It's here - the play-off final!!!

[Genghis]

Tonight (Friday) the Oxford Cheetahs take on the Scunthorpe Scorpions in the first leg of the Conference League play-off final at Sandy Lane (7.30pm).

It's the biggest meeting at Cowley since the end of the 2005 season, when the club won the Craven Shield, and the advice is to get to the stadium in plenty of time tonight, as a large crowd is expected.

The LCD Publishing Cheetahs will be without Jordan Frampton, who rides in the first leg of the Premier League KO Cup Final at Somerset.

However, in skipper Lee Smethills, Monday's maximum-man Danny Betson, the in-form Kyle Hughes, plus Andrew Bargh & Sam Martin, the Cheetahs can still track a formidable top five.

Scunthorpe have a major injury doubt over Josh Auty, who crashed out of last night's individual meeting at Redcar with a suspected broken foot. Even if Auty does miss the meeting tonight, Scunthorpe still have a solid looking line-up, including Tai Woffinden, the current Conference League Riders' Champion.

The Cheetahs will be looking to build up a lead tonight to take to Scunthorpe for the second leg on Sunday. Cheetahs promoter Allen Trump has urged the people of Oxford to turn up in force and be noisy, as a large, vocal support does make a difference to the riders.

[Genghis]

Oxford promoter Allen Trump believes that the input of the fans could lift the LCD Publishing Cheetahs into winning their Conference League play-off final against the Scunthorpe Scorpions this weekend.

The Cheetahs host the Scorpions at Sandy Lane tonight (Friday, 7.30pm), before travelling up to Lincolnshire on Sunday (3.00pm).

Trump explained: “The crowd really got behind the lads for the match against Plymouth – the noise during the final heat was unbelievable. It was a fantastic turn-out for a Monday night, which is not a regular night for Oxford Speedway.

“It does make a difference to the riders when they’ve got a large, enthusiastic crowd roaring them on.

“I asked the fans to turn up in force and be noisy against Plymouth and they did just that. This time we’re riding Scunthorpe on a Friday, which is a regular night, so it would be fantastic if we could get an even bigger-turn out. I would urge everyone to get along to the stadium for this meeting. It’s a bound to be a very special night - it’s the biggest meeting at Oxford for two years.

“We want to build as big a lead as possible at Oxford on Friday for the tough task of riding up at Scunthorpe on Sunday.

“We’ve already proved we’re one of the best two teams in this league. We will go into the final as the underdogs, but underdogs quite often win. There’s no pressure on us, because everyone will expect the Scorpions to win.

“We can do it with the support of the fans. It helped us beat Plymouth and it can also help us beat Scunthorpe."

Admission prices are:
Adults £9.00
Concessions £7.50
Children (12 and over) £3.00
Children (Under 12) FREE - if accompanied by a paying adult

[Deleted]

I'd just like to wish you the best of luck tonight Ghengis and Sunday too...it's great they've done so well considering what a shit year it's been for OXford.

Well done too.. ;D





you see, someone does read what you post..

[Genghis]

jacques said:

you see, someone does read what you post..

Jacques,

I was starting to wonder....

Unfortunately, Scunny proved too strong for us last night, Woffinden is an incredible talent and Haines is pretty damn good as well. It's not quite over yet, but Scunny are now hot favourities to win.

[Deleted]

Yes I had a squint on the updates last night. Looked like is was a good meeting

[Genghis]

jacques said:

Yes I had a squint on the updates last night. Looked like is was a good meeting

It was a good meeting, with some fantastic racing, with passes twice off the final bend by Kyle Hughes and Danny Betson.

Now all we need to do is win 48-42 at Scunny tomorrow and job done ;D ;D

Whatever the result of the final, it's terrific that our season has climaxed with a place in the play-off final. Allen Trump has certainly made an instant impact at Oxford.

[Genghis]

Friday, October 19, 2007
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 42 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 47
(Conference League Play-Off Final, 1st leg)

Scunthorpe Scorpions took a firm grip on the play-off final after winning the first leg at Oxford by five points.

The Scorpions were without Josh Auty, who broke his foot in an accident the previous night at Redcar, but they were still able to put out a strong team with real strength in depth. And, in Tai Woffinden, they have the class rider in the division. Woffinden completed a six-ride paid maximum, and with 16-year-old Joe Haines offered excellent backing, it proved too much for the Cheetahs, even though the home riders put in maximum effort in front of a bumper crowd, with some races not decided until the final turn on a night of some superb speedway.

