Wednesday 26th March 1998, Star / Mail Trophy 1st legThursday 4th June, PL Cup
Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 51 C.Stonehewer ef 2' 3 2' 7+2 A.Compton 2 3 3 2' 3 13+1 T.Palmer 0 ef 1 1 S.Knott 1 2 1' 1' 5+2 M.Powell (g) 3 3 3 3 1 13 D.Keats 0 1 0 1 R.Aas 3 2' 2' 2 0 2 11+2 TC Harrison (formerly known as Hull) Vikings 39 A.Grahame 3 3 2 2' 1 2 13+1 L.Dicken 1 3 1 1 6 P.Bentley 2' 2 0 3 3 0 10+1 P.Lee rider replacement (7) P.Thorp ef 1 3 1' 0 5+1 S.Cartwright 1' 0 0 1+1 J.Wilson 2 1 fx 0 1 0 4 D.Fairburn dnr
TCH Shootout - 2nd leg 1st C.Stonehewer, last Paul Thorp 64.3
After a poor start from gate 4 Carl rounds Paul out of turn 4 on the 3rd lap. It seems the BSPA may take a dim view of these unofficial match-races and stop them! Trust the BSPA to stop promoters putting on races!!
After a poor start and working through the field Stoney pulled up in heat one while Andre recovered to pass Lee Dicken out of the last bend to snatch 2nd place. Derrol struggled around on Knotty's bike as Rene won heat 2 but then Lee Dicken and Paul Bentley left Tommy and Steve for dead as the Vikings romped into a six point lead revelling in the deep shale.
Paul Thorp passed Mick Powell to lead heat 5 before he too suffered engine problems but the tide began to turn when Andre Compton and Carl Stonehewer team rode to an emphatic win in heat 6.
John Wilson picked himself out of the fence after Derrol re passed him in heat 7 but was able to continue in the meeting. Heat 11 saw Mick Powell having to repass Alan Grahame and Paul Thorp before claiming victory, and Carl Stonehewer recovered brilliantly from an abortive outside pass in heat 13 (which would have seen many other riders demolishing the fence) to squeeze past Alan Grahame on the run to the finish line.
Andre Compton stepped into the top scorers race and displaying his current World U21 form blasted around the field to a brilliant win and his best score of the season.
Alan Grahame was the pick of the Vikings while Thorpy blew hold and cold and Bentleys two wins were cheap. For the Tigers Mick Powell was an excellent guest, Andre on top form and Carl scoring his points the interesting way. Rene was solid, Derrol deserved more, Knotty underpowered and Tommy was terrible.
The Tigers now have a hectic schedule with Berwick on Saturday, Newcastle on Sunday and Reading on Monday...
Wednesday 3rd June, PL Cup
Hull "T C Harrison" Vikings 42 Alan Grahame 3 2 0 0 5 Lee Dicken 1 1' 2 3 fx 7+1 Paul Bentley 3 2 3 2 0 10 Paul Lee rider replacement (1) Paul Thorp 3 3 3 1 2 12 John Wilson x 1 2' 0 1 1' 1 6+2 Simon Cartwright 2 0 fx 2 Danny Fairburn D.N.R. Sheffield "Star" Tigers 48 Carl Stonehewer ef 3 2 2' 3 10+1 Andre Compton 2 1 1 0 4 Tommy Palmer f 1' 1 0 2+1 Steve Knott 2 0 2 2' 6+1 Mick Powell (G) 2 3 2 3 1 11 Derrol Keats 3 0 1' 4+1 Rene Aas 1 1' 3 3 3 11+1
An extremely soggy night and so we were lucky to have any Speedway at all. It was not a very entertaining meeting with nearly all races being won from the gate. Sheffield put in an impressive performance and deserve some credit for taking advantage of the Vikings' weakness in the wet. Stonehewer was good value for money and Powell was a good choice of guest. Aas took a while to get going but then, like everyone else tonight, did well if he made the gate. Highlights (not many):
Ht3: A good pass from Bentley inside Steve Knott. The very unimpressive Palmer fell while being chased by Bentley. Bentley did surprisingly well to avoid Palmer while managing to stay on the bike and go on to win (4-2)
Ht8: Cartwright (who knows every inch of the track because he has fallen just about everywhere on it) fell again while making a great effort to pass Compton. Aas won (2-4)
Ht11: The long awaited meeting of Stonehewer and Thorp - who is the best in the Premier league??? Stonehewer had a disastrous start and Thorp won easily. Meanwhile, rider of the night, John Wilson did well to hold off Compton (4-2)
Ht13: Thorp and Stonehewer meet again. Stonehewer missed the gate and then had a very handy (suspicious) fall that resulted in all 4 back to the start. On the re-run, Stoney made the gate and went on to win (1-5)
Ht14: The rain came down heavier and Lee Dicken had a nasty fall. Knott did an excellent job to lay it down very quickly to avoid the pile up (1-5 on the re-run)
Ht15: Thorp and Stonehewer meet again. Stonehewer had a lightning start that left Thorp with no chance (2-4)
T.C.Harrison match race: Neat idea this. Thorp and Stonehewer meet at the end of each Hull/Sheffield derby. The winner of each race gets 100GBP with a 500GBP to the overall winner of the 6 match race series. Thorp won this match race and, so far, they look pretty well matched with 2-2 in their meetings tonight
Many thanks to Kevin Smith for this report.
