Match Reports

On 6 December Sandwell cycle speedway club staged the rerun of this year's Bonfire Classic which was abandoned on 1 November because of a major power cut. This time things went according to plan. On a cold but dry day and a clear blue sky, some excellent racing took place on a very soft and heavy track. With only 11 of the original line up in attendance and a much depleted crowd, the enthusiasm was high and an excellent show followed.

The bonfire was lit at 12 noon to keep spectators warm as Christmas songs blasted out of the speakers, surely a first! At 2pm the tapes went up for heat one which was won in fine style by Bretford's Will Hanson. Heat two was no surprise with Sandwell's own little bombshell Ricki Johnson taking first place. Heat three was won by Matt Haddock of Wednesfield as these three lads set the pace and with all three only dropping one point each an exciting finale was in store,

Matt Haddock took grid one, Will Hanson grid three and Ricki Johnson grid four. Matt flew out of the tapes into the first turn by length, then slipped off his pedals. Will took advantage of this and shot into the lead with Ricki several lengths behind in second place. Although Matt kept his chin up but with the track so heavy could not make up the lost ground. It looked like Will, who was the big surprise of the day, was going to lift the coveted trophy but Ricki had other ideas and with his never say die attitude went of in pursuit of Will, catching him going into the first turn on the last lap and went straight round Will to take the chequered flag. The crowd went wild.

Although this was an under-13s event, the racing and sportsmanship showed through when the three lads shook hands after the race. Reanna Brindley, the only girl in the line up, reeled of three wins to secure fourth spot and James Chattin, with two wins under his belt, was fifth overall.

All competitors received a fine trophy and a red sweatshirt with 'Sandwell Bonfire Classic' printed on in yellow writing all courtesy of the meeting main sponsor Dash Trophies of Wednesfield. At 4.30pm everyone was treated to a fantastic fireworks display. A great time was had by all. A big thanks must also go to Rob Minchin of RM Gardening Services for his financial support for the fireworks.

Scoreboard
Ricki Johnson (Sandwell) 19, Will Hanson (Bretford) 19, Matt Haddock (Wednesfield) 19, Reanna Brindey (Wednesfield) 17, James Chattin (Sandwell) 16, Lee Kemp (Bretford) 15, Adam Bristow (Bretford) 13,
James Harriman (Wednesfield) 13, Nathan Wilkes (Sandwell) 11, Dan Price (Bretford) 10, Phill Sangster (Bretford) 9
Referee; Dan Davenport (formerly known as Danny Hill)

The thirteenth London Old Masters, incorporating the seventh and final round of the Eurovets GP Series was held at East London on Saturday. With 22 riders contesting three classes, the meeting comprised of two individuals with corresponding 'A' and 'B'Grnad Prix Finals. The over 50's (Supervets) and over 60's (Grand Vets) individual final was first, refereed by Nicky Gunkel (Essex), followed by the over 40's (Eurovets) Old Masters Final refereed by Dave Hughes (Greater London). With a considerable number of riders doing both events there was not too much time to socialise with the large crowd present including many old faces from the past.

London Old Masters
Steve Harris (Horspath) 25 points, Ian Lawrence (Filton) 23, Norman Venson (Leicester) 22, Mike Burgess (Filton) 21, Paul Gibbs (Filton) 20, Garry Brown (Somersham) 18, Les Stevens (East London) 17, Mick Aris (Wednesfield) 16, George Hughes (East London) 11, Tim Metcalfe (Coventry) 11, Dave Tulloch (ex Hawbush) 11, Fred Rothwell (Bury) 10, Dave Palfreyman (Filton) 9, Steve Woodroof (ex East London) 7, Steve Bloxham (ex Hawbush) 6, Steve Harvie (East London) 6

Final Eurovets GP Positions 2008 (Best six scores from seven rounds)
1st Norman Venson (Leicester) 138 Points, 2nd Dave Murphy (Poole) 125, 3rd Mike Burgess (Filton) 124, 4th Mick Aris (Wednesfield) 119, 5th Paul Gibbs (Filton) 106, 6th Steve Harris (Horspath) 98, 7th Ian Lawrence (Filton) 86, 8th Paul Timms (Birmingham) 85, 9th Fred Rothwell (Bury) 84, 10th Simon Plows (Hull) 80, 11th Roger Ellis (Wednesfield) 72, 12th John Whiting (Bury) 56, 13th Steve Harvie (East London) 49, 14th Chic Mackie (Edinburgh) 40, 15th Kevin Marson (Wednesfield) 37, 16th Phil Widdas (Birmingham) 32, 17th Dave Baxter (Edinburgh) and Tim Metcalf (Coventry) 26, 19th L.Lawrence (Edinburgh) 20, 20. G.Brown (Somersham) & J.Murphy (Edinburgh) 18, 22. Lws Stevens (East London) 17, 23rd Mick Pedley (Wednesfield) 16, 24th Martin Glover (Horspath), George Hughes (East London), Dave O'Callaghan (Bury) and Dave Tulloch (ex Hawbush) 11, 28th Ian McKinley (Edinburgh) and Dave Palfreyman (Filton) 9, 30th Paul Davies (Newport), A.Forbes (Edinburgh) and Steve Woodroof (ex East London) 7, 33rd Steve Bloxham (ex Hawbush) and S.Jarman (Bury) 6.

