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Regent Edition - ENHANCED
- news - results - div one - div two - div three - statistics - averages - honours - - rider search: gsa/age - rider search: name - transfer list - international standings/averages -
Comment now on the latest news at the Forum REBELS ROUSED Sedgemoor back for fifth win A first European Cup campaign for Sedgemoor in six years has ended just as their last did, with the trophy in the hands of their riders and promoter Nick Howard. A record extending fifth success for the club that previously dominated the competition that pits the very best from Britain against their counterparts from the European League, the Rebels having once appeared in the final four times in a five year period. Only Sebastian Koch (8+1) remains in the current Sedgemoor team from the one that beat Prague home and away in the SL21 decider, and the Austrian was there in the heat that secured them the silverware at this years final opponents Glasshoughton, he finishing second in a decisive 5-1 behind fellow tactical substitute Mike Conlon (16) in heat 14 of the return leg. A second place from Conlon in the last took Sedgemoor’s aggregate victory over the Gazelles—who had been looking to add to their SL8 success in the competition—into double figures. It’s the first trophy of SL27 for Howard’s side, but they won’t be matching their four successes from last year, with their only hope of adding to the European title now with the league alone. After slipping down to second with a defeat at Bridgwater prior to the European Cup meeting, the defending champions returned to the head of the standings with a 46-44 victory in their home top of the table fixture with Whitemoor. But only after some late drama at Holford Park, where a last heat 5-1 from Conlon (18) and Koch (9+1) took them to a 46-44 victory in a meeting they had trailed in by six just four races earlier, Conlon then made it seven race wins out of seven by beating Bleidilis Vitas (10+2) in a bonus point race-off. TODAY: Shorts Wordsley (131) will go into the final of the 4TT as favourites to lift the trophy after smashing their way through the second round stage of the competition. They’ll become the first club from outside of division one in 16 years to get their hands on the silverware, if they come out on top against Bridgwater (118), Whitemoor (108) and Oxford (116) in the decider, very few would bet against them do so given the dominance of their top four in SL27. After a strong second place finish at Netherton, Stuart Mills’s quartet of Risto Anttila, Lee Alty, Kyle Ward and Shaun Williams went on to win all three of the remaining legs in their semi-final tie, hitting 42 out of a possible 48 at home when each of the Wizards raced to heat win hat-tricks. It’s the first time Wordsley have reached the final since SL17, although they have had success in the lower divisions, the club have yet to win a major trophy in their 18 year history. SL23 Champions Bridgwater are the only former winners in the decider and are perhaps best placed to deny Wordsley, their vulnerability shown though when they were almost pipped to the victory in their tie by second division Oxford, the side that went through as the highest scoring semi-final losers scoring an impressive 30 at Bridgwater and then 39 at home in the final leg, where their fourth choice rider Lehel Sardi (10) beat Baboons heat leaders Bernd Hoover and Odell Espeseth. Whitemoor meanwhile progressed from a tight qualifier with a strong second place finish in the final leg of their tie at last years winners Sedgemoor, Terry Duffield top scoring with nine for the Witches as they finished just two points shy of the Rebels 29 point total on the night. Whitemoor eventual aggregate over Wilmington by seven, with Sedgemoor finishing a point further adrift.
Sedgemoor’s Adam Ryan scored ten to reach the final of the WU21 Championship from this weeks Rugby qualifier. A strong showing from the 17 year old, who only missed out on a podium after a race-off defeat. He was the only one of the three English riders in the tie to make the cut, both John King (6) and Darren Spencer (4) missing out from the meeting won by Wilmington’s Vitas Kolesnichenko (12).
Individual success too for Kolesnickenko’s Wilmington team mate Michael Langhome (12) who topped the standings in the SL27 Swedish GP . A first career victory in the series for the 22 year old Dane, who was only in the Malmo meeting due to an injury to Bryan Baah. Despite suffering a heat nine retirement, Langhome did enough to finish a point clear of both Bengt Karim (2nd) and Bernd Hoover (3rd), he winning his four other races. Karim now has an eight point advantage over Vlas Levitsky (7) at the top of the World Championship standings.
Another tight win in the league for Oxford who moved back into the division two promotion places with a 44-46 success at New Forest. Second string Lehel Sardi (13+1) and the unbeaten Chris Webb (12+3) scoring a last heat 5-1 for the Mavericks, who have recorded only one double-figure win in their last 17 league fixtures. Later they were held to a home draw by Smethwick, who sit one place and one point behind them in the standings.
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