Category: Bears News

Redcar team boss Gavin Parr is confident about the club’s end of season chances ahead of Redcar’s return to home shale tomorrow. Redcar take on Birmingham at the ECCO Arena in Cab Direct Championship action with tapes up at 7:30.

Parr, who oversaw Redcar gain 3 points from their southern tour, is confident of his side’s chances against their playoff rivals ahead of the business end of the season, “ I’m confident that over two legs, we have a good chance of getting the required result against the teams we will face later this season.”

Parr also reflected on the Bears loss at Poole, with the result giving him belief his side have what it takes, “ We matched Poole throughout most of the meeting, we just had a bit of a mid-meeting collapse which cost us. I do think if we had Charles (Wright) that collapse may not have happened.”

Although Birmingham are currently sitting in the lower reaches of the league table, Parr is taking nothing for granted tomorrow night, “ Birmingham have some good riders so we will have to be on our guard, we all know what Sedgy (Justin Sedgmen) can do around Redcar when he’s on it. Additionally, they have also brought in Richard Lawson as a guest which gives them even more top end power but I’m confident in our boys to get the job done.”

Parr is also hopeful of welcoming back the skipper, Charles Wright from his leg injury which ruled him out of Redcar’s southern tour, “ I’m quietly confident of welcoming Charles back. As we speak, he’s still sore from his crash but I’m hopeful he will be back against Birmingham tomorrow.”

Redcar, who currently sit 3rd in the Cab Direct Championship standings will be hoping to add another 3 points to their league total to further solidify their playoff spot. Redcar once again track Luke Harrison as a guest replacement for the injured Jake Mulford. 

With Redcar having won 46-44 at Perry Barr earlier this month, the “Agilia” Bears have a 2 point aggregate lead with another aggregate bonus point on the line. 

Birmingham bring in the aforementioned Richard Lawson to guest in place of the suspended Nick Morris at 1 whilst they also track their former Grand Prix star, Troy Batchelor at number 3. Brummies boss Stewart Dickson will also be hoping for big points from his experience reserve, Paul Starke. 

For any fans unable to attend Friday’s clash, the meeting is being screened by BSN @ watch.britishspeedway.co.uk 

Redcar “Agilia” Bears 

1. Charles Wright 8.13 ©
2. Danyon Hume 5.20
3. Connor Bailey 4.79
4. Erik Riss 7.77
5. Danny King 8.05
6. Jason Edwards 4.11
7. Luke Harrison 3.14 (G) 

™: Gavin Parr

Birmingham Brummies

1. Richard Lawson 8.82 (G) 
2. Stefan Nielsen 4.74
3. Troy Batchelor 7.45
4. Alfie Bowtell 4.93
5. Justin Sedgmen 6.94 © 
6. Sam Hagon 2.00
7. Paul Starke 4.55

™: Stewart Dickson

A mid-meeting surge from Poole was enough for the reigning league champions to secure a 52-38 win over the Redcar “Agilia” Bears. Steve Worrall top scored for Poole with 12+1 whilst Danny King hit 12 for Redcar. The Bears badly missed their number 1, Charles Wright with rider replacement only returning 5 and with Wright in the side, one assumes the Bears would have ran the Pirates closer. 

Heat 1 saw the “Agilia” Bears boss, Gavin Parr bring in Erik Riss as the rider replacement and the decision paid huge dividends as ‘The Business’ flew from the tapes for the win, and with Danyon Hume in a comfortable 2nd, Redcar had the dream start at Wimborne Road. Poole got their first heat winner on the board in heat 2 as Anders Rowe took the win, but with Connor Coles holding off Joe Thompson for 3rd, the Bears remained 4 ahead in the early stages. 

Heat 3 saw the Pirates hit their first heat advantage as Ben Cook passed Riss on lap 2 for the win with Redcar’s Riss doing well to hold off Zach Cook to prevent Poole levelling the meeting. The Bears stand-in skipper, Danny King opened his account with a heat 4 win, but with Redcar’s guest, Connor Coles unable to make any impression on Joe Thompson, Redcar remained in a narrow 2 point lead on the south coast.