Supervets
1st Mike Burgess 140 points, 2nd M.Aris 139, 3rd R.Ellis 116, 4th F.Rothwell 115, 5th J.Whiting 106, 6th I.Lawrence 93, 7th P.Timms 91, 8th S.Harvie 78, 9th D.Baxter 62, 10th C.Mackie 59, 11th P.Widdas 52, 12th J.Murphy 38, 13th M.Pedley 22, 14th A.Cox (ex East London) 21, 15th D.Tulloch 20, 16th L.Stevens 18, 17th G.Hughes 17, 18th S.Bloxham, D.Palfreyman and C.Riches (ex Hawbush) 11, 21st D.Hughes (East London) 10, 22nd I.McKinley 9, 23rd A.Forbes 7, 24th S.Jarman 6.

Grandvets
1st John Whiting 142, 2nd R.Ellis 140, 3. C.Mackie 132, 4th J.Murphy 48, 5th I.McKinley 40, 6th D.Tulloch 25, 7th C.Riches 23, 8th A.Forbes 18. A total of 36 riders from 12 current clubs plus Hawbush.

Newport CSC staged the first Welsh Senior Riders Championships since 1996. Filton's Ben Mould sped to a fine 20 point maximum with Birmingham's Mark Winwood second on 18, one point ahead of brother Carl who came third.

A large crowd witnessed some fine fast racing with the local Newport and East Newport riders also impressing. Guest for the day was twice winner of this meeting in the Sixties, Mr Gerry Escott, who was thrilled that the national championships have been restored to the racing calender,

So Filton rider Ben Mould took the first of who knows how many Welsh titles this talented racer will win. Ben has benefitted this season from regular training at Newport under the coaching of twice Welsh champion Stuart Raven who commutes twice a week to train the local riders.

1st Ben Mould 20pts, 2nd Mark Winwood 18pts, 3rd Carl Winwood 17pts, 4th Neil Power 17pts

The eagerly awaited title Northern League decider took place on a dry but windy day at the Hessle Raceway. The home side were at full strength while Stoke were without the injured Andy Franks but included Garry Pearce.

Hull started well with a Andy Angell/Matt Beharrell 6-4 but the visitors hit back with a 6-3 in heat four, after Angell moved at the tapes. The next race saw Gary Pearce/Richard Harrison extend the Potters lead to five before Simon Plows/Darren Spencer levelled matters after Simon Munden was excluded for falling and changing the race order in heat six. Lewis Bates was excluded for not leaving Andy Angell room on the outside in heat seven but their lead was short lived as Stoke hit back with two 6-4s to take a single point interval lead.

The Hessle track was looking immaculate although the surface was proving a little slippy in the drying wind. Hull again started well as Darren Spencer/Lewis Aylmer took a 6-3 after Garry Pearce was excluded for legging in heat 10. Into heat 12 and the home lead was extended thanks to a Andy Angell/Matt Beharrell maximum as a good sized crowd cheered on their local favourites. Stoke had other ideas and levelled the scores with a Errol Thaw/Richard Harrison 6-4 and a Lewis Bates/Garry Pearce 7-3.

Heat 15 had to be started three times before Lewis Aylmer held off Adam Ellis, and Adam Stephenson shot round for a crucial four dvantage. Following a drawn heat 16 Andy Angell and Corey Graham took an excellent 6-4 to make sure of the two points and bring Hull their first ever major league title. Stoke took a consolation 7-3 in the final heat as Hull made sure of no slip ups before the celebrations started in earnest.

Hull's Andy Angell and Stoke's Lewis Bates only dropped points due to an exclusion each, while for the visitors Errol Thaw gave an excellent display dropping only one point. Hull again came up with an excellent team display that has been the cornerstone of their successful season. Stoke can be proud of pushing the Hull team to the wire and are sure to mount a strong bid to regain the title. The match was well refereed by Andy Moody in a fair and even handed manner.

Hull 89 (Andy Angell 16, Matt Beharrell 11, Adam Stephenson 14, Corey Graham 8, Simon Plows 16, Darren Spencer 10, Andy Norrie 6, Lewis Aylmer 8) Stoke 87 (Errol Thaw 19, Richard Harrison 11, Simon Munden10, Leighton Bates 11, Lewis Bates 16, Cameron Bates 5, Adam Ellis 3, Garry Pearce 12)

Earlier in the afternoon Hull's combination side set up a possible league double by winning their final match and leapfrogging Stockport in the table. Stoke used Simon Munden and Garry Pearce to concede 28 points but the home side managed a four point win on the track and a comfortable overall victory. Highlights for the home side included 7-3s for Ian Swanborough/Andy Moody in heats two and nine and a maximum for Ben Swanborough/Matt Beharrell in heat 11. Lance Bates provided some vintage racing for Stoke with Paul Beharrell on top for for the home side.

Hull's combination side will be delighted to take their first ever combination title and can expect a renewed challenge from the youthful Stockport side next year.

Hull 89 (Ben Swanborough 9, Lewis Aylmer 5, Ian Swanborough 14, Andy Moody 9, Paul Beharrell 12, Jon Wilkinson 5, Matt Beharrell 3, Andy Norrie 4) Stoke 57 (Simon Munden 11, Garry Pearce 15, Lance Bates 9, Dave Hancock 8, Matt Bailey 7, Adam Ellis 7).

On a beautiful Autumnal Sunday afternoon at Eaton Park, Norwich Stars completed their 2008 home British Premier League fixtures with a re-arranged match against Wednesfield Aces knowing that a victory for Norwich would lift them off the bottom of the League, and send Horspath to the basement.

