Post by Genghis on Jul 21, 2007 11:31:05 GMT
Friday, July 20, 2007
WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 45 OXFORD CHEETAHS 45 (Conference League)
Oxford win aggregate point by 94-89
The Oxford Cheetahs maintained their unbeaten run in the Conference League, after an absorbing and controversial 45-45 draw at Weymouth's Wessex Stadium.
The Cheetahs were denied victory by some poor refereeing decisions by Paul Carrington, with a couple of highly dubious exclusions for Jordan Frampton in Heats 8 & 15, plus an incorrect tapes exclusion for Brendan Johnson in Heat 4.
With floods hitting large parts of the midlands, postponements elsewhere freed up Frampton and Sam Martin for the Cheetahs and Lee Smart for the Wildcats. The meeting at Weymouth started with blue skies overheard, with a couple of brief showers later on, but nothing to trouble the continuation of the meeting.
Smart won a shared Heat 1 from Frampton & Lee Smethills, while Heat 2 was the first of five races to be re-run after Australian Jay Herne got a flying start. In the re-start, Weymouth's Terry Day was left at the tapes with a mechanical failure, and Herne won from Brendan Johnson and Dan Blake in a 3-3.
Andrew Bargh became Oxford's first heat-winner by winning Heat 3 from Sam Hurst & Mark Thompson, while Sam Martin fell and remounted after being squeezed out on the first turn.
Brendan Johnson was excluded from Heat 4 for touching the tapes, although several people who stood parallel to the start have verified that he did not touch the tapes first. Blake came out for the re-run in Johnson's place, where Herne and Nathan Irwin took a 5-1 over Danny Betson to move Weymouth into a 14-10 lead.
The Cheetahs hit back with an empathic 5-1 from Smethills & Frampton in Heat 5, before the Wildcats took another 5-1 in Heat 6 courtesy of Smart & Karl Mason, in a race awarded after fourth-placed Blake fell on the second lap.
Bargh took his second win in Heat 7, heading home Herne, while Martin took third after bombing around Irwin on the fourth bend.
Heat 8 saw the Cheetahs pair of Johnson & Frampton quickest from the tapes, with Frampton then slightly lifting and drifting wide on the second bend. Smart then fell on the back straight while trying to go around Frampton, prompting the referee to put on the red stop lights and exclude Frampton! The referee cited "the rider in green had veered in front of the rider in blue and caused him to fall", but Frampton had lifted several seconds before Smart had fallen, and if Smart had been clever there had been plenty of time to cut back.
Smart made the most of his second chance to blast around Johnson on the opening bends to win the re-run.
Betson & Johnson took an excellent 5-1 from Heat 9, with Johnson fending off pressure from both Hurst and Thompson during the course of the four laps, as the Cheetahs levelled the scores once more at 27-27.
The Wildcats took a 4-2 from Heat 10, while Heat 11 took three attempts to stage. Frampton made an excellent start first time out, only for the race to be stopped, while Herne was lucky to get back into the race after taking a tumble at the second time of asking. Herne & Irwin then blasted from the tapes, but a determined Frampton went from third to first, flying around Irwin on the second bend, before thrusting aggressively inside Herne on the fourth bend of lap 2. Smethills was unable to get past Irwin and the race finished as a 3-3.
Bargh won Heat 12, with Thompson finding Johnson a handful on the opening lap, before the race settled down as a 4-2 to the Cheetahs and the teams headed into the interval deadlocked at 36-36.
Heat 13 saw the Cheetahs take the lead for the first time on the night. Smethills flew from gate 1, while Betson powered around Mason on the second bend to join his team-mate for a 5-1.
With Oxford 41-37 ahead, Heat 14 was brought to a halt after a tense start. Johnson was warned for moving, but it appeared that Herne - who was moving at the starts all night - had inched forwards first. In the re-run, the Wildcats pair of Herne and Hurst got out in front. Hurst found himself under pressure from Johnson on the inside and Martin on the outside. On the second bend of lap 3, Martin blasted around Hurst to take a very important second place. Johnson then switched to the outside, but a last-ditch effort to go around Hurst on the final bend resulted in a fall for Johnson. Nevertheless, it had been a fine effort by 15-year-old from Poole.
