An unbeaten ten meeting start to their SL32 division two campaign meant Nottingham went into the first leg of the KO Cup tie at top flight Rugby will high ambitions. Michael Wright’s recently relegated Knights are just three meetings away from equalling a club record run without defeat in the league, heat 14 and 15 5-1’s taking them to a 42-48 win at Birstall this week as they maintained their impressive advantage at the top of the second tier standings. It was also a late 5-1 brace that would do for Rugby at Rowan Arch, a maximum from Benjamin Hess (13) and Derek Chandler (8) in heat 13 followed by another from second string Thomas Forsman (7) and reserve Brandeis Rank (7+2) in the penultimate race of the meeting ensuring they’d take some sort of lead into their home return leg. That advantage stands at three points despite conceding a 4-2 to the hosts in the last, Hess splitting the home pair to give Nottingham a 43-46 victory in the meeting. Both sides have strong records at this stage of the competition, Nottingham have never lost a first round tie in their four previous seasons as British League members, while Rugby—winners of the competition in both SL14 and SL16—have been eliminated just once in the opening round in the last 19 seasons! Another top flight side with still plenty of work to do if they are to avoid an exit to lower division opposition are Dundee, the Scot’s losing the first leg of their tie at Cirencester, 50-40, the newly promoted second tier side providing 12 of the 15 heat winners and scoring three 5-1’s in the opening meeting, one in which they led in from start to finish.

A debut for £117,000 signing David Kovac (6+1) didn’t change the fortunes of Auckland. Kovac made his bow against Dundee, are were promoted to the top flight alongside the Rhinos last season, but it was the Cakes’ riders who enjoyed the fixture the most, especially second string Bradley Woods (10+1) and reserve James MacLean (8+1) who both picked up a brace of heat victories. MacLean’s second win of the night in heat 14 ensured Ian Creasey’s side both league points, with Jake Clarke (12) and Woods going on to pick up the minor places in the last to see the scores finish 42-47 in their favour. Two more defeats followed for Auckland, who are now without a win in 13 in all competitions and already six points adrift of safety. Dundee have finished the week outside of the relegation zone, as have Swinton, who also moved up a couple of places following a first away success of the campaign. Theirs was returned at Sawley, 43-47, after they hit their hosts with 5-1’s in heats 14 and 15. Reserve Thomas Hill (6)—who also ran last in three heats—earned his second win of the night in the first of those maximums, that before Pavel Zirnis (11) and second string debutant Mattias Helstrom (10+1) got somewhat lucky in the last, home number one Fredrick Ericsson (10+1) suffering a mechanical retirement from the lead of the race. Sawley did go on to pick up a surprise draw at Eastbourne, the Grenadiers becoming the first side to take a point of the Hyenas at The Whirlpool this season despite Ericsson’s (14) first defeat of the night in the last. Ericsson also lost out in a race-off for the first bonus point of the season.

Greenhill go into their top of the division two table clash with Nottingham having won four in a row in all competitions. Two of those victories came away from home, with Harry Myers (12) and Luca Romano (8+2) scoring 5-1’s to complete a 42-48 league win for the Greyhounds at Cirencester, before doing similar at Bournemouth in the KO Cup. Another 42-48 win for Bailey Fellows side at the Seagulls, again there was a last heat maximum from the Myers (15)/Romano (12+1) pairing, on this occasion Colin Bradford (8) and reserve Ian Ashton (6+2) had also scored a 5-1 in the previous race. Grangmouth meanwhile moved up into the top three for the first time this season after back-to-back league wins, the first a 41-49 success at Bolsover, where Matthew Wild (15) scored his third maximum of the season. His fourth followed in the Oilers later 47-43 KO Cup first round first leg win over Auckland. Elsewhere in the second tier four victories apiece from Graham Elrick (14) and Thomas Klemmensen (13) helped Bullbridge recover from a opening heat 5-1 reversal, to record a 39-51 win at Liden.

All five of last seasons GP riders in World Championship action this week made it through the maiden rounds of their SL32 campaigns. Luca Romano (11) began the defence of his world title with a third place finish in the Continental semi-final at Lublin, he losing out in race-off for the meeting victory to Birkenhead’s Mario Koch (1st) and Olesia Duda (2nd). Stone Cross’s world number two Dusan Hobler scored a maximum 15 meanwhile to win the second of the semi-finals in Gyor, the SL30 World Champion now has seven career WSO meeting victories to his name.