With the referee changed from Mike Legge to Stan Allison, Norwich opened the match forcing the pace with three 6-4 heat wins in the opening heats (18-12). Wednesfield steadied the ship with some shared scoring heats with race wins from Chris Timms and Chris Jewkes, and then reduced the deficit in heat seven with the first 7-3 heat win of the match (36-34). Norwich, through Nick Myhill and Gary Colby, went on to score a 6-4 heat win in heat nine to close the first halfs racing to make a score of Norwich 47 Wednesfield 43.

The second half burst into life when Wednesfield scored a 7-3 heat win in heat 10 (50-50), and then had Mark Griffifths and Chris Timms excluded in successive heats to hand the lead back to Norwich (62-56). It was still very close going into the final three heats (77-71), but when Lee Aris was excluded for forcing a rider onto the centre green in heat 16 and then both Mick Aris (tapes) and Mark Griffiths (excessive force) were excluded in heat 17, it placed Norwich into a match winning position leaving the home side to score a shared scoring heat in heat 18 and take the match points.

There was still plenty to race for in this match before it was underway, but when decisions didnt go Wednesfields way, the visitors went on to debate every decision which was disappointing to see. Nevertheless, there was some good Cycle Speedway out there on the track, with both sides giving 100%.

Norwich 96 (Leigh Cossey 13, Jazz Abbott 13, Ian Grange 13, David Martin 12, Nick Myhill 14, Lee Grange 12, Gary Colby 8, Ben Collins 11) Wednesfiled 78 (Stuart Bentley 7, Chris Jewkes 16, Mick Aris 2, Lee Aris 11, Roger Cox 7, Mark Griffifths 8, Chris Timms 15, Mark Winwood 12) - Referee: Stan Allison (Cambridgeshire)

In the Combination match between sides who were second and third in the Combination League, Wednesfield gave away 28 penalty points in their quest to try and put pressure on Leicester at the top of the Combination League table. Wednesfield went on to supply most of the race winners and always looked as though they would go on to win the match. For Norwich, James Wakefield showed to all as to how much he has improved as a rider this season with two good race wins, and Liam Parker s race win in heat seven was the only other success for the young Norwich side. Wednesfield went on to win the match in the end with a result of 50- 78, but with penalty points added, the match turned out to be a 78-78 draw. With this result, Wednesfield go to the top of the Combination League, but with Leicester at Horspath in early November, bottom v top, their position at the top one feels will be only temporary.

Norwich B 78 (James Wakefield 12, Lewis Conner 8, Joshua Colby 4, Liam Parker 14, Kieran Parr 7, Robert Warminger 5) Wednesfield B 78 (Matt Turley 12, Stuart Bentley 9, Mick Aris 13, Mark Griffifths 17, Wayne Aris 7, Lee Aris 20) - Referee - Stan Allison (Cambridgeshire)

The final match of the season at Bretford came down to a derby against the Leicester Lions. What a afternoon it turned out to be, Leicester bringing some adults and older teenagers but it all went Bretford's way. Bretford knew they had to level the races as much as they could as this was not going to be an easy meeting.

The first two heats were level however heat three saw Fred Owen and Lee Kemp for Bretford and Ashley Doughty and Kev Thrift for Leicester coming to the tapes. Fred Owen got the better of Ashley Doughty which left Lee Kemp, age 10, to battle against Kev Thrift, an adult, to get the third spot and battle he did pushing Kev wide and taking Kev's line. Unfortnately for Kev, he hit the floor very hard cutting his nose and was excluded . This gave Bretford their first heat advantage.

Bretford had Mitch Barlow at reserve which allowed Bretford to put in some 6-4s in heat five and eight partnered by Fred Owen who went out and won the races. All the other heats were level except when Joe Kemp and Will Hanson poured on the misery for Leicester in heat nine getting another 6-4. Scores were 49 Bretford and 40 to Leicester.

All Bretford had to do now was to level all the remaining heats which Will Hanson, Joe Kemp, Rhys Thomas and Phil Sangster did extremely well. Heat 13 came the powerhouses from Bretford Fred Owen and Mitch Barlow against Tom Senical, unbeaten for Leicester, and Jake Hogan. The tapes went up Tom Senical and Fred Owen would not give on each bend and both of them ended up in the fence. Both were excluded for excess force. Neither of the lads would give an inch they were both warned by the ref throughout the race however carried on till they both ended up in the fence. The race was awarded Jake Hogan the winner followed by Mitch Barlow.

This was a great meeting to watch and thanks goes to Leicester and Mark Whitehead for doing the referee's job which we all know is not an easy task. Final score - Bretford 67 Leicester 59

On a beautiful autumnal Saturday at Eaton Park, Norwich, the South-East Regional Ladies, Division Two and Under 16 League and the South-East League Division One Riders Championships were held. After the wash-out from the previous Sunday, the Eaton Park track produced some very fast and exciting cycle speedway racing writes Glenn Grange.

The Ladies Championship was first to go on, and after some minor deliberation had taken place, nine ladies and girls took to the track. Lauren Jacobs of Ipswich went on to take the senior title after winning her four races. In the under-16 event, both Laura Dale of Ipswich and Carly Grimes of Hethersett had to have a run-off after they had both finished with 14 points. In that race, and with Carly holding the inside line, all of a sudden she went head first over the handlebars as she entered the third bend, and both riders ended up in an untidy heap on the track.

