Post by Genghis on Sept 30, 2007 13:11:13 GMT
Saturday, September 29, 2007
STOKE SPITFIRES 37 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 55
Oxford win aggregate point by 112-72
(Conference League)
There may have been nothing riding on this result, with Oxford already assured of second place in the Conference League table heading into the play-offs. But you wouldn't have known it, as the Cheetahs ripped into the Stoke Spitfires at Loomer Road and picked up a convincing 18-point away win.
Barrie Evans won Heat 1 from Lee Smethills, with Kyle Hughes quickly inside Billy Legg on the second turn to take third place (3-3).
Gareth Isherwood exceeded the two-minute time allowance in Heat 2 and was penalised 15 metres. Scott Campos gated, while Brendan Johnson went inside Guy Kendrew on the back straight to take second place. The Oxford reserves pulled away to take a comfortable 5-1, with Isherwood passing team-mate Kendrew for third place, with Kendrew failing to finish the final lap (4-8).
Jonathan Bethell led Heat 3, but came under pressure from Andrew Bargh. Bethell resisted his inside challenge, but then the wide-riding Sam Martin took over second place, before blasting around Bethell on the back straight of the third lap. Bargh then also switched to the outside, but ran out of time to pass Bethell, as the race finished as a 4-2 (6-12).
Danny Betson streaked away to win Heat 4, while Johnson produced a great ride to hold off pressure from Legg, as the Cheetahs took their second 5-1 in four races (7-17).
Hughes raced around Bethell on the third bend of Heat 5, as Smethills & Hughes stretched the Oxford lead even further with another maximum heat advantage (8-22).
Betson won a shared Heat 6 (11-25), before Bargh took a confidence boosting win after rounding Bethell on the opening bends of Heat 7. Martin spent most of the race trying to round Bethell, but Bethell held him off, as the Cheetahs took a 4-2 (13-29).
Stoke team manager John Woolridge placed Barrie Evans into Heat 8 as a tactical substitute. It looked to a tough ask for Evans off 15m and so it proved. After a stoppage due to an unsatisfactory start, Legg was first away, but Hughes cut inside him down the back straight and streaked away to win the race. Legg dropped back to try to aid Evans, but Evans slid off looking for a route around third-placed Johnson on the second bend of lap 2. He remounted, but his fourth-place finish meant he had missed out on the chance of double points (15-33).
Bethell was a tactical ride in Heat 9, but Betson easily defeated him. With Campos in third, the race finished as a 4-4 (19-37).
Evans & Legg got out in front in Heat 10, with Martin in hot pursuit. With Martin closing in on Legg, the experienced Evans sized up the situation and just as Martin seemed to have the legs on Legg down the back straight of lap 3, he found Evans blocking his route and Legg regained the advantage. Martin repeated his outside move on the final lap, and again found Evans in the way. However, Martin decided he wasn't going to back off, and swept right around the very outside on the final bends. He almost went around BOTH Spitfires, missing out to Evans in a dash for the chequered flag, but beating Legg for second place. A tremendous race finished as a 4-2 to the Spitfires, with Martin's riding resembling that of former Oxford rider Travis McGowan (23-39).
Evans was back out in Heat 11 as the rider replacement, and again found a Cheetah in hot pursuit, this time in the shape of Kyle Hughes. Hughes was close to Evans's inside coming off the final bends, but Evans held on. With Smethills in third, the race was shared (26-42).
Bethell won Heat 12 from Bargh, while Isherwood overhauled Campos for third place on the opening lap (30-44).
Smethills resisted the challenge of Bethell to win Heat 13, while the hitherto unbeaten Betson in third, after overcoming early pressure from Isherwood (32-48).
Isherwood & Kendrew held a 5-1 for almost the whole of Heat 14. Johnson chased Kendrew, but with a lap to go, Martin took over third place from his team-mate. Martin went on a charge around the outside, and came from some way back to snatch second place from Kendrew on the line in another tight finish (36-50).
Evans was the early leader in Heat 15, but Betson moved inside him on the fourth bend of lap 1. With Betson, Evans and Hughes all in very close contention, Betson inadvertently blocked Hughes's attempt to move past Evans on the third lap. But Betson then realised that the rider on the inside was his team-mate, and he moved wide to block Evans on the third bend of the final lap, thus allowing Hughes to come through and join him for a 5-1. Betson thus finished as Oxford's top scorer with 13 points, while Hughes also had an excellent evening, finishing with 10 paid 13 (37-55).
So, the Cheetahs finished their 18 league matches with 35 points, just ten points short of the maximum 45 points available. They had a 100% record at home, with nine wins out of nine; on the road, the Cheetahs won four, drew one and lost four; and picked up eight aggregate bonus points out of nine, losing their only aggregate point to table-topping Scunthorpe Scorpions.
A reminder that Oxford's all-important play-off semi-final dates against the Plymouth Devils are set for: Friday, October 12 at Plymouth, with the return at Cowley on MONDAY, October 15. Don't miss these meetings - they are bound to be thrilling encounters.
