Post by Genghis on Aug 7, 2007 13:39:10 GMT
Sunday, August 5, 2007
SITTINGBOURNE CRUSADERS 45 OXFORD CHEETAHS 44
(Conference League)
A heartbreaker for the Cheetahs - in a match where everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the unlucky visitors.
Oxford completed the match with just four riders. Matt Bates suffered from dizziness after a Heat 3 fall, George Piper sustained an ankle injury in Heat 6 (later diagnosed as soft tissue damage), and worst of all, Andrew Bargh fell after a coming together with Danny Warwick on the opening turns of Heat 15, and suffered a broken ankle.
Brendan Johnson also hurt his wrist in Heat 4 and was not able to take his place in the re-run. During a long gap between Heats 6 & 7, while Piper & Bates received treatment, Johnson declared himself fit to continue in the meeting, and indeed took his full allocation of seven rides.
It's always difficult to prepare a good track on a baking hot day, and Sittingbourne track staff were further handicapped with their grader out of action with a broken clutch. It left the Old Gun Site track at far from its best.
Heat 1 saw Lee Smethills hit the tapes. He went 15m back for the re-run, and had passed Sittingbourne No.8 Jon Stevens by the end of the opening lap to take third. Danny Betson thrust inside Danny Warwick on the fourth bend of lap 2 to win the race (2-4).
Jerran Hart won Heat 2. Brendan Johnson and George Piper were in second and third from the tapes, but Piper fell twice on the second bend - on the first and second laps. The race was stopped and awarded as a 4-2 to Sittingbourne (6-6).
Matt Bates & Andrew Bargh held a 5-1 in Heat 3, but Bates hit a rut and came off on the fourth bend, so the race finished as a 3-3 (9-9).
Hart & Johnson collided on the first bend of Heat 4, and Johnson took a pearler. With Johnson complaining of pain in his wrist (and without any ice available to help him!), fellow reserve Piper took his place in the re-run. Piper continued to struggle with the track, falling twice. With the race stopped, it was awarded to Jordan Frampton ahead of Hart, with no third, as James Theobald had already pulled up onto the centre green with an engine failure (11-12).
Smethills & Betson were on for an easy 5-1 in Heat 5, when Betson lost his chain, and more points slipped from Oxford's grasp (14-15).
Heat 6 was eventful, with Piper falling on the second bend and remounting, then Frampton hit a rut around the third / fourth bend, and narrowly avoided T-boning Warwick - who was also struggling with the bend - on his way down. Frampton remounted in third and had nearly caught Stevens by the end of the race. Meanwhile, Piper fell once more on the second bend of the final lap - and this time he was hurt (19-16).
At the same time, Bates started to complain of feeling dizzy - a combination of his Heat 3 fall and the intense heat. With medics checking out both Piper and Bates, it led to an enforced lengthy interval. Johnson was now ready to resume in the meeting - but with both Bates and Piper out, he was going to be busy!
Heat 7 eventually got underway. Bargh led, while Johnson fell looking for a way past the Crusaders pair on the third bend. With Johnson trying to push his bike off the track, the race continued, and Bargh missed Johnson's bike by millimetres on the next circuit - referee's Phil Griffin's inability to stop the race angering riders from both sides. Bargh won the race (22-19).
In Heat 8, Hart & Warwick gated, but Betson produced a fantastic ride. He got under Warwick on the fourth bend of lap 2, with Warwick slipping off on the second bend of lap 3 after going too wide in an attempt to hit back. Shortly afterwards, Betson shot inside Hart on the third bend to move into the lead. With Johnson in third, it was a 4-2 to the Cheetahs (24-23).
Johnson was out again in Heat 9 - this time on a bike borrowed from Bargh. Frampton won the race from Dean Felton & Harland Cook as the gap remained at one point (27-26).
Warwick & Felton were first away in Heat 10, with Bargh then blasting around Felton on the back straight. He couldn't overhaul Warwick, as the Crusaders took a 4-2. Johnson, out for his fourth successive ride, finished fourth (31-28).
Betson & Smethills led all the way to take a 5-1 from Heat 11, as the Cheetahs edged back into the lead (32-33).
And then Bargh & Johnson gated in Heat 12, and Oxford again took a 5-1. In different circumstances, Johnson's second place here would have been the match-winner, but there was one final, cruel twist of the knife to come for the Cheetahs (33-38).
