SCORPIONS TAKE MAJOR STEP TOWARDS BSN SERIES FINAL

EDINBURGH MONARCHS 40 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 49 (BSN Series, semi-final, first leg)

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions have one foot in the final of the BSN Series, after a superb 49-40 away victory in the first leg of their semi-final at Edinburgh’s Armadale Stadium last night (Friday).

Scorpions had lost 34-56 in the Cab Direct Championship league match at the same venue, but there was never a threat of a repeat of that scoreline.

Scunthorpe only trailed once, after conceding a 5-1 to Monarchs in Heat 1. But reserves Nathan Ablitt and Luke Harrison hit back with a 5-1 of their own in Heat 2, and Scorpions took the lead with a 4-2 for Michael Palm Toft and Connor Mountain in Heat 5.

There was some determined racing on display from Scorpions, such as when Kyle Howarth pushed under Monarchs’ No 1 Josh Pickering in Heat 6. There was a brief exchange between the two riders after the race, but it was hard but fair racing.

Most of the overtaking was provided by the visitors, such as in Heat 8, when both Harrison and Mountain passed Connor Coles, to salvage a 3-3. Jake Allen repassed Pickering to win an exciting duel in Heat 10.

Scorpions were two points ahead entering Heat 11. Palm Toft and Mountain were on a 5-1, when the previously unbeaten Justin Sedgmen caught the back of Mountain’s bike on the back straight of the second lap and he took an awkward tumble into the fence. Sedgmen was forced out of the rest of the meeting with a hand injury, while Scorpions took a 5-1 from the re-run to move six points ahead.

An eventful Heat 12 eventually ended as a 3-2 to Monarchs. Palm Toft and Howarth took two 4-2 in Heats 13 and 15, with Palm Toft defeating Pickering in both races.

Palm Toft recovered from a last place in Heat 1 to win his remaining four outings and collect 12 points, while Allen scored 10 from four rides. But it was a solid performance by Scorpions, with every rider scoring four points or more.

Scunthorpe team manager David Howe said: “I’m very happy. It was a terrific performance by all the lads tonight. We dug in and kept going.

“It was important to stay in contention in the opening four or five races. We did that and then built on that and ended up with a nice margin for the second leg.

“We capitalised on a few things that went our way and I hope Sedgy (Justin Sedgmen) isn’t too badly hurt. We do seem to do better on our second trips to away tracks and we proved that again tonight!”

EDINBURGH 40: Josh Pickering 11, Paco Castagna 7+1, Kye Thomson 6+2, Justin Sedgmen 6, Connor Coles 5, Lasse Fredriksen 3, Max James 2.

SCUNTHORPE 49: Michael Palm Toft 12, Jake Allen 10, Kyle Howarth 9, Connor Mountain 5+2, Luke Harrison 5+2, Simon Lambert 4+2, Nathan Ablitt 4.

* THE next action at the Eddie Wright Raceway is on Friday, August 30 – a double-header commencing at 7pm featuring both Scunthorpe teams, Scorpions and Stags, taking on the Oxford Cheetahs and Oxford Chargers in the Cab Direct Championship and WSRA National League respectively.