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Is it now if, rather than when, she will do it? Williams stutters again in search of record

Published in Tennis

Sunday, 08 September 2019 00:38

"The bigger the occasion, the bigger she hits," Bianca Andreescu's coach said before the Canadian's US Open final victory.

Sylvain Bruneau was talking about the 19-year-old, but it could have equally applied to Serena Williams, her opponent, at pretty much any point over the past 20 years.

But something has changed in Grand Slam finals of late.

For Williams to reach the 2018 Wimbledon final, just 10 months after her traumatic experience in labour, was nothing short of miraculous. And for the American to do the same at last year's US Open, with very few matches in between, was another phenomenal feat.

Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka played extremely well to win those finals, Simona Halep was exceptional in this year's Wimbledon final, and the poise, belief and skill of Andreescu at Flushing Meadows on Saturday was quite something to watch.

A growing group of players now believe they have what it takes to beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion - who is one short of Australian Margaret Court's all-time record - when a trophy is on the line.

Williams, 37, may think she has the beating of them, but it does not appear that way, and she did not play nearly as well in the final as she had done in earlier rounds.

Her movement, so impressive in the semi-finals against Elina Svitolina, was much more laboured. And her serve was much diminished.

Williams was broken three times in six matches before the final. On Saturday, she was broken six times in two sets.

She made just 44% of first serves. She won only 30% of her second-serve points. And she sent down eight double faults.

Her serve recovered, briefly, as she won four games in a row to level the second set to thunderous encouragement from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.

Andreescu put her fingers in her ears to block out the noise but then, at 5-5 and with the Canadian only too aware a championship point had come and gone, the confident and clinical Williams disappeared.

Her serve and her groundstrokes became edgy and tentative, as Andreescu regained the composure which would earn her a richly deserved first Grand Slam title.

"Serena...," Williams said, addressing herself in a post match news conference. "You didn't miss a serve, you lost serve maybe twice in the whole tournament, and you didn't hit a first serve in today.

"That was obviously on my mind. How do I play at a level like this in a final?"

The 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, a close friend of Williams, thinks the American puts extra pressure on herself, and cannot rid that from her mind when she steps on to court.

"She just feels she has to win this one, and it has to be that one that she's going to get to 24, and then to 25 [Grand Slam titles]," Bartoli told BBC Radio 5 Live last week.

Williams' next opportunity to draw level with Court's record will come at the Australian Open in Melbourne in January.

Winning a final on the WTA Tour between now and then might do Williams a power of good, but will she want to compete in Asia in the final stretch of the year?

She has not played any tournaments after the US Open for five years. In 2014, when she last played and won the WTA Finals, she went on to win the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon the following year.

After 22 years on tour - and with a two-year-old child to consider - another spell away from home may not remotely appeal. But surely a few more tournaments, and the chance to play at least three matches against top-eight opponents at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, would be an excellent springboard into 2020?

Williams, of course, has absolutely nothing to prove. To most, she is already considered the greatest of all time - in the women's game at the very least. She has been in Grand Slam finals 20 years apart, and has won all of her major titles in the Open era.

But she so desperately wants to equal, and then surpass, Court's tally.

Further opportunities may well arise, but it is now entirely reasonable to ask if, rather than when, she will do it.

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Brave effort but hosts France outclassed by defending champions

Published in Table Tennis

Saturday, 07 September 2019 23:55

The match opened with a mouthwatering contest between two of the continent’s finest as home favourite Simon Gauzy met German legend Timo Boll. In the past Gauzy has proved to be somewhat of a boogie player for Boll with the French star entering the match with a superior 3:1 head-to-head record but that margin was reduced to 3:2 in Nantes as Boll emerged victorious across four games (11-7, 15-13, 8-11, 11-7) to put Germany ahead.

Having just witnessed defeat for his teammate it was Emmanuel Lebesson’s turn to take to the table for France and what a task he was handed with Dimitrij Ovtcharov standing opposite. Showing great character Lebesson started the stronger of the two and was rightly rewarded with the opening game, however, that was as good as it got for the Frenchman with the following three games going in Ovtcharov’s favour (9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7) as Germany raced into a 2-0 lead.

A stunning performance in the quarter-finals saw France pull off a great escape in a similar position against Poland – could the hosts do it again?

