Somerset Rebels v Newcastle Diamonds
Fri 29 Apr 2011, Oak Tree Arena, Premier League
The Sapphire Engineering Diamonds, with their dire straits in terms of losing two number ones in the space of three weeks were expected to be lambs to the slaughter at the Somerset Rebels last night, but after five races the Tynesiders were still very much in touch, sadly a trend that did not continue.
Newcastle's new Slovenian International, Matej Ferjan finally came good, taking seven excellently fought for points indicating he could well be a new Geordie hero yet.
Leicester's Russian star Sergey Darkin was in as a guest for collar bone victim, Mark Lemon, but struggled to reflect his domination, taking a sedentary third in his first two races.
Come the end of Heat Three the Rebels led 11-7, but new heat leader, Matej Ferjan stormed away from the gate to take a huge win in the fourth and with Richie Worrall successfully held our James Holder for a Diamonds 2-4 advantage narrowing the gap to 13-11.
Sam Masters and Christian Hefenbrock left Darkin and Derek Sneddon in their dust in the Heat Five home maximum, extending the gap to six, which opened the flood gates dramatically despite another great start from Ferjan in the sixth race which he led well until Jason Doyle rounded him on lap one.
Former Newcastle 2010 reserve Dakota North chased down the Slovenian hard and just sneaked round Ferjan too with only a yard left in the race for another Rebels' 5-1 taking the score to 23-13.
Heats Seven and Eight went the same way with two easily take Home 5-1s leaving Newcastle straggling some 18 points down, 33-15, before Ferjan again became the hero of the hour to shoot off at a rate of knots in Heat Nine, heading Hefenbrock into bend one before barnstorming a big win for three points in a Diamonds' 2-4, but the task ahead was still in massive proportions.
With 10 being shared 3-3, Darkin finally found his feet in Heat 11, barging hard his way under Cory Gathercole who had to drift very close to the fence, allowing the Russian through, but fought back, with North, to give Darkin a hard time, but the three points went deservedly to Newcastle in a second shared 3-3 (41-25).
Claes Nedermark was named as the tactical rider in Heat 12 to score double points, and having performed a similar move to Darkin under Hefenbrock on bend one, shot away to win with ease for six points, and with Kyle Newman taking third, the 2-7 to Newcastle narrowed the score by five to 43-32.
Following a home 5-1 in the 13th Stuart Robson came out in Heat 14 as Newcastle's second and final tactical ride and again made a start to die for, shooting out into an unassailable lead for six more good points and again with Newman in third the 2-7 took Newcastle to within 10 once more, 50-40 with the final race shared, overall ten points down could have been a whole lot worse.
Team manager George English said: "We are showing sparks again that we have a team capable of good things, and once we all spark as one, all at the same time I think we'll be getting some good wins, both home and away."
Newcastle Diamonds v Sheffield Tigers
Sun 01 May 2011, Newcastle Stadium, Premier League
Desperate to bounce back from recent defeats, including at Brough Park last Monday the Newcastle “Sapphire Engineering” Diamonds went into last night’s Premier League match against the Sheffield Tigers knowing second best would not be good enough.
The eventual home win however came after the Diamonds were 18-30 down after only seven races, and no chance of a win, but following a lively and animated team talk with team manager George English the team got on with the job in hand and performed one of the most magnificent home comebacks most fans could remember.
Unfortunately the match got off to an awful start for Newcastle, with Kevin Doolan, Diamonds’ guest for the inured Mark Lemon and Derek Sneddon fell asleep at the gate in Heat One as the vibrant Ricky Ashworth and Emiliano Sanchez roared away for a 1-5 result.
A second 1-5 was rescued when both Kyle Newman and Richie Worrall soared round Ashley Birks on lap two to share the race, and with a first race win for Newcastle coming from Stuart Robson in third, initially looking like a home 5-1 until Josh Auty man-handled Claes Nedermark out of the way to reduce the score to 4-2.
The team exchanged more 4-2s in Heats four and five, before Shane Parker, not known for doing well at the Tyneside track took Heat six brilliantly ahead of Doolan in a 2-4, but with Matej Ferjan and Newman out in front, Hugh Skidmore launched himself round both on bend two, whilst Auty repeated the task more sedately passing one then the other on bend four of laps two and three for a Tigers’ 1-5, putting the visitors 17-25 up.
Sanchez and Lambert again used the “home specialist” fast line off bend two to round Sneddon and Worrall in the seventh to put Sheffield 18-30 ahead in a shock collapse of form from the Diamonds.
Robson came out in the ninth as a tactical ride for double points, and shot out of the traps to lead well with Nedermark battling with Parker, and after a dodgy second lap took a good second place to complete a triumphant Newcastle 8-1 to tighten the match nicely to 26-31.
With another Newcastle 4-2 in the 10th, Newman rode the race of his life in Heat 11, racing to the front on the first bend and holding out the vastly experienced pairing of Ashworth and Sanchez out for all four laps to split the heat well and hold the score deficit to 33-36.
Heat 12 came to a bizarre halt on bend two when Auty appeared to have his foot run over by Worrall, with both riders falling, but it was the Tiger who needed extensive medical attention to attend to his injuries after which he walked back into the pits.
That re-run produced another clash between the two before a Sheffield 4-2 was eventually achieved, before Newman produced another cracking race in Heat 13, blasting to the front with Doolan riding a superbly intelligent second place to fend off Ashworth and Parker and preserve a vital 5-1, as Newcastle pulled within one point of Sheffield, 40-41.
Newcastle finally took the lead for the first time as the rejuvenated home side saw Robson lead 14 from the off with Newman again excelling to nab a second place making the score 45-42 with one race to go.
Robson completed an immaculate full maximum by taking Heat 15 in style as part of a Newcastle 4-2, the home side winning 49-44 in the most unbelievable comeback seen in North East speedway for some considerable time.
George English, team manager of the Diamonds, said: “We were dead in the water mid-way through this match, and looked completely incapable of any success, but we had an emergency team meeting in the interval and, well what can I say, the lads responded magnificently with them all upping their game.
"Stuart was simply inspirational in his encouragement and was totally instrumental in our eventual success, not only scoring point on track but motivating our lads in the pits.
“Young Kyle Newman who rode so very well too, was magnificent with his exceptional wins over the best of opposition, and with Kevin piling up good points too we really deserved this win – superb!
“It was very, very satisfying!”
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