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Jubilee Edition - ENHANCED
- news - div one - div two - div three - other results - transfer list - averages - - statistics - more statistics - rider search: gsa/age - rider search: name -
Comment now on the latest news at the Forum Pre-season now taking place, full updates from start of league campaign. <<<...>>> GARDENS ROCKING AS WOLVES TAKE TITLE Top five sees Willenhall over the line A second championship in three years will take Willenhall Wolves up to the next level according to long time heat leader Bruce Kelly, the 26 year old has been with the club since it’s inception seven years ago, but despite their amazing success in that time it’s been a struggle to get the club noticed: “Hopefully now we’ll get the recognition we deserve, only Wakefield have won more titles than us and they’ve been in the league twice as long, the boss [Alan Fellow] works tirelessly for the cause, a definite unsung hero in my eyes, I can’t think of anyone better to become the new England manager.” Willenhall clinched the title with a 48-42 win over Peak Dean Plunderers on home shale in the first of two final week fixtures, Allan Dyer (9+1) claiming the championship winning points with victory in heat 14, his second win of the night sending the Rockland Gardens crowd into party mode. Dyer’s purchase and that of Slovenian Edo Dedic (7+1) in mid-season, were crucial in determining the destination of the league silverware, they kept the momentum in the side going just when it seemed the title may be going Swanage’s way. The duo combined with Kelly (8+2), Tim Dixon (9+1) and Mirko Kolb (10+1) create an awesome top five, but one which must be split up next season, disappointing one of his stars will be Fellow’s hardest job, but for now he’ll put that decision on hold and take time to bask in the glory. Peak Dean’s defeat and an away win for Cranford meant that the Plunderers dropped into the bottom three at the final reckoning, however, the Plunderers will live to fight another day in the top flight with Cranford announcing they will not be back next season. Cranford’s win came at Wirral Warriors, the 43-47 loss only Wirral’s third at home this season—Willenhall have lost more!—but a heartbreaking one for the Glyn Hughes side as they are relegated, as they were in their only other season in division one. Wirral finish in ninth, below them in tenth are Brighton Sharks, they falling after two season’s in division one, the first of which saw them runners-up in the league and winners of both the Pairs and divisional cup. A 5-1 reverse in the final heat at home to local rivals Bracklesham sending them down as they were defeated at home for the sixth time this year. The battle for the final European Cup place for next season went the way of Swanage Swans, but only just, they coming away with the bonus point at Cranford (89-91 on aggregate) after a last heat Lukasz Szwed victory to finish as league runners-up, West Ham a point behind in third.
TODAY: Shorts The final piece of silverware of the season was fought over at Brighton Sharks’ Aqua Dome Stadium, but there was yet again more disappointment for the hosts and their promoter Nick Ward. The KOC final went the way of visiting side Peak Dean Plunderers, aggregate winners by two after limiting Brighton to a 48-42 victory this week. Brighton had eroded an early visitors lead in the clash and by the end of heat 11 they were six up, just three points shy of the aggregate lead. Tactical substitutions limited their chances in heat 12, while Richard Sales (12) and Robert Devine (10+2) saw out a 3-3 in the normally pivotal heat 13, this time the turning point came in heat 14, an exclusion for home rider Jesper Sairanen (7+1)—a twice winner on the night—handing a 4-2 to Peak Dean and all but seeing them save. A second from Devine in the last was enough to seal the victory and their first success in the competition having lost four previous finals.
Mark Constable continued in his attempt to re-write the whole of the World Championship record book, already confirmed as World Champion the 25 year old went on to equal Bruce Kelly’s tally of four GP wins in a season in the final round in Krakow, taking the Polish GP crown by three points from outgoing champion Samuel Wiren, who won a race-off for second spot on the night. Constable took his points tally for the campaign to 68, a new best, smashing Eddie Darnill’s previous record. Constable dropped just seven points over the five rounds, to set a mark unlikely ever to be bettered. Wiren’s 11 point haul saw him finish a clear runner-up in the series to the Warrington Vikings star.
Putney Spitfires 46-44 victory over champions Desford and later win at Reading was enough to confirm their promotion back to the top flight after one season in division two, but not enough to hold on to second spot in the table. That honour went to Motor Woden who claimed maximum points in the final week to overhaul the Spits. Motor’s away win came at Kent, 43-46, where Michael Buxton (14+1) scored his first of two maximums in the week to round off the season in style. Like Putney, the Woden return to the top flight after an absence of just one season. The only unfinished business in division three was that off who would become champions, all three promoted sides had the chance to finish top of the pile, but it was the leaders at the start of the week—Warrington Vikings—that held on, who else but Mark Constable (15) winning the final heat of the final meet at Bowak to clinch the crown. The win saw Constable claim his 31st league maximum of the season.
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