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Olympic Edition
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Comment now on the latest news at the Forum BREAKING THE ICE Swans into final after maiden win Caversham have gone to the island of Ireland and won! It’s taken 18 years and 27 visits but success this week for the Swans at the Titanic, the battle of two of the league ever-presents going their way at last. Their breakthrough win was an important one too, it sending Belfast scuttling out of the European Cup, a competition they have won a record three times. With just a six point deficit from the first leg of the semi-final tie, it was this weeks Irish hosts who were favourites to reach what would have been their seventh final. And the bookies looked to have it right after the first five heats, the Sinks going up on aggregate after a dominant opening spell, which included a 5-1 won by second string Sarkis Devin (11). That though allowed David Grainger to send in the tactical substitutes, and with them the momentum and the scores flipped. An extra ride for Garry Gould (8+2) provided a point for third in a visiting side heat six 4-2, not the best of outcomes for the Swans, who had taken the race win courtesy of Staffan Juhlin (17). It was however easy pickings for Juhlin and Isakov Pavel (10+1) when they made unscheduled appearances in heat eight, the expected 5-1 the result, Caversham back in front on aggregate by four. From then on it was more-or-less all about the visitors, Gould helping level things up on the night with a win in a heat 11 4-2, two races later he finished runner-up to Julin in heat 13 as the Swans claimed their second 5-1 of the night. The pair returned in the last to repeat that feat, home top scorer Devin trailed in last, a history making 44-46 victory for Grainger and his Caversham side, who move through to the final by eight.TODAY: Shorts Long Eaton will equal Belfast’s three European Cup successes if they can beat Caversham in this years decider. The Rifles through to the final after seeing off Prague with their own 44-46 away win in their last four tie, Adam Lucas (15) scoring his first maximum of SL18 as the Rifles won in the Czech capital for the third time. In completing the 12 point aggregate win Martin Smith’s side and Lucas in particular can put behind them their loss to the same opponents in the final four years ago, the Rifles suffering a four point aggregate defeat in SL14 after losing in Prague—Lucas scored just eight that day—for the first and still only time in their five visits to the venue.
He became World Champion without winning a GP as a 20 year old in SL17. Marcin Jaworski (12) however began the defence of his title at 21 with a meeting victory, he claiming his second European Grand Prix crown two years after his first with a race-off victory over world number ten Tarjei Knutsen. Jaworski had the chance to take the round victory outright in heat 19, but the Hallamshire superstar was beaten in that by a stubborn Jan Vogel (10), who would not be passed once he won a battle around the opening two bends. Those three points good enough for equal fourth on the night for the 19 year old debutant alongside Enrico Shaffer, Staffan Juhlin (11) completed the podium behind the two race-off participants, he missing the chance to join them—or even taking the win on the night—after finishing third in heat 20.
It’s now a month without any away win in division one. The 20 meetings in the four rounds since the halfway point of the campaign have all gone the way of the home side, which suits Bradford—the current pacesetters by four points—who are certain to be still leading the way when they host Houston in their top of the table clash next week. Not so bottom side Harringay, who are desperate for that first away point of the campaign, they remain the only side in the top flight without an away win in SL18, but they came close at Bournville, going down 46-44 after conceding a last heat 5-1.
All the away points of late seemed to be saved for Stirling. Three wins out of three on the road for the Scottish side, whose seven meeting winning run home and away has taken them from deep in the division two relegation zone to within one spot of the promotion places. The Scots’ latest away success returned at Stoke, who slipped to the bottom of the pile following the 43-47 loss, which was inflicted by a last heat Ethan Mason (15+1) winning 4-2. Elsewhere in the division Southend hope to have started their own bid to take them out of the bottom three, a first away win of the campaign for the Eagles coming at Swinton, 44-46, with the help of a paid 12 score from 20 year old reserve Matus Rybka. They end the week eighth, two points adrift of safety.
Dudley increased their dominance of the division three promotion race with a ten point rout over Chesterfield on their travels. Ten wins in all for the visiting heat leaders in the success, with five going the way of unbeaten Harringay asset, Aleksandrs Ousov (15). Meanwhile there was a second away win in three for Abdy, with Blake White (15) scoring a maximum as they won at Kent, 41-49.
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