Post by Genghis on Sept 8, 2007 14:20:45 GMT
Friday, September 7, 2007
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 63 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 30
Plymouth win 92-91 on aggregate
(Conference League Knockout Cup, quarter-final replay, second leg)
The result of this match was a very bitter pill to take from an Oxford perspective.
To get so close to the semi-finals, with such a depleted line-up, and then miss out in the final heat, was heartbreaking.
It was obvious from early on that it would be touch and go to whether the Cheetahs could reach their 31-point target.
With Bob Charles failing to bother to turn up at the St. Bonniface Arena for second time in 2007 (he had also failed to put in a appearance for Scunthorpe), if left Oxford with just one rider in three races, and the first of these was Heat 1. With no rider in gate 2, Seemond Stephens could concentrate in pushing Lee Smethills wide around the first bend, and Nicki Glanz and Stephens took a 5-1 over Smethills, who had problems with his footrest and had to slow down to negotiate the tight Plymouth bends (34-62).
Heat 2 was eventful. Brendan Johnson gated, but seemed to get a slight roller, so the riders were brought back. In the re-run, Tim Webster was leading the Oxford pair of Dakota North and Johnson, when he spun around and fell on the second bend of lap 2. With Webster excluded, North and Johnson shot out in front at the third time of asking, but North accidentally pushed Johnson wide, then went wide himself, as a grateful Hopwood came though from third to first (37-65).
Rob Smith and Tom Brown gated in Heat 3, with Kyle Hughes chasing hard but unable to dislodge Brown from second place (42-66).
Hopwood & Jamie Westacott then led Heat 4, but showing real aggression, Hughes pushed inside Westacott on the third lap to restrict the Devils to a 4-2 (46-68).
Smethills was out on his own again in Heat 5. He made a reasonable start, but Brown took him wide around the opening bends, and Smith came through to join Brown for a 5-1 (51-69).
Hughes cut under Glanz on the second bend of Heat 6 to move into second place, but a lap later, Glanz repeated the move in reverse and joined Stephens for another 5-1 to the Devils - and the Cheetahs looked in deep trouble, with 18 points of their 32-point lead have already disappeared (56-70).
Juggling his limited resources to the maximum, Oxford team manager Peter Oakes nominated Lee Smethills as a TR for his R/R ride in Heat 7, and also placed the lively North into the race. The pair got out in front, but Westacott edged past North. Entering the first bend of the second bend, North dived back under Westacott, but didn't make the corner at all, and brought both himself and Westacott down, with Webster laying it down behind them. North was excluded, while ironically it was Webster who was the worst off out of the three riders. Smethills won the re-run in a 6-3 to Oxford, while Webster crawled around in third, before withdrawing from rest of the meeting (59-76).
Johnson gated in Heat 8, but made a hash of the second bend, and Glanz and Hopwood came through for a 5-1 (64-77).
Hughes boosted Oxford's chances with a fine win in Heat 9, resisting early pressure from Brown and posting, at this point, the fastest time of the night (67-80).
Glanz and Stephens took a straightforward 5-1 from Heat 10 (72-81), but Smethills showed real determination in overhauling Westacott to win Heat 11 and the Cheetahs were getting tantalising close to the winning line (75-84).
Hopwood and Brown took a 5-1 in Heat 12, despite a sterling early challenge from North, who had rode his socks off - it was hard to believe it was there were his first competitive rides on a 500cc bike. Pickard fell at the back on the second lap (80-85).
Heat 13 was a terrific race. Smethills came under Stephens in a terrific move on the fourth turn to take the lead, while Westacott gained the upper hand in the battle for third place, pushing under Hughes on the second lap. Hughes continued to chase around the outside, but received a clout from Westacott on the fourth bend of lap 3 and lost ground. Unperturbed, Hughes continued to chase, switched to the inside coming off the final bend, and snatched third from Westacott on the line in a very tight finish. A great ride from both Oxford riders, and the 4-2 left the Cheetahs needing just a second place from either of the final two races to go through (82-89).
Hughes was placed into Heat 14 as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker. Hopwood gated, while Smith bustled under Johnson on the second turn. Hughes then moved past his team-mate into third, and by the final lap, he had closed right in on the Plymouth pair. With the inside protected, Hughes went for a big sweep around the outside off the final bend, but Smith held onto second place (87-90).
Oxford won the toss for Heat 15 and placed Smethills off the favourable gate 1. Anything but a 5-1 to the Devils would see the Cheetahs through. Renowned starter Stephens hit the first corner ahead of Smethills. Hughes held third place early on, but Glanz got under him on the third bend. Stephens seemed to make a slight error on the second bend of lap 2, and it allowed Smethills to get right up on Stephens's outside. Entering the third bend, Smethills simply ran out of room and for a while, it appeared he was coming off. He corrected himself, but Glanz had come through on the inside. Smethills then chased the Plymouth pair hard for the remaining two laps, but could not get back past, and as Stephens and Glanz crossed the line for a 5-1, the stadium erupted as the joyous Plymouth fans celebrated (92-91).
So, a bitter disappointment for the Cheetahs, BUT the team can still hold their heads up high, for a putting up a terrific effort with such limited resources.