Scunthorpe got off to the best possible start when Woffinden and Haines blasted from the tapes in Heat 1 to register a 5-1 over Lee Smethills and Kyle Hughes (1-5).

The Cheetahs reserve pair of Scott Campos and Brendan Johnson led from the start in Heat 2, but Johnson got a little over-excited and went wide on the second bend, allowing the Scunthorpe pair of Byron Bekker and Scott Richardson through. Race-leader Campos then came under massive pressure from all sides by Byron Bekker. Bekker got level on the inside of Campos on the third bend of lap 2, but Campos held him off, and then resisted Bekker's further challenges later in the race. Meanwhile, Johnson chased Richardson home, but was unable to overhaul the Scorpion for third place (4-8).

It became a feature of this match how sharp the Scorpions were from the tapes, and it was Haines and James Cockle who shot into the lead in Heat 3. Andrew Bargh challenged Cockle early on, but Sam Martin took over the chase, and whipped around Cockle at the completion of the second lap in a trademark move, to limit the damage to a 4-2 to the Scorpions (6-12).

Danny Betson gated in Heat 4 ahead of Benji Compton and Brendan Johnson. Bekker came under Johnson on the third bend, but made contact with the Oxford youngster on the way through, and Johnson bit the dust. Referee Ronnie Allan messed up the only decision he had to make all night and excluded Johnson to the consternation of the Oxford fans. In the re-run, Betson produced a determined first bend to take the lead and then jetted clear of the Scunthorpe pair. Bekker slowed with a mechanical problem on the second lap, and could only get halfway around the third lap before being lapped by Betson, which meant the race finished as a 3-2 to the Cheetahs (9-14).

Bargh led Heat 5 for two laps, with Woffinden in pursuit. As the riders completed the halfway stage of the race, Woffinden surged inside Bargh in a stunning move and then pulled away for the win. Yet another sign that the 17-year-old is a very special talent indeed. With Haines third ahead of Martin, the Scorpions extended their lead to seven points (11-18).

Heat 6 was hauled back after an unsatisfactory start - with Hughes leading at the time of stoppage. In the re-run, Smethills hit the front, while Compton edged out Hughes on the opening bends as the two riders battled for second place. However, Hughes kept the power on the outside and got level and then in front of his opponent as they headed into the third turn. The ensuing 5-1 to the Cheetahs cut the gap to three points (16-19).

Woffinden vs Betson in Heat 7 turned out to be a non-event, with Woffinden rocketing from the tapes and streaking away, while Betson need to overhaul Cockle on the opening two turns to get into second place, in a 4-2 to the Scorpions (18-23).

Hughes and Bekker battled for the lead around the opening turns of Heat 8, before Hughes (outside) before ahead coming out of the second turn. Bekker kept the pressure on for the rest of the race, but Hughes stood firm to take the race win (21-26).

Bargh led Heat 9, but Martin missed the gate and had to do it the hard way. Richardson locked up slightly on the second bend, and Martin moved inside him in a flash. Martin then wound his bike up, and flashed around Compton on the second bend of lap 2, to move into second. Martin also passed team-mate Bargh in the closing stages, for a last to first, while the 5-1 to Oxford took them to within a point of Scunthorpe (26-27).

Heat 10 was the race of the evening. Smethills missed all the fun, leading from start to finish. Team-mate Hughes was fourth early on, but pressured Cockle into a mistake and moved inside him on the second bend of the second lap. Hughes then went in pursuit of Bekker, but appeared to have blown when he slipped wide on the second bend of lap 3, almost losing third in the process. However, Hughes was not to be deterred and recommenced chasing Bekker. He closed in, and then hugged the inside kerb around the final two bends, to pip Bekker for second place coming out of the final bend. An excellent ride by Hughes, who regained so much ground on Bekker in that final lap-and-a-half. The Oxford crowd lapped it up, and with this 5-1, the Cheetahs took the lead for the first time on the night (31-28).

Scunthorpe hit back with a vengeance in Heat 11. Haines and Woffinden blazed from the tapes, with Woffinden settling behind Haines. Betson could not catch them, and the Scorpions took their first 5-1 since Heat 1 to regain the lead (32-33).

