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Regent Edition - ENHANCED
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Comment now on the latest news at the Forum WITCHES HOUR Whitemoor power their way to first title Whitemoor celebrate the culmination of their second decade in the sport with a first League Championship crown. Their maiden top flight success comes almost 20 years since their started out in the third tier, they becoming the 12th different club to take the title and only the third—after Sedgemoor and Rugby—to have now won all three divisions at least once. After near misses in both the last two seasons, Trevor Walker’s SL27 and 28 runners-up became SL29 champions with a round of racing to spare, three points from a 52-38 home win over Claygate taking them five clear of their only remaining challenger’s, Newport Pagnell, who lost their penultimate round clash at Cambridge. It’s fair to say that it was their heat leaders that brought it home, the powerful trio of Skjold Likness (15), Bernd Hoover (13+2) and Cestmir Sulak (11) dropping just a point between them as the Witches racked up their NINTH successive victory over Claygate. Yes nine, that’s home and away! It was their sixth win over the Riders this season alone, Walker couldn’t have hoped for better opposition as his side looked to get over the line, their latest success coming courtesy of 12 heat wins and four 5-1’s. The third from Hoover and Sulak in heat 13 secured them the points, sending the vast majority of those in the Sheepcroft into celebratory mode, although in truth many had began to party when they arrived at the beginning of the evening. After just one major trophy to show for their efforts prior to this season—the Pairs in SL26—the Witches have added three in less than nine months, the Pairs for the second time, the 4TT and now the big one. Whitemoor are SL29 League Champions.TODAY: Shorts Smethwick moved equal second on the all-time KO Cup winners list by beating the side that already had three successes to their name in this years final. Five-time finalists Newport Pagnell those opponents, who—as in the league and Division One Cup in SL29—had to be content with the runners-up spot again. Trailing by seven from the first leg, Stephen Hodgkinson’s Meerkats took the lead for the first time in the final after six heats of the return, a Mike Conlon (15)/Simon Atkins (5+1) 5-1 taking them clear. The visitors hit back with a 5-1 of their own in heat eight, and it would take until the end of heat 11 for the Meerkats to get their noses back in front. But when they did, there looked to be only one winner from that point, and it was their third 5-1 of the meeting—won by Sebastian Koch (11) in heat 14—which secured that aggregate win.
Bernd Hoover (12) has regained the World Championship title in dominant fashion. A sixth podium finish of the series helped him finish 13 points clear of closest rival Taavi Raudnagel (9) in the final GP series standings, any doubts which way it was going to go in the final round in Warsaw over after the opening few races, Randnagel’s challenge ending with his exclusion in heat two, and that of Andy James over with a last place finish for him in heat seven. James—who like Hoover had won two GP’s in the current campaign—suffered an awful night, dropping from second to fifth in the standings after adding just four points. Chalvington’s Bengt Karim (12) won the meeting, however the night—and series—was all about Hoover, the 26 year old Whitemoor and Austrian star lifting the trophy for a third time, moving to within one of the record four successes achieved by both Jozsef Tolcseres and Andy James.
Bolsover will race in the top flight for the first time next season after securing promotion in the penultimate round of league racing in SL28. A fifth away victory of the campaign—41-49 at March—seeing Kevin Lilley’s side follow Nottingham up, the Red Stars themselves making sure of the title with a 58-32 rout of Wilmington at the same time just down the M1. Third went to another midlands outfit with Alan Fellows Coalville side managing to keep Wilmington at bay, just, their final day 48-42 victory over Broadwell earning them a crucial bonus point by two on aggregate! Miroslav Nosal (13) securing that with a last heat win at the Greenhill Arena. Coalville will race in division one in just their third season in the sport.
Steve Donaldson’s Longbridge side will be looking to emulate Coalville next season after they made it into division two at the first attempt. The Lions follow fellow SL29 rookies Newington up from the third tier, but only after the final day results went their way. They led a group of five sides going into round 36 separated by just three points in the standings, with only two promotion places left up for grabs. A 53-37 win over Kesgrave secured Longbridge the first of those, third spot in the final table went to Loughton, who finished just points difference ahead of Plymouth. It’s Plymouth that will race in division two next year however, at the expense of the Lions, who are set to close their gates for the last time after 16 years of league racing.
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