ARMADALE

SWINDON

Decimated by injuries and the non-availability of Simon Walker or the Harding brothers, the Team Artdeans Sprockets took a relatively inexperienced side to Armadale and also borrowed local junior Cal McDade as their number eight. Chris Johnson, so often the star in recent matches, was deservedly promoted to the number one position, while loyal teamster Danny Warwick proudly accepted the captain’s armband. Though Swindon went down to a powerful home septet, those present in the team acquitted themselves well and many positives could be taken from the experience.

Swindon had a something of a fortuitous start, when, with Blair Scott leading the opening heat, his machine ground to a halt, leaving Johno and Span to collect maximum points over the Devils debut boy James McBain. The reserves’ race saw the homesters make short shrift of eradicating the Team Artdeans Sprockets’ lead. This, after Nathan Irwin had burst forth from the outside gate, only to be quickly passed as Sean Stoddart nipped through on the inside line around the first corner. Then, coming off the fourth turn, the much-improved Andrew Tully relegated the popular Sprocket to third spot. The final act of the race saw back marker Jordan Frampton tumble on the last corner, as parity was restored at 6-6.

Heat three was re-run with the exclusion of Gary Beaton, the Glasgow-born racer having over-cooked the fourth bend and taken a close inspection of the well-prepared Armadale circuit. At the second time of asking, Aussie Matthew Wethers posted a fine success after cutting inside the faster-starting Warwick on his entry to the back straight. However, with just three competitors, the Swindon skipper and team-mate Marc Andrews were able to complete the remainder of the race unchallenged in the points splitting positions.

Derek Sneddon was a clear winner of heat four from the tapes, while Tully filled second place to give Armadale the lead, having driven inside the wide-riding Irwin on the second bend. Irwin came down on the second bend next time around, leaving James Purchase to grab the odd-point. Despite taking a knock to the right arm when he fell, Irwin didn’t let his head drop and battled on gamely throughout the rest of the meeting.

A shed chain led to a panic in the Johnson camp prior to the fifth heat, but a second steed was quickly made ready, allowing Swindon’s stand-in main man to beat the two-minute time allowance. Wethers duly collected his second win, with Johno claiming a good second after stylishly swooping around Beaton on the first corner. Sprockets’ boss Martin Satchell took the opportunity to give McDade a run-out and although at the rear throughout, the youngster looked quite tidy until falling on the pits bend of lap three.

With ‘Bongo’ racing away to collect his initial victory in heat six, Frampton fell in the middle of the first corner after he and Purchase had gone for the same piece of track. However, the son of the former Oxford promoter rode well thereafter, limiting Armadale to a 4-2 advantage. The Devils upped the pace to register a 5-1 in the next race, Sneddon romping to the flag, while Stoddart occupied second spot after dashing inside Warwick on the third bend of lap one.

Trailing 27-15, Johnson sported the black and white helmet cover in heat eight, but although pressing for the duration, he just couldn’t find a way past the impressive Tully. Still, a good second place, combined with Irwin’s point in third position at least gave the Team Artdeans Sprockets a favourable 5-3. ‘Stormy’ won the ninth race at a canter from Purchase. Meanwhile, with Beaton falling and remounting on the first lap, Frampton looked set to open his account. That was until, he too, fell on the last bend. Urged on by the crowd, Beaton came from almost a lap behind to scoop the point, or so everyone thought. Then came the announcement that referee Jim McGregor had excluded the Scotsman for not making a bona-fide attempt to race. Many in the audience thought this more than a tad harsh, since Beaton had actually snapped his back end when he had hit the deck early in the race.

After McBain had endured carburettor problems and exceeded the time allowance, Scott and Tully swept home in heat ten, with Warwick, taking a tactical ride, unable to improve on third position. The Devils piled it on in heats eleven and twelve, netting a ‘fiver’ from each. Sneddon was an all-the-way victor in the former, with Stoddart joining him after breaking free from Johno on a tight first corner. The latter race went the way of Wethers and Tully, although Irwin never stopped plugging away and was mighty close at the finish.

Sneddon then rounded Johno entering the back straight of heat thirteen, prior to passing Scott as the duo collected a sixth home 5-1. Completing a meeting he would want to forget in a hurry, Beaton slid off mid-way through the penultimate heat, earning his third exclusion in the process. The re-run ended in a share of the points; Stoddart wrapping-up a five-ride unbeaten tally after brilliantly surging around Warwick on the first bend of lap three. Scott subsequently rocketed away to win the last race, while Warwick linked with Johnson as both Sprockets ended with hugely creditable double-figure returns.

MATCH REPORT BY ROBERT BAMFORD