First blood to Devils, rematch tonight!
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 62 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 30 (PREMIER LEAGUE)
FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, are looking to bounce straight back in their final home meeting of the season against Plymouth Devils at the Eddie Wright Raceway this evening (Friday, 7.30pm), after a heavy 30-62 defeat against the Devils in South Devon last night (Thursday).
Any chance of the Scorpions gaining league points from last night’s encounter disappeared when the Scorpions were unable to find a suitable guest for injured skipper Theo Pijper.
Junior rider Sam Darroch, who rides for Scunthorpe Stags in the Midland Development League, was pressed into service in place of the Dutchman. Not surprisingly he failed to score from three outings, although he will have gained valuable experience for the future.
Alex Davies (pictured) was the pick of the Scunthorpe riders, winning Heats 8 & 12, both of which ended up as 4-2s to the visitors.
Meanwhile, late season signing Leigh Lanham maintained his record of scoring double figures in each of his appearances for the Scorpions.
But otherwise Plymouth showed the recent brilliant all-around form that has taken them to the brink of the Premier League play-offs, with six of their riders paid for double figures.
Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “It was damage limitation at Plymouth. Three of our riders – Nike Lunna, Andreas Lyager and Sam Darroch – had never seen the place before, so it was a learning curve for them.
“Alex Davies was in the thick of action, but suffered a fall in Heat 9. He continued in the meeting after that, but opted out of Heat 15, because he had pins and needles in his arm. He’ll be fine for the return at Scunthorpe later today.
“Plymouth are very strong and impressive around their own track, but it will be a different kettle of fish at the Eddie Wright Raceway. We are very much seeking to beat the Devils around our own place, to finish our home fixtures with a victory.”
Promoter Rob Godfrey added: “I phoned around 20 riders, maybe more, looking for a guest replacement for Theo. Some were unavailable; others just didn’t want to do it.
“In the end, we had two choices: Rafal Konopka or Sam Darroch. Rafal is brilliant, because he’ll ride anywhere for you, but with all due respect to the lad, riding at No 2 he would have scored exactly the same as Sam.
“So we decided to give Sam the opportunity, because he’s a young British lad who rides for our own junior MDL team. He’ll have learnt so much from the experience.
“Both Leigh and Alex raised their game, and although the final scoreline looks like a cricket score, it’s comparable to a lot of Plymouth’s recent home matches.
“It’s worth pointing out that we went to Plymouth under-strength without a No 1 and with a junior at No 2, and still outscored Newcastle’s tally from a few weeks ago (27). Ironically, Alex Davies top scored for the Diamonds that night as a guest!
“We’ll regroup for the home meeting against the Devils today. That’s the priority and the one we are really determined to win”, concluded Godfrey.
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 62
1. Ryan Fisher 2* F 3 3 2* (10+2)
2. Morten Risager 3 3 2 2* 3 (13+1)
3. Jack Holder 3 2* 3 2 (10+1)
4. Todd Kurtz 2* 3 1 2* (8+2)
5. Kyle Newman 3 3 2* 2* (10+2)
6. Sam Simota 3 1 3 3 (10)
7. Linus Eklof 1 F 0 0 (1)
FLUIDAIR POWER SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS SUPPORTED BY HENDERSON INSURANCE 30
1. R/R for Zdenek Holub
2. Sam Darroch (Guest) 0 0 0 (0)
3. Andreas Lyager 1 1 0 0 1 0 (3)
4. Carl Wilkinson FX 2 1 0 1 (4)
5. Leigh Lanham 1 2 2 4# 1 1 (11)
6. Alex Davies 2 1* 3 FX 1 3 (10+1)
7. Nike Lunna 0 1* 1 0 (2+1)
# = tactical ride
1: Risager, Fisher, Lanham, Darroch, 50.28 (5-1) (5-1).
2: Simota, Davies, Eklof, Lunna, 50.02 (4-2) (9-3).
3 (Re-run): Holder, Kurtz, Lyager, Wilkinson (fell, excluded), 51.31 (5-1) (14-4).
4: Newman, Lanham, Lunna, Eklof (fell), 51.82 (3-3) (17-7).
5: Kurtz, Holder, Lyager, Darroch, 52.46 (5-1) (22-8).
6: Risager, Lanham, Davies, Fisher (fell), 51.31 (3-3) (25-11).
7: Newman, Wilkinson, Simota, Lyager, 51.72 (4-2) (29-13).
8: Davies, Risager, Lunna, Eklof, 51.16 (2-4) (31-17).
9: Holder, LANHAM (TR), Kurtz, Davies (fell, excluded), awarded – no time (4-4) (35-21).
10: Fisher, Risager, Wilkinson, Lyager, 51.44 (5-1) (40-22).
11: Simota, Newman, Davies, Darroch, 51.00 (5-1) (45-23).
12: Davies, Holder, Lyager, Eklof, 51.50 (2-4) (47-27).
13: Fisher, Newman, Lanham, Wilkinson, 51.75 (5-1) (52-28).
14: Simota, Kurtz, Wilkinson, Lunna, 51.97 (5-1) (57-29).
15: Risager, Fisher, Lanham, Lyager, 52.03 (5-1) (62-30).
* The Scorpions bring in Sheffield pair Andre Compton and David Bellego as guests for tonight’s return match against the Devils at the Eddie Wright Raceway (7.30pm). It’s the final meeting of the season at the EWR, so don’t miss it!