With Gauzy and Lebesson falling in the opening two fixtures of the evening, the onus fell on the shoulders of Can Akkuzu to rescue the situation, but the odds were stacked further yet as Patrick Franziska put his name two games to the good against the young French player. Though Akkuzu managed to bridge the gap in game four to restore some hope for the local fans, in the end it was Franziska who left the table with a smile on his face (11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7) as Germany confirmed its spot in the final.

At the end of the day the French squad can hold their heads high following a decent campaign in front of the home crowd in Nantes.

However, the fact of the matter is that France is still searching for its first men’s team title on the European Championships stage since 1998! French hopes were sky high in 2016 with Emmanuel Lebesson and Simon Gauzy taking home the men’s singles gold and silver medals respectively at the European Championships in Budapest. Not to be on home soil in Nantes, another chance goes begging, but with plenty of young talent coming through the ranks there are bound to be many more opportunities for Team France to secure continental glory in the future.

As for Germany, the search for an eighth men’s team gold medal at the European Championships enters its final stretch at 4:00 pm local time on Sunday 8th September with 2014 champions Portugal providing the opposition. A repeat of the 2017 final, on which occasion Germany completed the task at hand by a commanding 3-0 score-line but expect a tight encounter between the two nations in what should prove to be an thrilling contest.

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Reigning champion on track but prominent names fall

Published in Table Tennis

Sunday, 08 September 2019 03:38

Paraguay’s Marcelo Aguirre and Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro, the respective third and fourth seeds, both departed in round two. Marcelo Aguirre was beaten by Vitor Ishiy, the no.10 seed, like Gustavo Tsuboi from Brazil (9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8); Thiago Monteiro experienced defeat at the hands of Argentina’s Gaston Alto, the no.12 seed (6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9.

Good form in round two; that good form continued in the quarter-finals. Vitor Ishiy overcame Ecuador’s Alberto Miño, the no.7 seed (11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5); Gaston Alto ended the hopes of Mexico’s Marcos Madrid, the no.5 seed (11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5).

Comprehensive wins

Conversely for Kanak Jha and for Gustavo Tsuboi there were no such problems. Kanak Jha beat Puerto Rico’s Brian Afanador, the no.9 seed (15-13, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8), prior to ousting Brazil’s Eric Jouti, the no.6 seed (11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 12-10). Similarly, Gustavo Tsuboi prevailed against Chile’s Juan Lamadrid, the no.11 seed (7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9), prior to halting the aspirations of Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes, the no.8 seed (7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-9).

At the semi-final stage Kanak Jha meets Gaston Alto; Vitor Ishiy opposes Gustavo Tsuboi.

Top four progress

Casualties in the men’s singles event as play advanced to the later stages, in the counterpart women’s singles event it was as status advised; the United States being very much in evidence. Lily Zhang, the no.2 seed, accounted for Chile’s Valentina Rios, the no.13 seed (11-6, 11-1, 11-4, 11-6) and Brazil’s Bruna Alexandre, the no.27 seed (11-6, 11-5, 118, 11-3) to reserve her last four place. Similarly Wu Yue, the no.4 seed, overcame Caroline Kumahara, the no.16 seed and like Bruna Alexandre from Brazil (11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7), before ending the hopes of Mexico’s Yadira Silva, the no.9 seed (11-8, 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6).

Defeats for Brazil but there was notable success; Bruna Takahashi, the no.3 seed, accounted for both Crystal Wang of the United States, the no.26 seed (13-15, 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5) and Puerto Rico’s Melanie Diaz (11-7, 11-7, 11-13, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9).

Hard fought wins, it was the same from Canada’s Zhang Mo, the top seed. She accounted for Amy Wang of the United States, the no.14 seed, by the very narrowest of margins (11-3, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 12-10), prior to registering success in opposition to Brazil’s Jessica Yamada, the no.19 seed (5-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-3).

Semi-finals

In the semi-final round Zhang Mo meets Lily Zhang, Bruna Takahashi opposes Wu Yue.

Play in Asuncion concludes on Sunday 8th September.

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Rugby World Cup 2019: Dan McFarland disappointed for Ulster players who missed out

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 08 September 2019 02:25

Ulster coach Dan McFarland says he is disappointed for the province's players who narrowly missed out on selection for Ireland's World Cup squad.

Will Addison, Jordi Murphy and newcomer Jack McGrath failed to make the final cut for the 31-man squad on Monday.

