Report: Scunthorpe 39 Leicester 51
SCORPIONS SURRENDER HOME RECORD
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 39 LEICESTER LIONS 51 (CHAMPIONSHIP)
ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions slipped to their first home league defeat of the season, when visitors Leicester Lions produced a late flurry to take a 51-39 victory at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday).
Scunthorpe were missing both Tero Aarnio (visa issues) and Jordan Palin (collarbone injury), arguably their two most effective performers at the Eddie Wright Raceway this season. Palin was in attendance and he helped out with the collection for the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.
Scorpions held the lead throughout the opening nine races. British Champion Adam Ellis and skipper Simon Lambert had taken a 5-1 over Danish international Hans Andersen in Heat 1, while Lambert and Theo Pijper extended the lead to 27-21 after a 5-1 in Heat 8.
When Pijper battled past tactical substitute Kyle Howarth in Heat 9, to restrict Lions to a 4-2, all still looked good.
But Lions levelled with a 5-1 in Heat 10 to go into the interval at 30-30, and then produced back-to-back 5-1s in Heats 12 and 13.
Scorpions introduced Thomas Jorgensen as their own tactical substitute in Heat 14. Lively guest Connor Mountain won the race, but both Zaine Kennedy and Howarth battled past Jorgensen, as Lions clinched victory.
A further 5-1 to Lions in Heat 15, their fourth in sixth races, saw them deservedly collect all four points on offer. Guest Aaron Summers was a real trump card for Lions, dropping his only points in a Heat 7 fall.
Speaking post-meeting, Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “We don’t normally have an interval and our riders were struggling after the interval. But that’s not really an excuse, the simple fact is that the best team won tonight and Leicester deserved to win.
“We were doing OK in the first half and made them use a tactical substitute, but none of our riders were getting out of the start towards the end – you can’t do that against a team as good as Leicester. It was hard to work out a tactical substitute in Heat 14, because all six riders were struggling by then.
“Obviously, we knew it would be hard tonight, because we were missing both Jordan Palin and Tero Aarnio, although Connor Mountain was a good guest rider.
“We know we need to bounce back quickly and secure the points we need to reach the play-offs. We’re going to Glasgow on Sunday with the intention of winning and we’ve booked Kasper Andersen as a guest.”
SCUNTHORPE 39: Connor Mountain 9, Simon Lambert 8+2, Thomas Jorgensen 6+2, Theo Pijper 6+1, Adam Ellis 5, Josh MacDonald 5, Jordan Palin r/r.
LEICESTER 51: Ryan Douglas 13+1, Aaron Summers 11+1, Zaine Kennedy 10+1, Kyle Howarth 8+2, Hans Andersen 8+1, Joe Thompson 1, Dan Thompson 0.
* ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are back in action at Glasgow on Sunday and then travel to Kent on Tuesday, before hosting league leaders Poole Pirates at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday (September 10, 7.30pm).
