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Post by Administrator on Jun 14, 2015 8:17:44 GMT
Five Man Rockets Just Miss Out Workington 50 Rye House 42 (Premier League; Saturday, June 13th 2015) The Restart Rockets came within a whisker of an unexpected away match point at Workington tonight before their late fightback at Derwent Park was finally subdued in a 50-42 defeat. Already operating Rider-Replacement for broken collarbone victim Kasper Lykke, the Rockets found their resources reduced to just five riders when Steve Boxall was forced to withdraw with a repeat of his previous shoulder injury as early as Heat 4. Two race wins from Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen and further three point displays from Edward Kennett and Robin Aspegren kept the score down to 43-31 with just three races remaining, before successive maximums - from Kennett and NBJ in Heat 13, and then Aspegren and guest Nico Covatti in the following race – suddenly brought fresh hope at 45-41. There the dream ended, as Rene Back completed an unbeaten evening, with team mate Ricky Wells allowing him through for a full maximum on the last lap, as the Comets pair finished well ahead of NBJ and Kennett. Rye House team manager John Sampford praised his depleted troops afterwards, saying “The five of them rode their hearts out to get us so close to that match point. “We could arguably have nabbed it if we had deployed the Tactical Ride option in Heats 8 or 11, rather than Heat 9, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Nikolaj (Busk Jakobsen) was head and shoulders above the rest of the team, with a couple of race wins, when we nominated him, but we had to settle for four points after he was passed by Rene Bach. Robin (Apegren) won Heat 8, but up to that point he had only scored 3 points from 3 rides, and it was a similar situation with Edward (Kennett), who had scored 3 from 2 rides before he took Heat 11. The TR is always a gamble. “But I am proud of the boys for their fighting spirit. They never gave up. “Unfortunately, we lost Steve (Boxall) after his first ride. He wrenched his shoulder again after a lap and he was struggling to hold on. There’s got to be a serious question mark already over whether he will ride next Saturday at home to Peterborough. “We are hoping things will be more positive for that match for Anders (Mellgren), though, and that we’ll be welcoming him back. He is due to have rides in Sweden on Thursday, and depending on how that goes he is aiming to be back against the Panthers.” Rye House scorers: Nikolaj B Jakobsen 13+1 (inc 4 as a TR), Robin Aspegren 13, Edward Kennett 9, Nico Covatti 6+2, Dan Greenwood 1+1, Steve Boxall 0, Kasper Lykke R/R Workington scorers: Rene Bach 15, Ricky Wells 11+2, Kyle Howarth 8, James Sarjeant 7+2, Matthew Wethers 6+2, Kenneth Hansen 3, Nathan Greaves 0 Match Points: Workington 3 Rye House 0
Kennett Tenth in British Final 2015 British Final (Wolverhampton; Monday, June 15th) 1st Tai Woffinden 2nd Craig Cook 3rd Danny King It proved a quiet night for Edward Kennett as the Restart Rockets’ No 1 finished tenth in the British Final at Wolverhampton on Monday. Three second places in as many outings made for an encouraging start but the Rye House captain was able to manage only an additional point from his two remaining rides to finish two adrift of inclusion in the meeting’s deciding stages. Former Rocket Tai Woffinden won the title for a third straight year, but only after playing his “get out of jail” card in the Grand Final after the race’s original staging was halted when Jason Garrity fell with Craig Cook a clear leader. The 2013 World Champion made no mistake in the re-run, to finish ahead of Cook, who earned the Wildcard nomination for the British Grand Prix for the second year in succession, with Danny King third. The meeting was marred by a major crash involving Ben Barker, who was taken to hospital after lifting at the exit point of the second bend and hitting the back straight safety fence in the very first race of the night. Qualifying scores (main 20 heat programme): Tai Woffinden 13, Jason Garrity 13 (qualified straight to Grand Final), Craig Cook 12, Richard Lawson 11, Scott Nicholls 10, Danny King 9 (qualified for Semi-Final), Chris Harris 9, Kyle Howarth 8, Carl Wilkinson 7, Edward Kennett 7, Steve Worrall 6, Lewis Blackbird 6, Adam Roynon 3, Andre, Compton 3, Leigh Lanham 2, Max Clegg 0 (res), Matt Williamson 0 (res), Ben Barker 0
