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Spotlight on
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Buzz
index |
Speedway
reports 2007 |
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Sunday October 14 Rye House 61 Boston 33
This was a Conference League match postponed on a number
of occasions because of the summer’s rainy weather but it was significant to
both sides in their attempts to secure fourth place in the table. Boston went
into the match without either of their recognised heat leaders and by the
careful use of their tactical options they managed to mount a successful
damage limitation exercise to ensure that they took the aggregate bonus point
and claim fourth place in the league. The Rye House Raiders plundered most of
the early races with a sequence of race wins on the slick surface but as
Boston became used to the conditions they managed to regain some ground to
achieve their main objective. The match hinged on the tactical ride by
McKinna in heat 11 and the tactical substitute ride by Wright in the next
race both securing second place with battling displays for a total of eight
points between them in the two races.
It was a backs-to-the-wall performance and the team can be proud of
their efforts. Rye House: Bowen 8, Mear 16, Halsey13, Karlis 18, Newman
6, Filmer 0. Boston: McKinna 8, Lambert 5, Wright 10, Mallett 3,
McDade 4, Lowe 3, Morris 0. |
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Friday October 12 Boston 36 Scunthorpe
56 (Scunthorpe win 119-66 on aggregate) Once again the Scorpions stamped their authority over
Boston and whilst the process may have been entertaining it was definitely a
disappointment to the Barracudas who had hoped to finish their season at home
on a high note. After winning the
toss and choosing gates two and four, Boston were out-gated in Heat 1
although Brundle quickly passed Haines but could not catch Woffinden who was
only one second outside the four-year-old Conference track record. Adam Lowe’s engine suffered major damage just prior to
the meeting and he did not make the start of heat two and, with McDade an
early faller, Scunthorpe coasted to a 5-0 advantage. The track continued to
remain grippy and some riders struggled with it and in particular Matt Wright
was far from his usual self as Cockle passed him coming out of turn four of
the opening lap and, with Lambert unable to catch Auty, Scunthorpe registered
another 4-2 in heat three. The next
race was shared with Mallett passing Compton on the first lap to romp away to
a fine victory but Scunthorpe scored another 4-2 in the next race in which
Woffinden looked invincible. A
tactical ride for Brundle came in heat six which he won and with Adam McKinna
narrowly holding off Compton after the two had battled for four laps Boston
reduced Scunthorpe’s lead to four points.
Mallett led Auty for three laps in heat seven before the Scorpion
neatly switched inside his line as they entered the final lap. Heat eight was
a disappointment for the Barracudas as Haines and Bekker scored a relatively
easy 5-1. Heat nine was shared, providing the first win of the
evening for Simon Lambert and Cockle was excluded in the next when his fall
clearly impeded McKinna, Brundle winning the re-run despite a hectic chase by
Auty to give Boston a 4-2. But the
eight-point deficit became 12 points when Woffinden and Haines led all the
way for another Scunthorpe maximum in heat 11. Auty was too fast for Lambert
in heat 12, yet another 4-2 to the visitors a score repeated in the next as
the lead stretched to 16 points.
Matthew Wright demonstrated his true ability with a fine win in heat
14 but tactical substitute Simon Lambert clearly tiring during his second
match of the evening could make little impression on Bekker and Cockle. In the final race Mallett made the gate but first
Woffinden and then Auty passed him during the first lap the former completing
an 18-point maximum. A big crowd had stayed on to watch the match following
Kings Lynn’s Premier League fixture and they witnessed another power-house
display from Scunthorpe’s talented team. Woffinden has the hallmark of a
future champion and Auty could well be bracketed with him. Joe Haines, still
at an earlier stage in his career, also appears to have some special abilities
and may well attain the heights of his illustrious team-mates next season. Boston
did their best and Brundle, Mallett and Lambert were always in the thick of
the action. McKinna battled hard and
Wright won a race after struggling to get to grips with the track in the
early stages. Boston: Brundle 13, McKinna 4, Lambert 9, Wright 3,
Mallett 7, Lowe 0, McDade 0. Scunthorpe: Woffinden 15, Haines 7, Auty 13, Cockle 3,
Compton 6, Richardson 4, Bekker 8. |
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Sunday October 7 Scunthorpe 63 Boston 30 Scunthorpe achieved an emphatic 63-30
victory in this third meeting of the two clubs inside eight days. And they
practically sealed their place in the final of the Conference League
play-offs with such an emphatic semi-final conquest. Only Paul Cooper and Simon
Lambert made significant contributions for Boston and left the Cudas with a
mountain to climb in the second leg at King’s Lynn on Friday (October 12). The meeting started badly for Boston when
Paul Cooper blew a hole in the casing of his best engine in the re-run of
heat one after he had touched the tapes in the first attempt to stage the
race. Boston made the most awful of starts in the first four races with only
Lambert splitting the Scunthorpe pair in heat three, the other races being
5-1 in favour of the home team. Cooper mounted on his second machine managed
to win heat five but it was business as usual for Scunthorpe with another
maximum in the following race.
It must be said that Scunthorpe are a
remarkable side with Haines now almost as good as the peerless Woffinden and
the outstanding Auty. And try as they might, Boston just could not match this
fine side. Scunthorpe: Woffinden 13, Haines 12, Auty 10, Cockle 7,
Compton 7, Richardson5, Bekker 9. |
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Friday October 5 Boston 30 Scunthorpe 62 (held
at Scunthorpe) This KO Cup semi-final second leg meeting proved to be a
big disappointment for the Boston “Staffsmart” Barracudas” who had hoped to
improve on their showing at the same venue just five days earlier when they
restricted the Scorpions to a mere six point advantage. But the return to the
Scunthorpe ranks of Tai Woffinden appeared to raise everyone else’s game and
although the match was interesting and attracted a good crowd, in reality
there was only ever one team in it as Scunthorpe went on to secure a 113-75
passage into the final. The immaculate Woffinden opened his account with a
superb race win over Paul Cooper in Heat1 with Joe Haines passing Adam
McKinna for the third place point.
Heat 2 left the Barracudas with major problems when McDade spun and
fell in the path of Adam Lowe as the pair came out of turn two, the latter
striking his grounded partner and was thrown from the bike which then
proceeded to a spin violently out of control across the infield luckily
hitting no-one before it eventually came to rest. Lowe himself was excluded for a fall in the re-run to complete
a disastrous start for the “home” team with the Scunthorpe pair cruising to a
5-0 at the third attempt to stage the race.
Things did not improve with consecutive 5-1s for
Scunthorpe who led by an incredible 19-4 after four races. Lambert managed to
split Woffinden and Haines in heat five, resisting pressure from the latter
who almost squeezed past and with Cooper scoring a six-point tactical ride
victory in heat six the beleaguered Boston had climbed back to within 14
points of the Scorpions. Slight relief for the Barracudas came in heat seven
when Jamie Cockle slid off his bike while third but it was merely the calm
before the storm. Scunthorpe continued their relentless attack with four
more maximums in the last eight heats demonstrating their strength right
across the board. Race victories
during the final onslaught came from Haines (twice), Bekker, Woffinden and
Auty the Barracudas being swept aside by a sea of talent that was both
devastating and efficient in its execution.
A fall by Woffinden in Heat 9 was the only blemish and it was left to
Cooper, Lambert and Mallett to provide any real opposition to one of the
greatest sides that the Conference League has seen and who would appear
destined to claim all of the major team events at this level in 2007. Boston: Cooper 12, McKinna 1, Lambert 7, Wright 3,
Mallett 6, Lowe 1, McDade 0. Scunthorpe: Woffinden 14, Haines 10, Auty 16, Cockle 5,
Richardson 7, Bekker 10. |
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Sunday September 30 Scunthorpe 51, Boston 45 With yet
another rain off for the Boston “Staffsmart” Barracudas at the Norfolk Arena
on Friday they certainly made a brilliant recovery after a terrible start at
Normanby Road on Sunday coming back from an 18 point deficit to end the match
a mere six points adrift of their multi Champion opponents. Indeed after
trailing 10-2 after just two heats the Barracudas outscored mighty Scunthorpe
over the remainder of the match not something many teams can do at the
“Normanby Fortress.” Forgetting
the scoreline it was a memorable afternoon of Conference League speedway
demonstrating totally the entertainment value at this level of the sport.
After a poor start by Boston as so often happens they started the fight back
with a shared heat three followed up with another drawn heat after Byron
Bekker fell close to the end of heat four. Paul Cooper won heat five for
Boston but Scunthorpe were still looking very strong at this stage and their
lead had advanced to 16 points by the end of heat eight. After sharing heat
nine an outstanding last bend pass by Josh Auty gave the Scorpions a 4-2 and
an 18-point lead. Paul
Cooper was nominated for a tactical ride in heat 11. And, with Adam McKinna
fending off the challenge from his opponents, Boston scored an 8-1. The next two heats were shared with a
battling performance from Simon Lambert in heat 12 in which he used the dirt
line of the outer tack edge to great effect to out pace the Scorpions pair.
Cooper, who was inspirational both on the track and in the pits enabled
Boston to share heat 13 with his third race win. Boston pulled Simon Lambert
back 15 metres in the penultimate race to enable him to double his points
scored if he beat one of the Scunthorpe riders. It took the Boston captain
three laps top get past Richardson who blocked his every move but as Lambert
swept passed him on the final turn he maintained his momentum to go under
James Cockle in one of the manoeuvres of the season to take a 6-3 advantage
from the race. In heat 15 Josh Auty reared at the gate allowing Paul Cooper
an easy victory with Lambert nursing a sick motor around to take third place
to end a remarkable match. Scunthorpe:
Auty 11, Haines 14, Cockle 7, Compton 6, Richardson 5, Bekker 8. Boston:
Cooper 16, McKinna 4, Lambert 15, Wright 2, Mallett 5, Lowe 1,McDade 2. |
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Sunday September 9 Sittingbourne
40, Boston 53 Boston made a terrible start to this match with the Crusaders
and were trailing 17-7 after just four heats and looking all at sea on a very
slick track which contained a number of ruts making cornering difficult
especially on turns three and four James Brundle was given a tactical ride in heat five and with
Adam McKinna following his No.1 home the Crusaders lead was reduced to three
points. Another 5-1 to Sittingbourne
in Heat 6 was quickly reversed by Wright and Lambert in the next before
eventually the superior skills of the visitors showed as they got more and
more used to the track eventually easing to a comfortable win This was achieved without the services of McKinna after heat
five in which he caught his right leg in a rut leaving him with further
damage to his knee. Sittingbourne: Felton
12, Cook 11, Reynolds 4 Cross 4, Baseby 3, Hart 6, Mullins 0 Boston: Brundle 12, McKinna 2, Lambert 9, Wright 13, Mallett 6,
Lowe 4, McDade 7 |
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Friday September 7 Boston 58,
Buxton 34 This was a really exciting match spiced up for Boston
and their fans by the first return visit of their early season No.1 Jon Armstrong,
who left for Birmingham in May but who is now with Buxton after the Brummies
terminated his services. The match began badly for the Barracudas when, although
seeing James Brundle and Adam McKinna take the lead, the former then shed a
chain and McKinna hit the fence when trying to re-pass Armstrong, giving the
Hitmen a 5-1 to start their campaign. Lewis Dallaway led heat two from start
to finish but the Boston reserves were comfortably ahead of Paul Starke when
he retired with a problem. Simon Lambert and Matthew Wright looked a strong
pairing as they put the Barracudas on terms with a 5-1 in the next and
Mallett showed little sign of his recent injury when he won heat four with
McDade collecting third place to put Boston ahead for the first time. Wright rode a fine heat five and with Lambert behind him
resisting the challenge of Armstrong the crowd began to buzz with
anticipation as their lead was stretched to six points. Another win for
Mallett in a shared heat seven was followed by an impressive effort from Lowe
as he took heat eight replacing the injured McKinna with Hodgson presenting a
threat which the youngster staved off to take the win. Lambert and Wright
increased the lead with a 4-2 in heat nine, Lambert and Armstrong battling for
the lead which changed hands several times before the Boston captain won the
race. Brundle and McDade scored another 4-2 in heat 10 with
Ben Taylor eventually passing the Scot to prevent another Boston maximum.