Poole hit their first maximum heat advantage of the night in heat 5 as Ben Cook passed Hume on lap 1 whilst Zach Cook then joined his brother at the front on lap 4 to give the Pirates the 5-1 and the lead. Poole struck their second successive 5-1 with Richard Lawson winning whilst Kyle Newman held off Danny King in the early stages. Disappointingly, King then fell with the referee awarding the race in favour of the Pirates. 

Further trouble for the Bears followed in heat 7 despite Redcar gating on a 3-3. Worrall gated and won comfortably but Rowe passed Bailey before profiting from an Erik Riss bike problem to take 2nd to ensure the reigning league champions took full control. Poole struck yet another 5-1 in heat 8 as messrs Newman and Rowe combined to comfortably see off Hume and Edwards to send the hosts into a 14 point lead.

Heat 9 saw Riss come in on a tactical substitute with King and Riss gating on a 5-1 but Riss was passed by Ben Cook at the end of lap 1 whilst Zach Cook passed Riss on the run to the line to prevent a Bears heat advantage. Heat 10 saw Redcar gate on a 4-2 but Newman came to grief on lap 2 with the former Bear excluded. Heat 10’s re-run saw Lawson gate and win despite educated pressure from Bailey to keep the Pirates in a 14 point lead. 

Heat 11 was won by Steve Worrall but Danyon Hume impressively passed Anders Rowe to ensure a shared race at Wimborne Road. After the interval, Redcar hit back with a much needed 5-1 as, after a tight start, Ben Cook broke down on the backstraight of lap 1 with Redcar not letting the opportunity pass them by as Bailey (who looked to be threatening before Cook’s engine failure) won and with Edwards in second, Redcar reduced the arrears to 10. 

Heat 13 saw Parr bring in Danyon Hume as the rider replacement and with King leading and Hume in 3rd, Redcar looked set for a heat advantage. However, Hume hit the air fence on the final bend after colliding with Steve Worrall but with the referee calling in favour of Poole, we had a shared race. 

Heat 14 saw Poole secure the 3 points with a shared race but Riss did win after a good gate, but with Coles at the rear, Redcar did not cut into Poole’s lead. Poole wrapped up proceedings with a heat 15 5-1 as Lawson and Worrall combined to give Poole a 52-38 win after 15 heats of excellent speedway. 

Poole Pirates = 52 (97)

1. Richard Lawson = 10+1

2. Kyle Newman = 6+1  

3. Ben Cook = 8 

4. Zach Cook = 6+2

5. Steve Worrall = 12+1

6. Anders Rowe =  8+3

7. Joe Thompson (G) =  2+1

Redcar Bears = 38 (83)

1. Charles Wright R/R = 5

2. Danyon Hume = 5+2 

3. Connor Bailey = 6

4. Erik Riss = 9+1

5. Danny King = 12

6. Jason Edwards =  6+1

7. Connor Coles (G) = 1+1

Redcar team boss, Gavin Parr has hailed the team spirit inside the Bears pits as Redcar’s southern tour rolls into Poole tonight. The Redcar Bears take on the Poole Pirates with tapes up at 7:30 at Wimborne Road. 

Parr, who masterminded Redcar’s 49-41 win at Plymouth last night, is overjoyed with the atmosphere within the Redcar camp, “ The lads are all buzzing at the moment, things are going really well and the guys are working really hard for each other, we cannot fault them!”

With Charles Wright still suffering with a suspected dead leg, Parr explained the difficulties he’s had to secure a number 1 for tonight’s match, “ I have tried loads of riders including flying a rider in a day early from Poland but he also couldn’t do it. I can assure everybody that I will be trying riders again before the meeting and also seeing if Charles is feeling any better but if I can’t, rider replacement will be in operation.”

The former Redcar Cubs team boss is also confident the side are heading in the right direction at the right time of the season, “ It’s coming towards the business end of 2023 for us now. I really think we are all starting to show some great form and we are going to Poole full of confidence.”