Semi-Final (first two to Grand Final): Cook, King, Nicholls, Lawson (exc)
Grand Final: Woffinden, Cook, King, Garrity (f.exc)
Rockets Prepare for Panthers match on Saturday, June 20, 2015 The Restart Rockets return to home shale after a three week absence this Saturday (7pm start) as they battle East Anglian arch-rivals Peterborough in Premier League action. And “battle” can be the only operative word here, with the Rockets vying for a Play-Off spot and the Panthers challenging for pole position. The Cambridgeshire side has lost just once in eight league starts – a surprise 46-44 reverse at home to Ipswich last Friday – and has already racked up three wins and a draw from its travels. The Panthers can name World Cup young gun Robert Lambert and Michael Palm Toft – a maximum man when guesting for Berwick in Hertfordshire three weeks ago – in their line-up, and have named Richard Lawson and Adam Roynon as guests for injured No.1 Olly Allen (broken ankle) and Simon Lambert (concussion). The Rockets, meanwhile, will call on two guests in Carl Wilkinson (for Anders Mellgren) and Leigh Lanham (for Kasper Lykke), with Rider-Replacement in operation for third missing star Steve Boxall and enabling all the remaining Rockets, bar Edward Kennett, to fill in as cover. Rye House team manager John Sampford updated the situation on his sidelined troops: “It has now transpired that Anders has suffered six broken ribs rather than the three that were initially detected, and his doctors have ruled out any chance of a track return this weekend. We have effectively got a two week break in terms of our fixtures once we get past Saturday, which will hopefully give him the healing time to be fit for a return at that point. “Kasper has been recommended to have an operation – which he had on Monday - to insert a plate and screws on a permanent basis for his collarbone. He is due to undergo magnetic treatment on a daily basis to speed up the healing process, with a view to having his collarbone x-rayed again in a fortnight’s time. So again, he could be back with us when our fixtures kick back in in July. “Finally, Steve has been to his local hospital and will need to have a scan on his shoulder in order to determine just what is wrong with it. Unfortunately, we can’t really assess his likely absence any further until we know the results.” Regarding Saturday’s clash, Samford continued, “We know that it is going to be a very hard fixture – I know that I am repeating myself with that comment on a meeting-by-meeting basis – but there is no other way of putting it. Peterborough’s record speaks for itself and they have a team that can go well around our place, as they showed in the League Cup in April. “But the mood in our camp is one of quiet confidence. The guys are doing their job as a team, and although we were disappointed to miss out on a match point the last time out at Workington, we also came away from that one having given a really good account of ourselves with what was effectively a five man team. “So we are upbeat and more than fired up for this Saturday. “It has been a really topsy-turvy league so far this year: only three teams have yet to be beaten at home and only four have yet to win away. Any given team can beat any other team on any given day – it’s just about being in the right place at the right time. “We aim to be in that place on Saturday.” Rye House team: Robin Aspegren, Steve Boxall R/R, Dan Greenwood, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Edward Kennett (captain), Leigh Lanham (guest), Carl Wilkinson (guest) Peterborough team: Lewis Blackbird, Oliver Greenwood, Robert Lambert, Richard Lawson (guest), Ulrich Ostergaard (captain), Adam Roynon (guest), Michael Palm Toft
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Post by Administrator on Jun 27, 2015 22:36:03 GMT
NBJ Reaches Euro U-21 Final! Restart Rocket Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen has qualified for the European U-21 Final following a fourth place performance in his Semi-Final round in Brovst in his native Denmark. NBJ finished second in a three man run-off for the final rostrum spot after scoring 10 points from his programmed rides, with the podium places taken by Anders Thomsen (12), Mikkel B Andersen (also 12) and Victor Palovaara (10). The Final itself will be staged on August 29th. Much earlier than that, Jakobsen will take his place in the opening round of the World U-21 Final series in Lonigo in Italy on Saturday, July 11th.
