Post by Genghis on Sept 27, 2007 20:15:26 GMT
Monday, September 24, 2007
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 58 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 35
Scunthorpe win aggregate point by 103-82
(Conference League)
The final scoreline of this top-of-the-table Conference League clash didn’t reflect what was a cracking contest. The LCD Publishing Cheetahs recovered from a poor start to match the Scunthorpe Scorpions for the mid-part of the meeting, only for the Scorpions to stretch the gap in the last four races.
It was Oxford’s fourth meeting in five nights. It’s not ideal to go to the home of the league leaders at the end of such a heavy schedule, but with this meeting twice rained off earlier in the season and the cut-off date for the play-offs looming, the meeting had to be slotted in.
Cheetahs skipper Lee Smethills rode in the meeting, despite the fact that a heavy fall at Oxford the previous night left him with all sorts of nasty bumps & bruises.
With the clouds threatening rain (which fortunately didn’t arrive during the meeting), referee Margaret Vardy staged the meeting at a fair pace, although there were one or two holds-up due to incidents on the night.
Lee Smethills made a good trap from the outside gate in Heat 1, but Tai Woffinden beat him to the first corner. Smethills had to settle for second place in front of Joe Haines, while fourth-placed Sam Martin ground to a halt on the final lap (4-2).
Heat 2 saw Byron Bekker and Scott Richardson hit the front to register a 5-1 for Scorpions. Kye Norton finished third, while Brendan Johnson shed a primary chain and retired from the race (9-3).
Scunthorpe tracked their top two in Heat 3, with Josh Auty leading from the tapes, and Woffinden blasting inside both Jordan Frampton & Andrew Bargh on the third turn. Frampton made a battle of it, but eventually Woffinden pulled clear to join Auty for a 5-1. Bargh failed to finish the final circuit after an engine failure (14-4).
With the Brendan Johnson camp still working on his machine, Kye Norton came out in a reserve change in Heat 4. Danny Betson was leading the Scunthorpe pair of Richie Dennis and Bekker, when Dennis slid off and ran into the fence on third bend. It took out one of the fence panels, and Dennis withdrew from the rest of the meeting with a suspected broken wrist. Dennis’s unfortunate injury gave the Oxford team, who had suffered three engine failures in as many races, a little breathing space and time to re-group. In the re-run, Betson and Norton took the lead, but Bekker swept around both Cheetahs on the third and fourth turns of the opening lap (17-7).
Smethills led in Heat 5, but Auty went around the outside of him at the completion of the second lap, and with Haines in third, Scunthorpe took a 4-2 (21-9).
Haines was the early leader in Heat 6, but it was all change on the third bend as Woffinden came through from third to first on the third bend, at the same time that Betson overhauled Haines, who found himself relegated to third, as a 4-2 stretched Scunthorpe’s lead to 14 points (25-11).
Oxford team manager Robert Peasley nominated Jordan Frampton as a tactical ride in Heat 7. Frampton became Oxford’s first race-winner of the evening, while Bekker fell in pursuit of Frampton, promoting Richardson to second and Bargh to third, and the race was stopped and awarded as a 7-2 to the Cheetahs, reducing the deficit to nine points (27-18).
In Heat 8, Martin won an early battle with Richardson for second place, and then went flying around the outside of Haines on lap 2 to win the race in great style. Meanwhile, Johnson got no further than the first turn with machinery problems (30-21).
Heat 9 saw a nasty pile-up on the first corner. Betson and Bekker touched, and Bekker fell in the path of Auty, who hit Bekker and somersaulted over the top. It looked horrific, but fortunately both Scunthorpe riders were OK. All four riders were allowed in the re-run, where Betson led, but Auty passed him on the inside on the third bend of lap 2 to win the race (34-23).
Woffinden won Heat 10 from Frampton & Haines, with Bargh around a quarter of a lap behind after a mechanical problem saw him slow from the starting gate (38-25).
Martin won Heat 11 resisting all sorts of pressure from Bekker. But Smethills – starting to feel the affects of the previous night’s crash - missed the gate and was unable to overhaul third-placed Richardson (41-28).
In Heat 12, Bekker hit the front, while Auty fended off an outside challenge from Bargh on the back straight. Bargh then came to a halt on the third bend, to complete an unhappy night for the mechanically-struggling New Zealander (46-29).
Woffinden and Richardson popped out of the start in Heat 13. Smethills was soon on Richardson’s tail, and managed to find a way past him on the fourth turn of the second lap. Betson then chased Richardson, but Richardson held on for third place (50-31).
Martin was placed into Heat 14 as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker. The Scunthorpe pair of Auty & Richardson got out in front, but Frampton belted around Richardson on the fourth bend to take second place. Martin tried hard, but was unable to make up the ground on Richardson (54-33).
Heat 15 saw Frampton and Martin selected to take on the Scunthorpe big guns of Woffinden and Auty. Woffinden blasted clear to win in another fast time, but Frampton got into second place and then withstood everything that Auty could throw at him, ruining Auty’s paid maximum in the process (58-35).
