Post by Genghis on Jul 30, 2007 0:24:12 GMT
Sunday, July 29, 2007
OXFORD CHEETAHS 57 STOKE SPITFIRES 35
(Conference League)
Oxford Cheetahs maintained their unbeaten start to the Conference League campaign with an emphatic win over the Stoke Spitfires.
The match took place on a beautiful summer's evening, and attracted the best crowd since the resurrection of the club.
The Cheetahs used rider replacement for Andrew Bargh, riding for the Isle Of Wight at Glasgow, while the Spitfires also used R/R for the injured Jack Hargreaves.
Lee Smethills & Danny Betson appeared to be heading for an opening 5-1 in Heat 1, but Betson drifted a little too wide coming out of the fourth bend on the second lap and came a cropper after colliding with the air fence. The race was awarded, with Smethills the winner ahead of the Stoke pair of Barrie Evans and Gary Flint.
Jaimie Pickard led for over three laps in Heat 2, but was under constant pressure from Brendan Johnson. Johnson's persistence was rewarded when Pickard ran wide on the second bend of the final lap, and Johnson came through to win the race. George Piper, on his debut ride for the Cheetahs, was a comfortable third ahead of Guy Kendrew, who eventually fell on the final bend.
Betson won Heat 3 ahead of John Branney and Sam Dore, with Sam Martin remounting and finishing in fourth place after falling on the second corner.
Jordan Frampton took back-to-back wins in Heats 4 & 5, with a Cheetah in third place each time - Piper in Heat 4 and Martin in Heat 5. And Betson & Smethills then banged in a 5-1 in Heat 6, to extend Oxford's lead to 10 points.
Stoke team manager John Woolridge nominated John Branney as a tactical ride in Heat 7. But it was Branney's team-mate Dore who streaked away to win the race, with Frampton kept Branney pegged back in third place.
Oxford then hit Stoke with three successive 5-1s. Flint gated in Heat 8, but Betson quickly took the lead, while Johnson roared inside Flint halfway through the race to take second. Smethills won Heat 9, while Martin flew around Evans on the back straight, then resisted pressure from Evans for the rest of the race. Betson won his fourth successive race in Heat 10, with team-mate Smethills right behind him.
Evans resisted pressure from Frampton to win Heat 11, while Piper rounded Flint in fine style on the second bend of lap 2 to move into third place.
Evans was back out in Heat 12, this time as a tactical substitute off 15 metres. Team-mate Branney gated, then Evans switched lines to roar inside Johnson down the back straight on lap 2. However, Martin remained calm in second place, and Evans could not make any further headway, in a 5-2 to the Spitfires.
With the Spitfires tactical options exhausted, the Cheetahs were home and dry.
Evans was first out of the gate in Heat 13, but both Smethills & Frampton rounded him on the opening half-lap in Oxford's fifth 5-1 of the night.
Martin won a shared Heat 14, while Heat 15 needed to be re-run after Betson fell in a first bend incident. In the re-run, Frampton gated ahead of Evans & Branney, but Betson worked his way inside Branney on the third turn. Betson closed in on Evans, who in turn closed in on Frampton, and Frampton just held onto first place on the line.
So, a comfortable win for the Cheetahs, on a night that contained some entertaining racing.
The next test for the Cheetahs is a home match against the Rye House Raiders at Cowley this Friday (August 3).
OXFORD CHEETAHS 57
Lee Smethills 3 2* 3 2* 3 (13+2)
Danny Betson FX 3 3 3 3 1 (13)
Rider replacement – Andrew Bargh
Sam Martin 0 1 2* 2 3 (8+1)
Jordan Frampton 3 3 2 2 2* 3 (15+1)
George Piper 1 1 1* 0 (3+1)
Brendan Johnson 3 0 2* 0 (5+1)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
STOKE SPITFIRES 35
Barrie Evans 2 2 1 3 2# 1 2 (13)
Gary Flint 1* 0 1 0 (2+1)
John Branney 2 1 2! 1 3 0 (9)
Sam Dore 1* 3 0 0 2 (6+1)
Rider replacement - Jack Hargreaves
Jaimie Pickard 2 2 0 0 1* (5+1)
Guy Kendrew F 0 0 (0)
Team manager: John Woolridge
Referee: Dave Watters
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS
1: Smethills (O), Evans (S), Flint (S), Betson (O) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (3-3)
2: Johnson (O), Pickard (S), Piper (O), Kendrew (S) (fell), 64.33 (7-5)
3: Betson (O), Branney (S), Dore (S), Martin (O) (fell, remounted), 61.55 (10-8)
4: Frampton (O), Pickard (S), Piper (O), Kendrew (S), 62.21 (14-10)
5: Frampton (O), Evans (S), Martin (O), Flint (S), 62.24 (18-12)
6: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Branney (S), Pickard (S), 61.24 (23-13)
7: Dore (S), Frampton (O), Branney (S) (tactical ride), Johnson (O), 62.15 (25-18)
8: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Flint (S), Kendrew (S), 61.39 (30-19)
9: Smethills (O), Martin (O), Evans (S), Pickard (S), 61.68 (35-20)
10: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Branney (S), Dore (S), 61.77 (40-21)
11: Evans (S), Frampton (O), Piper (O), Flint (S), 62.17 (43-24)
12: Branney (S), Martin (O), Evans (S) (t/s from 15m), Johnson (O), 63.20 (45-29)
13: Smethills (O), Frampton (O), Evans (S), Dore (S), 62.37 (50-30)
14: Martin (O), Dore (S), Pickard (S), Piper (O), 62.46 (53-33)
15: (re-run) Frampton (O), Evans (S), Betson (O), Branney (S), 63.15 (57-35)
All the best
Rob
OXFORD CHEETAHS 57 STOKE SPITFIRES 35
(Conference League)
Oxford Cheetahs maintained their unbeaten start to the Conference League campaign with an emphatic win over the Stoke Spitfires.
