker falling again leading to a shared race and the score then stood at 14-9.

Edinburgh then stepped up a gear and scored three consecutive 5-1s. Heat 7 saw William Lawson take a tactcial ride but Aaron Summers won the race while Kevin Woelbert took second after passing Lawson for the third of the maximums. The Tigers took a heat advantage in heat 8 via a second tactical ride this time by by Lee Dicken who followed Rajkowski home for second. With Grajczonek finishing third ahead of Bekker they scored a 3-5 which took the score to 32-16.

A 5-1 in heat 9 and 4-2 in heat 10 stretched the Edinburgh lead to 22 points but the Tigers shared heat 11 after looking like conceding another 5-1 when Aaron Summers leading the race blew his engine. Lee Dicken had a fine win in heat 12 leading Bekker and Summers home for another shared race taking the score to 47-25.

Woelbert and Fisher completed their maximums by taking 5-1s in heats 13 and 15 while Matthew Wethers' win in heat 14 resulted in a shared race as Lawson and Dicken finished behind him.


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 14+1 (5) (paid maximum), Kevin Woelbert 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (4), Michal Rajkowski 8+2 (4), Aaron Summers 7+1 (5), Andrew Tully 6+2 (3), Byron Bekker 2 (3).

Glasgow – Lee Dicken 13+2 (7) (incl 4 point TR), William Lawson 10 (6), Josh Grajczonek 4+1 (6),Jason Lyons 3+1 (5), Anders Andersen 0 (3), Mitchell Davey 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 3 October



Young Shield:

Rye House v. Sheffield
Workington v. Berwick



Young Shield, quarter final, first leg:.... Rye House 55, Sheffield 41 Rye House won on aggregate by 93-92.


Team changes: Rye House had a guest reserve partnership of Kyle Hughes and Jay Herne replacing Tommy Allen and Andrew Silver. They also had to use Rider Replacement (R/R) for the injured Rob Mear. Sheffield had Jerran Hart as a guest at reserve for Hugh Skidmore and used Rider Replacement (R/R) for the injured Richard Hall.

Sheffield brought a first leg lead of 13 points with them and it certainly turned this match into a thriller as they added two successful six point tactical rides during the match to set up a last heat decider.

Rye House stormed into this match with a vengeance. Sheffield were decimated by a barrage from the Rockets which took them into a 19-5 lead after the first four heats dropping only a point to the Tigers. Already the aggregate lead had gone as the home side led by a point leaving Sheffield with a long hard fight to stay in contention.

4-2s in heats five and six for the Rockets stretched the lead in the match to 18 points and the aggregate lead to 5 points. In heat 7 Sheffield gave a tactical ride to Josh Auty. In the first running of the race Linus Sundstrom comfortably led Auty and Joel Parsons but Kyle Hughes fell at the back causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. It was a different story in the rerun as Auty and Parsons gated for a big 1-8 which cut the Rockets' lead to 11 points in the match and restored an aggregate lead of two points for the Tigers. A shared heat 8 took the score to 31-20 (69-71 on aggregate).

Rye House recovered from this setback in style with 5-1 from Luke Bowen and Joe Haines to recover the aggregate lead by two points and they looked set to add another as Chris Neath and Linus Sundstrom led heat 10 only for Sundstrom to suffer an engine failure. Sheffield then gave their second tactical ride to Ricky Ashworth and he too scored all six points with the race win and a 2-7 advantage which took the score to 41-31 reversing the aggregate lead to the Tigers by 79-82. Rye House hit back again with a 5-1 in heat 12 with a 5-1. Joe Haines and Kyle Hughes scored the maximum ahead of Parsons and Jerran Hart taking the score to 46-32 (84-83) on aggregate.

Rye House took another 5-1 in heat 13 when Chris Neath and Linus Sundstrom headed Ricky Ashworth home to stretch the aggregate lead to five points and looked all set to win their way through to the semi-finals. However Sheffield weren't finished yet and took a 2-4 from heat 14 when Luke Bowen fell while leading the race with Kyle Hughes in second. Josh Auty passed Kyle Hughes for the win and the Rockets were now left with a three point lead going into the last race. Sheffield needed a 1-5 from the last race for overall victory. Ricky Ashworth made the gate and had a tapes to flag win but Neath and Bowen kept Auty at the back until the last bend when he passed Neath leaving Bowen to take the second place the Rockets needed for success. The Tigers won the race 2-4 but it was too little too late as the Rockets qualified by a single point in an epic match.


Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 15 (6), Luke Bowen 12+2 (6), Joe Haines 10+1 (5), Kyle Hughes 7+1 (5), Linus Sundstrom 6+1 (6), Jay Herne 5+1 (4).

Sheffield – Ricky Ashworth 14 (6) (incl 6 point TR), Josh Auty 14 (6) Incl 6 point TR), Jerran hart 7 (6), Joel Parsons 4+2 (4), Chris Mills 2+1 (5), Scott Smith 0 (3).



Young Shield, quarter final, first leg: .... Workington 43, Berwick 47 Workington won on aggregate by 100-84.


Team changes: Workingtonhad Mark Lemon as a guest for Kevin Doolan at number 1 and Mitchell Davey as a guest for Phil Morris at number 2. They also used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Richard Lawson at number 4. Berwick had Ben Hopwood as guest for Josef Franc at number 5 and Luke Priest and Craig Branney as guests for Gino Franchetti and Tero Aarnio at numbers 6 and 7.

Who would have belived that Berwick, beaten on their own track last Saturday night by some 20 points, would win the second leg at Workington by four points? It's not as if the Bandits were able to track a full side either since Josef Franc was missing and the only option for the Bandits was to use a National League rider in his place at number 5.

Mark Lemon got the Comets off to a good start by winning the opening race from Makovsky and Sike then the home side took the lead in heat 2 with John Branney beating his brother Craig while Craig Ciook took thired for a 4-2. Berwick replied with a 1-5 from Paul Clews and Stan Burza who left former Bandit Adrian Rymel back in last. This put the Bandits two points ahead but a 5-1 from Andre Compton and John Branney then put the Comets back into a two point lead with the score now 13-11.

Makovsky won heat 5 for a shared race and became the Bandits' biggest point scorer of all time then Mark Lemon won heat 6 again for a 3-3. Berwick went back in front in heat 7 with another 1-5 from the Burza Clews pairing who relegated Andre Compton to third place then followed it up with
a 2-4 in heat 8 when Craig Branney got revenge for his heat 2 defeat by his brother by beating himn to win the race. With Tamas Sike in third the Bandits were now four ahead with the score at 22-26.