Despite the eventual 23-point gap in the scoreline, this was a meeting with some good racing, and also allowed the Cheetahs to get some practice in on the track they could well visit again in the play-off final.
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 58
Tai Woffinden 3 2* 3 3 3 3 (17+1)
Joe Haines 1 1 1 2 1 (6)
Josh Auty 3 3 3 2* 3 1 (15+1)
Rider replacement - Andrew Tully
Richie Dennis FX (0)
Scott Richardson 2* 2 1* 1* 1 1 (8+3)
Byron Bekker 3 3 FX 1 2 3 (12)
Team manager: Kenny Smith
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 35
Lee Smethills 2 2 0 2 (6)
Sam Martin R 0 3 3 0# 0 (6)
Andrew Bargh R 1 0 R (1)
Jordan Frampton 1 6! 2 2 2 (13)
Danny Betson 2 2 2 0 (6)
Kye Norton 1 1* 0 (2+1)
Brendan Johnson R 0 R 1 (1)
Team manager: Some bloke called Robert Peasley... never heard of him myself
Referee: Margaret Vardy
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Haines (S), Martin (O) (ret), 57.93 (4-2).
2: Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Norton (O), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.14 (9-3).
3: Auty (S), Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Bargh (O) (ret), 59.90 (14-4).
4: (Re-run) Bekker (S), Betson (O), Norton (O), Dennis (S) (fell, excluded), 60.68 (17-7).
5: Auty (S), Smethills (O), Haines (S), Martin (O), 60.32 (21-9).
6: Woffinden (S), Betson (O), Haines (S), Johnson (O), 59.09 (25-11).
7: Frampton (O) (tactical ride), Richardson (S), Bargh (O), Bekker (S) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (27-18).
8: Martin (O), Haines (S), Richardson (S), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.89 (30-21).
9: Auty (S), Betson (O), Bekker (S), Norton (O), 60.95 (34-23).
10: Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Haines (S), Bargh (O), 57.96 (38-25).
11: Martin (O), Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Smethills (O), 60.50 (41-28).
12: Bekker (S), Auty (S), Johnson (O), Bargh (O) (ret), 60.86 (46-29).
13: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Richardson (S), Betson (O), 58.64 (50-31).
14: Auty (S), Frampton (O), Richardson (S), Martin (O) (t/s - from 15m), 60.20 (54-33).
15: Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Auty (S), Martin (O), 58.29 (58-35).
REPORT: ROD FOX
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 58 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 35
Scunthorpe win aggregate point by 103-82
(Conference League)
The final scoreline of this top-of-the-table Conference League clash didn’t reflect what was a cracking contest. The LCD Publishing Cheetahs recovered from a poor start to match the Scunthorpe Scorpions for the mid-part of the meeting, only for the Scorpions to stretch the gap in the last four races.
It was Oxford’s fourth meeting in five nights. It’s not ideal to go to the home of the league leaders at the end of such a heavy schedule, but with this meeting twice rained off earlier in the season and the cut-off date for the play-offs looming, the meeting had to be slotted in.
Cheetahs skipper Lee Smethills rode in the meeting, despite the fact that a heavy fall at Oxford the previous night left him with all sorts of nasty bumps & bruises.
With the clouds threatening rain (which fortunately didn’t arrive during the meeting), referee Margaret Vardy staged the meeting at a fair pace, although there were one or two holds-up due to incidents on the night.
Lee Smethills made a good trap from the outside gate in Heat 1, but Tai Woffinden beat him to the first corner. Smethills had to settle for second place in front of Joe Haines, while fourth-placed Sam Martin ground to a halt on the final lap (4-2).
Heat 2 saw Byron Bekker and Scott Richardson hit the front to register a 5-1 for Scorpions. Kye Norton finished third, while Brendan Johnson shed a primary chain and retired from the race (9-3).
Scunthorpe tracked their top two in Heat 3, with Josh Auty leading from the tapes, and Woffinden blasting inside both Jordan Frampton & Andrew Bargh on the third turn. Frampton made a battle of it, but eventually Woffinden pulled clear to join Auty for a 5-1. Bargh failed to finish the final circuit after an engine failure (14-4).
With the Brendan Johnson camp still working on his machine, Kye Norton came out in a reserve change in Heat 4. Danny Betson was leading the Scunthorpe pair of Richie Dennis and Bekker, when Dennis slid off and ran into the fence on third bend. It took out one of the fence panels, and Dennis withdrew from the rest of the meeting with a suspected broken wrist. Dennis’s unfortunate injury gave the Oxford team, who had suffered three engine failures in as many races, a little breathing space and time to re-group. In the re-run, Betson and Norton took the lead, but Bekker swept around both Cheetahs on the third and fourth turns of the opening lap (17-7).
Smethills led in Heat 5, but Auty went around the outside of him at the completion of the second lap, and with Haines in third, Scunthorpe took a 4-2 (21-9).
