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Olympic Edition
- news - results - div one - div two - div three - statistics - averages - honours - - rider search: gsa/age - rider search: name - transfer list - international standings/averages -
Comment now on the latest news at the Forum BOTH BARRELS Rampant Rifles win league and 4TT titles Long Eaton beat both their closest rivals this week to win the League Championship title for a fourth time. The Rifles moved to within one of Belfast (5 wins) at the top of the all-time winners list following a 54-36 victory over the Sinks, Martin Smith side’s going ten points clear at the head of division one with just six left to ride for with their one-sided success in the top of the table clash. Results in round 33 (of 36) set up the Rifles with the chance of finishing things off this week, a seventh away win of the campaign for the SL16 champions returned at third placed Houston, 44-46, all three league points assured with the minor places from second string Edvar Medved (9+2) and reserve Colin Miller (5+2) in heat 14. Medved hadn’t dropped a point until that stage, but his loss to Blake White didn’t matter one jot to him or the ecstatic travelling fans, with another league title moving ever closer to their grasp with the maximum points. The Perksdone faithful could later celebrate when their side confirmed they’d become the fourth to claim the division one crown in successive years, they’ll now aim to emulate Belfast who completed three in a row in SL14. Their two crunch league fixtures sandwiched four for the club in the final of the 4TT, a competition which they would win for a record equalling fifth time with another dominant display. Long Eaton’s quartet of Adam Lucas, Ethan Robertson, Marek Mieczorek and Medved finished 22 points clear of Belfast in the final, the Sinks runners-up to Smith’s side for the second successive season. Any hopes of wrestling the title back from the Rifles grasp went in leg two for Belfast when they finished second in the meeting to Long Eaton, Medved superb at the Titanic, he dropped just a point on the night as Long Eaton moved to within a point of the aggregate lead despite having not yet ridden their home leg. They scored 39 points in leg three at the Perksdome to end any doubt where the silverware would be headed, the home riders racing to ten of the 16 wins in that one and finishing second in four of the other six. Long Eaton’s sole focus now will be on the KO Cup final, having drawn the first leg at Mansfield this week—victory denied them by a Yorkies last heat 5-1—they are strong favourites to land that trophy too, which would also mean a club record equalling fourth competition victory in a single season.
TODAY: Shorts With KO Cup finalists Mansfield taking one spot, Belfast (51 points) and Houston (50) have still yet to secure themselves a place in the European Cup next season. Caversham (47) could supplant either in the top three and have very winnable meetings to come in the final rounds of league racing, with the bottom two sides Swinton (A) and Sedgley (H) up next for them. Swinton were relegated this week after suffering a sixth home defeat of the campaign, Houston taking three vital points in the race for Europe courtesy of a 44-46 win at the venue, secured with a 5-1’s in heats 14 and 15. The Colts had twice trailed by six in the meeting, but took the lead for the first time at the death following the maximums in which Leon Henrichsen (10+2) finished second to Blake White (7) and Samuel Hill (17) in turn.
Bradford secured the second of the promotion places in division two and moved to within a point of leaders Harringay in the title race. Victory at Buxton, 41-49, secured the Speedsters a return to the top flight after just a year away, the win their fifth on the road of the campaign. Bournville are favourites to take the third promotion spot after moving two points clear of fourth placed East Hull with back-to-back league wins, the first a 43-47 success at Stoke.
Still nothing settled in the race for promotion from division three. Barnsley (55 points) need just a point from their remaining fixtures to go up, which should be a formality, with Shetland (52) becoming their closest rivals for the title after beating Wednesfield 43-47 on their travels. Derek Purvis’s Ponies visiting fourth placed Southend (49) next, who boosted their own chances of finishing in the top three with a draw at Nottingham (50), who dropped to third. Nottingham travel to Shetland on the final day.
Having missed out on the WU19 title by a point, Jan Vogel (13) this week landed the WU21 crown by the same margin. The Barnsley and German rider topped the standings in the Oslo decider from Leon Henrichsen (2nd) and last years winner, Marcin Jaworski (3rd). Vogel meanwhile was an unused reserve in the German side that won the International 4TT Final in Kassel, the Germans taking the title by a point from Slovakia.
A maiden GP victory for Caversham’s Stefan Juhlin (11) this week, 15 rounds into his series career. Juhlin beat Lewis Adkins (2nd), Daniel Pesola (3rd) and Ethan Robertson (4th) in a race-off to take the Czech GP title in Prague.
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