Theobald failed to make it to the tapes in Heat 13, and was excluded under two minutes. With Theobald already replaced in Heat 7, it meant Sittingbourne couldn't bring in another rider in his place. Warwick gated and won from Frampton and Smethills, as Oxford maintained their 5-point lead (36-41).
Johnson was Oxford's sole representative in Heat 14. A slippery clutch dragged him into the tapes and he had start from 15m behind. In the re-run, he soon caught up the Sittingbourne pair of Felton & Aaron Baseby, and it was only some masterful team-riding by the experienced Felton that kept Johnson at bay (41-42).
Betson & Bargh went into Heat 15 knowing a 3-3 would secure the match. However, Warwick and Bargh collided on the opening bends, Bargh lost control, and lifted and smashed into the fence coming out of the second bend. It was immediately apparent that Bargh could not take his place in the re-run, and to add insult to injury, Phil Griffin excluded him. Had he not been excluded, Oxford could have put either Frampton or Smethills out in the re-run in his place.
After another lengthy delay while Bargh received treatment on his ankle (at 90 degrees to where it should be - ouch!!), the re-run took place. Warwick gated and there was no way past for Betson on what was, by now, a very slick track (45-44).
So a hugely frustrating afternoon for the Oxford camp - after a meeting which took over three hours to run! I felt most disappointed for the Oxford riders, who despite being reduced to five in number for most of the meeting, rode their hearts out, clubbed together as a team, and still lost. They didn't deserve to, but that's Speedway.
Well done to Sittingbourne on their first league win of the season.
SITTINGBOURNE CRUSADERS 45
Danny Warwick 2 3 F 3 3 3 (14)
Rider replacement - Mark Baseby
Harland Cook 1* 1* 1* 0 (3+3)
Dean Felton 2 2 2 1 2* (9+1)
James Theobald X 0 MX (0)
Aaron Baseby 1 2 1 3 (7)
Jerran Hart 3 2 1* 2 1 1 (10+1)
Jon Stevens 0 2* (2+1)
Team manager: Chris Hunt
OXFORD CHEETAHS 44
Lee Smethills 1 3 2* 1* (7+2)
Danny Betson 3 R 3 3 2 (11)
Andrew Bargh 3 3 2 3 FX (11)
Matt Bates F (0)
Jordan Frampton 3 1 3 2 (9)
George Piper FX FX F (0)
Brendan Johnson 2 FN F 1 R 0 2* 1 (6+1)
Team manager: Bryn Williams
Referee: Phil Griffin
HEAT DETAILS:
1: (Re-run) Betson (O), Warwick (S), Smethills (O) (penalised 15m for touching tapes), Stevens (S), 59.2 (2-4)
2: Hart (S), Johnson (O), Baseby (S), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell, excluded) (O), awarded - no time (6-6).
3: Bargh (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Bates (O) (fell), 60.4 (9-9).
4: (Re-run) Frampton (O), Hart (S), Theobald (S) (excluded, not under power), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell, excluded) (O), Johnson (fell, unable to contest re-run), awarded - no time (11-12).
5: Smethills (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Betson (O) (ret), 60.5 (14-15).
6: Warwick (S), Stevens (S), Frampton (O) (fell, remounted), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell), 60.7 (19-16).
7: Bargh (O), Baseby (S), Hart (S), Johnson (O) (fell), 62.6 (22-19).
8: Betson (O), Hart (S), Johnson (O), Warwick (S) (fell), 60.8 (24-23).
9: Frampton (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.3 (27-26).
10: Warwick (S), Bargh (O), Felton (S), Johnson (O), 59.1 (31-28).
11: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Baseby (S), Theobald (S), 58.9 (32-33).
12: Bargh (O), Johnson (O), Hart (S), Cook (S), 60.3 (33-38).
13: Warwick (S), Frampton (O), Smethills (O), Theobald (S) (excluded, two minutes), 59.1 (36-41).
14: (Re-run) Baseby (S), Felton (S), Johnson (O) (penalised 15m for touching tapes), three riders only, 63.6 (41-42).