STOKE SPITFIRES 37
Barrie Evans 3 2 0# 3 3 2 1 (14)
Billy Legg 0 1 1* 2 1 0 (5+1)
Jonathan Bethell 2 1 2 4! 3 (12)
Adam Chandler 0 0 R (0)
Rider replacement - John Branney
Guy Kendrew R 0 0 1 (1)
Gareth Isherwood 1 0 1 0 3 (5)
Team manager: John Woolridge
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 55
Lee Smethills 2 3 1* 3 (9+1)
Kyle Hughes 1* 2* 3 2 2* (10+3)
Andrew Bargh 1 3 0 2 (6)
Sam Martin 3 1 2 2 (8)
Danny Betson 3 3 3 1 3 (13)
Scott Campos 3 0 1 0 (4)
Brendan Johnson 2* 2* 1 0 (5+2)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Peter Clarke
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Evans (S), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Legg (S), 63.3 (3-3).
2: Campos (O), Johnson (O), Isherwood (S) (penalised 15m for exceeding two minutes), Kendrew (S) (ret), 67.4 (4-8).
3: Martin (O), Bethell (S), Bargh (O), Chandler (S), 65.1 (6-12).
4: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Legg (S), Isherwood (S), 65.5 (7-17).
5: Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Bethell (S), Chandler (S), 64.9 (8-22).
6: Betson (O), Evans (S), Legg (S), Campos (O), 64.8 (11-25).
7: Bargh (O), Bethell (S), Martin (O), Kendrew (S), 65.2 (13-29).
8: (Re-run) Hughes (O), Legg (S), Johnson (O), Evans (S) (t/s - off 15m) (fell, remounted), 64.3 (15-33).
9: Betson (O), Bethell (S) (tactical ride), Campos (O), Chandler (S) (ret), 65.8 (19-37).
10: Evans (S), Martin (O), Legg (S), Bargh (O), 65.6 (23-39).
11: Evans (S), Hughes (O), Smethills (O), Kendrew (S), 65.4 (26-42).
12: Bethell (S), Bargh (O), Isherwood (S), Campos (O), 66.1 (30-44).
13: Smethills (O), Evans (S), Betson (O), Isherwood (S), 65.6 (32-48).
14: Isherwood (S), Martin (O), Kendrew (S), Johnson (O), 66.2 (36-50).
15: Betson (O), Hughes (O), Evans (S), Legg (S), 65.8 (37-55).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
STOKE SPITFIRES 37 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 55
Oxford win aggregate point by 112-72
(Conference League)
There may have been nothing riding on this result, with Oxford already assured of second place in the Conference League table heading into the play-offs. But you wouldn't have known it, as the Cheetahs ripped into the Stoke Spitfires at Loomer Road and picked up a convincing 18-point away win.
Barrie Evans won Heat 1 from Lee Smethills, with Kyle Hughes quickly inside Billy Legg on the second turn to take third place (3-3).
Gareth Isherwood exceeded the two-minute time allowance in Heat 2 and was penalised 15 metres. Scott Campos gated, while Brendan Johnson went inside Guy Kendrew on the back straight to take second place. The Oxford reserves pulled away to take a comfortable 5-1, with Isherwood passing team-mate Kendrew for third place, with Kendrew failing to finish the final lap (4-8).
Jonathan Bethell led Heat 3, but came under pressure from Andrew Bargh. Bethell resisted his inside challenge, but then the wide-riding Sam Martin took over second place, before blasting around Bethell on the back straight of the third lap. Bargh then also switched to the outside, but ran out of time to pass Bethell, as the race finished as a 4-2 (6-12).
Danny Betson streaked away to win Heat 4, while Johnson produced a great ride to hold off pressure from Legg, as the Cheetahs took their second 5-1 in four races (7-17).
Hughes raced around Bethell on the third bend of Heat 5, as Smethills & Hughes stretched the Oxford lead even further with another maximum heat advantage (8-22).
Betson won a shared Heat 6 (11-25), before Bargh took a confidence boosting win after rounding Bethell on the opening bends of Heat 7. Martin spent most of the race trying to round Bethell, but Bethell held him off, as the Cheetahs took a 4-2 (13-29).
Stoke team manager John Woolridge placed Barrie Evans into Heat 8 as a tactical substitute. It looked to a tough ask for Evans off 15m and so it proved. After a stoppage due to an unsatisfactory start, Legg was first away, but Hughes cut inside him down the back straight and streaked away to win the race. Legg dropped back to try to aid Evans, but Evans slid off looking for a route around third-placed Johnson on the second bend of lap 2. He remounted, but his fourth-place finish meant he had missed out on the chance of double points (15-33).
Bethell was a tactical ride in Heat 9, but Betson easily defeated him. With Campos in third, the race finished as a 4-4 (19-37).