Adrian Rymel won heat 9 for a 4-2 which cut the Bandits' lead to two points. Paul Clews and Burza took heat 10 with a 2-4 as Mark Lemon could only split them. This put the visitors' four points ahead again and it stayed that way with a Makovsky win in heat 11. Paul Clews continued unbeaten by winning heat 12 from Adrian Rymel and John Branney so the score was then 34-38.

Mark Lemon and Andre Compton levelled the scores again with a 5-1 in heat 13 as Makovsky finished third. The scores stayed tied when Stan Burza won heat 14 for a shared heat so the match went to a last heat decider in which Stan Burza made a lightning start to win the race followed home by Paul Clews who completed his paid maximum giving the Bandits a 1-5 ahead of Rymel and Lemon and a four point win. The Bandits were left just how much bigger a win they might have managed had Josef Franc been there.


Scorers: Workington – Mark Lemon 11 (5), John Branney 10+2 (6), Andre Compton 8+3 (5), Adrian Rymel 8 (5), Craig Cook 5 (6), Mitchell Davey 0 (3).

Berwick – Paul Clews 13+2 (5) (paid maximum), Stanislaw Burza 12+1 (5), Michal Makovsky 9 (4), Craig Branney 6 (5), Luke Priest 4 (5), Tamas Sike 2 (3) Ben Hopwood 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 4 October



Premier League Play-Offs, semi final, first leg:..... Newcastle 51, Edinburgh 42.


Team changes: Newcastle were without Kenni Larsen and had William Lawson as a guest at number 1. Edinburgh were without the injured Andrew Tully and used Rider Replacement (R/R) in his place at number 3.

This was a hard fought encounter between two of the form teams. Newcastle were by far the more solid outfit but only managed seven race winners as opposed to Edinburgh's eight. Many of the races were determined by who had the oh so favourable gate 4 from which no less than ten race winners came. When the dust had settled the Diamonds had built up a nine point lead for the second leg at Armadale on Friday night.

William Lawson jetted from the gate 4 to win the opening heat. Ryan Fisher and Michal Rajkowski settled into second and third as Derek Sneddon unsuccessfully chased for third place. The result was a shared race as was heat 2. Aaron Summers came from gate 4 for the win but Byron Bekker was passed inside the first lap by Trent Leverington who finished behind Adam McKinna for the 3-3. The Diamonds drew first blood in heat 3 when Jason King off (yes you've got it!) gate 4 won while his partner Rene Bach supported him in second for a 5-1 which gave the home side a four point lead. Next off gate 4 was Mark Lemon and he won heat 4 comfortbaly from Kevin Woelbert while Trent Leverington again beat Byron Bekker for third. This gave the Diamonds a 4-2 which put them six points ahead at 15-9.

Ryan Fisher was next off gate 4 in heat 5 and he continued the run of success from this gate by beating Bach and King for a shared race with Rajkowski tailed off at the back. Sensation in heat 6 as Derek Sneddon off gate 4 could only finish second. He did lead from the gate though but was no match for Kevin Woelbert who roared round the outside of him for a fine pass and win. William Lawson finished third against Byron Bekker so this race was shared too. Things looked good for Edinburgh in heat 7 when Matthew Wethers made a fast start from gate 4 while Ryan Fisher beat Mark Lemon to the first corner after Lemon had lifted at the start. Fisher tried to clamp Lemon to the line as Wethers roared off down the back straight heading for a potential 1-5 but Fisher overcooked it on the second bend and Lemon ran into him causing both riders to fall. It was a different matter in the rerun from which Fisher was excluded as Lemon moved out on the second bend to block Wethers' run and head off for the win. Adam McKinna scored the gift third place point and the Diamonds took a 4-2 to open up an eight point lead. Heat 8 was a disaster for Edinburgh as Rajkowski completely messed up his turn for gate 4 leaving Sneddon and Leverington to romp away for a 5-1 ahead of Summers which took Newcastle into a twelve point lead with the score at 30-18.

Immediately Edinburgh gave Kevin Woelbert a tactical ride in heat 9 with Aaron Summers replacing Bekker but it was only partically successful. Summers stormed away from gate 4 to lead the race while Rene Bach settled into second ahead of Woelbert. Woelbert gave chase but Bach moved wide off each bend to block his run until the last bend when it looked like Woelbert ahd finally made the pass by cutting back of the last bend. The riders crossed the line together and it took a while to decide who had finished second behind Summers. The referee gave Bach the decision ahead of Woelbert so the Monarchs had to be content with a 2-5 heat advantage reducing the gap to nine points.Woelbert was out again in heat 10, this time off gate 4, and he won from the tapes from William Lawson who had his work cut out to keep Matthew Wethers back in third place. The result was a second consecutive race advantage to the Monarchs by 2-4 cutting the gap further to seven points. It was down to five after heat 11 when Ryan Fisher gated to beat Mark Lemon and Aaron Summers kept Adam McKinna at the back for another 2-4. Newcastle replied with a 4-2 of their own in heat 12 when Jason King beat Aaron Summers with Trent Leverington holding off the challenges of Matthew Wethers. This took the score to 40-33 with two heats to go.

Woelbert came off gate 4 to win heat 13 but Lawson and Lemon had to content themselves with filling the minor spots as an out of sorts Fisher trailed in last. This resulted in a shared race but Rene Bach won heat 14 from gate 4 ahead of Wethers while Leverington took third from Summers for a 4-2 which increased the Diamonds' lead to nine points. In the last race Woelbert again used gate 4 to maximum advantage by winning by the proverbial mile from Lemon and Bach in the fastest time of the night with Wethers trailing in last. Will nine points be enough? We'll find out on Friday night.


Scorers: Newcastle – Mark Lemon 11+1 (5), Rene Bach 10+2 (5), William Lawson 8+1 (4), Jason King 7+1 (4), Trent Leverington 6+2 (5), Derek Sneddon 5 (4), Adam McKinna 3 (3).

Edinburgh – Kevin Woelbert 16 (6) (incl 2 point TR), Aaron Summers 11 (7), Ryan Fisher 8 (5), Matthew Wethers 5 (6), Michal Rajkowski 1+1 (3), Byron Bekker 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 6 October



Premier League Knockout Cup, semi final, first leg:..... King's Lynn 70, Scun'thorpe 20.


Team changes: King's Lynn without the injured Tomas Topinka and Kozza Smith. Ty Proctor was their guest for Topinka at number 5 and they used Rider Replacement (R/R) for Smith at number 2. They also nominated Scott Campos as their number 8. Scun'thorpe were without Viktor Bergstrom and used Rider Replacement at number 2.