The Cheetahs needed a 3-3 or better from Heat 15 to win the match. Herne made his usual electric start, but Bargh flew around him down the back straight. Smart soon got into second place ahead of his team-mate and reeled in Bargh, shooting around him after two laps. Frampton was now right on Herne's exhaust pipe in a pivotal battle for third place. On the first bend of the final lap, Frampton was left a gap on the inside which he took and he was in front of Herne, when the Australian tried too late to stop Frampton's move. There was contact and Herne - heading into the deep stuff on the outside - baled out. Before Herne had even come down, the red lights were on, and much to the amazement of the Oxford camp, Frampton was excluded.
Even some of the Weymouth fans admitted that Herne - completely exhausted after taking seven rides and barely able to hold onto the bike - had bumped into Frampton, who was already on his way through.
And thus the match ended as a 45-45 draw, instead of a much deserved away win for Oxford.
Nevertheless, the Cheetahs have taken four points out of five from two tough matches against the Wildcats, and the team can be proud of the battling qualities they have displayed in these two fixtures.
The Cheetahs are next in league action at Cowley on Sunday, July 29, when they entertain the Stoke Spitfires. Before then, Lee Smethills and Jordan Frampton represent the Cheetahs in the Conference League pairs at Scunthorpe tomorrow (Sunday), while Oxford travel to Plymouth next Friday (July 27) for the second leg of their Knockout Cup clash against the Devils.
WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 45
Karl Mason 0 2* 1 1 (4+1)
Lee Smart 3 3 3 3 3 (15)
Mark Thompson 1* 1 1 2 (5+1)
Sam Hurst 2 0 R 1 (3)
Nathan Irwin 2* R 1* (3+2)
Jay Herne 3 3 2 2 0 3 1 (14)
Terry Day R 1 0 (1)
Team manager: Phil Bartlett
OXFORD CHEETAHS 45
Lee Smethills 1* 3 0 3 (7+1)
Jordan Frampton 2 2* X 3 X (7+1)
Andrew Bargh 3 3 2 3 2 (13)
Sam Martin 0 1 0 2 (3)
Danny Betson 1 1 3 2* (7+1)
Dan Blake 1* R FX (1+1)
Brendan Johnson 2 TX 2 2* 1 F (7+1)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Paul Carrington
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Smart (W), Frampton (O), Smethills (O), Mason (W), 53.1 (3-3).
2: (Re-run) Herne (W), Johnson (O), Blake (O), Day (W) (ret), 54.0 (6-6).
3: Bargh (O), Hurst (W), Thompson (W), Martin (O) (fell, remounted), 54.8 (9-9).
4: (Re-run) Herne (W), Irwin (W), Betson (O), Blake (O) (ret), Johnson (O) (excluded, touched tapes), 53.7 (14-10).
5: Smethills (O), Frampton (O), Thompson (W), Hurst (W), 53.6 (15-15).
6: Smart (W), Mason (W), Betson (O), Blake (O) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (20-16).
7: Bargh (O), Herne (W), Martin (O), Irwin (W) (ret), 55.5 (22-20).
8: (Re-run) Smart (W), Johnson (O), Day (W), Frampton (O) (excluded), 54.7 (26-22).
9: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Thompson (W), Hurst (W) (ret), 55.1 (27-27).
10: Smart (W), Bargh (O), Mason (W), Martin (O), 53.2 (31-29).
11: (Re-run twice) Frampton (O), Herne (W), Irwin (W), Smethills (O), 54.6 (34-32).
12: Bargh (O), Thompson (W), Johnson (O), Day (W), 54.7 (36-36).
13: Smethills (O), Betson (O), Mason (W), Herne (W), 53.9 (37-41).
14: (Re-run) Herne (W), Martin (O), Hurst (W), Johnston (O) (fell), 54.8 (41-43).
15: Smart (W), Bargh (O), Herne (W), Frampton (O) (excluded), awarded - no time (45-45).