The Bears team boss also heaped praise on Redcar’s Erik Riss, who top scored against Plymouth with paid 15, “ Erik is an out and out heat leader and he was superb last night, I want my stronger rider at number 4 to take heat 14 and with Connor’s (Bailey) improvement, he is now able to take care of his own business in heat 12.”

Whilst the Bears are in good form, Parr knows the challenges Poole brings with the Pirates the reigning, back to back Cab Direct Championship winners, “ Poole are a great side that have a huge habit of winning meetings!”

With the skipper, Charles Wright ruled out with injury, Redcar have named Danny King as the stand-in captain. The Bears promotion will be hopeful of another barrage of points from the aforementioned former Poole skipper, whilst Erik Riss will also be looking to continue his upward trajectory with the German hitting paid 22 from his last 2 Cab Direct Championship meetings. 

With regular guest Luke Harrison on National Development League duty with Workington, Redcar bring in Berwick’s Connor Coles to guest in place of Jake Mulford. 

The hosts also have injury concerns with 2022 Bear Adam Roynon out with the Pirates drafting in Joe Thompson to guest. Incredibly, Poole track 4 former Bears with the likeable Kyle Newman at number 2. 

The Pirates also have a superb heat leader trio of Richard Lawson, Steve Worrall and Ben Cook with their skipper, Worrall full of confidence after his 2nd place finish at the Sports Insure British Final which has secured him the prized wildcard at Cardiff. 

Poole Pirates 

1. Richard Lawson 8.57
2. Kyle Newman 5.04
3. Ben Cook 6.70
4. Zach Cook 5.88
5. Steve Worrall © 8.00
6. Anders Rowe 4.93
7. Joe Thompson (G) 3.67

Redcar “Agilia” Bears 

1 Rider Replacement for Charles Wright  8.13

2 Danyon Hume 5.20

3 Connor Bailey 4.79

4 Erik Riss  7.77

5 Danny King(C) 8.05

6 Jason Edwards 4.11

7 Connor Coles (G) 3.14 

™: Gavin Parr

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears climbed to 3rd in the Cab Direct Championship with a fantastic 49-41 away win over Plymouth. It was a real team effort for the Bears to win and cover the injured Charles Wright with 3 Bears, (Edwards, King & Riss) all hitting double figures for Redcar. The 8 point win gave the Bears 3 points with the Teessiders also gaining the bonus point to add to their league tally. Erik Riss top scored with paid 15 whilst Richie Worrall hit paid 13 for Plymouth. 

The “Agilia” Bears began in terrific style with an opening heat 5-1, but that does not tell the whole story! Erik Riss, out as the rider replacement, gated with Kyle Howarth putting the German under calculated pressure. However, calamity struck for Howarth and the Gladiators as the Plymouth number 1 suffered an engine failure which let Danyon Hume through for 2nd which gave Redcar the perfect start. 

Plymouth hit back to cut the gap to 2 as home debutant James Pearson took the win after a tight opening bends battle with Jason Edwards, and with Ben Trigger in 3rd, the hosts had their first heat advantage. Heat 3 saw Riss make another electric gate but with Dan Gilkes falling on lap 2, the Plymouth number 4 was excluded and perhaps surprisingly, the race was awarded in favour of the finishing order at the time of the crash with Redcar re-extending their lead to 4 points in Devon.

After Danny King opened his account with a win in a shared heat 4, the ECCO Arena’s new track record holder, Connor Bailey stole the show as he passed both Dan Gilkes and Ben Barker on the backstraight of lap 1 to take heat 5, but with Hume unable to prise 3rd from Gilkes despite his best efforts, Redcar’s lead remained at 4 points. 

Danny King made it back to back wins and with Plymouth packing the minor placings, Redcar remained in control at the Plymouth Coliseum. Heat 7 saw Pearson hit the deck for the Gladiators with the Australian excluded for the re-run. The re-run saw yet another 3-3 as Richie Worrall passed Erik Riss on bend 3 of lap 2 to lower the German’s colours, but with Bailey unopposed in 3rd, Plymouth could not make any ground on the Bears. 