Evans & Legg got out in front in Heat 10, with Martin in hot pursuit. With Martin closing in on Legg, the experienced Evans sized up the situation and just as Martin seemed to have the legs on Legg down the back straight of lap 3, he found Evans blocking his route and Legg regained the advantage. Martin repeated his outside move on the final lap, and again found Evans in the way. However, Martin decided he wasn't going to back off, and swept right around the very outside on the final bends. He almost went around BOTH Spitfires, missing out to Evans in a dash for the chequered flag, but beating Legg for second place. A tremendous race finished as a 4-2 to the Spitfires, with Martin's riding resembling that of former Oxford rider Travis McGowan (23-39).
Evans was back out in Heat 11 as the rider replacement, and again found a Cheetah in hot pursuit, this time in the shape of Kyle Hughes. Hughes was close to Evans's inside coming off the final bends, but Evans held on. With Smethills in third, the race was shared (26-42).
Bethell won Heat 12 from Bargh, while Isherwood overhauled Campos for third place on the opening lap (30-44).
Smethills resisted the challenge of Bethell to win Heat 13, while the hitherto unbeaten Betson in third, after overcoming early pressure from Isherwood (32-48).
Isherwood & Kendrew held a 5-1 for almost the whole of Heat 14. Johnson chased Kendrew, but with a lap to go, Martin took over third place from his team-mate. Martin went on a charge around the outside, and came from some way back to snatch second place from Kendrew on the line in another tight finish (36-50).
Evans was the early leader in Heat 15, but Betson moved inside him on the fourth bend of lap 1. With Betson, Evans and Hughes all in very close contention, Betson inadvertently blocked Hughes's attempt to move past Evans on the third lap. But Betson then realised that the rider on the inside was his team-mate, and he moved wide to block Evans on the third bend of the final lap, thus allowing Hughes to come through and join him for a 5-1. Betson thus finished as Oxford's top scorer with 13 points, while Hughes also had an excellent evening, finishing with 10 paid 13 (37-55).
So, the Cheetahs finished their 18 league matches with 35 points, just ten points short of the maximum 45 points available. They had a 100% record at home, with nine wins out of nine; on the road, the Cheetahs won four, drew one and lost four; and picked up eight aggregate bonus points out of nine, losing their only aggregate point to table-topping Scunthorpe Scorpions.
A reminder that Oxford's all-important play-off semi-final dates against the Plymouth Devils are set for: Friday, October 12 at Plymouth, with the return at Cowley on MONDAY, October 15. Don't miss these meetings - they are bound to be thrilling encounters.
STOKE SPITFIRES 37
Barrie Evans 3 2 0# 3 3 2 1 (14)
Billy Legg 0 1 1* 2 1 0 (5+1)
Jonathan Bethell 2 1 2 4! 3 (12)
Adam Chandler 0 0 R (0)
Rider replacement - John Branney
Guy Kendrew R 0 0 1 (1)
Gareth Isherwood 1 0 1 0 3 (5)
Team manager: John Woolridge
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 55
Lee Smethills 2 3 1* 3 (9+1)
Kyle Hughes 1* 2* 3 2 2* (10+3)
Andrew Bargh 1 3 0 2 (6)
Sam Martin 3 1 2 2 (8)
Danny Betson 3 3 3 1 3 (13)
Scott Campos 3 0 1 0 (4)
Brendan Johnson 2* 2* 1 0 (5+2)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Peter Clarke
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Evans (S), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Legg (S), 63.3 (3-3).
2: Campos (O), Johnson (O), Isherwood (S) (penalised 15m for exceeding two minutes), Kendrew (S) (ret), 67.4 (4-8).
3: Martin (O), Bethell (S), Bargh (O), Chandler (S), 65.1 (6-12).
4: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Legg (S), Isherwood (S), 65.5 (7-17).
5: Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Bethell (S), Chandler (S), 64.9 (8-22).
6: Betson (O), Evans (S), Legg (S), Campos (O), 64.8 (11-25).
7: Bargh (O), Bethell (S), Martin (O), Kendrew (S), 65.2 (13-29).
8: (Re-run) Hughes (O), Legg (S), Johnson (O), Evans (S) (t/s - off 15m) (fell, remounted), 64.3 (15-33).
9: Betson (O), Bethell (S) (tactical ride), Campos (O), Chandler (S) (ret), 65.8 (19-37).
10: Evans (S), Martin (O), Legg (S), Bargh (O), 65.6 (23-39).
11: Evans (S), Hughes (O), Smethills (O), Kendrew (S), 65.4 (26-42).
12: Bethell (S), Bargh (O), Isherwood (S), Campos (O), 66.1 (30-44).
13: Smethills (O), Evans (S), Betson (O), Isherwood (S), 65.6 (32-48).
14: Isherwood (S), Martin (O), Kendrew (S), Johnson (O), 66.2 (36-50).
15: Betson (O), Hughes (O), Evans (S), Legg (S), 65.8 (37-55).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY