Scorpions very disappointing at Glasgow
GLASGOW TIGERS 71 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 19 (PREMIER LEAGUE)
HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions suffered an embarrassing and humiliating 19-71 defeat at Glasgow Tigers yesterday afternoon (Sunday).
Scunthorpe lost all 15 races to a powerhouse Glasgow side – conceding eleven 5-1s and four 4-2s. Ryan Douglas was the pick of the bunch for the Scorpions, finishing in second place twice and falling contesting the lead in another race. Four Glasgow riders scored a maximum.
Promoter Rob Godfrey says: “I’m very disappointed with the result at Glasgow and I can offer no excuses. I wasn’t up there, but our team manager Dave Peet described our performance as embarrassing.
“Several of our riders need to look at their performances, and realise that it’s not good enough.”
Godfrey promises: “We’ve got a 14-day gap until our next fixture, at home to Sheffield on May 22, and I want our supporters to know that we’ll be considering every option available to us.
“There will be changes, but they won’t be knee jerk. We’ll be thinking carefully about what we’re doing.
“The important thing to emphasise is that it’s not too late for us this season. We’ve only had one Premier League meeting at home against Plymouth and we won that.
“We’ll be having a full practice at the Eddie Wright Raceway prior to the Sheffield match, because we need to keep winning at home.
“The priority in speedway is to win your home meetings, and we’ve won our last two meetings at home, but at the same time there is an obligation to, at least, be competitive in your away meetings. I offer my apologies to the Glasgow management and fans for our performance at their track.
“Sometimes you need a good kick up the backside and perhaps the result at Glasgow will prove to be the kick up the backside that we all needed.”
Godfrey confirmed the temporary spell of Ashley Morris at the club is likely to be at an end.
“The irony is that Ashley Morris is one of the riders exempt from any criticism. My thanks go to him, because he’s come in and done the job that we asked of him, despite the fact that our track is not his favourite.
“He deserves a place in the Premier League and I hope another club will snap him up”, Godfrey concludes.
GLASGOW TIGERS 71
1. Richard Lawson 3 3 3 2*3 (14+1)
2. Nike Lunna 2* 2* 3 2* (9+3)
3. Richie Worrall 3 2* 3 3 2* (13+2)
4. Ben Barker 2* 3 1 3 (9+1)
5. Aaron Summers 3 3 2* 3 (11+1)
6. Fernando Garcia 3 1 3 2* (9+1)
7. Danny Ayres 2* 1 2* 1 (6+2)
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 19
1. Josh Auty 1 1 0 0 (2)
2. Carl Wilkinson FX R R# 1 (1)
3. Alex Davies 1 0 0 (1)
4. Ashley Morris R 2 1 1 0 (4)
5. Ryan Douglas 2 F 2 1 1 (6)
6. Zdenek Holub 1 1 0 2 (4)
7. Josh Bailey 0 0 1 0 0 (1)
# = tactical ride
1: Lawson, Lunna, Auty, Wilkinson (fell, excluded), awarded – no time (5-1) (5-1).
2: Garcia, Ayres, Holub, Bailey, 59.4 (5-1) (10-2)
3: Worrall, Barker, Davies, Morris (ret), 58.3 (5-1) (15-3).
4: Summers, Douglas, Ayres, Bailey, 57.7 (4-2) (19-5).
5: Barker, Worrall, Auty, Wilkinson (ret), 58.0 (5-1) (24-6).
6: Lawson, Lunna, Holub, Douglas (fell), 58.8 (5-1) (29-7).
7: Summers, Morris, Garcia, Davies, 57.7 (4-2) (33-9).
8: Lunna, Ayres, Bailey, WILKINSON (TR) (ret), 59.9 (5-1) (38-10).
9: Worrall, Douglas, Barker, Holub, 57.8 (4-2) (42-12).
10: Lawson, Lunna, Morris, Davies, 57.3 (5-1) (47-13).
11: Garcia, Summers, Wilkinson, Auty, 58.3 (5-1) (52-14).
12: Worrall, Holub, Ayres, Bailey, 58.9 (4-2) (56-16).
13: Summers, Lawson, Douglas, Auty, 57.4 (5-1) (61-17).
14: Barker, Garcia, Morris, Bailey, 59.2 (5-1) (66-18).
15: Lawson, Worrall, Douglas, Morris, 57.7 (5-1) (71-19).
* The British Semi-Final takes place at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway this Friday (May 13, 7.30pm), with a top class field competing for seven places in the British Final at the National Speedway Stadium at Belle Vue on June 13.
