Chris Holder struck a stunning maximum for Torun, but it was not quite enough to give them a away victory over an under-strength Leszno side without their number one Jaroslaw Hampel.

Leszno reserves Tobias Musielak and Kamil Adamczewski got the hosts off to a perfect start with a 5-1, although that lead was soon halved with a Darcy Ward and Karol Zabik 4-2 in heat 3.

After a pair of level races, Torun then drew themselves level thanks to another Ward and Zabik heat advantage, Ward taking then win with Zabik in third again, before Ryan Sullivan raced to the chequered flag next time out, with team-mate Emil Pulczynski crossing the line for a vital third place to move the away side ahead by two.

The 8th race of the afternoon then saw Torun strike a vital maximum, with Poole duo Chris Holder and Adrian Miedzinski crossing the line in first and second respectively.

Another great win for Darcy Ward kept the Torun lead intact in heat 11, but Leszno soon reduced the deficit from six points to two, as Damian Balinski and Przemyslaw Pawlicki scored the second home maximum of the meeting.

Yet Torun were determined to stay in front, and they saw wins from Miedzinski and Holder in heats 11 and 12 respectively converted into 4-2s which restored their six point advantage.

Going into the closing stages, Leszno looked set for a defeat, but they began a late fight back, starting with a heat 13 5-1 from Balinski and Pavlic. The penultimate race of the night then saw Leszno sensationally reverse the two point gap into their favour, as Piotr Pawlicki joined Balinski at the front once more to make it two maximums out of two.

With a mouth-watering final race in prospect, Torun man Chris Holder completed his maximum, with Darcy Ward taking third place to make it a visiting 4-2 and ensure that they did not leave empty handed, with a 45-45 final scoreline.

In the absence of their main man Jaroslaw Hampel, Leszno put up a valiant display to grab what will be considered a good draw despite home advantage. Damian Balinski (10+3) was the main man with a great performance, including three wins in his final three rides. Croatian Jurica Pavlic (12) was also excellent with scores in every ride, whilst Przemyslaw Pawlicki (9+2) was also on good form. The remaining riders, although not spectacular, all carried out their roles accordingly, with Piotr Pawlicki (6+1) and reserve Tobias Musielak (5+1) adding some vital points to give Leszno the draw.

Meanwhile, Torun were led by Chris Holder (15) who put his disappointment in the Danish Grand Prix yesterday behind him with a stunning maximum. Darcy Ward recovered from a heavy heat 3 fall to score a vital 11 in support, whilst a third Aussie, Ryan Sullivan, scored two important wins on his way to a solid 8 point return. Pole Adrian Miedzinski (6+1) had a decent meeting and did what was expected, but the remaining three riders failed to score more than three each, and in the end that meant that Torun failed to capitalise on a Leszno side without their number one.

SCORES

Unia Leszno – 45

9.  Jaroslaw Hampel R/R
10. Piotr Pawlicki - 6+1 (t,2,2,0,2*)
11. Przemysław Pawlicki - 9+2 (1*,2,2,2*,2,0)
12. Damian Baliński - 10+3 (ex,1*,1*,3,2*,3)
13. Jurica Pavlic - 12 (2,2,1,2,3,2)
14. Tobiasz Musielak - 5 (3,2,0,0,0)
15. Kamil Adamczewski - 3+1 (2*,1,0)