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Regent Edition - ENHANCED
- news - results - div one - div two - div three - statistics - averages - honours - - rider search: gsa/age - rider search: name - transfer list - international standings/averages -
Comment now on the latest news at the Forum BRIDGE TOO FAR Rugby woe as Baboons complete double A maiden League Championship title was Bridgwater’s for the taking as we headed into the penultimate round of league racing. However a league and KO Cup double was perhaps not part of the script, given their first leg result against Rugby in this years final. That’s just what they and their promoter Steven Potter are celebrating however, after winning both the leading domestic competitions. League honours first, with 40 meeting points required at Oxford in the penultimate round of fixtures to earn them the bonus which would take the club over the line. They’d end the night with a draw and two points out of a possible three, mathematically ending the challenge of both Whitemoor and Rugby, which in truth had looked well and truly beyond them prior to the night of racing. Odell Espeseth led the way at Oxford with 17, the Baboons fighting back from six down to level the meeting scores for the first time since going into heat one in the last. The large travelling support could celebrate winning the biggest prize of the seven won by the club in it’s near decade in the sport, an unlikely eighth would followed days later at Rugby. KO Cup glory was an unexpected addition for Bridgwater, who took just a two point lead with them to the Fugiendo Vincimus for the return leg of the final. They fell behind in the tie as early as heat two, the visitors conceding a 5-1 in the reserves match-up, by heat four they were six down on the night. Still that allowed Potter to send Espeseth (13+3) in as a tactical substitute, he would finish second to Bernd Hoover (13) in a 5-1 which would change the mood of the crowd and the course of the meeting. There was palpable tension now amongst the home support that wasn’t felt earlier, and the nerves spread to the track, where Bridgwater regained the lead with a 4-2 in heat ten as Espeseth claimed his first race victory of the leg. Rugby retook control with 4-2’s in heats 11 and 13, but Espeseth would return to haunt them once again, the Norwegian claiming his second heat win in the penultimate race, before guiding Bridgwater to a trophy snatching 5-1 with Hoover in the finale. The hosts were left wondering what just happened and what might have been. The visitors left delighted, and with more silverware.
TODAY: Shorts Heartbreak for March who will spend a tenth successive season outside of division one after missing out on promotion by points difference. Daniel Connor’s side sat second heading into the final day’s meetings, however a 55-35 defeat at Claygate saw them lose that place to the hosts, who will return to the highest level after seven years away. Not only did David Farr’s Riders leapfrog the Manics, but so did Netherton, the Heathens promoted from third following their final day rout of Bolsover, Vlas Levitsky (15) and Bleidilis Vitas (13+2) both scoring maximums in, at 60-30, was Rob Poole’s side’s biggest win in over two years. SL29 will begin Netherton’s fifth spell in the top flight, three of the previous four have lasted just a single campaign.
Brockmoor needed a last day win at Manston to secure the division three title following a surprise first home loss of the campaign with the earlier visit of Kesgrave (44-46). The Bulls place in history secured with the later 42-48 success, but it was bittersweet with the news confirmed that they will not take up their spot in division two next season, the club closing after just a year in the league. Final day home wins for Great Barr and Bradwell secured top three finishes for two other clubs in their maiden league campaigns, the Peter Hay and Darren McCoy promotions will start their second seasons in division two, as will Coalville who finished fourth—a point clear of Sandwell—despite an eight point defeat in their last round meeting at Great Barr. Sandwell miss out despite winning seven of their final nine meetings, a run which included a 43-47 success at Bristol this week.
Odell Espeseth (14) travelled to Warsaw for the final GP of the season on a high following club success’s with Bridgwater and with a two point lead in the World Championship standings. He and his main rival Wordsley’s Risto Anttila were inseparable much of the night, the two a notch above the rest of the pack as they slugged it out on the track, crucially the Baboons number one coming out on top when the two met in heat six. Espeseth would drop a point to Bengt Karim in heat 15, but responded with a world title clinching victory two races later, the 32 year old nerveless in taking the winning points. Antilla matched Espeseth’s 14 point total on the night and would go on to beat him in a race-off to land the individual GP win, but this night and season belonged to Espeseth, the new World Champion.
England have regained the International League title after Sweden ended their run of successive championships for the home nation last season. Mike Conlon top scored with 12 as the Rod Poole managed Lions beat the Swedes 41-49 in Malmo this week, a result which sees them finish above both them and Denmark—who beat the Czech’s 42-48—in the standings on points difference.
A fourth successive victory in the Junior League for Chalvington who completed the campaign with a 37-23 win over runners-up Oxford. 17 year old Connor Kemp was one of three riders to compete in all 36 junior fixtures for the Chiefs this season, averaging an impressive 8.37 while doing so. Kemp also featured in all the club’s YDL fixtures, a competition they won for a ninth year in a row!
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