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Torun 43 (Rafal
Dulinski 13 Darek Kurkowski 12
Premek Binkowski 12 Marcin
Paradzinski 6 Pawel Cegielski dnr)
Leszno 43 (Marcin Syzymnanski
14 Maciej Ganczarek 13 Radek Handke
10 Darius Pilas 5 Marek Zmuda 1)
Bydgoszcz 42 (Marcin
Skowronek 14 Lacasz Nowacki 13 Remy
Buchardt 9 Michal Kastrau 6 Denis
Augustinski dnr)
Wednesfield 30 (Lee Aris 10
Terry Norman 9 Chris Jewkes 5 Garry
Pearce 4 Tom Haddock 2)
Referee: Bob
Prince (England) |
Hethersett
Sheffield
Czestochowa
Bydgoszcz
Edinburgh
Norwich
East Newport
Gniezno |
Ostrow
Birmingham
Wednesfield
Great Blakenham
Southampton
Torun
Horspath
Leicester
Leszno |
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Torun deny Leszno
Hat-Trick Hopes
European Club Championship Final:
Leicester, 4th May
Poland's Torun club defeated arch
rivals Leszno to take the European
Club title at Leicester on Sunday,
denying the pre-event favourites a
third successive win in the
competition. The victory was
achieved by the tightest of margins,
the two teams tying on 43 points
after the sixteen heat final,
requiring a one rider run-off to
decide the outcome.
Unsurpringly, Leszno nominated World
Champion Marcin Szymanski for the
run-off, while Torun turned to
Przemek Binkowski. But Torun drew
the crucial inside gate, and try as
he might, Szymanski could not get
past the big Torun rider, who
crossed the line amid a mass
celebration from his team mates.
Wednesfield were the only British
side to make the four team final.
They reached Sunday morning's last
eight via the repechages, having
ridden the qualifying rounds without
the services of the unavailable
Terry Norman. Norman's return for
the semi-final helped them through
to a final berth, but an opening
round of heats off grid 4 left them
chasing the game, and when they
failed to capitalise on their grid 1
starts they were effectively out of
contention by the half way stage.
In contrast, Bydgoszcz, led by
Leicester resident Lukasz Nowacki,
were always in the hunt, and with
the last round of four races to go,
looked to have the slight edge,
trailing just one point behind Torun,
who had to defend their final heats
off the unfavoured gate 4, and three
points ahead of Leszno who finished
off on the inside gates.
Slips from Burchardt and Kastrau in
successive heats, relegating them to
last place, seemed to blow
Bydgoszcz's chances. Nevertheless,
victory for Nowacki in the final
heat would still have given them a
chance of thee title, but Szymanski
had other ideas, and took the flag
to set up the run-off with Torun.
Two other British teams had made it
through to Sunday morning's
semi-finals. Hosts Leicester had
impressed in the qualifying rounds
but ran out of steam in their semi,
while the youthful Great Blakenham
team had done well to reach this
stage, but lacked consistency behind
star man Adam Peck. From those
eliminated during Saturday's
qualifiers, Norwich looked the pick
of the bunch, but suffered from
exclusions which cost them dearly.
Results
Torun 43 (Rafal Dulinski 13, Darek
Kurkowski 12, Przemek Binkowski 12,
Marcin Paradzinski 6, Pawel
Cegielski dnr)
Leszno 43 (Marcin Szymanski 14,
Maciej Ganczarek 13, Radek Handke
10, Dariusz Pilas 5, Marek Zmuda 1)
Bydgoszcz 42 (Marcin Skowronek 14,
Lukasz Nowacki 13, Remi Burchardt 9,
Michal Kastrau 6, Denis Augustinski
dnr)
Wednesfield 30 (Lee Aris 10, Terry
Norman 9, Chris Jewkes 5, Garry
Pearce 4, Tom Haddock 2)
Referee: Bob Prince (England)
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