Scorpions safely through

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PLYMOUTH GLADIATORS 51 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 39 (Cab Direct Knockout Cup, first round, second leg)
Scunthorpe win 100-80 on aggregate

CURRENT holders Ellis Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions qualified for the quarter-finals of the Cab Direct Knockout Cup by 100-80 on aggregate, despite a 39-51 loss in the second leg of their first round tie at Plymouth last night (Saturday).

Scorpions held a massive 32-point advantage from the first leg at the Eddie Wright Raceway and never looked in any peril of not progressing and were mathematically certain of qualification with five heats to spare, after skipper Simon Lambert and Michael Palm Toft took a 5-1 in the re-run of Heat 10.

It was the first meeting of the season to take place at the Plymouth Coliseum this season, after track alterations during the winter. The first evidence is that those alterations have worked. The track is still the smallest in British Speedway. But there was more overtaking than is normally seen at the venue, commencing in Heat 1, when both Kyle Howarth and Connor Mountain forced their way under Alfie Bowtell to secure a 3-3 for Scorpions.

Howarth – on his return to his 2023 home track in the Cab Direct Championship – top-scored for Scorpions with 10 points, while Mountain (7+3) was also paid for double figures. For Plymouth Gladiators, Ben Barker reeled off an imperious 17+1 paid maximum.

Scunthorpe team manager David Howe said: “It’s job done, since we’re safely through to the cup quarter-finals, after we’d done the hard work in the first leg at Scunthorpe.

“I’m not too disappointed that we didn’t win on the night at Plymouth, because they’ve altered the track this season, and I felt we learnt a lot about it tonight. When we’re back at Plymouth in the league match later in the season, we’ll put that knowledge to use and the boys can ride it smarter.

“It was the first meeting of the season at Plymouth and the track is still bedding in, but I feel it has been improved and it will produce better racing this season.”

Scorpions will face Berwick in the Cab Direct Knockout Cup quarter-finals. The first leg is at Berwick next Saturday (April 27), the next outing for Scorpions, while the return leg is at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, May 17 at 7.30pm.

PLYMOUTH 51: Ben Barker 17+1, Dan Thompson 11+2, Kyle Newman 9+2, Alfie Bowtell 5+1, Joe Thompson 5, Jacob Hook 4, Nico Covatti r/r.

SCUNTHORPE 39: Kyle Howarth 10, Simon Lambert 8, Connor Mountain 7+3, Michael Palm Toft 6+2, Jake Allen 5+1, Luke Harrison 3+1, Jack Smith 0.

Scunthorpe win 100-80 on aggregate.

PHOTO by Ian Rispin