This was the firsat leg of the semi-final tie between the Stars and the Scorpions but after this absolute hammering you can pencil King's Lynn in for the final as there is no way that Scun'thorpe could pull back a 50 point deficit in the second leg. King's Lynn will now meet the Edinburgh Monarchs in the final of the Cup.

The Stars opened up with three 5-1s and a 4-2 in the opening four races taking the score to 19-5. The only point they dropped over the four heats was when David Howe finished second behind Darcy Ward but ahead of Jan Graversen in heat 1 after leading the race for three laps.

Over the next four races King's Lynn repeated the pattern of the first four heats by taking three 5-1s and a 4-2 taking the score to 38-10. The only point they dropped over these heats was in heat 5 when David Howe again finished second this time behind Chris Schramm after passing Emiliano Sanchez on the last lap to avoid a 5-1.

Over the third set of four races King's Lynn were slightly less effective by only winning two races by the 5-1 margin and the other two by 4-2. Magnus Karlsson took a second place behind Darcy Ward who passed him at the end of lap 1 in heat 10 but ahead of Jan Graversen then Simon Lambert took second behind Jan Graversen but ahead of Emiliano Sanchez in heat 12. This took the score to 56-16.

In heat 13 the Scorpions invoked the tactical gates rule (tactical rides are not allowed in the KO Cup) with David Howe going from gate 1 and Carl Wilkinson from gate 2 leaving Darcy Ward on gate 3 and Ty Proctor off gate 4. David Howe made the gate but was passed by Darcy Ward while Ty Proctor took third for a 4-2. There was a second tactical gate switch in heat 14 with Ritchie Hawkins going from gate 1 and Magnus Karlsson off gate 2. This left gates 3 and 4 for Schramm and Eklof respectively. Schramm made the gate and clamped both Scunthorpe riders on the bend allowing Eklof to race round the outside for the win and another 5-1, the Stars ninth of the meeting. Finally King's Lynn hit the magic 70 points with their tenth 5-1 of the meeting. As Ward and Schramm headed home Karlsson and Howe for a 50 point lead to take to the Eddie Wright Raceway for the second leg.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 15 (5) (full maximum), Jan Graversen 13+1 (6), Chris Schramm 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Linus Ekof 12+3 (5) (paid maximum), Emiliano Sanchez 10+1 (5), Ty Proctor 8+2. (4).

Scun'thorpe – David Howe 7 (5), Magnus Karlsson 4 (5), Ritchie Hawkins 3 (4), Simon Lambert 3 (5), Jerran Hart 2 (6), Carl Wilkinson 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 7 October



Premier League Play-Offs, semi-final, first leg:..... Birmingham 43, King's Lynn 47.


Team changes: Birmingham were without Tomasz Piszcz who has been banned from riding for them again this season. In his place they recruited Mark Lemon as a guest. King's Lynn were missing both Kozza Smith and Tomas Topinka through injury. They used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for Smith and had Ty Proctor as a guest for Topinka.

After blitzing Scun'thorpe last night at the Norfolk Arena the Stars were on a high as they faced the Brummies, the team they chose to face in the Play-offs. Birmingham hadn't ridden for some time and were considered the underdogs by most although they had already beaten King's Lynn at Perry Barr in their league match.

Darcy Ward continued where he left off last night by winning the opening race comfortably from Mark Lemon. Rusty Harrison won an exciting tussle with Linus Eklof (R/R) for third so the race was shared. Eklof was out again in heat 2 and flew from the start with his partner, Jan Graversen, for a potential 1-5. However Lee Smart came from the back to pass Graversen on the third lap for second restricting the visitors to a 2-4. The lead was reversed in heat 3. Emiliano Sanchez was excluded under the two minute time allowance and was replaced by Jan Graversen and this time it was the Brummies pair who gated with Ludvig Lindgren leading his partner, Richard Sweetman, home for a 5-1 ahead of Chris Schramm to put Birmingham two points ahead. They added another two points to that lead when Jason Lyons led Ty Proctor home while this time Lee Smart beat Linus Eklof for third and a 4-2 which took the score to 14-10.

Darcy Ward was out again in heat 5 and won again from Sweetman and Lindgren with the latter having his work cut out in keeping Graversen in last place. The result was a shared race but it looked as though the home side might take a 5-1 from heat 6 when Rusty Harrison and Mark Lemon led from the start. However Ty Proctor passed Mark Lemon on the second lap for second place and a 4-2 instead as Linus Eklof finished last again. Birmingham now led by six points but heat 7 was a bit of a disaster for them. Chris Schramm and Emiliano Sanchez made the gate but both were passed by Jason Lyons at the start of lap 2. Schramm repassed Lyons at the start of the next lap but Lyons had an engine failure on the last lap gifting a 1-5 to the Stars who had now cut the deficit to just two points. Emiliano Sanchez took the R/R ride for King's Lynn in heat 8 and led from the gate to win it from Rusty Harrison. Jan Graversen held third until the last lap when he fell so Lee Smart nipped past for the third place point which resulted in a shared race which took the score to 25-23.

The Brummies lead looked in peril in heat 9 when Ty Proctor and Linus Eklof led from the tapes threatening a 1-5 but Ludvig Lindgren passed Eklof on the third bend then Richard Sweetman did likewise at the start of the last lap to share the points. However the home side's lead finally disappeared in heat 10 when Schramm and Sanchez gated to lead Lemon and Harrison home for a 5-1 which put the Stars two points ahead. With the unbeaten Darcy Ward due out in heats 11 and 13, and probably heat 15 too, the outlook for the Brummies looked bleak. Ward duly made the gate in heat 11 to win by the proverbial mile but Jay Herne and Jason Lyons followed him home for a 3-3. Birmingham were having great difficulty in producing race winners and in heat 12 Chris Schramm provided King's Lynn's ninth race winner of the meeting. However the Birmingham rearguard action was still working as Ludvig Lindgren and Lee Smart filled the minor spots for another 3-3 which took the score to 35-37 with just three races left.

The Brummies lack of heat leader strength took its toll in heat 13 when they lost a 1-5 to Darcy Ward and Ty Proctor against Jason Lyons and Mark Lemon. Lemon fell in the first running of the race while the Stars sat on a 1-5 causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. It made no difference as Ward and Proctor gated in the rerun to leave Jason Lyons at the back for a 1-5 which increased the Stars' lead to six points. Birmingham replied with a 5-1 in heat 14 after Richard Sweetman had passed early race leader, Emiliano Sanchez, off the second bend. Jay Herne also passed Sanchez towards the end of the second lap and just held on for the sorely needed Brummies maximum which reduced the gap to just two points. In heat 15 Birmingham sent out their middle pairing of Sweetman and Lindgren to face the might of the unbeaten Ward and Proctor who had dropped just one point from his four rides needing a 5-1 to take victory on the night. However Darcy Ward completed a full 15 point maximum by winning from Sweetman while Procor's third place gave the Stars a 2-4 and four point victory on the night.


