Post by Genghis on Oct 6, 2007 11:21:27 GMT
Friday, October 5, 2007
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 54 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 37
(Conference League Play-Off Semi-Final, 1st leg)
The Oxford LCD Publishing fell away in the final stages in their play-off semi-final at Plymouth, as the Devils built up a 17-point lead to take to Cowley for the second leg of this encounter on Monday, October 15.
It leaves the tie intriguingly balanced - on Plymouth's last two visits to Sandy Lane, Oxford have won by 32 and 15 points respectively.
The Cheetahs got underway to their best start of the season at the St. Bonniface Arena in 2007. Kyle Hughes found himself in second place in Heat 1, and dealt with Seemond Stephens's outside challenge on the opening lap in forceful fashion. Hughes then hunted down race-leader Tim Webster and moved inside him on the back straight of the final lap. Webster went too wide and crashed on the final bend, allowing Lee Smethills to snatch a point, as the Cheetahs opened with a 4-2 (2-4).
Scott Campos's clutch failed and dragged him into the tapes in Heat 2. He was reinstated off a 15m handicap, just making it back on track in time after help from the rest of the Oxford camp. In the re-run, Jaimie Pickard got out in front ahead of Brendan Johnson, while Ben Hopwood chased Johnson. Hopwood got under Johnson on the second bend of lap 2, but Johnson came down, and referee Paul Carrington wasted no time in stopping the race and excluding Hopwood from the race, much to Hopwood's displeasure, who went up to the referee's box to confront Carrington. At the third time of asking, Johnson was first away, but he went into the bottom corners too fast, and came a cropper on the fourth turn. With Johnson unable to restart his bike, it left just two finishers, with Pickard heading home Campos (5-6).
Rob Smith gated in Heat 3, with Andrew Bargh in second place early on, but Bargh went wide on the fourth bend and dropped from second to fourth. Sam Martin, promoted to third, then put pressure on Tom Brown but was unable to get by as the Devils took a 5-1 (10-7).
Nicki Glanz and Hopwood took the lead in Heat 4. Danny Betson challenged early on, but then went wide and lost too much ground, as Oxford conceded another maximum heat advantage (15-8).
Hughes trapped in Heat 5 to head home Brown in the fastest time of the night, while Smith fell while contesting third place with Smethills on the opening lap, as the Cheetahs hauled a couple of points back (17-12).
Stephens made a trademark fast start in Heat 6, but Betson flew around him on the opening lap to take a fine race win in a shared heat (20-15).
Bargh led Glanz in Heat 7, while Martin found himself pushed wide on the second bend, but then came steaming past Pickard on the third bend of lap 1, with Pickard falling as he tried to stay in contention. Glanz came motoring under him after two laps to come through to win the race, while Pickard pulled up at the rear (23-18).
Hopwood outgated Hughes in Heat 8, and Hughes then chased him. Hughes went for a big sweep around the outside on the fourth bend of lap 2, but picked up too much drive and came down. He did well to clear the track in time to allow the race to continue, as Webster came through to join Hopwood for a 5-1 (28-19).
Martin had looked fast but had not been trapping, and so looked a good choice as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker in Heat 9. Betson just beat Smith into the first corner, while Martin caught up Brown, and was all over him on the final lap, but unable to get past as the race finished as a 3-3 (31-22).
Martin made a good start from gate 1 in Heat 10, but Stephens rounded him on the third turn. With Webster finishing third in front of Bargh, the Devils took a heat advantage (35-24).
Lee Smethills was nominated as a tactical ride in Heat 11 and beat Glanz into the first corner. Meanwhile, Hughes (off the incredibly difficult outside gate) rounded Pickard on the opening lap to take third. However, Oxford's hopes of a 7-2 disappeared at the end of lap 1, when Smethills left a gap and Glanz came steaming through the gap. Hughes then settled behind Smethills, while fourth-place Pickard took a tumble, as the Cheetahs took a 5-3 (38-29).
Bargh resisted some pressure from Hopwood to finish second behind Brown in Heat 12, as the Devils took a 4-2 (42-31).