Monday 25th May, PL Cup
Peterborough Panthers 50 Glen Cunningham 3 3 3 2 2 13 Paul Clews 1 2' 0 r 3+1 Brett Woodifield 2' 2 2' 3 9+2 Nigel Sadler 3 1' 3 2' 1' 10+3 Jan Andersen 2 2 3 7 Simon Stead 2 0 0 3 5 David Howe 1' r 2 r 0 3+1 Sheffield "Star" Tigers 39 Carl Stonehewer 2 3 3 2 3 3 16 Andre Compton 0 0 1 1' 2 4+1 Tommy Palmer 0 2 1' 3+1 Steve Knott 1 1 1' 1 0 4+1 Scott Smith x 0 Derrol Keats 3 3 0 0 6 Rene Aas 0 x 1 3 1 1 0 6
Sheffield's cause was lost as early as heat 4. David Howe slowed dramatically on the 4th bend causing Jan Andersen to go wide to avoid him. Scott Smith attempting an outside pass was left with nowhere to go but the extremely solid Alwalton 'safety' fence. The home crowd cheer as he is taken off to hospital with suspected femur, pelvis and arm injuries.
Derrol after impressive wins in heats 2 and again by beating Jan Andersen in heat 4, is the meat in an Aussie sandwich at the start of heat 9. Although he comes out for the rerun with his shoulder and wrist strapped up he also has to withdraw from the meeting.
With Palmer and Knott well off the pace and Rene suffering race stoppages when well placed the Panthers ran out comfortable victors. Glenn Cunningham only dropped points to Stoney in heats 13 and 15 while Brett Woodifield's hard riding didn't endear him to the visiting fans. David Howe suffered machine problems all evening which probably caused Scud's injuries while Jan Andersen also withdrew from the meeting after his 3rd ride, also a legacy of the heat 4 smash.
Thursday 21st May, PL Cup
Sheffield 'STAR' Tigers 51 C.Stonehewer 2' 3 3 1 R 9+1 A.Compton 3 0 R 0 3 T.Palmer 0 1' 3 2' 6+2 S.Knott 2 2 2' 2 8+1 S.Smith 1' 2 2 3 8+1 D.Keats 1 1' 1' 0 3+2 R.Aas 3 2 3 3 3 14 Newcastle 'Debmat' Diamonds 39 B.Werner 1 3 3 1 2 2 12 M.Hogg 0 0 0 0 P.Berge (G) 3 3 3 2 R 11 S.Swales 1 1' F 1' 0 3 1 7+2 J. Olsen rider replacement (4+1) J.Birkinshaw 2 2 2 1 0 1 8 J.Swales 0 0 1' 1+1 A.Swales dnr
Phillipe Berge proved an inspired choice of guest for the missing Nikki Pedersen racing to 3 impressive race wins before being passed by Stoney in heat 10. Trailing Rene in heat 12 his machine failed and that was the end of his racing for the night. Brent Werner looked impressive when he gated, but failed to pass even a pedestrian looking Tommy Palmer in heat 12. Stuart Swales claimed a consolation win against Steve Knott in heat 14 and James Birkinshaw's points came at the expence of Derrol Keats and a slow starting Andre Compton. Jesper Olsen's rider replacements only mustered 4+1 whereas Jesper always scores freely around Owlerton.
Another confident display by super reserve Rene Aas including victory in heat 15, Rene dropped his only point to Phillipe Berge in heat 4. Derrol passed Jonathan Swales in heat 2 and held off a spirited challenge by James Birkinshaw in heat 11. Andre Compton was nursed home for a win by Stoney in heat 1 despite strong pressure from Brent Werner but then was caught going backwards at the tapes in heat 6, and retired from heat 8 after making a super start to join Rene at the front. Tommy's win was at the expence of Malcolm Hogg and James Birkinshaw, but he did resist Brent Werner in heat 12 while Steve Knott earned his points cheaply. Scud has had his machine breathed over by Bullet Enterpises but you wouldn't have realised in his first 3 races, but he suddenly sprang to life in heat 13 zapping from last to first. Carl started masterfully despite his insistence on being last to the first bend. He failed to follow Sott through the pack in heat 13 and after a thrilling burst from behind to join Rene at the front of heat 15 his bike gave up the ghost.