Scorers: Birmingham – Richard Sweetman 10+2 (5), Ludvig Lindgren 8+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 6+1 (4), Lee Smart 5+2 (4), Jason Lyons 5+1 (4), Jay Herne 5+1 (4), Mark Lemon 4 (4).

King's Lynn – Darcy Ward 15 (5) (full maximum), Ty Proctor 10+1 (5), Chris Schramm 10 (4), Emiliano Sanchez 8+2 (5), Linus Eklof 3 (6), Jan Graversen 1 (5).

[Merlin]

Friday, 9 October



Premier League Play Offs, semi-final, second leg:

Edinburgh v. Newcastle

Premier League Knock Out Cup, seni-final, second leg:

Scun'thorpe v. King's Lynn



Premier League Play Offs, semi-final, second leg.... Edinburgh 52, Newcastle 43 The aggregate score was Edinburgh 94, Newcastle 94. Edinburgh won through to the final by winning the second Golden Heat by 5-1 after the first was drawn..


Team changes: Both teams were at full strength.


Wow! What a match. Edinburgh had nine points to pull back from the first leg and, while they were in good position to do so several times during the match, Newcastle kept hitting back and eventually forced the match into 'extra time' involving the first use ever of the Golden Heats device.

In the opening race the Monarchs took a 4-2 with a win from Ryan Fisher ahead of Derek Sneddon. Michal Rajkowski took third while Kenni Larsen made no impression at the back. It was a good start for the home side with the aggregate lead already down to seven points but they were immediately hit with a 1-5 from the Diamonds in the reserves race. In the first running of the race, Adam McKinna pulled a locker on the second bend and Aaron Summers crashed into him. Summers was excluded from the rerun in which Trent Leverington gated to lead Byron Bekker and McKinna. Bekker got out of shape on the first bend second time round and McKinna slipped through to join his partner for the maximum. Edinburgh were now 13 behind on aggregate and while Rene Bach shot from the tapes in heat 3 Andrew Tully was too hot for him to hold and passed him for the win. Bach finished ahead of Matthew Wethers to restrict Edinburgh to a 4-2 then Kevin Woelbert had a tapes to flag win in heat 4 for a shared race taking the score to 12-12.

Wethers and Tully scored a 5-1 in heat 5 after Kenni Larsen had fallen on the second bend then Fisher and Rajkowski added another in heat 5 after a rerun. In the first running of the race Mark Lemon failed to turn on the first bend and ran his partner, Adam McKinna, into the second bend fence. Lemon was allowed back in the rerun for some reason or other while Leverington replaced McKinna but the Edinburgh pair gated to put the home side eight points up, just one behind on aggregate. There was high drama in heat 7 though. Rene Bach and Jason King led from the tapes after a poor gate by Woelbert but Woelbert was quickly after them and was soon past King. He then reeled in Bach and passed him cleanly on the inside of the first bend on the last lap. Bach ran into the back of him and Woelbert was incredibly excluded by the referee much to the disgust of the home fans. The shared race turned into a 1-5 to the visitors as the referee awarded the race which gave the Diamonds a five point aggregate lead. Michal Rajkowski gated to win heat 8 comfortably while Derek Sneddon and Trent Leverington settled into the minor places to head Aaron Summers home for a shared race which took the score to 26-22 (68-73 on aggregate).

The Wethers, Tully partnership yielded another 5-1 in heat 9 with Mark Lemon stuck back in third place. Again the aggregate lead was down to one point and Edinburgh went ahead on aggregate by one point with a 4-2 in heat 10 as Ryan Fisher passed the fast starting Rene Bach with Rajkowski third. Now ten points in arrears on the night, Newcastle gave Kenni Larsen a tactical ride in heat 11. He could do no better than finish second to Kevin Woelbert though and with Summers taking third from Sneddon the result was a 4-4 shared race. Edinburgh's lead went to twelve points with a 4-2 in heat 12 as Andrew Tully completed his four ride paid maximum with a comfortable win ahead of Jason King. At the back Adam McKinna led Byron Bekker but ran wide on the fourth bend causing Bekker to fall. McKinna was excluded and Bekker awarded the third place point, a refereeing decision open to debate. The score was now 46-34 to Edinburgh (88-85 on aggregate).

Newcastle did not use their second tactical ride in heat 13 and this proved a good decision when Mark Lemon made the gate to win the race for a shared race leaving Rene Bach to take the TR in heat 14 instead. In spite of a determined challenge by Matthew Wethers Bach was too fast for him and won for the full six points. Summers took third from Leverington so the 3-6 tied the aggregate scores with heat 15 up next. In the first running of the race, Ryan Fisher gated and rounded Rene Bach on the first two bends while Matthew Wethers settled into third for a potential match winning 4-2. However Mark Lemon at the back baled out on the first bend and the referee bought his dying swan act and ordered a rerun with all four back! In the rerun Lemon made no mistake this time with a fast gate. He pulled away from Fisher and Wethers, the latter having to look lively to keep Bach behind him for a shared race which meant that the tie was drawn on aggregate.

The crowd wondered what happened next and it was announced that the Golden Heats device would be used to determine the outcome of the tie. In terms of the rules governing this formula, both teams have to nominate six of their riders for a potential extra three races which only continue until one of the two sides provides a heat advantage. Should the match still be tied the process is repeated for another three heats. The first Golden Heat provided the same line up as heat 13 albeit from different gates. Rene Bach gated to lead the race from Wethers and Fisher with Lemon at the back. However Ryan Fisher suffered a machine problem on the second lap and was thrown from his machine on the third bend so it looked as though the Diamonds, now sitting on a 2-4, were home and dry. They reckoned without Matthew Wethers though who produced a stunning ride in the wet conditions to reel Bach in with strong bursts round the inside. After a passing and repassing bout Wethers finally made the pass stick to win the race for a shared heat so the match went to a second Golden Heat. This time Kenni Larsen made the gate with Woelbert driving hard round the outside of the first two bends and Tully round the inside, Larsen couldn't cover both moves and Andrew Tully shot through on the inside off the second bend while Kevin Woelbert completed his outside line drive to follow him through. The two Monarchs raced off for the 5-1 which decided the tie in Edinburgh's favour. It was a tense and exciting match and while Edinburgh were deserved victors full credit went to Newcastle for making it such a thrilling and memorable night's racing. It was a pity there had to be a loser!


