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Newport Wasps v Sheffield Tigers
Premier League, 31 July 2005
Queensway Meadows, Newport

Newport 38
1Henrik Vedel31*1*1. ..62
2Tony Atkin02222 0.80
3Neil Collins1*2233 ..111
5Mads Korneliussen30... ..30
6Lee Dicken011*30 M2^71
7Karlis Ezergailis30000 0030
Sheffield 53
1Sean Wilson2322*2 ..111
2Ben Wilson1*131*. ..62
3Ricky Ashworth3332. ..110
4Richard Hall02*Fx3. ..51
5Andre Compton23331* ..121
6Paul Cooper1*0R1*. ..22
7Kyle Legault21*12*. ..62

* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).

It was another disastrous match for Newport this afternoon as they went down heavily yet again. They had new signing Henrik Vedel at number 1 and used R/R for Michael Coles at number 4 but Mads Korneliussen withdrew from the meeting after his second ride to leave them hopelessly shorthanded yet again. Sheffield had the unusual experience of tracking a full strength seven man side.

It can’t be easy for Newport with Craig Watson out for such a long time but their strategy of using R/R for Michael Coles while tracking a low scoring reserve leaves them wide open to what happened in this match particularly with Henrik Vedel still to find his feet. Yet it was Vedel who won the opening heat from the two Wilsons for a 3-3 before Karlis Ezergailis won heat two also for a shared heat. Alas for Newport they were to be the last points Ezergailis was to score despite another six outings to come. Heats 3 and 4 won by Ashworth and Korneliussen were also shared so the score after the opening four heats was 12-12.

Newport were soon in trouble though. Neil Collins split the two Wilsons in heat 5 as Sheffield took the lead with a 2-4 then, after a shared heat 6 won by Andre Compton, Ashworth and Hall recorded a 1-5 as Korneliussen finished at the back and subsequently withdrew from the meeting. Heat 8 also went to Sheffield as Ben Wilson beat Tony Atkin in a 2-4 for the Tigers. This took the heat 8 score to 20-28 and already things were looking bleak for the Wasps.

The next four heats were all shared. Compton and Ashworth won heats 9 and 10 for Sheffield and Dicken and Collins won heats 11 and 12 for Newport as the heat 12 score moved on to 32-40 with Newport still facing that 8 point deficit. It was all over in heat 13, however, as Andre Compton and Sean Wilson scored a 1-5 for a 12 point lead. Although Lee Dicken took a TR in heat 14 he could only follow Hall and Legault home for a 2-5 to the visitors but Neil Collins had the satisfaction of beating both Sean Wilson and Andre Compton in heat 13.

Match Report by Merlin