Their two year reign as League Champions maybe about to come to an end but Stannington proved yet again they have the ability to win, and win big. The Shoguns lead quartet of Dean Stansfield, Paul Southam, Sandor Waltner and Terry Browett this week combined to earn their side a sixth trophy in three seasons, they regaining the 4TT trophy previously won by the club in SL2. Only Stansfield of the four hadn’t been part of that earlier success, he having been brought into the club by promoter Matt Akers at the start of the season for £224,000. It wasn’t the best of starts to the final for Stannington, hosting the first leg it took them until heat seven to take the lead, but when in front there was no stopping them. Southam’s victory in heat seven was the first of nine in a row for the hosts, by the end of the run they were 15 in front of their nearest rivals and on their way to an impressive 40 point tally. Only SL3 winners Beaconsfield get close to matching that in the three remaining legs (they scoring 37 in leg three), meetings that were all won by the home sides. Stannington may not have been able to break the dominance of their rivals on their own patch, but they did prove to be second best on each occasion, going within four points at Brookwood of victory and two of Birkenhead in the final leg. By the time the final had reached Merseyside though Stannington had all but sealed the outright win, their eventual winning margin over second placed Beaconsfield a clear 25 points. The Bandits runners-up position in the competition means they have finished in the top three in the last four seasons, that though little consolation to them.

After seeing his side lead the table for so long Brian McKnight will be hoping the same ‘runners-up’ fate doesn’t afflict his Beaconsfield side in the league. They remain behind Brookwood this week in the standings on points difference after losing their eighth straight away competitive meeting. At one stage it even looked as though they may lose the bonus point at Birkenhead, however a late run of scoring turned a 14 point deficit into a more respectable four point defeat. Brookwood meanwhile came close to taking all three points at Stannington, but had to settle for just the bonus in the end, a last heat 3-3 leaving the final scores of that contest 46-44 in favour of the home side. That result left Birkenhead as the only top flight side to record an away win this week, a final heat Walter Kogler (14) success over Laurence Baldwin (16) taking the Bombers to a 44-46 victory at York. It was the Glyn Hughes’s side first win on the road in the league this season and lifts them five points clear of the division one drop zone.

Dusan Matas had to wait until he was 31 to win his first major individual title, but there was only a 14 day gap between that success in Prague and his second career victory, the Exeter star adding to his Czech GP win with success in the German round this week. The Slovakian (11) recovered from a first race last in Kassel to take the title with a win in a three rider race-off, he beating Sandor Waltner and Jan Eliasson in the extra race. Matas remains a point clear in the overall World Championship standings, Sean Robson still the best placed of the Brits in eighth despite not racing in the latest round, the reserve’s run in the series coming to an end with the return of Helmut Fuchs (7) to the track after injury.

Two draws have left Berkshire tantalising close to, but outside of the division two promotion places this week. A third away win of the season seemed to be there for the taking for the Bandits at Epping, they ten up with just three heats to go. However having conceded three 5-1’s to six different riders in the mid point of the meeting the hosts got their act together late on, an Artur Dudek (11+1) winning 4-2 in heat 13 was followed 5-1’s in the final two heats for the Stags to leave the scores tied at 45 apiece. At home it was a tighter affair throughout against Mansfield, neither side going more than two points ahead all evening. In the end a draw was a fair result, the Bandits John Curtis (14) winning a last heat 4-2 to ensure that would be the case. While Berkshire remain fifth, Lincoln leap frog them into fourth after taking the bonus point at Stirling, who replace them in sixth.

Stannington go into the second leg of the European Cup final as favourites to left the trophy for the first time, they having limited their hosts Beaconsfield to a 46-44 first leg win this week. The result will go down well with Shoguns boss Matt Akers, his side eight down at the halfway point of the meeting.