Scorers: Edinburgh – Ryan Fisher 12+1 (5), Andrew Tully 10+2 (paid maximum), Matthew Wethers 10+1 (5), Michal Rajkowski 7+1 (4), Kevin Woelbert 8 (4), Aaron Summers 3+1 (5), Byron Bekker 2 (3).

Newcastle – Rene Bach 13 (4) (incl 6 point TR), Mark Lemon 8+1 (5), Trent Leverington 7+1 (5), Derek Sneddon 5 (4), Jason King 4+1 (4), Kenni Larsen 4 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Adam McKinna 2 (3).



Premier League Knock Out Cup, semi-final, second leg: .... Scun'thorpe 45, King's Lynn 27 The match was abandoned after heat 12 due to a waterlogged Track. The result stands and King's Lynn won on aggregate by 97-85.



Team changes: Scun'thorpe used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 2 for the injured Viktor Bergstrom. King's Lynn were without Kozza Smith and Tomas Topinka. They used Rider Replacement at number 2 for Smith and had Ty Proctor as a guest for Topinka at number 5. They also nominated Adam Lowe as their number 8.

With no less than a 50 point lead from the first leg there was little at stake in this second leg tie but, on a very wet track, Scun'thorpe had the satisfaction of winning the second leg by 18 points in a match curtailed to 12 heats due to the conditions. King's Lynn now meet Edinburgh in the final.

Jan Graversen gated to lead heat one but he was passed by both David Howe then Darcy Ward for a 3-3. Graversen, out again in heat 2, gated again and this time went on to win the race. Linus Eklof also led the two Scorpions from the gate but was passed by Ritchie Hawkins and Jerran Hart for another shared race. The deadlock remained unbroken after heat3, won by Simon Lambert from Chris Schramm and Emiliano Sanchez both of whom passed Magnus Karlsson, and after heat 4 won by Ty Proctor so the score then stood at 12-12.

Darcy Ward won heat 5 from Karlsson and Lambert for shared heat number 5 but finally Scun'thorpe scored a 5-1 in heat 6 with Howe and Lambert (R/R) leading Ty Proctor home. It was the first of three consecutive maximums for the Scorpions. Chris Schramm gated in heat 7 but Jerran Hart stormed round him off the second bend then Carl Wilkinson drove under him off the third for the second maximum. King's Lynn invoked the tactical gates rule in heat 8 to go from gates 1 and 2 but it did them no good as Wilkinson and Hawkins gated to sit on a 5-1. Jan Graversen fell, looked up then stayed down causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. Wilkinson and Hawkins repeated the dose in the rerun so the 5-1 took the score to 30-18.

Magnus Karlsson and Simon Lambert separated by Ty Proctor threatened a 4-2 in heat 9 but Lambert suffered an engine failure so the race was shared. David Howe then won heat 10 from Sanchez and Hart for a 4-2 giving the home side a 14 point lead which went to 18 with further 4-2s in heats 11 and 12 with wins from Wilkinson and Lambert. That was as far as the match went. Heat 12 having been reached and the Stars well home on aggregate a halt was called to the procedings.


Scorers: Scun'thorpe – Carl Wilkinson 10+1 (4), Simon Lambert 9+2 (5), David Howe 9 (3), Ritchie Hawkins 6+2 (4), Jerran Hart 6+1 (5), Magnus Karlsson 5 (3).

King's Lynn – Emiliano Sanchez 7+1 (5), Darcy Ward 7 (3), Ty Proctor 6 (3), Jan Graversen 4+1 (5), Chris Schramm 2 (3), Linus Eklof 1+1 (3).

[Merlin]

Saturday, 10 October



Young Shield, semi-final, first leg:

Stoke v. Workington

M25 Challenge Cup:

Rye House v. Lakeside



Young Shield, semi-final, first leg:.... Stoke 39, Workington 39 The match was abandoned after heat 13 due to a power failure. The result stands..


Team changes: Stoke were at full strength but Workington without Kevin Doolan, Phil Morris and Richard Lawson had Marke Lemon as a guest at number 1 for Doolan, Justin Sedgmen as a guest at number 2 for Morris and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Lawson..

This match was boiling up nicely to a climax with the scores tied when a power failure just before heat 13 resulted in the stadium being engulfed in darkness. The lights came on for a short time which allowed heat 13 to be run but with some of the lights not working the referee decided to call a halt. This means that the Potters and Comets would fight the second leg at Workington tomorrow from scratch.

The Potters had led from heat 2 with a 5-1 from Tom P Madsen and Craig Branney but after two shared races the Comets pulled two points back with a 2-4 from Mark Lemon and Justin Sedgmen separated by Lee Complin. Stoke replied with a 4-2 in heat 6 with a Jason Bunyan win from Andre Compton with Jesper Kristiansen in third which restored the Potters' four point lead. Workington came roaring back with a 1-5 in heat 7 through John Branney and Adrian Rymel to level the match again then a shared heat 8 won by John Branney took the score to 24-24.

Things looked bright for the Potters in heat 9 as Lee Complin and Klaus Jakobsen sat on a 5-1 but Jakobsen had an engine failure so the race points were shared. Heat 10 also resulted in a 3-3 after it had been rerun without Kristiansen who was excluded for falling. Jason Bunyan won the race then Robert Ksiezak beat Mark Lemon in heat 11 for another shared race but, after a shared heat 11, Ksiezak fell in heat 13 and was excluded as the lights went out. Once the power had been restored
Jason Bunyan won the rerun to keep the scores tied and that was the end of business for the evening.


Scorers: Stoke – Jason Bunyan 10+1, Tom P Madsen 8+1, Lee Complin 6+1, Robert Ksiezak 5+1, Jesper Kristiansen 4+1, Klaus Jakobsen 4, Craig Branney 2+1.

Workington – Mark Lemon 10, John Branney 8+1, Andre Compton 8+1, Adrian Rymel 7+1, Justin Sedgmen 5+1, Craig Cook 1+1.



M25 Challenge Cup: .... Rye House 50, Lakeside 40 .


Team changes: Rye House recruited former Rocket, Edward Kennett, for this match and tracked a reserve pairing of Kyle Hughes and Josh Auty. Lakeside had Joonas Kylmakorpi and Jordan Frampton as their opening pairing and Paul Hurry at number 4. Another former Rocket, Stuart Robson, was at number 5 and their reserve pairing consisted of Jaimie Coutney and Jerran Hart. They also used Rider Replacement at number 3 for the missing Kauko Nieminen.

Although this Challenge match was due to be raced over two legs, Lakeside were unable to stage the second leg so the Rockets were awarded the trophy as a result of their win in this meeting.