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Post by Administrator on Jul 3, 2015 14:53:01 GMT
Rockets Swoop for Young German The Restart Rockets have moved to fill the gap left by Steve Boxall’s extended absence by signing former German U-21 international Danny Maassen. The 21 year old brings with him a racing record that includes his country’s national U-21 title, plus a run to the World Championship Semi-Finals at that level last season. He has appeared in this country before briefly as a Sheffield Tiger right at the tail-end of 2013, but is earmarked for a much lengthier stay this time around. Maassen, who rides in Germany for DMV White Tigers alongside World Cup Lion Robert Lambert, will slot into his new British team on an assessed 5 point average, replacing Steve Boxall whose recent shoulder scan has confirmed the need for an operation which could potentially keep him out of action until the end of the season. His assessed average will place him in one of the Rockets’ two reserve positions, with Robin Aspegren accordingly moving up into the main body of the side. Rye House co-promoter Len Silver is looking forward to Maassen’s imminent arrival, which has been approved by the BSPA. “This move was completed very quickly indeed, as soon as we knew that Steve was to be absent for what looks like the best part of the season. Danny has been very keen to join us for quite some time, and we have been in daily contact. I know he has the very best of equipment, and I am sure that his sheer enthusiasm will help him to make the move profitable for both of us. I can't wait to see him in action at Ipswich next Thursday." Rye House team manager John Sampford concurs, saying “Danny is very, very keen to impress – and, needless to say, we’re very keen to see him progress and show us what he is capable of.” “Operating Rider-Replacement for Steve would really be only a short term solution because of the extra pressure it would put on the rest of the team. “We desperately need to get back to fielding a full seven man side, and Danny’s signing pushes us in that direction.” Please find attached two jpeg images of Danny Maassen – one posed, one action - in connection with this story, and which should be credited to Andy Garner and Thilo Waitz, respectively.
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Post by Administrator on Jul 3, 2015 21:11:41 GMT
Friday, July 3, 2015
Double Trouble for Rockets in Pairs It proved a disappointing night for Restart Rockets duo Edward Kennett and Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen as they represented the club in this year’s Premier League Pairs Championship at Somerset Speedway. With scoring allocated on a 4-3-2-0 basis, an opening race 2-7 against Peterborough left the Rockets on an immediate back-foot from which they never fully recovered. A 6-3 verdict over Edinburgh as Kennett and NBJ finished either side of Sam Masters raised brief hope, only for that optimism to be dashed courtesy of a 3-6 against Ipswich and a second 2-7, this time against Newcastle, as Rye ultimately slipped to last place in their five team group. Rye House team manager John Sampford admitted the result was a disappointing one but also stressed it should be viewed in context, “What can you say? It obviously wasn’t to be tonight, but both Edward and Nikolaj rode their hearts out in a meeting packed with top riders, and in that sort of company you sometimes need the split second moments and luck to go your way. “But the boys certainly had their moments. Edward bounced back from a last in his first race to pick up a win in his second, while Nikolaj plugged away with three thirds.” The title was won by the Ipswich pairing of Danny King and Rohan Tungate, who led home Somerset‘s Josh Grajczonek in a Grand Final that was re-run after Rebel Brady Kurtz had been excluded for a first bend fall. Redcar (Lasse Bjerre/Stuart Robson) and Peterborough (Ulrich Ostergaard/Michael Palm Toft) were the beaten Semi-Finalists. Group A (top two pairs to Semi-Finals): Ipswich 24 (Danny King 15/Rohan Tungate 9) Peterborough 23 (Ulrich Ostergaard 13/Michael Palm Toft 10) Edinburgh 16 (Sam Masters 14/Kevin Wolbert 2) Newcastle 14 (Lewis Kerr 9/Steve Worrall 5) Rye House 13 (Edward Kennett 7/Nikolaj B Jakobsen 6)
Group B (top two pairs to Semi-Finals):
Somerset 24 (Brady Kurtz 14/Josh Grajczonek 8) Redcar 18 (Lasse Bjerre 11/Stuart Robson 7) Glasgow 18 (Nick Morris 15/Richard Lawson 3) Berwick 16 (Kevin Doolan 10/Thomas Jorgensen 6) Workington 16 (Kyle Howarth 13/Ricky Wells 3)
SemiFinals: Ipswich beat Redcar 5-4 (Bjerre, King, Tungate, Robson) Somerset beat Peterborough 6-3 (Kurtz, Ostergaard, Grajczonek, Palm Toft) Grand Final: Ipswich beat Somerset 7-2 (Tungate, King, Grajczonek, Kurtz (fex))
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Post by Administrator on Jul 7, 2015 12:54:17 GMT