Plymouth broke the deadlock in heat 8 with an important 4-2 heat advantage as James Pearson took his second win of the night ahead of Jason Edwards, and with Lee Complin holding off Danyon Hume, Plymouth had a much needed heat advantage to drag themselves within 2 of Redcar. Heat 9 saw Ben Barker win with drama at the back as Gilkes got out of shape exiting bend 2 which let Luke Harrison through with the young reserve riding superbly to hold 3rd and keep the Bears in the all important lead. 

Heat 10 saw the 6th shared race as Riss took his 3rd win of the night despite calculated pressure from Howarth, but with Bailey at the back, Redcar’s lead remained a slender one. Heat 12 saw Ben Barker hit the deck in a nasty looking crash with the Plymouth skipper excluded from the re-run and also withdrawing from the meeting. Redcar used the man advantage to take a huge 5-1 as Edwards won from the gate whilst Bailey passed Pearson superbly towards the conclusion of lap 1 to send Redcar 6 ahead. 

However, the Gladiators bit back with a 5-1 of their own in heat 13 as messrs Howarth and Worrall won from the gate to bring Plymouth within 2 of Redcar. Nevertheless, Plymouth’s fightback was short lived as Edwards (out for his 3rd race on the trot) won comfortably and with Riss holding off Gilkes for 2nd, the loud Bears travelling contingent had the meeting win to celebrate. 

Heat 15 saw another heat advantage for the Redcar support to celebrate as King won whilst Riss held 3rd in a tight race to secure a 8 point win for the triumphant “Agilia” Bears. 

Plymouth = 41 (82)

1. Kyle Howarth = 7

2. Lee Complin (G) = 3+1

3. Ben Barker = 7

4. Dan Gilkes = 2+1

5. Richie Worrall = 12+1

6. James Pearson = 8+1

7. Ben Trigger = 2+1

Redcar = 49 (97)

1. Charles Wright R/R = 8

2. Danyon Hume = 3+2

3. Connor Bailey = 7+2

4. Erik Riss = 14+1

5. Danny King = 14

6. Jason Edwards = 10

7. Luke Harrison = 1+1

Redcar’s Jason Edwards believes there is still more to come from his side despite the Bears stunning 58-32 home victory over Edinburgh. The “Agilia” Bears face Plymouth tonight with tapes up at 7pm at the Plymouth Coliseum. 

Edwards, who is in a rich vein of form said, “ The Edinburgh meeting was a really good meeting, we didn’t drop many points between the 7 of us and there’s more to come from the boys ahead of tonight’s match against Plymouth and tomorrow’s match against Poole.”

Edwards is also keen for his side to exploit Plymouth’s lack of home track action with the Gladiators last racing at home on May 2nd, “ Plymouth have made a hell of a lot of changes since their last home meeting and that does give us a massive advantage over the Gladiators as their home track isn’t actually their home circuit as they’ve got a different team and haven’t had a meeting there for months!”

‘The Billericay Blaster’, who has hit paid 22 in his last 2 meetings for the Bears, is happy with his recent form, “ I’m enjoying riding at the moment! I have been doing 4 or 5 days of ‘normal work’ recently and I don’t want to be doing that! Riding my bike and scoring some big points is a much better way of earning money! Also, I have tinkered with my engines quite a bit this season and I think I’m just getting it right now which is important at this stage of the season.”

Redcar name an unchanged side from their convincing home victory over Edinburgh with Luke Harrison continuing to stand in for the injured Jake Mulford. The Bears management will be hoping their side can repeat their big 51-39 win over the Gladiators at the Coliseum last season. Bears number 5, Danny King will also be looking to add more points in Redcar colours with the 37 year old hitting paid 40 across his last 4 appearances for the “Agilia” Bears. 

However, on the other side of the pits, things have not been far from plain sailing for the Plymouth Gladiators with the club making several changes from their original septet. 