The match swung to and fro. Rye House had built up an early six point lead with the score at 18-12 after heat 5. The Rockets were pegged back by the Hammers to a four point lead after eight heats with the score at 26-22 and there were still four points between them after heat 13. A 5-1 from Luke Bowen and Kyle Hughes over Paul Hurry in heat 14 clinched the win for the home side then Chris Neath increased the winning margin to ten points with a win over Joonas Kylmakorpi while Edward Kennett took third for a 4-2.


Scorers: Rye House – Chris Neath 11+1 (5), Edward Kennett 10 (5), Joe Haines 9 (4), Luke Bowen 8+2 (4), Josh Auty 5+1 (4), Kyle Hughes 4+1 (4), Linus Sundstrom 3 (4).

Away – Joonas Sundstrom 11+1 (6), Paul Hurry 9+2 (5), Stuart Robson 8+1 (5), Jordan Frampton 8+1 (6), Jaimie Courtney 3+1 (4), Jerran Hart 1+1 (4).

[Merlin]

Sunday, 11 October



Young Shield:

Workington v. Stoke

Scottish Cup:

Glasgow v. Edinburgh



Young Shield, semi-final, second leg:....Workington 54, Stoke 36 Workington won on aggregate by 93-75.


Team changes: Workington again without Kevin Doolan, Phil Morris and Richard Lawson and had Mark Lemon as a guest at number 1 for Doolan, Justin Sedgmen at number 2 as a guest for Morris and used Rider Replacement at number 4 for Lawson. Stoke were at full strength.

The two teams met on level terms after last night's curtailed match at Stoke resulted in a 39-39 draw. Stoke competed well from the start and held a two point lead after the first eight heats. The Comets hit back over the next two races to reverse the two point lead in their favour but Stoke had three fallers in the last four heats which saw them ship two 5-1s and two 4-2s to slip from contention leaving the Comets with a comfortable 18 point win which takes them to the final.

When Klaus Jakobsen and Jason Bunyan gated to take a 1-5 ahead of Mark Lemon in the opening heat it looked as though the Potters were well up for this match. The Comets pulled two points back with a 4-2 in the reserves race won by Craig Cook from Craig Branney but the next six races finished as 3-3s. Lee Complin won heat 3 from Adrian Rymel then Robert Ksiezak made it three Stoke winners from the first four heats by winning heat 4 from Andre Compton while Craig Branney suffered an engine failure at the start allowing his brother, John, to take an unchallenged third. The score was now 11-13.

Adrian Rymel beat Bunyan and Jakobsen in heat 5 then Mark Lemon won heat 6 from Ksiezak and Madsen. Andre Compton took heat 7 from Complin and Kristiansen and Tom P Madsen won heat 8 to keep the Potters two points in front at 23-25.

Workington got back on level terms with a 4-2 in heat 9 with Rymel winning from Ksiezak while John won the battle of the Branney brothers. The Comets then took the lead in heat 10 as Mark Lemon got the better of Lee Complin on the opening bends while Justin Sedgmen picked up third for another 4-2. It all went pear shaped for the Potters after that. Jason Bunyan fell on the second bend of heat 11 after pulling a locker and the race was rerun without him. The Comets took full advantage as Compton and John Branney blocked Jakobsen for a 5-1 which increased their lead to six points. Jesper Kristiansen then fell in heat 12 and was excluded from the rerun which Adrian Rymel won from Tom P Madsen for a 4-2 so the Comets now led by eight points with the score now 40-32.

Lemon and Compton gated for a 5-1 in heat 13 leaving Bunyan back in third which put the Comets 12 points in front so Lee Complin took a tactical ride in heat 14. Complin and Compton diced for the lead all race but Andre Compton dived under Complin on the second bend of the last lap. Going into the third bend Complin misjudged his run round the outside of Compton and ended in the fence in a frightening looking accident and was advised to go to hospital for a check up although no breaks were suspected. The race was awarded as a 4-2 as Tom P Madsen finished behind Compton and Workington were through to the final. Rymel and Lemon added a last heat 5-1 to make the winning margin more emphatic.


Scorers: Workington – Adrian Rymel 14 (5), Andre Compton 13+1 (5), Mark Lemon 12+1 (5), John Branney 8+2 (6), Craig Cook 4 (4), Justin Sedgmen 3+2 (5).

Stoke – Tom P Madsen 8+1 (5), Robertv Ksiezak 8 (5), Lee Complin 7 (4), Klaus Jakobsen 5+1 (4), Jason Bunyan 5+1 (5), Craig Branney 2 (3), Jesper Kristiansen 1+1 (4).



Scottish Cup, second leg: .... Glasgow 35, Edinburgh 57 Edinburgh won the Cup on aggregate by 117-65.


Team changes: Glasgow were without Shane Parker, James Grieves and Sandi Conda. They had Steve Johnston as a guest at number 1 for Grieves, Derek Sneddon for Sandi Conda at number 2 and Jason King for Shane Parker at number 5. Edinburgh were without Kevin Woelbert and used Rider Replacement at number 5 instead.

This was Glasgow's last senior meeting of the season and if they were hoping to finish on a high note they were sadly disappointed as a rampant Monarchs team tore into them from the start to win by a staggering twenty two points. Without their big two of Shane Parker and James Grieves the Tigers found that their replacements were sadly inadequate on this occasion.

Ryan Fisher won the opening race after outgating Steve Johnston who latterly had to fend off the challenge of Michal Rajkowski to ensure second place and a 2-4 to the visitors. Aaron Summers won the reserve race comfortably for a shared race then the Monarchs doubled their lead with a 2-4 in heat 3 after Andrew Tully had passed William Lawson on the last bend of the opening lap with Matthew Wethers in third. Edinburgh doubled their lead again in heat 4 when Aaron Summers gated again this time with Michal Rajkowski (R/R) in tow. Lee Dicken went too wide on the first turn and blocked the run of Josh Grajczonek who was then tailed off at the back. The 1-5 took the score to 8-16.

Glasgow's nightmare afternoon continued with another 1-5 to the visitors in heat 5. Ryan Fisher gated and was away while Michal Rajkowski passed William Lawson with a cut back off the fourth turn to join his partner and put Edinburgh 12 points ahead. Glasgow gave Steve Johnston a tactical ride in heat 6 but Andrew Tully got the better of him after the pair had headed for the first turn together. Tully pulled away to win the race but Johnston and Derk Sneddon filled the minor places so the Tigers took a 5-3 heat advantage to cut their arrears to ten points. Finally Glasgow had a race winner as Josh Grajczonek made the start to heat 7 but he had to ride his socks off to hold off the challenge from Andrew Tully who just couldn't find a way past. Matthew Wethers' third place ensured a shared race but this was the prelude to three more maximums for the Monarchs. Summers gated again in heat 8 and pulled away while Rajkowski cut back off the fourth bend to get the better of Derek Sneddon for second for the first of the 1-5s taking the score to 18-32.

