Post by miltonkeynescats on Aug 23, 2015 12:48:44 GMT
The Cats have had a difficult start to the season, but there are promising signs, riders are starting to hit the form we know they're capable of and we're well in the mix, among the throng of teams on 4 points.
We started with a difficult trip to Chantry, and in spite of a nightmare 5-1 reverse in heat 1, and another in heat 5, the team had enough fight about them to hit back with a 5-1 of our own in heat 8 through Stefan and Steve. We hung on in the meeting, and heat advantages in 12, 13 and 15 meant we left on the end of just a 4 point defeat. There were strong performances from Buck, Josef, and a paid 9 from Steve.
Week 2 saw us host the "Cool kids" of Canvey Island, and in spite of a horrible injury for Dragan in heat 2, when he was T-boned in an appalling crash by rank amateur Dale Hawkins, The Cats, courtesy of a sublime paid 17 from Rider of the Week Steve Edgar were able to run out 49-40 victors, and set the Castaways well adrift from the Good ship MK.
As a result of Moosz's injury we were forced to make a change to the team, and brought in Gianni Stacchini, the 17 year old Italian prospect Gianni joined us for the first time in our visit to longtime foes Wednesfield. In spite of the efforts of Rado, with paid 13, including the only defeat of the evening for Boris Dvoynev in heat 13, and paid 11 for Bracey, we unfortunately succumbed to a loss by 6.
"We only had 3 heat advantages all night, only 5 race wins, in all honesty with stats like that, we are pretty fortunate to only lose by 6. At The Kingo this season Dvoynev has only been beaten 4 times, he is a precocious talent on a speedway bike and is very much at Wednesfield to the envy of the rest of the league, but of those 4 times, he has now twice been beaten by Kornacki, which is what I brought him on board for. In spite of some disappointing performances Rado is now looking much more up to speed, it's very pleasing."
Week 4 saw the Cats take on Chantry home and away for nothing other than pride, in lieu of any remaining KOC involvement on both parts. I took the opportunity to mix things up and change my order slightly, switching Buck and Josef between 4 and 5, Buck has been performing very well this season, while Josef has struggled slightly to adapt to life at MK, and the challenge meetings gave me the perfect opportunity to throw the tactical dice. You could well say it was a reasonably successful throw, in what may also be Jeremy Loucks' only disappointing results this season, the Cats bested Chantry 47-43 around The Camelot Arena in front of a shocked home crowd, and then went on to triumph 56-34 around The Grovedale.
A return to league duties in week 5, with Hampden making the trip down from Scottish Scotland. It looked like being a successful trip, as they went 6 ahead of the home side, however strong performances from Kornacki and Bracey, ably backed by a heat 8 5-1 from Zawadski and Edgar, saw the Cats pull it back, and then pull out a 4 point lead by the close of heat 15.
With 4 league meetings now complete, the Cats find themselves in third in the table, with 2 home wins taking them to a points total of 4, alongside most of the league, with averages as follows
Rado Kornacki 9.26
Borek Olejnik 5.60
Buck Bracey 9.00
Stefan Zawadski 5.71
Josef Gavenda 6.11
Gianni Stacchini 2.67
Steve Edgar 6.26
We started with a difficult trip to Chantry, and in spite of a nightmare 5-1 reverse in heat 1, and another in heat 5, the team had enough fight about them to hit back with a 5-1 of our own in heat 8 through Stefan and Steve. We hung on in the meeting, and heat advantages in 12, 13 and 15 meant we left on the end of just a 4 point defeat. There were strong performances from Buck, Josef, and a paid 9 from Steve.
Week 2 saw us host the "Cool kids" of Canvey Island, and in spite of a horrible injury for Dragan in heat 2, when he was T-boned in an appalling crash by rank amateur Dale Hawkins, The Cats, courtesy of a sublime paid 17 from Rider of the Week Steve Edgar were able to run out 49-40 victors, and set the Castaways well adrift from the Good ship MK.
As a result of Moosz's injury we were forced to make a change to the team, and brought in Gianni Stacchini, the 17 year old Italian prospect Gianni joined us for the first time in our visit to longtime foes Wednesfield. In spite of the efforts of Rado, with paid 13, including the only defeat of the evening for Boris Dvoynev in heat 13, and paid 11 for Bracey, we unfortunately succumbed to a loss by 6.
"We only had 3 heat advantages all night, only 5 race wins, in all honesty with stats like that, we are pretty fortunate to only lose by 6. At The Kingo this season Dvoynev has only been beaten 4 times, he is a precocious talent on a speedway bike and is very much at Wednesfield to the envy of the rest of the league, but of those 4 times, he has now twice been beaten by Kornacki, which is what I brought him on board for. In spite of some disappointing performances Rado is now looking much more up to speed, it's very pleasing."
Week 4 saw the Cats take on Chantry home and away for nothing other than pride, in lieu of any remaining KOC involvement on both parts. I took the opportunity to mix things up and change my order slightly, switching Buck and Josef between 4 and 5, Buck has been performing very well this season, while Josef has struggled slightly to adapt to life at MK, and the challenge meetings gave me the perfect opportunity to throw the tactical dice. You could well say it was a reasonably successful throw, in what may also be Jeremy Loucks' only disappointing results this season, the Cats bested Chantry 47-43 around The Camelot Arena in front of a shocked home crowd, and then went on to triumph 56-34 around The Grovedale.
A return to league duties in week 5, with Hampden making the trip down from Scottish Scotland. It looked like being a successful trip, as they went 6 ahead of the home side, however strong performances from Kornacki and Bracey, ably backed by a heat 8 5-1 from Zawadski and Edgar, saw the Cats pull it back, and then pull out a 4 point lead by the close of heat 15.
With 4 league meetings now complete, the Cats find themselves in third in the table, with 2 home wins taking them to a points total of 4, alongside most of the league, with averages as follows
Rado Kornacki 9.26
Borek Olejnik 5.60
Buck Bracey 9.00
Stefan Zawadski 5.71
Josef Gavenda 6.11
Gianni Stacchini 2.67
Steve Edgar 6.26