Coventry Storm V Dudley --aug 30th 7.30

[Main Man]

Coventry Storm --sponsored by CITY GEARBOXES --- face Dudley this Friday (Aug 30th) at 7.30pm with the fixture moved forward one week from the scheduled staging on September 6th.

[2ndbendbeerhut]

Team news.....?

[greyhoundp]

Now if The Storm could manage to win this meeting, that would put them on 22 pts, and would ensure the qualifiers going down to the wire, IOW currently have 18pts with 3 meetings left Kent home and away, plus Buxton away, i can see a home win against Kent,but away ?. Buxton currently have 13 pts with 4 meetings to ride, away to The Heathens, and home meetings against Mildenhall, IOW, and i think Stoke, i take Buxton to win all 3 but only a 2 point win against Mildenhall, and amazingly after so long being winless, Kent are still in with an outside chance, if they won there three remaining fixtures. So if Storm could win, it would certainly put the pressure on for that last qualifying place.

[Gemini]

Will have to miss this one as I'll be away so good luck to The Storm.

Presuming there is no meeting at all now on September 6th, E.L. or otherwise?

[pete cc]

don't hold your breath for a storm win.

[Gemini]

I don't think we are. We're quite used to defeat at Coventry. As long as the lads try their best that's all we ask for, something that hasn't always happened with the E.L. team this season.

[Ommer Mon]

It should be a good meeting tonight.

 

The Storm have imported Lewis Kerr and Steve Worrall and they should give our top three a good run. The Heathens are also short of Gareth Isherwood and we will be operating R/R with Lee Geary at No8. Hope he gets a spin after his heroics at Stoke.

 

I still think the Heathens will run out winners though.

 

Hope the sun carries on shining.

[NeilWatson]

COVENTRY: Joe Jacobs, Luke Crang R/R, Steve Worrall, Oliver Greenwood, Lewis Kerr, Martin Knuckey, James Shanes, Ryan Terry-Daley (no.8).

DUDLEY: Lewis Blackbird, Dan Greenwood, Paul Starke, Gareth Isherwood R/R, Ashley Morris, Max Clegg, Nathan Greaves, Lee Geary (no.8).

[TMW]

Looks like being a good competitive match on a good evening weatherwise. Should be a big crowd with Dudley bringing a lot of spectators. The Storm team does not seem to comply with rule 18.2.3. Am I reading the rule book correctly since the rules seem to indicate 1 R/R, 1 Guest and 1 non NL 3 pointer?

18.2.3 In the National League:

• Absent #1: G (who must be in a NL Line-Up) or RR
  
• Absent Rider (2 – 5): RR
  
• Two Absent Riders (2 -5) 1 x RR and 1 x G (Team Manager discretion)
  
• All other Absences **: any Rider not in an NL Declaration with a NL 3.00
  

** Replacement Riders will take the programmed place of the Missing Rider(s)

Edited August 30, 2013 by TMW

[NeilWatson]

COVENTRY Storm have been forced into a further change ahead of tonight’s National League clash with Dudley (7.30pm).

 

The Storm have three of their top five riders missing and had lined up Steve Worrall as a guest, joining Lewis Kerr and the rider-replacement facility for Luke Crang – with Robert Branford, James Sarjeant and Crang all unavailable.

 

However, National League regulations only permit facilities for two absent riders – any more than that have to be covered by a rider not in an NL team declaration with an average of 3.00.

 

Storm will therefore revert to using the rider-replacement facility for Branford, whilst Ryan Terry-Daley steps in for Crang, with Conor Dwyer named as No.8.

 

STORM: Joe Jacobs, Ryan Terry-Daley, Robert Branford R/R, Oliver Greenwood, Lewis Kerr, Martin Knuckey, James Shanes, Conor Dwyer (No.8).

Edited August 30, 2013 by NeilWatson

[Heathen1984]

What's the weather like there, it's raining on the way you see!

[phillipsr]

Loads of Cov fans on twitter accusing Dudley Fans of starting fights? Anyone shed any light on it

[Heathen1984]

Oh here we go again! There were no fights, no coventry fans there to fight with!

[phillipsr]

Just asking the question a few have put it on twitter. If it keeps being brought up its usually true

[Heathen1984]

Well i didn't see anything but obviously I wasn't everywhere in stadium but must be true I suppose cause it's dudley ain't it.

