x INTERNATIONAL Pictures: ROGER HULTGREN tra SWEDEN
INJURY-HIT Elite League leaders Elit Vetlanda went down in Vastervik, but
retained their hold on top spot in the table as second-placed Dackarna suffered a shock home defeat by bottom club Vargarna. Vetlanda travelled to Vastervik without Jason Crump, Jarek Hampel, Thomas H. Jonasson and David Ruud and had to use rider replacement for Crump. Emil Sayfutdinov did his best to keep the visitors in the contest with 15 points from seven rides and Martin Vaculik (10) and Janusz Kolodziej (9) offered decent support, but with a long tail-end, Vetlanda succumbed to a 48-42 defeat. In Malilla, a near 4,000 home crowd was left stunned as Nicki Pedersen inspired basement dwellers Vargarna to a totally unexpected 46-44 win.
Pedersen teamed up with namesake Bjarne Pedersen for a crucial 5-1 over Andreas Jonsson and Freddie Lindgren in the penultimate heat which gave the visitors a two-point lead, and then secured victory for his side by outpacing Jonsson and Darcy Ward in the last heat decider.
The setback leaves Dackarna still two points behind leaders Vetlanda and only one point ahead of third-placed Piraterna, who coasted to a comfortable 56-34 win over Hammarby. Meanwhile, financially troubled
Valsarna fight on and the signs are that they may see the season out after a crowd of just over 4,000 turned out for the home match with Indianerna last week.
Locally-based football manager Sven Goran Eriksson was there to lend his support and backing from a large group of sponsors raised £100,000 on the night.
Scott Nicholls leads the pack during the Dackarna v Vetlanda meeting
POLAND
ONLY two Extra League matches took place in Poland last weekend with rain putting paid to the matches in Zielona Gora, Bydgoszcz and Leszno.
In Rzeszow, Jason Crump, fresh from the Grand Prix in Croatia the previous evening, continued to make light of his recently broken collar-bone by racing to a full 15-point maximum in a 53-37 win over Wroclaw, for whom Tai Woffinden scored 14.
The day’s only other top flight action brought an easy 61-29 win for Czestochowa over Gdansk in the battle of the bottom two teams. With none of the top five teams in action, there is no change at the top of the table where Tarnow still hold a three-point lead over Gorzow.
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