Darren Mallett passed Jon Armstrong who took a tactical ride for the Hitmen
in heat 11 to minimise the damage as Buxton clawed two points back Boston
leading 38-30 with four heats remaining. The Barracudas then despatched the Hitmen with four
consecutive 5-1 race wins to end the match but that does nothing to reflect
their efforts in achieving such a grandstand finish. Lambert won the first of
the sequence with Adam Lowe adopting a round the boards style that earned him
second place with the crowd gasping at his flirtation with the outer limits
of the track. The impeccable Brundle and Mallett gave Armstrong no
chance in heat 13 and then Lowe returned to his exploits passing and
re-passing Ben Taylor around the outside actually brushing the fence on one
occasion to win his battle with Taylor bravely while Matt Wright powered home
with great drama, which had the crowd on their feet, going on behind
him. It was heady stuff and marked
Lowe’s best performance for Boston and the match was completed when Wright
and Mallett took yet another 5-1 in the final race. Boston’s play-off hopes were still alive and a very supportive
crowd cheered them loudly on their victory lap. Boston: Brundle 9, McKinna 1, Lambert 11, Wright 12,
Mallett 13, Lowe 8, McDade 4. Buxton: Armstrong 11, Hodgson 6, James 5, Taylor 7,
Dallaway 5, Starke 0. Boston 65,
Rye House 26 With Boston’s injury list almost cleared and Rye House
struggling to field a team with Messrs Cottham and Strudwick injured and Luke
Bowen in action for his parent club, the Rockets, it was perhaps no wonder
that the final score line saw 39 points separating the two teams. However, the Barracudas tore into this match as if their
lives depended on it opening with a salvo of three 5-1s against the depleted Raiders
who, although outclassed in the early stages, had two heroes in the shape of
Robert Mear and Daniel Halsey who did their utmost against massive odds to
keep the Boston victory level down. But the Barracudas were simply awesome as
they progressed to 29-7 after six heats leaving stand-in team manager Jack
Lee with a heavy frown as he looked for ways and means of obtaining points
for his team. A tactical ride for Robert Mear in heat seven produced
the first shared heat of the evening but two more 5-1s for the Barracudas and
the match was all over by the end of heat nine with a scoreline of 43-13 in
favour of the home team. Robert Mear shot from the tapes to bravely win heat
10 and Halsey joined Ezergailis to share the points in the following race as
Rye tried to edge towards respectability.
