Oliver Cartwright (10+2) scored as many points from reserve as the hosts bottom four combined as Leeds won at Wimbledon to reach the semi-finals of the Division One Cup once again. Darren Evans’ holders are through to the last four of the competition with a round to spare following the 44-46 first round victory, it’s the sixth time in seven years they’ve made it beyond the group stage, they have gone on to lift the trophy in four of the last six campaigns. Leeds eliminated the Werewolves with a 63-27 mauling the last time they met in the competition in last years semi-finals, Aaron Macaulay (11) and Daniel Lake (8) scoring maximums that day, the two hit a brace of wins on this occasion, Lake’s second coming in a match winning penultimate race 5-1, in which Cartwright came home in second. It was the second heat maximum scored by the visitors in the meeting and the second involving Cartwright, who won heat two ahead of team mate Liam Carter (4+1) to give Leeds the lead on the night having fallen behind to a Wimbledon 4-2 in heat one. The Werewolves didn’t get their noses in front again, or even for that matter level, with the Jaguars going to lead for the remainder of the meeting. Mathematically Wimbledon could still qualify, but they’d need a ten point victory at Linlithgow to stand any chance, Cradley currently favourites to take the second qualification spot from their half of the draw, however a 12 point plus defeat in their final tie at Leeds could see them slip behind Eastbourne in the standings, who completed their qualifiers with a 54-36 win over Linlithgow.

Stowmarket end the second month of the new league season with seven wins from eight and three points clear at the top of division one. They did however require a last heat 5-1 to secure their latest success, a 44-46 win at Cradley. Lasse Classen (12) and Oliver Schmidt (9+1) both beat the Cobras’ Cerek Ostrowski (10+2) and Owen Mitchell (10+1) in the decider, a pair who had combined for 5-1’s of their own in heats three and five to give their side a lead early on in the contest. It was the second successive two point league victory for the Witches, who required a heat 4-2 to see off three-times defending champions Leeds in their earlier home meeting, winner of the decider, Schmidt (15), securing his first maximum of SL32 in the process.

Signed from Normanton in pre-season, Fiske Wahlquist (13)—now of Wentworth—raced to his maiden success in his 15 meeting strong WSO career in Oslo. Despite holding a 9.14 GSA the 24 year old Swede found himself slipping from number one to second string at the Trappers following last weeks average update, he showed his class on the track however by beating his national champion and two time GP winner Balder Erland in a race-off to take the Scandinavian semi-final win in Norway, a meeting in which current world number six Stig Martinson (11) finished third on the podium. Horsens star Kasper Brander (13) won the second of the ties in Pori by a point from Lasse Classen, the victory Brander’s sixth of his WSO career.

Dudley maintained the only unbeaten league start to the season in the country with a 42-48 win at Derby. In all competitions it’s now won nine and drew two in their 11 meetings of SL32, with 5-1’s in heats 11, 13 and 15 turning things around for them when they won at the Bucks. All three maximums were scored by the Paul Hope (13)/Cvetko Greiwe (15+3) partnership, the latter finishing the night with his first unbeaten score of the season as a result. Huntingdon move up to second in division two, albeit some four points behind Terry Meech’s side, they earning their first away win of the campaign this week at Bradwell, 42-48. Behind after heat eight, a run of seven straight wins from visiting riders took the Hunters to their success, Magnar Dudek (12) and Andreas Klein (12) taking five between them, including the four which resulted in the 4-2’s required for victory. Huntingdon also became the first side to reached the Division Two Cup semi-finals this season after beating Hale 54-36 in their final qualifier, in the other half of the draw at 41-49 victory at Derby for Coventry has set them on a pathway to the last four, 18 year old American Larry Nichols paid for 14 from his five rides at reserve in that win.

Calderwood joined Claygate in the semi-finals of this season’s Division Three Cup thanks to a 40-50 win at the Bears this week. Oksana Chaplinski (13) and Teodor Zolbek (13+1) both hit a hat-trick of race wins in the victory. In the league Swindon brought their losing start to SL32 to an end with a 51-39 home victory over Kelso, and after their first win in seven the Serpents made it two in a row by winning at Disbury Village, 43-47! Second string Thorsten Keller (9+2) picked up two wins in the latter, while reserve Vanya Kristoff impressed with paid ten from his four outings to the track.