Preview: Rockets at Ipswich Fate – or rather an international fixtures clash – has decreed that it will be a very different looking Restart Rockets team that takes to the track at Ipswich in the Premier League on Thursday. The Rockets have been nudging back towards the position of being able to field their full declared one-to-seven with the signing of Danny Maassen and the return to fitness of Anders Mellgren, but both Mellgren and Robin Aspegren will be missing in Suffolk through Swedish league duties. With Kasper Lykke still absent with a broken collarbone, the Rockets have called on Eastbourne hotshot Bradley Wilson-Dean and former Witch and 2015 European U-21 Finalist Adam Ellis as guests, and will cover their third absence with Rider-Replacement. Rye House team manager John Sampford admits that “It will be a difficult match on Thursday with three riders missing, but we’ll give it our best shot. We’ll approach the match the same way we have done every other, and that is to go out there to achieve the best result possible; it’s as simple as that. “Kasper (Lykke) has, of course, already had his operation to put a plate and screws in, and had magnetic therapy three times a day for a fortnight. He has now been told by his specialists that he should allow another three weeks of recuperation without putting stress on his collarbone to allow the bone to knit. “That would take his total absence with the injury to seven weeks, which is a week longer than the six weeks it normally takes a broken collarbone to heal. Kasper himself is targeting a return in just under a fortnight’s time, for our match at home to Glasgow, in order to be back on track after six weeks, but we will obviously have to wait and see. “We will at least, though, have both Anders and Robin back on Sunday for our home Cup match against Berwick, which will leave Kasper as our only remaining absence.” Rye House team: Adam Ellis (guest), Daniel Greenwood, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Edward Kennett (captain), Danny Maassen, Rider-Replacement, Bradley Wilson-Dean (guest) Ipswich team: Nico Covatti, Cameron Heeps, Danny King (captain), Gino Manzares, Ashley Morris, Stefan Nielsen, Rohan Tungate
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Post by Administrator on Jul 8, 2015 17:30:07 GMT
Late Change at Ipswich Rye House team manager John Sampford has been forced into making a late change to the Restart Rockets’ line-up at Ipswich tomorrow night because of the assessed average for originally planned guest Bradley Wilson-Dean. The vacant spot will now be filled by Restart Raider Kyle Hughes, who was previously a regular Rocket back in 2010 and most recently powered to 14 points in the Raiders’ home victory over high-flying Eastbourne.
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Post by Administrator on Jul 9, 2015 21:57:45 GMT
Kennett Steadies Depleted Rockets Ipswich 58 Rye House 35 (Premier League; Thursday, July 9th 2015) The absence of Anders Mellgren and Robin Aspegren, who were both committed to Swedish League action, cost the Restart Rockets dearly as they tumbled to a 58-35 defeat at fellow play-off chasers Ipswich. Had the duo been present, the Rockets could conceivably have competed for an away match point. As things transpired, they were handed their heaviest loss of the season, although a superb display from Edward Kennett ensured that the final result was still relatively respectable. The Rye House captain dropped his only point of the night to Danny King in the opening race, before heading home his adversary in two subsequent encounters en route to a monster 17 point haul. Kennett’s key support came from NBJ, who bagged a race win and 9 points, and guest Adam Ellis, who finished with 5. It proved an eventful debut for German Danny Maassen, who suffered an exclusion and separate fall, but also briefly led Heat 4 before a mistake left him at the rear of the field. He claimed his first point as a Rocket in Heat 8. Rye House co-promoter Len Silver said afterwards, “Both John Sampford and I were pleased with the promise we saw in Danny’s performance. He has got potential that we can work with.” Team manager Sampford continued, “Edward gave a simply wonderful display tonight, but we were always going to be really up against it with three National League riders in the team. “It was also a very grippy track tonight – more so than usual – but the boys got stuck in and gave it their all. I have got no arguments about their effort. “Could we have pushed for a match point with Anders and Robin available? Unfortunately, we will never know.” Rye House scorers: Edward Kennett 17 (inc 6 as a TR), Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 9, Adam Ellis (guest) 5, Daniel Greenwood 3, Danny Maassen 1, Kyle Hughes (guest) 0, Anders Mellgren R/R Ipswich scorers: Danny King 13, Rohan Tungate 12+1, Ashley Morris 8+1, Nico Covatti 8, Gino Manzares 7+2, Stefan Nielsen 6+3, Cameron Heeps 4+1 Match Points: Ipswich 3 Rye House 0
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Post by Administrator on Jul 10, 2015 7:56:46 GMT
