.............................................................................................................................................
10.12.2012 Bekker confirmed an Islander
Taken from from the Isle of Wight website:
"25
years old Byron Bekker, born in Johannesburg, comes to us on loan from
parent club Scunthorpe having ridden for Dudley this year, and is the
eldest in our septet who is somewhat keen that his affectionate well
known nickname of "Boris" doesn't get changed to "Grandad" by his
younger Isle of Wight team mates! And he, having been given the green
light by doctors to resume riding after suffering knee ligament damage
in a crash at Mildenhall that ended his 2012 season early, is relishing
the challenge of leading them to success.:-
"Personally
I'm very happy indeed to have signed for the Wightlink Islanders as
it's a track I've always liked to ride at and I'm very keen to put last
season and the way it ended prematurely behind me. I had an operation on
the knee in which the docs did a really good job, so I am now back in
training earlier than I expected and really eager to make up for lost
time and looking at the side Chris Hunt and Kevin Shepherd have put
together, my message to the rest of the league is 'Watch us go !"
At
385m, (421yds) the Smallbrook Stadium track on the Isle of Wight, which
surrounds a soccer pitch, is the largest present-day UK track, c.f.
Walkerville at 315m (344yds.)
10.12.2012. S.African National Final Rained Off .
In spite of the efforts of all the riders taking buckets onto the track to try and clear the small dam in corner 1, - see Gallery
- , the Walkerville track was judged still not safe enough for the
speedway bikes and sidecars yesterday for what was to have been the 3rd
and Final Round of the South African National Championship event. The
event will be re-staged SATURDAY 12th JANUARY 2013.
Thank
you to all the riders (who got very muddy in the process) – the team
work was brilliant! A big THANK YOU goes to all the supporters and
spectators who stayed to watch the peewees and pitbikes finish their
national championship. To all the people who bought raffle tickets and
the riders who donated dog food for the Irwins fund raiser – Thank You!
Thanks
go to all our usual sponsors of Walkerville Raceway – Dot Engineering,
Fourways Motorcylces, Ansley Racing, Mibern Medical. To the sponsors who
donated cash and prizes towards the Irwins Fund Raiser – Thank you:
Amtec Lubricants, Olivia’s Bakery in Walkerville, Johnny Walker Pub
& Grill, Tricia Fisher, Fritz from Audio Touch, Buffs Biltong.
Please support all our sponsors.
There will be a re-run of this race meeting which will be held on SATURDAY 12th JANUARY 2013 starting at 1pm. SABC2 will be back to record some footage of the racing.
The Annual Prize Giving will
follow directly thereafter at 6pm. Everybody is welcome to attend the
prize giving which is R50-00 per person and includes a braai pack,
salads and rolls. Camping facilities are available if you want to camp
over after the prize giving party. Pat Pettit, WSRC.
25.11.2012, Walkerville, SA: “Legends of the Past”WSRC riders raced to the memory of great South African heroes on Sunday. After 3 heats each the top 4 riders competed for the Buddy Fuller Trophy and unbeaten Neil Pettit duly completed the day undefeated with young Robin Brill pushing Gio Nunes into 3rd place. The follow-up point scorers challenged for the Dudleigh Long Trophies, - Premier and Junior. Dudleigh was a nephew of Henry Long, the first (of only 2) South African to reach the speedway World Final at Wembley, London. His cups were taken by Jason Cole and by Ashley Brill, who were pushed respectively by runners-up Lyle Kotze and Grant Frank. Full Results.
The final meeting of the Walkerville year takes place on Sunday Dec. 9th, being the 3rd and final round of the S.African National Championship, sponsored once more by Dot Engineering, racing starting at 1pm.
The Country Kitchen & Deep South Pub will look after all your catering needs.
The track GPS co-ordinates are: S26º24min17sec / E27º57min48sec.
Contact details: Pat – 0825785941 or Hansie (for Vaal areas ) – 0832925355.
3.11.2012, SYNDICATE SIDEWINDERS BASH, Walkerville S.A.
The
Walkerville Oval Track was once again the venue for the Syndicate
Motorcycle Club’s Annual Day Jol. This well organised, well attended
event had Speedway racing, Aussie Sidecars as well as Flat Track Bikes
to keep the crowds entertained.
The
speedway heats were close resulting in the top 4 riders racing against
each other in the final. The final was run as 4 individual laps with the
winner of each lap being scored separately. The end result was 1st Neil
Pettit, 2nd Mac Magill, 3rd Jason Cole and 4th Lyle Kotze. The
Consolation Final result was Ashley Brill 1st, Gio Nunes 2nd, Bobby
Devine 3rd and Hansie Kleynhans 4th.
Racing
was tight between the Aussie sidecars with the Welkom outfit of Alfie
Kotze and jockey Juan Kotze on bike No.11 winning the first three heats.
Unfortunately bike problems in the final heat put an end to their
winning streak and in the overall points they were pipped to the post by
Johannesburg outfit Derrick (2Dogs) Hilliar and jockey Gordan Raath.
Kallie & Konrad Britz from Lichtenberg took the 3rd place spot, with
husband and wife team from Klerksdorp, Edwin & Estelle Butler in
4th place.
The Flat Track class was won by Hugh Britz with Barney van der Merwe in 2nd place and Hamish Harvey in 3rd place.
During
the interval between the speedway racing, the club arranged pit bikes
for three members of three different clubs to race against each other.
This was great fun and the overall end result was the Road Hogs from
Sasolburg taking 1st place with the Monarchs in 2nd and Satan Saints in
3rd place spot.
- Forthcoming race meetings at Walkerville – Spectator entry fee only R20-00 per person:-
- Sunday 25th November: "Legends of the Past",
- Sunday 9th December: Dot Engineering S.A. National Final Charity Race.
"Speedway League Racing in South Africa, - 1947 - 1959."
A short article, "Speedway League Racing in South Africa, - 1947 - 1959",
together with an accompanying summary table of pertinent data, has been added to the website's History page.
A number of corresponding league team photographs have been added to Gallery p.3.
.................................................................................................................................................
