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Spotlight
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SPEEDWAY
Reports
from the Braves’ 2005 season Team sponsor: N C Williams and Son Insurance |
LATEST REPORTS
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October 30, 2005
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Boston 45, Armadale 44 There was plenty of drama right to the final laps of
Boston Barracuda-Braves injury-ravaged season. They achieved a slender one-point
success over Armadale in remarkable fashion with a bizarre 5-0 in the last
race. Up to the eventful and decisive heat 15, both sides had encounter
various mechanical problems as the meeting remained tightly contested. But
the spoils seemed certain to go the visitors’ way when they lead 44-40 with
just one race to go — more so with in-form pair Derek Sneddon and Sean
Stoddart in the line-up. But in successive starts, first Stoddart fell and
was excluded and then Sneddon bit the dust when clipping James Cockle’s wheel
in attempting to pass. With the Armadale man dispatched to the fence, referee
Tony Steele stopped the race and awarded Boston a 5-0 result to cap an
amazing night’s action and bring down the curtain on the 2005 campaign. Boston: Cockle 15, Irwin 7, Lambert 12+1, Dunworth 2,
McAllan (R/R), Richardson 1+1, Campos 8+1, Hannon (DNR) |
October
16, 2005
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Boston 45, Scunthorpe
47 Jamie Cockle led the way as Boston tried to overturn a 12-point
deficit from the first leg of their same-day home-and-away Lincolnshire Cup
challenge match fixtures against Scunthorpe. He accumulated 19 points but
ultimately his efforts were unable to inspire the rest of his team to similar
heights. His only other real support came from Simon Lambert who figured in
the night’s best race when swooping past Scunthorpe’s Compton and Auty on the
final turn of heat 12. In the end, it was the visitors who possessed the
better all-round strength and added to their first leg advantage to win by 14
points overall. Boston:
Cockle 19, Irwin 2, Lambert 11, Mallett 6, Hollingworth 3, Richardson 2,
Campos 2 |
October
16, 2005
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Scunthorpe 53, Boston 41 Boston slipped to a 12-point Lincolnshire Cup first leg
deficit when failing to match the points-power of their county rivals. Jamie
Cockle did his best with a 15-point haul. Good support came from Simon
Lambert. But apart from other token resistance offered by Dennis Mallett,
Boston didn’t have enough strength in depth to avert defeat. Boston:
Cockle 15, Irwin 2, Lambert 10, Mallett 6, Hollingworth 3, Lowe 2, Campos 3 |
October
9, 2005
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Boston 42, Armadale 51 Two semi-final defeats inside a few hours on the same day
gave the Barracuda-Braves a black Sunday to contemplate. Straight on the back
of their KO Cup loss away to Mildenhall, Boston returned to the Norfolk Arena
hopeful of overturning a Conference Trophy 10-point first leg deficit against
Armadale. But things didn’t work out that way against opponents who packed
plenty of points power in the form of Derek Sneddon (15 points), William
Lawson (12+2) and reserve Adam McKinna (12+1). Boston battled hard and, in
fact, led by six points after heat 10. But they were unable to turn the screw
fully despite good contributions from David McAlaan, Simon Lambert, Darren
Mallett and Scott Campos as Armadale fought back to win on the night and book
their place in the final against Stoke. Boston: McAllan 13, Irwin 4, Lambert 10, Mallett 8, Cockle (R/R), Lowe 1, Campos 6. |
October
9, 2005
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Mildenhall 60, Boston
33 Only Darren Mallett offered any real Resistance as an
under-strength Barracuda-Braves team succumbed in the second leg of the KO
Cup semi-final against a powerful Mildenhall outfit. Mallett’s 16-point
contribution made up virtually half of his team’s final tally. And, on the
back of a 10-point first leg loss, it was never enough to test the Suffolk
outfit who won at a canter. The Braves conceded maximum points in five of the
first nine races and it wasn’t until heat 14 that Mallett secured his team’s
only heat advantage all afternoon. Overall a gloomy and instantly forgettable
outcome for a weakened Braves unit. Boston: McAllan 4, Irwin 4, Richardson 1, Mallett 16, Dunworth 2; Lowe 3, Campos 3. |
October
7, 2005
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Boston 41, Mildenhall
51 Boston had their hopes of reaching the KO Cup final
scuppered when Mildenhall powered to a 10-point semi-final first leg advantage
at the Norfolk Arena. The Braves, minus Simon Walker and operating rider
replacement for James Cockle, had aspirations of making a serious bid for
honours on this particular silverware trail. But they were undone by a strong