After receiving medical attention, a badly shaken Carly decided not to take her place in the re-run, and the under-16 title went to Laura Dale. In this category, Tiffany Collins of Hethersett, after a steady start, was forced to withdraw from the meeting due to being unable to breathe properly. In the under-13s, Rosie Woolard took this age group title and Libby Knights went on to win the under-10 title.

Next up was the Division Two/Under-16 League Riders Championship, and with Dan Osborne of Great Blakenham in devastating form, he took this title with a faultless 20 point maximum ahead of the 16 rider field. There had to be a run-of for second and third between Daniel Chambers and David Adams, both of Hethersett. With Daniel going from gate two, no matter how hard David Adams tried, he could not find a way past the ever improving Chambers. Lewis Conner of Norwich had what was his best ever performance in a Norwich shirt, and finished just out of a podium place after scoring 17 points. The fastest race winning time in this event was recorded by Daniel Osborne in heat 17 in a time of 43.5 seconds - a time that has been hardly bettered by a senior rider all season.

In the Division One Riders Championship, it went much as expected after last Saturdays showing over at Hethersett in the East Anglian Senior Championship, and in their current form that all three podium places would go to Great Blakenham riders. Adam Peck showed his liking for the Eaton Park circuit with a superb 20 point maximum, and he recorded one of the fastest race winning times ever at Eaton Park, when he won heat 14 in a time of 42.5 seconds.

Chasing Adam all the way were the Osborne brothers, Chris and Lewis, and it was Chris who took second place with a score of 18 points. Lewis dropped points in heat 16 to brother Chris and in heat 18 surprisingly to Hethersetts Jazz Abbott, and he finished with 17 points. Two riders had to withdraw from the meeting, Harley Hamill of Hethersett took some heavy tumbles and also Barry Copping of Kesgrave, who had hand trouble. Gary Brown had a useful start to the meeting with three race wins, but fell away in his final two heats to finish with 16 points, and the top Norfolk rider was David Adams of Hethersett who went on to score 15 points.

All in all, this was a superb days racing and a credit to the South-East region.

Hull took two points from their penultimate Northern League match, at home to Heckmodwike, to ensure a final day decider against Stoke next Sunday. On a fine autumn day the Saints arrived minus two riders, but still put up a good performance for a decent size crowd at The Hessle Raceway.

Hull started well but Darren Kent and Dave Murphy took a win and a second place apiece to keep the score at 49 points to 25 in favour of the home side at the interval. The second half continued in similar fashion with Hull on top, but Heckmondwike continued to battle for points.

Darren Kent/James Carter took the visitors only heat win in the 10th race and James had a good win two races later. Heat 14 saw the home sides Lewis Aylmer making a fine pass on the pits bend to be followed by team mate Darren Spencer. Simon Plows and Andy Angell wrapped up the points with a 7-3 in the final race which included another excellent pass from Andy.

Darren Kent, Dave Murphy and James Carter all put in spirited displays for the Saints, with the reliable Richard Westcott supporting well. Andy Angell completed his third consecutive unbeaten score for Hull and Adam Stephenson also put in a great maximum performance. Hull will be hoping for another good team display next Sunday when they look to complete a senior and combination league double, although Stoke will certainly have other ideas.

Hull 90 (Andy Angell 19, Lewis Aylmer 10, Corey Graham 10, Adam Stephenson 18, Simon Plows 15, Darren Spencer 10, Andy Norrie 8) Heckmondwike 50 (Darren Kent 16, Richard Westcott 6, Dave Murphy 15,James Carter 13)

Bretford had a close encounter with Sheffield, just going down 62 points to 68 in a 13 heat match. At heat seven the scores were level, 35 all. Heat eight saw Bretford go ahead with Mitch Barlow getting the better of Ricky Wild from Sheffield with Lee Kemp leaning on Ricky to try and get second. However Ricky was too strong for Lee and he fell but re mounted to still beat Liam Webster from Sheffield.

Heat 9 and 10 saw drawn heats, then unfortunately heat 11 Rhys Thomas got it all wrong and took out his team mate Lee Kemp in turn one who ended up facing the wrong way, however Rhys got back in the race to gain second place to make the score Bretford 55 Sheffield 55.

Heat 12 saw Sheffield win six points to Bretford's four points to set up a last heat decider. Sheffield put out Leon Wild and Jamie Brown both extremely quick and very experienced and they lined up against Bretford's Mitch Barlow and Joe Dominy who is new to the sport. Joe and Mitch found this a tough race as Sheffield came away winners in this heat 7-3 ending this tight match 62 to Bretford and 68 to Sheffield to end a close match which was enjoyed by all.

Bretford 62 (Rhys Thomas 9, Lee Kemp 7, Joe Dominy 11, Joe Kemp 11, Will Hanson 6, Phil Sangster 5, Mitch Barlow 12) Sheffield 68 (Leon Wild 19, Kyel Brough 3, Ricky Wild 11, Liam Webster 6, Jamie Brown 20, Richard Hudson 7, Kieran Hale 1, Amber Webster 1)

Another individual was raced with all the Bretford and Sheffield youngsters. 19 riders with 20 heats and then E- Final through to A finals held.