Overall an entertaining match with some good speedway on show, but Newcastle missed Jesper Olsen badly.
Saturday 16th May, PL Cup
Stoke Potters 49 Neil Collins 2 3 3 1' 9+1 Buzz Burrows 0 2' 2 1 5+1 Martin Dixon 3 0 3 3 9 Paul Pickering 2' 3 2' 2 2 11+2 Dickie Juul 3 3 2 2 1' 11+1 Dean Felton 2 1 0 0 3 Mark Blackwell 0 1 0 0 1 Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 41 Carl Stonehewer 3 2 3 3 3 3 17 Andre Compton x 1' 1 0 2+1 Tommy Palmer 0 2 2 1 2 0 7 Steve Knott 1 0 1 2 Scott Smith 2 1 1 0 4 Derrol Keats 1 x 1' 2+1 Rene Aas 1 3 0 0 3 7
A steady display by the home heat leaders saw the Potters as comfortable victors. Stoney was in brilliant form dropping his only point to Pickers in heat 5 but he received precious little by way of back-up. Rene was the only other Sheffield heat winner heading Pickers in heat 14, but even he was inconsistent and was passed by home dubutant Mark Blackwell in heat 4.
Thursday 14th May, PL Cup
Sheffield 'STAR' Tigers 47 Stonehewer 3 2 2 3 2 12 Compton 1 1' 3 1' 0 6+2 Palmer 2 0 2 1' 5+1 Knott 1' 1 1' 0 3+2 Smith 2 X 2 2' 6+1 Keats 2' 0 2+1 Aas 3 1' 3 2' 2 2 13+2 Glasgow Tigers 43 Smart(G) 2 3 3 0 3 3 14 Beveridge 0 2' 1 1 4+1 Powell 3 2 3 3 1 12 Courtney F 1' 0 1+1 Steen 3 3 3 1 1 11 McDonald 1 0 0 0 1 Turner F 0 0 0On a heavy, well watered track Sheffield struggled to overcome the fast gating Glasgow heatleaders. Only Rene seemed oblivious to the conditions and Tommy and Steve in particular struggled badly compared to their much improved form against Newport last week. Even Carl and Scott seemed well off the pace although that might be more to do with Sundays match than the track.
Glasgows three heat leaders won 10 of the 15 heats between them, but apart from a determined effort by Will Beveridge in heat 5 received no support at all. David Steen in particular looked very impressive as he shot from the tapes and rode high and wide in all his rides, but was picked off by both Carl and Scott in heat 13, and again by Carl in heat 15. Frank Smart was again an inspired choice of guest.
A very inept display by the 'STAR' Tigers which does not auger well for Saturdays match at Stoke. Perhaps things might improve after the British Final...
Thursday 7th May, PL
Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 51 C.Stonehewer 2' 3 3 1' 3 12 + 2 A.Compton 3 F 3 1 7 T.Palmer 1' 1' 2' 3 0 7 + 3 S.Knott 2 2 3 2 9 S.Smith 2 3 1 2 8 D.Keats X 0 X X 0 R.Aas 3 1' 2' 1 1' 8 + 3 Newport 'Hayle' Wasps 38 C.Watson R 3 1 3 3 1' 11 + 1 D.Mason 1 0 1 2 P.Fry 3 2 2 2 3 2 14 S.Pegler 0 1' X 0 0 1 + 1 A.Henriksson 3 2 X 2' 0 7 + 1 M.Willis F 0 J.Armstrong 2 R 1' R 0 3 + 1Andre claimed his first home win in heat 1 passing Stoney out of turn 2 who slotted in behind him for a maximum win. Heat 2 saw Derrol lift out of turn 2 and collect Martin Willis, and although Rene managed to lay his machine down all 3 ended in an untidy heap by the fence. Martin was the unlucky one and a 50 minute hold up ensued while he was taken directly to hospital.
Heat 6 saw Anders Henriksson take Carl Stonehewer right into the fence on the first turn. Carl was quickly back on his feet and less than impressed with the Swede determining to bridge any language difficulties with the aid of a large shovel found on the centre green. In the rerun Carl took 2 laps to get on terms with Anders who lost a lot of ground as Carl passed him on the inside. Andre eager to get in on the act went too wide and lost it on turn 4.