The match took place on a beautiful summer's evening, and attracted the best crowd since the resurrection of the club.
The Cheetahs used rider replacement for Andrew Bargh, riding for the Isle Of Wight at Glasgow, while the Spitfires also used R/R for the injured Jack Hargreaves.
Lee Smethills & Danny Betson appeared to be heading for an opening 5-1 in Heat 1, but Betson drifted a little too wide coming out of the fourth bend on the second lap and came a cropper after colliding with the air fence. The race was awarded, with Smethills the winner ahead of the Stoke pair of Barrie Evans and Gary Flint.
Jaimie Pickard led for over three laps in Heat 2, but was under constant pressure from Brendan Johnson. Johnson's persistence was rewarded when Pickard ran wide on the second bend of the final lap, and Johnson came through to win the race. George Piper, on his debut ride for the Cheetahs, was a comfortable third ahead of Guy Kendrew, who eventually fell on the final bend.
Betson won Heat 3 ahead of John Branney and Sam Dore, with Sam Martin remounting and finishing in fourth place after falling on the second corner.
Jordan Frampton took back-to-back wins in Heats 4 & 5, with a Cheetah in third place each time - Piper in Heat 4 and Martin in Heat 5. And Betson & Smethills then banged in a 5-1 in Heat 6, to extend Oxford's lead to 10 points.
Stoke team manager John Woolridge nominated John Branney as a tactical ride in Heat 7. But it was Branney's team-mate Dore who streaked away to win the race, with Frampton kept Branney pegged back in third place.
Oxford then hit Stoke with three successive 5-1s. Flint gated in Heat 8, but Betson quickly took the lead, while Johnson roared inside Flint halfway through the race to take second. Smethills won Heat 9, while Martin flew around Evans on the back straight, then resisted pressure from Evans for the rest of the race. Betson won his fourth successive race in Heat 10, with team-mate Smethills right behind him.
Evans resisted pressure from Frampton to win Heat 11, while Piper rounded Flint in fine style on the second bend of lap 2 to move into third place.
Evans was back out in Heat 12, this time as a tactical substitute off 15 metres. Team-mate Branney gated, then Evans switched lines to roar inside Johnson down the back straight on lap 2. However, Martin remained calm in second place, and Evans could not make any further headway, in a 5-2 to the Spitfires.
With the Spitfires tactical options exhausted, the Cheetahs were home and dry.
Evans was first out of the gate in Heat 13, but both Smethills & Frampton rounded him on the opening half-lap in Oxford's fifth 5-1 of the night.
Martin won a shared Heat 14, while Heat 15 needed to be re-run after Betson fell in a first bend incident. In the re-run, Frampton gated ahead of Evans & Branney, but Betson worked his way inside Branney on the third turn. Betson closed in on Evans, who in turn closed in on Frampton, and Frampton just held onto first place on the line.
So, a comfortable win for the Cheetahs, on a night that contained some entertaining racing.
The next test for the Cheetahs is a home match against the Rye House Raiders at Cowley this Friday (August 3).
OXFORD CHEETAHS 57
Lee Smethills 3 2* 3 2* 3 (13+2)
Danny Betson FX 3 3 3 3 1 (13)
Rider replacement – Andrew Bargh
Sam Martin 0 1 2* 2 3 (8+1)
Jordan Frampton 3 3 2 2 2* 3 (15+1)
George Piper 1 1 1* 0 (3+1)
Brendan Johnson 3 0 2* 0 (5+1)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
STOKE SPITFIRES 35
Barrie Evans 2 2 1 3 2# 1 2 (13)
Gary Flint 1* 0 1 0 (2+1)
John Branney 2 1 2! 1 3 0 (9)
Sam Dore 1* 3 0 0 2 (6+1)
Rider replacement - Jack Hargreaves
Jaimie Pickard 2 2 0 0 1* (5+1)
Guy Kendrew F 0 0 (0)
Team manager: John Woolridge
Referee: Dave Watters
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS
1: Smethills (O), Evans (S), Flint (S), Betson (O) (fell, excluded), awarded - no time (3-3)
2: Johnson (O), Pickard (S), Piper (O), Kendrew (S) (fell), 64.33 (7-5)
3: Betson (O), Branney (S), Dore (S), Martin (O) (fell, remounted), 61.55 (10-8)
4: Frampton (O), Pickard (S), Piper (O), Kendrew (S), 62.21 (14-10)
5: Frampton (O), Evans (S), Martin (O), Flint (S), 62.24 (18-12)
6: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Branney (S), Pickard (S), 61.24 (23-13)
7: Dore (S), Frampton (O), Branney (S) (tactical ride), Johnson (O), 62.15 (25-18)
8: Betson (O), Johnson (O), Flint (S), Kendrew (S), 61.39 (30-19)
9: Smethills (O), Martin (O), Evans (S), Pickard (S), 61.68 (35-20)
10: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Branney (S), Dore (S), 61.77 (40-21)
11: Evans (S), Frampton (O), Piper (O), Flint (S), 62.17 (43-24)
12: Branney (S), Martin (O), Evans (S) (t/s from 15m), Johnson (O), 63.20 (45-29)
13: Smethills (O), Frampton (O), Evans (S), Dore (S), 62.37 (50-30)
14: Martin (O), Dore (S), Pickard (S), Piper (O), 62.46 (53-33)
15: (re-run) Frampton (O), Evans (S), Betson (O), Branney (S), 63.15 (57-35)
All the best
Rob