LARGE DEFEAT FOR SCORPIONS AT WORKINGTON
LARGE DEFEAT FOR SCORPIONS AT WORKINGTON
WORKINGTON COMETS 58 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 32 (Cab Direct Championship)
ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions suffered their biggest defeat of the season with a 32-58 loss at Workington in the Cab Direct Championship yesterday (Saturday).
It came a day after a 40-50 home defeat to league leaders Poole. While Scunthorpe stay in fourth place – the final qualifying position for the play-offs – they are now looking anxiously over their shoulders at the chasing pack.
Scorpions took the lead in Cumbria with a 4-2 from Steve Worrall and skipper Simon Lambert in Heat 1, but Workington Comets hit back immediately with three heat advantages of their own.
Worrall won Heat 5 in fine style, after overhauling Fraser Bowes and Jye Etheridge in the early stages. But Comets then took four of the next five races with a 5-1 and had already clinched victory at 42-18.
Scorpions added a little respectability to the scoreline via a 4-2 to Worrall and Zaine Kennedy in Heat 11 and a 5-1 to Connor Mountain and Luke Harrison in Heat 14.
Heat 15 was allowed to continue, despite Worrall having to take evasive action after Bowes reared and lost control in front of him. Referee Seth Perkin had the option to stop the race and exclude Bowes, but failed to do so and the race finished as a final 4-2 to Comets.
Worrall top-scorer for Scorpions with 12 points – after winning his opening three outings – while teenage reserve Harrison was lively and scored 8+1.
Scorpions defeated Comets by 61-29 in the BSN Series at the Eddie Wright Raceway in May and will need a similar outcome on August 1 to take the aggregate bonus point.
Scunthorpe promoter and stand-in team manager Rob Godfrey said: “I don’t want to take anything away from Workington, who were super today. But I was embarrassed by our performance. I apologise to the Scunthorpe fans, both those who made the journey today and also those who watched the live stream on BSN (British Speedway Network).
“It’s been a horrible 48 hours for us. If were are to salvage anything from this season, we need a big performance against Edinburgh at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday. That’s now a huge meeting for us and I hope the fans turn out in force to get behind the lads.”
WORKINGTON 58: Troy Batchelor 16+1, Fraser Bowes 14+1, Tate Zischke 9+2, Jye Etheridge 8+3, Jacob Hook 7, Vinnie Foord 4, Antti Vuolas r/r.
SCUNTHORPE 32: Steve Worrall 12, Luke Harrison 8+1, Connor Mountain 5, Zaine Kennedy 5, Simon Lambert 1, Declan Kennedy 1, Jake Allen 0.
* ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions are next at home next Friday (July 25) when they face third-placed Edinburgh Monarchs in a crunch 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.
