SCORPIONS CRASH TO HOME DEFEAT AGAINST LEADERS

SCORPIONS CRASH TO HOME DEFEAT AGAINST LEAGUE LEADERS

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 40 POOLE PIRATES 50 (Cab Direct Championship)

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions let slip an early six-point lead and suffered a 40-50 home defeat to reigning champions Poole Pirates at the Eddie Wright Raceway in the Cab Direct Championship last night (Friday).

Poole are the runaway league leaders, but Scorpions were optimistic of upsetting the applecart as they moved into a 21-15 lead after six races, with Connor Mountain winning both of his opening races.

But Pirates hit back to level the scores at 24-24 and then moved 32-28 ahead after a 5-1 in Heat 10 from powerhouse middle pairing Zach Cook and Lewis Kerr.

After the interval, the racing was outstanding for the remaining five races, with 18 overtakes during these races alone.

Pirates moved six points ahead. Steve Worrall and Jake Allen attempted to shut out Richard Lawson in Heat 13, but the Poole No 1 cut under both Scorpions with a lap remaining in a sublime move.

Worrall came into Heat 14 as a tactical substitute, but Cook won a battle for first place to secure victory for Poole, who also secured an aggregate bonus point are now nine points clear at the top of the Cab Direct Championship

Scunthorpe are in fourth – the final qualifying position for the end-of-season play-offs – while today’s (Saturday) visit to Workington is now vital if the Scorpions intend to hang onto that spot. Scorpions are again due to be at full strength at Workington. For those unable to make it to Cumbria, the meeting is being shown on the British Speedway Network (BSN).

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “You’ve got to give respect to the Poole team – they are a very good side and put in a solid performance. It would surprise no-one if they won the Cab Direct Championship again this season.

“We got six points ahead, but we weren’t firing on our cylinders. We just can’t get consistency as a team, and against a team like Poole, you’re going to get punished for that.

“The track was mint tonight and the crowd can’t say that they weren’t entertained by the racing. But the problem was that the Poole riders loved the track.

“Another home defeat isn’t what we wanted or needed. It does make important that we hit straight back and bounce back with a victory at Workington to keep up our play-off challenge.”

SCUNTHORPE 40: Steve Worrall 9+1, Zaine Kennedy 9, Connor Mountain 8+2, Jake Allen 5+2, Declan Kennedy 4, Simon Lambert 3, Luke Harrison 2.

POOLE 50: Zach Cook 14, Richard Lawson 11+2, Lewis Kerr 7+2, Anders Rowe 6, Tobias Thomsen 4+1, Paul Starke 4, Will Cairns 4.

* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are next at home next Friday (July 25) when they face third-placed Edinburgh Monarchs in a crucial clash. It’s a double-header also featuring National League Steelers taking on the Edinburgh Academy and the meeting starts at the earlier than usual time of 7pm.

PHOTOS by Ian Rispin