Stephens trapped in Heat 13, with the Oxford pair settling in behind him. Betson then started to close in on Stephens, and was extremely close to getting inside the Cornishman coming off the final bend, with the referee giving the verdict to Stephens. Smethills took third, while the previously unbeaten Glanz trailed in fourth, again showing how tough it was from the outside gate. After the race, someone in the crowd hurled at an object at Betson, no doubt coming from one of the people who had cheered when Johnson fell in Heat 2 (45-34).
Hopwood gated in Heat 14, but came under early pressure from the wide-riding Martin. However, the dirt was no longer there on the outside, and at the conclusion of the second lap, Smith came under Martin to join Hopwood for a 5-1 (50-35).
Plymouth won the vital toss for gate positions in Heat 15 and choose gates 1 & 3. Betson seemed to get the best start, but Glanz took the advantage into the first bend. Meanwhile, Hughes got on Brown's tail and started to get very close to his inside. Hughes tried to get inside Brown on the second bend of the final lap, but Brown shut the door and Hughes lost ground, as the Devils finished with a 4-2 (54-37).
So, a disappointment for the Cheetahs to lose by 17 points, especially after keeping to within 10 points of the Devils for most of the meeting. However, Sandy Lane is a vastly different circuit to the tight St. Bonniface Arena track and the second leg will be a different story.
But the Cheetahs will need to be at their best to haul back those points, and no doubt the lads would appreciate a large, vocal crowd behind them on Monday, October 15. So put these date in you diaries - it's one not to miss and is likely to boil down to a thrilling climax!
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 54
Seemond Stephens 2 2 3 3 (10)
Tim Webster F 1* 2* 1 (4+2)
Tom Brown 2* 2 1* 3 1 (9+2)
Rob Smith 3 0 2 2* (7+1)
Nicki Glanz 3 3 3 0 3 (12)
Jaimie Pickard 3 R F (3)
Ben Hopwood X 2* 3 1 3 (9+1)
Team manager: David Short
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 37
Lee Smethills 1 1 4! 1* (7+1)
Kyle Hughes 3 3 F 1* 0 (7+1)
Andrew Bargh 0 2 0 2 (4)
Sam Martin 1 1* 0# 2 1 (5+1)
Danny Betson 1 3 3 2 2 (11)
Scott Campos 2 0 0 (2)
Brendan Johnson F 0 1 0 (1)
Team manager: Allen Trump
Referee: Paul Carrington
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Hughes (O), Stephens (P), Smethills (O), Webster (P) (fell), 53.35 (2-4).
2: (Re-run twice) Pickard (P), Campos (O) (penalised 15m for tape touching), Johnson (O) (fell), Hopwood (P) (excluded, unfair riding), 54.17 (5-6).
3: Smith (P), Brown (P), Martin (O), Bargh (O), 53.06 (10-7).
4: Glanz (P), Hopwood (P), Betson (O), Johnson (O), 52.69 (15-8).
5: Hughes (O), Brown (P), Smethills (O), Smith (P) (fell, remounted), 52.53 (17-12).
6: Betson (O), Stephens (P), Webster (P), Campos (O), 53.13 (20-15).
7: Glanz (P), Bargh (O), Martin (O), Pickard (P) (fell, remounted, ret), 53.34 (23-18).
8: Hopwood (P), Webster (P), Johnson (O), Hughes (O) (fell), 53.59 (28-19).
9: Betson (O), Smith (P), Brown (P), Martin (O) (t/s - off 15m), 53.00 (31-22).
10: Stephens (P), Martin (O), Webster (P), Bargh (O), 53.40 (35-24).
11: Glanz (P), Smethills (O) (tactical ride), Hughes (O), Pickard (P) (fell), 52.75 (38-29).
12: Brown (P), Bargh (O), Hopwood (P), Campos (O), 53.87 (42-31).
13: Stephens (P), Betson (O), Smethills (O), Glanz (P), 53.97 (45-34).
14: Hopwood (P), Smith (P), Martin (O), Johnson (O), 53.66 (50-35).