Indeed Mear took second place in heat 12 as he split
Lambert and McDade and Halsey did the same one race later getting between
Brundle and Mallett. Kye Norton fell and Shane Henry retired in the
penultimate to gift a 5-0 to the rampant Barracudas before Mear and Halsey
snatches a 3-3 in the final race maintaining their effort to the end. Every
one of the Boston team rode well with Lambert looking especially sharp and
Mallett making a return after breaking his collarbone for a useful eight
point haul. Boston: Brundle 10, McKinna 9, Lambert 14, Wright 10,
Mallett 8, Lowe 6 McDade 8. Rye House: Ezergailis 3, Mear
13, Henry 0, Halsey 9, Laurence 1, Norton 0 |
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Friday August 31 Oxford 50, Boston 43
Everyone associated with the Barracudas can be very
proud of the way that the team performed at Oxford where despite the
difficulties faced by both sides due to injuries a highly competitive and
entertaining match was played out at Sandy Lane, which brought considerable
appreciation from many Oxford supporters and their promoter Alan Trump. For Boston it was an opportunity to end a dismal run
against Oxford but with so many riders missing through injuries the run of
Oxford victories was extended to eight – and they are Barracudas’ bogey team
by a long way. Simon Lambert, Matthew Wright and Adam McKinna all delivered
outstanding performances as did Cal McDade promoted to No 2 for one week and
he turned in a fine display. McDade said: “I’m really up for it again now and I think
that’s starting to show.” he said. “I’ve got my bikes going well again and
that is so important.” he stressed. Lambert rode through the pain barrier and
even scored a Tactical Ride six point victory in heat 11 while Matthew Wright
and Adam McKinna weighed in with very important victories. Oxford: Smethills 16, Hughes 3, Martin 14, Andrews 2,
Campos 6 Johnson 9. Boston: Lambert 11, McDade 5, Dunworth 0, Wright 13,
McKinna 9, Lowe 3, Pickard 2. |
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Friday
August 17 Boston 46, Scunthorpe 43 Boston
Barracudas claimed the prized scalp of reigning Conference League champions
Scunthorpe with a pulsating victory at the Norfolk Arena in what was arguably
one of the highlights of the club’s 2007 campaign — in the process becoming
the first team this season to lower the Scorpions’ colours. Top scorer for
the Cudas as James Brundle with a 17-point haul. The match opened with drama
when Josh Auty looped at the gate in heat one and received an exclusion. Adam McKinna retired from the re-run with
a machine failure and in this strange opening race Benji Compton defeated
James Brundle who was riding Simon Lambert’s machine after his own gave him
problems. Heat two was won by Joe Haines who led by a country mile with the
Boston pair well clear of Scott Richardson. Simon Lambert gave a foretaste of
things to come with a fine victory in heat three with Compton and Bekker
behind him and he repeated his victory in heat four leaving the teams
separated by one point in the visitors’ favour after the first four
heats. Josh Auty retired in heat 5 in
which Boston scored a 4-2 to take the lead for the first time, something they
hung onto with considerable grit throughout the rest of the match. Heat six
saw that lead extended to three points when Brundle, back on his own bike,
outpaced Richie Dennis with Adam McKinna well clear of an out of touch
Richardson. Real drama came in heat seven
when Auty crashed on the third bend with Bekker and Lambert close behind
forced to take evasive action and ending up in the fence. The two had been
only two feet apart when the accident occurred and it was surprisingly
announced that the race would be awarded.
Apparently this announcement was made prematurely whilst the referee
Tony Steele and rrainee referee John Homer were still deliberating the
situation and subsequently a re-run was announced with Auty excluded as the
prime cause of the stoppage. This had always seemed the most
logical option although obviously it caused some consternation for the
Scorpions’ management and supporters even though it appeared to be a fairer
decision. In the re-run Lambert won despite feeling the effects of his
skirmish with the fence and with Lowe third behind Bekker the home team’s
lead was now up to five points.
Scunthorpe replied with a 5-1, Joe Haines showing all the skills in
his youthful armoury with Compton close behind. At this point the situation
required more courage from Boston and that was provided by Matthew Wright who
after a modest start to the match suddenly found his form and with Dennis
unable to catch him and McKinna third Boston edged away again from the league
champions. Brundle and McKinna gave the Barracudas another 4-2 in heat 10 and
by now the home fans were beginning to sense that the seemingly impossible
might just be about to happen. But
those thoughts went back on ice when Compton beat Lambert in heat 11 with
Haines third to cut Boston’s lead back to three. The atmosphere was tense as
heats 12 and 13 were shared and in an interesting and vital heat 14 a superb
effort by McDade held up Bekker long enough to allow Wright to distance
himself from the South African although well behind Haines ensuring that
Boston went into the final race one point ahead of the Scorpions. Heat 15 would settle everything
one way or another with Scunthorpe needing a 4-2 for victory and Boston only
needing to share the race. Scunthorpe won the toss and took gates one and
three with Brundle speeding around the field from gate four and he led
Compton down the back straight with Lambert in third place always well clear
of Dennis. The race looked safe with Boston in control and on the night the
Barrcudas were worthy winners ending a very long run of Scunthorpe success
over them and taking their unbeaten league record from them.
Scunthorpe:
Auty 0, Compton 14, Bekker 9, Dennis 6, Richardson 0, Haines 14. Rain,
however, put paid to Boston’s hopes of following up their memorable triumph
with the subsequent trips to Rye House (Saturday) and Sittingbourne (Sunday)
being washed out by the inclement summer conditions. |
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Sunday August 12 Buxton 47 Boston 43
Boston lost this match in the first
three heats as they struggled initially with the tight and difficult track.
But from that point they made a tremendous fight of things, their efforts
ultimately ending in the final race when Buxton scored a 4-2 to ensure their
victory. Boston never gave up and entertained the home crowd with some
excellent speedway as they battled back into the match. But although they
reduced Buxton’s early lead to two points they could not get on terms.
Skipper Simon Lambert was again a real hero and James Brundle also produced
some good races although the reserves struggled to match Lewis Dallaway who
was perhaps the main difference between the teams. Buxton: Bethell 10, Hodgson 1,
James 5, Taylor 13, Roberts 8, Dallaway 9, Starke 1.
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Friday August 10 Boston 43 Oxford 47 This match produced some close racing
but with the track surface dry and slick, the generally quick gating Cheetahs
proved just too strong for Boston.