15: (Re-run) Warwick (S), Betson (O), Hart (S), Bargh (O) (fell, excluded), 60.6 (45-44).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
SITTINGBOURNE CRUSADERS 45 OXFORD CHEETAHS 44
(Conference League)
A heartbreaker for the Cheetahs - in a match where everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the unlucky visitors.
Oxford completed the match with just four riders. Matt Bates suffered from dizziness after a Heat 3 fall, George Piper sustained an ankle injury in Heat 6 (later diagnosed as soft tissue damage), and worst of all, Andrew Bargh fell after a coming together with Danny Warwick on the opening turns of Heat 15, and suffered a broken ankle.
Brendan Johnson also hurt his wrist in Heat 4 and was not able to take his place in the re-run. During a long gap between Heats 6 & 7, while Piper & Bates received treatment, Johnson declared himself fit to continue in the meeting, and indeed took his full allocation of seven rides.
It's always difficult to prepare a good track on a baking hot day, and Sittingbourne track staff were further handicapped with their grader out of action with a broken clutch. It left the Old Gun Site track at far from its best.
Heat 1 saw Lee Smethills hit the tapes. He went 15m back for the re-run, and had passed Sittingbourne No.8 Jon Stevens by the end of the opening lap to take third. Danny Betson thrust inside Danny Warwick on the fourth bend of lap 2 to win the race (2-4).
Jerran Hart won Heat 2. Brendan Johnson and George Piper were in second and third from the tapes, but Piper fell twice on the second bend - on the first and second laps. The race was stopped and awarded as a 4-2 to Sittingbourne (6-6).
Matt Bates & Andrew Bargh held a 5-1 in Heat 3, but Bates hit a rut and came off on the fourth bend, so the race finished as a 3-3 (9-9).
Hart & Johnson collided on the first bend of Heat 4, and Johnson took a pearler. With Johnson complaining of pain in his wrist (and without any ice available to help him!), fellow reserve Piper took his place in the re-run. Piper continued to struggle with the track, falling twice. With the race stopped, it was awarded to Jordan Frampton ahead of Hart, with no third, as James Theobald had already pulled up onto the centre green with an engine failure (11-12).
Smethills & Betson were on for an easy 5-1 in Heat 5, when Betson lost his chain, and more points slipped from Oxford's grasp (14-15).
Heat 6 was eventful, with Piper falling on the second bend and remounting, then Frampton hit a rut around the third / fourth bend, and narrowly avoided T-boning Warwick - who was also struggling with the bend - on his way down. Frampton remounted in third and had nearly caught Stevens by the end of the race. Meanwhile, Piper fell once more on the second bend of the final lap - and this time he was hurt (19-16).
At the same time, Bates started to complain of feeling dizzy - a combination of his Heat 3 fall and the intense heat. With medics checking out both Piper and Bates, it led to an enforced lengthy interval. Johnson was now ready to resume in the meeting - but with both Bates and Piper out, he was going to be busy!
Heat 7 eventually got underway. Bargh led, while Johnson fell looking for a way past the Crusaders pair on the third bend. With Johnson trying to push his bike off the track, the race continued, and Bargh missed Johnson's bike by millimetres on the next circuit - referee's Phil Griffin's inability to stop the race angering riders from both sides. Bargh won the race (22-19).
In Heat 8, Hart & Warwick gated, but Betson produced a fantastic ride. He got under Warwick on the fourth bend of lap 2, with Warwick slipping off on the second bend of lap 3 after going too wide in an attempt to hit back. Shortly afterwards, Betson shot inside Hart on the third bend to move into the lead. With Johnson in third, it was a 4-2 to the Cheetahs (24-23).
Johnson was out again in Heat 9 - this time on a bike borrowed from Bargh. Frampton won the race from Dean Felton & Harland Cook as the gap remained at one point (27-26).
Warwick & Felton were first away in Heat 10, with Bargh then blasting around Felton on the back straight. He couldn't overhaul Warwick, as the Crusaders took a 4-2. Johnson, out for his fourth successive ride, finished fourth (31-28).
Betson & Smethills led all the way to take a 5-1 from Heat 11, as the Cheetahs edged back into the lead (32-33).
And then Bargh & Johnson gated in Heat 12, and Oxford again took a 5-1. In different circumstances, Johnson's second place here would have been the match-winner, but there was one final, cruel twist of the knife to come for the Cheetahs (33-38).
