Scorpions fight back at Redcar
REDCAR BEARS 42 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 48 (BSN Series – Northern Group)
ELLIS ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions showed resilience to fight back from eight points down to win 48-42 at Redcar last night (Friday) and maintain their 100% start to the 2024 season.
Michael Palm Toft scored a 14+1 paid maximum – the Dane’s second successive maximum for Scorpions. But it was a team performance with every Scorpion scoring at least paid five.
Redcar Bears led for the first 13 races, after taking a 5-1 in Heat 1. Twice they built up an eight-point lead at 22-14 and 31-23 and twice that lead was immediately countered in the next race by a 5-1 from Palm Toft and Scorpions’ skipper Simon Lambert.
Jack Smith – a recent signing for the Scunthorpe/Sheffield NL team for the injured Nathan Ablitt – won Heat 2 as a guest replacement for Ablitt.
Bears were still four points up entering Heat 13, but Scorpions took a 4-2 in Heat 13 courtesy of Kyle Howarth and Jake Allen.
16-year-old Luke Harrison made numerous guest appearances for Redcar last season, and he put those to profitable use in Heat 14, when he fended off the in-form Jason Edwards to join Palm Toft for a 5-1 that placed Scorpions in front for the first time at 43-41.
Palm Toft and Howarth then took a match-winning 5-1 in Heat 15, with Howarth fending off Danny King.
Redcar lost Charles Wright with a shoulder injury in Heat 7.
Scunthorpe team manager David Howe said: “It was a proper team effort tonight. Obviously, Michael’s performance stood out with another maximum, but all the boys chipped in.
“I am proud of the way kept on battling away. This was the first time we’ve really been put under pressure this season and the boys came through.
“Kyle has been working hard to sort out his issues and he was rewarded tonight when he won Heat 13 for us and then joined Michael for the 5-1 in Heat 15.
“Jack Smith came in and fitted in really well and won his first race. I was considering using him in Heat 14, but Luke had a good ride in Heat 12 and I put my faith in Luke by giving him a fourth ride and it paid off because he took a 5-1.
“Charles Wright was still walking about after his fall and I hope his shoulder injury isn’t too serious.
“I told the boys before the meeting, that the BSN Series is not like the league, because there’s so few meetings and you have to keep on winning in it. We’ve now put ourselves in a situation where we know an aggregate victory in the two meetings against Workington would take us through into the semi-finals.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve started the season with three wins and we’d love to keep the momentum going at Plymouth in the cup match. We’ve got a 61-29 lead from the first leg and our main objective is to win to aggregate. But we’ll look at the score after 6 or 7 races down there, and see if it is possible to go for the victory on the night as well.”
REDCAR 42: Jason Edwards 11+1, Danny King 9, Jonas Knudsen 8+2, Connor Bailey 6, Charles Wright 3, Ben Trigger 3, Jake Mulford 2+1.
SCUNTHORPE 48: Michael Palm Toft 14+1, Kyle Howarth 8+3, Simon Lambert 7+2, Connor Mountain 6, Jake Allen 5, Jack Smith 4+1, Luke Harrison 4+1.
* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are due to track the same team at Plymouth’s Coliseum tonight (Saturday) in the second leg of a first round Knockout Cup tie, where they lead 61-29 from the first leg at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Berwick await the aggregate winners, and should Scorpions progress, the first leg is at Berwick next Saturday (April 27).
PHOTO: Luke Harrison scored a key 4+1 for Scorpions at Redcar, including joining Michael Palm Toft for a 5-1 in Heat 14 (pic: Ian Rispins)