But McFarland believes there is a "very good chance" one or more of the trio could be called up as replacements during the lengthy tournament.

"All of them were very close to being selected," said McFarland.

"It's really disappointing on an individual level for those guys.

"Ultimately, we have got to put ourselves in a position where we can help those guys as a team to put their names forward.

"Leinster are a winning team. They get lots of people on squads because they win and are winning consistently.

"If we are in a position where we are winning and winning consistently, time after time, I'm telling you we'll have plenty of people in that squad."

McFarland has no doubt that Addison, Murphy, McGrath and scrum-half John Cooney, who also missed out on selection, will get over their natural disappointment to play a positive role for Ulster in the coming weeks.

"They are professional rugby players. They are not going to have their heads in two places," said McFarland after Ulster's 50-19 pre-season win over Glasgow on Saturday.

"They have to keep themselves ready [for a possible World Cup call-up] but they will be doing that naturally because they are with us now and they want to do really well for Ulster."

McFarland revealed that he has spoken to all four players, adding that they are "desperate" to get back to action.

"Jack for instance has come to a new club so he wants to get involved and show us what he can do.

"They want to play rugby. If they are playing well and the call comes [from Ireland], that will be that."

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Rugby World Cup 2019: 'Scotland must click in defence to pose threat in Japan'

Published in Rugby

Saturday, 07 September 2019 10:04

As Scotland's summer Test series ended with a victory over Georgia that was far less comfortable than the scoreboard suggested until 69 minutes, it was hard to shake the feeling we had not learned much about this side over these four matches we did not know going in.

It should not have come as a real surprise a team missing so many front-liners suffered from a lack of cohesion for much of the match at Murrayfield, while Georgia stepped it up after a largely disappointing display in front of their own supporters at the Dinamo Arena a week prior.

Everything now is viewed through a World Cup lens and what we see in this Scotland team is measured against what they will need to do to turn over Ireland in their opening game on 22 September in Yokohama. In that context, some of the stuff on show was concerning.

The Scots conceded 11 penalties, not a disastrous total by any stretch - the commonly held belief is a penalty count in the single digits represents a good day's work - but if a team as ordinary as Georgia can milk 11 penalties then what will Ireland do?

Case for the defence

When the squad travel to Japan on Monday, they may find the on-flight movie options consist of just one genre - defence videos. Scotland missed 24% of their tackles against Georgia. Although these stats can often be misleading - a missed tackle is not really a missed tackle if you are ushering an attacker back into defensive traffic - defence coach Matt Taylor knows any weakness in this area will simply not cut it in three of the four World Cup pool games (Russia should not put up much resistance).

Despite a first-half display lacking zip, the two tries Scotland conjured were crackers, and when they cranked up the tempo as the Georgian fitness was waning, the gaps started opening up all over the place in the final quarter.

In terms of individual performances, Darcy Graham did his case for inclusion from the start against Ireland the most good. His enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck into the physical stuff is infectious, and five tries from his first seven internationals is a superb return.

Gregor Townsend has long favoured the back-three combination of Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour and Stuart Hogg and it is a trio that provides both attacking flair and a sound defensive understanding. But Graham has made a compelling case to break up the established order. It is likely to be between him and Seymour for a starting berth in Yokohama.

Scotland's form has fluctuated significantly over the summer, from the meek surrender to France in Nice, to the vastly-improved defensive effort against the same opponents at Murrayfield, and some neat attacking play in the double-header against an admittedly limited Georgia.

We already knew the Scots had the undesirable trait of being soft touches on the road, although the win in Tbilisi was a welcome end to a 14-month barren away record. We knew they were capable of demonstrating a tougher streak at Murrayfield, which they did against France. We knew Scotland without Finn Russell struggle to find spaces only he seems able to recognise.

'The time is now for Scotland'

Consistency has been the great unobtainable for Scotland under Townsend. In 27 Tests, this is the first time his side has been able to put together three consecutive victories.

Even if two of those wins came against Tier Two opposition, Scotland now have some sort of momentum heading into the World Cup, something that would have seemed unlikely amid the wreckage of Nice.

The players and coaching staff have spoken about how that shellacking by the French took them all by surprise. But if a wake-up call like that was going to come at any stage of the preparations, better right at the start than at the end.