William Lawson took Glasgow's second tactical ride in heat 9 but Matthew Wethers and Aaron Summers stormed round the first two bends to relegate Lawson to third for the second 1-5 then Wethers and Tully added the third again doing all the work round the opening bends leaving Sneddon and Johnston bringing up the rear. Josh Grajczonek again came to the rescue for Glasgow with a fine gate in heat 11 which gave him a tapes to flag win. Rajkowski gave chase but almost came to grief on the last bend as he drifted too wide and scraped the fence before regaining control to finish behind his partner, Fisher, for a shared race. William Lawson and Lee Dicken bucked the trend by gating to leave Tully chasing in heat 12. Lee Dicken pulled a locker on the second lap and Tully shot through to second while Dicken and Bekker thereafter had a good tussle for third before Dicken fell on the third bend of the last lap. Bekker was adjudged to have been responsible for Dicken's fall and was excluded so Dicken's awarded point gave Glasgow a 4-2 heat advantage which took the score to 27-47.

Ryan Fisher gated well to win heat 13 but this time Aaron Summers missed the gate and could only follow Grajczonek and Johnston home for a shared race. Mitchell Davey shook off his lethargy by making a storming gate in heat 14 to lead Wethers and Summers for what looked like being a shared race. However Wethers' bike started to slow coming off the second bend on the last lap and eventually it gave up the ghost on the foruth bend and Jason King nipped through for third place on the line for another 4-2 to Glasgow. Edinburgh rounded things off with their fifth 1-5 of the match in heat 15 leaving Lawson and Grajzonek to bring up the rear.


Scorers: Glasgow – Josh Grajczonek 8 (5), William Lawson 8 (5), Steve Johnston 7+1 (4) (incl 4 point TR), Mitchell Davey 4+1 (4), Lee Dicken 4 (4), Derek Sneddon 3+1 (4), Jason King 1 (4).

Edinburgh – Aaron Summers 15+2 (7), Ryan Fisher 14 (5), Andrew Tully 12+1 (5), Michal Rajkowski 8+4 (5), Matthew Wethers 8+1 (5).

[Merlin]

Wednesday, 14 October



Premier League Play Offs, semi-final, second leg:..... King's Lynn 55, Birmingham 35 King's Lynn won on aggregate by 102-78.


Team changes: King's Lynn were without Kozza Smith and Tomas Topinka. They had Chris Kerr as a guest at number 2 for Smith and used Rider Replacement (R/R) at number 5 for Topinka. In addition they nominated Adam Lowe as their number 8. Birmingham were without Tomasz Piszcz and had Cory Gathercole as a guest instead at number 1.

With a four point lead from the first leg Birmingham were at long odds to qualify for the final by winning at the Norfolk Arena. They got off to a good start though and had wiped out their aggregate deficit after the first four races. Jason Lyons then fell in heat 6 and withdrew from the meeting and the Stars cashed in to build up a double figure lead before Birmingham used tactical rides in consecutive races. However with both riders entrusted with the black and white cover, Ludvig Lindgren and Cory Gathercole, also falling what little chance they had disappeared without trace.

Heat 1 wasn't in the script. Rusty Harrison and Cory Gathercole made the gate for the Brummies but Chris Kerr passed Gathercole on the first lap and gave chase to Harrison. Harrison held on to win the race while Darcy Ward after a slow start retired on the second lap with engine problems. This gave the visitors a 2-4 advantage but a routine 5-1 for Jan Graversen and Linus Eklof in heat 2 reversed the two point lead. Chris Schramm led heat three from the tapes folowed by the two Brummies, Richard Sweetman and Ludvig Lindgren. Sweetman passed Schramm on the first lap then Lindgren followed him through on the second lap and the Stars conceded a 1-5 which reversed the lead once more with Birmingham two in front again. Jason Lyons won heat 4 while Chris Kerr (R/R) fell and remounted. Jan Graversen held on to a pressing Lee Smart for third and Birmingham scored a 2-4 which took the score to 10-14 and tied the aggregate score at 57-57.

King's Lynn hit back with a 5-1 in heat 5 to level the match when Schramm and Sanchez gated to lead Gathercole home but heat 6 looked promising for the Brummies when Jason Lyons led Chris Kerr and Jay Herne had passed Darcy Ward to settle in third but it all went wrong for the visitors. Kerr passed Lyons on the third bend then Lyons picked up grip and crashed on the fourth bend causing the race to be stopped and rerun without him. King's Lynn took full advantage of the second chance as Chris Kerr had a tapes to flag victory while Darcy Ward passed passed Jay Herne on the last lap for second and a second consecutive 5-1. Chris Schramm gated to win heat 7 but had a job on his hands holding off challenges from Sweetman then Lindgren. Linus Eklof finished at the back so the race was shared. The Stars moved six points in front in heat 8 as Chris Kerr won narrowly from Rusty Harrison who passed Graversen on the last bend with Smart in third. The 4-2 took the score to 27-21 with the aggregate standing at 74-64.

When Lee Smart replaced Jason Lyons in heat 9 and Sanchez and Schramm added a 5-1 to the King's Lynn total taking the lead on the night to 10 points, the tie looked out of the Brummies' reach especially when it transpired that Lyons had been withdrawn from the meeting. Now ten points in arrears it was tactical time for Birmingham but the two tactical rides they had in the two following heats were absolute disasters. First up was Ludvig Lindgren with the black and white helmet cover in heat 10 but he fell while leading the race with Sweetman in second. Chris Kerr passed Sweetman to win the race with Darcy Ward in third giving the Stars a 4-2. Next up in the black and white helmet cover was Cory Gathercole in heat 11 but he suffered the same fate as Lindgren falling on the third lap although he was back in third at the time. Sanchez won from Harrison and Eklof for another 4-2 then Sanchez won heat 12 from Herne and Lindgren for a 3-3 so the score now stood at 40-26 on the night, 87-69 on aggregate. This meant that King's Lynn could not now be caught.

Jan Graversen won heat 13 from Herne and Eklof with Gathercole at the back for another 4-2 then Richard Sweetman gated to win heat 14 from Schramm and Eklof with Lee Smart falling at the back. Finally the Stars finished off with a 5-1 from Chris Schramm and Chris Kerr ahead of Ludvig Lindgren and Richard Sweetman for a 24 point aggregate win which means that they will now face Edinburgh in the final.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Chris Schramm 14+1 (6), Chris Kerr 13+1 (6), Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (5), Jan Graversen 9 (5), Linus Eklof 5+2 (5), Darcy Ward 3+1 (3).