E Final
!st Kimberley Molloy (Sheffield), 2nd Lewis Windiaker (Bretford), 3rd Jake Gray (Bretford)

D Final
1st Jack Chapman (Sheffield), 2nd Callum Thomas (Bretford), 3rd Matt Hanbidge (Bretford), 4th Dan Price (Bretford)

C Final
1st Niall Clever (Bretford), 2nd Kieran Hale (Sheffield), 3rd Harry Smith (Bretford), 4th Harry Reesby (Bretford)

B Final
1st Phil Sangster (Bretford), 2nd Toby Farmer (Bretford), 3rd Amber Webster (Sheffield), 4th Adam Bristow (Bretford)

A Final
1st Richard Hudson (Sheffield), 2nd Lee Kemp (Bretford), 3rd Liam Webster (Sheffield), 4th Kylie Brough (Sheffield)

The last match of the season in the Combination will be on Sunday the 19th October 2008 against Leicester at Bretford Playing Fields. Start at 1pm.

Astley & Tyldesley rounded off their 2008 outdoor season when they took on Stoke in a Northern League match at Gin Pit on Sunday. On a glorious sunny afternoon, an exciting match took place on a fast, grippy track.

Stoke held a slender one point lead after heat four before disaster struck A & T, as first Ben Dickenson and then Remi Burchardt were excluded for starting infringements and Stoke moved into a seven points lead. Stoke's tactics were clear, to defend their gifted lead and then they extended their lead when Burchardt suffered another gate exclusion in heat 13. Stoke went on to win the match, 94-82, to set up a title decider when they go to Hull next week. With Edinburgh winning their re-arranged home match against Bury, this result means that A & T have finished fourth in the final Northern League table.

A & T fought hard against the league leaders, but once behind were unable to claw back the deficit. Tomasz Wlodarczyk and Darek Kurkowski were in great form for A & T, each scoring 18 points, as was Dariusz Pilas, whose score was reduced when legged off in heat 18 by Lewis Bates in an incident that went unspotted by the referee.

Bates' maximum hopes went when he fell within feet of the finishing line in heat 14. The inclusion of Wednesfield riders Lewis Bates and Garry Pearce was undoubtedly a key factor in Stoke's win, as the two riders top scored for the visitors.

Astley & Tyldesley 82 (Tomasz Wodarczyk 18, Darek Kurkowski 18, Dariusz Pilas 16, Remi Burchardt 10, Mick Knowles 7, Joe Allen 7, Ben Dickenson 3, Andy Knowles 3) Stoke 94 (Lewis Bates 18, Garry Pearce 16, Errol Thaw 16, Simon Munden 12, Richard Harrison 11, Leighton Bates 9, Adam Ellis 6, Cameron Bates 6) - Referee - Gary Nuttall.

Stoke also took the points in the Combination (second team) match, winning 65-55. Veteran Mike Hack top scored for A & T with 12 points and received good support from Roy Heslop, Luke Jamson and Joel Partington. Cameron Bates, Adam Ellis and Lance Bates all raced unbeaten for Stoke.

Northern Combination League
Astley & Tyldesley B 55 (Mike Hack 12, Luke Jamson 11, Joel Partington 9, Roy Heslop 9, Laura Watson 7, Adam Watson 5, Stefan Whitelegg 2) Stoke B 65 (Adam Ellis 16, Lance Bates 16, Cameron Bates 15, Terry Brayford 8, Emika Forbes 5, Matt Bailey 5) - Referee - Gary Nuttall.

Billed as the South West championship decider, the match between Poole and East Newport certainly lived up to expectations with close and hard fought racing with the result in doubt right up to the final heat. The home side were seven up after four races but squandered point after point with a series of errors and exclusions which saw the determined Welshmen capitalise fully, trailing by a single point 44-43 at the interval.

After the break Poole settled down with maximum 7-3s in heats 12 and 13 to lead by nine points. But still the visitors were not finished as Ryan Hughes and Kieron Jones topped off 6-4s to pull the deficit back to four. Better was to come in the penultimate heat 17 when Ryan Hughes teamed up with Dale Clark for a 7-3 after the usually reliable Ben Donohue was relegated to the back.

With the scores level at 83-83 and Poole off gates two and four, there were some grim faces in the Poole pits with pre-match confidence dented by their determined opponants. Top man Aaron Lowey kept his nerve from gate four however and with Nicky Evans picking up the first exclusion for the visitors for chopping across on Kev Lowman, the destiny of the two league points was sealed.

Bathed in warm sunshine all afternoon, the Harbourside Park regulars have probably not witnessed a better match throughout the 2008 season as the home side got themselves out of jail at the last moment while East Newport can take heart for playing a big part in this epic encounter.

Poole 90 (Aaron Lowey 19, Sam Hearn 15, Chris Shylock 13, Kev Lowman 12, Ben Donohue 12, Jake Williams 11, Luke Armes 5, Aidan Hedgecock 3 ) East Newport 85 (Kieron Jones 16, Ryan Hughes 15, Dale Clark 12, Neil Power 11, Mike Rice 11, Nicky Evans 10, Nigel Clark 7, Matt Davis 3.
Referee - Mike Legge

South-West Division Two
Poole 43 (A.Morgan 16, D.Buczak 8, M.Elston 8, M.Buczak 6, A.Bendinelli 5), East Newport 36 (L.Harvey 14, R.Absalom 8, J.Davis 6, C.Wildy 6, L.Bennett 1, E.Lewis 1).