This Scotland team has had enough wake-up calls, enough days when they did not bring the required intensity to the Test match arena and allowed themselves to be blown away. Now we get to see if the lessons have truly been learned with the World Cup upon us. No more building towards a greater prize way off in the distance. The time is now and we'll see what this Scotland team is made of.

When addressing the fans from the Murrayfield pitch on Friday, Townsend reiterated his belief that Scotland can be a match for any side in the world on their day. Big wins against some of the top rugby nations in recent years has given credibility to that statement.

On their day they can beat anyone. To flourish at the World Cup, their good days will have to be better than anything they have produced before.

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Glory to rock bottom - the inside story of England's past four World Cups

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 08 September 2019 01:54

Eddie Jones will hope the only way is up because, for the past 16 years, England's Rugby World Cup performances have been heading in the opposite direction.

From world champions in 2003, to runners-up in 2007, to the quarter-finals in 2011 and a gut-punch, pool-stage exit on home turf in 2015.

This is the story of those campaigns from the men who were there.

2003 - 'White orcs on steroids, the old men, can't play, boring'

England's World Cup campaign was their second trip down under of 2003.

Three months before the tournament, they had become the first England side in 30 years to beat the All Blacks on their own turf with a 15-13 victory in Wellington, before beating world champions Australia seven days later in Melbourne.

For the first time, a team other than New Zealand came to the World Cup as favourites. And the local media and public sledged away at the would-be champions.

"We got it all the time, every week," recalls wing Jason Robinson.

"It was all sorts. 'The white orcs on steroids.' 'The old men.' England couldn't play, we were boring, this that and the other.

"You always get it no matter where you go, but in Australia probably more so."

But in the build-up to a final against the hosts, England's supporters were just as much of a problem as their critics - with an estimated 50,000 of them descending on Sydney and turning their heroes into hotel hostages.

"That last week felt like we were in prison," adds Robinson.

"So many fans had come over - the support was fantastic - but we were stuck in the hotel. We were looking out of the hotel windows at Manly beach, but there were thousands of supporters outside looking straight back in.

"We couldn't go out anywhere. It was a zoo. So when it came to the game we were desperate to get into it and get it done."

And they did get it done. Robinson scored England's only try in an extra-time victory sealed by Jonny Wilkinson's drop-goal.

"In 2000 I had been a rugby league player, being headhunted by England coach Clive Woodward and talking about this World Cup, knowing I could be part of it," says the 45-year-old.

"Then three years down the line, I was there in the final, scoring the try.

"No other experience in rugby can match it, and it changes a lot of things for you going forward. There are not many days when someone doesn't tell me where they were on that day.

"You do it because you love the game, but to hear other people reminiscing about where they were makes you realise what an impact you had."

2007 - Bickering and backs against the wall

"It was completely different."

Four years on, Robinson was again in an England Rugby World Cup campaign, but in starkly contrasting circumstances.

For a start, he wasn't supposed to be there. Two years earlier, at the age of 31, he had announced his international retirement.

But England needed him. A pitiful run of form in 2006, including eight defeats in nine Tests, had led to Andy Robinson being ejected from the head coach hot seat.

Brian Ashton, Robinson's successor, convinced Robinson to return to the international game for one last hurrah, even if the prospects of any repeat of 2003's run seemed distant.

"We didn't have consistency in performance or selection, we weren't playing well or performing individually and there was bickering within the camp - some players thought they should have been being picked and there was division between some of the squad and the coaches," remembers Robinson.

In their second pool game, England were hammered 36-0 by South Africa seemingly confirming their status as also-rans. Robinson pulled his hamstring in the match and thought his rugby career was over.

"It was a five-week recovery time and I can remember coming off the pitch thinking: 'Dearie me, that is it,'" says Robinson.

"I spent some much time with Phil Pask, the physio. It was ridiculous, every half an hour we were doing something - icing, stretching, working."

His last international game was indeed against South Africa, but as a rematch in the final, as England battled past Australia and France to earn an unlikely shot at become the first side to successfully defend the Williams Webb Ellis trophy.

The enduring image of the final was a slow-motion loop of England wing Mark Cueto's knee brushing a sliver of whitewash, denying the underdogs a potentially crucial score early in the second half. Without it, England went down 15-6.

"Our backs had been against the wall after that first defeat by South Africa. We had been written off, but we produced the goods," reflects Robinson.

