Stags keep rolling on with another win

LONG EATON INVADERS 15
SCUNTHORPE STAGS 21
MIDLAND DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE, 28th MAY

The Stags continued their amazing run of results with another away win against the Long Eaton Invaders at Leicester tonight, ensuring they retain their position at the top of MDL Group B. Chris, Luke and Sam only dropped one point each to their opponents, while Ditchy again improved with each ride and deserved more for his efforts.

An eventful first race was won by the Invaders’ Craig Osborne after his team mate, Kyle Roberts, fell when holding a comfortable lead. Roberts was able to remount and finish third ahead of Ditchy who had fallen and remounted himself. Meanwhile Chris was experiencing all sorts of difficulties in second place in his first ever ride at the Leicester track, and seemed to be losing confidence with every lap.

Stephen Whitehouse took the win in Heat 2 with Sam and Luke filling in behind for a shared heat, giving the Invaders a two-point lead after the first pair of races. However, from that point on the Stags took complete control and provided the heat winners in all the remaining races. The Stags nosed ahead with a 5-1 from Sam and Luke in Heat 3, and after a bit of a pep-talk, Chris re-focussed to take a much improved win in Heat 4. Another excellent win from Sam in Heat 5 maintained the Stags slender lead going into the last race. Heat 6 was won by Luke who produced the ride of his season so far, passing Chris on lap 1 and disappearing off into the distance displaying amazing speed and control to clinch a comfortable win for the Stags in the end.

For the Invaders, Stephen Whitehouse battled hard for his 8 points and was well supported by Craig Osborne, while the unlucky Kyle Roberts, after his Heat 1 fall, snapped a chain in his second race which then highlighted a problem preventing him from taking his third ride.

This is the Stags third win plus a draw in their last four matches and sets them up very nicely for the second half of their season.

LONG EATON INVADERS 15
1. Kyle Roberts – 1,R,-, = 1
2. Craig Osborne – 3,1,1+1, = 5+1
3. Aaron Butcher – 0,1+1,0, = 1+1
4. Stephen Whitehouse – 3,2,2,1, = 8

SCUNTHORPE STAGS 21
1. Chris Hay – 2,3,2+1, = 7+1
2. Lloyd Ditchburn – 0,0,0, = 0
3. Luke Whitehead – 1+1,2+1,3, = 6+2
4. Sam Chapman – 2,3,3, = 8

Ht1. Osborne, Hay, Roberts, Ditchburn, 4-2 (4-2)
Ht2. Whitehouse, Chapman, Whitehead, Butcher. 3-3 (7-5)
Ht3. Chapman, Whitehead, Osborne, Roberts(R), 1-5 (8-10)
Ht4. Hay, Whitehouse, Butcher, Ditchburn. 3-3 (11-13)
Ht5. Chapman, Whitehouse, Osborne, Ditchburn. 3-3 (14-16)
Ht6. Whitehead, Hay, Whitehouse, Butcher. 1-5 (15-21)