Under-18 Conference
Poole 92 (A.Hedgecock 18, M.Elston 17, M.Buczak 15, D.Buczak 13, A.Morgan 11, A.Bendinelli 10, S.Hearn 8)
East Newport 57 (L.Harvey 16, C.Wildy 8,T.Carey 8, C.Edinburgh 6, J.Priest 6, J.Davis 5, E.Lewis 4, L.Bennett 4)

Yesterday, Bury Cycle Speedway bought the curtain down on their season at Goshen with the 12th staging of the Chairman's Cup. Despite a very wet morning the guys at Bury produced a really good race track that made for some close racing from a relatively young field, most of whom came from the surrounding tracks.

The only rider to travel any distance was Paul Heard from Sandwell and he made the journey worthwhile with five electric starts which led to a flawless 20 point maximum and victory - to become the first rider to ever succesfully defend the trophy, having raced to an identical score last year to win from Tom Doyle and Chris Parrish.

His main competition came from Stockport riders Dylan Ratcliffe and Ben Higham, who finished in second and third places, and Astleys Ben Dickenson, although in the races against his main competitors Paul really had the races won in the first 30 metres with starts that would have made good friend Marcus Wadhams proud!

Of the other riders on view Ali Lamb had three good race wins, Jack Lush started with a fine win over Ben Dickenson but then disappointed in his next two rides and Luke Jamson from Astley looked very quick when out in front.

Having said all of that the meeting belonged to Paul and considering it was only his third meeting since his dreadful crash in the British Under-16s at Poole in August, he can be very pleased with this very polished performance.

The Edinburgh Falcons faced Bury today (12 October) in their last Northern League fixture for 2008. With third place in the league still a possibility, it was important that a home victory was recorded and so it proved with the Falcons running out winners by 91 points to 81.

There was a slightly sombre mood before the start of the match, certainly within the older home contingent due to the recent passing of Tam Low and the match itself then followed suit with one stoppage after another on what turned out to be an uncharacteristically slippy track.

However, an early lead for Bury was soon wiped and the lack of strength in depth for the travellers soon began to tell as the home side pulled away to record the overall victory by 10 points.

Top scorer for Bury was Ben Scranage with an impressive 20 point maximum, closely followed by Neil Howarth who only dropped one point to an opponent. The home side scored more consistently throughout with Alan Smith top scoring with 15 points despite taking a tumble in his last ride and the ever young Jonny Murphy contributing 14.

A big thanks to Bury for what eventually turned out to be a good days racing.

Todays photos can be found on http://www.flickr.com/photos/57243403@N00/

Edinburgh 91 (Ian McKinlay 3, Neil McPherson 10, Alan Smith 15, Ewan Tulloch 11, Tommy Lee 12, Lee Lawrence 13, Jake Slight 13, Jonny Murphy 14) Bury 81 (Ben Scranage 20, Kelly Burke 9, Mikey Hewitson 12, Tom Doyle 12, Neil Howarth 18, John Whiting 10)

Next fixture at Redbraes Edinburgh Best Pairs on 26 October at 1pm.

Addendum - With Astley & Tyldesley losing at home yesterday to Stoke it was confirmed that the Edinburgh Falcons have finished in third place in the Northern League for 2008. Hull and Stoke do battle next week in the title decider.

The Wednesfield v Leicester Midland League match was a close fought affair with a last heat decider, Leicester's heat leader strength being tempered by the Ace's strength in depth. Despite leading for seventeen heats the Monarchs just couldn't hold on to their advantage. Nicky Whitehead was adjudged to have moved from grid one in the final race leaving the previously unbeaten Carl Jarvis the task of winning the heat to secure the points for the visitors, however Scott Doherty rode a sensible race to secure a home victory.

Wednesfield had Sam Smith in top form and made good use of tactical reserve Matt Turley who benefitted from some astute team riding to pick up three wins, whilst in contrast, Leicester's reserve pairing failed to beat an opponent - no disgrace though as they only started riding last month! For Leicester, Whitehead, Jarvis and the Venson boys all made life difficult for the home team but in the end the Aces' overall power won the day.

Wednesfield 89 (M Aris 16, S Doherty 15 M Turley 15, S Smith 14) Leicester 87 (C Jarvis 19, N Venson 15, R Venson 15, N Whitehead 13)

Combination
Notable for Jack Bell notching a maximum for the Monarchs in only his third competetive match, certainly one to watch for the future. Final score Wednesfield 57 Leicester 73

No real shocks in the first round of races with the three big guns, Terry Norman, Lee Aris and Marcin Syzmanski all winning their first rides along with Heckmondwikes Darren Kent. Heat four would put three of those four in opposition with Terry Norman winning from Aris and Kent. Syzmanski won heat eight to share the lead with Norman after two rides each, with Pilasz, Aris and Jewkes one point adrift on seven points.

Heat 15 was now crucial with the unbeaten Terry Norman and Marcin Syzmanski against Dariusz Pilas, with Syzmanski winning from Norman and Pilas. Syzmanski lined up for heat 18 knowing that nothing less than a win would guarantee he retained the trophy he won in 2007, but with three time British champion Lee Aris on his inside, also requiring a win to secure third place overall he wasnt going to be in for an easy ride. Lee duly took advantage of starting inside the World champion to lead into the first turn, a lead he would keep despite the constant pressure of Syzmanski behind him.

Terry Normans win in heat 20 set up a run off between himself and Syzmanski for the title. Terry Norman won the toss for start position and chose gate two. From the gate it was Norman, who held off Syzmanskis first attack round bends one and two. Going into turn three with only half a bike between them, it was still Norman who held the advantage but faced with the massive pressure of Syzmanski on his shoulder Norman slipped and fell exiting the fourth bend leaving Syzmanski to ride unopposed to take the trophy.

