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SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 46 REDCAR BEARS 43 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions just held on in a thriller at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Wednesday), defeating the Redcar Bears by 46-43 in a Premier League encounter.

Thanks to the inclement weather over the last month, this was actually the Scorpions’ first completed home fixture since July 25th, which was also against Redcar.

In a nip-and-tuck-affair, the first four races were shared, before the Scorpions edged ahead with a 4-2 from Josh Auty & Ashley Birks in Heat 5.

Redcar levelled in Heat 6, before trump card reserve David Howe & Ryan Douglas took a 5-1 in Heat 7 to open up a 23-19 advantage.

From then on, the Scorpions lead varied from 5 points (after a 3-2 in Heat 10, in which Ryan Douglas fell and then Carl Wilkinson shed a chain) to just a single point (39-38) with two heats remaining.

Jan Graversen was the early leader of Heat 14, but Auty swept through. The race ended up as a 4-2 to the home side after a fall for Redcar’s Carl Wilkinson while placed third, as the Scorpions extended their lead to three points.

Early on in Heat 15, the Redcar pair of Richard Lawson & Aaron Summers held what would have been a match-winning 5-1. But in a thrilling finale, Auty passed Summers on lap 2, and then Douglas won a last-lap tussle with Summers for third place, as Scunthorpe edged home by three points.

Howe (12+1) and Auty (12) were the top men for the Scorpions, with Thomas Jorgensen also registering three heat wins, while rider replacement for Nicolai Klindt (riding in Denmark) yielded just 2 points.

Following the meeting, Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “I felt we got out of jail in this meeting. Redcar lost a few points through shed chains and so forth, otherwise they could have left here with a win. Rider replacement for Nicolai Klindt scored just two points and that left us vulnerable.

“Redcar probably felt they were a bit unlucky. But we felt we were unlucky last time we went to their place – it’s all swings and roundabouts.

“It’s a long time since we’ve raced a whole meeting, so tonight was a tough one. Redcar have got in some meetings recently, so there were much less rusty than we were.

“I plumped for Josh Auty and Ryan Douglas in Heat 15, because Redcar had choice of gates and we needed riders who could come from behind. Josh and Ryan did just that, by passing Aaron Summers and that saw us home.

“It was important we won tonight. We need to keep on taking points away from the teams chasing us in the Premier League table.

“It’s the beginning of a busy spell for us and we’ve started it with a win.”

FLUIDAIR POWER SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 46
1. Nicolai Klindt R/R
2. Thomas Jorgensen 3 0 3 3 0 (9)
3. Ashley Birks 1* 1 1* 2 (5+2)
4. Josh Auty R 2 3 2 3 2 (12)
5. Ryan Douglas 1* 2* F 2 2 1* (8+3)
6. Matt Williamson 0 0 0 (0)
7. David Howe 3 2 2 3 1* 1 (12+1)

REDCAR BEARS 43
1. Richard Lawson 1* 2 1 3 3 (10+1)
2. Hugh Skidmore 2 0 2 3 (7)
3. Mark Lemon 0 1 2 3 (6)
4. Carl Wilkinson 3 0 R FX (3)
5. Aaron Summers 3 1 3 1 0 (8)
6. Jan Graversen 2 3 1* FX 2 (8+1)
7. Rafal Konopka 1* 0 0 (1+1)

1: Jorgensen, Skidmore, Lawson, Auty (ret), 57.87 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Howe, Graversen, Konopka, Williamson, 58.42 (3-3) (6-6).
3: Wilkinson, Auty, Birks, Lemon, 57.81 (3-3) (9-9).
4: Summers, Howe, Douglas, Konopka, 59.20 (3-3) (12-12).
5: Auty, Lawson, Birks, Skidmore, 58.50 (4-2) (16-14).
6: Graversen, Howe, Summers, Jorgensen, 59.44 (2-4) (18-18).
7: Howe, Douglas, Lemon, Wilkinson, 58.93 (5-1) (23-19).
8: Jorgensen, Skidmore, Graversen, Williamson, 58.20 (3-3) (26-22).
9: Summers, Auty, Birks, Konopka, 58.90 (3-3) (29-25).
10: Jorgensen, Lemon, Wilkinson (ret), Douglas (fell), 58.90 (3-2) (32-27).
11: Skidmore, Douglas, Lawson, Williamson, 59.30 (2-4) (34-31).
12: Lemon, Birks, Howe, Graversen (fell, excluded), no time – awarded (3-3) (37-34).
13: Lawson, Douglas, Summers, Jorgensen, 59.60 (2-4) (39-38).
14: Auty, Graversen, Howe, Wilkinson (fell, excluded), no time – awarded (4-2) (43-40).
15: Lawson, Auty, Douglas, Summers, 58.28 (3-3) (46-43).

* Nicolai Klindt is due to return for the return fixture at Redcar tonight (Thursday, 7.30pm).

* A reminder that all kids aged 17 and under will be admitted free to the next meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway – the double-header on Sunday (start-time 3pm) featuring Scorpions vs Workington Comets and Stags vs Stoke Potters.