The lead changed hands on several occasions and the match could have
gone either way before three disastrous heats from 11 to 13 that left Boston
eight points behind. Team manager Malcolm Vasey put his captain, Simon
Lambert, into heat 14 for double points from a 15m handicap and although the
rider captured a gallant second place, he could not pass the impeccable
Betson and the heat was shared to ultimately decide the destiny of the
points. Boston: Brundle 13, Lambert 19,
Wright 5, McKinna 4, Lowe 1, McDade 2. Oxford: Smethills 10, Hughes 5,
Betson 15, Martin 8, Piper 0, Johnson 10. |
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Wednesday August 8 Stoke 46 Boston 46 Boston raced into an 11-point
lead and looked as if they would score a great victory in the Potteries. But
the Spitfires fought back with a tactical ride win from Barrie Evans. And
when Paul Cooper’s machine shed a chain on the line in heat 13, luck ran against
the Barracudas. A 4-2 in a dramatic penultimate race gave them a further
chance of victory but the Stoke pair scored a 5-1 in the final race to snatch
a draw after a most exciting match. Stoke: Evans 15, Legg 2,
Branney 16, Kendrew 0, Dore 4, Pickard 4, Isherwood 5, Boston: Cooper 12, Lambert 11,
Wright 8, McKinna 9, Lowe 5, Morris 1. |
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Sunday
August 5 Scunthorpe 50, Boston 31 (Abandoned after
heat 13 due to electrical failure, result stands) Boston
Barracudas suffered defeat away to reigning champions Scunthorpe, the match
being cut short when a track electrics fault could not be repaired and the
referee called a halt to proceedings. But with the issue already beyond a
patched-up Boston’s redress, the result will stand. Paul Cooper top scored
for the visitors with 12 points. Boston trailed the Scorpions by 17 points after just six
heats before a dramatic partial recovery that saw them restrict the home side
to the extent that had Woffinden been excluded instead of Cooper when the two
touched in the final race, Boston would have gained points on their rivals
during the second half of the match. It was a tight call when referee Tony
Steele excluded Cooper in heat 13 when he fell amid dust clouds. And although
contact was minimal it was a tight decision that could have gone either
way. Boston were dominated in the early heats but did enough as
the match progressed to suggest that at their best they are capable of giving
any team including Scunthorpe something to think about. The meeting ended
after 13 heats when Paul Cooper’s machine damaged the circuit electrics
during that incident with Woffinden. Scunthorpe: Woffinden 14, Compton 6, Bekker 7,
Dennis 7, Richardson 5, Haines 11 Boston: Cooper 12, McKinna 5, Wright 3, Lambert 10,
Lowe 1, McDade 0.
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Friday
August 3 Boston 52, Stoke 44 Boston
Barracudas secured more important Conference League points on the strength of
success in a home fixture against Stoke. Skipper Simon Lambert led the way
for the Cudas with a paid 14-point haul, although his efforts were eclipsed
by the 19-point tally harvested by visiting top scorer Barrie Evans and
team-mate John Branney (paid 17). But
the meeting wasn’t without more problems for an already patched-up Cudas side
with Darren Mallett apparently suffering a shoulder injury following a final
heat spill — his setback adding to the absences of already sidelined senior
trio of Paul Cooper, James Brundle and Shane Waldron. Before
Mallett’s fall, Boston had exerted plenty of early dominance to stamp
authority on proceedings right from the off with maximum heat advantages in
four of the first six races to establish a 27-9 lead. Stoke
threw in a couple of tactical “double points” substitutions to reply with 7-2
and 6-3 advantages in heats seven and eight. But Boston weathered the brief
riposte to have the match spoils settled when leading 47-37 after heat 13.
But the home side’s overall strength in depth proved decisive — notably with
tidy returns from debutant Adam McKinna and reserve pairing Adam Lowe and Cal
McDade.
Stoke:
Evans 19, Flint 0, Branney 16+1, Dore 5+1, Pickard 3, Isherwood 1, Kewndrew
0. |
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Saturday
July 28 Cleveland 35, Boston 35 Boston
Barracudas made Conference League KO Cup progress at the expense of Cleveland
Bays in a second leg match cut short by the meeting over-running a local
council imposed curfew. As such, with the match at its heat 12 stage, the
result was declared a valid one. And Boston (top scorers Simon Lambert and
Paul Cooper with nine points apiece) moved into the next round on an 84-75
aggregate. This was a match marred by a
series of nasty crashes and although Boston have progressed to a very
attractive semi final match against Scunthorpe they are left with a string of
injuries that leaves numerous problems to be resolved before their home next
match with Stoke. The incidents
began as early as heat one when Shane Waldron picked up excessive drive
exiting turn four just after passing Greg Blair and shot into the safety
fence with his machine. He was later diagnosed in hospital with a broken bone
in his leg and possible ankle tendon and other damage that will keep him out
of action for about eight weeks. Another crash when Morris ran
into the back of Lowe left both Barracudas on the track in heat eight and
Adam Lowe followed Shane Waldron to hospital with neck and back
injuries. Morris tried to continue
but was unable to complete his next race leaving Boston with no reserves and
no cover for the injured Waldron. The
side rallied well and despite these handicaps clung on to their precious lead
and the match was halted at after Heat 12 as the curfew time had been
reached. This was a gutsy
performance by the entire Barracudas team and they are well deserving of a crack
at Scunthorpe in the next round. Cleveland: Burrows 5, Burnett
1, Johnson 5, Beaton 6, Blair 13, Wallinger 6.
