Scorpions into play-offs after Glasgow demolition

SCORPIONS HEADING FOR PLAY-OFFS AFTER DEMOLITION OF GLASGOW
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 54 GLASGOW TIGERS 36 (Cab Direct Championship)

ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions seem to be running into form at just the right time of the season, as they beat high-flying Glasgow Tigers by 54-36 in a Cab Direct Championship league match and also collected the aggregate bonus point in an enthralling encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday).

The three points place Scunthorpe out of reach of both Edinburgh and Plymouth (Birmingham and Berwick could already not finish ahead of them) and makes mathematically sure of their qualification for the end-of-season play-offs. Scorpions are assured of, at least, the fifth place that they currently occupy.

It was a very disappointing evening for Glasgow who entered last night still with hopes of finishing top of the table but are now likely to have to settle for third place, as Oxford and Poole battle it out for top spot and the reward of picking their play-off opponents.

Much of the victory was based around a fine performance from Jake Allen, who was very close to taking a paid maximum and eventually finished with 13+1, plus a terrific combined display from reserves Drew Kemp (12+1) and Nathan Ablitt (8+2), who outscored their counterparts by 20 (paid 23) to 3.

Ablitt’s score was his best at Championship level. He only missed out on a paid maximum when Glasgow No 1 Chris Harris beat him in Heat 11… and Ablitt even briefly battled past ‘Bomber’ in that one. For Kemp, he kept up the momentum after his paid maximum at Birmingham on Wednesday and started with three successive victories.

Allen won a couple of races from behind with some sublime speedway – against the likes of Benjamin Basso and Harris – but was pipped to the line by Basso in Heat 15.

Scorpions took a 14-10 lead after four races, and took complete command of the meeting with successive 5-1s in Heats 6 and 7, with a wonder ride from Allen and Ablitt to take a maximum over Basso in the latter race.

After that, focus switched to the destination of the aggregate point, as Glasgow had taken a 38-28 victory in a rain-curtailed fixture at Ashfield in June.

But Scorpions clinched the extra point with a 5-1s in both Heats 13 and 14, despite falls for Ryan Douglas (Heat 13) and Ablitt (Heat 14) which gained exclusions for Harris and Claus Vissing respectively.

Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “When we had a team talk before the start of the meeting, we decided that we would set out to take the aggregate point as well as the victory and that’s just what we did.

“The reserves were brilliant tonight. Nathan was flying, while it was the second successive meeting where I’ve offered Drew Heat 15 on merit. He turned it down at Birmingham because he wanted to protect his paid maximum but took it tonight. It gives me so many options when both reserves are scoring so well.

“Jake did risk his paid maximum tonight in Heat 15 and he was so close to completing it, before he was pipped in the race, but again it was great to see him in such good form.

“We fired on all cylinders on Wednesday at Birmingham and we didn’t quite do that tonight. But such was the contribution of the reserves that it allowed us to win comfortably. It’s always about the overall team performance and I can only be very happy about an 18-point win over a Glasgow side that won its previous meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

“We wanted to ride ourselves into form and that’s what’s happening and this is the time to do it. We’re in the play-offs and we want to keep this momentum going into them.

“There is even more to come from us. Totfy (Michael Palm Toft) isn’t still quite 100% race fit, after around two months out with his ankle injury. But he’s regaining fitness with every meeting. We’re exactly where we want to be at the right time of the season.”

SCUNTHORPE 54: Jake Allen 13+1, Drew Kemp 12+1, Nathan Ablitt 8+2, Michael Palm Toft 8, Ryan Douglas 7+1, Connor Mountain 5+3, Simon Lambert 1+1.
GLASGOW 36: Benjamin Basso 12+1, Chris Harris 12, Claus Vissing 5, Tom Brennan 4, Lee Complin 3, Jamie Halder 0, Marcin Nowak r/r.
Scunthorpe win the aggregate point by 82-74.

* ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions take a 11-day break from league action, while top pair Ryan Douglas and Jake Allen are involved in the Championship League Riders’ Championship at Redcar on Sunday and the Championship Pairs at Oxford next Friday. Scorpions travel to Oxford on Tuesday, September 5, while the next action at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright is in a fortnight, when they host Berwick Bandits on Friday, September 8 (7.30pm)

PHOTO: Updated team pic of the Attis Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions last night (PIC: IAN RISPIN)