A week of shocks in the Club Pairs Championship with top flight sides tumbling out of this years competition. Amongst their number are holders Whitemoor, who began the defence of their title in the second round tie at Bolsolver having received a bye in round one. The meeting began well enough for the top averaged pairing left in the competition, but an exclusion for world champion Bernd Hoover (11) from the re-run of heat 15 was the start of their demise, under pressure he and his partner Deniz Rask then conceded a fatal 5-1 to Glasshoughton (23) duo Michael Langhorne (14) and Adam Schofield (9) in heat 18. The Glasshoughton pairing returned to the track three heats later to conclude a successful night with a 4-2 win over Newington (20), a result which saw the two sides finishing first and second in the tie, Glasshoughton taking the top spot on the podium just as they did in their round one tie. Glasshoughton are looking to win the competition for the second time, 25 years after their first success, for Newington it’s a first final appearance, as it is for division three outfit Wimbledon (19) who qualified through from third spot. Netherton (26) completed a division two double by winning the second of this season’s semi-final ties at Bristol, Cestmir Sulak (14) and Joshua Russell (12) making it two ties wins in two with a dominant showing in a meeting in which they scored three 5-1’s from their six heats. Last years runners-up Rugby (23) finished second, they qualifying to the decider at Kesgrave behind the Heathens along with fellow top flight sides, Sedgemoor (20) and Coalville (19). Netherton are looking for their first win in the competition in what will be their third final appearance.

Whitemoor have suffered just three division one defeats at home in four seasons. All three loses have been inflicted by Sedgemoor. The third this week, 44-46, followed a comfortable ten point Division One Cup success over the same opponents for the Witches, the league fixture however was a different story. After a nervy start the champions went on a run of five straight heat wins, earning themselves a six point lead at the halfway stage. Six of the final eight races would end in 3-3’s, the other two went the way of the visitors 5-1, with the same two riders picking up the crucial maximums—heat leader George Bull (12+2) and reserve Adam Ryan (10+3). Yes the same Adam Ryan that finished last in his BU21 semi-final last week. Nick Howard will be the first to admit that his side benefited from the Witches lower-order weakness, which will surely be resolved when the transfer market re-opens, but for now they replace their defeated hosts at the top of the division one table, with Whitemoor slipping to fourth having also lost their earlier league fixture at Nottingham by the same two point margin.

Chalvington opened their Division One Cup campaign with a 42-48 win at this season’s competition debutants Bolsover. Per Dalberg (15) and Jason Danoff (14+1) dominated the scoring for the visitors, they completing the meeting victory and their own personal maximums with a heat 15 5-1 over Andy James (11) and Terry Duffield (9). Stuart Smith’s side went on to suffer their first competitive defeat of the season on their later league trip to Rugby, 46-43, they were level with their hosts before conceding a penultimate race 5-0, a race in which key reserve Ryan Lucas (5+1) picked up an injury which will rule him out of action for a month.

Newington have their first away win at the second tier level after dominating hosts Glasshoughton in taking a 41-49 victory in their Division Two Cup clash. 38 year old Bengt Karim top scored with 13+1 in the meeting success, the Rebels securing victory in a meeting they led in for all but one heat with a last race 5-1. Newington lead their first round group by a clear five points. Longbridge picked up an away point in the same group thanks to a draw at March, while in the league Great Barr’s meeting at Netherton ended all-sqaure.

Newcomers Lenzie are still struggling to find their best septet they having used ten different riders already in their division three campaign. A home loss and an away win for Ian Creasey’s outfit this week, the latter at Stowmarket (42-48) secured with three races to spare when £20,000 signing from Rugby Oliver Wilson (9+1) brought about a 4-2 with a pass on the otherwise unbeaten Pasi Kuivasto (14). Earlier Lenzie suffered their first loss at their Campsie Junction circuit with the visit of another of this years rookies, Exeter. Mario Gottardi (10) and the unbeaten Jonas Bauer (14+1)—a £30,000 pre-season addition from Bridgwater—securing a 44-46 win for the visitors with a last heat 5-1.

A first WSO victory since he won the British title in SL27 for Glasshoughton’s Adam Schofield (15) this week. He winning his semi final in the same competition at Plymouth, the second of the ties was won by Whitemoor’s Jake Salisbury (14).