Incredibly, Dan Thompson, who signed for the Gladiators on July 4th, is yet to make his debut for the club. The delay for Thompson’s debut was initially down to fixture postponements but with Thompson now sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, his wait for a Plymouth debut will go on!

The Plymouth side bring in their late 2022 signing, Lee Complin to guest in place of the aforementioned Thompson. The Plymouth promotion will be looking towards their heat leader trio of Kyle Howarth, Ben Barker and Richie Worrall to pick up a much needed win if the Gladiators are to mount a challenge for a place in the play-offs. 

For any fans not making the long journey to Plymouth, the meeting is being live streamed by BSN @ watch.britishspeedway.co.uk

Plymouth Gladiators

1. Kyle Howarth 8.21
2. Lee Complin (G) 4.96
3. Ben Barker 7.67
4. Dan Gilkes 5.11
5. Richie Worrall 7.57
6. James Pearson 4.00
7. Ben Trigger 2.00

™: Garry May

Redcar “Agilia” Bears 

1 Charles Wright (C) 8.13

2 Danyon Hume 5.20

3 Connor Bailey 4.79

4 Erik Riss 7.77

5 Danny King 8.05

6 Jason Edwards 4.11

7 Luke Harrison (G) 3.14 

™: Gavin Parr

The rampant Redcar “Agilia” Bears produced one of their best displays of the season as they defeated Edinburgh 58-32 at the ECCO Arena. On a night where the track record was broken by Josh Pickering AND Connor Bailey, Redcar added 3 more points to their Cab Direct Championship tally! Charles Wright hit a sublime 4 ride paid maximum with 11+1 whilst Josh Pickering hit 14 for the visitors. 

The Bears started the meeting off in superb style with an opening heat 5-1 as the ever improving Danyon Hume made a superb start to take the win, and with Charles Wright rounding Craig Cook on bend 3 lap 2, the Bears had the dream start they envisaged at the ECCO Arena. The dream start continued in heat 2 as the reserve pairing of Jason Edwards and Luke Harrison cruised to a comfortable 5-1 to send the hosts into a 10-2 lead in the early stages. 

The Monarchs hit back with their first heat advantage in heat 3 as Josh Pickering took the win whilst in the race for 2nd, Connor Bailey passed Paco Castagna at the conclusion of lap 1 to limit the visitors to a 4-2 which reduced the early arrears to 6 points. Heat 4 saw Josh Pickering win extremely comfortably and with Harrison coming to grief at the back, Edinburgh had another 4-2 to reduce the gap to 4 points in the early stages. Pickering, who looked extremely quick at the front had indeed broken the track record as he shaved 0.1s off his previous track record of 52.8s. 

The Bears then struck back to head back into an 8 point lead as the fast starting Erik Riss was joined at the front by Connor Bailey with the Monarchs pairing of Bastian Borke (3rd) and Craig Cook (retired) having no answer to the Bears middle order as Redcar hit their 3rd 5-1 of the evening. 

Wright continued his superb 2023 as he used his favoured outside line to get the better of Pickering, and with Hume in a comfortable 3rd position, Redcar’s lead was extended to 10 points, with the Bears supporters scratching their eyes at such a big lead so early in the meeting! 

After a brace of shared heats won by King (7) and Hume (8) respectively, Connor Bailey amazed the crowd in heat 9 by passing Pickering on bend 2 of the opening lap and then winning despite educated Pickering pressure but the achievement of beating the Edinburgh skipper was then eclipsed when it was announced that Bailey had broken the track record that was held for only 4 heats with an impressive time of 52.6s. 

With the headline heat winner and a new track record, the Bears fans also had a 4-2 heat advantage to celebrate as Riss followed in a comfortable 3rd and Redcar had a huge 12 point lead on Teesside. Heat 10 saw Edinburgh bring in Josh Pickering as a tactical substitute to partner Paco Castagna but with Pickering unhappy at being pushed out on the opening bends, he retired and took up his frustrations with referee Michael Breckon by gesticulating to the SCG official from the starting gates. However, with Mr Breckon unmoved, the race continued with a relatively comfortable 5-1 for the “Agilia” Bears. 

Heat 11 saw yet another Bears maximum as King gated and won comfortably whilst Jason Edwards rode well to hold off Craig Cook and with Redcar’s 7th heat advantage in the bag, they had a 20 point lead!

Heat 12 saw another sublime move by Connor Bailey with the Australian missing the gate, only for the Bears number 3 to unbelievably glide around the outside of both Monarchs on bends 3 & 4 of lap 1 to take the win, but with Harrison at the back, Redcar could not extend their huge lead even further. Heat 13 saw further misery for the Monarchs as Wright and King took another 5-1 to send the Bears into a 51-27 advantage against the downbeat Monarchs. 

Heat 14 saw yet another maximum heat advantage for the Bears with Riss and Edwards looking good from the gate to take the 5-1 whilst heat 15 saw Josh Pickering win and with Paco Castagna in 3rd, they restored some pride for the Monarchs with their 3rd heat advantage of the night and their first since heat 4! 

Nevertheless, the night belonged to the Bears and Connor Bailey with the entire Bears 1-7 being awarded the man of the match award!

The rest on the night meant the Bears took the bonus point 105-75

Redcar Bears = 58 (105)

1. Charles Wright = 11+1 Paid Max

2. Danyon Hume = 11+1

3. Connor Bailey = 10+1

4. Erik Riss = 7

5. Danny King = 10+1

6. Jason Edwards = 7+2

7. Luke Harrison = 2+1

Edinburgh Monarchs = 32 (75)

1. Craig Cook = 2

2. Bastian Borke = 4+1

3. Kye Thomson R/R 

4. Paco Castagna = 8

5. Josh Pickering = 14

6. Dayle Wood = 1

7. Max Clegg = 3+2

Redcar team boss, Gavin Parr has challenged his Bears side to keep building momentum ahead of Redcar’s Cab Direct Championship clash against Edinburgh tomorrow evening with tapes up at 19:30 at the ECCO Arena. 

Parr, in buoyant mood after the Bears away win at Birmingham is confident ahead of the visit of the Monarchs, “ Our win at Birmingham was a close one but we need to take the momentum we gained last night into Friday and if we can get all 7 boys firing at once, we could give someone a good hammering!”

Despite the Bears sitting 7 points above the Monarchs in the Cab Direct Championship table, Parr is under no illusions of the threat Edinburgh pose, “ Craig Cook and Josh Pickering are great around Redcar, they love our track so we definitely won’t be taking anything for granted as we aim for the 3 league points.”

The former cycle speedway man also reserved special praise for Jason Edwards, who was Redcar’s star man in Wednesday’s win at Birmingham, “ Jason was the matchwinner at Birmingham, without doubt. He is also developing his all-round skills as he is feeling much more confident riding the outside, Jason has been developing riding the outside line over recent weeks and instead of being only good on the kerb, he’s now riding the outside as well as he rides the kerb!”

Redcar are looking to build on an impressive recent league run with the play-off chasers aiming to win their 4th league match from their last 5 fixtures. The Bears promotion will also be hoping that Charles Wright can continue his recent stellar run with the skipper hitting an astronomical 47 points from his last 4 matches with the Bears. 

Redcar name an unchanged line-up from their win at Birmingham with Luke Harrison continuing to deputise for the injured Jake Mulford. Edinburgh also track a full 1-7 with Edinburgh’s Bastian Borke set to make his first appearance at the ECCO Arena. The Monarchs will be looking to their top 2 of Craig Cook and Josh Pickering to set the tone for the visitors as they chase a prized play-off spot whilst Max Clegg is set to make his full debut for the Monarchs. 

Heading into tomorrow’s clash, Redcar hold a 4 point aggregate advantage after their 47-43 away win at Armadale in May. Any supporters who are unable to attend the ECCO Arena are reminded that the meeting will be live streamed at www.redcar-speedway.tv

Redcar “Agilia” Bears

1 Charles Wright (C) 8.13

2 Danyon Hume 5.20

3 Connor Bailey 4.79

4 Erik Riss 7.77

5 Danny King 8.05

6 Jason Edwards 4.11

7 Luke Harrison (G) 3.14 

™: Gavin Parr

Edinburgh Monarchs

1. Craig Cook 8.94 

2. Bastian Borke 5.00 

3. Kye Thomson 5.98 

4. Paco Castagna 5.18 

5. Josh Pickering © 8.35 

6. Dayle Wood 2.00 

7. Max Clegg 4.67

™: John Campbell

Redcar added another valuable 2 points to their Cab Direct Championship tally with a superb, nip and tuck, 46-44 away win at Birmingham. The Bears, who had the meeting won heading into heat 15, had Jason Edwards to thank for his stunning top score of 11+2 whilst Justin Sedgmen hit 14 for the Brummies.

Heat 1 began in perfect fashion for the Bears as Danyon Hume made an electric gate to take the win and with Charles Wright in a comfortable 2nd, Birmingham’s guest, Josh Pickering had no answer and the “Agilia” Bears had an early lead at Perry Barr. 

Heat 2 saw Luke Harrison and Paul Starke tangle entering bend 3 of the opening lap with Harrison excluded due to being the primary cause of the stoppage. The re-run saw the fast starting Sam Hagon gate to take the win despite early pressure from Jason Edwards and with Starke the 3rd finisher, Birmingham cut the early deficit to 2 points. 

The 3rd race of the evening saw Erik Riss gate but the German was passed by Troy Batchelor on bend 2 of the opening lap and with Alfie Bowtell in 3rd, Birmingham looked set to level the scores. However, the persistence of Redcar’s Connor Bailey saw the British U21 champion pass Bowtell on the run to the line to ensure a shared heat in the second city. 

Nevertheless, the Brummies did level the meeting in heat 4 as Justin Sedgmen rounded Danny King on the back straight of lap 1 to take the win, and with Starke in 3rd, Birmingham were back on level terms. However, the “Agilia” Bears are known for their fighting spirit and they edged ahead again in heat 5. Wright, clearly revelling in the number 1 race jacket, won comfortably and with Hume in 3rd, Redcar again had their noses in front.

Heat 6 saw a superb race as Edwards gated and after an early tussle with Pickering, King joined the Bears reserve at the front. Nevertheless, the Brummies guest, Pickering rode a wide line and unbelievably passed both Bears on the run to the line to turn a Bears 5-1 into a shared heat. Heat 7 saw the Brummies hit the front for the first time in the meeting as Sedgmen gated for a comfortable win whilst Hagon rode a superb outside line to pass both Bears to take the paid win. 

However, the home side’s lead was short lived as Redcar immediately responded with a 5-1 of their own as Hume and Edwards made blistering gates to take the win and send the Bears back into a 2 point lead of their own. After a shared heat 9 won by King, Birmingham pulled level with a heat 10 4-2. Pickering, who was looking more impressive by the race, won from the gate but Connor Bailey limited the damage for Redcar as he passed Stefan Nielsen for 2nd to ensure Redcar didn’t fall behind at Perry Barr. 

Heat 11 saw the balance tip in favour of the Bears again as Wright made it 3 wins from 3 to end Sedgmen’s perfect evening and with Hume holding off Hagon for 3rd, Redcar once again crept ahead. Heat 12 saw Redcar strike a huge blow with a superb 5-1 as Bailey and Edwards made light work of Troy Batchelor to send the Bears into a commanding 6 point lead over the Brummies. 

In the true fashion of a meeting that ebbed and flowed, Redcar’s lead was reduced to a familiar 2 point advantage as gates 1 and 3 helped Pickering and Sedgmen get the all important 5-1 to keep the hosts believing a home win was in sight. However, as quickly as the Brummies fans started believing, their hopes were dashed unceremoniously as Edwards capped off a superb evening to win heat 14 and with Riss sat in a comfortable 2nd, Redcar had an unassailable 39-45 lead heading into heat 15. 

