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Sovereign Edition
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Comment now on the latest news at the Forum ANY WITCH WAY Stowmarket win classic, just Stowmarket and Leeds have been the two dominant clubs in the sport over recent seasons. None more so than in the Division One Cup, where one of the two has won the trophy in each of the last six seasons. This year they met at the semi-final stage of the competition, with the Witches heading to Leeds with a nine point first leg lead under their belts. The Jaguars don’t have a rider in the top 15 of the division one averages, and Stowmarket—in Lasse Classen (13)—have just one, but both line-ups are packed full of experience, they the epitome of the phrase, ‘strength-in-depth’. Reserve Mark Butcher (13+1) would be the one to come to the fore for this weeks hosts, the 35 year old former GP star dropping just a point over the course of his five rides in the meeting. The first three races he appeared in saw the Jaguars earn heat advantages, including a 5-1 in heat four, part of a quick-fire double for the hosts. A third 5-1 of the night would take the Jaguars in front on aggregate in heat ten, but they knew they still had a fight on their hands. It would be a losing one, as Bill Jones sent a wave of tactical substitutes into action, Oliver Schmidt (9+1) the first in heat 11 finished second to team made Classen, then Classen himself won the next as a replacement, a 4-2 there, the Witches back five in front. Leeds closed that gap back down to a single point with a fourth 5-1 in heat 13, but it wouldn’t be enough, in came Christopher Hall (9) to steady things in heat 14, before Classen stormed to a decisive victory in the last heat decider, Stowmarket victors by one, in a tie that could have gone either way.Cradley Heath are the ones tasked with breaking the Stowmarket/Leeds stranglehold on the Division One Cup. The Cobras—runners-up last year and winners in SL22—making it into their third final after completing a ten point aggregate last four win over Wentworth, an easy passage through assured for this weeks visitors to the Trappers as they extended an 18 point first leg lead by a further six in the opening two races. Wentworth would recover to win 49-41 on the night, but the tie was over as a contest by the end of heat 11.
Miloslav Dorosh (13) and Magnar Dudek (13+1) scored a last heat 5-1 to complete a four point aggregate success for Huntingdon in their Division Two Cup semi-final. Heartbreak for visiting side Wolverhampton, who hadn’t been behind in the tie on then night until that point. In fact twice they led by four in the meeting, and looked big favourites to progress when going eight up on aggregate with just seven heats remaining of the second leg. Hunters riders however won six of the last seven, with five heat advantages going their way in the process, Dudek the undoubted hero, picking up three of those victories. This years final will be a repeat of the SL30 decider, with runners-up that year—Coventry—back with a chance for revenge. The Bohemians made the final after recovering from a ten point first leg semi-final defeat at Hale, by recording a 59-31 victory in their home return. A dominant display from Jon Hardy’s side, who raced to 14 heat wins between them, numbers one and two—Brandon Elijah (15) and Marcuse Fireman (9+3)—both finishing the night with maximums as well as combining for three of the six 5-1’s scored by their side.
Calderwood completed the biggest comeback in the history of the Division Three Cup to reach the final for the second time. The SL28 runners-up recovered from a first leg 56-34 loss to beat Small Heath by four on aggregate with a last heat 5-1 on home shale, unbeaten pairing Oksana Chaplinski (14+1) and Teodor Zoblec (14+1) giving Christopher Wilson’s side a 58-32 win in the meeting, and the lead for the first time in the tie! SL29 winners Beverley await Calderwood in the decider, the Hammers progressing by 12 after following up their draw at Claygate in the second of the semi-finals, with a 51-39 victory on home shale.
World number two Belal Fabian (12) pulled himself back into World Championship contention with victory in this weeks Swedish GP in Malmo. The Pila 11 point man finished a point clear of British duo Morgan Bird (2nd) and Aaron Macaulay (3rd), who fought out a race-off for the minor podium spots. Series leader Fiske Wahlquist (10) finished equal fourth.
Coalville’s Stig Amundsen (15) scored a maximum to win the World Under 19 Championship in Claygate. The victory was his first in a WSO meeting, he headed a Norwegian 1-2, with Wentworth 17 year old Thomas Folden taking second.
Dudley won at Derby 44-46 to go two points clear at the top of division two. Terry Meech’s side had trailed in the meeting by eight with just five heats remaining.
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