SCORPIONS COMPLETE 100 PERCENT HOME RECORD
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 47 OXFORD CHEETAHS 43 (Cab Direct Championship)
SCUNTHORPE STAGS 39 OXFORD CHARGERS 50 (National League)
JAKE ALLEN won the final two races to secure victory, as Ellie Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions were confirmed as finishing third in the Cab Direct Championship table – after a 47-43 victory over the Oxford Cheetahs at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday).
It represents Scunthorpe Speedway’s second-best league finish at second tier-level, only beaten by 2012. That season Scorpions finished second to Newcastle in the regular table, before defeating Somerset in a tense play-off final to become champions.
In the second half of the double-header, Scunthorpe Stags lost out 39-50 to the Oxford Chargers on a night all the luck went against them.
Before that, victory against Oxford saw Scorpions became the only team to complete their regular Cab Direct Championship with an unblemished 100% record. Cheetahs were also unbeaten at home, but taken to a Super Heat by Poole in one fixture.
Cheetahs represented the best visitors to the Eddie Wright Raceway this season, surpassing Poole’s total of 42.
Last night saw many of the matters resolved at the top end of the Cab Direct Championship. Poole’s victory at Edinburgh combined with Scunthorpe defeating Oxford but Cheetahs taking the aggregate bonus point means that Poole finish top, Oxford second and Scunthorpe third. Workington are favourites to finish in the fourth and final play-off position, but could still be pipped at the post by defending champions Glasgow.
It all means that Scunthorpe and Oxford will meet again in the play-offs semi-finals. Dates will be determined in due course.
Scorpions flew into a 19-11 lead after five races against Cheetahs. Nathan Ablitt flew around both Luke Killeen and Jody Scott to join Luke Harrison for a 5-1 in Heat 2, while Jake Allen and Simon Lambert took another maximum in Heat 5.
Jordan Jenkins was a very impressive visitor for Oxford and he came into Heat 6 as a tactical substitute and he joined Scott Nicholls for a 5-1. He also won Heat 7, with Kyle Howarth forced to pull out of second place with an engine failure, as Cheetahs closed the gap to just two points.
Scunthorpe skipper Lambert overtook opposite number Nicholls in Heat 9, as Scorpions took a 4-2 and a further 4-2 followed when Michael Palm Toft raced around Jenkins early to win Heat 10.
Ablitt just held on beat Oxford No 1 Sam Masters in a photo finish for third place in Heat 11, while Howarth avoided a 5-1 to Oxford by passing Masters in the early stages of Heat 13.
Allen won an absorbing contest in Heat 14, sticking to the outside line and it paid off as he won both an initial battle with Killeen and then with Jenkins.
With Scorpions four points ahead, Allen got out in front of Heat 15. All four riders were close track out on track, but Allen won ahead of Cameron Heeps and Nicholls to clinch 47-43 victory for Scorpions.
Oxford Cheetahs the aggregate bonus point by 98-81, something that Scorpions will have to address when the two sides meet again in the play-offs.
SCUNTHORPE STAGS were out of luck in the following National League encounter against a very solid Oxford Chargers team, with Stags slipping to a 39-50 defeat and being reduced to six men after Mickie Simpson crashed out injured in Heat 6. Luke Harrison completed a classy full 12-point maximum, while Ace Pijper top scored on 13 points.
Stags took an early 10-8 lead, after Stene Pijper passed Ashton Vale to join Ace Pijper for a 5-1 in Heat 3.
In many ways, Heat 6 was the undoing of Stags. There was a collision between team-mates Ablitt and Simpson on the opening bend. Simpson was harshly excluded from the re-run, although he would not have been fit in any case, while Ablitt was thrown out of the race due to a lack of dirt deflector. It meant an uncontested 5-0 for Chargers, who moved into a lead that they never surrendered.
The meeting was more-or-less settled when race-leader Ablitt – having overtaken Vale – crashed out on the final lap of Heat 10. That placed Chargers into a nine-point lead which became 13 points after Chargers took a further 5-1 in Heat 12.
Stags had won 18 points at Cowley in July. With their aggregate lead reduced to five points, Luke Harrison won Heat 13, while Ablitt passed Jody Scott for third place, as Stags took a 4-2.
Chargers had already won on the night, but Ace Pijper won the final two races, as Stags won 93-86 on aggregate.
Luke Harrison, who scored 7+2 for Scorpions and a full 12-point maximum for Stags, said: “Oxford Cheetahs are a strong side, so it was always going to be a tough meeting tonight. But we stuck together as a team and came out with the victory.
“It was important to us to win tonight, because we do have Oxford again in the play-offs, and we needed to send out a message that we won’t make it an easy run for them.
“We didn’t have the best meeting at Oxford, but every time we’ve gone back somewhere a second time, we’ve done much better, and we’ll make sure we’ll do that at Oxford. We’ll aim go back there and either win or keep It really close.
“It was one of my better performances for the Scorpions tonight. I did my job and scored in every race and ended up with a good tally.
“The National League meetings are a bit different. We want to do well, but it’s more about track time than winning or losing, and it gave me the chance to try out a few things. And whatever I tried was working, which was good.
“Riding at No 5 for the Stags, I’m coming up against fellow Championship riders, while Luke Killeen rides in the Premiership too. So I’m coming up riders around my level and it’s good competition. As for the lads further down the time, it’s all about the bike time. That’s actually true about all of us, the more you’re on the bike the better it is.
“As for the Scorpions, we’re coming to the end of the season, where the silverware is decided and you could across the top teams. Every meeting is going to difficult, but if we keep on performing as a team and getting behind each other, we’ll be alright.”
SCORPIONS 47: Jake Allen 12, Simon Lambert 7+3, Luke Harrison 7+2, Kyle Howarth 6, Connor Mountain 6, Nathan Ablitt 5+2, Michael Palm Toft 4+1.
CHEETAHS 43: Jordan Jenkins 13, Scott Nicholls 11+2, Cameron Heeps 9, Sam Masters 4, Ashton Boughen 4, Luke Killeen 2+1, Jody Scott 0.
STAGS 39: Ace Pijper 13, Luke Harrison 12, Stene Pijper 5+3, Kean Dicken 5, Nathan Ablitt 4, Mickie Simpson 0, Jamie Etherington 0.
CHARGERS 50: Jody Scott 10, Luke Killeen 9, Jacob Clouting 8+3, Ashton Vale 7, Declan Killeen 6+2, Arran Butcher 5+2, Senna Summers 5+2.
* ELLIS ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are next in action when they host Poole Pirates in the second leg of a Cab Direct Knockout Cup semi-final next Friday (September 6) at 7.30pm. Pirates have a 60-29 advantage from the first leg in Dorset.