Bowen 747 Touches Down! The Restart Rockets have made their second team announcement in a week, with the exciting news that Luke Bowen is re-joining the side after a three month absence. The Bowen 747 last rode for the Rockets on Easter Monday, deciding afterwards to take a break from the sport. His only subsequent meeting has been May’s British Championship Semi-Final at Sheffield. Team manager John Sampford is absolutely delighted to welcome the Harlow Flyer back to the Rye House fold. “Luke has been a backbone of the club for so long, and it is great to see him back. He feels fresh and ready to race again, and although we are not going to put any pressure on him, we all know what he is capable of - and also the boost he will provide to the team just by being there.” There is unfortunately a downside to any arrival, and in this case it comes with the departure from the side of Daniel Greenwood. “Dan has put his heart and soul into his time at Rye House, but unfortunately he has struggled for points. We truly thank him for his efforts, and truly hope that there is an opportunity to see him back here when his career has developed further.” Looking immediately ahead, the returning Bowen will make his “debut” when the Rockets finally fly back into Hertfordshire after a six week absence for Sunday’s Travel Plus Tours Knock-Out Cup quarter-final tie at home to Berwick (5pm start). The fixture will also feature the first appearance at Hoddesdon of new signing Danny Maassen and the return to action of Anders Mellgren, who has been side-lined with broken ribs suffered in a track crash in Sweden on May 21st. The Bandits, who will be smarting from Wednesday’s 49-41 home defeat against Peterborough, will operate Rider-Replacement for injured No.1 Ben Barker, while the continued absence of knee ligament victim Claus Vissing will be covered by “super-guest” Michael Palm Toft – who romped to a six ride maximum when Berwick provided the Rockets’ last opposition in Hertfordshire, on May 31st. The Borders side also includes former Ace of Herts winner Kevin Doolan, newly crowned Longtrack World Cup Champion Richard Hall and recently signed Argentian Fernando Garcia. Says Sampford of Sunday’s crunch fixture: “We are expecting another really tough battle, because the tie is so vital to both sides. “While we still need to see Kasper back from his broken collarbone – and hopefully that return will be in the not too distant future – we’re moving in the right direction in terms of finally getting back to a full septet. “As I said before our first round tie, I’m not going to set a first leg target to take to Berwick for the return, because targets can be a good thing but they can also be detrimental when it comes to psyching up for the second leg. “No, we’ll just to look to build as big an advantage as we can. We don’t read too much into what happened at Ipswich, when we were missing our two Swedes, but we do want to hit the Bandits while they are down after their home defeat against Peterborough.” He also issued a rally cry to fans. “The supporters can also make a real difference on Sunday. We need them to really get behind the boys from the off - to make plenty of noise for Luke and Anders on their return, and Danny on his home debut, but also to show plenty of encouragement for the rest of the team throughout the full fifteen heats – because every point will be important.” Rye House team: Robin Aspegren, Luke Bowen, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Edward Kennett (captain), Kasper Lykke R/R, Danny Maassen, Anders Mellgren Berwick team: Ben Barker R/R, Kevin Doolan, Alex Edberg, Fernando Garcia, Richard Hall, Thomas Jorgensen, Michael Palm Toft (guest) Please find attached jpeg images of Luke Bowen, which may be reused for publication subject to appropriate credit to photographer Ian Bush.Attachments:
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Post by Administrator on Jul 10, 2015 8:32:12 GMT
Harry Ward commented on your post in LONDON SPEEDWAYS Harry Ward 10 July 09:05 Meeting should never have taken place. To charge Full entrance fee to watch two decent PL riders and four NL standard riders against Ipswich is a disgrace. Given that the original fixture was rained off surely a clash with the swedish league meeting could have been avoided. Well done Edward for making the score look acceptable but the racing wasn't
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Post by Administrator on Jul 12, 2015 7:29:47 GMT
NBJ Third in World U-21 Opener! Restart Rocket Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen produced a dazzling display to finish third in the opening round of the World U-21 Final series in Lonigo in Italy last night. The Dane recovered from a mixed start that saw him score 3 points from his first two rides to drop just a single point over the rest of the meeting, for 11 overall – just 3 points behind early series leaders Bartosz Zmarzlik and Mikkel Michelsen. British representative Stefan Nielsen headed home NBJ for a race victory in Heat 2 but could add only 2 further points as he finished on 5. The second round of the three event series is scheduled for Lublin in Poland on August 15th, with the title ultimately wrapped up in Pardubice in the Czech Republic on September 19th. NBJ can expect a strong fan reception when he re-joins his Rye House colleagues for this evening’s Travel Plus Tours Knock-Out Cup tie at Hoddesdon against Berwick which starts at 5pm. Scorers: Bartosz Zmarzlik 14 (after run-off), Mikkel Michelsen 14, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 11, Mikkel Bech 10, Brady Kurtz 10, Anders Thomsen 10, Max Fricke 10, Pawel Przedpelski 8, Victor Palovaara 8, Emil Grondal 6, Stefan Nielsen 5, Andzeij Lebedevs 5, Michele Paco Castagna 4, Viktor Kulakov 3, Nikolas Vicentin 2, Aleksandr Loktaev 0, Giorgio Trentin (res) 0, Ivan Garzaro (res) 0 Please find attached a jpeg image of NBJ, which may be re-used for publication subject to appropriate credit to photographer Ian Bush. Attachments:
