Scorpions just miss out after fighting performance at Berwick

BERWICK BANDITS 47 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 46 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions were unfortunate to lose by a single point (46-47) at Berwick last night (Saturday), but were thankful after both Ashley Birks and Josh Auty escaped from nasty accidents without any broken bones.

The Bandits moved into an early 26-16 lead, but the Scorpions hit back with an 8-1 from tactical ride David Howe and Ashley Birks in Heat 8.

Scunthorpe posted back-to-back maximums in Heats 10 and 11. Firstly, Ryan Douglas & Josh Auty combined for a 5-1, and then Howe & guest Hugh Skidmore followed suit, as the Scorpions took a 36-33 lead.

Berwick hit back with a 5-1 of their own in Heat 13 to regain a one-point lead. The Scorpions pair of Auty & Birks trapped in Heat 14, but Steen Jensen ran into the back of Birks and both came down in a horrific looking accident. Fortunately, both riders were OK, with Birks’ foot a bit sore, while Scunthorpe officials were left slightly bemused by the decision to exclude Birks from the re-run.

Auty won the re-run, but fell after the race after his steel shoe came adrift. With the ambulance out on track, Scorpions’ fans hearts were in their mouths, but the good news is that Auty also seems to have escaped any breaks and just has a sore ankle.

The Scorpions needed a 4-2 or better from Heat 15 to win the meeting, and for a lap they held that. But Matej Kus then came past Howe for third place. Douglas did a great job to hold back Kevin Doolan up front, and Howe was unable to regain third place and the Scorpions went down to the narrowest of defeats.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We were unlucky not to win the meeting. We rode very, very well.

“It was a repeat of Peterborough on Tuesday, with bad luck in Heat 14. We gated on a 5-1, and Ash (Birks) wide went for the dirt on the second bend. The Berwick rider (Steen Jensen) just ran straight into him. It was a horrific looking crash, but Ash is OK. He’s just a bit sore, while unfortunately his bike was totalled.

“Josh Auty’s steel shoe worked itself loose on the final lap of the re-run, and when he went to put weight on it after the race, he couldn’t keep himself upright. Again, he’s just a bit sore.

“The last race could have gone either way – we did have a 4-2, but Matej Kus got past David (Howe) for third. But I can’t fault David, as he was magnificent in this meeting, he is riding like a No 1.

“Before the meeting, Dave Peet (Scorpions’ team manager) told the team to treat the meeting as a warm-up for a potential play-off match here, because it was our first visit to Berwick this year and we needed to make sure we got dialled into the track.

“That did happen, as the night progressed. It was most obvious in the performance of Ryan Douglas, who after two duck eggs, got dialled in and scored eight points from his last three rides.”

BERWICK BANDITS 47
1. Claus Vissing 3 3 F 2* (8+1)
2. David Bellego 0 2* 1 1 (4+1)
3. Kevin Doolan 1* 2 3 3 2 (11+1)
4. Steen Jensen 2 0 1 1* (4+1)
5. Matej Kus 2 3 1 3 1* (10+1)
6. Matthew Wethers 3 2* 0 2 (7+1)
7. Alex Edberg 2* 1* 0 0 (3+2)

FLUIDAIR POWER SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 46
1. Hugh Skidmore (Guest) 1* 1 2* 1 (5+2)
2. David Howe 2 3 6# 3 0 (14)
3. Ryan Douglas 0 0 3 2 3 (8)
4. Josh Auty 3 1 2* 3 (9+1)
5. Thomas Jorgensen 0 1 2 0 (3)
6. Tom Perry 0 0 0 (0)
7. Ashley Birks 1 3 2* 1* FX (7+2)

#=tactical ride

1: Vissing, Howe, Skidmore, Bellego, 66.4 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Wethers, Edberg, Birks, Perry, 67.6 (5-1) (8-4).
3: Auty, Jensen, Doolan, Douglas, 67.1 (3-3) (11-7).
4: Birks, Kus, Edberg, Jorgensen, 66.5 (3-3) (14-10).
5: Howe, Doolan, Skidmore, Jensen, 66.8 (2-4) (16-14).
6: Vissing, Bellego, Jorgensen, Perry, 66.4 (5-1) (21-15).
7: Kus, Wethers, Auty, Douglas, 67.3 (5-1) (26-16).
8: HOWE (TR), Birks, Bellego, Edberg, 67.0 (1-8) (27-24).
9: Doolan, Jorgensen, Jensen, Perry, 66.7 (4-2) (31-26).
10: Douglas, Auty, Bellego, Vissing (fell), 68.1 (1-5) (32-31).
11: Howe, Skidmore, Kus, Wethers, 66.9 (1-5) (33-36).
12: Doolan, Douglas, Birks, Edberg, 66.4 (3-3) (36-39).
13: Kus, Vissing, Skidmore, Jorgensen, 68.1 (5-1) (41-40).
14: (Re-run) Auty, Wethers, Jensen, Birks (fell, excluded), 67.9 (3-3) (43-42).
15: Douglas, Doolan, Kus, Howe, 67.9 (3-3) (47-46).

* The two teams meet again at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Tuesday night (7.30pm).