Speedway: Hapless Holder's off the pace in key race (From Bournemouth Echo)

Speedway: Hapless Holder's off the pace in key race

7:00am Friday 30th July 2010 in

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CHRIS Holder suffered a tactical joker nightmare as Australia bowed out of the World Team Cup in the race-off at Vojens last night.

Aussie team manager Craig Boyce put his faith in the Pirates star to come up trumps wearing the black and white helmet in heat 15.

But the Australian national champion, hoping to make inroads into Denmark and Sweden’s six-point lead over them at the time, made a poor trap off the inside gate.

And he was left trailing at the back as Dane Nicolai Klindt and Swede Magnus Zetterstrom made the most of Holder’s rare gating mishap to come first and second and pull their teams well clear of the Aussies.

With Russia’s Artem Laguta also finishing in front of Holder in third, it meant Boyce’s young guns – average age 23 years and nine months – faced a mountain to climb to try and force their way back into the top two.

But, with Holder also running a rare last in his next outing, it was too much to ask of the inexperienced side.

Instead, Denmark – including Poole Castle Cover heat leader Bjarne Pedersen – recovered from a poor start to triumph with 48 points, one clear of Sweden.

The Danes and Swedes now meet favourites Poland and Great Britain in the final at Vojens tomorrow.

Australia, for whom Rory Schlein top-scored with 11, were a disappointing third on 36, followed by Russia on 19.

The Aussies, forced to go into this year’s competition without experienced duo Leigh Adams and Jason Crump, were left stunned at their disappointing showing as they were bundled out of the competition.

Holder’s cruel tactical joker blow summed up their woeful night, but he also suffered cruel luck in heat 20 as well.

Left trailing at the gate, the Pirate desperately tried to cut back up the inside of Fredrik Lindgren into first place on the second bend.

But Holder’s bike locked up, he momentarily lost control and he and his machine drifted wide to the outside where he was lucky not to be hit by Pedersen, who was charging round the boards.

Holder slumped from second and the incident, in which he was fortunate to avoid injury, finally ended any hopes the Aussies had of catching the Danes or Swedes.

He impressed to beat Kenneth Bjerre and Andreas Jonsson in his final outing to finish on eight points, but it was too little too late.

Holder’s Poole team-mates Davey Watt (seven) and Darcy Ward (six) also struggled alongside Troy Batchelor (four), and they will have to re-group in time for next year’s competition.

Pedersen was Mr Consistency, grabbing five seconds and 10 points as the Danes stormed into the final.

Riders’ scores – Australia 36: 1 Davey Watt (1-0-2-2-2) 7, 2 Darcy Ward (3-1-1-0-1) 6, 3 Rory Schlein (2-3-1-1-3-1) 11, 4 Troy Batchelor (1-exc unfair riding-1-2) 4, 5 Chris Holder (2-3-0^-0-3) 8. Team manager: Craig Boyce.

Russia 19: 1 Artem Laguta (0-0-1-0-0) 1, 2 Grigorijs Laguta (0-1-1-1-0) 3, 3 Roman Povazhny (0-1-0-1-0) 2, 4 Denis Gizatullin (0-0-0-1-3) 4, 5 Renat Gafurov (0-3-3-0-3) 9. Team manager: Stanislav Khan.

Denmark 48: 1 Kenneth Bjerre (2-2-2-2-2) 10, 2 Nicolai Klindt (1-2-3-1-1) 8, 3 Niels-Kristian Iversen (1-1-3-2-2) 9, 4 Bjarne Pedersen (2-2-2-2-2) 10, 5 Hans Andersen (1-3-3-3-1) 11. Team manager: Jan Staechmann.

Sweden 47: 1 Fredrik Lindgren (3-3-2-3-0) 11, 2 Jonas Davidsson (2-2-0-0-3) 7, 3 Magnus Zetterstrom (3-1-2-3-3) 12, 4 Andreas Jonsson (3-2-0-2-1) 8, 5 Antonio Lindback (3-exc tapes-3-3-0) 9. Team manager: Peter Jansson.