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Post by Administrator on Jul 12, 2015 21:21:17 GMT
No Home Comforts for Rockets Rye House 42 Berwick 48 (Travel Plus Tours KO Cup; Sunday, July 12th 2015) There was no happy homecoming for the Restart Rockets, whose first match in seven weeks around their own circuit saw them upended 48-42 by Berwick in the Travel Plus Tours Knock-Out Cup. It leaves a major uphill climb for the second leg of the tie on July 25th if the Rockets are to retain an interest in this season’s competition beyond the quarter-final stage, but their target could easily have been of a much more mountainous scale had they been failed to improve on a simply dreadful start that saw them trailing 28-14 after Heat 7. It took until the next race for Rye to claim their first heat win of the day, although they ultimately managed six from the second half of the meeting. Three of those successes came from Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, who followed up his tremendous World U-21 Final performance with a battling display that also featured the Rockets’ only 5-1 of the match alongside Edward Kennett in Heat 13. Kennett himself provided a separate three pointer, with the returning Anders Mellgren contributing his team’s other two race wins in his first match back from a six week absence through broken ribs and a punctured lung. At the other end of the roster, Luke Bowen visibly shook off his three month race rust on a race-by-race basis to collect paid 5, while Danny Maasen’s sharp starting helped him to an encouraging 3 points on his home debut. Gating was in general, however, a major problem for the home side, as team manager John Sampford admitted after the match. “We were totally out-trapped. It was as simple as that. “Full credit to Berwick, who were so much sharper at the starts, although it certainly played into their hands when they won the toss, which gave them the outside gate positions for much of the first half of the meeting. We effectively had them for the second, which helped to make it a match of two halves. “The Bandits were also much sharper in terms of regular action coming into this tie. You have to remember that this was their fourth fixture in a week, whereas we have pretty much been sitting idle during the 42 days we’ve been away from here, with just three away matches in the meantime. “The bottom line, though, is in the score - and they did the business here today and deserved the win. “Now it’s down to us to believe that the tie isn’t over yet. Yes, it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got to travel up to Shielfield Park with the right attitude and self-belief, and give it our very best shot. They (the Bandits) have been beaten twice at home during the last week, and we’ve got to go there with the mentality that we can produce the goods too.” Rye House scorers: Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 11 (5 rides), Edward Kennett 10+1 (5), Anders Mellgren 10 (5), Robin Aspegren 4+2 (5), Luke Bowen 4+1 (5), Danny Maassen 3 (5), Kasper Lykke R/R
Berwick scorers: Thomas Jorgensen 16 (6 rides), Kevin Doolan 11 (6), Rohan Tungate (guest) 8+3 (5), Richard Hall 8+1 (6), Alex Edberg 5 (5), Fernando Garcia 0 (4), Ben Barker R/R NBJ Talks U-21s Restart Rocket Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen brought plenty of positive memories back with him from Italy following last night’s third place finish in the opening round of the World U-21 Final. Talking prior to today’s match at Rye House – in which he joint-top-scored for the team with 11 – he said, “It was a great night for me in Lonigo, for sure. I had tried a lot of things out during the practice session, but when it got to the actual meeting the track was much slicker and I had to go down the sprocket race by race. “I dropped points to some riders I would have expected to beat, but I also beat some really tough opposition, so things evened themselves out.
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Post by Administrator on Jul 14, 2015 13:59:20 GMT
Rockets Named to Fours The Restart Rockets have been confirmed as one of the eight clubs competing for this year’s Premier League Fours championship which will be staged at Peterborough on Sunday, August 2nd (2pm start). It promises to be a packed afternoon of racing at the East of England Showground, with the teams split into two groups of four for the eight-heat semi-finals, and the top two teams from each group progressing to the twelve-heat Final that concludes the day.
