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RAIDERS NEARLY PROVE A POINT
Saturday May 28, 2016
The BMR Raiders can consider themselves a tad unlucky not to return home from the Potteries with an away match point after going down 48-41 at Stoke in the Travel Plus National League.
That they fell a tantalising single race point short of achieving that objective had much to do with their misfortune in Heats 4 and 8. The first instance saw Rob Branford excluded for the pre-race infraction of riding on the centre green as a short-cut to the start line, with the Potters blasting a 5-1 when the heat did get underway to push clear at 15-8.
The second saw Kenny Bowdery fall after passing Paul Burnett for second spot, with the home side again capitalising with a maximum advantage to take the score to 28-19.
A strong top three of former Stoke man Luke Priest (13), Ben Morley (13) and Branford (10+1) held the Raiders together, but a 5-1from the latter two in Heat 15 left them just short of that elusive away point.
Rye House Team Manager Peter Schroeck dwelt less on what went down in specific races than an overview of the match as a whole when speaking afterwards. “Tonight came down to the same old thing of not being able to get anything out of Rider-Replacement and struggling a bit at the bottom end, but we’re not too disheartened, given our philosophy of bringing on the youngsters.
“George (Hunter) missed tonight, and he will miss the next one, but he should be back for our match at Kent (on June 13th). He just needs to give the leg some rest in the meantime.â€
“The next one†that Schroeck was referring to is the Raiders’ forthcoming fixture on Bank Holiday Monday as part of a double header programme at Rye House.
The racing kicks in at 2pm with the Premier League fixture between the BMR Rockets and a Redcar team led by former King’s Lynn and Peterborough star Lasse Bjerre and the fast-emerging Jonas B Andersen. The Rockets will operate Rider-Replacement for concussion victim Leigh Lanham, with BMR Raider Rob Branford stepping up as a guest for Peter Karger, the Heat 11 hero against Edinburgh last Sunday, who suffered a wrist injury in the same Heat 14 incident that side-lined Lanham.
Although the Bears have suffered a difficult start to 2016, with just one competitive victory (against Plymouth) to show to date, Schroeck does not intend their threat on Monday. “We’ve already seen this season that every team can win and every team is beatable. You don’t know until the day how people will turn up.
“We’ll take it like every other match, as a must-win, and hit them as hard as we can from the start.
“We currently expect Peter (Karger) to be out for a fortnight in total, although I am monitoring the situation with him. In the meantime, Rob (Branford) will be keen to impress, and he gets on really well with (Ben) in the Raiders, so they should work well together as a pair.â€
Monday’s 15 Premier League races will be followed by 15 more as the BMR Rockets battle south-coast adversaries Eastbourne in the Travel Plus National League. Cup kings in 2015 – they won the Knock-Out Cup, National Trophy and Gold Cup trophies – the Eagles have already made 2016 progress in the former by eliminating Mildenhall from that competition.
Says Schroeck, “The Eagles are going to be another tough cookie. But their No.1 Adam Ellis is due to be missing because of an Elite League commitment, so we’ll just get stuck in with the aim of our heat leaders doing their job for us and the rest of the boys adding their bit.â€
Bank Holiday Monday’s double header admission:
Adults £20, Seniors (over 60s) £17, Full-Time Students (17-22) £15, Children (aged 12-16) £8.00, Children (under 12): FREE. Double header match programme: £3.00
Please note that those seeking Student admission must provide a copy of their current student photo ID (issued by the NUS or their university/college) at the turnstiles.
Eastbourne supporters wishing to watch only the second half of the double header may do so by entering the turnstiles after Heat 14 of the earlier Rockets-Redcar Premier League match. Normal National League prices will apply in this instance.
Finally, although the official action starts at 2pm, once again there are three 150cc demonstration races on the agenda, at 1.30, featuring Young Lions of the future.
BMR Raiders:
Ben Morley 13, Luke Priest 13, Robert Branford 10+1, Macauley Leek 5, Kenny Bowdery 0, Connor Locke 0, George Hunter R/R
Stoke:
Paul Burnett 9+3, Danny Phillips 9+1, Ben Wilson 9, Tony Atkin 8, Shaun Tedham 6+3, Ben Hopwood 6, David Morgan 1+1
Match Points: Stoke 3 Rye House 0
Picture: KEVIN OLIVER
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