"We all thought Cueto had gone in to be fair, but unfortunately it wasn't to be and, if I am honest, South Africa were the better team on the day.

"But it shows you can have an ideal of the preparation, something like 2003, but sometimes determination and doggedness can get you there as well. We weren't that far away from winning it again."

2011 - 'We were sitting targets'

In the aftermath of England's quarter-final defeat by France in 2011, this website published a timeline of the various controversies that had erupted en route to the last-eight exit door.

Bungee jumping, drunken flirting, hidden walkie-talkies, illegal gumshield sponsors, surreptitious ball swaps and an impulsive dip in Auckland harbour contributed to a list of eight off-field incidents in the space of 27 days.

"We had had lots of training about off-field stuff and been told of all the possible mistakes we could make," remembers second row Louis Deacon, who now splits his time between working as forwards coach for Championship side Coventry and being commercial and partnership manager for the Matt Hampson Foundation, which supports people injured through sport.

"We were well prepared for it in that way, but I don't think we were prepared for when it did actually happen.

"The night of the Mike Tindall incident [the centre, newly married to Zara Phillips, was filmed with his arm around another woman] other teams were doing exactly what we were doing.

"We had some time off, we had a team meal, we went for some drinks and it was just blown massively out of proportion. It was not anywhere as bad as it was made out to be in the media.

"But we were battling from then on. Coach Martin Johnson was talking more about that off-field stuff than what was going on on it.

"It was so frustrating because we couldn't focus on the rugby. We would go out as a group for a coffee and there were photographers all round. It was difficult. We were sitting targets."

Late tries from Ben Youngs and Chris Ashton had been needed to secure narrow wins over Argentina and Scotland respectively in the pool, but England were favourites to beat a France team who had lost to Tonga last time out and when the teams met at Twickenham seven months earlier.

After Wales' quarter-final win over Ireland on the same side of the draw earlier in the day, Johnson's team could see a route to the final.

"A bit of complacency settled in," admits Deacon.

"France were in a bit of turmoil and there were stories coming out about how they had all fallen out. We read too much into what was going on and just didn't turn up.

"I think we were looking ahead because we could have had Wales in the semi-finals, who we had already beaten in the Six Nations and in one of our two summer Test meetings."

Shipping 16 unanswered points before the break dashed those thoughts, with France holding out for a 19-12 win.

There was still time for Manu Tuilagi to jump off the back of a ferry in Auckland harbour, earning himself a £3,000 fine and a police caution.

"It was a bit of dare, a joke, and I don't think we thought Manu would do it - but he was young, only 20 years old," says Deacon.

"It was bad timing after all that had happened previously."

2015 - Party pooped

Two years earlier, the Rugby Football Union had set England coach Stuart Lancaster the target of arriving at their home World Cup with a top-two world ranking.

They were fourth as they got the tournament under way with a solid 35-11 win over Fiji, but there was little suggestion of the carnage to come.

"We genuinely thought we had a chance to go all the way," recalls scrum-half Danny Care, now one of the co-hosts of BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly.

"Stuart had done a load of work behind the scenes with the squad to show how special it was to play for England, especially at a home World Cup, and there were some great moments with family members explaining what it meant to have their relatives in the team.

"With the power and support of it being a home World Cup and the players we had, we thought we could give it a good go."

The build-up to the tournament had been dominated by Lancaster's selection calls.

Fly-half Danny Cipriani had clashed with attack coach Mike Catt on the training ground after being told he was missing out. More controversially, Sam Burgess, a fast-tracked rugby league convert, was included at the expense of centre Luther Burrell, who had started all of England's Six Nations matches earlier in the year. Burrell later admitted his exclusion had left him emotionally "broken".

"It wasn't Sam's fault he got picked," reflects Care. "He's an unbelievable athlete and was never going to turn down a chance to play in a World Cup. I think everyone in the squad just felt hugely sorry for Luther Burrell for missing out."

After a dramatic late defeat by Wales, England were comprehensively seen off by Australia in the do-or-die pool-stage match that followed.

The fallout soon followed with anonymous briefings from the camp claiming the atmosphere was too "controlling" and that assistant Andy Farrell had too much say in team tactics.

Care watched the Australia defeat from the stands, with Saracens' Richard Wigglesworth preferred as the back-up option to Ben Youngs.

"I didn't go into the changing room afterwards, because the rest of the squad went straight back to the hotel," Care remembers.