All the best
Rob
WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 45 OXFORD CHEETAHS 45 (Conference League)
Oxford win aggregate point by 94-89
The Oxford Cheetahs maintained their unbeaten run in the Conference League, after an absorbing and controversial 45-45 draw at Weymouth's Wessex Stadium.
The Cheetahs were denied victory by some poor refereeing decisions by Paul Carrington, with a couple of highly dubious exclusions for Jordan Frampton in Heats 8 & 15, plus an incorrect tapes exclusion for Brendan Johnson in Heat 4.
With floods hitting large parts of the midlands, postponements elsewhere freed up Frampton and Sam Martin for the Cheetahs and Lee Smart for the Wildcats. The meeting at Weymouth started with blue skies overheard, with a couple of brief showers later on, but nothing to trouble the continuation of the meeting.
Smart won a shared Heat 1 from Frampton & Lee Smethills, while Heat 2 was the first of five races to be re-run after Australian Jay Herne got a flying start. In the re-start, Weymouth's Terry Day was left at the tapes with a mechanical failure, and Herne won from Brendan Johnson and Dan Blake in a 3-3.
Andrew Bargh became Oxford's first heat-winner by winning Heat 3 from Sam Hurst & Mark Thompson, while Sam Martin fell and remounted after being squeezed out on the first turn.
Brendan Johnson was excluded from Heat 4 for touching the tapes, although several people who stood parallel to the start have verified that he did not touch the tapes first. Blake came out for the re-run in Johnson's place, where Herne and Nathan Irwin took a 5-1 over Danny Betson to move Weymouth into a 14-10 lead.
The Cheetahs hit back with an empathic 5-1 from Smethills & Frampton in Heat 5, before the Wildcats took another 5-1 in Heat 6 courtesy of Smart & Karl Mason, in a race awarded after fourth-placed Blake fell on the second lap.
Bargh took his second win in Heat 7, heading home Herne, while Martin took third after bombing around Irwin on the fourth bend.
Heat 8 saw the Cheetahs pair of Johnson & Frampton quickest from the tapes, with Frampton then slightly lifting and drifting wide on the second bend. Smart then fell on the back straight while trying to go around Frampton, prompting the referee to put on the red stop lights and exclude Frampton! The referee cited "the rider in green had veered in front of the rider in blue and caused him to fall", but Frampton had lifted several seconds before Smart had fallen, and if Smart had been clever there had been plenty of time to cut back.
Smart made the most of his second chance to blast around Johnson on the opening bends to win the re-run.
Betson & Johnson took an excellent 5-1 from Heat 9, with Johnson fending off pressure from both Hurst and Thompson during the course of the four laps, as the Cheetahs levelled the scores once more at 27-27.
The Wildcats took a 4-2 from Heat 10, while Heat 11 took three attempts to stage. Frampton made an excellent start first time out, only for the race to be stopped, while Herne was lucky to get back into the race after taking a tumble at the second time of asking. Herne & Irwin then blasted from the tapes, but a determined Frampton went from third to first, flying around Irwin on the second bend, before thrusting aggressively inside Herne on the fourth bend of lap 2. Smethills was unable to get past Irwin and the race finished as a 3-3.
Bargh won Heat 12, with Thompson finding Johnson a handful on the opening lap, before the race settled down as a 4-2 to the Cheetahs and the teams headed into the interval deadlocked at 36-36.
Heat 13 saw the Cheetahs take the lead for the first time on the night. Smethills flew from gate 1, while Betson powered around Mason on the second bend to join his team-mate for a 5-1.
With Oxford 41-37 ahead, Heat 14 was brought to a halt after a tense start. Johnson was warned for moving, but it appeared that Herne - who was moving at the starts all night - had inched forwards first. In the re-run, the Wildcats pair of Herne and Hurst got out in front. Hurst found himself under pressure from Johnson on the inside and Martin on the outside. On the second bend of lap 3, Martin blasted around Hurst to take a very important second place. Johnson then switched to the outside, but a last-ditch effort to go around Hurst on the final bend resulted in a fall for Johnson. Nevertheless, it had been a fine effort by 15-year-old from Poole.