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Friday
July 27 Boston 55, Sittingbourne 38 Boston
Barracudas secured more important Conference League points with a tidy triumph
over lowly Sittingbourne — the home top scorer being Simon Lambert with a
paid 13 score. This was a lively and entertaining match with
Sittingbourne looking anything but a bottom of the table side as their riders
put together a very respectable challenge on a track that was difficult in
the early stages but improved as the match progressed. Danny Warwick won Heat 1
against Paul Cooper who was making his home debut for the Boston “Staffsmart”
Barracudas and with Shane Waldron a comfortable third the race was
shared. Heat two looked to be going
the same way when a lapse of concentration spelt disaster for Adam Lowe who
was leading at the time. In the re-run Kieran Morris who
had been a poor fourth in the original race shot to the front and although he
came perilously close to a fall more than once, clung on gamely to win. Darren Mallett and Simon Lambert were
never troubled in heat three but Boston’s four point lead was halved in the
next with Mark Baseby winning comfortably with Jeran Hart third for the
Crusaders. Warwick again showed his paces
when he led Mallett and Lambert from start to finish in Heat 5 and at the
third attempt Baseby won heat six that was also shared. But Boston seized the initiative and
quickly built up a lead when Adam Lowe won heat seven with Matthew Wright
content to sit behind his partner to repel any possible challenge and Waldron
took the next with Morris third to increase the lead to eight points. These heats were followed by
another 4-2 and a 5-1 and suddenly the Barracudas had developed their narrow
advantage to 14 points. The immaculate Warwick won the next taking a tactical
ride to offset Boston’s advantage with a 6-3 in heat 11 before another Boston
4-2 almost restored the status quo. Heat 13 brought drama as Baseby
was excluded as he tried a last bend dive unfairly under Wright who ended up
in the fence the race being awarded although the leader completed the heat
ahead of the red light to obtain a time.
Lambert and Lowe strolled to a
5-1 in Heat 14 and Heat 15 brought another exclusion for Baseby when he fell
in front of Mallett but despite the frightening appearance of the incident
there was no lasting damage to anyone. Boston won comfortably enough but
Sittingbourne are an improving team and their first victory cannot be too far
away and in Danny Warwick they possess an inspirational figure who on his day
is a match for most at this level.
Sittingbourne: Warwick 18, A
Baseby 2, Felton 4, Theobald 1, M Baseby 8, Reynolds 2 Hart 3. |
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Friday
July 20 Plymouth 50, Boston 41 Boston Barracudas missed out on more precious Conference
League points when going down to a narrow margin of defeat in a
tightly-contested tussle at Plymouth, the visitors’ hopes largely being
dashed by the non-arrival of Darren Mallett due to him being caught up en
route by traffic jams caused by flooding across the centre of country after
prolonged heavy rainfall. Sean Stoddart stood in at short notice, but the
reshuffled Cudas were just unable to peg back their hosts. Plymouth: S Stephens 13, B Legg 3, T Brown 10+1, J
Westacott 7+2, N Glanz 10+2, R Smith 0, B Hopwood 8+1.
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Saturday
July 14 Stoke 47, Boston 43 New signing Shane Waldron made a stunning debut for the Boston
“Staffsmart” Barracudas in their final Conference Trophy match at Stoke last
Saturday. He top scored for a depleted Cudas side that almost took the
honours in the Potteries. Boston without the injured Matthew Wright and with James
Brundle unavailable, they included Wayne Dunworth and matched Stoke
point-for-point until heat 14 when the Spitfires finally drew clear. There
was considerable evidence of the affect of the wet weather in the Potteries
with the infield saturated in places although on a reasonable track the two
sides served up an entertaining match which the Spitfires clinched in the
final two races. For Boston, the outstanding feature was the brilliant
debut of Shane Waldron who only joined the club earlier in the week and made
a 16-point return from his six rides to head the Boston scorers. Waldron
clearly enjoyed the experience. He said:
“I was pleased with that my confidence was much higher tonight.” Kieran Morris returned to the Boston side after a long
lay off due to injury and showed some neat touches in his three rides. Morris retains his place at Plymouth on
Friday continuing his partnership with Adam Lowe who was delighted with his
heat win at Stoke but was somewhat inconsistent over the course of the
evening. Wayne Dunworth, making his first appearance in two years for Boston,
scored three points but understandably tired as the meeting went on. Stoke:
Evans 16, Flint 3, Dore 9, Pickard 5, Kendrew 1, Isherwood 13.
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Friday
July 6 Boston 56 Cleveland 33 Boston Barracudas secured a
convincing Conference League success over Cleveland Bays, a result that
guaranteed a league double over the north-easterners with Boston having won
the reverse fixture by a slender one-point margin earlier in the campaign.
Top scorer on this occasion for Boston was Darren Mallet with a paid 13
tally. Cleveland were best served by Martin Emerson who netted eight
points. Boston were in complete control
of from heat three onwards when Mallett and Simon Lambert raced to a 5-1
victory. And apart from a slight glitch in heat 11, the home side either won
or drew every race. The match had started
dramatically when visiting number one Mark Burrows blew an engine in the
first race. And with Smith falling, there were just two finishers — Emerson
ended up a country mile behind Brundle. Adam Lowe hung on for a good win over
the lively Blair in heat two and from that point the Barracudas moved ahead
with a comfortable series of heat wins interspersed with a shared race here
and there. Burrows won heat five but Brundle and Smith scored Boston’s second
maximum in the next putting the Barracudas eleven points ahead. The Bays’ tactical ride for
Blair in heat eight made no impression, the youngster eventually falling
heavily as he tried to make up ground. As the track became a little slicker,
the Bays looked more comfortable. But Boston swept them aside in the final
three heats when it was clear that Cleveland were perhaps saving themselves
for the Knockout Cup match to follow. All of the home big guns looked
impressive while for Cleveland, Burrows was always a threat and Emerson had a
good match. Beaton, too, improved as the meeting went on but Boston never
looked in any danger.