Fen Tigers side with few weak links and well served by former Brave Mark
Thompson (15-point maximum) and Jon Armstrong (paid 12 after a first race
fall). Boston’s highlights included an opening race 5-1 by Nathan Irwin and
David McAllan. But the visitors quickly responded and by heat four had gone
ahead — a position they strengthened as the meeting progressed. Boston won
only six of the 15 heats, but in Darren Mallett (15) and McAllan, they had
riders who battled hard to keep their side competitive until the final few
races. The visitors claimed three 5-1s in the final five heats. Boston: McAllan 10, Irwin 6, Lambert 7, Mallett 15,
Cockle (R/R), Pestell 0, Richardson 3, Campos (No 8) DNR |
September 26, 2005
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Oxford 66, Boston 27 Boston were never able to match the firepower of
probable Conference League champions Oxford especially after Simon Lambert
crashed in heat seven and was forced to retire from the meeting with
concussion and neck injuries. Fortunately he was able to travel home after
treatment but is likely to be out of action this weekend at least. With
several notable absentees due to other racing commitments, the team fought
hard and Darren Mallett produced a fine performance. Nathan Irwin returned after three months on the
sidelines with a shoulder injury and improved as the meeting progressed. But
it wasn’t a night to remember for Boston who once again seemed to face more
ill luck than any other team in the sport. Boston:
Irwin 3, Lambert 5, Mallett 13, Hollingworth 3 Lowe 1, Campos 2. |
September 25, 2005
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Sittingbourne 42,
Boston 48
Although this was a far from convincing performance by
the NC Williams and Son Insurance-sponsored Barracuda-Braves, the team came back from an eight point deficit
to win strongly in the closing stages of the match. David McAllan gave an impeccable performance and was
well supported by Darren Mallett and Simon Lambert who entertained a crowd
which included a fair number of Boston supporters who had travelled to Kent
on a warm sunny afternoon. Chaos reigned in heat 13 when an official
displayed a red flag to the riders in error after a fall. The referee did not
put on the red lights as the track was cleared, leaving three bewildered
riders to finish a race that had virtually stopped. The Sittingbourne promotion were furious but gained
little sympathy from Boston who had won a technical appeal before the match
to use the rider replacement facility to cover for James Cockle. Boston boss
Malcolm Vasey said: “I don’t have too much sympathy for them because we knew
the rules.” Boston: McAllan 18, Cockle (R/R), Pestell 5, Lambert 9,
Mallett 10, Lowe 2, Campos 4. |
September 18, 2005
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Boston 52, Newport 38 This match was generally an evenly-fought contest up to
the half-way point with Newport producing their best performance at the
Norfolk Arena for some time. Their star riders, Dicken and Ezergailis, were well
supported by two very lively reserves. And it required an outstanding
performance from Braves’ skipper Simon Walker aided by good contributions
from Rob Hollingworth, Darren Mallett and Simon Lambert to ensure
victory. The scores were tied at 24-24 after heat eight and at
that stage anything looked possible. But then Boston slowly drew away on the
strength of two 5-1s, three 4-2s and two shared heats to ultimately win by a
14-point margin. Boston:
Hollingworth 9, Pestell 4, Lambert 12, Mallett 9, Walker 15, Lowe3,
Campos 0. |
September 17, 2005
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Armadale 53, Boston 43 This Conference Trophy semi-final first leg saw a fine
display by Boston’s top three riders to help ensure the Barracuda-Braves had a chance of
overturning a recoverable deficit in the second leg. The tactical ride option was used
effectively by team manager Malcolm Vasey, notably
yielding two victories which also helped to keep the situation in
check. David McAllan, James Cockle and Simon Walker all turned
in valuable scores although the side — minus the unavailable Simon Lambert —
seemed to have rather long tail. Boston: McAllan
17, Pestell 1, Cockle 15, Lambert (R/R), Walker 8, Lowe 0, Campos 2. |
September 11, 2005
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Boston 48, Scunthorpe
42 Incident and drama were in plentiful supply as the
Braves just got the better of Lincolnshire rivals Scunthorpe — who gave a
debut to highly-rated 15-year-old Josh Auty — to claim a much-needed
Conference league victory. Throughout the meeting there was little to choose between
the sides with 5-1s traded in heats three and five and then an exchange of
4-2 advantages in heats eight and nine. The Braves were best served by the
established quartet of David McAllan, Simon Lambert, Darren Mallett and Simon Walker who chalked up