Haines was the early leader in Heat 6, but it was all change on the third bend as Woffinden came through from third to first on the third bend, at the same time that Betson overhauled Haines, who found himself relegated to third, as a 4-2 stretched Scunthorpe’s lead to 14 points (25-11).
Oxford team manager Robert Peasley nominated Jordan Frampton as a tactical ride in Heat 7. Frampton became Oxford’s first race-winner of the evening, while Bekker fell in pursuit of Frampton, promoting Richardson to second and Bargh to third, and the race was stopped and awarded as a 7-2 to the Cheetahs, reducing the deficit to nine points (27-18).
In Heat 8, Martin won an early battle with Richardson for second place, and then went flying around the outside of Haines on lap 2 to win the race in great style. Meanwhile, Johnson got no further than the first turn with machinery problems (30-21).
Heat 9 saw a nasty pile-up on the first corner. Betson and Bekker touched, and Bekker fell in the path of Auty, who hit Bekker and somersaulted over the top. It looked horrific, but fortunately both Scunthorpe riders were OK. All four riders were allowed in the re-run, where Betson led, but Auty passed him on the inside on the third bend of lap 2 to win the race (34-23).
Woffinden won Heat 10 from Frampton & Haines, with Bargh around a quarter of a lap behind after a mechanical problem saw him slow from the starting gate (38-25).
Martin won Heat 11 resisting all sorts of pressure from Bekker. But Smethills – starting to feel the affects of the previous night’s crash - missed the gate and was unable to overhaul third-placed Richardson (41-28).
In Heat 12, Bekker hit the front, while Auty fended off an outside challenge from Bargh on the back straight. Bargh then came to a halt on the third bend, to complete an unhappy night for the mechanically-struggling New Zealander (46-29).
Woffinden and Richardson popped out of the start in Heat 13. Smethills was soon on Richardson’s tail, and managed to find a way past him on the fourth turn of the second lap. Betson then chased Richardson, but Richardson held on for third place (50-31).
Martin was placed into Heat 14 as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker. The Scunthorpe pair of Auty & Richardson got out in front, but Frampton belted around Richardson on the fourth bend to take second place. Martin tried hard, but was unable to make up the ground on Richardson (54-33).
Heat 15 saw Frampton and Martin selected to take on the Scunthorpe big guns of Woffinden and Auty. Woffinden blasted clear to win in another fast time, but Frampton got into second place and then withstood everything that Auty could throw at him, ruining Auty’s paid maximum in the process (58-35).
Despite the eventual 23-point gap in the scoreline, this was a meeting with some good racing, and also allowed the Cheetahs to get some practice in on the track they could well visit again in the play-off final.
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 58
Tai Woffinden 3 2* 3 3 3 3 (17+1)
Joe Haines 1 1 1 2 1 (6)
Josh Auty 3 3 3 2* 3 1 (15+1)
Rider replacement - Andrew Tully
Richie Dennis FX (0)
Scott Richardson 2* 2 1* 1* 1 1 (8+3)
Byron Bekker 3 3 FX 1 2 3 (12)
Team manager: Kenny Smith
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 35
Lee Smethills 2 2 0 2 (6)
Sam Martin R 0 3 3 0# 0 (6)
Andrew Bargh R 1 0 R (1)
Jordan Frampton 1 6! 2 2 2 (13)
Danny Betson 2 2 2 0 (6)
Kye Norton 1 1* 0 (2+1)
Brendan Johnson R 0 R 1 (1)
Team manager: Some bloke called Robert Peasley... never heard of him myself
Referee: Margaret Vardy
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Haines (S), Martin (O) (ret), 57.93 (4-2).
2: Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Norton (O), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.14 (9-3).
3: Auty (S), Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Bargh (O) (ret), 59.90 (14-4).
4: (Re-run) Bekker (S), Betson (O), Norton (O), Dennis (S) (fell, excluded), 60.68 (17-7).
5: Auty (S), Smethills (O), Haines (S), Martin (O), 60.32 (21-9).
6: Woffinden (S), Betson (O), Haines (S), Johnson (O), 59.09 (25-11).
7: Frampton (O) (tactical ride), Richardson (S), Bargh (O), Bekker (S) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (27-18).
8: Martin (O), Haines (S), Richardson (S), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.89 (30-21).
9: Auty (S), Betson (O), Bekker (S), Norton (O), 60.95 (34-23).
10: Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Haines (S), Bargh (O), 57.96 (38-25).
11: Martin (O), Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Smethills (O), 60.50 (41-28).
12: Bekker (S), Auty (S), Johnson (O), Bargh (O) (ret), 60.86 (46-29).
13: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Richardson (S), Betson (O), 58.64 (50-31).
14: Auty (S), Frampton (O), Richardson (S), Martin (O) (t/s - from 15m), 60.20 (54-33).
15: Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Auty (S), Martin (O), 58.29 (58-35).
REPORT: ROD FOX