It was a bruising start for Brighton in their first season back in the top flight after a year away. But after three straight league defeats the Bombers have upped their performances, with results—by and large—improving too. They are a run of just two defeats in nine in all competitions, those two losses though have been recorded on home shale, with both inflicted by Manor. Their form away from The Elms however has been exemplary, back-to-back league draws for the club on the road being followed up by a 44-46 success at Liden this week. It was meeting in which the visitors found themselves ten down in after heat ten, that despite them having scored two 5-1’s in the opening seven. Two 5-1’s would become five however by the end of the night, as the Bombers recovered superbly at the death, although those apart from their top two of Waclaw Kozlowski (12+1) and Dale Bailey (14+2) can take little credit for the successful comeback. The Club Pairs bronze medallists combined for all three late maximums, Kozlowski featuring as a tactical substitute in the first of them in heat 11, they then went on to beat the hosts’ number one, Aarno Raisanen (10)—who had won three out of three up until that point—in heats 13 and 15 to secure a memorable victory. One worry for Glenn Martin however will be the performance of new signing Davide Mancini, the 23 year old failing to pick up a point from his three rides on debut following his £1/4million move to the club. The former Sankey rider though did score 5+2 in both their later cup 64-26 rout over Hull and their ten point league win against Cradley.

After 23 years in the top flight Southampton are beginning to find their feet in division two. A first away win of the second tier campaign for the Scorpions returned at another of the fallen multiple league champions, Sankey, with the first bonus point up for grabs of the season going the way of the visitors as a result. That was secured as early as heat 11, the victory itself not until the finale when Blake Gray (13) picked up his third successive heat win to take John Shuttler’s side over the line, George Farley (10) took third to see the final scores finish 42-48 in his side’s favour. Farley also finished the night with three race wins to his name, as did the third of the visiting heat leaders Craig Rowntree (11+1), for the 34 year old it was a third maximum score in five league meetings. For the hosts there was a promising enough home debut for £368,000 signing Patrick Chapman—he paid for eight from his four rides—promoter Derek Moody has added another rider to his ranks this week as he looks to wrench his side from the bottom of the table, Joe Clark coming in at heat leader, again for a six figure sum. Sankey end the week five points adrift of safety, Southampton are up to second, with the three sides currently in the promotion places locked on 13 points. Southampton travel to leaders Altrincham next week.

A run of seven league wins out of the last eight has taken Bolsover two points clear at the top of division three. The latest success for Kevin Lilley’s side earned at newcomers Stobswood, 44-46, where last years Hungarian Champion Zsolt Mezo scored his fifth full 15 point competitive maximum since joining the club in pre-season from Brighton. The £75,000 addition secured both league points for the visitors with victory over Charlie Pickering (11) in the last, it was a victory set up by a couple of earlier 5-1’s from the Knights strong combination in the numbers three and four race-jackets, Simon Driffied (10) and Marek Kaczmarek (7+2). Elsewhere Newquay bounced back from their home two point loss at Border last week, with a two point away win of their own, theirs returned at Benfleet, where their new number one for SL26, Luke Miller (14), dominated. Four wins from five for the experienced Aussie, with the fourth—over home number one Bojan Kraka (16)—taking the Knights to victory in the last heat decider.

Record eight times winners Don Valley are set to reach the second round of the KO Cup for the 24th time in 25 years. The Vipers—who haven’t lifted the trophy since SL11—opened their latest campaign with a 43-47 victory at London, Valieri Lach (15) scoring his sixth maximum of the season. There was also a first round first leg away win for Ramsgate, who beat Wednesfield, 44-46.

Don Valley world number four Samuel Murphy (14) dropped just a point to win his first round World Championship tie in Plock. It’s the ninth career WSO success for the 24 year old, who has appeared in each of the last three GP series, a run matched by Blake Watson (7). No joy for the world number three though when he took to the track in the first round qualifier at Bolsover, he exiting after finishing ninth in a meeting won by the lowest ranked rider in the field, German’ Carsten Hahn (12).