After ten successive season’s in the third tier it’s fair to say Redhill are struggling to find their feet in division two. Just one win from eight in the league to date in their debut season at this level, while any hopes of progression in the Division Two Cup lay in tatters following a 36-54 rout inflicted by Beverley on their own circuit this week. In contrast the Hellcats seem to excel at this level, they having secured five promotions in the last six seasons of competition and won the Division Two Cup twice. A record equalling third win in that competition remains on the cards after Steve Baker’s side secured a semi-final spot with a group meeting to spare thanks to that victory at Redhill, a meeting they led in from Richard Lewis’s (14+1) victory in the opener to his victory in the last. The 5-1 with Scot Knight (12+2) in that final race was superfluous to requirements, they’d already done enough to secure the maximum points from the fixture that would take them through to the last four, that maximum one of five earned by the visitors on the night, Knight and his regular second string partner Kevin Fierstein (8+2) picked up two of the other four. One rider that wont be seen again in a Beverley race jacket is Morgan Barnes (8), the winner of two heats at Redhill moved on to top flight Fort William for £450,000. That opening of the transfer window deal facilitated the arrival of Fredrik Alquist to the club, the £850,000 fee paid to Sandwell seeing the 31 year old Swede become the club’s record signing, Alquist will be back soon enough at the Sabres however, with the Hellcats next meeting a televised league visit to Avery Fields!

Another rider on the move this week is Richard Coward. £425,000 taking the 36 year old Scot from Fort William to Houston, but not before he won his British semi-final at Brighton in a Wildcats race-jacket. Coward scored 14 in landing his fifth career win at this stage of the World Championship, he topping the standings from world number two Harry Sloan (12). Coward appeared in eight GP series between SL22 and SL30, finishing in a best position of second in SL27. Beverley’s Richard Lewis (13)—at 35 another veteran of the sport—won the second of the semi-finals at Pelham, the SL33 World Champion finishing a point clear of current world number 14 Adam Ashton (12) to win his fifth career WSO meeting.

Coventry maintain their three point lead at the top of division one despite suffering their first league defeat of the season. Doncaster winning their home meeting against the Crusaders, 46-44, thanks to Milan Grof’s (13) last heat win over Angus Rogers (10) and the previously unbeaten John Hawke (16+1). The result though was not enough to prevent the Riverhogs ending the week in the top flight relegation zone, they having slipped behind Fort William following an earlier 52-38 loss at the Wildcats.

Brighton end the week top of division two after winning at Midland. After two previous draws on the road in the SL35 campaign the 43-47 win was a deserved first success on their travels for the Rockets, a victory Michal Matusovic (14) secured with a last heat second place finish. Matusovic had won his previous four races, but was denied a first league maximum of the season by Adam Lobodzinski (15 from six) in the deciding race. Brighton also beat Midland 42-48 in the Division Two Cup, the first of back-to-back victories at the Kirkby Raceway all but securing Glenn Martin’s side a place in the semi-finals of a competition they finished as runners-up in in both SL31 and SL32. Earlier Midland had broken their away duck for the campaign at Pelham, Lobodzinski top scoring with 12 at the Zaz as the visitors dominated the heat win count, nine to six. Two of those victories were recorded by second string Mikael Wikstrom (9+1), but it was Lars Strobbe’s (8+1) first of the night in heat 14 which wound secure Jan Hardy’s side both league points.

Third tier leaders Kelvedon’s ten meeting unbeaten run in all competitions this season came to an end with a 50-40 league defeat at Fenny Stratford. Victory in the tenth meeting in that sequence had secured Iain Brine’s side a spot in the Division Three Cup semi-finals, last years runners-up winning at Liden, 42-48, to go through to the last four with a meeting to spare. Herman Stanic scored 17 for the Stream as they fought back from a six point deficit to take three group points with a run of four 4-2’s in the final five races. Bury have also put themselves in a strong position to reach the last four by picking up an away win at Sneyd Green, 44-46. Dusan Simak (15) unbeaten in the victory for the Buccaneers, who lifted the trophy in both SL27 and SL32. In the league there was a second away win of the campaign for Buxton, who finished the week just a point off leaders Kelvedon after taking the points at Hawick, 43-47, that despite providing just five heat winners in the contest.