Bargh won a processional Heat 12, where the main point of interest was the Scorpions racing each other for second place, with Bekker almost pushing Compton into the fence at the end of the second lap (35-36).

Woffinden had the difficult gate 1 in Heat 13, but pushed his way in front of Smethills and Betson on the first bend, with the result that Betson went wide and lost third to Compton. Betson then took up the chase of Compton and got level on the outside after three laps. Betson appeared to have the legs on his opponent, but drifted too wide on the second bend, and Compton seemed to have third sewn up. However, Betson cut to the inside on the final bend, at the same time Compton made a slight error, and Betson snatched third place in another dramatic finish (38-39).

Heat 14 was a killer blow for Oxford. Bekker & Cockle got out in front, with Martin chasing hard. In trying to round Bekker on the fourth bend of lap 2, Martin momentarily lost control and nearly fell, dropping to fourth behind Campos. The 5-1 to Scunthorpe ensured that would finish this first leg in front (39-44).

The evening finished with another great race in Heat 15. Bargh showed plenty of spirit of racing around Woffinden down the back straight of lap 1, but Woffinden was immediately back on his tail. Bargh fought to hold his position, but with a burst of speed, Woffinden charged under him at the completion of the second lap to complete his paid maximum. Smethills took third, so the race was shared and Scunthorpe ended with a 5-point advantage to take into their home leg on Sunday (42-47).

Kyle Hughes deservingly won the Linda De Boise Memorial Trophy as Oxford Rider Of The Night.

So, the Oxford riders couldn't have tried any harder, but Scunthorpe were just too powerful. It's not all over quite yet, as Jordan Frampton is available for the Cheetahs for the second leg at Normanby Road and anything can happen in speedway.

OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 42
Lee Smethills 1 3 3 2 1* (10+1)
Kyle Hughes 0 2* 3 2* (7+2)
Andrew Bargh 0 2 2* 3 2 (9+1)
Sam Martin 2 0 3 0 (5)
Danny Betson 3 2 1 1* (7+1)
Scott Campos 3 0 0 1 (4)
Brendan Johnson 0 FX 0 0 (0)
Team manager: Peter Oakes

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 47
Tai Woffinden 3 3 3 2* 3 3 (17+1)
Joe Haines 2* 3 1 1* 3 0 (10+2)
Rider replacement - Josh Auty
James Cockle 1 1 0 2* (4+1)
Benji Compton 2 1 1 1* 0 (5+1)
Scott Richardson 1* 0 0 (1+1)
Byron Bekker 2 R 2 1 2 3 (10)
Team manager: Kenny Smith
Referee: Ronnie Allan

HEAT DETAILS:
1: Woffinden (S), Haines (S), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), 61.49 (1-5).
2: Campos (O), Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Johnson (O), 64.18 (4-8).
3: Haines (S), Martin (O), Cockle (S), Bargh (O), 61.58 (6-12).
4: (Re-run) Betson (O), Compton (S), Bekker (S) (ret), Johnson (O) (fell, excluded), 61.56 (9-14).
5: Woffinden (S), Bargh (O), Haines (S), Martin (O), 61.45 (11-18).
6: (Re-run) Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Compton (S), Richardson (S), 62.24 (16-19).
7: Woffinden (S), Betson (O), Cockle (S), Campos (O), 61.90 (18-23).
8: Hughes (O), Bekker (S), Haines (S), Johnson (O), 62.36 (21-26).
9: Martin (O), Bargh (O), Compton (S), Richardson (S), 62.71 (26-27).
10: Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Bekker (S), Cockle (S), 62.11 (31-28).
11: Haines (S), Woffinden (S), Betson (O), Campos (O), 62.05 (32-33).
12: Bargh (O), Bekker (S), Compton (S), Johnson (O), 62.58 (35-36).
13: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Betson (O), Compton (S), 61.77 (38-39).
14: Bekker (S), Cockle (S), Campos (O), Martin (O), 62.89 (39-44).
15: Woffinden (S), Bargh (O), Smethills (O), Haines (S), 61.86 (42-47).

[schumi]

genghis said:

It's not quite over yet

Exactly. Fingers crossed for you, and we look forward to hearing the report.

[Genghis]

Congratulations to Scunthorpe - deserving winners of the 2007 Conference League.

