Over the past week, the Spartans have competed in two Ekstraliga matches – the first was the postponed second round match against Włókniarz Częstochowa, the second was Friday's match against Apator Toruń, both away matches. The first match had two separate storylines: the main storyline was that the hosts were escaping the visitors, building up an ever-greater lead, and in the 13th heat were one step away from causing a major upset and beating Betard Sparta. The second story is the nominated heats, won by the visitors 5:1, 5:1 and leading to a draw – at the last moment. The leaders of the Wrocław team showed their very best side in this match: Dan Bewley, who passed his rivals and fought on the track, ultimately bringing in 12 points, Artem Łaguta consistently scoring points and Magic returning to his very high form.
The second match, against Apator Toruń, was unfortunately a story without a happy ending for the team from Wrocław. The Spartans lost this match by as many as fourteen points. The lack of form of Tai Woffinden and Bartłomiej Kowalski, who scored only 3 points in total, did not allow them to fight the strong home team. Despite the good form of Bewley, Łaguta and Janowski, the three leaders had no chance against the evenly matched Apator team. After four rounds, Betard Sparta Wrocław is in third place in the Ekstraliga table, three points behind the leading Motor Lublin. The next match is scheduled for 17 May, when the Spartans will host sixth-placed Unia Leszno at home.
Below is a summary of the most important facts of the last week:
Magic is in good form – what the fans in Wrocław are certainly happy about is the return to top form of the captain, Maciej Janowski. The Wrocław-based player not only scores highly in the Ekstraliga but also showed his very best side in the first qualifying tournament for the SEC. The leader's good form is a key element in the fight for the highest possible position in the regular season table.
The lack of important links in the team – the meetings with Włókniarz and Apator are another matches in which we became more and more convinced of the lack of form of Taia Woffindena and Bartłomiej Kowalski. The two players, who are key figures for Spartans in the fight for primacy in the league, have scored a total of 8 points in recent matches, which gives an average of 2 points per match. Their return to top form is now the most important task for them and the coaching staff of the Wrocław team, and their points will be crucial in the next league matches.
Third place in the table – despite losing three points in the last two matches, Betard Sparta has maintained a high, third place in the Ekstraliga table and can still count on a bonus point at least in the two-legged match against Włókniarz. The gap to Apator seems too big, although in recent years the matches between Toruń and Wrocław at the Olympic Stadium have ended in high victories for Wrocław. The bonus points, on the other hand, will be an important addition that may prove crucial in the seeding before the play-off round.
It is time to find form again – the next league match will not be played until 17th May. In the meantime, the Wrocław team will have time to rebuild their form and confidence outside the Polish league – the Swedish league starts on 7th May, and some of the players will also compete in the English league and individual competitions – Speedway Grand Prix, Speedway European Championship and the qualifiers for the Individual Polish Championships.
