The closest title race in British League history got that little bit closer with the latest results leaving the top five in the standings separated by just two points! Denaby (46 points) hold on to top spot, just, that despite picking up just two out of a possible six points this week. Those came in a 54-36 win over Don Valley (45), a meeting in which they missed out on the bonus after Valeri Lach (15) beat Zarek Jablonski (15) in a race-off, Jablonski had won on each of the three occasions they met in the meeting itself. Denaby also lost out on the bonus at Ramsgate (44), who inflicted the Devils only home defeat of the campaign in the reverse fixture. Ramsgate won the latest clash 46-44 thanks to a last race Jacob Brady (13+1) winning 4-2, the second string had earlier top scored with 11+1 in the Rams 44-45 point success at Quantock, where he secured what was his side’s fourth away league win of SL25 with a heat 15 second place finish. Quantock have since had there long expected relegation to division two confirmed after 13 successive years in the top flight. Altrincham’s resistance also ended this week, a home 43-47 defeat to Laceby (35) leaving them some 24 points adrift of safety with just 18 left to fight for. That victory takes the Avenues out of the bottom three for the first time in four months, they replaced by Southampton (33), who were held to a draw at home by Manor (45) in their latest fixture. Manor would have gone back top with a win, and would have already been there if it wasn’t for suffering a first home defeat in the league for close on two years earlier in the week. Merseryside (46)—who beat them home and away in the Division One Cup semi-finals—again the ones to get the measure of them on their Bishops Arena circuit, a 43-47 Marauders victory secured with a final heat 5-1 from Danilo Franchini (14) and Sebastian Lofstrom (12+1). Merseyside end the week second just adrift of Denaby on points difference, and now with the only 100% home record in the division.

A repeat of last years KO Cup final was confirmed as both holders Denaby and Manor completed aggregate last four wins over their opponents with home successes. Manor’s place in the decider was a formality given they’d won the first leg of their tie at Don Valley by 16, the Devils meanwhile had nine points to make up against third division side Nottingham and were made to work hard for their eventual three point success. A run of four race advantages from heat ten onwards broke the visitors, with the hosts eventually securing their spot in the penultimate heat with the minor places in a 3-3.

Waclaw Kozlowski (13) moved into pole position to improve on his second place finish in last years World Championship. Victory in the British GP in Quantock has taken him top of the overall standings by two points from Indrek Ranikov (13), who the Manor and Poland rider beat in a race-off to secure what was his third career individual GP success. Home nation rider Bradley Law (11) scored in double figures for the first time this season to claim the final spot on the podium.

Aussie’ Liam Hill (14) set his stall out to become only the second rider after his Don Valley team mate Valeri Lach to successfully retain the WU21 title. 17 year old Hill won his semi-final in Richmond by a clear three points from Rostislav Panik, the rider who denied him back-to-back WU19 titles earlier in the season. Taylor Barber (10) became the third British rider to qualify for the final after finishing fifth in the tie.

A run of just two league defeats in 15 has seen Wednesfield become serious promotion contenders in division two. They still remain five points off the top three despite the impressive run, which includes a sixth away win of the campaign secured this week at Sankey. A last heat 4-2 won by the unbeaten Mitchell Bennett (15) confirmed the 43-47 victory for the visitors, reserve Wassily Urban was their second top scorer in the fixture with nine. Elsewhere Birmingham consolidated their position in the top three with a 43-47 victory at Tottenham, the sixth placed Turnpikes—who earlier taken an away point for a draw at Somerset—are in no-mans-land heading into the run-in, they 12 points above the drop zone and 12 adrift of the promotion places. Dumpton won the first leg of the Division Two Cup final at Buxton, 43-47, the Devils making themselves big favourites to land the silverware in their first campaign at this level with the result, second string Timur Lazaroff (11) the standout performer for the visitors with three race wins.

London—who have now won just one of the last six in the league—lost further ground on division three leaders Whiteley after being held to a home draw by bottom side Border. Visiting sides to California and Dudley also picked up away draws at Hull and Newquay respectively.