SCORPIONS IN SUPER HEAT DRAMA

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 45 GLASGOW TIGERS 45 (Cab Direct Championship)

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions were close to beating Glasgow Tigers in a thrilling Cab Direct Championship clash at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday) – with the meeting ending as a 45-45 draw and Glasgow winning the subsequent Super Heat.

It was nip-and-tuck across the first ten races, with no more than two points separating the two sides and neither side able to land a 5-1 blow. Scunthorpe skipper Simon Lambert suffered an expensive engine blow-up in Heat 3 and lost what proved to be a crucial point.

However, the next four races all ended as a 5-1. Firstly, Declan Kennedy fought off Glasgow’s Ashton Boughen on the opening lap of Heat 11, and then Kennedy and Jake Allen team-rode for a 5-1 ahead of Boughen.

Scorpions moved six points ahead, and Glasgow introduced Kyle Howarth as a tactical substitute in Heat 12. Zaine Kennedy swept through and joined Lambert at the front, but Dan Thompson and Howarth were soon past Lambert. Thompson pushed inside Kennedy on the third lap and it created a gap for Howarth as Tigers took a 5-1.

Tigers then moved ahead with a 5-1 from Howarth and the previously subdued Chris Harris in Heat 13.

Scunthorpe were not finished and Declan Kennedy and Connor Mountain hit back with a 5-1 in Heat 14, to move Scorpions back ahead at 43-41 entering the final race.

Scorpions’ team manager David Howe was spoilt for choice in Heat 15. Connor Mountain was an obvious pick, but any of five Scorpions could have accompanied him. Howe plumped for experience in No 1 Steve Worrall.

It appeared to be paid off, as Mountain and Worrall trapped. But the flying Thompson was not to be denied and was leading by the end of the second lap. Howarth also relieved Worrall of third place on the second lap. But Mountain then fended off the closing Howarth to ensure the regular 15 heats ended as a 45-45 draw.

That meant each side bagged a point for their efforts. But an extra point was then up for grabs in the Super Heat, where the scoring changes to 4-3-2-0. Scorpions tracked Declan Kennedy – who had won both Heat 11 and 14 – to accompany Mountain. Howarth took the lead, while Mountain and Kennedy were second and third in the early stages and Scorpions held a 5-4. But Thompson burst through on the second lap, overtaking first Kennedy and then Mountain and Tigers took the verdict with a 7-2.

All-in-all, it was a highly entertaining evening with some top notch racing on display, and a tinge of disappointment from the home side in not collecting both league points. Meanwhile, Glasgow are quite obviously a force to be reckoned with – this extended their away record in 2025 to five meetings without defeat.

SCUNTHORPE 45: Connor Mountain 11+1, Jake Allen 7+1, Declan Kennedy 7, Luke Harrison 6+1, Zaine Kennedy 6+1, Steve Worrall 6, Simon Lambert 2+1.

GLASGOW 45: Kyle Howarth 14+1, Dan Thompson 14, Ashton Boughen 7, Chris Harris 5+1, Leon Flint 3, Freddy Hodder 2, Max Perry 0.

Glasgow beat Scunthorpe 7-2 in Super Heat

* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions host Oxford Cheetahs at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday (May 23) at 7.30pm in the second leg of a MAXiCab Knockout Cup quarter-final. Cheetahs have a 20-point lead from the first leg at Oxford, and Scunthorpe will be looking to hit their opponents early in the meeting.

PHOTOS by Ian Rispin