Derby delight for Diamonds

Jul 14 2008 by Lawrence Heppell, The Journal

A TYPICALLY tense Tyne-Tweed derby unfolded last night at the Newcastle Stadium with a difficult track surface adding to the early confusion with a multitude of riders falling.

The final results were in doubt to the very end but a vital penultimate race ending 5-1 to Newcastle – thanks to a fine ride by Jason King and Jerrane Hart – clinched the league points for the Diamonds.

Berwick skipper Adrian Rymel and fellow Czech Michal Makovsky pulled out all the stops to pile up some good points totals between them whereas Newcastle’s counter Josef Franc and George Stancl struggled to impress.

All square after heat one, Berwick’s Scott Smith lost all sense of direction in heat two as he shot directly across the apex of bends three and four. The race was re-run minus Smith and won by Sean Stoddart.

Heat three saw Makovsky take a sensational win while Newcastle won hat four 4-2.

Smith was back in the wars again in heat six when he was excluded from the final lap by trying a desperate underpass of Newcastle skipper Richard Juul but drifted wide knocking the Diamond to the ground.

Heat seven looked like a turnaround for Berwick with a 1-5 on the cards but it was Newcastle riders who regained control quickest after errors by all the riders to a take a 4-2 and extend their lead to 23-18. A brilliant win for Stoddart over Paul Clews, who fought all the way in heat eight, coupled with Juul holding out Bandit Tero Aarnio – who started from a 15-metre handicap for exceeding the two minute time allowance – kept Newcastle ahead. A win in heat nine for King could have been capitalised upon had Stancl not pulled out of the race looking decidedly unhappy with the track surface in another 3-3 taking the score to 33-26.

Following a superb close-quarters battle, between Franc and Makovsky in heat 10, it was Rymel’s time to shine in the 11th as he hauled himself into a huge lead over Henry to form a 2-4 with Makovsky to pull Berwick two points back into contention 35-30.

Makovsky – in his third race on the trot – fell going round Stancl on bend one with the referee calling all three back for a re-run in which Berwick’s number three again tried the outside run around Stancl.

This time, however, he succeeded in passing him to lead and take a well earned win with Clews holding on to third despite rearing wildly on the final lap for a point in another 2-4 putting Berwick within three points of Newcastle.

The gap was down to one after another 2-4 in heat 13 when Rymel stamped his dominance on the race from the start, but with Franc fading and slowing throughout Newcastle’s Czech lost out on his third placed point, taking the score to a tight 39-38.

King and Hart took the full five points in the first maximum heat win for either side in heat 14 effectively handing the league points to the home side.

And in the final heat 15, Rymel completed a superb night’s work with another great win over Henry and King – although the latter Diamond appeared to have fuel starvation problems at the start of the heat while Makovsky had already fallen and was excluded from the heat in the initial running – ending the match at an enthralling 47-42.

ON Saturday night, Berwick overwhelmed Rye House Rockets 60-33 on a rain-soaked Shielfield Park track.

SCORERS

Newcastle v Berwick – Newcastle: Josef Franc 6; Richard Juul 4+3; George Stancl 5+1; Jason King 10+2; Christian Henry 12; Jerrane Hart 3+1; Sean Stoddart 7. Berwick: Adrian Rymel 12; Norbert Magosi - rider replacement , Michal Makovsky 10; Tony Atkin 2; Tero Aarnio 7+1; Paul Clews 11; Scott Smith 0.

Berwick v Rye House – Berwick: Adrian Rymel 14; Norbert Magosi - rider replacement; Michal Makovsky 13; Tony Atkin 5+3; Tero Aarnio 8+2; Paul Clews 10+2; Scott Smith 10+4. Rye House: Stefan Ekberg 3; Robert Mear 5+2; Tai Woffinden 17; Tommy Allen 3; Chris Neath 2; Daniel Halsey 0; Luke Bowen 3.