"We only saw the boys when they got back. I don't think any of us could believe it to be honest. All that hard work we'd done and we were out before we knew it."

But there was one more match still to be played. England's final pool game against Uruguay was now a dead rubber, with both teams already eliminated. Given his first playing time of the tournament, Care started a 60-3 win in which Nick Easter and Jack Nowell both scored hat-tricks.

"The tournament was over for me before I played a minute," said Care.

"But I was incredibly proud to be playing my first World Cup game for England and was determined to put in a good performance. There was a fair few of us who hadn't played at all yet, so we definitely had a point to prove.

"Now I just look back at it as the biggest opportunity missed."

England's World Cup journey

At the inaugural World Cup in 1987, England suffered a 16-3 quarter-final defeat by Wales, perhaps sparing themselves a heavier loss in the semi-finals. Eventual champions New Zealand beat Wales 49-6 in the last four.

England were joint hosts of the tournament in 1991 and came close to taking home the silverware, with Australia edging them out 12-6 in the final.

In 1995, they were trampled underfoot by New Zealand wing Jonah Lomu in the semi-finals of a tournament won by hosts South Africa.

Four years later the boot of South Africa fly-half Jannie de Beer delivered 30 points as England fell 44-21 in the last eight.

And in 2003....

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Rugby World Cup 2019: Magnus Bradbury travels with Scotland as cover for Jamie Ritchie

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 08 September 2019 02:47

Back-row Magnus Bradbury will join Scotland's World Cup travelling party on Monday as "precautionary injury cover" for Jamie Ritchie.

Bradbury is drafted in after Ritchie suffered a facial injury in Friday's win over Georgia at Murrayfield.

Ritchie is to remain in Scotland for further assessment.

"Jamie should be fine to join us at the end of the week and take a part in the World Cup, so that's a real positive," said Gregor Townsend.

Bradbury came off the bench to replace Edinburgh team-mate Ritchie on Friday.

He was given a place among the substitutes in the 36-9 victory despite being one of eight men cut by head coach Gregor Townsend last Tuesday.

Bradbury, capped eight times, had missed the three prior warm-up Tests with a rib problem.

Lock Ben Toolis and full-back Blair Kinghorn suffered head knocks against Georgia while Blade Thomson and Jonny Gray experienced hamstring issues but the Scottish Rugby statement on Ritchie makes no mention of the quartet.

Speaking at Gregor's Border Golf Challenge to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, Scotland head coach Townsend told BBC Scotland: "On Friday we had six injuries, four had to go to hospital, and I wasn't in a good mood, I wasn't in a great place. Since then it's all come back with positive news."

Scotland open their World Cup campaign against Ireland on 22 September, with Japan, Samoa and Russia their other Pool A opponents.

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Pollard Blitzes Lucas Oil Raceway Field

Published in Racing

Sunday, 08 September 2019 03:15

CLERMONT, Ind. — Georgia late model driver Bubba Pollard made the tow to Lucas Oil Raceway in Indiana a memorable one as he blitzed the field when he needed to and staved off the star-studded competition to grab the $10,000 prize.

A special three-segment race for the CRA/ARCA Super Series Powered By JEGS at the famed .686-mile oval saw tight, three-wide, close quarter racing in each of the three 25-lap segments.

Outside front row starter Brian Campbell would beat Rapheal Lessard into turn one and off turn two to secure the lead on the start with the start studded cast in tow. Slowed by just one yellow flag, Pollard would maneuver from fourth starting spot to scoot past Campbell at lap 15 and go on to win the first segment.

Segment two would be a complete inversion from the finish of segment one, with Pollard on the tail. Now with Austin Nason on the pole he would blister off to the point setting pace. Eight laps into it and Harrison Burton would try his hand at the front when he sailed by Nason in turn one.

At lap 17, the one and only caution would drop with Pollard in fifth and Burton still on top. Fourth position was the key as the third and final stage would invert just the top four. Three laps from the segment’s finish Pollard breezed past Nason to secure fourth at the checkers.

Pollard would be on the front row with Casey Roderick when the green dropped for the money round. A dicey contest but Pollard was able to out duel Roderick and got on point. Unlike the first two segments, this one would see three yellow flags, the first at lap two. Another double file restart and off they went.

