Scorpions fade after bright start

SOMERSET REBELS 55 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 35 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions suffered a 35-55 defeat at Somerset last night (Friday), after falling away in the final half of the meeting.

The Scorpions began brightly, moving into an 11-7 lead after three races. Dane Nicolai Klindt (pictured) sped to victory in Heat 1 ahead of Nick Morris, while Josh Auty swooped past Charles Wright to take third.

After a shared Heat 2, the Scorpions extended their lead after Ashley Birks and David Howe took a 4-2 from Heat 3.

Heat 4 had a major bearing on proceedings. Ryan Douglas was very harshly excluded for a fall, after Somerset’s Oliver Allen charged into him on the second bend, with the Rebels taking a 5-1 not only from that race but also Douglas’s next outing in Heat 6. In between, Klindt charged to a win in a fast time in Heat 5.

Scunthorpe pulled back on level terms at 24-24 with a 5-1 from Klindt and Thomas Jorgensen in Heat 8.

However, Somerset, who had scored 60 points or more in their previous four home meetings, then powered away after successive 5-1s in Heats 9 & 10.

The Rebels outscored the Scorpions by 18 points to 6 in the final four races, although the standard of racing remained excellent, with Douglas battling to second place in Heat 13 ahead of fellow Australian Nick Morris, and Klindt just missing out after a race-long battle with Pontus Aspgren for second place in Heat 15.

Klindt was, once again, the pick of the Scorpions, with a paid 12 score.

Following the meeting, Scunthorpe team manager Dave Peet said: “We started off well, and we had the odd bit of bad luck here and there. But Somerset then put it together. We did alright up to Heat 8, but then struggled.

“Nicolai (Klindt) is really on it at the moment; he’s been superb in every meeting since he joined us.

“Ryan (Douglas) got his bike going in Heat 13 and was much quicker. The fall in his opening race also affected his second outing. If he’d have a full first outing rather than about 80 yards, he’d have got it dialled in a lot quicker.

“Fair play to Somerset. They’re a strong team and you can’t take anything away from them. But we just fell away at the end.”

SOMERSET REBELS 55
1. Nick Morris 2 3 2* 1 3 (11+1)
2. Charles Wright 0 2* 1 3 (6+1)
3. Brady Kurtz 0 1* 3 3 (7+1)
4. Pontus Aspgren 2 2 2* 3 2* (11+2)
5. Oliver Allen 2* 3 3 3 (11+1)
6. Todd Kurtz 3 FX 0 2* (5+1)
7. Paul Starke FX 3 R 1 (4)

FLUIDAIR POWER SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 35
1. Josh Auty 1 0 2 0 (3)
2. Nicolai Klindt 3 3 3 1* 1 (11+1)
3. David Howe 1 2 0 2 (5)
4. Ashley Birks 3 1* 1 1 0 (6+1)
5. Ryan Douglas FX 1 1 2 (4)
6. Matt Williamson 1* 0 0 (1+1)
7. Thomas Jorgensen 2 1 2* 0 0 (5+1)

1: Klindt, Morris, Auty, Wright, 56.97 (2-4) (2-4).
2: (Re-run) T Kurtz, Jorgensen, Williamson, Starke (fell, excluded), 57.90 (3-3) (5-7).
3: Birks, Aspgren, Howe, B Kurtz, 58.56 (2-4) (7-11).
4: (Re-run) Starke, Allen, Jorgensen, Douglas (fell, excluded), 58.88 (5-1) (12-12).
5: Klindt, Aspgren, B Kurtz, Auty, 56.82 (3-3) (15-15).
6: Morris, Wright, Douglas, Williamson, 58.38 (5-1) (20-16).
7: (Re-run) Allen, Howe, Birks, T Kurtz (fell, excluded), 57.94 (3-3) (23-19).
8: (Re-run) Klindt, Jorgensen, Wright, Starke (ret), 57.94 (1-5) (24-24).
9: (Re-run) B Kurtz, Aspgren, Douglas, Williamson, 58.18 (5-1) (29-25).
10: Morris, Birks, Howe, 58.93 (5-1) (34-26).
11: Allen, Auty, Klindt, T Kurtz 58.47 (3-3) (37-29).
12: B Kurtz, Howe, Starke, Jorgensen, 58.25 (4-2) (41-31)
13: Allen, Douglas, Morris, Auty, 58.50 (4-2) (45-33).
14: Aspgren, T Kurtz, Birks, Jorgensen, 58.75 (5-1) (50-34).
15: Morris, Aspgren, Klindt, Birks, 58.97 (5-1) (55-35).

* The Scorpions travel across the Scottish border to Glasgow on Sunday (3pm). With the issue of the new averages, Nicolai Klindt moves to No 1.