Two months into the new season and Warley are still looking for their first league win. Blackpool became the third side to win at Shale Green Park in SL36, and the second in succession to do so by a 44-46 margin. Having been eight down after heat three, Dave Hood’s league leaders hit back with the use of tactical substitutes, Miroslav Ivanoff (15+2) and Ashley Smith (14+2) both winning their extra rides in heats the visitors picked up 5-1’s in. A third and fourth Blaze 5-1 followed in heats 11 and 13, but they wouldn’t take the lead until Andrew Butler’s first victory of the night in heat 14. Ivanoff and Smith saw out the side’s second away victory of the campaign with the minor places in the last. It’s a result which helps them end the week three points clear of York at the top of the league standings, with Beverley climbing to third courtesy of a draw at Houston, which they secured thanks to a last heat Richard Lewis (13)/Fredrik Alquist (11+1) maximum.

A dominant Buxton picked up their second away league win since their move back into division two. Successive promotions are on the cards for the Bandits, who end the week back top of the table following the 40-50 success at Sneyd Green, where the visiting riders rode to 11 heat victories between them. It was however the minor places from top scorer Henrik Varga (14) and Peter Heinola (8+2) which would take Buxton over the line with two races to spare, they going on to an eventual 40-50 victory, their biggest on the road in eight years. Nottingham are up to second after they beat previous leaders Pelham at home, 49-41, a victory which followed a six point success for the Red Dogs at Peckleton. That another one-sided meeting, with Nottingham leading in the east midlands derby from Jacob Harvey’s (8) victory in the opener to Cato Kalberg’s (13+1) in the last. Meanwhile Timperley became the first club to reach the Division Two Cup semi-finals this season despite sitting out the latest round of fixtures, results elsewhere taking the Pelicans through to the last four of a competition they won in both SL31 and SL34.

Bolsover returned to the top of the division three table with a 49-41 home win over Hawick. Earlier in the week the Stallions had picked up a share of the spoils in their meeting at Fenny Stratford, where they snatched a draw thanks to a last heat Dylan Johnston (13)/Kevin Bullock (15+2) maximum. It was the pairings third 5-1 of the meeting, the first had come when boss Kevin Lilley had brought them both into heat eight as tactical substitutes.

York were the biggest spenders when the transfer market re-opened this week. Dave Baker making a £400,000 outlay on 31 year old Marko Poropat, a rider who averaged 7.22 for East Goscote as they were relegated from division two in SL35.

John Hawke (15) opened the defence of his World title with victory in his British semi final at Houston. The Coventry rider claiming his 18th career WSO meeting win by scoring a maximum in the tie, Ashley Smith (2nd) and Morgan Barnes (3rd)—who both scored 13—fought out a race-off for the minor podium spots. Defending British champion, Beverley’s Richard Lewis (14), won the second of this weeks qualifiers from Harry Sloan (13).