Report to follow.... er, probably tomorrow.

All the best
Rob

[Genghis]

Sunday, October 21, 2007
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 61 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 31
Scunthorpe win 108-73 on aggregate
(Conference League Play-Off Final, 2nd leg)

Oxford Cheetahs had no answer to the might of the Scunthorpe Scorpions, who retained their Conference League title in Lincolnshire yesterday afternoon.

And yet Promoter Allen Trump, Director Of Speedway Peter Oakes and the LCD Publishing Cheetahs can look back with pride at a season which saw them finish second in the league table and runners-up in the play-offs - a quite extraordinary turnaround, given that the fate that very nearly befall the club at the end of May when the previous promotion pulled out.

Scunthorpe tracked an identical line-up to the first leg at Oxford, while the Cheetahs introduced Jordan Frampton in the place of Sam Martin.

Joe Haines moved at the tapes in Heat 1, but messed up his own start, and the race continued. Tai Woffinden, from gate 4, surged into the lead entering the first turn, and headed Lee Smethills and Kyle Hughes in a shared opener, with Hughes resisting late pressure from Haines (3-3).

Byron Bekker and Scott Richardson took a comfortable 5-1 over Scott Campos and Brendan Johnson in Heat 2 (8-4), then Jordan Frampton briefly Heat 3, before the charging Woffinden blasted around on the second bend. Frampton & Andrew Bargh had to settle for the minor positions in a 3-3 (11-7).

Benji Compton & Bekker shot clear in Heat 4, and then the pursuing Danny Betson fell and remounted on the third bend, allowing team-mare Johnson into third (16-8).

Smethills streaked clear from the outside gate to become Oxford's first race-winner of the afternoon in Heat 5, ahead of Bekker, while Hughes inherited third from Cockle, after the latter fell on the first turn of lap 3. Cockle remounted in fourth place, but then retired from the race (18-12).

Heat 6 was halted with Haines warned for moving at the tapes. In the re-run, Betson gated, but Haines raced around him on the second bend, and then Woffinden charged under him on the third, as the Scorpions took their third 5-1 of the afternoon (23-13).

Frampton roared into the lead in Heat 7, ahead of Compton, while Bargh took advantage of a mistake by Richardson on the second bend to move into third place. Bargh then closed right in Compton, but was unable to get by, but nevertheless the 4-2 to Oxford reduced the deficit on the day to eight points (25-17).

There was movement from several riders at the tapes in Heat 8, but referee Barbara Horley let the race continue and Haines & Bekker streaked away to a 5-1 for Scunthorpe (30-18).

Compton & Cockle led Heat 9, but Betson got inside Cockle on the second bend of lap 2, and then got right on Compton's inside coming off the final bend. Compton just held on, as the Scorpions stretched their lead to 14 points on the afternoon and 19 points on aggregate (34-20).

Heat 10 was a disaster for the Cheetahs. Bargh suffered an engine failure on the opening lap, and then second-placed Frampton came off on the fourth bend of lap 2 while chasing race-leader Woffinden. With Frampton down, the race was stopped and awarded as a 5-0 to Woffinden & Haines, as Scunthorpe closed in on the title (39-20).

Oxford team manager Peter Oakes selected Lee Smethills as a tactical ride in Heat 11, and Smethills rewarded him by winning the race. Meanwhile, Hughes found himself in a real battle for the minor positions with Richardson & Compton. Hughes briefly held second place early on, but was rounded by Richardson on the second bend. He attempted to wrest the position back from Richardson, but then found Compton on his tail. Compton charged inside Hughes with a lap to go, but Hughes kept the throttle on and blasted back around Compton on the opening turns of the final lap. With Smethills first and Hughes third, the Cheetahs took a 7-2 and were left needing an extremely improbable three 5-1s and an 8-1 from the remaining four races to force a tie on aggregate (41-27).

Heat 12 saw Scunthorpe make mathematically certain of the title as Haines and Bekker trapped and took a 5-1 from Bargh and Campos. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey was, quite rightly, emotional after the race - having done so much work to introduce the sport back to Scunthorpe in 2005 and then build a successful side (46-28).

In Heat 13, all four riders headed wide around the opening bends, with the result that Betson (off gate 4) careered into the fence on the second bend. It looked nasty, but fortunately a shaken Betson was able to get up and walk from the track. Betson was excluded from the re-run, where Compton was first away and Woffinden settled behind him in a 5-1 to Scunthorpe over Smethills (51-29).