The final race of a closely contested affair saw the Brummies pairing of Sedgmen and Pickering out-gate the Bears and secure a consolation 5-1. 

Birmingham = 44

1. Josh Pickering (G) = 11+2

2. Stefan Nielsen = 1

3. Troy Batchelor = 6

4. Alfie Bowtell = 4+1

5. Justin Sedgmen = 14

6. Sam Hagon = 6+1

7. Paul Starke = 2

Redcar = 46

1. Charles Wright = 9+1

2. Danyon Hume = 8

3. Connor Bailey = 6+1

4. Erik Riss = 5+1

5. Danny King = 7+1

6. Jason Edwards = 11+2

7. Luke Harrison = 0

Due to a change in the meeting sponsors’ requirements, we now have availability for a fan’s night in The Bruce Forrester Lounge for this week’s meeting against Edinburgh on Friday 11th Aug.

If you are interested, it will be the usual £12 (payable in the lounge) on top of your normal entry. For that you will get reserved seating on the balcony, a full buffet, a bar drink, a hot drink and a meeting programme.

Anyone interested contact Ian on 07827293866 or indrinkel@msn.com

Redcar’s Connor Bailey has challenged his Bears team mates to pick up another away win with the Bears travelling south to Perry Barr to take on Birmingham this evening. Tonight’s meeting in the Second City in the Cab Direct Championship gets underway at 7:30pm.

Bailey, who has proved to be an astute signing for the Bears, believes tonight is the perfect opportunity for another away win, “ It would be nice to win away from home again, every team wants to win away. We came close at Berwick but just fell short after a slow start but we have already won at Birmingham this season.”

Bailey, who has scored paid 23 from his last 3 Bears meetings, believes the Perry Barr circuit is one his teammates like, “ We all like the Birmingham track, we beat the Brummies already this season but they do now have a different looking side. However, I have a quiet confidence heading into tonight!”

The British under 21 champion admitted he would like to see the Bears gain more aggregate points, with the Brit believing the Bears can do just that, “ Gaining more aggregate points are a bonus as we head towards the end of the season, I can’t see any reason why we can’t pick up more aggregate points and we will be pushing for all the points we can get, no last places is the goal!”

The Bears number 3 is happy with his current form, “ I have had some decent performances recently, home and away, but my goal is to keep improving and keep putting in steady performances, that’s the focus for me at the moment.”

Redcar, who are currently sat 5th in the Cab Direct Championship, will be looking to replicate their 52-38 BSN Series success over the Brummies from the Bears last visit to Perry Barr in April. Danny King hit a superb 11+3 on that occasion, and the former British Champion will be looking for another high score with the crunch time of the season approaching. The Bears promotion once again track Luke Harrison as guest reserve in place of the injured Jake Mulford with the Bears otherwise unchanged. 

As mentioned, the Bears will be lining up against a much changed Brummies outfit after Stewart Dickson took the reins at the Second City outfit and rung the changes with the club only tracking 3 riders (Bowtell, Nielsen and Sedgmen) from the BSN Series fixture in April. Birmingham bring in Josh Pickering to guest at number 1 with Nick Morris currently suspended whilst Troy Batchelor is set to make his 6th appearance for the Brummies. Additionally, with the greensheet averages change, Paul Starke drops to reserve with Alfie Bowtell moving into the number 4 slot. 

For any supporters who cannot make the trip to Perry Barr, the meeting will be live streamed at www.brummies.tv 

Birmingham Brummies

1 Josh Pickering (G) 8.82

2 Stefan Nielsen 4.74

3 Troy Batchelor 7.45

4 Alfie Bowtell 4.93

5 Justin Sedgmen 6.94 ©

6 Sam Hagon 2.00

7 Paul Starke 4.55

™: Stewart Dickson

Redcar Agilia Bears

1 Charles Wright (C) 8.13

2 Danyon Hume 5.20

3 Connor Bailey 4.79

4 Erik Riss 7.77

5 Danny King 8.05

6 Jason Edwards 4.11

7 Luke Harrison (G) 3.14 

™: Gavin Parr