Two ties and two wins against higher division opponents for Wimbledon who find themselves in the quarter-finals of this season’s KO Cup. Victory at top flight Nottingham sent them on their way to their first ever aggregate win in the competition in round one, round two saw the division three minnows eliminate second tier Claygate thanks to another road trip success. Andy Fowler’s Wanderers—who went into their meeting at Glebelands holding a ten point first leg lead—fought back from 34-26 down on the night to win the return meeting by two, securing a comprehensive 12 point aggregate success with three 4-2’s and a 5-1 in the final five races. Thomas Blasiak (17) won all four of those heat advantages, one of which over home top man Bryan Baah (8) when sent into heat 12 as a tactical substitute. Blasiak—the current world number six—is the main reason why Wimbledon have made it this far in the competition, he also dropping just a point in the first leg and in the side’s earlier victory at Nottingham. Form his club will hope he takes into the last-eight, where they’ll face their toughest challenge yet in the form of current league champions Whitemoor, the Witches having made it into their seventh successive quarter-final thanks to a four point aggregate win over Bridgwater. The all top flight tie went the way of the second leg hosts after a last heat Deniz Rask (13)/Bernd Hoover (11+1) 5-1, although big credit for the win has to also go to reserve Radim Urbin (13+1), with the 17 year old dropping just a point over the course of his five rides. The £600,000 pre-season signing may not be as useful going forward for promoter Trevor Walker however, with the Czech youngster having achieved a new GSA this week of 7.89, which sends him into the top three of the Witches squad. Elsewhere in the KO Cup Sedgemoor completed their biggest win in the competition since SL9 by beating Kesgrave 61-29 at home, that result sending the five-times winners of the competition through to a quarter-final tie with Rugby by 36 on aggregate. A second all top-flight quarter-final tie sees Cambridge take on Bolsover, while Wordsley and Coalville complete the last-eight line up, the latter doing so having knocked out holders Smethwick by 16 on aggregate.

Great Barr moved back into the division two promotion places with their first away win of the league campaign. Lucky to avoid the drop back to the third tier last season, the Ravens are now one of the favourites to take a top flight spot for the first time in their short history following their 43-47 victory at Longbridge, where 19 year old second string Florian Zeigler (8)—who joined from Whitemoor in pre-season as part of the Radium Urban deal—was amongst the heat winners. In division three there was a third away win of the campaign for Wimbledon who end the first half of it five points clear at the top of the standings, and ten ahead of fourth placed Didsbury Village. The Werewolves latest road trip success came at Dartford, 42-48, with that man Tomasz Blasiak (15) again instrumental in it, scoring his seventh maximum of the campaign.

A strong field for the World Championship second round tie at Lublin where five of last years GP riders made the starting line-up. Pila world number 13 Andreas Brammer (12) won the meeting and was one of four of the quintet to make it through to next weeks third round, world number three Cestmir Sulak (6) was the odd-one out, he exiting after finishing down in tenth. World Champion Bernd Hoover (14) continued the defence of his crown by winning the second of this weeks ties on his home Whitemoor circuit ahead of world number five Andy James (13), James—with a mark of just 7.72—has the lowest GSA of the four British riders to remain in this years competition.