With Sheffield missing six of there first team riders for this afternoon's important final Premier League match of the season they were always up against it with a Poole side that featured British champion Gavin Wheeler and current U16 champion Tom Reed.

Late withdrawals from two other Stars' riders didn't help either and the Sheffield management have vowed " heads will roll " for this unacceptable behaviour. Having said all that full credit must go to both set of riders for making a real match of it, the track rode quite superb considering it was underwater at 10.30 this morning.

Marcin Szymanski concluded his time with Sheffield by turning in another superb maximum and Aussie Mitchell Spear had another top match for the Stars notching 18 points. Ryan Hoyland returned from injury early to help out as the team were so short of riders but was obviously still feeling the effects of his fractured wrist.

Poole had the overall strength in depth which was enough to give them the victory. There was some great racing between all the riders however Wheeler, Colling, Reed and the evergreen Dave Murphy enjoyed some real battles with the Sheffield boys.

After track staff removed several hundred gallons of water from the Glover Park circuit the Leicester v Sandwell Midland League meeting got away just about on time, and surprisingly the surface rode fairly well.

Sandwell battled hard for their points, youngsters Matt Smith and Jim Palmer in particular giving it 100% in every race. Tactical reserves Lee Smith and Russ Evans made sure the home club could never relax but no one had an answer to Leicester's Kevin Burns and Carl Jarvis who rode unbeaten from their completed rides.

Robbie Venson and Matt Hartshorn both had probably their best matches of the year, Venson notching four wins after a last first time out, and Hartshorn benefitting from some good team riding from Burns and the elder Venson which will do his confidence no harm at all.

Leicester 100 (R Venson 17, N Venson 15, M Hartshorn 15) Sandwell 79 (L Smith 17, R Evans 15)

In the Combination, the home side were totally outgunned by Sandwell whose experience told with some good team riding. Newcomers Bell and Kirk, at just eleven years old, rode well for the Monarchs and look exciting prospects for the future.

The start of the Gt Blakenham v Horspath Premier League match was delayed so that excess water from the track. Although not raced in the best of conditions, both teams made the best of the improving conditions and it was ridden in a real sportsman style. The tired legs of the visitors showed with Blakenham dominating the match throughout. Although the track didn't allow the best of racing there was plenty of passing. The result was heavily one sided but the bigger result was the fact that it took place, both teams are praised for this in the most appalling conditions.

Gt. Blakenham 105 (Alex Zelinski 17, Jason Ashford 18, Adam Peck 18, Chris Osborne 13, Leon Mower 14, Josh Brooke 8, Lee Ridgewell 17, Dan Osborne 1)
Horspath 72 (Joe Wyatt 8, Steve Harris 15, Matt Coulter 4, Lewis Osborne 12, Mark Boaler 13, Wayne Clarke 5, Dave Carmichael 7, Wayne Hutt 8)

Home side Sandwell were just never going to keep up with local rivals Birmingham in this Midland League match. The track had stood up brilliantly to the recent dreadful weather and the match in the main was ridden in sunshine. Birmingham started quickly with both Chris Timms and Dominic Rychardski leaving Lee Smith in their wake. A great first bend by David Ball in heat two saw him manoeuvre team mate Scott Millward into second place then ride a tactical race to keep Nathan Groves at the back for a 5-5 result. Heat three on paper was a mis-match with the strong Birmingham pairing of the Winwood brothers against Matt Smith and Nathan Pugh and it turned out to be just that as Birmingham managed another 7-3 heat victory.

Paul Heard tried to split the father/son Timms pairing in heat five but only succeeded in hitting the deck to hand Birmingham yet another 7-3. Heat six saw a Birmingham 7-2 with Russ Evans excluded for using the leg meaning a 21-38 scoreline but heat seven did seem to offer Sandwell some hope when Mark Winwood seemed harshly excluded for diving under Lee Smith however in the three-man re-run Lee moved at the start meaning an exclusion and the race ended 4-3 to Birmingham.

By the interval Birmingham led 54-32 and Sandwell had not only failed to gain a heat advantage they had not even provided a race winner on their own track! That did however change in heat 10 as Paul Heard gained a race win over Paul Timms and Nathan Groves but that was as good as it got for Sandwell as the strong Birmingham team hammered in three 7-3 heat wins in the next four races to make the match totally safe. Paul Heard stopped the rot with another race win in heat 15 but by then Birmingham were 25 points in front.

The final heat was probably the best of the match with Chris Timms and Mark Winwood trailing Paul Heard for two and a half laps before Chris pulled a great line out of the fourth turn to dive under Paul - the two collided on the first turn, Mark Winwood who was very close behind had to take evasive action and in all of the commotion David Ball nipped up the inside to provide Sandwell with only their third race win of the afternoon. The final score was Sandwell 68 Birmingham 105.

