Warley are into the quarter-finals of the KO Cup for the first time in four years after completing a comfortable victory over top flight Nottingham. Progressing by ten following a draw at the Red Dogs’ Greyhound Stadium this week, the Warriors have reached the halfway point of the season in good heart, with their chances of an immediate promotion back to division one also boosted by a draw on their travels. Their first away league point of SL35 was secured on their visit to East Gostcote, although having never been headed in the clash, one they led in by six with four races to go, promoter Adrian Heathcote will be disappointed his side couldn’t turn that draw into a victory. At Nottingham the goal was to limit the hosts to a nine point win or less, the Warriors managed much better than that, as they again didn’t fall behind once in the meeting and twice led in it by four. Their progression into the last eight was secured as early as heat 13, in which Kevin Bullock (10) rode to his third victory of the contest in a visiting side 4-2, they backed that up with another 4-2 in heat 14 just for good measure, their two key riders at second string and reserve—Peter Suomi (8+1) and 18 year old loanee Waclaw Borkoswki (6+1) respectively—taking the points in that. Warley—twice KO Cup runners-up—have been paired with holders Coventry in round three, the record seven-times winners of the competition began their bid for another trophy success with a 28 point aggregate win over Witham, the Crusaders top three all scoring maximums in the second leg as the hosts—who scored six 5-1’s in the meeting—came out on top of the all division one clash, 58-32.

A shock in Pila as holder Marek Siadaczka (6) was eliminated from this years World Championship after finishing down in 12th in his latest qualifier. A third place finish in heat 17 left the 32 year old with just six points in the Continental Final, two shy of the cut off mark for a spot in next weeks ‘last-chance’ Play-Off round in Beverley, and five off the requirement for an automatic GP berth. The first of those spots went to meeting winner Yuri Duskin (13), the Horsens world number five topping the podium from Herman Stanic (12) and Nelek Walczak (11). Along with Siadaczka, there was an exit at this stage for world number seven, Wolfgang Sara (3), while another of last years GP riders, Ryan Finegold (6), fell out of contention in the Overseas Final at Blackpool. Other than Finegold’s exit it was a good night for the SL34 GP contingent in Blackpool, with the other five in action qualifying directly to this years series, or the Play-Off. Coventry’s world number four John Hawke (13) headed the field after beating Adam Bennett in a race-off, Richard Lewis (11) took third spot.

Blackpool ended Coventry’s virtually unbroken 15 week spell at the top of division one with a 43-47 win at Nottingham. A last heat 5–1 from Miloslav Ivanoff (15) and David Natali (11+1) securing the Blaze the three points from the fixture which would see them overhaul their sister club in the standings, Coventry lost out at York, 44-46.

Kelvedon end the first half of the season five points clear at the top of division three after picking up their first away points in three months. The Stream got their maiden campaign off to a flyer, winning six and drawing the remaining one of their first seven meetings. Slowly though they were being brought back into the chasing pack, that was before this weeks trip to Liden for Kelvedon, a meeting they would dominate after the first three heats. Behind by two at the time, visiting riders won ten of the next 11 races to clinch their third away win of the campaign with a heat to spare, 18 year old Johan Lang’s (9+1) second success of the night taking them over the line. Herman Stanic (14) had ridden to four victories from four prior to that, although he missed out on his maximum in the last as Kelvedon saw out a 41-49 win with the minor places.