Scorpions take lead in cup final
SCORPIONS BEAT POOLE TO TAKE LEAD IN CUP FINAL
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 47 POOLE PIRATES 43 (Knockout Cup final, first leg)
ATTIS INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions edged 47-43 ahead of cup holders Poole Pirates, after winning first leg of the Knockout Cup Final at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Sunday).
The second leg is due to take place at Poole on Wednesday evening, and the destination of the cup is very much in the balance, since Scorpions have scored 41 and 45 in their previous two visits to Wimborne Road this season.
Yesterday’s meeting was fiercely contested and contained some terrific racing – such as when No 1 Ryan Douglas moved from third to first in Heat 6 – while there wasn’t a single 5-1 to either team throughout the 15 races. Scorpions scored six 4-2s, Poole four 4-2s, while there were five shared 3-3 races.
Scorpions moved 15-9 ahead after four races, but Pirates levelled at 30-30 after 10 races. Reserve Drew Kemp enjoyed a fine afternoon for Scorpions and he won both Heats 11 and 12, defeating Pirates’ No 1 Richard Lawson in the former and then battling back past Ben Cook in the latter, as Scorpions moved back ahead.
Scorpions were just two points ahead entering the final race. Douglas forced a route past impressive Pirate Zach Cook to win the race, while Michael Palm Toft won a battle with Lawson for third place.
It was also an emotional afternoon, since it was announced that it was No 1 Douglas’ final home meeting with the club, since the Australian will not be competing at Championship level in 2024, to concentrate on his racing in Poland, where he is joining a top-flight club.
Douglas has spent two spells with Scorpions, initially joining the club as a 19-year-old in 2013.
Ryan Douglas said: “Poole have won here a couple of times this season, so it was important we won today and we did that. We’d have liked to have a bigger lead to take down there, but we know we can run them close at their place and I believe we can still do it overall and win the cup.
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be our final meeting of the season at Poole and we’ll be fired up for it.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in that I won’t be back for Scunthorpe next season and it was a bit emotional after the final race, realising that was it. It was good to win that race and bow out with a win. I’ve always enjoyed racing this track and it was good riding here every week. It wasn’t an easy thing to give up, but I’ve got to take the next step in my career.
“One thing I haven’t done is win team silverware with Scunthorpe, so it would mean a lot to me is to win the cup with the club in my very final meeting with them at Poole.
“The Scunthorpe fans have always been very supportive of me. I didn’t start off as a No 1, far from it, I’d just been riding season a couple of years before and I was pretty inexperienced. But the fans never slated me when I was struggling at times in my opening year for Scunthorpe [back in 2013].
“Rob (Godfrey, Scunthorpe promoter) said he always believed in me and saw something in me, and to be able to come back these last two years and be an out-and-out No 1 has been pretty special and something I’ll always remember.”
SCUNTHORPE 47: Ryan Douglas 13, Drew Kemp 10+1, Michael Palm Toft 8+1, Simon Lambert 6, Jake Allen 6, Connor Mountain 3, Nathan Ablitt 1+1.
POOLE 43: Zach Cook 14, Richard Lawson 10, Ben Cook 6, Steve Worrall 6, Joe Thompson 4, Kyle Newman 3+2, Anders Rowe r/r.
Report by Rob Peasley
Photo courtesy of IAN RISPIN
