Another One Lost in the Dust
(Posted 16/06/08)

Tigers slumped to yet another comprehensive home defeat as they went down heavily to Birmingham in the Premier League meeting at Ashfield.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall before the meeting started with Birmingham made up of five ex-Tigers who all have a reputation for riding Ashfield well and when it came down to it Birmingham were the better team thoroughly deserving their win.

Tigers troubles started on the parade lap when Anders Andersen, hoping for the second time to make his home debut, had bike problems which were to plague him all afternoon.

He was not the only one however. Birmingham guest Andrew Tully's bike went at tapes in heat 1, he failed to beat the 2 minutes and was replaced by Jamie Birkinshaw. The Glasgow pairing of Stonehewer and Dicken gated and quickly established a comfortable lead. Just when the home fans thought for once we were going to open with a 5-1 Lee came off at the end of lap two which allowed Harrison and Birkinshaw through for a share of the spoils.

Back after injury, Josh Grajczonek was a little slow out of the gate in heat 2 and although he got the better of Birkinshaw on the opening bends, Birkinshaw came back under him on bend 3. Josh came off independently of the move and although he remounted and gave chase he could not make up ground. Meantime, Mitchell Davey had made an electric gate and held firm in a tight opening bend with Smethills. Riding more of an inside line that usual, he opened up a comfortable margin. A slight wobble at the end of lap 2 let the Birmingham pair close the gap but Mitchell recovered quickly and re-established his comfortable lead, looking well in control as he won the heat.

Tigers fans got their first Ashfield view of Anders Andersen in heat 3 but he and partner Trent Leverington were outgated by Harrison and Lyons. Andersen made an impressive sweep round the outside of the opening bends and much to the surprise of Lyons he passed both Brummies to lead out of bend 2. It was short lived as he was forced too wide on bend 3 and Lyons reclaimed the lead and with Anders bike giving up the ghost half a lap later Birmingham were able to claim their first 1-5 of the afternoon.

Watson won a well spread out heat 4 from the gate, Robert Ksiezak going from fourth to second on the opening bends the only notable action in the heat.

There was frantic action in the pits as riders and mechanics all chipped in to try and get Anders bike going as track re-grading went on but it was to no avail and Mitchell Davey came out as a reserve replacement for him in heat 5. Davey and partner Trent Leverington were well outgated and Birmingham had another easy 1-5 from the gate.

Craig Watson once again won from the gate in heat 6, Stonehewer challenging him in the early stages before dropping back but the heat was shared thanks to Lee Dicken's third place.

Gate 7 was also a shared heat from the gate but this time it was Tigers Robert Ksiezak who refused to be put off by Jason Lyons lengthy gardening at the start and made the gate. After a tough opening bend, Robert quickly pulled clear and won the heat in style.

Glasgow took the bold move of replacing Josh Grajczonek with Carl Stonehewer on a TS in heat 8 but with partner Lee Dicken caught napping at the gate it was doomed. Stonehewer made every effort to catch second place Smethills but both Smethills and heat winner Andrew Tully had been able to open up a substantial gap from the tapes and were never in any real danger of being caught.

With Anders bikes both still refusing to co-operate, he was forced to come out in heat 9 on Mitchell Davey's second bike. After an unsatisfactory start, Craig Watson once again showed quick gating to win from the tapes. Smethills had gated in second place but both Trent and Anders passed inside him on bend 2. Whilst Trent pulled clear and attempted to chase down Watson, Anders was left to work hard to hold off some determined challenges from Lee Smethills for third place.

Yet again Birmingham's pairing outgated Glasgow in heat 10 although guest Carl Stonehewer made a nice pass outside Rusty Harrison at the end of the opening lap, one of the few genuine passes of the afternoon, but Lyons was well clear and never in any danger up front.

Robert Ksiezak came out in the black and white helmet on a TR in heat 11 and once again gated well, followed it with a determined opening bend ride and went on to claim the victory. He was made to work hard all the way however by Andrew Tully.

Birmingham's Jason Lyons and James Birkinshaw made the gate in heat 12 but Josh Grajczonek came inside Jamie Birkinshaw coming out of bend two. Birkinshaw was very determined and tracked Grajczonek fro three laps before managing to pass outside him on the second bend of the final lap to give Birmingham another 1-5.

Once again Watson recorded a win from the gate in heat 13 despite Stonehewer's attempts to close the gap. Ksiezak missed the gate but passed Tully coming out of bend two and easily claimed third spot.

With the overall lack of passing it looked as if another away 1-5 could be on the cards in heat 14 when Harrison and Birkinshaw shot from the tapes. However Josh Grajczonek found a clever inside line whilst the other three riders all went wide and Josh came from last to first out of bend two. From then on in he rode a determined and clever race to hold off the challenge of Rusty Harrison for a well deserved heat win although partner trent Leverington finished what for him was a miserable day with an engine failure at the start of lap 3.

Heat 15 needed a re-run after a classic case of first bend bunching saw Watson hit the first bend fence. The re-run saw Robert Ksiezak continue his fine run of form, making the gate and going on to win in style. Carl Stonehewer had to come from behind to pass Harrison for third place at the end of the first lap and through the dust clouds he appeared to be chasing Watson hard but to no avail.

It was probably one of the poorest spectacles seen at Ashfield in recent times with very little passing and quite a few processional heats. Glasgow were well beaten by a Birmingham side who deserved their victory.

Glasgow Tigers speedway - posted on glasgow speedway dot com, an unofficial glasgow tigers speedway website.