15: Glanz (P), Betson (O), Brown (P), Hughes (O), 53.10 (54-37).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 54 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 37
(Conference League Play-Off Semi-Final, 1st leg)
The Oxford LCD Publishing fell away in the final stages in their play-off semi-final at Plymouth, as the Devils built up a 17-point lead to take to Cowley for the second leg of this encounter on Monday, October 15.
It leaves the tie intriguingly balanced - on Plymouth's last two visits to Sandy Lane, Oxford have won by 32 and 15 points respectively.
The Cheetahs got underway to their best start of the season at the St. Bonniface Arena in 2007. Kyle Hughes found himself in second place in Heat 1, and dealt with Seemond Stephens's outside challenge on the opening lap in forceful fashion. Hughes then hunted down race-leader Tim Webster and moved inside him on the back straight of the final lap. Webster went too wide and crashed on the final bend, allowing Lee Smethills to snatch a point, as the Cheetahs opened with a 4-2 (2-4).
Scott Campos's clutch failed and dragged him into the tapes in Heat 2. He was reinstated off a 15m handicap, just making it back on track in time after help from the rest of the Oxford camp. In the re-run, Jaimie Pickard got out in front ahead of Brendan Johnson, while Ben Hopwood chased Johnson. Hopwood got under Johnson on the second bend of lap 2, but Johnson came down, and referee Paul Carrington wasted no time in stopping the race and excluding Hopwood from the race, much to Hopwood's displeasure, who went up to the referee's box to confront Carrington. At the third time of asking, Johnson was first away, but he went into the bottom corners too fast, and came a cropper on the fourth turn. With Johnson unable to restart his bike, it left just two finishers, with Pickard heading home Campos (5-6).
Rob Smith gated in Heat 3, with Andrew Bargh in second place early on, but Bargh went wide on the fourth bend and dropped from second to fourth. Sam Martin, promoted to third, then put pressure on Tom Brown but was unable to get by as the Devils took a 5-1 (10-7).
Nicki Glanz and Hopwood took the lead in Heat 4. Danny Betson challenged early on, but then went wide and lost too much ground, as Oxford conceded another maximum heat advantage (15-8).
Hughes trapped in Heat 5 to head home Brown in the fastest time of the night, while Smith fell while contesting third place with Smethills on the opening lap, as the Cheetahs hauled a couple of points back (17-12).
Stephens made a trademark fast start in Heat 6, but Betson flew around him on the opening lap to take a fine race win in a shared heat (20-15).
Bargh led Glanz in Heat 7, while Martin found himself pushed wide on the second bend, but then came steaming past Pickard on the third bend of lap 1, with Pickard falling as he tried to stay in contention. Glanz came motoring under him after two laps to come through to win the race, while Pickard pulled up at the rear (23-18).
Hopwood outgated Hughes in Heat 8, and Hughes then chased him. Hughes went for a big sweep around the outside on the fourth bend of lap 2, but picked up too much drive and came down. He did well to clear the track in time to allow the race to continue, as Webster came through to join Hopwood for a 5-1 (28-19).
Martin had looked fast but had not been trapping, and so looked a good choice as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker in Heat 9. Betson just beat Smith into the first corner, while Martin caught up Brown, and was all over him on the final lap, but unable to get past as the race finished as a 3-3 (31-22).
Martin made a good start from gate 1 in Heat 10, but Stephens rounded him on the third turn. With Webster finishing third in front of Bargh, the Devils took a heat advantage (35-24).
Lee Smethills was nominated as a tactical ride in Heat 11 and beat Glanz into the first corner. Meanwhile, Hughes (off the incredibly difficult outside gate) rounded Pickard on the opening lap to take third. However, Oxford's hopes of a 7-2 disappeared at the end of lap 1, when Smethills left a gap and Glanz came steaming through the gap. Hughes then settled behind Smethills, while fourth-place Pickard took a tumble, as the Cheetahs took a 5-3 (38-29).
Bargh resisted some pressure from Hopwood to finish second behind Brown in Heat 12, as the Devils took a 4-2 (42-31).