Heat 9 and it's Henriksson again, this time with T/S Watson. Craig blasts around Knott and Palmer to lead but Anders elects to try a literal 'wall of death' maneouvre around the 3rd & 4th bend fencing. Unbelievably he walks away from the aftermath !! In the rerun the Tigers comprehensively shut Watson out for a well deserved win. Tommy goes one better in heat 12 after losing the lead to Paul Fry on the 2nd lap as he finds the drive out of turn 4 on the 3rd lap to regain the lead and his first home win.
Paul Fry stole some pride for the Wasps with a tape to flag win in the Silver Helmet match race against Scott Smith.
Thursday 30th April, PL Cup
Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 52 C.Stonehewer 3 3 3 3 3 15 A.Compton rider replacement (5+2) T.Palmer 1 1 1' 2 5+1 S.Knott 2' F 3 2 1 8+1 S.Smith 3 3 3 2' 11+1 D.Keats 1' 0 0 1 0 2+1 R.Aas 2 2' 2' 3 1 1' 0 11+3 Berwick Bandits 38 S.Lamb R R 0 2' 2+1 C.Taylor 1 2 2 2 0 7 P.Scully 2' 1' 3 2 3 2 13+2 D.Meldrum 3 2 0 0 5 J.Pingel 0 1 1 2 D.McAllen 0 0 F 0 R.Madsen 3 1 1' 3 1' 9+2A win for Sheffield but by a smaller margin than they should have achieved against a weak Berwick side hamstrung by terrible equipments problems for Scott Lamb who only scored in one race (on borrowed equipment). Full marks to the entertaining contributions from visitors Peter Scully and Rene Madsen, but that was it.
Andre Compton (World U21 championship bound) would have scored far more than 5+2 against such poor opposition but Rene scored solidly, even taking a top scorers outing due to Scud's ignition problems which saw him take his last ride on Knotty's bike.
Saturday 25th April, PL Cup
Edinburgh Ziebart Monarchs 58 Peter Carr 3 3 1 3 3 13 Robert Larsen 0 2' 2 3 7+1 Kevin Little 3 2 3 3 2' 13+1 Paul Gould 2' 1' 2' R 5+3 Kenny McKinna 3 3 3 2' 11+1 Blair Scott 3 1 R 1 5 Barry Campbell 2' 1 R 1 4+1 Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 32 Carl Stonehewer 2 3 0 2 1 M 8 Andre Compton 1' 0 1 1' 3+2 Tommy Palmer 1 2 2 2 2' 0 9+1 Steve Knott 0 0 X 0 Scott Smith R 1 1 2 Derrol Keats T 0 0 0 Rene Aas 1 2 3 X 3 1 10Edinburgh consolidated their lead in the Northern Group of the Premier League Cup with a win and a bonus point against Sheffield. The match was very flat with little challenge presented by the visitors on a soggy track that made passing near to impossible. Most attempts at outside passing resulted in falls.
Carl Stonehewer was a disappointment especially after his recent 18 point maximum at Shawfield. The conditions certainly did not suit his style. Tommy Palmer was steady although seldom threatening the home heat leaders. Scud Smith finds Armadale a bit of a handful at the best of times and was totally off the pace. Steve Knott looked aggressive but was unable to stay on his bike long enough to be a problem. Compton and Keats had little impact. Rene Aas did look more at home with the conditions favouring fast starters and was worth his double figure score.
IOW Islanders 47 Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 43 P.Berge 3 3 ef 3 3 12 C.Stonehewer 2 3 3 2 1 11 J.Bunyan 1 2' 2 3 7+1 A.Compton 0 1 3 2' 6+1 R.Morton 3 2 3 3 2' 13+1 T.Palmer 0 1 F 2 3 W.Carter 0 0 1 3 4 S.Knott 2 2' 2 1 7+1 N.Tatum 2 r 1 1 4 S.Smith 3 1 2 0 6 D.Bird X 1 0 1 D.Keats 2' 0 r 2 4+1 A.Barlow 1 1' 1' 0 2 5+2 R.Aas 3 0 0 0 3
Six points in the lead with only 3 races to go the Tigers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Phillipe Berge repeated his opening heat win over Stoney in heat 13 and the subdued Neville Tatum relegated Scott Smith to last place. Heat 14 saw Rene (on borrowed equipment) and Steve Knott eclipsed by the unimpressive Wayne Carter and Anthony Barlow to level the scores, and Phillipe Berge and Ray Morton made no mistake in the vital last heat to beat Stoney and Tommy Palmer to steal victory.