The full list of qualifiers (group draw to follow) is: Edinburgh, Somerset, Glasgow, Workington, Ipswich, Rye House, Newcastle and Peterborough. Rye House team manager John Sampford is already looking forward to next month’s event. “We are delighted to have qualified for the first time in a few years, and we’ll certainly be going to Peterborough with a positive attitude. We have won there twice against the Panthers these last two seasons, which shows that we have got riders who can race well around there. “The aim, as always, will be to make the cut for the Final – and then anything goes.” “Hopefully we will have also good travelling support there to really back the boys, and to enjoy what should be one of the highlights of the British speedway season.”
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Post by Administrator on Jul 17, 2015 8:50:35 GMT
Rockets Target Tiger Feat The Restart Rockets have the perfect opportunity to rebound from Sunday’s home disappointment against Berwick when they return to town on Saturday to tackle high-flying Glasgow. The Bandits reverse came in the Travel Plus Tours Knock-Out Cup – although the Rockets can still retain an interest in that competition by springing a surprise in the return leg on July 25th – but Saturday is all about the Premier League and the race for the championship play-offs. Rye will be missing broken collarbone victim Kasper Lykke but, the Dane aside, will be at full strength for the fixture. Team manager John Sampford is anxious to plug the final gap in his roster, but appreciates that it may still be some time before that aim can be realised. “The latest word from Kasper is that the earliest he will be in a position to practice will be next weekend, which means that he will miss the Glasgow match, plus our northern tour to Edinburgh, Berwick and Newcastle. “If all goes OK, we will finally see him back for our match at Sheffield on the 31st. “You can see the clear hole he’s left in the side with his knee and collarbone injuries. He rode for us the whole of March and May, but the way things are looking his appearance record for April, June and July will be a combined total of three matches! “His average across all competitive matches, including bonus points, this year would actually place him second in the team behind Edward (Kennett), but the reality of what we are having to deal with in terms of Rider-Replacement is a 5.77 “green sheet” record, which really limits us.” The pain of absence on Saturday will, however, be a shared one. The Glasgow Tigers are appearing on most neutrals’ short-lists for silverware in 2015, with hopes still high in the League, Cup AND League Cup. They have, however, got their own problems at the weekend, with No.1 Nick Morris out with an elbow injury, David Howe side-lined with shoulder problems and Dimitri Berge having recently left the club citing personal confidence issues. The Tigers will operate Rider-Replacement for Morris, with Plymouth’s James Holder called up as a guest for Howe and former Rocket Adam Roynon taking on a similar role in place of Berge. The two guests will augment Glasgow regulars Richard Lawson, the dual Lakeside Hammer who placed 6th in last month’s British Final, captain Aaron Summers, 2012 Raider James Sarjeant and World U-21 Finalist Victor Palovaara. Says Sampford as the match in prospect, “At the risk of sounding repetitive, it’s going to be another hard and bruising meeting; there is no other way this year. “They (Glasgow) are a very good team, and they’ve covered for their problems pretty well with their choice of guests. “But we are absolutely determined to bounce back after Sunday’s result. We’ve had the best part of a week to review what happened against Berwick, and to focus on this one. There is a lot at stake in terms of keeping our hopes of a play-off spot alive, and to do that it’s got to be all about getting the win.” The action starts at 7pm sharp. Rye House team: Robin Aspegren, Luke Bowen, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen, Edward Kennett (captain), Kasper Lykke R/R, Danny Maassen, Anders Mellgren Glasgow team: James Holder (guest), Richard Lawson, Nick Morris R/R, Victor Palovaara, Adam Roynon (guest), James Sarjeant, Aaron Summers (captain)
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Post by Administrator on Jul 19, 2015 7:04:17 GMT
