MATCH REPORT: Hammers one win away from title

September 1, 2014 editor

Horspath Hammers have edged closer to the Cycle Speedway Elite League title with a 84-90 win away at Wednesfield.

The Aces saw their chance of a win over league leaders and rivals Horspath, slip them by due to exclusions at a vital stage midway through second half of match. The Aces gifted Horspath a 6-2 win in the first heat with Lee Aris picking up a exclusion for moving on start tapes.

That was equalled out in the next heat when Horspath suffered a gate exclusion for Lewis Osbourne the Aces snatching a 7-2. Horspath came bouncing back in the next with a 6-4 from Boaler and Timms over Mould and Smith.

Andy Johnson got his marching orders in heat 4 for a ram on Mark Griffiths, bringing the Aces man down heavily, in the rerun Wednesfield took full advantage with a 7-2 from Griff and Lee Aris against Marcin Kolata. The Aces increased their lead in the next with a 6-4 from Wadhams and Jewkes up against Nowacki and Payne putting them 7 up 27-20. That was short lived with Horspath firing in 3 consecutive 6-4s leading up to the interval, with a shared heat 9. Half time score – Wednesfield 44 Horspath 43.

In the second half the Aces started off as if they meant business, with 7-3 & 6-4 wins puting them 7 points in front followed by a drawn race with the win going to Paradinski. Then the Aces gremlins started to creep in, with a tapes exclusion for Ben Mould resulting in a 6-3 to Horspath reducing the Aces lead to 4 points.

Heat 14 saw the visitors draw level on 68-68 after a 7-3 win from Boaler & Payne. In heat 15 the Aces’ chances started to drift away as Kolata and Timms took full advantage with a 7-2 win after the exclusion of Paul Heard moving at the start. This was after about 8 attempts to get the race underway after unsatisfactory starts, Horspath now in the lead 75-80.

The next heat was drawn. To compound the Aces’ bad luck, Lee Aris recieved his marching orders in heat 18 for apparant use of the leg to most the crowds dismay, as the home supporters thought the opposite, that it was a ram. In the re-run it finished a 5-4 to Horspath, the final race was also a shared heat bringing the final score to Wednesfield 84 Horspath 90.

Wednesfield 84
LEE ARIS 8+2, CHRIS JEWKES 13, PAUL HEARD 11+1, RICKI JOHNSON 10+1, BEN MOULD 10, MATT SMITH 12, MARK GRIFFITHS 8+1, MARCUS WADHAMS 12+1.

Horspath 90
ANDY JOHNSON 0, LUCKAZ NOWACKI 14, MARCIN PARADINSKI 17, LEWIS OSBOURNE 7+1, MARK BOALER 16+1, CHRIS TIMMS 12+2, MARCIN KOLATA 11, ZAK PAYNE 13.