29.10.2012, Walkerville S.Africa,
Golden Helmet & Silver Sash
Eleven
solo riders lined up to contest the prestigious Golden Helmet event at
Walkerville Raceway on Sunday, with the programme complemented by
Sidecar and Flat Track racers. Racing to a new format this year with
all contestants meeting one another, the top 4 scorers met in the Helmet
Final, with the next 4 scorers competing for the Silver Sash, the
junior trophy. After 2 rides each Mac Magill and Brad Devine were
unbeaten, but 17 year old Ashley Brill, the 2008 Silver Sash winner had
to withdraw from the meeting after suffering engine failure in his
initial outing. In the third round of rides Magill was beaten into
second place by Lyle Kotze, and Devine succumbed to Kotze and Pettit. In
the final round of Solo heats both Brad Devine and Jason Cole won their
heats, the latter pipping Magill, so that the line for for the Golden
Helmet Final saw these 3, each with 10 points, joined by Robin Brill on
9pts, the unfortunate Lyle Kotze missing out because of a poor first
heat when in this one race he met the top scorers and current champ Neil
Pettit, who seemed not to be on top form for this meeting after earlier
events of the weekend. These two met up in the next solo race, the
Silver Sash Final, in which Kotze kept up his form to score his third
consecutive race win and pip Pettit in the fastest time of the day,
67.75s for the 315m. Raceway.
In
a considerably limited field the Sidecar pairing of Hilliar &
Wiggill took the three-wheeler charioteers' trophy, and Hugh Britz
topped the score chart in the Flat Track category, the first occasion
that these racers have been seen on the Walkerville programme.
Culmination of the day's programme was the Golden Helmet final, in which
Cole, like Kotze in the Sash final, made it a third-in-a-row win to
capture the Helmet, first won by James Bruins way back in 1977. Mac
Magill was second, followed home by Brad Devine in third place. (See category winners on Gallery page.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two of the Heathens' injury squad, both now awaiting surgery:
- Adam Roynon and Byron Bekker,
(- photographed at King Lynn earlier this year.)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................
23.10.2012 Heathens v Mildenhall, NL Play-off Final 1st leg. 51-37
23.10.2012 Heathens v Mildenhall, NL KO Cup Final 2nd leg. 41-32
24.10.2012 Mildenhall v Heathens (@ Kings Lynn,) NL P.Off Final 2nd leg. (SEE ABOVE)
From
weeks of inactivity to a further ratcheting up of pressure and pace
for Dudley Heathens, with 3 matches in 2 days as they took on Mildenhall
Fen Tigers for the UK's National Lge. titles of League Champions and
Knock-Out Cup winners, - but without Byron Bekker, now waiting for an
operation on his torn knee ligament.
LEAGUE FINAL:
The double header at Monmore Green, Wolverhampton, - the former Cradley
team's shared home since their return to racing in 2010 - , started
with the 1st leg of the League Play-off Final in miserable conditions,
the fog and mist throughout the day having turned to drizzle an hour or
so prior to the start of racing, making for extremely difficult
conditions on a wet and slippery track and the undoing of riders from
both teams. Tigers No.1 Jason Garrity fell while leading by a mile in
Ht.1, - the same happened 2hrs. latter in the following match - , then
their sole rider in Ht.2, Bates, falls likewise to give the Heathens a
5-0, quickly negated when Tom Perry does likewise in the following heat.
2 re-runs of Ht.5 and 3 more falls as Garrity and Perry clash and take
down Halsey in a tight bend 1 entry, and deflating the entire 1st &
2nd bend air-fence. In the eventual rerun Garrity slows to a crawl in
frustration to team-ride Halsey to a Tigers 5-1 while Perry is taken off
to hospital with a suspected broken scaphoid, reducing Heathens to 5
men. In the next heat the Heathens' skipper Adam Roynon rides his
slowest ever ride inside partner Dan Greenwood for a Heathens 5-1.
Score: 20-15.
Ht.8
saw an abysmal piece of refereeing as first Greenwood falls, then on
the next lap round, with no red light activated, - is the ref thinking
too much about the second match this night? - , Bates falls trying to
avoid Greenwood. Still no red light and the other 2 riders continue
while the first 2 try to clear the track ! Ht.9, and Bates is nudged off
at bend 1 but its bend 3 before the red light comes on, probably only
because White-Williams slowed on the back straight: all 4 back, can you
believe ? Three more 3-3s until Roynon and Morris (after a fall at the
first attempt,) take a 5-1 with excellent team-riding by the skipper. Ht
14 was the race of the night as Darryl Ritching tried every line to
close in and catch Halsey, - he went outside turn 1/2 lap 4 then lined
up as if to go outside on the last turn but turned sharp back coming off
the turn and stole it on the line by half a wheel. Brilliant ride! A
3-3 in the final heat gives Heathens a 14pt lead for tomorrow's 2nd leg,
which will now be staged at Kings Lynn, the recent weather having made
the Mildenhall track unrideable. This neutral venue could have been
just enough for the Heathens to clinch the League championship, (they
won there earlier in the season against the Young Stars,) had Perry not
been injured. Should be a tight match.
Match
finished 9:30pm, - tea & comfort break for track staff, riders,
medics etc. before commencement of the next 15 heats. Mist is now fog,
and worsening.
Dudley = 51
1. Adam Roynon 2, 3, 3, 2', 2 = 12+1
2. Dan Greenwood 1', 2, 2', F, 0 = 5+2
3. Tom Perry Fx, ns = 0 Withdrawn
4. Byron Bekker R/R
5. Ashley Morris 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 1' = 15+1
6. Darryl Ritchings 3, 1, 3, 2, 1', 2, 2' = 14+2
7. J. White-Williams 2', 1, 0, 0, 1', 1' = 5+3
Mildenhall = 37
1. Jason Garrity F.rm, 2', 3, 0, 3 = 8+1
2. Lewis Blackbird R/R
3. Joe Jacobs 3, 3, 2, 2, 3, 0 = 13
4. Daniel Halsey 1, 3, 1', 1', 1 = 7+2
5. Stefan Nielsen 2, 1, 3, 1 = 7
6. Josh Bates Fx, 0, F, Fx, 0 = 0
7. R.Terry-Daley x2m, 0, 2, 0, 0 = 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KO CUP FINAL:
Without Tom Perry the Heathens found an unattached East Anglian, Sean
Phillips, at the meeting and drafted him in for Byron Bekker's position
and are using Rider Replacement for Perry. (It is subsequently confirmed
that Perry has a broken thumb and a broken Scaphoid.) This second
match commenced approx. 9:45pm with the track and the weather no better.
Ht.1
and Garrity, the 2011 NL champion, again drops it while miles out in
front, followed by Greenwood. (Both remount to finish.) Ht.2 and again
the ref, apparently more concerned with the time than safety, lets the
race continue too far when Bates comes off on the first bend and the
other riders have to take avoiding action: Heathens take a 5-1 in the
rerun. In Ht.4 Nielsen fell first when 3rd. He got up to continue, then
Ryan fell. The race is not stopped as Nielsen comes round. Ryan was
about to push his bike to the inside as would be a rider's instinct, but
realising Nielsen is coming he turns briefly towards the fence to stay
safe there, and then clears the track to the inside. Refereeing tonight
is past a joke and is considering the wrong priorities! (- finish time
v. safety.) There were more falls in each of the next 5 heats with the
Heathens failing to gain further headway, and the score after Ht.9 is
32-24, agg. 85-65., with the clock dragging slowly on because of the
number of rerun heats. Roynon and Greenwood look set for a 5-1 in Ht.10
when the latter again falls and is hit by Jacobs but excluded. In this
rerun Halsey's engine seizes and so its a 3-2. Only 5-1s in every one of
the next 5 heats can now save the home side, but after two 3-3s the
clock strikes the metaphorical midnight, (actually ~11pm,) and the
meeting is terminated by the local curfew. Final score 41-32, aggregate 74-93 to Mildenhall who retain the NL KO Cup.
Dudley = 41 (74)
1. Adam Roynon 3, 3, 3, 3 = 12
2. Dan Greenwood F.rm, 0, F.rm0, Fx, 1' = 1+1
3. Tom Perry R/R
4. Sean Phillips 0, 1, 0 = 1
5. Ashley Morris 3, 3, 3, 2 = 11
6. Darryl Ritchings 2', 3, 1, 1' = 7+2
7. J.White-Williams 3, 2', 2, 2 = 9+1
Mildenhall = 32 (93)
1. Jason Garrity F.rm1', F, 3 = 4+1
2. Lewis Blackbird R/R
3. Joe Jacobs 2, 2, 4!, 2, 3 = 13
4. Daniel Halsey 1', 2, F, ef = 3+1
5. Stefan Nielsen F.rm1, 1', 2 = 4+1
6. Josh Bates Fx, 2, 3, 1', 0 = 6+1
7. R. Terry-Daley 1, F, 1, 0 = 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LGE FINAL, 2nd LEG: See next report, above.
Dudley riders (those left walking !) acknowledge the support of their devoted Heathens fans at the end of a long wet, evening:-
Lt. to rt: Team coach and 1991 World Champ Jan O Pedersen, late sub Sean Phillips, James White-Williams, Darryl Ritching, Adam Roynon, Byron Bekker. (See further pics on Gallery page.) 
........................................................................................................................
20.10.2012: 'Finals' between Dudley Heathens and Mildenhall conclude the season.
The
UK National League protagonists Dudley Heathens and Mildenhall Fen
Tigers, whose both meetings in Suffolk over the last month or so have
produced excitement and clashes both on and off the track, have agreed
arrangements for their final 3 encounters of the season, - which have to
be concluded no later than October 31st, the official UK season-end.
The
former Cradley club have reluctantly accepted the BSPA ruling about
Mildenhall's use of Josh Bates for the first leg of the KO Cup Final in
which Byron Bekker was so badly injured, - so the 61-33 result stands - ,
and while happy that Heathens have progressed through the League
Play-off Semis (despite a shock first leg result,) to make that Final,
having sat at the top of the table all season, have now to cram in 2
home matches against the Tigers plus a third Suffolk visit, - all this
as speedway matches across the country, like both legs of the Heathens'
NL PO-SFs against Stoke and 3 attempts before the IoW/M'hall Semi, are
being lost to rain. (In the Elite Lge, P'boro and Swindon agreed to
resort to the toss of a coin when they were unable to run the KO Quarter
Finals; Workington's proposal to the BSPA to accept an aggregate score
after just 9 heats of their abandoned Lge. Cup 2nd leg was conceded.)
It
has therefore been deemed necessary to stage both of Heathens' home
legs, - of the KO Cup Final and of the Lge Championship Play-off Final -
, as a double-header on the same night of Tues. October 23rd, and the
last meeting of the 2 teams, - the 2nd away leg of the Lge Play-offs - ,
on the following night, Wed.24th.
With
Mildenhall's 28 point lead in the KO Cup the Heathens' chances of an
aggregate win seem slight at a time when their opponents are flushed
with success: such form by the Tigers make even this long-time avid
Heathens' follower doubt their chances of taking the league title, such
is the consequence of deciding a League Championship by a knock-out
mini-competition at the tail-end of a season. Is not the intention of a
league, in contrast to a KO competition, to identify the team that has sustained a superiority throughout the duration of a season ?
NATIONAL LEAGUE
uti Wednesday, October 17, 2012
M
3W
2W
D
L
4W
3W
D
1L
L
F
A
Pts
1
Dudley
14
7
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
1
783
468
42
2
Mildenhall
14
6
0
0
1
4
0
2
0
1
717
552
38
3
I. of Wight
14
3
2
0
2
2
0
0
0
5
595
684
21
4
Stoke
14
4
0
1
2
0
2
0
1
4
647
631
20
5
Rye House
14
5
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
5
596
659
20
6
Scunthorpe
14
3
2
0
2
0
1
0
1
5
584
683
17
7
Buxton
14
3
0
1
3
0
0
0
1
6
586
686
11
8
K. Lynn
14
2
1
0
4
0
0
0
1
6
567
712
9
2.10.2012, Stoke Potters v. Dudley Heathens; NL. PO-SF.
The
Dudley Heathens and Byron Bekker have been without any matches, home or
away, for a month now since their massive home win against Isle of
Wight on Sept 4th. Tonight's away leg of the National League Play-off
Semi-finals against Stoke, (bizarrely, topping the league table doesn't
make you League Champions, - 4 more matches have to be raced before the
champion team can be crowned,) has, like the home leg last week, been
victim of the rainy weather that's returned to the UK and is affecting
many clubs again, so the forthcoming weeks are going to be very busy,
particularly if, as expected, the Heathens get thru their Semi and into
the H&A Lge. Final. BB has been fortunate to have had a few Open
and guest bookings in between, at Somerset and at Sheffield; for
Ipswich, and for his former PL team Edinburgh, that have yielded a few
Rand, but 6 more Heathens matches in the last 3 weeks of the season,
plus the chance of a bonus for a KO Cup and/or the League Championship,
if successful, should compensate for an otherwise barren time.
Heathens' remaining fixtures:
Sun. Oct. 7: Away v. Mildenhall KOC Final Leg 1,
Tues. Oct. 9*: Home v. Stoke Lge.PO.SF Leg 1,
Wed. Oct .10: Away v. Stoke - ditto - “ 2,
Tues. Oct. 23: Home v. Mildenhall KOC Final Leg 2,
t.b.a. (hopefully) H. v (Mldhll or IoW) Lge.PO Final Leg 1,
t.b.a. (hopefully) A. v (Mldhll or IoW) - ditto - Leg 2.
* Also on 9th, IoW entertain Mildenhall in the 2nd leg of the other PO.SF. (Mldhll won the 1st leg 58-36.)
................................................................................................................................................................................................................
4.9.2012 Dudley Heathens v. Isle of Wight, 68-22.
In
their final league match of the season prior to the Play-offs the
Heathens ensured themselves the top-of-the-table position by trouncing
IoW Islanders 68-22, and thereby allowing themselves the luxury of
choosing their opponents, (i.e. the easier competitor,) in the
home-&-away Play-off Semis. After
his paid max last week Byron Bekker was at the other end of the
scorechart last night. He followed his partner home in their first ride
but was excluded from the rerun of Ht.5 when charging hard into lap 2
after a poor gate the Islander's Hopwood came down. BB then collected 3
more points from his remaining 2 rides for a total of 5 paid 7. Mssrs
Birks, (guesting for the injured Adam Roynon,) Perry and Ritchings all
scored paid maximums, the latter's second on the trot, while Islanders
only achieved one heat win, a 4-2 in Ht.4.
Dudley 68: Tom
Perry 14+1, Ashley Morris 13+1, Ashley Birks 11+1, Darryl Ritchings
9+3, Dan Greenwood 9+1, James White Williams 7+2, Byron Bekker 5+2
Isle of Wight 22: Paul Starke 8, Danny Warwick 5, Steve Jones 3, Ben Hopwood 2+1, Ross Walter 2, Danny Stoneman 2, Aaron Baseby R/R
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
28.8.2012 Dudley Heathens v. Rye House Raiders, 55-16
Another
walk-over by Dudley Heathens, and a paid max. from Byron Bekker, his
first this season, as he continued his recent good form and top-scored
for the former Cradley side. Had the rain not brought a sudden halt to
this meeting at Ht.12 it's possible the Heathens could have gone on to a
record 70pts, for 5 riders all got maximums or paid max's, Raiders not
once taking a race win or a heat win: even their two tactical rides
failed to realise points as each time they were put in against BB and
his partner Dan Greenwood, who proceeded to take two 5-1s ! In the
first, Ht.5, the Rye pair fled out of the start on a potential 8-1. Both
Heathens passed Morley down the back straight, Bekker passed Chessell
off bend 2, lap 2, who then fell on bends 3&4, same lap. Greenwood
hesitated a little to see where he would land which gave Morley an
inside run. Greenwood was busy seeing him off when a remounted Chessell
fell again on bends 3 and 4, so with the red lights having been
activated, the race was awarded. The
next heat saw an excellent display of team riding. It was Heathens from
the gate, but skipper Adam Roynon did some kerb crawling to slow and
block Sarjeant, who Ritchings gets round. But Ritchings wasn't looking
too secure on the outside so, going into lap 3, Roynon waves to
Ritchings to indicate they should switch. Going into bend 1, lap 3 they
execute the perfect switch and pull away to another heat max. Brilliant,
- and the pair ably and easily do something similar when out again in
Ht.10, the skipper sitting with his team-mate for a couple of laps to
see him secure before pulling away. With his first ever maximum, (paid),
Darryl Ritchings is nominate 'Rider of the Night'.
DUDLEY
55: Byron Bekker 11+1, Darryl Ritchings 9+3, Adam Roynon 9, Ashley
Morris 8+1, Tom Perry 8+1, Dan Greenwood 5+1, James White Williams 5+1.
RYE
HOUSE 16: Ben Morley 6, James Sarjeant 4, Shane Hazelden 3+1, Connor
Coles 3, Luke Chessell 0, Brad Tokley 0, Jason Garrity R/R.
Abandoned after 12 heats – Waterlogged track - RESULT STANDS
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
26.8.2012 WALKERVILLE: Boet Strydom Best Pairs
Walkerville Raceway in Johannesburg was once again alive with Speedway
and Aussie Sidecar action at the Boet Strydom Speedway Best Pairs held
on Sunday 26th August. The speedway racing being a tactical race gives
all riders the chance of getting in the top 3, with bonus points being
awarded to the first/second and second/third placed pair. In the 1st
heat Lyle Kotze beat Mac Magill to the finish line and secured 3 points
for Team Quickloader Trailers with Kotze’s team mate DJ Devine
finishing 3rd with 1 point. In heat 2 Neil Pettit kept the pressure on
Jason Cole and won the heat scoring 3 points, with Pettit’s partner Gio
Nunes scoring 1 point in 3rd place for Team Dot Engineering. In Round 2
each team scored bonus points, but with Team Dot Engineering getting a
1st & 2nd and a bonus point in their heat, they shot into the lead
and went on to win the day on 19 points, a convincing 6 points lead
ahead of Team Old Ouens who came 2nd for the day.
The 7 sidecar
outfits kept the racing tight as they battled it out in 2 separate
heats. In the end it was the 3 outfits from Klerksdorp/Orkney who
streaked ahead of the pack and had only one point between them in 1st,
2nd and 3rd place. The final results were Riaan Kruger & Johan
Herbst in 1st place on 9 points, with Renier le Roux & Gordon Butler
in 2nd with 8 points and 3rd place went to Deon Kruger & Dean Todd
on 7 points.
Many thanks to all the day's sponsors. FULL RESULTS
The
next race meeting at the Walkerville Showgrounds will be the
Walkerville Regional Final and will be held on 30th September 2012,
racing starting at 1pm.
The Country Kitchen & Deep South Pub, will look after all your catering needs.
The track GPS co-ordinates are: S26º24min17sec / E27º57min48sec.
Contact details: Pat – 0825785941 or Hansie (for Vaal areas ) – 0832925355.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Clash of the Nat'l Lge. Table-toppers:
19.8.2012 Mildenhall v Heathens, 53-36
21.8.2012 Heathens v Mildenhall, 54-40
Much
emotion had been built up prior to the first of these two meetings
between the National Lge table toppers Dudley Heathens and Mildenhall
Fen Tigers in the light of a fixture clash with a Premier Lge match
involving heat-leaders from both teams, when a change to the Mildenhall
start times thought to have been agreed was reneged on despite an
official Control Board ruling. Heathens were without their 3 top riders
and the loss of their unbeaten record was a foregone conclusion. And so
it turned out to be. There was confrontation on the terraces as well as
on the track, - the first 2 races were both awarded after falls and
exclusions, with only one rider finishing Ht.2, for the only “win” by a
Heathen, (plus one win by their guest Gary Irving.) Best race of the
night was Ht.13, between the guests of both sides, Irving and Garrity,
ending when frustration got the better of the former and he pushed thru
for the chequered flag too hard, both hitting the fence near the line
and tumbling, and was justifiably excluded. SEE VIDEO.
Acting skipper Byron Bekker was the top Heathens' scorer after the
guest, with 10pts from 6 rides, and his acknowledging gesture of
stopping to applaud the travelling Heathens fans on bends 1 & 2
after Ht.15 was much appreciated by them all.
MILDENHALL 53:
Danny Halsey 13+1, Stefan Nielsen 13, Joe Jacobs 11+3, Jason Garrity
9+1, Josh Bates 7, Ryan Terry-Daley 0, Lewis Blackbird r/r. DUDLEY 36: Gary Irving 11, Byron Bekker 10, Darryl Ritchings 6+3, James White-Williams 5+2, Dan Greenwood 4+1, Conor Dwyer 0, Ashley Morris r/r.
In
the return match at Monmore, with Heathens at full strength but on a
track with pools from an early shower Byron Bekker gave his best
performance yet, if not his highest score, as he took the flag 3 times
and looked all set for his first Dudley maximum. But it was not to be,
as his bike failed on him in his final ride and he had to be content
with a 9pts total. Perry returned to the team to score 16+1, but the
surprise of the night was Roynon's first home defeats of the season,
being beaten twice, by Jacobs and by Blackbird. Tension on the terraces
had subdued from 2 days earlier, and as the latter and his machine were
removed from the track when he understandably objected to his, rather
than Greenwood's exclusion from Ht.9, 1000 Heathens fans sang him off
with the old 1920s classic !
HEATHENS 54: Tom Perry 16+1, Adam Roynon 13, Byron Bekker 9, Ashley Morris 6+1, Dan Greenwood 4+2, James White Williams 3, Darryl Ritchings 3. MILDENHALL 40: Joe Jacobs 13, Stefan Nielsen 9+1, Lewis Blackbird 7, Josh Bates 5, Ryan Terry-Daley 2+1, Lewis Kerr 2+1, Daniel Halsey 2+1.
These
2 teams look set to meet again in the NL Play-Offs, and perhaps in the
KO Cup Final too, when the enthusiasm will be stoked even higher.
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................
14.8.2012: Heathens into KO Cup Final.
Following
the fogged-off meeting at IoW last week, and in the light of fixture
congestion, the Islanders have conceded their Cup match against Dudley
Heathens, acknowledging the unlikelyhood of overcoming the Heathens'
massive first leg lead. Heathens will meet the winners of the
Mildenhall-Stoke semi-final.
..................................................................................................................................................
11.8.2012: "Byron Bekker - Early Days"
An article, "Byron Bekker - Early Days in SA", published in the August edition of BB's UK Fanzine, can be read here.
..................................................................................................................................................
7.8.2012, Heathens v Stoke Potters 58-35 
Byron
Bekker was voted Rider of the Night as Dudley Heathens continued their
winning streak with another big win over Stoke Potters last night.
Having inflicted a home defeat on Heathens' league rivals Mildenhall 2
days earlier, and tracking Simon Lambert and the Nat'l Lge Match Race
Champion Ashley Birks, both of whom finished on the podium of the Golden
Hammer just a week earlier a close match was expected from the
Staffordshire side, but once again it was all too easy. Tom Perry,
riding at reserve because of a quirk in the Regs, topped the score chart
with 15+1 from 7 rides, skipper Roynon an unbeaten 15pts, and BB scored
12+1 from 6 rides. Byron is presently on great form, - he's staying on
the bike, he's getting the extra Ht.15 rides and guest bookings (see
below,) and his forth bend dashes tonight in Hts. 12 & 15 to
snatch points from the opposition were classic and brought great cheers
from the home fans. (Turn out last night exceeded the gate of the
previous evening for the Wolves' Elite Lge match, such is the following
of the devoted Cradley fans, desperately waiting for a home track of
their own.) Heathens remain unbeaten, home and away, but it will all
depend on the Play-offs: two years ago they were in a similar position
topping the table in their first season back on a borrowed track after a
15 year absence but ended up with nothing!DUDLEY 58: Tom Perry 15+1, Adam Roynon 15, Byron Bekker 12+1, Ashley Morris 6, Darryl Ritchings 5+2, James White-Williams 5+1, Dan Greenwood R/R.
STOKE 35: Ashley Birks 12, Simon Lambert 10+1, Ben Reade 10, Tony Atkin 3+1, Adam Wrathall 0, Ross Walter 0, Liam Carr 0.
Highlight
of the night: Having crossed the line for his max in the final heat and
coming round for the crowds' cheers on the straight, Adam Roynon pulls
out a hugh inflatable hammer from somewhere under his jacket, waving it
to the delight of the fans. "Ommer 'um Heathens ! "
On
Sunday last Byron guested for Buxton Hitmen but his 8+2 pts were not
enough to prevent them loosing by the narrow margin of 43-46 to
Scunthorpe Saints.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
29.7.2012, Walkerville: WSRC Dot Engineering S.A.National Championship, Rd.2
The
second round of the WSRC's S.African National championship sponsored by
Dot Engineering was held on Sunday and with both Pettit and Magill
taking the chequered flag twice each the 2011 champion holds his lead in
the current title stakes. But both were given a shot across their bows
as young Jason Cole, who started racing only last year, showed them
both the way home in Ht.7 with a foretaste of things to come, no doubt.
Cole had an excellent day: his 11 pts in the U21 National competition
sees him pull ahead of last year's U21 Champ Lyle Kotze with an
aggregate 20pts to Kotze's 18 in the 2 rounds so far, and his
performance resulted in him receiving the 'Rider of the Day' award from
sponsors SBK Eyewear.
In
the Sidecars section Alfie & Juan Kotze had a clean sweep of a
restricted field, depleted further by the withdrawl of Riaan v.d.Merve
& Barry Horne after they suffered engine failure in their
second ride and were unable to continue in the meeting. The WSRC thanks
also its other sponsors Slipstream Irrigation and ED Hi-Tech Electrical
for their support at this month's meeting. FULL RESULTS
...............................................................................................................................................................
24.7.2012, Isle of Wight v Heathens, 29-61
Another
good night for Dudley Heathens and Byron Bekker's best meeting this
year. BB and partner Tom Perry topped the scorechart with paid 14 &
14 points respectively from five rides each. Only when not out together
did each forfeit a point, and they led the Heathens to another big win,
for a score of 61-29, Islanders' biggest ever home defeat. Skipper Adam
Roynon got a full max plus the track record in Ht.11 on this, the UK
largest track at 385m, - and only once did a Heathen come in last. It
was also a good night for all riders as there were no falls and only the
scoreline made it a downer for Wighters and their fans. The Heathens
riders take a break from team matches for a couple of weeks as Dudley
stages the Golden Hammer individual event next Tuesday at Monmore Green.
ISLE OF WIGHT 29: Kyle Hughes 10, Ben Hopwood 6, Paul Starke 4+1, Mark Baseby 4, Adam Ellis 2, Danny Warwick 2, Aaron Baseby 1. DUDLEY 61: Tom Perry 14, Adam Roynon 12, Byron Bekker 10+4, James White Williams 9+1, Ashley Morris 7+1, Darryl Ritchings 5+3, Dan Greenwood 4+1.
..............................................................................................................................................................
FORTHCOMING RACE MEETING, WALKERVILLE, GAUTENG.
The next race meeting at the Walkerville Showgrounds will be the Best Pairs competition and will be held on Sunday 26 August 2012 starting at 1pm.
The Country Kitchen & Deep South Pub will be open to look after all your catering needs.
Track GPS co-ordinates are: S26º24min17sec / E27º57min48sec .
Contact details: Pat – 0825785941 or Hansie (for Vaal areas,) – 0832925355
....................................................................................................................................................................................
29.7.2012, Walkerville, S.Africa:
WSRC Dot Engineering S.A.National Championship, Rd.2
The
second round of the WSRC's S.African National championship sponsored by
Dot Engineering was held on Sunday and with both Pettit and Magill
taking the chequered flag twice each the 2011 champion holds his lead in
the current title stakes. But both were given a shot across their bows
as young Jason Cole, who started racing only last year, showed them
both the way home in Ht.7 with a foretaste of things to come, no doubt.
Cole had an excellent day: his 11 pts in the U21 National competition
sees him pull ahead of last year's U21 Champ Lyle Kotze with an
aggregate 20pts to Kotze's 18 in the 2 rounds so far, and his
performance resulted in him receiving the 'Rider of the Day' award from
sponsors SBK Eyewear.
In
the Sidecars section Alfie & Juan Kotze had a clean sweep of a
restricted field, depleted further by the withdrawl of Riaan v.d.Merve
& Barry Horne after they suffered engine failure in their
second ride and were unable to continue in the meeting. The WSRC thanks
also its other sponsors Slipstream Irrigation and ED Hi-Tech Electrical
for their support at this month's meeting. FULL RESULTS
...............................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
16.6.2012, Rye House v. Heathens 38-53
17.6.2012, Buxton v. Heathens 27-65
Biggest ever away win, - Heathens go to the top of the table.
Rt: 3-on-a-bike "Victors' Lap of Honour" @ Buxton; JWW,DG,BB.
Heathens score their biggest ever away win and go to the top of the table.
Dudley
Heathens had a great week-end on their travels to Rye House and Buxton,
and Byron Bekker had an equally satisfying time with paid 11 pts on
both occasion, beaten only once by the opposition yesterday as his team
went 5 pts clear at the top of the Nat'l Lge table. Heathens are
unbeaten in the league even though that has involved only one home match
so far.
At Rye House the Heathens, second on the bill after the RH v
Somerset match, were never behind after the first heat, romping way to a
53-38 away win. 6 of their 7 riders had at least one heat win, and
Byron had his best night to date topping the score chart with Adam
Roynon with a paid 11 points having been accorded the honour of a
nominated ride in Ht.15 where each team's top 2 riders meet.
20 hours
later I watched the Heathens back in action in the Derbyshire hills,
taking on Buxton Hitmen, and they started by reeling off 3 5-1s to start
the meeting. It could have been 4 had not Ashley Morris almost dropped
it on the first bend of Ht.4. Ashley Birks, guesting in place of skipper
Roynon, (riding for his P.Lge club Workington,) scored a max 12 points,
Ashley M. and Tom Perry were both paid 14 and Byron Bekker paid 11 from
4 rides. The 38 pt margin constitutes Heathens' biggest every away win,
- Cradley or Dudley - , and only twice in 30 rides yesterday were they
last man across the line. The boys were making the gate and had the
power into the straights, (even on borrowed engines: they've great
camaraderie.) The outcome is that they now top the table and look on
course to add more silverware as the season progresses. Their next
meeting is the re-arranged 'National League Fours' title at Stoke on
Sat. 23rd June.
ADDENDUM: For the second time this season the NL4s were rained off on 23rd.
...............
RYE HOUSE 38: Jason Garrity 12, Ben Morley 12, James Sarjeant 7, Shane Hazelden 4+1, Luke Chessell 1+1, Nick Lawrence 1, Rikki Mullins 1.
DUDLEY 53:
Adam Roynon 11, Byron Bekker 10+1, Dan Greenwood 9+1, Ashley Morris
8+1, Tom Perry 6+2, Darryl Ritchings 5+2, James White-Williams 4.
................
BUXTON 27: Robert Branford 9, Adam McKinna 6, Luke Priest 5+1, Dean Felton 4, Ryan Blacklock 2+1, Richard Andrews 1, Michael Neale 0.
DUDLEY 65:
Tom Perry 13+1, Ashley Birks 12, Ashley Morris 11+3, Dan Greenwood
10+1, Byron Bekker 8+3, Darryl Ritchings 7+1, James White-Williams 4+2.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
12.6.2012, Dudley Heathens v. Isle of Wight KOC SF, 60-32.
Despite a
number of falls by Heathens riders which cost them points the Dudley
team nonetheless produced a good lead in their first leg of this
Knock-Out Cup Semi-Final last night. The Islanders produced only one
heat winner all night when their No.1 got the better of Tom Perry and
Byron Bekker but Hughes failed to deliver when he took a tactical ride
in his next race. The track seemed somewhat deeper and less smooth than
usual and Morris, Greenwood, (twice) and Byron took falls, BB's being
the most costly as both forks and the frame diamond were badly damaged
depite it being an air fence collision. At half-way the score was
29-21 and Heathens went better taking 5 5-1s in the last 6 heats for a
28pt lead for the return. The return leg on the Island is in 3 weeks
time on July 3rd. Byron has made a few PR appearances for his sponsors
in Halesowen and Dudley recently and now has a Fanzine which can be
subscribed to via slwalker1972@live.co.uk
HEATHENS 60:
Tom Perry 13+1, Ashley Morris 12, Adam Roynon 11+1, Darryl Ritchings
7+3, Byron Bekker 6+2, Dan Greenwood 6, James White-Williams 5+1. ISLE OF WIGHT 32: Kyle Hughes 7+1, Danny Stoneman 6+3, Danny Warwick 6, Gary Cottham 5+1, Paul Starke 4, Ben Hopwood 3+1, Aaron Baseby 1.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................
27.5.2012: Scunthorpe Saints v Dudley Heathens, Nat'l Lge. 43-46
29.5.2012: Dudley Heathens v. Mildenhall Fen Tigers, NL Shield. 52-41; Aggr. score 98-88.
There
were mixed fortunes for Byron Bekker as Heathens continued their
winning run over the last few days despite BB's bike troubles. At his
old club Scunny where he might have expected to bag points he
suffered first a loose throttle and then a thrown chain in his first 2
rides before taking 5 paid 6 pts from his next 3 rides. In a close match
throughout the Heathens, without Tom Perry on UK U21 duty, never lead
but were just 2 points behind entering the final heat so needed a 5-1
for a win. With the travelling Heathens fans far outnumbering the
combined Scunny and Kings Lynn followers, (their match having been
second on a double-header bill with KL,) luck was on their side as
both Saints riders suffered ef's to see the former Cradley team win the
match 46-43 and their fans go home very happy.
SCUNTHORPE 43: Tom Young 12, Jerran Hart 10, Gary Irving 8, Max Clegg 7, Danny Phillips 4+2, Tommy Fenwick 2+2, Steve Worrall r/r. DUDLEY 46:
Adam Roynon 14, Ashley Morris 11+1, Dan Greenwood 8+4, Byron Bekker
5+1, James White-Williams 5, Darryl Ritchings 3, Tom Perry r/r.
Last
night's home meeting against Mildenhall was the second leg of the NL
Shield, Dudley having lost by just 1pt. in the first leg in Suffolk, but
on the eve Byron blew the plug thread of his motor and had to make a
hectic drive North to collect another for the Tuesday meeting. On this
engine he seemed to fly and took a win and a paid win, his joy with
these clearly demonstrated as he and Tom Perry, returning from UK U21
duty, did their winners' laps. The 2 wins with TP were part of 3
consecutive Heathens 5-1s that saw them leading 23-7 by Ht.5 and a
walk-over seemed on the cards. But with a successful Tactical Ride
result in Ht.8, Byron making another close inspection of the track
surface in Ht.9 and then skipper Roynan also falling in Ht.10 the Tigers
pulled back and we wondered if a repeat of Sunday's reversal for a
visiting team was about to recur as next Ashley Morris took a fall in
Ht.13 ! But another 5-1 from Byron and his team-mate Darryl Ritching in
the penultimate race settled the match in Dudley's favour, -
fortunately, as Roynan again almost dropped it and Tigers took a 4-2.
Result on the night, 52-41; overall aggregate score 98-88 and Heathens
take the NL Shield for a second consecutive year, (where BB had also
guested in the Heathens' 2011 win.) At the presentation after the match
management and the team dedicated their National Shield win to their
loyal supporters, who number the largest in the NL, if not the 3
leagues, and certainly the greatest in travelling 'away' support.
Heathens have now won their last 6 matches, - 3 home and 3 away - , and
in terms of events have not been beaten this season, having drawn with
Stoke the 2-leg Staffordshire Cup.
DUDLEY 52 (98): Adam
Roynon 11, Tom Perry 10+1, Ashley Morris 9, Byron Bekker 8+1, Darryl
Ritchings 6+1, Dan Greenwood 5+1, James White-Williams 3+1. MILDENHALL 41 (88): Nathan Stoneman 13, Cameron Heeps 10, Stefan Nielsen 10, Lewis Blackbird 4+3, Daniel Halsey 4+2, Joe Jacobs 0, Tom Woolley 0.
Heathens' supporters, - incl'g Bekker fans - , at Monmore Green last night.
British U21 Championship, Dudley(W'ton) 24.4.2012
After a long night of falls, exclusions, re-runs and ultimately not just broken tapes but a broken starting gate too, - the deciding Final was started with an elastic band - , Sheffield's 20 year old Joe Haines emerged victorious to take his second British U21 championship at Monmore Green last night. Favourite Ritchie Worrall was unbeaten in the rides he completed, but with 2 exclusions he had to be content with securing a place in the World U21 qualifiers also with the other 3 finalists, Haines, second-place local Heathen Tom Perry, the current British U21 Grass Track champion, and Kyle Howarth of Workington. Full point scorers, heat details and brief notes of the dramas can be found here.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
7.4.2012 George Oval, Western Cape.
On a cool evening at the George Oval our cub reporter joined a
good-sized crowd to welcome the WSRC and the roar of speedway bikes back
to the Southern Cape yesterday. In the first leg of the National
Speedway Revival Tour three speedway classes and Aussie style sidecars
from the WSRC were presented along with flat-track and quad bike races
in a professional and slickly-run programme. On a well prepared track
the racing was keen and closely contested with the winners of the
speedway classes not decided until after the final set of races. In the
Premier class Neil Pettit, the current SA Champion, and Mac Magill, the
2010 winner, battled hard for the victory laurels and after three heats
Pettit had a narrow one point lead. In his final race Pettit was last
out of the gate but made up the leeway with thrilling passes over Damien
Devine and Magill to end the night on 11 points. Magill finished on 9
points, Damien Devine on 6 whilst Bobby Devine failed to score after
engine problems in his first race meant an early retirement from the
meeting.
The U-21 class was the closest of all with three riders on 5 points
after the first three races and everything to ride for in the final
heat. Unfortunately, Lyle Kotze was unable to contest this race after
experiencing engine problems so it was a head to head between Jason Cole
and Justin Steyn with Cole emerging a comfortable winner. In the
Support class, honours went to Grant Frank from Hansie Kleynhans.
Frank’s win was notable as it was his first in speedway after only
having taken up the sport in October last year. He was given the
traditional 'bumps' by his fellow riders in recognition of this
achievement. The Aussie-type sidecars thrilled the crowd with their
skillful and gravity defying riding and the father and son team from
Welkom, Alfie and Juan Kotze, emerged comfortable victors having won
three of the four races. The programme left the crowd wanting more with
the locals hoping for a repeat show in 2013.
SCORERS:
Team Olivetti 30 (Neil Pettit 11, Bobby Devine 0, Jason Cole 8+1, Gio
Nunes (ns,-ef.), Hansie Kleynhans 8, Peter Buck 1+1). Team Allied 50
(Mac Magill 9, Damien Devine 6+4, Lyle Kotze 5, Justin Steyn 7+2, Grant
Frank 10+1, Brandon Devine
5+1).
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
4.4.2012 Dudley, UK: Heathens 47, Stoke Potters 43.
WSRC's
webmaster was at Monmore green yesterday to see Dudley Heathens, Byron
Bekker's new UK team, take on last year's National Lge. table-toppers
Stoke Potters in their season-opener Challenge match. With a final score
of 47-43 it was a close match throughout, but Bekker's score of 8 plus 3
bonus points was more than satisfying, being beaten only once by an
opposition rider to total paid 11 from a possible maximum of 12 pts.
Paired
with new team-mate Tom Perry, British U21 Grass Track Champion, Byron
won his fourth ride in the penultimate heat of the night to see Heathens
enter the final Ht.15 just ahead by 2pts and so needing no more than a a
split heat result to ensure a win. No.1 Adam Roynon duly obliged with a
win, and with Perry taking third place a positive result was
safeguarded for the large crowd of faithful supporters to go home happy.
Skipper Roynon was beaten only once all evening, - by Potters' top
scorer Ritchie Worrall - , to run up a score of 14pts from 5 rides, but
the Heathen had the better of the two's first and last encounters in
Ht's 6 & 15. It was also Worrall that denied both Bekker and Perry
an unbeaten score, when he headed them over the line in Ht.9.
For the
return leg of the Staffordshire Cup challenge in 10 days time Heathens
will be expecting 17 year old Ashley Morris to produce the form expected
of him if they are to win on aggregate: Morris took 2 simple early
falls in both his first 2 rides and gave Potters their only 5-1s.
Potters drew level at 24-24 at Ht.8 and for the rest of the match until
the final heat the 2 teams were never more than 2pts adrift keeping the
fans on the edge of their seats with suspense. Bekker's Ht.14 win took
Heathens in front once more, to leave his skipper to do what was
expected of him, - and which he duly obliged.
The South African has
relocated his UK based from Yorkshire to the Black Country where he's
receiving local dialect coaching from his sponsor/mechanic/employer John
Tibbetts as he takes up a new vocation in interior decorating !
SCORERS: Dudley 47: Adam Roynon 14, Tom Perry 12, Byron Bekker 8+3, Darryl Ritchings 6+1, Dan Greenwood 3, Ashley Morris 2, James White Williams 2
Stoke 43:
Richie Worrall 12+1, Ben Reade 10+1, Tony Atkin 7+1, Ashley Birks 6,
Oliver Greenwood 4+1, Jaimie Pickard 4+1,Dan Berwick 0
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................
22.3.2012, Walkerville: 1st Round of SA National this Weekend.
The next speedway meeting at the Walkerville race track will be the Dot Engineering National Championship 1st Round, which will be held on Sunday the 25th March with racing starting at 1pm.
Get your friends and families together and come for some great racing action.
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
15.3.2012, George Herald: "Speedway Revival Promises Fun" 
Racing enthusiasts around the Garden Route can look forward to some
spectacular local racing to be held in George on Fri. April 6th. Allied
Speedway in association with the Walkerville Speedway Club are staging
an Oval Track Extravaganza, featuring the very best South African
speedway riders. They will be showing their skills and daring at the
George Oval near the Showgrounds and everyone is welcome to attend this
first leg of the speedway tour – the riders are ready to race ! Gate
entrance will be kept low at R50 for adults and R20 for school-going
kids. Apart from the main attraction of the Speedway Stars there will be
local riders taking part in the bike and quad oval racing and a few
novelty events to add to the evening
entertainment.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
10.3.2012, Dudley, UK: Byron meets new team-mates at Heathens Press Day.
Byron
Bekker met his new Dudley Heathens team-mates at their Press Day
yesterday when the speedway club's new race jacket was also revealed.
Having guested for them in previous seasons both the rider and the club
were keen to make the South African a permanent Heathen for 2012. The
club, which produced a record 8 World Speedway Championships in its
heyday as Cradley Heath Heathens until they lost their Dudley Wood home
to redevelopment now race at Monmore Green, Wolverhampton, sharing the
track with the Elite league speedway club to stage their National League
fixtures. Dudley Heathens have their first fixture on Tuesday 3rd April
against visiting Stoke Potters in a local derby Challenge match for the
Staffordshire Cup, the return leg being on Sat. 14 April. But between
those dates the Heathens first away fixture is at Mildenhall, Suffolk,
against the Fen Tigers in the NL Shield competition.
.......................................................................................................................................................................