a combined total of 12 race wins. But with limited support lower down the order, it wasn’t
until Auty crashed out of the meeting and then Danny Norton got himself
booted out of the meeting by referee Barbara Horley for clashing with
Boston’s clerk of the course, that the home side could breathe more easily. Boston: McAllan 14, Pestell 0, Lambert 9, Mallett 7,
Walker 12, Lowe 2, Campos 4. |
September 7, 2005
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Wimbledon 55, Boston
39 Boston battled hard against the odds throughout what was
an entertaining clash in south London. But eventually they had to admit
second best to a Wimbledon side who packed plenty of all-round strength. David McAllan suffered some pain during the meeting from a knee injury which limited his
effectiveness. Boston were also
without Lambert and chose to rest Simon Walker in order to meet the 42-point
grade limit. The Braves were always in arrears and trailed by 18 points after
heat 10. But then a tactical ride 8-1 maximum by Walker
and Mallett briefly revived hopes before the home side pulled away again. Boston:
Cockle 12, Mallett 2, Pestell 2, Lambert (R/R), McAllan 14, Lowe 0, Campos
9. |
September 3, 2005
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Lincolnshire Trophy James Cockle recorded five straight victories to ensure
his own small piece of county speedway history as he joined some illustrious
predecessors in lifting the Lincolnshire Trophy. It was a deserved victory
for a rider who has moved his game up a level this season and he clearly
relished the dry conditions and was rarely troubled throughout the meeting. His closest challenger was 16-year-old Simon Lambert
who competed only after intensive
efforts to recover from a hand injury. He gamely won his first four rides before facing Cockle in heat 20. It
was a tough looking final heat with Adam Roynon and Simon Walker also at the
tapes. Lambert made a poor start but recovered well to take second place
behind Cockle who never looked likely to surrender the advantage he gained in
the first 50 metres. Scores: James Cockle
15, Simon Lambert 14, Mark Thompson 12, Simon Walker 11, Rob Hollingworth 10,
Darren Mallett 10, Ricky Scarboro 9,
Adam Roynon 9, Adam Lowe 7, Mark Richardson 6, Jeremy Pestell 5, Scott
Campos 4, Wayne Dunworth 4, Ben Hannon 1, Karl White 0, Scott Richardson 0,
James Fear (Res) 0. |
August 28, 2005
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Boston 40, Rye House
49 Injury-ravaged Boston battled hard to given rivals Rye
House a run for their money. But in the end, the fact that the Braves effectively
had only two riders (David McAllan and Darren Mallett) firing on all
cylinders proved decisive. The loss of Simon Lambert through an injury
sustained the previous evening effectively tipped the scales against Boston.
But even so, they remained in contention right up to heat 14. But in the end,
a lack of strength in depth weighed heavily against the home side. Boston: McAllan 11, Cockle (R/R), Dunworth 3, Lowe
3, Mallett 16, Richardson 0, Campos
7, Hnnon (No 8) 0. |
August 21, 2005
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Mildenhall
57, Boston 39
The Braves were unable to avert defeat in the Suffolk
Fens as Mildenhall went back to the top of the Conference League with a
16-point victory.
Minus key riders due to a mixture of Premier League
commitments and injury, Boston did their best against a strong home outfit,
but in the end they fell some way short of matching a solid Mildenhall side
who — after three opening shared heats — steadily pulled clear for a largely
untroubled win. Boston’s best highlights were race wins for David McAllan,
Darren Mallett (two) and Simon Walker — the latter pair also claiming
six-point hauls from tactical ride successes in heats 11 and 14 respectively.
Those victories briefly stemmed the flow of points
towards the home side but were never enough to put Boston fully back into the
picture.
Boston: McAllan 8, Mallett 9, Lambert 3, Walker 12,
Dunworth 2, Lowe 3, Richardson 2.
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August 14, 2005
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Stoke
54, Boston 39
(aggregate 89-98)
Boston fought gallantly to secure an aggregate score progress
into the semi-final of the Conference KO Cup at the expesne of Stoke. There were early worries as the Spitfires
ate into Boston’s first leg xx-point lead with an 18-6 advantage after
just four races.
But the visitors rallied. And, urged on by their vociferous supporters, one after another
of the Boston team excelled. There were
race wins by David McAllan, Simon Walker and Darren Mallett plus vital
contributions from Simon Lambert and Scott Campos to lay the platform for the
two-legged triumph. Particularly noteworthy were solid tactical rides from
McAllan and Lambert that yielded eight points in heats 11 and 12 to finally
extinguish the Spitfires’ guns.