Thursday 16th April, PL Cup
Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 50 Edinburgh Ziebart Monarchs 40 C.Stonehewer 3 3 3 1' 3 13+1 P.Carr 1 3 2' 2 3 1 12+1 A.Compton tx 1 2' 0 3+1 P.Gould 0 0 0 0 T.Palmer 1 1' 0 2 4+1 K.Little 2' 1' 2 1 6+2 S.Knott 0 2 1 3 6 R.Larsen 3 2 1' 3 2 0 11+1 S.Smith 3 3 3 2 2' 13+1 K.McKinna 2 2 3 0 7 D.Keats 1 f 1 0 2 B.Scott 2 0 0 2 R.Aas 2' 3 1 3 ef 9+1 B.Campbell 0 0 1 1' 2+1
Derrol suffered two tumbles trying to make passes, Steve struggled with his engines and improved as the night wore on but Andre and Tommy will need a little time to learn their new home track. Rene started in blistering style to follow Stoney home ahead of Peter Carr (!) but blew his only engine while leading in his last race having just passed Robert Larsen. Scud and Stoney made it all look so easy until they were outgated by Peter Carr in heat 15 and elected to share the points.
For the Monarchs Robert Larsen was very impressive with some fast starts and some agressive riding when under pressure, but their tail end was woefully weak.
Sunday 12th April, PL Cup
Glasgow Tigers 52 Dalle Andersson 0 3 3 2 8 Will Beveridge 2 2' 3 1 0 8+1 Mick Powell 3 X 2 3 8 Sean Courtney 2' 2 1' 3 M 8+2 Dave Steen 3 3 0 1' 7+1 Grant MacDonald 3 1 2 2' 2 10+2 Brian Turner 1 1 0 1 3 Sheffield 'Star' Tigers 38 Carl Stonehewer 3 3 3 3 3 3 18 Andre Compton 1 1 2 1 0 5 Tommy Palmer 0 2 2 2 1 1 8 Steve Knott 1 0 0 0 1 Scott Smith X 0 Derrol Keats T 0 M 0 0 Rene Aas 2 2 1 1' 0 6+1Glasgow had an easy win over Sheffield. This stemmed from an unfortunate incident in Heat 4 when Scott Smith was injured in his first ride and was taken to Hospital as a precaution for X-rays and observation. This effectively ended the contest leaving Sheffield with only four effective riders since Derrol Keats struggled mechanically and otherwise without score and Steve Knott failed to take a point other than from a team-mate.
Good scoring by the Glasgow bottom end with MacDonald excellent value and Beveridge looking good. Brian Turner has two gifts in his three points but didn't ride badly. Non of the heat leaders was able to get anywhere near Stonehewer apart from Powell in Heat 5 before he fell.
Had Smith been available and displayed his best form, this could have produced a fascinating fixture. Stonehewer was totally unbeatable whether he gated or didn't. Support came from Palmer, Compton and Aas.
Wednesday 26th March 1998, Star / Mail Trophy 1st leg
Hull 'Vikings' 42 Sheffield Stelrad 'Star' Tigers 48 P.Bentley 2 1' 2' 1' 1 7+3 C.Stonehewer 3 3 3 X 3 12 L.Dicken 1' 2 1 3 7+1 A.Compton 0 0 2' 2' 4+2 P.Thorp 3 2 2 X 7 T.Palmer 0 1 F 2 3 P.Lee 2' 1' 1' 2 0 6+3 S.Knott 1 0 1 3 5 A.Grahame 1 2' 1 2 6+1 S.Smith 3 3 3 3 2' 14+1 J.Wilson 2 3 X R 0 5 D.Keats 0 0 0 0 S.Cartwright 1' 0 0 0 3 4+1 R.Aas 3 2' 3 1' 1 10+2
A large crowd for the Vikings opening fixture were entertained by some excellent racing on a damp but well prepared track. Scud romped to an untroubled paid maximum and captain Stoney only dropped points when he fell in heat 13 trying to join Scud at the front. Knotty and Tommy Palmer both looked to have engine problems and Derrol was very rusty. Steve came out on a borrowed machine for heat 14 to claim his first win. Andre improved with each outing but the match winner was fast starting Rene Aas who even managed to pass Cartwright and Wilson on the outside (!) in heat 2.
The Vikings cause was not helped by both Thorp and Wilson touching the tapes, but their heat leaders had no answer to the Tigers top two. Lee Dicken battled hard for his points and Paul Lee looked promising on his home debut. Simon Cartwright popped out to win his last race but John Wilson's night went downhill after winning heat 7. The Vikings will be looking for improved form from both Paul Bentley and Alan Grahame in the return at Owlerton next week.
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