Depleted Scorpions run out of steam

SHEFFIELD TIGERS 54 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 35 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

DEPLETED Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions put in a fighting performance at Sheffield last night (Wednesday), only to fade in the final four races, to end up the wrong side of a 35-54 scoreline.

Scorpions were hit by the withdrawal of Josh Auty and Michael Palm Toft on the morning of the meeting, both through illness, with Redcar’s Hugh Skidmore accepting an eleventh hour guest booking for Auty, while Scorpions used rider replacement for Palm Toft.

Nevertheless, Scorpions kept it close for the majority of the meeting and were only seven points adrift with four heats remaining. But then Sheffield Tigers struck with a late flurry of two 4-2s and two 5-1s.

Busy reserve Carl Wilkinson did much to take the battle to Tigers in the early stages, and had actually scored 7 points by the end of Heat 3!

Ryan Douglas ended up as top scorer for Scorpions with 11 points, while Lewis Kerr, Wilkinson and Skidmore also took heat wins.

Team manager Dave Peet said: “Our thanks go to Hugh Skidmore for accepting a late guest booking. The absence of Josh Auty and Michael Palm Toft through illness did hit us – we definitely missed the pair of them, that’s for sure.

“We just ran out of steam. There were one or two things early on, such as Lewis Kerr uncharacteristically touching the tapes in Heat 3, that messed up for our plans for later in the meeting, because we had always planned to give Wilko (Carl Wilkinson) seven rides, and we couldn’t necessarily track him in the races that we wanted.

“Fritz Wallner hasn’t seen the place before and had a few bike problems, but he was starting to get dialled in towards the end.

“Ryan Douglas is now on it and could have easily ended up with a few more points.

“But no-one let us down really. I think all the lads did as expected; it was just Sheffield were too strong on the day.”

SHEFFIELD TIGERS 54
1. Richard Lawson (Guest) 3 1 3 2* 3 3 (15+1)
2. Jason Garrity R/R
3. Kyle Howarth 3 3 3 1* 3 (13+1)
4. Josh Bates 1 0 2 3 3 (9)
5. Dimitri Berge R 3 R 2 1 2* (8+1)
6. Arthur Sissis 2 2 0 2* (6+1)
7. Nathan Stoneman (Guest) 1* 1 0 1 (3+1)

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 35
1. Hugh Skidmore (Guest) 1* 1* 3 0 (5+1)
2. Michael Palm Toft R/R
3. Lewis Kerr TX 2 3 0 2 1 (8)
4. Fritz Wallner F R 1 0 (1)
5. Ryan Douglas 2 2 2 3 2 F (11)
6. Carl Wilkinson 2 3 2 0 1* 1 1 (10+1)
7. Chris Widman (Guest) 0 0 0 0 (0)

1: Lawson, Wilkinson, Skidmore, Berge(ret), 61.6 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Wilkinson, Sissis, Stoneman, Widman, 62.4 (3-3) (6-6).
3 (Re-run twice): Howarth, Wilkinson, Bates, Wallner (fell), Kerr (excluded, tape touching), 61.5 (4-2) (10-8).
4: Berge, Douglas, Stoneman, Widman, 62.1 (4-2) (14-10).
5: Howarth, Kerr, Skidmore, Bates, 61.3 (3-3) (17-13).
6: Howarth, Douglas, Lawson, Wilkinson, 60.3. (4-2) (21-15).
7: Kerr, Sissis, Berge (ret), Wallner (ret), 62.1 (2-3) (23-18).
8: Lawson, Douglas, Wilkinson, Stoneman, 61.3 (3-3) (26-21).
9: Douglas, Bates, Howarth, Widman, 62.2 (3-3) (29-24).
10: Bates, Lawson, Wallner, Kerr, 61.8 (5-1) (34-25).
11: Skidmore, Berge, Wilkinson, Sissis, 63.0 (2-4) (36-29).
12: Howarth, Kerr, Stoneman, Widman. 62.0 (4-2) (40-31).
13: Lawson, Douglas, Berge, Skidmore, 61.8 (4-2) (44-33).
14: Bates, Sissis, Wilkinson, Wallner, 63.2 (5-1) (49-34).
15: Lawson, Berge, Kerr, Douglas (fell), 62.3 (5-1) (54-35).