Cleveland: Burrows 6, Emerson 8, Beaton 6, Johnson 5,
Jones 2, Wallinger 2, Blair 4
Boston 49 Cleveland 40 Part two of Friday’s double header
produced a much closer scoreline — and one that meant Boston’s return KOP Cup
second leg visit to Cleveland will have plenty at stake. Boston, well served
by 14-point James Brundle managed to establish only a nine-point advantage
over Cleveland whose top scorer was the all-action figure of Mark Burrows (11
points). Full report to follow. *** There is no doubt that the Bays
were really focused on the second event of this double header, making a
concerted effort to limit Boston’s lead and leave themselves with a fighting
chance for the second leg in couple of weeks’ time. This resulted in some
gritty and determined racing from both teams. And after Boston had opened an
early lead the Bays hung on gamely, although surprisingly they did not use
any tactical substitute opportunity which would have given Burrows the chance
to chase down one of the Boston reserves.
This may have been because the
visiting number one suffered further problems with his machinery and was
forced to use borrowed bikes after crashing with Matthew Wright in heat 11.
Indeed it was a machine problem for Burrows and a fall by Hodgson that gave
Boston an opening race 5-0 advantage.
The excellent reserve pairing of
Emerson and Blair reduced the lead after Hart fell in heat two but Mallett
and Lambert again swept ahead in the next and Boston looked as though they
might repeat their earlier score line. But the Bays battled hard with three
consecutive drawn heats before Beaton and Johnson scored a 4-2 in heat seven
after Lowe had fallen while making an outside charge. Heat 8 was shared, Rob Smith
scoring a good win in what may be his last match for Boston. Lambert and
Mallett produced another home 5-1 in the next before Beaton and Johnson
followed Brundle home in heat 10. Heat 11 was dramatic with Wright
out-gating Burrows from the inside. The two then locked together in the
approach to the corner, separating briefly before coming together a second
time and crashing heavily into the safety fence. When the carnage was cleared
up Wright was eventually able to limp back to the pits but bravely came out
for the re-run and also rode in heat 13 despite having a chipped bone in his
foot later diagnosed at his local hospital. Blair passed Lambert in heat 14
reducing Boston’s lead to seven points. But Brundle and Mallett reversed that
in the final race Burrows chasing Brundle hard but unable to get close enough
to the home number one to threaten his victory.
Boston: Brundle 14, Smith 5,
Mallett 9, Lambert 9, Wright 8, Lowe 3, Hart 1. Cleveland: Burrows 11, Hodgson 2, Beaton 9, Johnson 3,
Jones 3, Emerson 3, Blair 9. |
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Sunday
July 1 Boston 47 Weymouth 42 After
more than a month without a home fixture, Boston Barracudas were able to
resume their Conference League programme at the Norfolk Arena. And in the
process they recorded an important 47-42 success over Weymouth with James
Brundle top scoring on 13 points. The slenderness of the winning margin
wasn’t enough to wrest the aggregate bonus point away from the south coast
side. But the success still enabled Boston to climb up to fourth in the
table. Boston were extended all the way
before claiming a victory in the last three hugely exciting heats as the
match built climactically to a last race decider. David Mason out-gated home
No1 Brundle who buzzed around his back wheel for four laps but could not find
a way past. Heat two provided an indicator of the Wildcats’ strength in depth
when Jay Herne and Terry Day looked strong in scoring a 5-1 against the home
reserves. Boston fought back in heat
three when Mallett led all the way but Smart nipped past Lambert to split the
home pair. Matthew Wright continued where he left off at Weymouth with a
tapes-to-flag victory in the next. The Cudas went ahead for the first time in
heat five, Lambert winning from Mallett. And with Brundle and Smith achieving
a 4-2 in heat six, the home side looked to be in control. Irwin fell when
challenging in heat seven and then Smart pulled up with a mechanical problem
to give Boston a nine-point advantage. But Weymouth ensured that no-one went
to sleep with a 5-1 in heat eight. Mallett’s machine caught fire
on the start line in heat nine which was won by Lambert and Smart passed
Brundle in an exciting heat 10 the consequential 4-2 cutting the Barracudas’
lead to a mere three points. The complexion of the match changed
significantly in heat 11 when Mason and Hurst made an excellent start to give
the visitors a one-point advantage nullified one race. This was quickly nullified when
Mallett and McDade transformed a 2-4 situation into a 5-1 success when Smart
broke down towards the end of the race. Boston suffered a similar fate in
heat 13, this time it was Wright who broke down when a 5-1 looked inevitable
leaving Boston still three points ahead with two heats to go. Lambert
defended the advantage successfully in an exciting heat 14 being passed by
Irwin but responding with an exciting sweep around the former Boston man on
the final turn to bring the crowd to life. With one race to go, any result
was possible. But here Brundle and Lambert stormed to the front. However,
Smart had other ideas as he passed Lambert but Brundle proved too quick and
the Barracudas scored a 4-2 to win the match by five points. In the Bert Harkins Bronze
Helmet match race championship, sponsored by Moorwell Service Station, the
holder Lee Smart lost the toss and challenger James Brundle chose the outside
gate position for his attempt to lift the trophy. Brundle narrowly outpaced
Smart over the first 30 metres and edged clear out of the first bend. But
Smart clung on never allowing the Boston rider more than a length or so when
challenging inside and outside every which way but Brundle always managed to
keep ahead of his opponent following an excellent mistake free line to win
the race. It was an excellent race that brought the crowd to their toes and
both riders rode well in an exciting contest.
