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Rye House Rockets v Hull Vikings
Premier League, 02 May 2005
Hoddesdon Stadium, Rye House

Rye House 50
1Stuart Robson31*2*30 ..92
2Edward Kennett0223. ..70
3Chris Neath33333 ..150
4Tommy Allen00Fx.. ..00
5Brent Werner2*330. ..81
6(g)Karlis Ezergailis2T00. ..20
7Daniel KingF31T2* 0391
Hull 44
1Paul Thorp21*1*24^ 1*.113
2Emiliano Sanchez1*234^2 2.141
4Emil Kramer1*011*. ..32
5Garry Stead1311*. ..61
6Craig Branney32020 1*.81
7Joel Parsons1010. ..20

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

Rye House Rockets staged their first league match of the season, against Hull , and won 50-44. Hull have a number of riders who go well at the Hoddesden track and were the only team to beat the Rockets at home in the league last year. Chris Neath missed that one but he made up for it this year with an untroubled 15 point maximum. The Rockets used Karlis Ezergailis as a reserve in place of Steve Boxall, out for a few matches with a broken thumb. Hull used rider replacement for Lee Dicken who has now been released by the club and will be replaced by Italian rider Simone Terenzani.

The first half of the match was very close with Rye House leading 25-23 after eight heats. Brent Werner snatched a second place on the line from Garry Stead in heat 4 but Hull hit back immediately in heat 5. Neath got away in front with Tommy Allen second, but Allen couldn't hold his place as firstly Emiliano Sanchez and then Paul Thorp passed him in an exciting shared heat. Heat 6 was also shared when Stead produced his best ride of the day, leading all the way to hold off Edward Kennet and Stuart Robson.

Rye House stretched ahead in heats 9 and 10 : Chris Neath and Daniel King were too fast for Garry Stead and Craig Branney, and then the Robson / Kennet duo had a comfortable win over Emil Kramer and Joel Parsons.

Emiliano Sanchez, Hull's best rider on the day, was looking better with each ride, exactly as he had in the 2004 meeting. He took a tactical ride in heat 11 alongside Paul Thorp and things looked good for Hull as they led Werner and Ezergailis coming out of the second bend. However, Werner decided that this was the time to produce his best race of the year and began to reel them in. He caught Thorp first and then swept past Sanchez in the home straight to get the home fans rocking.

Heats 12 and 13 were shared. Neath won from Sanchez in the first of these but heat 13 was a thriller. The slow starting Stuart Robson found himself behind Garry Stead and Paul Thorp. Robson sized them up for a couple of laps before cutting inside Stead. He caught and passed Thorp on the home straight in lap 3 only for Thorp to regain the lead at the bend ... but Robson caught him again and stayed in front.

Rye House were eight points clear at the start of heat 14 but Hull had a chance to get right back in it. Thorp appeared as a tactical substitute, riding with Emil Kramer, against Tommy Allen and Daniel King. Kramer made the gate ahead of King and Allen. The Rye House pair held off the chasing Thorp until he caught up with Allen at the third bend. As the two entered the bend, Allen fell and was excluded, a sad end to a miserable day for him. The pressure was really on King in the re-run and he responded well, starting fast and leading Kramer. Thorp eventually got past his team mate but could make little impression on King. Hull won the heat 5-3 but King's victory had ensured a home win.

Match Report by Candyman