Stephens trapped in Heat 13, with the Oxford pair settling in behind him. Betson then started to close in on Stephens, and was extremely close to getting inside the Cornishman coming off the final bend, with the referee giving the verdict to Stephens. Smethills took third, while the previously unbeaten Glanz trailed in fourth, again showing how tough it was from the outside gate. After the race, someone in the crowd hurled at an object at Betson, no doubt coming from one of the people who had cheered when Johnson fell in Heat 2 (45-34).
Hopwood gated in Heat 14, but came under early pressure from the wide-riding Martin. However, the dirt was no longer there on the outside, and at the conclusion of the second lap, Smith came under Martin to join Hopwood for a 5-1 (50-35).
Plymouth won the vital toss for gate positions in Heat 15 and choose gates 1 & 3. Betson seemed to get the best start, but Glanz took the advantage into the first bend. Meanwhile, Hughes got on Brown's tail and started to get very close to his inside. Hughes tried to get inside Brown on the second bend of the final lap, but Brown shut the door and Hughes lost ground, as the Devils finished with a 4-2 (54-37).
So, a disappointment for the Cheetahs to lose by 17 points, especially after keeping to within 10 points of the Devils for most of the meeting. However, Sandy Lane is a vastly different circuit to the tight St. Bonniface Arena track and the second leg will be a different story.
But the Cheetahs will need to be at their best to haul back those points, and no doubt the lads would appreciate a large, vocal crowd behind them on Monday, October 15. So put these date in you diaries - it's one not to miss and is likely to boil down to a thrilling climax!
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 54
Seemond Stephens 2 2 3 3 (10)
Tim Webster F 1* 2* 1 (4+2)
Tom Brown 2* 2 1* 3 1 (9+2)
Rob Smith 3 0 2 2* (7+1)
Nicki Glanz 3 3 3 0 3 (12)
Jaimie Pickard 3 R F (3)
Ben Hopwood X 2* 3 1 3 (9+1)
Team manager: David Short
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 37
Lee Smethills 1 1 4! 1* (7+1)
Kyle Hughes 3 3 F 1* 0 (7+1)
Andrew Bargh 0 2 0 2 (4)
Sam Martin 1 1* 0# 2 1 (5+1)
Danny Betson 1 3 3 2 2 (11)
Scott Campos 2 0 0 (2)
Brendan Johnson F 0 1 0 (1)
Team manager: Allen Trump
Referee: Paul Carrington
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Hughes (O), Stephens (P), Smethills (O), Webster (P) (fell), 53.35 (2-4).
2: (Re-run twice) Pickard (P), Campos (O) (penalised 15m for tape touching), Johnson (O) (fell), Hopwood (P) (excluded, unfair riding), 54.17 (5-6).
3: Smith (P), Brown (P), Martin (O), Bargh (O), 53.06 (10-7).
4: Glanz (P), Hopwood (P), Betson (O), Johnson (O), 52.69 (15-8).
5: Hughes (O), Brown (P), Smethills (O), Smith (P) (fell, remounted), 52.53 (17-12).
6: Betson (O), Stephens (P), Webster (P), Campos (O), 53.13 (20-15).
7: Glanz (P), Bargh (O), Martin (O), Pickard (P) (fell, remounted, ret), 53.34 (23-18).
8: Hopwood (P), Webster (P), Johnson (O), Hughes (O) (fell), 53.59 (28-19).
9: Betson (O), Smith (P), Brown (P), Martin (O) (t/s - off 15m), 53.00 (31-22).
10: Stephens (P), Martin (O), Webster (P), Bargh (O), 53.40 (35-24).
11: Glanz (P), Smethills (O) (tactical ride), Hughes (O), Pickard (P) (fell), 52.75 (38-29).
12: Brown (P), Bargh (O), Hopwood (P), Campos (O), 53.87 (42-31).
13: Stephens (P), Betson (O), Smethills (O), Glanz (P), 53.97 (45-34).
14: Hopwood (P), Smith (P), Martin (O), Johnson (O), 53.66 (50-35).
15: Glanz (P), Betson (O), Brown (P), Hughes (O), 53.10 (54-37).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
