Early season form-team Manor are into their second successive Division One Cup semi-final after they made it four wins out of four in this years competition. A double bonus point gleaning 57-33 home victory over Dunmow sent Andy Barton’s side through to the last four as Group A winners, three of the remaining four teams—including the defeated Dragons—will battle it out for the runners-up spot and the second semi-final place from the section in the final round of fixtures next month. Over in the other half of the draw it was a fourth defeat from four for Gateshead, whose early exit was confirmed prior to their home loss to Quantock. The Rangers—who won the competition for the first time in the last of their four final appearances to date in SL20—may sit only third, but any margin of victory will do for them when they take on Don Valley at home in the final round of fixtures, with that now turned into a qualification spot decider. Both Indrek Ratnikov (16) and Corey Wolin (8) won their tactical substitute rides this week at Gateshead, as Nick Howard’s side fought back from eight down after heat ten to win the crunch meeting by two. Don Valley could have made the equation much more difficult for the Rangers if they’d taken one or even both the bonus points on offer in their home meeting against Merseyside, but they missed out on picking up any at all when Valeri Lach (14) was beaten for the first time on the night in the final race of a meeting the hosts won 49-41. Merseyside still harbour hopes of a top two finish themselves, they need to beat Southampton at home by 20 or more in their final group fixture to qualify.

Manor’s first defeat of the season was inflicted by Merseyside when Sebastian Lofstrom (15) won the final race in the league contest at the Riverside. Lofstrom, who scored three maximums in pre-season, completed his first of this years division one campaign in the 46-44 Marauders win. They end the week third, three points off both Manor and Don Valley, with the latter having closed to within points difference of the Miracles after a draw at Denaby. The Vipers top two of Valeri Lach (18) and Samuel Murphy (11+1) scored yet another last heat 5-1 in a meeting to ensure a share of the spoils for their side in that, the Vipers had earlier trailed by six.

Buxton completed their Division Two Cup qualification campaign with a 52-38 home win over Sankey. It was a result which is good enough to see them into the semi-finals of this years competition, and only Tottenham can now topple them from the head of the group standings. The Turnpikes will need to win at Sankey to do that, unlikely given their current form which has seen them slip to the bottom of the second tier standings. A home draw against Sankey this week left them without a league win in four, six of the Sharks septet racing to heat wins in the fixture, with second string Patrick Chapman (9) picking up three of the ten victories recorded by his side. The meeting between hosts Hertford and Wednesfield also ended level, with the visitors top two of Bjorn Maurer (17) and Timur Lazaroff (9+1) scoring a last heat 5-1 in that contest. Elsewhere in the division there was a first away win of the campaign for second placed Cradley Heath, who recovered from four down at Sankey on three separate occasions to take a 43-47 victory on the night, 5-1’s for them in heats 13 and 15 proving decisive.

League rookies Dumpton end the week top of the division three table once again after they won at Bolsover by the slimmest of margins. A single point separated the two sides after the final race, in which visiting duo Iain Johnson (10) and Mitchell Bennett (9+1) picked up the minor places. The latter has since left the club in a transfer which sees him join top flight Ramsgate, Michael Krause (8) has also made the switch, with the two leaving for a combined £500,000 fee. Jacek Wozniak and Zachary Anderson join the Devils in exchange as part of the deal. Elsewhere California won at Lye 42-48 to climb back to a season high second in the standings, second string John Slack (10) one of three riders to manage a hat-trick of race wins for the visitors in the win.

A fifth successive first round exit for former GP rider John Slack (6) came in this years World Championship. He was one of five Brits to feature in the latest two qualifiers, only one of which progressed to the next round, that being Southampton’s Craig Rowntree (11). Rowntree topped the standings in Warsaw—a meeting in which Slack finished tenth—after winning a race-off featuring Nils Mogensen, Joe Clark and Marek Belic. Then Ramsgate asset Jacek Wozniek (14) won the second of this weeks World Championship meetings in Pori, the 28 year old Pole dropping just a point in the tie to finish top of the podium ahead of Pavel Cisar (13) and Mikhail Miloserdov (12).