Last night, Tuesday 10 September, saw the return matches in this year’s Elitserien semi-finals decide who will go forward to the final next week.
For the second year in a row it will be Dackarna against Eskilstuna Smederna who both won in two closely fought matches.
DACKARNA 49 (95) vs VÄSTERVIK 41 (85)
In Målilla home team Dackarna came to the match with a slim two-point advantage from the first game in Västervik Speedway.
And the tie remained balanced on a knife edge all the way until Heat 11 when the home team pair of Jacob Thorssell and Patryk Dudek took a 5:1 heat victory over Västervik’s own Swedish/ Polish pairing of Peter Ljung and Bartosz Smektala. It was then 35-31.
Three heats later in the first nominations heat, Dackarna needed just three points to confirm their place in the 2019 final. And it was Piotr Pawlicki and Maciej Janowski who did the job in style taking a 5:1 to secure the victory.
It was a night where the Polish stars shone for both teams as Pawlicki dropped just one point with 14 on the night, whilst Dudek (11+3) and Janowski (8+3) showed their class for the winners and Smektala (11), Krzysztof Buczkowski (8+1) and Rune Holta (7+1) were the valiant losers.
VETLANDA 44 (88) v ESKILSTUNA SMEDERNA 45 (91)
Eskilstuna also came into the match with a two-point lead from the first fixture and the match would be even right up to the last heat.
Before Heat 15 began the home team had been pressed by the visitors so that Elit Vetlanda Speedway needed a 5:1 victory in the final heat to go onto the final, otherwise Smederna would triumph.
The visitors Russian youngster, Gleb Chugunov was too hot to handle and in no mood to give anything to Vetlanda or countryman, Artem Laguta who ended up in second behind the speeding 19-year-old as Heat 15 came to a close. These two would score highest for their teams only dropping a single point each with Chugunov taking 13+1 and Laguta 14. Both scored more than Danish SGP finalists Bartosz Zmarzlik (VET) with 13 and Fredrik Lindgren (ESK) with 10+2.
But it will only be Lindgren and Chugunov with their Smederna teammates that be going to the final in what will be the Swede’s last match for the club.
The final will see Polish Przemyslaw Pawlicki of Smederna face his older brother, Piotr from Dackarna with the Målilla club favourites to beat last year's champions.