Overall victory was ensured in heat 13 when Walker took
the lead when team-mate McAllan’s machine shed a chain and left the Scot
stranded and unable to even push home for a point.
Boston: McAllan 9, Dunworth 0, Lambert 10, Mallett 5,
Walker 10, Campos 5, Lowe 0.
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August 12, 2005
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Boston
59, Stoke 35
A paid 18-point maximum from reserve Adam Roynon was a
key factor as Boston Barracuda-Braves opened up an impressive 24-point first
leg advantage in this KO Cup quarter-final.
Roynon’s example was followed by the rest of a Boston
side who turned in a solid all-round team effort with all riders contributing
to the cause. Main backing came from the likes of Simon Lambert (paid 13) and
Simon Walker (11).
Boston were 13-5 ahead after three races and built
steadily on that opening burst to lead 39-15 before Stoke replied with a 7-2
tactical ride in heat 10. But that was only a brief setback as the Braves
regained the initiative with victory in a total 10 of the 15 heats.
Boston: Cockle 8, Dunworth 2, Lambert 11, Mallett 7, Walker 11, Roynon 15,
Lowe 5.
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July 31, 2005
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Boston 45, Oxford 53 Absences due to injuries and illness made this match
look slightly one-sided. But the seriously depleted Boston NC Williams and
Son Insurance-sponsored Barracuda-Braves achieved a degree of damage
limitation after a poor start and in the end the final score had a
respectable look about it. Oxford led 14-5 after four races, but Boston battled
hard to try and redress the balance, notably with Simon Walker leading by
example in his accumulation of 19 points from seven rides. Good backing came from veteran Rob Hollingworth and
Darren Mallett but in the end the visitors’ all-round strength proved
decisive. Boston: Hollingworth 10, Dunworth 1, Mallett 12, Walker
19, Richardson 3, Lowe 0, Fear (No 8), DNR. |
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July 24, 2005 |
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Scunthorpe 61, Boston 31 More injury problems hit the Braves on the eve of their
trip to face Scunthorpe when David McAllan was ruled out with a painful ear
infection. This left the side having to rely primarily on established stars
Darren Mallett and Simon Walker. But even their battling efforts weren’t
enough to stem a steady flow of points in Scunthorpe’s favour with Boston’s
other five riders disappointingly never really getting in a blow at the
opposition. Boston: Hannon 1, Pickering 3+1, Mallett 10, Walker 12,
Lowe 1, White 4+1, Richardson 0. |
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July 22, 2005 |
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Boston 44, Mildenhall
49 In-form trio David McAllan, Darren Mallett and Simon
Walker came within a whisker of taking Boston to what would have been a sensational
win over Mildenhall. The Braves relied almost exclusively on their three
leading men to remain in the hunt against rivals who packed plenty of points
potential right down their order. The fact that the outcome of the meeting went down to
the final race was testimony to the abilities of Boston’s top three. Only two
points separated the sides going into heat 15 with Boston appearing to have
every chance of a 5-1. But McAllan disappointingly fell on the first turn,
leaving Walker having to settle for the crumbs of second place on his own as
Mildenhall cemented a five-point success. Boston: McAllan 18, Hannon 0, Pickering 2, Mallett 10+1,
Walker 11+1, Lowe 0, White 3. |
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July 17, 2005 |
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Conference League
Pairs at Wimbledon Boston
were only able to track what basically equated to a second string pair
comprising veteran Rob Hollingworth and loanee Karl White. As a result, the
Braves’ representation ended at the semi-final stage with an eight-point
combined total— “Holly” (6) and White (2+1). |
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July 10, 2005 |
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Boston 42, Weymouth 50 Visitors Weymouth
completed a quick-fire Conference Trophy double over Boston with an
eight-point margin of victory at the Norfolk Arena. If defeat wasn’t bad enough,
the Barracuda-Braves also lost the services of talented teenager Simon
Lambert with a bad hand injury sustained in a final race fall. Weymouth led from heat
two onwards, a race that saw Karl White coming to grief as he locked up
causing carnage behind and earning a rerun exclusion for his pains. Worse was to follow when Adam Lowe shed a
chain in the re-run when well clear, gifting a 5-0 to the visitors. Lambert
led a home fightback by winning successive races meaning he had scored eight of
the team’s 10-point total after four heats. But Weymouth hit back to
open a sizeable lead. Simon Walker was given a tactical ride in heat eight
which he won. But White fell while in a scoring position. Lambert and Walker continued Boston’s
recovery bid — both winners as Boston took 4-2 advantages from heats nine and
10. However, Weymouth again pulled away to earn victory, the evening ending
on a sour note for Boston with Lambert’s fall and injury. Boston: Walker 17,
Lambert 14, Pickering 2, Hollingworth 5, Lowe 2, White 1, Hannon 1. |
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July 7, 2005 |
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Weymouth 48, Boston 42 Boston slipped to defeat Conference Trophy qualifying group match on the south coast despite tracking a strong side against in-form Weymouth. For a time, the Barracuda-Braves led the meeting, notably on the strength of excellent contributions from the Jamie Cockle-Trevor Harding partnership. In the end, though, the home team’s all-round scoring power saw them through — but not before they were severely tested by the Braves. Boston: Harding 10, Cockle
8, Lambert 7, Roynon 5, Walker 6, Lowe 1, White 5. |
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July 3, 2005 |
Newport 44,
Boston 48
LAST-GASP heroics yielded a remarkable speedway victory
for a seriously-weakened Boston team.
The victory was particularly satisfying for the Boston
side who went into the match with five of their squad out of action because
of injuries. It was also remarkable as Boston only took the lead for the
first time in a pulsating final heat drama when Trevor Harding and Simon
Walker scored a 5-1 to snatch both points. The match started badly for the N C Williams and Son
Insurance-sponsored Braves when Walker fell in heat one and was excluded from
the re-run from which the Mavericks took a 5-1. But Boston’s resistance was
there for all to see with positive contributions throughout from Walker,
Harding, Simon Lambert, veteran Rob Hollingworth and loanee Karl White, a
surprise packet from reserve berth.
The real drama came in the closing heats with
Hollingworth driving under opponent Legg who fell off and earned an exclusion
from a rerun that brought about a 5-1 with White also in good passing form.
This saw Boston enter the final heat two points adrift. But this margin was
turned on its head when Walker and Harding recorded another 5-1 maximum
leaving Newport stunned and with no chance of replying. Boston:
Walker 10, Pickering 2, Lambert 8, Hollingworth 6, Harding 11, Lowe 2, White
9. |
June 26, 2005
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Mildenhall 42, Boston 49 VICTORY by a seven-point margin saw Boston
Barracuda-Braves strengthen their bid for Conference Trophy honours. An away
win at the expense of regional rivals Mildenhall saw the Braves take pole
position in the southern section of their semi-final group. It
was the NC Williams and Son Insurance-sponsored Braves’ third triumph at the
home of the Fen Tigers in as many seasons. And it came thanks to a fantastic
fightback, having trailed 20-10 at one stage. Boston were assisted by injury
problems for home riders Jon Armstrong and Scott Campos. But in the end, the
Braves merited their success with an all-round determined display, superbly
led by Jamie Cockle (16 points) with solid support down the ranks. Boston: Harding 10, Lambert 5, Cockle 16, Roynon 6,
Walker 8, Lowe 1, White 3.
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June 25, 2005
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Conference Fours THE Braves performed well to claim eventual fourth place
in the Conference Fours finals day at Stoke. In
their semi-final group which Boston won, they eliminated the host club Stoke
from the competition but failed in their attempt to win the final as the
track became slick and overtaking difficult. Pre-meeting favourites Weymouth won the event overall after a
nail-biting finish which saw Oxford end up just one point behind. Holders Mildenhall finished last in their
semi-final group. First semi-final: Boston 16 (Walker 5, Lambert 5, Irwin
3, Roynon 3), Armadale 14, Stoke 12, Wimbledon 5. Second semi-final: Oxford 14, Weymouth 13, Scunthorpe
11, Mildenhall 10. Final: Weymouth 16, Oxford 15, Armadale 9, Boston 8
(Walker 3, Roynon 3, Lambert 1, Irwin 1). |
June 19, 2005
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Boston 54, Wimbledon 40 This was an excellent Conference Trophy match that provided
some great moments as Boston exacted a degree of revenge for their much
larger defeat at Plough Lane two weeks ago in the reverse fixture. Although the ultimate victory margin at the Norfolk
Arena wasn’t enough to earn Boston the bonus point for the overall aggregate
score, it did serve to reinforce confidence levels within the
Barracuda-Braves camp. However, the fixture wasn’t without its cost as Boston
lost the services through injury of reserve Mark Richardson after a heat two
crash. Thankfully a visit to hospital revealed no breakages, although the
youngster will probably be sidelined for a while with a shoulder injury. And it was also a fall for home rider Nathan Irwin in
race one which turned an almost certain Braves 5-1 into a shared heat. But in
the end skipper Simon Walker led the way with solid support from Simon
Lambert, Adam Roynon and veteran Rob Hollingworth. Boston: Walker 15, Irwin 7, Lambert 11, Roynon 11,
Hollingworth 8, Lowe 2, Richardson 0. |
June 5, 2005
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Boston 51, Mildenhall 41 The Barracuda-Braves earned their first Conference Trophy
points with a fine fightback performance against Mildenhall in a match that
was never short in entertainment or incident. The visitors capitalised on spills for Carl Wilkinson and
Nathan Irwin in heat one to open an early lead. And thanks to some powerful
riding by Jon Armstrong (three wins in the first five races), the Fen Tigers
held a 17-13 lead going into heat six. Wilkinson and Irwin then redressed the
balance with a 5-1 to tie the scores. Boston landed decisive blows in heats nine and 10 with
maximum hauls via the Simon Walker/Simon Lambert and Wilkinson/Irwin
combinations. They then consolidated their position with positive returns in
most of the remaining heats, highlights being race wins for Walker, Lambert
and Wilkinson all at the expense of star visitor Armstrong who finished on 19
points. Boston: Wilkinson 15, Irwin 7+4; Lambert 11+2, Harding
(R/R). Walker 13, Lowe 0, Richardson 5+1. |
June 1, 2005
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Wimbledon 61, Boston 31 Boston were well beaten in South London at
the start of their Conference Trophy campaign when a combination of
circumstances and a harsh ruling by the BSPA left them with a much-weakened
team. And with the exception of Carl Wilkinson and
Simon Lambert they could only offer limited resistance to Wimbledon. The
speedway authorities ruled that Boston could no longer use the free-scoring
Lambert at reserve. And with three riders still injured and Trevor Harding
and Mike Pickering being without machinery, it was always going to be an
uphill struggle. To make matters worse, Simon Walker’s bike
was damaged during his first race forcing him to endure a scoreless evening
on patched-up equipment. The home side scored solidly throughout their ranks
— from 12 points for Mark Burrows down to the 6 (paid 8) haul for Peter
Collyer. Only Wilkinson (14 points) won races for the Braves while Lambert
weighed in with an 11-point haul. Boston: Wilkinson 14, Wilson 0, Lambert 11,
Harding (R/R), Walker 0, Lowe 3, Richardson 3, Neil Evans (DNR). |
May 30, 2005
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Scunthorpe 40, Boston 49 (Boston win 102-81 on aggregate) Boston swept into the second round of the Conference KO
Cup with a decisive away day display against county rivals Scunthorpe to secure
an equally emphatic aggregate success. Once again Carl Wilkinson and Simon Lambert were the
mainstays of the Braves’ victory charge with 14 points apiece. But solid
backing came from Trevor Harding and Simon Walker, each netting eight-point
returns. With a tidy 12-point first leg lead, the Braves were
quick to take total command and the whole tie was effectively settled when
Walker and reserve Adam Lowe enjoyed a 5-0 success in heat six when home
riders Danny Norton and Benji Compton both fell. That gave Boston a 21-13
lead on the day. Scunthorpe, chiefly in the guise of Norton and Wayne
Carter battled hard and fought back to trail by just one point with three
heats to go. But then Boston turned up the heat with the Wilkinson/Walker and
Lambert/Harding pairings earning successive 5-1s before the meeting ended
with a 3-3 shared heat. Boston:
Wilkinson 14, M Pickering 3+1, Richardson 0, Harding 8+1, Walker 8+1, Lowe
2+1, Lambert 14+1 |
May 29, 2005
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Boston 53, Scunthorpe 41 The Braves welcomed Trevor Harding back to the fold for
what proved to be a keenly contested Conference KO Cup first round first leg
derby clash with Scunthorpe. And despite being held up en route to the Norfolk Arena,
the young Aussie made a positive return by contributing 10 points to the home
cause. He played a key supporting role to skipper Simon Walker and reserve
Simon Lambert while Carl Wilkinson was denied a maximum only by an
uncharacteristic final race fall. Boston were never headed but the visitors always kept in
the reckoning through the efforts of some solid performances in their higher
order — notably from the tenacious Benji Compton and ex-Brave Richie Dennis.
Boston led 17-7 after four heats, but then Scunthorpe replied with tactical
substitute Danny Norton landing a six-point success in a 7-2 score. But by the end of heat 11, the home advantage had grown
to 41-28. Although the visitors narrowed the gap slightly straight away,
Boston held sway — the major highlight being Walker’s superb final lap
swooped under team-riding rivals Norton and Wayne Carter. Boston: Wilkinson 9, M Pickering 3+1, Richardson 0,
Harding 10+1, Walker 14, Lowe 2, Lambert 15+2. |
May
18, 2005
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Stoke 53, Boston 41 Fifteen-point scores from Carl Wilkinson and Simon
Lambert were the highlights of an otherwise disappointing Conference League
reverse at Stoke. But despite the loss, the Barracuda-Braves were still able
to claim the overall aggregate bonus point, having won the reverse fixture by
a 17-point margin. There were brief thoughts of potential away-day success
when the Braves went 8-3 ahead after two races (the second yielding a 5-0 for
Simon Lambert and Adam Lowe after the home reserve pairing had both been excluded). But Stoke recovered solidly and steadily accumulated
their match-winning score, notably with 5-1s in heats six, nine and 10.
Wilkinson (6 points) and Lambert (4) both profited from tactical substitute
rides. But it wasn’t enough to avert defeat in a match which again saw
veteran Rob Hollingworth called to action. Boston: Wilkinson 15, M Pickering 0, Richardson 0,
Hollingworth 5+1, Walker 3+1, Lowe 3+1, Lambert 15 |
May
15, 2005
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Boston 57, Buxton 35 Boston scored a comfortable win over Buxton
to go second in the Conference League table. But success came at a cost with
both Darren Mallett and new signing James Horton suffering serious injuries
in separate crashes. The match, however, was generally one-sided
in terms of the score with the visitors also hampered by the loss of the
shaken Bethell (involved in one of the crashes). They had no cover to match
that provided for Boston by teenage star Simon Lambert who once again made
headlines with a stunning seven ride paid maximum—a feat seldom produced by a
reserve. Buxton never gave up, but suffered further
bad luck when Charles Wright was forced to retire when taking a tactical ride
in heat eight. Carl Wilkinson again looked in a class of his own for Boston
while Simon Walker returned to form and the youngsters Mark Richardson and Adam Lowe also earned
some useful points. Boston: Walker 10+1, Richardson 5+2, Mallett
3, Horton 5+1, Wilkinson 12, Lowe 3, Lambert 19+2. |
May
12, 2005
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Weymouth 60, Boston 33 A weakened Barracuda-Braves side were forced
to track veteran Phil Pickering in this match against the powerful Weymouth
side in the wake of a broken hand injury sustained by Nathan Irwin a few days
earlier. And it was no real surprise that with
depleted resources, the Braves tumbled to their worst defeat for some time. There cause was also hampered by blown
engines for Carl Wilkinson and Simon Walker. However, the team still fought
hard with Darren Mallett doing particularly well in the closing stages with a
brace of race wins to his name. Boston: Walker 2, M Pickering 0, Mallett 10,
P Pickering 0, Wilkinson 11+1, Lowe 0, Lambert 10 |
May
8, 2005
|
|
Buxton
44, Boston 46
|
May
1, 2005
|
|
Boston
62, Sittingbourne 31
|
April
24, 2005
|
|
Boston 56, Stoke 39
|
April
23, 2005
|
|
Armadale
52, Boston 41
|
|
April 17, 2005 |
|
Boston 48, Weymouth 45 Carl Wilkinson was the hero as the Braves scored a
last-gasp league success over Weymouth. His unbeaten 18-point haul included a brilliant
last-heat 5-1 in tandem with team-mate Simon Walker, a feat which enabled
Boston to send their supporters into euphoria with a stunning victory. In a match of contrasting fortunes, it was Weymouth who
dominated the early heats and by the mid-meeting point led by 10 points. At
this stage, Wilkinson came in as a “double up” tactical substitute and
rattled up a six-point return for his race success. And that was a catalyst for the Braves to begin their
fightback — ultimately seeing them set up a decisive last heat decider. Still
trailing 44-43, the Boston outfit were indebted to the efforts of Wilkinson
and Walker which yielded a telling maximum points haul. Boston: Walker 10+1, M Pickering 3+1, Powell 6, Irwin 2,
Wilkinson 18, Lowe 0, Lambert 9+2. |
|
April 13, 2005 |
|
Wimbledon 48, Boston
40 Veteran racer Rob Hollingworth came out of retirement to
plug a gap in the Braves’ depleted ranks. And he showed he had lost none of
his style with a tidy eight-point haul in a closely fought challenge match
encounter. The Boston quest, though, was hampered by five falls at
key stages for several riders. And the loss of points from these mishaps went
a long way towards the eventual outcome — defeat on the night and an overall
91-89 loss on aggregate. Top scorer was teenage reserve Simon Lambert with 12
(paid 14) while good support was forthcoming from Ben Powell on 11 (paid 12). But it was the general overall strength in depth of the
home side which tipped the balance in favour of the Dons. Boston: Hollingworth 8, M Pickering 0, Powell 11+1, Irwin
2+1, Wilkinson 6, Lowe 1, Lambert 12+2. |
|
April 7, 2005 |
|
Mildenhall 46, Boston
42 This match was raced in testing conditions at West Row
with track difficulties making life awkward for many riders. And one incident
in particular affected the Boston side when teenage reserve Mark Richardson
fell and suffered a back injury which led to his early departure from the
meeting. Of the match in general, opening exchanges were fairly
even with Boston leading by a solitary point after four races. But Mildenhall
hit back and took the lead in what rapidly became a contest for the survival
of the fittest. Heat 13 saw Mildenhall open up a six-point lead. But a
4-2 by Nathan Irwin and Adam Lowe gave Boston hope, only for it to be
extinguished in a 3-3 final heat. But the result still gave Boston a 94-90
aggregate success. Boston: Walker 7, M Pickering 5+3, Mallett 8+1, Irwin
9+1, Wilkinson 10+1, Richardson 2, Lowe 1 |
|
April 3, 2005 |
|
Boston 49, Wimbledon
43 There was plenty of drama and excitement as Boston edged
to a six-point Spring Cup first leg success against Wimbledon. Boston made the early running by opening a 16-8
advantage after four races, but then saw Ben Powell fall victim to engine
trouble. However, Carl Wilkinson and Simon Lambert led the way with wins in
4-2 heat successes as the progressive totals stood at 30-18 after eight
events. But
then Wimbledon hit back with Buzz Burrows, in as a tactical substitute, raced
to victory in a 7-2 heat success. Then in heat 12, Lambert’s engine seized
while leading moments after Powell’s bike also stopped to gift the visitors a
5-0. All of a sudden there was a much tighter look to the
scoreline. Further falls then added to the drama, but Boston eventually
clawed to a six-point success with Wilkinson and Walker earning a final race
4-2. Boston: Walker 10, M Pickering 3+1, Powell 0, Irwin 10,
Wilkinson 14+1, Richardson 2, Lambert 10+1. |
|
March 25, 2005 |
|
Rye House 54½ , Boston
37½ The diminutive Rye House circuit
proved a problem for most of the Barracuda-Braves’ riders as their opening Conference
League match ended in defeat. The home side made a stunning start and powered into a
15-3 lead after just three heats. And from that stage there was little chance
of Boston fighting back. However, heat leader Carl Wilkinson and reserve Simon Lambert
did their best to put up some resistance and they combined for a 5-1 in heat
four and a 5-3 (tactical substitute ride) in heat six to at least peg the
deficit to 24-14. Despite only firing on a couple of cylinders — plus, to a
degree, Nathan Irwin — Boston kept plugging away and two remarkable wins for
Lambert in successive races late on kept the deficit to a reasonable
proportion. Boston: Walker 2, M Pickering 0, Mallett 3+2, Irwin 7½,
Wilkinson 11+1, Richardson 0, Lambert 14+2. |
|
March 18, 2005 |
|
Boston 52, Mildenhall 44 The Braves got off to a terrific start to the new season
with this challenge match victory over Mildenhall at the Norfolk Arena. Although the visitors had the night’s star performer in Jon
Armstrong (20 points including a double tally tactical race win), the Braves
produced a solid display throughout their ranks. They were well led by Carl
Wilkinson (13 points) and new skipper Simon Walker (12). There were also tidy returns from teenage reserved Simon
Lambert and Mark Richardson who together were paid for a combined 13 points.
The latter also marked his home debut with a heat two race win. Boston led
17-13 after five races and extended their advantage before the Fen Tigers hit
back with an 8-1 success. But Boston’s all-round strength saw them 43-32 ahead
after heat 12. Although Armstrong (twice) and Adam Roynon shared the final
three heat wins between them, Boston packed into the minor placings to finish
with an eight-point advantage. Boston: Walker 10+2, M Pickering 2+1, Mallett 9, Irwin
8+2, Wilkinson 13, Richardson 5+1, Lambert 5+2. |