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Workington Comets v Kings Lynn Stars
Premier League, 09 September 2006
Derwent Park, Workington

Workington 43
1Garry Stead303R. ..60
2Alan Mogridge0021*2* ..52
3Tomasz Piszcz31333 Fx.130
5James Wright334!31 3.170
6(g)Charles WrightFx.... ..00
7Aidan Collins11R.. ..20
8(g)David Haigh00... ..00
Kings Lynn 49
1Kevin Doolan1*322*2 ..102
2Troy Bachelor22*31*. ..82
3Trevor Harding1*1*12. ..52
4Daniel Nermark2202. ..60
5Tomas Topinka23231* ..111
6Chris Mills311*1*. ..62
7(g)Andrew Tully2*001*. ..32

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

Workington were without Rusty Harrison so used R/R at number 4 instead. They had Charles Wright at number 6 in place of Lee Derbyshire and nominated David Haigh as their number 8. King’s Lynn were without John Oliver who was riding in the Conference League Riders Championship at Rye House and had Andrew Tully at number 7 in his place.

Garry Stead took the opening heat from Batchelor and Doolan after Alan Mogridge has touched the tapes and had to go from 15 metres back. Then the Stars opened a four point lead with a 1-5 from Chris Mills and Andrew Tully in the reserves race. Worse for Workington was Charles Wright’s crash into the fourth bend fence on the third lap which caused him to be withdrawn from the meeting. In heat 3 Tomasz Piszcz won from Daniel Nermark and Trevor Harding for a shared race but the Comets pulled two points back with a 4-2 in heat 4 won by James Wright who passed Tomas Topinka in fine style. Aidan Collins was third and the score was now 11-13.

King’s Lynn hit back with a 1-5 in heat 5 to extend their lead to six points when Kevin Doolan and Troy Batchelor headed home Tomasz Piszcz. They looked like adding another in heat 6 when Topinka and Mills shot into the lead but Alan Mogridge produced an excellent round the boards pass on Mills as Garry Stead at the back was having engine problems. This meant that the Stars had won the race 2-4 and now had an eight point lead at 14-22. James Wright won heat 7 in comfort but Aidan Collins not only pulled out of the race but also the meeting leaving Workington in a near impossible position with only four riders. Eight points down James Wright took a Tactical Substitute ride from 15 metres back in heat 8. He gave it everything but just lost out on the line to Troy Batchelor. Alan Mogridge took third place however so the Comets took a 5-3 heat advantage which made the score 19-25 after eight heats.

Tomas Topinka followed Tomasz Piszcz home in heat 9 for a shared heat then Workington got back into the match with a 5-1 in heat 10. Garry Stead and Alan Mogridge headed home Trevor Harding and Daniel Nermark to cut the gap to two points at 27-29. In heat 11 the Comets could only track one rider but, since it was James Wright, it was good enough to share the race as Wright won from Doolan and Batchelor. In heat 12 the Comets had to go with one rider again and this time Tomasz Piszcz kept them in the hunt by beating Harding and Mills. The score now stood at 33-35.

The Comets’ hopes went out the window in heat 13 when they conceded a 1-5. Topinka and Doolan made the gate with Garry Stead in third place until he retired on the last lap. This let James Wright through into third place but it was too late for him to make an impact on the Stars’ top two. With a six point lead again the match was effectively over since the Comets could only track one rider in heat 14. Tomasz Piszcz won the race but Nermark and Tully had only to race round to pick up the three points which gave the visitors another away win. Just to rub salt in the wound Tomasz Piszcz fell in the last race as the Comets looked like scoring a 4-2 and was excluded from the rerun. James Wright won it but, again, Doolan and Topinka had only to finish to take three points.

Match Report by Merlin