Pollard made it work as Roderick dropped in second with Burton third. Lap ten another yellow, another double-file restart. But this time Roderick muscled the top spot away looking to set pace. That pace lasted just one fast, quick lap as Pollard drove by like he owned the place and drove on.

A lap-15 yellow flag and restart yielded the same results as Pollard muscled away. Following Pollard and Roderick across the line was Burton third, Campbell fourth and Jack Dossey III rounded out the top five.

“We really did not know what we had all day,” said Pollard. “We just didn’t know which way the car was going to go when the race started. When I got to the front I knew I had a good race car. When I could go to the front like that, I knew I had a good car, we were really free the first run. Just a great race, a great format. The car just worked its way to us, just a lot of fun. We through a little strategy and mix into it, we had to work for it. Those guys made me work for it. I knew that second segment I had to get into the top five to set myself up for a good starting spot that last segment. It was something different, I liked it, lot of fun.”

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Swanson Keeps Rolling In Silver Crown

Published in Racing

Sunday, 08 September 2019 03:19

CLERMONT, Ind. — Kody Swanson is now a five-time USAC Silver Crown winner in nine starts this season. The defending series champion led every lap Saturday night at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Swanson blistered the pavement by leading all 100 laps in his Gene Nolan No. 20 ride capturing the annual Rich Vogler Classic at the famed Indiana oval.

The front row of the 25-car field featured brothers Kody and Tanner Swanson, with Tanner on the pole. When the green flag waved, Kody Swanson muscled his way to the front followed by Tanner Swanson and Kyle Hamilton.

Three yellow flags would fall during the 100-lap event with the first coming on lap nine when a car hit the backstretch wall. Back green and off went Kody Swanson. By lap 29 Kody was five car lengths to the good and slicing through heavy lapped traffic.

This would allow Tanner Swanson and Hamilton to make up some ground but still chasing at best. Another yellow on lap 43 saw Annie Breidinger spin to a stop in turn two just to see Ryan Newman ram her tail tank severely damaging the NASCAR stars car and effectively ending his night.

Swanson led on the restart, but Breidinger spun on lap 65 to put the yellow out and give Kody Swanson a clean track with no dirty air in sight.

Swanson romped to a 6.165-second victory over his brother, Tanner.

Hamilton, Jim Anderson and Indy car driver James Davison completed the top five.

“I felt pretty good early, but sometimes it’s hard to tell,” said Kody Swanson. “The car was good early, but then it started getting tight on the long runs. Then we would get a yellow and the car would come back to me. I love these race tracks that have character to them. It’s the driver’s job to move around out there and find what’s good.

“I was just moving around to try and find what was good and help the lap times,” he added. “I moved around all night tonight, try to just make speed where I could using the banking, and use the good things my car could do. I picked up a pretty good vibration there the last thirty, but just keep going and digging. I am thankful to winning it, always grateful for everyone’s effort, a driver does not do it alone. The team, my family, I am grateful to win a race for them tonight.”

Ironically, the Swanson brothers have finished one-two nine times in USAC Silver Crown competition, eight times at the Lucas Oil speed plant. Tanner won the first six of the Swanson one-two sweeps, while Kody has owned the upper hand in the last three.

The victory also moved Kody into a three-way tie with Mike Bliss and Tanner Swanson for the most wins in series history at the track.

“What a part of history in USAC this track has played, let alone to tie someone like Mike Bliss, who had the ultimate stranglehold on this place for so long and Tanner did too for a number of years,” Kody Swanson said. “I had to get better or Tanner was just going to continue to beat me all the time. I’m thankful to pick off a few whenever we could to make it up. To tie them with five is pretty special.”

To see full results, turn to the next page.

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Reutzel Banks $52,000 For Tuscarora 50 Score

Published in Racing

Sunday, 08 September 2019 03:20

PORT ROYAL, Pa. — Reigning Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 champion Aaron Reutzel enjoyed the biggest payday of his career Saturday night, winning the 52nd annual Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal Speedway.

Reutzel outdueled six-time Tuscarora 50 winner Lance Dewease and held off charging Anthony Macri to bank the $52,000 top prize. He also regained the All Star point lead.

Although Reutzel’s trip to the Port Royal Speedway victory lane stage was a first feat for the defending All Star champion, the Texan is certainly no stranger to victory lane, now with 12 wins on the season, as well as 21 during a short full-time All Star career.

