As in the first round it was Hallamshire that finished this weeks second as the highest scoring side in the 4TT. The club that finished in their best ever position of third last year will go into the decider as favourites after scoring a whopping 132 over the course of their latest tie, winning the first of the meetings at Ringwood with 35 points, before bettering that total when tallying 42 out of a possible 48 at home. Those half a dozen dropped points came from the rides of Connor Nicholls, as Julian Harrison, Marcin Jaoworski and Kenn Balle all scored maximums in the meeting. A more modest total of 106 saw last years runners-up Caversham qualify as Group B winners, the same score that took two-times defending champions Belfast (106) through to the final as the highest scoring second round runners-up. They finished behind Stourbridge (112) in Group C, with the Scorpions now looking to become the first side from the third tier to win the competition.

Shetland became the final side from the top flight to claim an away point this season after they fought back from six down to nab a draw at Sedgley. Three 4-2’s in the final five races of the meeting—Rafal Grabowski (15) winning two in securing his first maximum since joining the club on loan from Hallamshire—taking the Ponies to a share of the spoils. The impact of Grabowski cannot be understated, the rest of the visitors septet managing just one race win between them. Shetland—who went on to beat ninth placed Ringwood by ten at home—remain bottom, but end the week just a point adrift of the three sides directly above them, which includes Sedgley who are outside of the drop zone on points difference alone. The latest away league fixture of Shetland’s sister club Belfast also finished level, the Sinks taking a point in the all-Scottish affair at Stirling thanks to a last heat Jan Tomanek (14+2) winning 4-2. Belfast later dropped their first bonus point of the season when they played host to Houston, but go into the final couple of months of the campaign nine points clear at the top.

The top two in division two pulled further clear of the pack with home and away wins. Leaders Caversham—who are likely to secure promotion as early as next week—have now won their last seven, a run which includes this weeks 43-47 success at bottom side Heath. Bradford are also all but there, the second placed side moving 17 points clear of fourth placed Buxton in the standings with a 42-48 win at Steeple.

Just three league defeats in 13 now for in-form Swinton who look set to complete a first promotion after three years in division three. Steve Pearce’s Spartans made it five away wins for the campaign on their trip to Harringay, where visiting second string Ludoslaw Jarworski (10+1) was amongst the heat winners—claiming heat seven and 14 successes—but home number one Tabor Andros (7+2) wasn’t.

Just four rounds into his GP career Harry Nicholls (13) has a meeting win. The 25 year old Stourbridge star taking victory in the Swedish round by two points from last years World Championship runner-up, Durko Karban. Meanwhile another rider from the Nicholls clan—Hallamshire’s Harry—won the first of this years WU21 semi-finals in Houston.