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Impressive First Win of 2010 for Wednesfield

Wednesfield v Norwich, Premier League Cycle Speedway
Sunday 4 April 2010
Report & Images: Andy Whitehouse

Andy Whitehouse's slide show

Wednesfield Aces took their first win of the 2010 premier league with a commanding display at Ashmore Park.

The Aces' Terry Norman rode an almost perfect match taking four wins and only dropping a point in heat six. Chris Jewkes gave a solid performance taking sixteen points from the meeting and ended the day as second highest scorer. The day was marred after a nasty crash in heat fourteen that saw Norwich's Dan Chambers collide with and snap the starting gate. He was taken to hospital with suspected leg injuries.

The match always looked like it would be a close contest after both teams lost the previous week and were both out to score the first win of the campaign. Brothers Ian and Lee Grange can easily win matches for Norwich and team mate Dan Osbourne can string heat wins together when the going gets tough, but Wednesfield had regrouped during the closed season and with new signing Matty Beharrell joining them for the 2010 season the Midlands team look like they have re-found their desire to win.

Great start shot from Andy Whitehouse

Heat one was taken by Chris Jewkes with Sam Smith riding to third spot behind Nowich's Dave Soloman giving the Aces a 6-4 heat lead, a lead they would not relinquish all afternoon. With further wins from Terry Norman, Chris Jewkes, Mark Griffiths and Dylan Radcliffe, the Aces went into the interval eighteen points to the good.

Norwich came into the second half of the match looking like a different team, taking wins in the first three heats after the break, with Ian Grange taking heats ten and twelve and Lee Grange beating British Champion Lee Aris into second place in heat eleven.

An action-packed heat fourteen saw Wednesfield's Roger Cox excluded for taking Dan Chambers off the track and into the start gate, which resulted in the Norwich rider being taken to hospital in an ambulance. Racing was held up for thirty minutes. Repairs to the gate had to be carried out after the force of the crash snapped the upright, (recent news is that the Norwich rider had suffered tissue damage to the ankle and not the suspected break which had earlier been thought).

Paramedics attend to Dan Chambers

A superb gate from the outside grid saw Matty Beharrell take a fine win in the heat rerun with Simon Mundon second and Chambers' replacement, George Soloman, coming in third place. By heat sixteen Wednesfield had all but wrapped the afternoon up and with two further seven-three heats wins Wednesfield proved the stronger team on the day.

Premier League

Wednesfield 103: Terry Norman 19, Chris Jewkes 16, Mark Griffith 15, Matt Beharrell 13, Dylan Radcliffe 13, Lee Aris 12, Sam Smith 11, Roger Cox 4

Norwich 76: Lee Grange 14, Ian Grange 13, Dan Osborne 12, Simon Munden 12, Leon Mower 9, George Solomon 8, Dave Solomon 5, Dan Chambers 3

Premier Combination

Wednesfield Aces 70+22 = 92: Luke Draisey 19,Craig Guest 14,Tony Deleon 12,Mick Aris 9+1,Matt Turley 8+1,Stuart Bentley 8+1.

Norwich Stars 59: George Solomon 17+1,Robert Warminger 11,Josh Colby 11,Barry Copping 9,Liam Parker 6,Ian Grange 5+2.