Tiger, Tiger Rye House 39 Glasgow 51 (Premier League; Saturday, July 18th 2015) The Restart Rockets’ chase for a place in the end of season play-offs took a turn for the worse when they fell 51-39 at home to highly rated championship contenders Glasgow. The defeat, their second in the Premier League at Hoddesdon this season, leaves the Rockets in eighth place in the table, some eleven points adrift of a top six spot but with matches in hand. Providing just five race wins – three of those through stalwart Edward Kennett – Rye were always playing catch-up here, although it was only in the final four heats that the Tigers finally pulled clear from 35-31 to their ultimate twelve point winning margin. Kennett inevitably topped the Rockets’ score-chart, finishing with a 12+1 tally that included a remarkable third-to-first performance in Heat 6 that saw him pip World U-21 Finalist Victor Palovaara for the victory coming off the very last bend. Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen contributed a further 9, with Anders Mellgren adding 8+1, as Rye’s top three proved responsible for 29 of their 39 point total. Team manager John Sampford admitted afterwards, “It was obviously not the result we wanted – not at all – but it was the result that we got, as we were beaten by the better team on the day. It was as simple as that. “Glasgow are a quality side, as they’ve shown with their results this season, and the fact that they are already in the League Cup Final, while we badly missed Kasper (Lykke). Edward and Nikolaj were at the races, and Anders was also in there, but we struggled elsewhere. “Luke (Bowen) is getting back into the groove, but he is currently still race-rusty and not race-sharp at the gate, while Robin (Aspegren) is struggling a bit at the moment, and we’re not sure why. “Danny (Maassen) had carburettor problems in a couple of races, but he is trying desperately hard. “As I say, we desperately need Kasper back. By our next home match against Newcastle on August 1st, he will be – and that will take the pressure off the other guys.” Rye House scorers: Edward Kennett 12+1, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 9, Anders Mellgren 8+1, Luke Bowen 4+3, Robin Aspegren 4, Danny Maassen 2, Kasper Lykke R/R
Glasgow scorers: Richard Lawson 14+1, Aaron Summers 13+2, Victor Palovaara 12, Jack Holder (guest) 8+1, James Sarjeant 3+1, Adam Roynon (guest) 1+1, Nick Morris R/R Match Points: Rye House 0 Glasgow 4
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Post by Administrator on Jul 21, 2015 14:18:44 GMT
Rockets on Tour The Restart Rockets will be aiming to put their two recent disappointing home results behind them when they head off for their northern tour this weekend. Their travels will take them to three different venues in as many nights, with different challenges and opportunities on offer at each. Their stiffest test will arguably come at their opening circuit on Friday night, when they come up against defending Premier League champions - as well as Cup and Trophy winners – Edinburgh. Rye House team manager John Sampford admits that “Although we have done well there in the past, it’s fair to say that we’ve found the going much more difficult since we lost by just six points in 2010. “Armadale is a similar size of track to Rye, but although its turns are not as tight it has its own characteristics, and which require quite a specific skill to master. “The Monarchs have also put together another very strong line-up this season, but we will go there to do our best and with the aim of fixing some of the issues that were evident on Saturday against Glasgow.” The Rockets’ objective at Berwick the following evening will be even more straightforward and direct, as they bid to pull back a six point deficit in the second leg of their Travel Plus Tours Knock-Out Cup tie. Says Sampford, “The aim at Shielfield Park is very simple; it’s 49 points or bust. “Last year aside, we’ve enjoyed some quite reasonable performances at Berwick in the last few years, but we have to take that to the next level. We know that trapping will be absolutely paramount, and we’ll need to do to the Bandits what they did to us in that respect in the first leg. “It will also be a real opportunity for Robin (Aspegren) to get back on song after his recent difficult spell as he returns to his former stamping ground.” The final leg of the Rockets’ northern tour takes them to Newcastle on Sunday evening. From Sampford’s perspective, “Brough Park is an acquired venue, with long straights that head into tight corners, but the Diamonds don’t look as strong as they have done in the past. They have suffered four home defeats already in the League, so we know that they are vulnerable and we will need to attack on that basis.” Sunday’s match will also provide a scouting mission for the Rockets’ next action at Hoddesdon on Saturday, August 1st - which will come against the same opposition – as well as for the following afternoon’s Four Team Championship at Peterborough, with Rye drawn in the same semi-final group as the Diamonds, Glasgow and defending titlists Somerset. Kasper Lykke is set to be a part of that weekend given the current timescale for his return from a broken collarbone. As Sampford confirms, “Kasper is planning to practice later this week, with his aim being to be back for our match at Sheffield next Thursday (July 30th), and therefore ahead of our home match against Newcastle and the Fours, where the rest of our main quartet will be Edward (Kennett), Nikolaj (Busk Jakobsen) and Anders (Mellgren).”
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