Northern Grand Prix Round Five - Qualifying scorers
U-10s
Adam Watson (Astley & Tyldesley) 16
U-13s
Jack Lush (Stockport) 15, Ali Lam (Stockport) 15, Jake Read (Stockport) 13, Mat Lush (Stockport) 12, Joel Partington (Astley & Tyldesley) 12, Joe Pickford (Stockport) 11, Georgina Healey (Stockport) 10, Sophie Pickford (Stockport) 9
U-16s
Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 13, Ben Dickenson (Astley & Tyldesley) 11, Ben Higham (Stockport) 10, Laura Watson (Astley & Tyldesley) 6
U-19s/Combination/Veterans/Open
Neil Howarth (Bury) 16, Darren Kent (Heckmondwike) 15, Adam Stephenson (Hull) 14, Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 11, Ben Dickenson (Astley & Tyldesley) 10, Tom Doyle (Bury) 10, Lewis Aylmer (Hull) 10, Ben Higham (Stockport) 9, Mike Hack (Astley & Tyldesley) 8, Laura Watson (Astley & Tyldesley) 6

U-13s
1st Jack Lush (Stockport), 2nd Ali Lam (Stockport), 3rd Mat Lush (Stockport), 4th Jake Read (Stockport
U-16s
1st Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport), 2nd Ben Dickenson (Astley & Tyldesley), 3rd Ben Higham (Stockport), 4th Laura Watson (Astley & Tyldesley)
U-19s
1st Adam Stephenson (Hull), 2nd Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport), 3rd Lewis Aylmer (Hull), 4th Ben Dickenson (Astley & Tyldesley)
Veterans
1st Darren Kent (Heckmondwike), 2nd Mike Hack (Astley & Tyldesley)
Combination
1st Ben Dickenson (Astley & Tyldesley), 2nd Ben Higham (Stockport), 3rd Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport), 4th Lewis Aylmer (Hull)
Open
1st Adam Stephenson (Hull), 2nd Darren Kent (Heckmondwike), 3rd Neil Howarth (Bury), 4th Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport)

Northern Grand Prix - Final Overall Series results
U-10s
1st Jack Sweeney (Stockport) 75, 2nd Adam Watson (Astley & Tyldesley) 25
U-13s
1st Jack Lush (Stockport) 125, 2nd Mat Lush (Stockport) 98, 3rd Ali Lam (Stockport) 88
U-16s
1st Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 113, 2nd Ben Higham (Stockport) 96, 3rd Matt Beharrell (Hull) 50
U-19s
1st Adam Stephenson (Hull) 115, 2nd Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 92, 3rd Lewis Aylmer (Hull) 81
Combination
1st Dylan Radcliffe (Stockport) 111, 2nd Lewis Aylmer (Hull) 79, 3rd Ben Higham (Stockport) 69
Veterans
1st Darren Kent (Heckmondwike) 100, 2nd Fred Rothwell (Bury) 58, 3rd Paul Beharrell (Hull) 41
Open
1st Adam Stephenson (Hull) 93, 2nd Neil Howarth (Bury) 84, 3rd Darren Kent (Heckmondwike) 78

A & T wrap up their 2008 season with a vital Northern League clash against league leaders Stoke. The match takes place next Sunday at Gin Pit and promises to be a cracker, as A & T inflicted Stoke's only defeat of the season at Stoke in August. Stoke need a win to keep their title challenge alive, whilst A & T need a win to secure third place in the final league table. Racing starts at 2 pm with the Combination (2nd team) match, followed by the first team match at 3 pm. For further information, visit the club's website at www.astleycyclespeedway.org.uk

Tom Reed made the most of his inside gate in the final to take the Welsh Open title, not as simple as it sounds as the said gate had caused all sorts of problems due to the truly awful conditions. Favourite Nowacki lost out from grid three after spinning and losing his pedals, his only mistake of the day. Lee Smith recovered from a disasterous start to the meeting to make the final whilst Dom McRae made the last
four despite a tape exclusion.

Of the rest Ben Mould looked very fast but drew a hard semi from a equally hard gate, whilst Carl Jarvis lost several points and a certain semi final place due to his never say die attitude from the back, but he looked fitter than for some time.

Birmingham Monarchs cycle speedway team produced the shock result of the season last Sunday by trumping newly crowed British champions Wednesfield Aces, 88-89 in the Midland League. It was a sensational victory as the Monarchs reigned supreme.

The Monarchs set their stall out in heat one with British under-19s individual champion Chris Timms taking the chequered flag to set Birmingham on the road to victory. The following two heats were shared before Birmingham moved ahead in heat four with Birminghams Polish superstar Dominik Rycharski and youngster Arron Deery combining well.

Chris Timms followed home father Paul in heat five as Birmingham asserted full control as Monarchs led 28-21. Further success followed in heat six as ace gating Marcus Wadhams and the fast emerging Nathan Groves scored a tactical 6-4 heat win. Wednesfield attempted to fight back in the following two heats, temporarily narrowing the gap before big guns Wadhams and Rycharski zoomed away to take maximum points in heat nine for Birmingham.

The early stages of the second period saw Birmingham move further ahead, with Wednesfield affirming their right to claim the favourable inside starting positions after trailing by 12 points. This led to a superb fight back by the homesters to set up a scintillating grandstand finish.

Wednesfield rallied strongly to reduce the deficit and only two wins by international stars Wadhams and Rycharski stalled the Wednesfield onslaught. Heat 17 was reached, the penultimate race, with Birminghams lead down to just five to set-up a last heat decider. Needing just to finish to record a momentous and stunning victory, team boss Widdas issued strict instructions to his two riders as the drama unfolded. Both Monarchs riders were ordered to forego individual glory in the last heat and Mark Winwood and Chris Timms duly obeyed, coasting round the take the minor points to secure Birminghams greatest victory in two decades.

This magnificent win sets the seal on Birminghams superb season. They have really arrived as a major force, in Wadhams and Timms they have two outstanding English riders and they have gained promotion to cycle speedways top tier of competition, the Premier League.