Frampton made a good gate in Heat 14, but was swamped by the Scunthorpe pair on the second bend. Now relegated to third, Frampton roared up the inside of Richardson on the third bend. Richardson lost control, and touched the back of Cockle before walloping the fourth bend fence. The race was stopped, with a battered Richardson eventually walking off the track. Meanwhile, referee Horley had excluded Frampton - which was the wrong decision, although to be fair she didn't have the best view of the incident, those watching from the pits saw the incident from a much better angle. Bekker came out in Richardson's place in the re-run, where the Scorpions took a 5-1, but Johnson chased second-placed Cockle all the way home - having taken on board the advice offered to him by former World Champion Sam Ermolenko during the meeting (56-30).

Heat 15 saw Haines hit the front, while Woffinden blasted inside Frampton on the third bend to join Haines for Scunthorpe's fourth successive 5-1, as the Scorpions topped sixty points (61-31).

So, not the best performance for the Cheetahs, but Scunthorpe are a quality side and therefore are good at exposing any weaknesses in their opponents. There was an understandable dip in the Oxford performance after the chance to win the title was lost, and also one or two refereeing decisions went against the Cheetahs.

But there is no doubt that Scunthorpe are the best side in the Conference League - and hugely deserving of back-to-back championship wins. Congratulations to Rob Godfrey, Kenny Smith and the Scunny riders for dominating the sport at this level for two seasons on the trot.

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 61
Tai Woffinden 3 3 2* 3 2* 2* (15+3)
Joe Haines 0 3 3 2* 3 3 (14+1)
Rider replacement - Josh Auty
James Cockle 0 R 1 2* (3+1)
Benji Compton 3 2 3 0 3 (11)
Scott Richardson 2* 0 2 FN (4+1)
Byron Bekker 3 2* 2 2* 2* 3 (14+3)
Team manager: Kenny Smith

OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 31
Lee Smethills 2 3 6! 1 0 (12)
Kyle Hughes 1* 1 1 1 (4+1)
Andrew Bargh 1* 1 R 1 (3+1)
Jordan Frampton 2 3 FX X 1 (6)
Danny Betson 0 1 2 FX (3)
Scott Campos 1 0 0 0 (1)
Brendan Johnson 0 1 0 1 (2)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Barbara Horley

HEAT DETAILS:
1: Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), Haines (S), 57.62 (3-3).
2: Bekker (S), Richardson (S), Campos (O), Johnson (O), 62.26 (8-4).
3: Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Bargh (O), Cockle (S), 58.68 (11-7).
4: Compton (S), Bekker (S), Johnson (O), Betson (O) (fell, remounted), 61.75 (16-8).
5: Smethills (O), Bekker (S), Hughes (O), Cockle (S) (fell, remounted, ret), 61.24 (18-12).
6: (Re-run) Haines (S), Woffinden (S), Betson (O), Campos (O), 60.24 (23-13).
7: Frampton (O), Compton (S), Bargh (O), Richardson (S), 60.17 (25-17).
8: Haines (S), Bekker (S), Hughes (O), Johnson (O), 60.17 (30-18).
9: Compton (S), Betson (O), Cockle (S), Campos (O), 61.09 (34-20).
10: Woffinden (S), Haines (S), Frampton (O) (fell, excluded), Bargh (O) (ret), awarded - no time (39-20).
11: Smethills (O) (tactical ride), Richardson (S), Hughes (O), Compton (S), 61.06 (41-27).
12: Haines (S), Bekker (S), Bargh (O), Campos (O), 60.53 (46-28).
13: (Re-run) Compton (S), Woffinden (S), Smethills (O), Betson (O) (fell, excluded), 60.90 (51-29).
14: (Re-run) Bekker (S), Cockle (S), Johnson (O), Frampton (O) (excluded, cause of stoppage), Richardson (S) (fell, unable to contest re-run), 61.07 (56-30).
15: Haines (S), Woffinden (S), Frampton (O), Smethills (O), 60.26 (61-31).

[Deleted]

Congratulations to everyone connected with Oxford for their phoenix like rise from the ashes.

I do read these things Genghis, just don't really feel qualified to comment on most of them