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 63
Seemond Stephens 2* 3 2* 2 3 (12+2)
Nicki Glanz 3 2* 3 3 2* (13+2)
Tom Brown 2* 2* 1* 2* (7+4)
Rob Smith 3 3 2 2* (10+1)
Jamie Westacott 1 2 2 0 (5)
Tim Webster FX 1* (1+1)
Ben Hopwood 3 3 2* 1* 3 3 (15+2)
Team manager: David Short.
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 30
Lee Smethills 1 1 6! 3 3 1 (15)
Bob Charles Did not arrive
Rider replacement - Andrew Bargh
Jaimie Pickard 0 1 F (1)
Kyle Hughes 1 2 1 3 1 1# 0 (9)
Brendan Johnson 1* 0 1 0 0 0 (2+1)
Dakota North 2 0 FX 0 1 (3)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Peter Clarke
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Glanz (P), Stephens (P), Smethills (O), three riders only, 52.97 (5-1).
2: (Re-run twice) Hopwood (P), North (O), Johnson (O), Webster (P) (fell, excluded), 54.19 (8-4).
3: Smith (P), Brown (P), Hughes (O), Pickard (O), 53.60 (13-5).
4: Hopwood (P), Hughes (O), Westacott (P), North (O), 53.56 (17-7)
5: Smith (P), Brown (P), Smethills (O), three riders only, 54.19 (22-8).
6: Stephens (P), Glanz (P), Hughes (O), Johnson (O), 53.47 (27-9).
7: (Re-run) Smethills (O) (tactical ride), Westacott (P), Webster (P), North (O) (fell, excluded), 53.06 (30-15).
8: Glanz (P), Hopwood (P), Johnson (O), three riders only, 53.8 (35-16).
9: Hughes (O), Smith (P). Brown (P), Johnson (O), 52.94 (38-19).
10: Glanz (P), Stephens (P), Pickard (O), North (O), 52.94 (43-20).
11: Smethills (O), Westacott (P), Hopwood (P), Johnson (O), 54.86 (46-23).
12: Hopwood (P), Brown (P), North (O), Pickard (O) (fell), 55.85 (51-24).
13: Smethills (O), Stephens (P), Hughes (O), Westacott (P), 53.56 (53-28).
14: Hopwood (P), Smith (P), Hughes (O) (t/s - off 15m), Johnson (O), 54.91 (58-29).
15: Stephens (P), Glanz (P), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), 52.90 (63-30).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 63 OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 30
Plymouth win 92-91 on aggregate
(Conference League Knockout Cup, quarter-final replay, second leg)
The result of this match was a very bitter pill to take from an Oxford perspective.
To get so close to the semi-finals, with such a depleted line-up, and then miss out in the final heat, was heartbreaking.
It was obvious from early on that it would be touch and go to whether the Cheetahs could reach their 31-point target.
With Bob Charles failing to bother to turn up at the St. Bonniface Arena for second time in 2007 (he had also failed to put in a appearance for Scunthorpe), if left Oxford with just one rider in three races, and the first of these was Heat 1. With no rider in gate 2, Seemond Stephens could concentrate in pushing Lee Smethills wide around the first bend, and Nicki Glanz and Stephens took a 5-1 over Smethills, who had problems with his footrest and had to slow down to negotiate the tight Plymouth bends (34-62).
Heat 2 was eventful. Brendan Johnson gated, but seemed to get a slight roller, so the riders were brought back. In the re-run, Tim Webster was leading the Oxford pair of Dakota North and Johnson, when he spun around and fell on the second bend of lap 2. With Webster excluded, North and Johnson shot out in front at the third time of asking, but North accidentally pushed Johnson wide, then went wide himself, as a grateful Hopwood came though from third to first (37-65).
Rob Smith and Tom Brown gated in Heat 3, with Kyle Hughes chasing hard but unable to dislodge Brown from second place (42-66).
Hopwood & Jamie Westacott then led Heat 4, but showing real aggression, Hughes pushed inside Westacott on the third lap to restrict the Devils to a 4-2 (46-68).
Smethills was out on his own again in Heat 5. He made a reasonable start, but Brown took him wide around the opening bends, and Smith came through to join Brown for a 5-1 (51-69).
Hughes cut under Glanz on the second bend of Heat 6 to move into second place, but a lap later, Glanz repeated the move in reverse and joined Stephens for another 5-1 to the Devils - and the Cheetahs looked in deep trouble, with 18 points of their 32-point lead have already disappeared (56-70).
Juggling his limited resources to the maximum, Oxford team manager Peter Oakes nominated Lee Smethills as a TR for his R/R ride in Heat 7, and also placed the lively North into the race. The pair got out in front, but Westacott edged past North. Entering the first bend of the second bend, North dived back under Westacott, but didn't make the corner at all, and brought both himself and Westacott down, with Webster laying it down behind them. North was excluded, while ironically it was Webster who was the worst off out of the three riders. Smethills won the re-run in a 6-3 to Oxford, while Webster crawled around in third, before withdrawing from rest of the meeting (59-76).