Macri advanced 10 positions to finish second, followed by Lance Dewease, Danny Dietrich and Logan Wagner.

“Unbelievable,” said Reutzel alongside his Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports/Folkens Brothers Trucking/Fischer Body Shop/Hollywood Blasting and Coating/No. 87 sprint car. “I’ve wanted to win this race so bad since the first time we came here. We got lapped by (Lance Dewease) that night. We were going to need a perfect race car that we could just maintain. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. This means a lot to me, to come into Pennsylvania and win one of the biggest races they have. I just don’t know what to say.”

Scheduled to start from the pole, Dale Blaney was forced to surrender his place at the front of the field due to engine issues. With Blaney’s spot vacant, fellow front row occupant Dewease inherited the pole for the start of the 50-lap program.

Utilizing his new starting spot, Dewease immediately jumped out to a commanding lead, extending his advantage to just over two seconds with only three laps checked off the counter. James McFadden slipped into second just after the opening green, followed by Alan Krimes and Reutzel.

A caution on lap four negated Dewease’s advantage just as quickly as he earned it. Despite the momentum shift, the ensuing restart allowed Dewease to resume control, now with Aaron Reutzel in tow, who drove around Alan Krimes for third on lap three before battling beyond James McFadden for second following the lap-four restart.

Not phased by Dewease’s pace after green-flag conditions returned, Reutzel did what he could to hunt down Dewease, relying on a quick, but very narrow cushion around the outer edge of the speedway. By lap 10, Reutzel cut Dewease’s command to less than a second, still relying on the highest groove on the speedway.

Aaron Reutzel (Dan Demarco photo)

Traffic entered the picture for the first time on lap 12, which set the stage for Reutzel’s first bid for the lead. One circuit later, Reutzel was the new man in charge, using the top groove in turns one and two to blast around Dewease while he was hung up in slower traffic.

It would not take long for Dewease to return the favor on Reutzel, charging back to less than a car length by lap 16, all before drag racing the pilot of the No. 87 back to the flagstand on lap 19, and again on lap 20.

The race for the lead on lap 20 ended in Dewease’s favor, crossing the line a mere .02 seconds ahead of Reutzel. Dewease maintained the lead until yellow flags waved for a competition stoppage on lap 25.

After a five-minute break to allow teams to make adjustments and add fuel, green flag action returned with Dewease leading the way over Reutzel, Logan Wagner and Danny Dietrich.

Within two laps, Reutzel was back on the tailtank of Dewease, eventually setting himself up for a takeover attempt as the front runners crossed under the flagstand to complete lap 27. By the time the leaders exited turn two, it was Reutzel who was back in charge, once again utilizing the top groove through turns one and two to drive around Dewease.

Successfully pulling away, Reutzel’s only challenges during the remaining distance were periods of traffic, as well a fast-closing Macri.

“When I got by Lance, I said screw it. I’m going to give this 110%. I’m going for broke,” Reutzel continued. “We’re either going to put it in the fence or walk out of here $52,000 richer. I gave it my all and luckily it paid off. I just want to thank my guys. I really don’t know what else to say.”

The finish:

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel [6]; 2. 39M-Anthony Macri [12]; 3. 69K-Lance Dewease [1]; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich [9]; 5. 1-Logan Wagner [7]; 6. 55-Mike Wagner [3]; 7. 5-Dylan Cisney [11]; 8. 51-Freddie Rahmer [13]; 9. 70X-Justin Peck [16]; 10. 26-Cory Eliason [18]; 11. 87k-Alan Krimes [2]; 12. 70-Brock Zearfoss [10]; 13. 44-Trey Starks [23]; 14. 21B-Brian Brown [19]; 15. 2-AJ Flick [15]; 16. 14T-Tyler Walton [14]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee [26]; 18. 12-Blane Heimbach [20]; 19. 11S-TJ Stutts [25]; 20. 13-Paul McMahan [5]; 21. W20-Greg Wilson [24]; 22. 14-Tony Stewart [22]; 23. 33-Jared Esh [27]; 24. 9-James McFadden [4]; 25. 72-Ryan Smith [21]; 26. 71-Gio Scelzi [17]; 27. 2M-Kerry Madsen [8]; 28. 11-Dale Blaney [28] Lap Leaders: Lance Dewease (1-12), Aaron Reutzel (13-19), Lance Dewease (20-27), Aaron Reutzel (28-50)

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