The Cheetahs needed a 3-3 or better from Heat 15 to win the match. Herne made his usual electric start, but Bargh flew around him down the back straight. Smart soon got into second place ahead of his team-mate and reeled in Bargh, shooting around him after two laps. Frampton was now right on Herne's exhaust pipe in a pivotal battle for third place. On the first bend of the final lap, Frampton was left a gap on the inside which he took and he was in front of Herne, when the Australian tried too late to stop Frampton's move. There was contact and Herne - heading into the deep stuff on the outside - baled out. Before Herne had even come down, the red lights were on, and much to the amazement of the Oxford camp, Frampton was excluded.
Even some of the Weymouth fans admitted that Herne - completely exhausted after taking seven rides and barely able to hold onto the bike - had bumped into Frampton, who was already on his way through.
And thus the match ended as a 45-45 draw, instead of a much deserved away win for Oxford.
Nevertheless, the Cheetahs have taken four points out of five from two tough matches against the Wildcats, and the team can be proud of the battling qualities they have displayed in these two fixtures.
The Cheetahs are next in league action at Cowley on Sunday, July 29, when they entertain the Stoke Spitfires. Before then, Lee Smethills and Jordan Frampton represent the Cheetahs in the Conference League pairs at Scunthorpe tomorrow (Sunday), while Oxford travel to Plymouth next Friday (July 27) for the second leg of their Knockout Cup clash against the Devils.
WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 45
Karl Mason 0 2* 1 1 (4+1)
Lee Smart 3 3 3 3 3 (15)
Mark Thompson 1* 1 1 2 (5+1)
Sam Hurst 2 0 R 1 (3)
Nathan Irwin 2* R 1* (3+2)
Jay Herne 3 3 2 2 0 3 1 (14)
Terry Day R 1 0 (1)
Team manager: Phil Bartlett
OXFORD CHEETAHS 45
Lee Smethills 1* 3 0 3 (7+1)
Jordan Frampton 2 2* X 3 X (7+1)
Andrew Bargh 3 3 2 3 2 (13)
Sam Martin 0 1 0 2 (3)
Danny Betson 1 1 3 2* (7+1)
Dan Blake 1* R FX (1+1)
Brendan Johnson 2 TX 2 2* 1 F (7+1)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Paul Carrington
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Smart (W), Frampton (O), Smethills (O), Mason (W), 53.1 (3-3).
2: (Re-run) Herne (W), Johnson (O), Blake (O), Day (W) (ret), 54.0 (6-6).
3: Bargh (O), Hurst (W), Thompson (W), Martin (O) (fell, remounted), 54.8 (9-9).
4: (Re-run) Herne (W), Irwin (W), Betson (O), Blake (O) (ret), Johnson (O) (excluded, touched tapes), 53.7 (14-10).
5: Smethills (O), Frampton (O), Thompson (W), Hurst (W), 53.6 (15-15).
6: Smart (W), Mason (W), Betson (O), Blake (O) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (20-16).
7: Bargh (O), Herne (W), Martin (O), Irwin (W) (ret), 55.5 (22-20).
8: (Re-run) Smart (W), Johnson (O), Day (W), Frampton (O) (excluded), 54.7 (26-22).
9: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Thompson (W), Hurst (W) (ret), 55.1 (27-27).
10: Smart (W), Bargh (O), Mason (W), Martin (O), 53.2 (31-29).
11: (Re-run twice) Frampton (O), Herne (W), Irwin (W), Smethills (O), 54.6 (34-32).
12: Bargh (O), Thompson (W), Johnson (O), Day (W), 54.7 (36-36).
13: Smethills (O), Betson (O), Mason (W), Herne (W), 53.9 (37-41).
14: (Re-run) Herne (W), Martin (O), Hurst (W), Johnston (O) (fell), 54.8 (41-43).
15: Smart (W), Bargh (O), Herne (W), Frampton (O) (excluded), awarded - no time (45-45).
All the best
Rob