Johnson gated in Heat 8, but made a hash of the second bend, and Glanz and Hopwood came through for a 5-1 (64-77).
Hughes boosted Oxford's chances with a fine win in Heat 9, resisting early pressure from Brown and posting, at this point, the fastest time of the night (67-80).
Glanz and Stephens took a straightforward 5-1 from Heat 10 (72-81), but Smethills showed real determination in overhauling Westacott to win Heat 11 and the Cheetahs were getting tantalising close to the winning line (75-84).
Hopwood and Brown took a 5-1 in Heat 12, despite a sterling early challenge from North, who had rode his socks off - it was hard to believe it was there were his first competitive rides on a 500cc bike. Pickard fell at the back on the second lap (80-85).
Heat 13 was a terrific race. Smethills came under Stephens in a terrific move on the fourth turn to take the lead, while Westacott gained the upper hand in the battle for third place, pushing under Hughes on the second lap. Hughes continued to chase around the outside, but received a clout from Westacott on the fourth bend of lap 3 and lost ground. Unperturbed, Hughes continued to chase, switched to the inside coming off the final bend, and snatched third from Westacott on the line in a very tight finish. A great ride from both Oxford riders, and the 4-2 left the Cheetahs needing just a second place from either of the final two races to go through (82-89).
Hughes was placed into Heat 14 as a tactical substitute off the 15m marker. Hopwood gated, while Smith bustled under Johnson on the second turn. Hughes then moved past his team-mate into third, and by the final lap, he had closed right in on the Plymouth pair. With the inside protected, Hughes went for a big sweep around the outside off the final bend, but Smith held onto second place (87-90).
Oxford won the toss for Heat 15 and placed Smethills off the favourable gate 1. Anything but a 5-1 to the Devils would see the Cheetahs through. Renowned starter Stephens hit the first corner ahead of Smethills. Hughes held third place early on, but Glanz got under him on the third bend. Stephens seemed to make a slight error on the second bend of lap 2, and it allowed Smethills to get right up on Stephens's outside. Entering the third bend, Smethills simply ran out of room and for a while, it appeared he was coming off. He corrected himself, but Glanz had come through on the inside. Smethills then chased the Plymouth pair hard for the remaining two laps, but could not get back past, and as Stephens and Glanz crossed the line for a 5-1, the stadium erupted as the joyous Plymouth fans celebrated (92-91).
So, a bitter disappointment for the Cheetahs, BUT the team can still hold their heads up high, for a putting up a terrific effort with such limited resources.
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 63
Seemond Stephens 2* 3 2* 2 3 (12+2)
Nicki Glanz 3 2* 3 3 2* (13+2)
Tom Brown 2* 2* 1* 2* (7+4)
Rob Smith 3 3 2 2* (10+1)
Jamie Westacott 1 2 2 0 (5)
Tim Webster FX 1* (1+1)
Ben Hopwood 3 3 2* 1* 3 3 (15+2)
Team manager: David Short.
OXFORD LCD PUBLISHING CHEETAHS 30
Lee Smethills 1 1 6! 3 3 1 (15)
Bob Charles Did not arrive
Rider replacement - Andrew Bargh
Jaimie Pickard 0 1 F (1)
Kyle Hughes 1 2 1 3 1 1# 0 (9)
Brendan Johnson 1* 0 1 0 0 0 (2+1)
Dakota North 2 0 FX 0 1 (3)
Team manager: Peter Oakes
Referee: Peter Clarke
! = tactical ride
# = tactical substitute from 15m
HEAT DETAILS:
1: Glanz (P), Stephens (P), Smethills (O), three riders only, 52.97 (5-1).
2: (Re-run twice) Hopwood (P), North (O), Johnson (O), Webster (P) (fell, excluded), 54.19 (8-4).
3: Smith (P), Brown (P), Hughes (O), Pickard (O), 53.60 (13-5).
4: Hopwood (P), Hughes (O), Westacott (P), North (O), 53.56 (17-7)
5: Smith (P), Brown (P), Smethills (O), three riders only, 54.19 (22-8).
6: Stephens (P), Glanz (P), Hughes (O), Johnson (O), 53.47 (27-9).
7: (Re-run) Smethills (O) (tactical ride), Westacott (P), Webster (P), North (O) (fell, excluded), 53.06 (30-15).
8: Glanz (P), Hopwood (P), Johnson (O), three riders only, 53.8 (35-16).
9: Hughes (O), Smith (P). Brown (P), Johnson (O), 52.94 (38-19).
10: Glanz (P), Stephens (P), Pickard (O), North (O), 52.94 (43-20).
11: Smethills (O), Westacott (P), Hopwood (P), Johnson (O), 54.86 (46-23).
12: Hopwood (P), Brown (P), North (O), Pickard (O) (fell), 55.85 (51-24).
13: Smethills (O), Stephens (P), Hughes (O), Westacott (P), 53.56 (53-28).
14: Hopwood (P), Smith (P), Hughes (O) (t/s - off 15m), Johnson (O), 54.91 (58-29).
15: Stephens (P), Glanz (P), Smethills (O), Hughes (O), 52.90 (63-30).
REPORT: ROB PEASLEY
