Solid Scorpions start season with sensational success in Suffolk

IPSWICH WITCHES 41 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 48 (LEAGUE CUP)

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions started their 2016 season with a terrific 48-41 away victory at Ipswich in a League Cup encounter last night (Thursday).

The key to the success were contributions from all seven members of the side. The Scorpions provided five heat winners compared to Ipswich’s ten, but also had just six last places.

Scunthorpe registered four 5-1s, while Ipswich managed none.

18-year-old new signing Josh Bailey took a paid win from his first-ever ride for the Scorpions, combining with fellow reserve Carl Wilkinson for a maximum in Heat 2.

Successive 5-1s from the Scorpions in Heats 7 & 8 moved the visitors firmly in control, and the Scorpions clinched the meeting with two heats to spare.

A second place for Scorpions’ top scorer Alex Davies in Heat 15 made sure of the fourth League Cup point. The Australian had earlier defeated home No 1 Danny King in Heat 10.

Speaking straight after the victory, team manager Dave Peet said: “I take my hat off to the boys. Our attitude was that we were going to give it a go, and that’s exactly what we did all the way throughout the meeting.

“Alex Davies continued his form from the end of last season. He was superb; there won’t be many riders who beat Danny King around Ipswich this season. Alex is just going to get better, in fact, the whole team will just get better.

“Wilko (Carl Wilkinson) got a hatful of points from reserve, but that’s the way we are set up this year, with strength in depth.

“Josh (Auty) and Dougie (Ryan Douglas) have come back from injuries sustained last year, and are getting more and more confident with every ride.

“It was a real team performance – everyone contributed, Zdenek (Holub), Nicolai (Klindt), all of them. Young Josh Bailey scored a paid win in Heat 2; it was a terrific ride from him and was the difference between us taking 4 points rather than 3 points from the meeting.

“As a first meeting of the season, it could hardly have gone better, and we now need to follow it up with the same kind of all-round team performance when the Witches come to our place on Sunday afternoon.”

IPSWICH WITCHES 41
1. Danny King 3 3 2 3 3 (14)
2. James Sarjeant F 0 F 0 (0)
3. Lewis Kerr 1 3 FX 1 (5)
4. Morten Risager 3 1 3 3 (10)
5. Nico Covatti 3 1 3 0 1 (8)
6. Paco Castagna 0 0 0 (0)
7. Darryl Ritchings 1 1 1 0 1 (4)

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 48
1. Josh Auty 2 2 1* 1* (6+2)
2. Nicolai Klindt 1* 0 3 2 (6+1)
3. Alex Davies 2 3 3 3 2 (13)
4. Zdenek Holub 0 2* 1 2 (5+1)
5. Ryan Douglas 2 1* 2 2 0 (7+1)
6. Carl Wilkinson 3 2 2* FX 2* (9+2)
7. Josh Bailey 2* 0 0 (2+1)

1: King, Auty, Klindt, Sarjeant (fell), 60.0 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Wilkinson, Bailey, Ritchings, Castagna, 60.8 (1-5) (4-8).
3: Risager, Davies, Kerr, Holub, 60.0 (4-2) (8-10).
4: Covatti, Douglas, Ritchings, Bailey, 59.2 (4-2) (12-12).
5: Kerr, Auty, Risager, Klindt, 59.6 (4-2) (16-14).
6: King, Wilkinson, Douglas, Sarjeant, 59.6 (3-3) (19-17).
7: Davies, Holub, Covatti, Castagna, 60.7 (1-5) (20-22).
8: Klindt, Wilkinson, Ritchings, Sarjeant (fell), 59.0 (1-5) (21-27).
9: (Re-run twice) Risager, Douglas, Kerr (fell, excluded), Wilkinson (fell, excluded), 59.4 (3-2) (24-29).
10: Davies, King, Holub, Sarjeant, 59.8 (2-4) (26-33).
11: Covatti, Klindt, Auty, Castagna, 59.7 (3-3) (29-36).
12: Davies, Wilkinson, Kerr, Ritchings, 60.7 (1-5) (30-41).
13: King, Douglas, Auty, Covatti, 60.1 (3-3) (33-44).
14: Risager, Holub, Ritchings, Bailey, 60.1 (4-2) (37-46).
15: (Re-run) King, Davies, Covatti, Douglas, 60.2 (41-48).