Scorpions hit form to batter Witches
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 53 IPSWICH WITCHES 37 (PREMIER LEAGUE)
HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions put in their best team performance of the season, to batter the Ipswich Witches by 53-37 at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday evening (Sunday).
Josh Auty (full) and Ryan Douglas (paid) both collected maximums, while Scorpions provided 12 out of 15 heat winners – previously their Achilles’ Heel this season.
Witches led 17-13 early on, but Scorpions stepped up a gear with successive 5-1s from Douglas & Carl Wilkinson in Heat 6 and Auty and Michael Palm Toft in Heat 7 and always looked in control from thereon in, with two late 5-1s from Auty and Douglas leaving Scorpions with a comfortable 16-point win.
The spectacular Auty scored many of his points from behind, including a brilliant Heat 11 where he overhauled Danny King and James Sarjeant in the closing stages in sensational style. It would have gone down as the race of the season at many tracks, on another outstanding evening of racing at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
While Auty and Douglas grabbed the headlines, every Scorpion did their job. Wilkinson was unbeaten after a Heat 1 last place, Alex Davies put in a much improved showing, while Palm Toft was flying in the opening half of the meeting.
Lewis Kerr won Heat 14 in spectacular style against his old club, while Josh Bailey deserved more than a point for his efforts.
Ryan Douglas said: “My first meeting at No 1 couldn’t have gone any better, with a paid maximum.
“Riding at No 1 isn’t a lot different to No 5. The biggest difference is that you have to go out in Heat 1, but I don’t mind it, because I like going end out there when the track is fresh. If you hit the front, it’s great.
“I think that riding at No 5 suits Josh (Auty) because the track has changed a bit by the time he’s out, and the outside line has developed, and Josh is the best at riding that in our team, which he showed by coming through from the back in Heat 4.
“The whole team stepped up. We were much better out of the starts and we won it pretty comfortably in the end, with a couple of heats to spare.
“Everyone can walk away from this one with their heads held high. Lewi (Lewis Kerr) had a race where he felt the green light hadn’t come on (Heat 9) and he got stranded at the tapes, but he then had an awesome ride in Heat 14 where he charged around everyone, so he finished on a great note.
“We’ve got a lot of meetings coming up, and this win was a big confidence booster for everyone, so hopefully we can take it forward, starting at Redcar on Thursday.”
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 53
1. Ryan Douglas 3 2* 3 2* 2* (12+3) PAID MAXIMUM
2. Carl Wilkinson 0 3 3 2* (8+1)
3. Alex Davies 0 2 2 3 (7)
4. Lewis Kerr 2 0 R 3 (5)
5. Josh Auty 3 3 3 3 3 (15) FULL MAXIMUM
6. Michael Palm Toft 3 2* 0 0 (5+1)
7. Josh Bailey FX 0 1 0 (1)
IPSWICH WITCHES 37
1. Danny King 1* 1 1* 1 (4+2)
2. James Sarjeant 2 3 2 2 0 (9)
3. Nico Covatti 3 0 FX 1* (4+1)
4. Morten Risager 1 1 1 2 (5)
5. Ben Barker 2 1 3 0 1 (7)
6. Joe Jacobs 2 0 1 2 1* (6+1)
7. Oliver Greenwood 1* 1* 0 (2+2)
1: Douglas, King, Sarjeant, Wilkinson, 56.5 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Palm Toft, Jacobs, Greenwood, Bailey (fell, excluded), awarded – no time (3-3) (6-6).
3: Covatti, Kerr, Risager, Davies, 57.96 (2-4) (8-10).
4: Auty, Barker, Greenwood, Bailey, 57.39. (3-3) (11-13).
5: Sarjeant, Davies, King, Kerr, 56.26. (2-4) (13-17).
6: Wilkinson, Douglas, Barker, Jacobs, 58.18. (5-1) (18-18).
7: Auty, Palm Toft, Risager, Covatti, 57.8. (5-1) (23-19).
8: (Re-run) Wilkinson, Sarjeant, Bailey, Greenwood, 57.79 (4-2) (27-21).
9: Barker, Davies, Jacobs, Kerr (ret), 58.29 (2-4) (29-25).
10: (Re-run): Douglas, Wilkinson, Risager, Covatti (fell, excluded), 57.82 (5-1) (34-26).
11: Auty, Sarjeant, King, Palm Toft, 58.39. (3-3) (37-29).
12: Davies, Jacobs, Covatti, Bailey, 58.88. (3-3) (40-32).
13: Auty, Douglas, King, Barker, 58.51. (5-1) (45-33).
14: (Re-run) Kerr, Risager, Jacobs, Palm Toft, 57.66. (3-3) (48-36).
15: (Re-run) Auty, Douglas, Barker, Sarjeant, 58.82. (5-1) (53-37).
PHOTO: Ryan (blue) & Josh (red) complete their respective maximums in Heat 15.
