FINE AWAY WIN FOR STAGS, AS WILLIAM CAIRNS SHINES

OXFORD CHARGERS 36 SCUNTHORPE STAGS 54 (WSRA National League)

SCUNTHORPE STAGS took their first away victory of the season in the WSRA National League with a superb 54-36 win at  reigning champions Oxford yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

Stags brought in unattached 15-year-old William Cairns in at No 7 for the retired Sheldon Davies. Cairns recently finished third in the SGP3 (the World Under-16 Championship) in Poland and showed all that pedigree in a stunning National League debut, as he scored 19 points from seven outings, including five successive heat victories in his second to sixth rides. Cairns only dropped points to Oxford skipper Luke Killeen in Heats 1 and 15.

Meanwhile, it was a solid performance by Stags, with every rider paid for at least paid seven.

Stags inflicted the first home defeat on Oxford Chargers for almost two years, with Chargers suffered a fraught afternoon with both Jody Scott and Ashton Vale crashing out of the meeting in the opening five races.

Stags took the lead with a 4-2 from Cairns and Stene Pijper in Heat 2, before Chargers levelled the scores in Heat 3. Cairns had Heat 4 in the bag, when second-placed Scott crashed out in Heat 4, as Cairns and Luke Harrison took a 5-1.

The scores remained tight until Cairns and Mickie Simpson took a 5-1 in Heat 8. There was no way for stricken Chargers to hit back, and win was in the bag for Stags with three heats to go, after Stene Pijper and Simpson took a 5-1.

Nathan Ablitt inflicted the only defeat of the afternoon on Killeen by fending him off in Heat 13.

Stags’ team manager Paul Tatam: “It was a very good away win for us. Oxford were a bit unfortunate they lost a couple of riders, and it’s never easy after that.

“For us, William Cairns was just in a different class. He’s a nice kid as well – he’s very level-headed and down to earth. We’d love to keep him for the rest of the season, but we’ll see what happens there.

“All our riders put in a decent effort and had a good afternoon, and we’d won it before Heat 15, so I gave Stene (Pijper) the ride in that race alongside Will because they both deserved it.

“All we ask for is the riders, win or lose, to try their hardest for us and they all did that today and we ended up with a good victory, so I’m pleased for them all.”

OXFORD 36: Luke Killeen 14, Jason Garrad 8, Jacob Clouting 7+1, Senna Summers 5, Alex Spooner 1, Ashton Vale 1, Jody Scott 0.

SCUNTHORPE 54: William Cairns 19, Mickie Simpson 8+3, Stene Pijper 7+3, Nathan Ablitt 7+1, Ace Pijper 7+1, Luke Harrison 6+1, Kean Dicken r/r.

* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions travel to Glasgow on Friday (July 19), before hosting the Workington Comets at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, June 26 at 7.30pm.