AUSTRALIA: Cool Salisbury win first match down under
Salisbury duo, Ryan Edson and Matty Snowden, started the first match of the new season with a bang, scoring a 7-3 against the pairing of Paul White and Robert Fleming from LeFevre.
Heat 2 finished much the same with another 7-3, with experienced lead rider Shane Weinert making the right moves to get partner Jake Matthews up to the lead against findon duo Braden Makepeace and Connor Whelan.
In Heat 3 LeFevre’s Nash Manoel, back from a few years out the sport, streaked away from grid one and took the win infront of the matches top point scorer Shane Bentley, with Robert Sellick holding back the other Findon rider Angus Freeman for a 6-4 to the Dolphins.
Heat 5, Salisbury’s Matty Snowden received an exclusion for a Jump at the start, leaving his team mate, Ryan Edson, to Gate over both Findon’s Braden Makepeace and Connor Wheelan from grid 4 to take the Win.
Heat 10 saw the first of the “too slow” exlusions from the referee, Ernie Osbourne. LeFevres Nash Manoel was the first to receive marching orders following a trend in similar exclusions in heat 16 and 17.
Heat 17 was the height of the match, seeing Salisbury’s Ryan Edson leading the two findon riders, Braden Makepeace and Connor Whelan, while popping wheelies down the main straight, this soon came to an end when his gaurd was let down and Braden Makepeace made a late switch and both riders ended up in the fence, with the young Comet not turning left after the move.
Braden Makepeace (left) and Ryan Edson (right) end up in the safety fence in heat 17.
Heat 18 gave Salisbury an unassailable lead, but Findon, with a chance of a second place in the standings with the inside grid advantage, folded to the experience of LeFevre’s Ty Geertsen and Robert Sellick. LeFevre were in a 7-3 points scoring position by lap 2 against Shane Bentley and Angus Freeman, then Ty Geertsen was excluded on the last lap for aggressively cutting off a riders line, in a controversial decision leaving Findon only one point behind second placed LeFevre.
To sum up the day we witnessed, a very young Findon side needed more cool heads and a greater emphasis on team riding. An Experienced front runner rider is really what that are lacking and may get in the form of Bobby Mcmillan very soon?
LeFevre once again showed their experience, fielding the oldest team on the day but doing exactly what was required to capitalise on the second place they needed. LeFevre will hope to field a stronger team in the next league competitions with potential returns of Daniel Pudney, Cameron Crisp, Jack Norman, and you can’t rule out Bobby McMillan.
Salisbury, headed by two of the best team riders around, Shane Weinert and Ryan Edson, really did flourish on the day with the help of their young team, they listened, executed well and didn’t do anything silly.
Salisbury Jets 60:
Ryan Edson 15, Matty Snowden 6, Shane Weinert 18, Jake Matthews 13, Ryan Greenhalgh 9, Brodie Charlson 6
LeFevre Dolphins 52:
Robert Fleming 9, Paul White 9, Nash Manoel 9, Robert Sellick 16, Ty Geertsen 11, Damian Jenkins DNR.
Findon Comets 51:
Branden Makepeace 8, Connor Whelan 12, Angus Freeman 8, Shane Bentley 21, Aussie Jones 2, Ben Blaker DNR.