Birmingham – Richard Sweetman 9+1 (5), Rusty Harrison 7 (4), Ludvig Lindgren 6+2 (5), Jay Herne 6 (5), Jason Lyons 3 (2), Cory Gathercole 2 (4), Lee Smart 2 (5).

[Merlin]

Tuesday, 20 October



Premier League Play Offs, final, second leg:..... King's Lynn 47, Edinburgh 41 Edinburgh won on aggregate by 97-83.


Team changes: King's Lynn were missing three riders: Kozza Smith, Darcy Ward and Tomas Topinka. They had Ulrich Ostergaard at number 1 in place of Ward, Ty Proctor at number 5 in place of Topinka and used Rider Replacement for Smith at number 2. They also nominated Adam Lowe as their number 8. Edinburgh were at full strength.

The second leg of the final seemed to be delicately poised after Edinburgh built up a 20 point lead from the first leg. Having lost by the same margin in the Premier Trophy final second leg by the same margin it looked as though this might go the full distance. It didn't though; Edinburgh qualified on aggregate with a bit to spare having the tie wrapped up after heat 11. It must be a long time since King's Lynn provided only five race winners to the opposition's ten round the Norfolk Arena.

As a result of this match Edinburgh progress to the Promotion/Relegation Play Off against Belle Vue with the first leg at Armadale on Saturday night and the second leg at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Monday next.

Ryan Fisher won the opening race from Jan Graversen and Ulrich Ostergaard for a shared heat but King's Lynn fans got a real shock when Edinburgh's new reserve, Kalle Katajisto, passed both Linus Eklof (on the fourth bend) then Jan Graversen (at the start of lap 2) to win the reserves race by the proverbial mile with Aaron Summers trailing in last. The Stars took the lead in heat 3 with Emiliano Sanchez and Chris Schramm teaming up to head home Andrew Tully and Matthew Wethers for 5-1 and four point lead cutting their arrears to 16 points but Edinburgh hit back in heat 4 with a 2-4. Kevin Woelbert gated to win the race comfortably while Kalle Katajisto had another splendid ride holding off Ty Proctor for third place. This took the score to 13-11 (49-67 on aggregate).

Ryan Fisher and Michal Rajkowski gated to lead heat 5 but, although both Schramm and Sanchez passed Rajkowski on the first lap, neither got near enough to challenge Fisher so the race was shared. Kevin Woelbert made it five race winners for the Monarchs in six races by winning heat 6 from Ostergaard and Eklof but, with Summers at the back again, it was only good enough for a 3-3. Ty Proctor got over his first race blob by winning heat 7 from Matthew Wethers while Linus Eklof passed Andrew Tully at the start of the second lap for a 4-2 to the Stars doubling their lead to four points. Heat 8 was a bad one for both sides! Firstly Emiliano Sanchez fell on the first bend and was excluded from the rerun. A second rerun was needed after an unsatisfactory start but at the next attempt it looked as though Edinburgh were going to level the scores as Rajkowski and Katajisto led Graversen for a 1-5 until the last bend when Rajkowski lifted and crashed heavily into the fence injuring his ankle and causing him to withdraw from the meeting. With Katajisto winning the race the result was a 2-3 to the Monarchs which took ther score to 25-22 (58-81 on aggregate).

After the interval and much track grading Aaron Summers finally broke his duck by powering away from the start of heat 9 to win comfortably. Schramm and Sanchez followed him home with Woelbert finishing at the back after a poor start. The result was a shared race and there was another in heat 10 as Ulrich Ostergaard and Linus Eklof made the gate only for Andrew Tully to pass Eklof at the end of the first lap and Matthew Wethers to do likewise on the last lap. Heat 11 had two races. The one for first was a titanic struggle between Ryan Fisher and Ty Proctor with the latter getting up to win on the line. The other was for third as Kalle Katajisto chased and passed Jan Graversen before the King's Lynn reserve's bike failed. This meant that this race was shared too and King's Lynn were rapidly running out of races to close the gap. They didn't gain anything from heat 12 as Edinburgh looked set for a 2-4 with Aaron Summers leading Linus Eklof with Andrew Tully in third ahead of Emiliano Sanchez but Summers suffered an engine failure on the third lap. Eklof had to take avoiding action and Tully nipped past to win the race for another shared race which took the score to 37-34 (73-90 on aggregate).

Heat 13 had to be rerun as Edinburgh sat on a 1-5. On the second lap Ty Proctor tried an outside drive round Ryan Fisher and fell so he was excluded. In the rerun Ryan Fisher took Ulrich Ostergaard wide on the opening bends – too wide for the referee who stopped the race and excluded Fisher. In the two man rerun Woelbert won unchallenged for a 2-3. King's Lynn took a 5-1 in heat 14 with Schramm and Eklof winning from Katajisto who threw everything at Eklof unsuccessfully. This meant that the Stars unbeaten home record was safe as they went into heat 15 leading by six points on the night. Kevin Woelbert won the last race from Schramm and Ostergaard with Tully at the rear so the Stars couldn't improve on their six point lead.


Scorers: King's Lynn – Chris Schramm 11+1 (5), Ulrich Ostergaard 9+2 (5), Jan Graversen 8 (5), Linus Eklof 7+3 (6), Emiliano Sanchez 6+3 (5), Ty Proctor 6 (4).

Edinburgh – Kevin Woelbert 12 (5), Kalle Katajisto 9+1 (5), Ryan Fisher 8 (4), Andrew Tully 6 (5), Matthew Wethers 3+1 (4), Aaron Summers 3 (4), Michal Rajkowski 0 (3).

[Merlin]

Sorry I never quite finished this thread but fatigue took its toll. The last week of the season saw a long drive down to Manchester to see the Monarchs hammered on a dreadful track on the Monday. Then came a long drive back home on Tuesday to feed the cat followed by an even longer drive to King's Lynn on the Wednesday to witness another heavy defeat and loss of the KO Cup to the Stars (not that we actually had it to lose of course).

Thursday meant another long drive home and Friday a visit to a sodden Armadale for the return match against Belle Vue and the biggest home hammering in Edinburgh's history (I mean Ulrich Ostergaard at reserve for the Aces! - you've got to be having a laugh) Saturday was the date of the annual dinner and dance which was a late finish and Sunday was wash day and catch up day for the other things I should have done. Monday was bike washing day for Kalle Katajisto (jeez can that boy make a mess?). Then Tuesday meant a six o' clock rise to get Kalle to Edinburgh Airport for his flight home and a good greet at the state of the house when I got home.

Thank goodness the season's over. See you all next year!