[bluebee]

I was there and the fights must have quicker than the speed of light. The only person losing their cool was the woman who was screaming blue murder about Jacobs fall in heat 15. And that wAs no big deal - the fella just slid off.

 

My first Storm meeting and enjoyed the effort from both sides was laudable.

[Heathen1984]

Thank you bluebee we ain't all that bad are we. Good night especially being an heathen!

[greyhoundp]

Hmmm, i was there didnt see any trouble..Impressed with Lewis Kerr & JJ, also our own Maxy Clegg, Nathan is having no luck at all, at the moment, only bad luck, good win and a battling performance from Storm, the reserves were the difference.

[pete cc]

There was a heated exchange of words under the score board, about heat 15. The coventry fan was raging when there were some cheers when red light came on & did say 'is that how you support your club'. Then took another swing on the can of lager that he had brought in with him.No fighting, just verbal.

[NeilWatson]

BATTLING Coventry Storm were unable to halt the Dudley steamroller at Brandon – but they could take a great deal of credit from a 41-49 defeat in their final National League fixture of the season.

Missing three of their regular top five, the Storm looked to be on a hiding to nothing but pre-match predictions of a big Heathens win went out of the window as the home side worked hard to stay in touch.

With skipper James Sarjeant and the injured Robert Branford and Luke Crang all unavailable, the Storm picked the perfect guest in Lewis Kerr who gave a magnificent performance for a paid-16 score against the strongest heat-leader trio in the league.

Joe Jacobs also hit double figures as well as breaking the National League track record, and may have scored more but for an unfair disqualification in Heat 15 when he was clearly the victim of first-bend bunching - whilst in the lower order Martin Knuckey’s score of paid-five belied his efforts, despite riding with a cracked collarbone!

When Dudley sailed into a 9-3 lead after two races the signs looked ominous for the Storm, but Kerr combined with Oliver Greenwood for a 5-1 over Paul Starke in Heat 3 in the first sign that the Dudley big guns wouldn’t have things all their own way.

And after Nathan Greaves had looped at the start of Heat 7 and thankfully walked away unscathed, another win from Kerr over Starke in the re-run set up a Coventry 4-2 to level the scores.

In the final analysis, the Heathens won the meeting in the next two races, both of which resulted in 5-1s and both of which featured their hugely impressive 16-year-old Max Clegg, the Heat 9 maximum seeing him team-ridden home by the alert captain Ashley Morris.

The Storm had a stroke of fortune in Heat 11 when Dudley No.1 Lewis Blackbird ground to a halt whilst leading, and that sparked a trading of 4-2s between the sides with Kerr producing the ride of the night to switch inside Blackbird on the second lap and win a tremendous Heat 13.

Starke scored the only rider-replacement points of the meeting for the Heathens by winning Heat 14 to secure their victory, and needing an advantage from the last to collect all four league points they were given assistance when Jacobs was hit by Starke on the first bend and wrongly disqualified when all-four back was the obvious verdict.

Kerr again rode a fine race to split Morris and Starke in the re-run, almost moving inside the Heathens skipper off the fourth bend, but Morris held on to make sure of the result the title favourites wanted.

Coventry boss Laurence Rogers said: “I’m sure the crowd were happy with that, and I really can’t see anyone moaning that we lost by eight in the end. We pulled it back to 21-21 at one stage, a couple of 5-1s knocked us back but I can’t throw criticism at any rider.

“Lewis Kerr was superb, and he was part and parcel of the team as well. Some of his races on-track were unbelievable and the pass he made on Lewis Blackbird was top-drawer, so many thanks to him for his great efforts.

“I think the referee must have been the only person in the stadium who didn’t see the Heat 15 incident – he said he didn’t see it. Joe was showing him his kevlars which were ripped, and it spoiled the end of a great meeting. Dudley had already won, but I can’t understand the decision.”

COVENTRY 41: Lewis Kerr 15+1, Joe Jacobs 11, Oliver Greenwood 9+1, Martin Knuckey 4+1, Ryan Terry-Daley 1+1, James Shanes 1, Robert Branford r/r.

DUDLEY 49: Paul Starke 13, Max Clegg 10+2, Ashley Morris 9+1, Lewis Blackbird 8, Dan Greenwood 5+1, Nathan Greaves 4+1, Gareth Isherwood r/r.

Edited August 30, 2013 by NeilWatson