Weymouth: Mason 8, Hurst 5,
Smart 7, Irwin 3, Mason 7, Herne 6 Day 6. |
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Friday
June 29 Weymouth 59 Boston 34 Matt
Wright was the lone star as Boston Barracudas suffered a heavy loss on the
south coast away to Weymouth. The Cudas — without any track action for more
than a month due to the on-going rainy condition — appeared a touch
ring-rusty as valuable Conference League spoils slipped away despite a 15
(paid 16 haul from Wright, easily his best return since joining Boston in the
spring). This was a disappointing performance from the Barracudas
who found the tiny track and slick conditions very difficult. The Dorset club
tore into the Barracudas from the word go and only Wright seemed able to cope
with the requirements imposed by the Wessex Stadium circuit on which the home
riders seemed to enjoy almost complete mastery of. Wright won three heats while Brundle and Mallett scored one
race win each in what turned out to be a difficult evening for the Cudas. The
highlight f0or Boston was Wright’s success in a tactical ride when he beat
the renowned David Mason for a six-point haul. Weymouth: Mason 8, Hurst 4, Smart 12, Irwin 5, Mason 7,
Herne 15, Day 8
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Friday
May 25 Boston 49 Plymouth 43 Boston
Barracudas grabbed more Conference League spoils from a pulsating encounter
against highly-fancied Plymouth Devils. Heat leaders James Brundle and Simon Lambert
were the key figures in the success, leading a solid all-round team effort
with plenty of aplomb. Brundle opened his account for the Staffsmart
Barracudas with a tapes to flag win over Seemond Stephens with the reliable
Rob Smith third for a home 4-2. The Plymouth reserves
recovered the points with Webster eventually passing Lowe and McDade
strangely down on power in fourth place.
Boston then delivered a salvo of two 5-1’s before two shared races as
the teams battled hard for points.
Matthew Wright protected Adam Lowe in heat seven but with Brown always
threatening an outside move on the pair the Boston heat leader had to ensure
victory with Brown passing Lowe only for the latter to turn very sharply on
the final bend and with his wheels in line rode a perfect finish for another
Boston 5-1. Boston were surprised that their visitors ignored the
opportunity of a tactical substitute ride for the high speed Roynon in heat
eight and Smith’s comfortable victory with McDade third extended the lead to
14 points. Roynon was given a tactical ride in heat nine with a resultant 6-3
in Plymouth’s favour. Heat 10 was eventful with Smith receiving a tape
exclusion. His replacement was McDade who was taken very wide by Legg before
hitting the fence and his animated response made his feelings very clear and
yet the fallen rider was excluded. In the re-run at almost the same spot
Brundle was taken wide by Legg falling as a result and this time Legg
received the exclusion light.
Plymouth continued to chip away at Boston’s lead going into heat 14
six points adrift and yet again declined the use of a tactical substitute
ride that might have forced a last heat decider. As it was Boston put the match beyond the Devils reach
with a Lambert-Lowe 4-2 the latter completing his best ever match in Boston’s
colours. Heat 15 was looking like a possible classic when Brundle shed a
primary chain and although Lambert headed Roynon briefly the Cumbrian
displayed plenty of speed and class to win the race. Plymouth must surely
regret their reticence to use a tactical substitute whilst Boston were
delighted to go top of the table and end the Devils’ season long unbeaten
run.
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Friday
May 18 Conference Fours Boston
failed to make any sort of impact in the annual staging of the Conference League
Fours. The meeting was held at Plymouth. Boston scored just seven points when
finishing bottom of their semi-final group, Rob Smith top scoring on four
points. Other Boston riders’ scores were: Darren Mallett 2, Simon Lambert 1,
Matthew Wright 0. Results: Semi-final
one: Scunthorpe 20, Buxton 14, Oxford 11, Sittingbourne 3 Semi-final
two: Plymouth 22, Weymouth 11, Cleveland 8, Boston 7 Final:
Scunthorpe 19, Plymouth 16, Weymouth 8, Buxton 5 |
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Saturday
May 5 Cleveland 46 Boston 47 Boston got their
Conference League campaign off to a winning start with a thrilling and
nail-biting success away to divisional newcomers Cleveland. The Barracudas
edged to a slender one-point triumph thanks in no small measure to the
13-point haul heroics of both Jon Armstrong and Simon Lambert. With a mixture of skill and a
little good fortune, the Barracudas led the Cleveland Bays 27-15 after seven
heats and seemed on course for a comfortable victory. But the match was
turned on its head when Danny Norton and Steven Jones were withdrawn from the
match with injuries to be replaced by two lively reserves who followed up
Mark Burrows’ 15-metre tactical substitute victory in heat 8 with a series of
good results in a fast and furious match.
Indeed, the pair put Cleveland
three points in front in heat 12 with a 5-1, leaving Boston with plenty to do
to rescue the situation. Armstrong and Matthew Wright hit back with a 4-2 in
heat 13 while Lambert and Cal McDade shared the penultimate race. In the final heat Lambert made
the gate ahead of Blair with Armstrong having to fend off constant pressure
from Burrows. The riders were so close for most of the race that any outcome
was possible. But Lambert looked very sure footed in front and Armstrong
managed to foil a last bend attack from the Bays’ captain to seal a
magnificent win. The Boston
supporters who had made the journey north were overjoyed as the see-saw match
finally tilted the Barracudas way. Cleveland: Burrows 11, Emerson
7, Jones 2, Norton 0, Beaton 3 Hodgson 13, Blair 10. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||