Theobald failed to make it to the tapes in Heat 13, and was excluded under two minutes. With Theobald already replaced in Heat 7, it meant Sittingbourne couldn't bring in another rider in his place. Warwick gated and won from Frampton and Smethills, as Oxford maintained their 5-point lead (36-41).
Johnson was Oxford's sole representative in Heat 14. A slippery clutch dragged him into the tapes and he had start from 15m behind. In the re-run, he soon caught up the Sittingbourne pair of Felton & Aaron Baseby, and it was only some masterful team-riding by the experienced Felton that kept Johnson at bay (41-42).
Betson & Bargh went into Heat 15 knowing a 3-3 would secure the match. However, Warwick and Bargh collided on the opening bends, Bargh lost control, and lifted and smashed into the fence coming out of the second bend. It was immediately apparent that Bargh could not take his place in the re-run, and to add insult to injury, Phil Griffin excluded him. Had he not been excluded, Oxford could have put either Frampton or Smethills out in the re-run in his place.
After another lengthy delay while Bargh received treatment on his ankle (at 90 degrees to where it should be - ouch!!), the re-run took place. Warwick gated and there was no way past for Betson on what was, by now, a very slick track (45-44).
So a hugely frustrating afternoon for the Oxford camp - after a meeting which took over three hours to run! I felt most disappointed for the Oxford riders, who despite being reduced to five in number for most of the meeting, rode their hearts out, clubbed together as a team, and still lost. They didn't deserve to, but that's Speedway.
Well done to Sittingbourne on their first league win of the season.
SITTINGBOURNE CRUSADERS 45
Danny Warwick 2 3 F 3 3 3 (14)
Rider replacement - Mark Baseby
Harland Cook 1* 1* 1* 0 (3+3)
Dean Felton 2 2 2 1 2* (9+1)
James Theobald X 0 MX (0)
Aaron Baseby 1 2 1 3 (7)
Jerran Hart 3 2 1* 2 1 1 (10+1)
Jon Stevens 0 2* (2+1)
Team manager: Chris Hunt
OXFORD CHEETAHS 44
Lee Smethills 1 3 2* 1* (7+2)
Danny Betson 3 R 3 3 2 (11)
Andrew Bargh 3 3 2 3 FX (11)
Matt Bates F (0)
Jordan Frampton 3 1 3 2 (9)
George Piper FX FX F (0)
Brendan Johnson 2 FN F 1 R 0 2* 1 (6+1)
Team manager: Bryn Williams
Referee: Phil Griffin
HEAT DETAILS:
1: (Re-run) Betson (O), Warwick (S), Smethills (O) (penalised 15m for touching tapes), Stevens (S), 59.2 (2-4)
2: Hart (S), Johnson (O), Baseby (S), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell, excluded) (O), awarded - no time (6-6).
3: Bargh (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Bates (O) (fell), 60.4 (9-9).
4: (Re-run) Frampton (O), Hart (S), Theobald (S) (excluded, not under power), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell, excluded) (O), Johnson (fell, unable to contest re-run), awarded - no time (11-12).
5: Smethills (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Betson (O) (ret), 60.5 (14-15).
6: Warwick (S), Stevens (S), Frampton (O) (fell, remounted), Piper (O) (fell, remounted then fell), 60.7 (19-16).
7: Bargh (O), Baseby (S), Hart (S), Johnson (O) (fell), 62.6 (22-19).
8: Betson (O), Hart (S), Johnson (O), Warwick (S) (fell), 60.8 (24-23).
9: Frampton (O), Felton (S), Cook (S), Johnson (O) (ret), 60.3 (27-26).
10: Warwick (S), Bargh (O), Felton (S), Johnson (O), 59.1 (31-28).
11: Betson (O), Smethills (O), Baseby (S), Theobald (S), 58.9 (32-33).
12: Bargh (O), Johnson (O), Hart (S), Cook (S), 60.3 (33-38).
13: Warwick (S), Frampton (O), Smethills (O), Theobald (S) (excluded, two minutes), 59.1 (36-41).
14: (Re-run) Baseby (S), Felton (S), Johnson (O) (penalised 15m for touching tapes), three riders only, 63.6 (41-42).
15: (Re-run) Warwick (S), Betson (O), Hart (S), Bargh (O) (fell, excluded), 60.6 (45-44).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY