SHEFFIELD TIGERS 50 – 40 BELLE VUE ACES
(Belle Vue win on Aggregate 91-89 – Belle Vue Are League Champions)
Thursday evening saw the Belle Vue Aces crowned Premiership Champions for 2022, as the Manchester club lost the battle, but won the war against their Roses’ rival, as Sheffield Tigers won 50-40 on the night, while the Aces won overall 91-89 on aggregate to see the Aces lifting a record breaking 13th league title, and their first league success in 29 years.
After Monday’s bittersweet 51-39 win at home, it saw Mark Lemon’s side minus Charles Wright and Jye Etheridge who both crashed out of the first leg, but they did manage to build up a 12 point lead heading down to Owlerton. This year’s final has without doubt been one of the most incident-packed Grand Finals in the Playoff era. So perhaps it wasn’t too much of a surprise that the night was full of drama and we didn’t even get round two bends before the first drama happened.
Heat 1 saw Belle Vue’s captain Brady Kurtz being excluded for taking off Lewis Kerr on the second bend of the opening lap, as the Aussie man tried to make a move up the inside of Kerr but clouted him a tad harder than he wanted and took him off. Kerr in the rerun partnered Jack Holder for maximum points to make early inroads in the Aces 12pt lead and get the ball rolling for the Tigers.
Heat 2 saw Belle Vue’s ‘Das Wunderkind’ in Norick Blodorn recording a superb win in the reserves race; while Heat 3 saw yet more drama, with Adam Ellis being excluded after being adjudged of clipping the leg of Tom Brennan on THAT bend and having Brennan taking a tumble. Christina Turnbull was then forced into another tough decision to make, as she excluded the Tigers’ man from the rerun, with Ellis’ posture clearly bemused at that particular decision.
Brennan picked himself up and saw him swoop by Kyle Howarth on the opening lap to take the win, while Matej Zagar’s hopes of joining his teammate were dashed and saw a 4-2 instead. Robert Lambert remained perfect on his return to British Speedway – as he powered past Connor Mountain on the opening lap to take the victory in Heat 4, while Adam Ellis saw his struggles in this Playoff final continuing, by falling off while at the back in Heat 5. As he gestured early to Aces fans that they were indeed ‘Number 1’.
Kyle Howarth took the win to see him making amends for his horrid display on Monday night, but had five points from his opening two rides. Gating at Owlerton is almost the battle won, so when Jack Holder made the gate ahead of Rob Lambert, it saw the World number five failing to lay a glove on the Tigers number one and was forced to settle for second place.
In what was a tight contest, it saw the match broken up into three parts for me. First part saw the meeting being even, despite Sheffield having the lead. Then came the middle section where the hosts upped their game and collected a couple of big heat advantages. First of which seeing a 4-2 from Tobiasz Musielak and Justin Sedgmen in Heat 7 – then a massive 5-1 from Lewis Kerr and Connor Mountain put the Tigers four behind on aggregate score, despite a great effort from Aces guest Simon Lambert, who battled all race on his former track.
Ellis stopped his own personal rot with a race win in Heat 9, but more crucially Norick Blodorn held off Kyle Howarth in third to keep the Aces still ahead with a slender lead. Kerr and Holder recorded a 4-2 to have the hosts now just two shy from levelling the aggregate score, as Sheffield had all the momentum on their side heading into the back end of this Playoff final.
Then saw the meeting bleed into the final third which belonged to Belle Vue. The last of the real drama took place in Heat 11, where a clash between Brady Kurtz and Tobiasz Musielak saw the pair ‘fighting like Beavers’ out front. Heading towards the final lap, It saw the Aces captain edge slightly in front and stay on the inside, while the Pole tried to move him out wide and instead took him off similar to how Kurtz had done to Kerr earlier in the night, as the race entered the final lap. After a lengthy wait, the referee put the red light on to exclude the Sheffield rider and more importantly, awarded the 5-1 to the visitors.
That 5-1 was massive in the context of things. As the aggregate score increased to eight points with four races remaining. Ellis then made it back to back wins in Heat 12 with Zagar keeping him honest, but Blodorn was proving to be the unsung hero of the night with another third to pick up a point. Tobaisz Musielak took a tape-to-flag victory in Heat 13, while Kurtz and Holder battled it out for second and saw Rob Lambert on the pace at the back. Entering the final lap, it saw Kurtz looking round to see what the situation was behind, and saw him stopping the run dead of Holder to allow Lambert through for a 4-2.
Words were said on the way back round to the pits, mostly from Holder’s side it has to be said. Kurtz almost locking up to stop Holder’s run was a hard move by the Aces captain, but summed up how tough the racing and cutthroat the racing was at times Belle Vue in the past have always been pushovers or been too nice, with other sides knowing this and took full advantage of. Heat 14 saw the Aces three points away from glory, as Aces boss Mark Lemon switched reserves with Norick Blodorn coming in for Simon Lambert, and put his faith in the two young ‘uns’.
Former Ace Justin Sedgmen made the gate initially for Sheffield, but both Brennan and Blodorn came through for a 5-1 with Sedgmen returning the favour and summed up the Tigers refusal to give up to take victorys. As the Aces duo crossed the line in the minor places, it sparked wild celebrations amongst the travelling fans on turns 3 and 4, and saw a moment or two before both Brennan and Blodorn realised what they had just done..they had only gone and won the league! Both riders and Mark Lemon went over to celebrate with their fans, as they finally ended their drought!
Much like the start of the season when the sides opened up their 2022 campaigns at Belle Vue in the Premiership Cup, it saw the Tigers taking a 5-1 to see the season bookmarked with 5-1s against, for Belle Vue at least. While the arguments from the White Rose side of the Pennines feel robbed of victory by the referee, with some comments from fans bordering on vile too and not befitting that of speedway fans.
For the Red Rose side – Brady Kurtz joins a very select band of Legendary riders to have Belle Vue League winning captain, as he joins the likes of; Frank Varey, Eric Langton, Ron Johnson, Tommy Roper, Ivan Mauger, Chris Morton MBE, and the last captain to do so in Shawn Moran that have lifted the league title wearing the ‘Ace of Clubs’.
Brennan & Blodorn win the League title! – Heat 14
Sheffield Tigers = 50 (89)
1. Jack Holder – 2′, 3, 1, 0, 3 = 9+1
2. Lewis Kerr – 3, 0, 3, 3 = 9
3. Adam Ellis – EX, FX, 3, 3 = 6
4. Kyle Howarth – 2, 3, 0, 0 = 5
5. Tobiasz Musielak – 2, 3, EX, 3, 2′ = 10+1
6. Justin Sedgmen – 1′, 1, 1, 3 = 6+1
7. Connor Mountain – 2, 1′, 2′, 0 = 5+2
Belle Vue Aces = 40 (91)
1. Brady Kurtz – EX, 1′, 3, 1′, 0 = 5+2
2. Charles Wright R/R – (SL – 1, TB – 2, NB – 0, MZ – 2′ = 5+1)
3. Matej Zagar – 1, 2, 0, 2′, 2 = 7+1
4. Tom Brennan – 3, 2, 0, 2, 2 = 9
5. Robert Lambert – 3, 2, 2, 2, 1 = 10
6. Norick Blodorn – 3, 0, 1′, 0, 1′, 1′, 1′ = 7+4
7. Simon Lambert (G) – 1, 0, 1 = 2
8. Connor Bailey – Did Not Ride
A Track With A VUE 