EKSTRALIGA: Home wins in Friday night matches

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EKSTRALIGA: Home wins in Friday night matches

#CZEGRU

Three 5:1s in the first four heats paved the way for a home victory for the Lions when Grudziadz came to visit in the early game on Friday night.

All in all Częstochowa would score five 5:1s during the match whilst Grudziadz could only manage two heat advantages. Surprisingly, they would both involve Norbert Krakowiak (8+1) who had an excellent match at #8 even though it was Nicki Pedersen (12+1) who top scored again for the visitors.

The visitors’ riders - apart from Pedersen - again struggled to gain points with no one apart from Krakowiak gaining more than 6.

By contrast, four of Częstochowa’s riders scored more than 8 pts and for the first time this season we finally saw Bartosz Smektala put in the kind of performance we know he is capable of. He beat Kenneth Bjerre (6+2) and Pawel Miesiac (6) and Pedersen on his way to 11+3.

There were three plenty of Scandinavians in action for Częstochowa tonight. Leon Madsen (12) was back to his best, whilst Fredrik Lindgren (8) still seems to be struggling to find the form that placed him in fourth in the SGP last year. Meanwhile, Jonas Jeppesen (5+2) continued to show he is good value for money at the #2 spot.

#GORTOR

Gorzow and Bartosz Zmarzlik’s near perfect season continued when Toruń came to visit tonight.

The double world champion (pictured) dropped just two points to finish with 13 pts and was well supported by the team as Szymon Wozniak, Anders Thomsen and Martin Vaculik all scored 10 pts.

With that said, it was no pushover as Toruń’s riders also put in solid performances with brothers, Jack Holder (12) and Chris (9+1) leading the team and Pawel Przedpelski (9) making a vital contribution. However, Robert Lambert will no doubt be disappointed with his 6+2.

So, it was not a dramatic, superhuman performance that won the match, but rather a slow attrition with Wozniak involved in all three of Gorzow’s 5:1s enabling the team to run out winners by 50:40.