Depleted Scorpions second best

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 40 SHEFFIELD TIGERS 50 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)

DEPLETED Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions went down 40-50 to local rivals Sheffield Tigers at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday (Sunday).

Scorpions were without both Stefan Nielsen (broken collarbone) and Ryan Douglas (concussion), both injured at Ipswich on Thursday.

Bradley Wilson-Dean guested for Nielsen and top-scored for Scorpions with 9+2 – including a fine overtake of Tigers’ No 1 Josh Grajczonek in Heat 11 – but rider replacement for Douglas yielded just 3+3.

But a major factor in the result was the performance of Sheffield’s top four, who dropped just a handful of points between them, with both Kyle Howarth (full) and Josh Bates (paid) scoring maximums. Tigers provided 11 heat-winners to Scorpions’ tally of just four.

Scorpions were just four points down with three heats to go, but Tigers secured all four points available with a 5-1 in Heat 13 and a 4-2 in Heat 15.

Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “We did miss Stefan and Ryan, although to be fair to Bradley Wilson-Dean, he came in and did the job for us. We knew it was going to be tough and so it proved to be.

“Sheffield won it with their top four – they all rode extremely well and they did the damage against us. Their top boys were better than our top boys.

“It wasn’t to be. It’s fair enough to say we could have done better in this match, and we must come back with a stronger performance against Ipswich next Sunday.”

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 40
1. Michael Palm Toft 1* 2 2 1 2 (8+1)
2. Carl Wilkinson 2 0 1* 3 0 (6+1)
3. Lewis Kerr 1 2 2 3 1* R (9+1)
4. Ryan Douglas R/R
5. Josh Auty 2 1 1 0 (4)
6. Bradley Wilson-Dean (Guest) 3 1* 1 1* 3 F (9+2)
7. Josh Bailey 2* 0 0 2 (4+1)

SHEFFIELD TIGERS 50
1. Josh Grajczonek 3 3 2 2* 1 (11+1)
2. Todd Kurtz 0 0 2 0 (2)
3. Lasse Bjerre 3 3 1 2 (9)
4. Josh Bates 2* 2* 3 3 (10+2)
5. Kyle Howarth 3 3 3 3 3 (15)
6. Rob Branford 1 0 0 1* 0 (2+1)
7. Rob Shuttleworth (Guest) 0 1 0 (1)

1: Grajczonek, Wilkinson, Palm Toft, Kurtz, 58.12 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Wilson-Dean, Bailey, Branford, Shuttleworth, 59.19 (5-1) (8-4).
3: Bjerre, Bates, Kerr, Wilkinson, 59.06 (1-5) (9-9).
4: Howarth, Auty, Shuttleworth, Bailey, 58.06 (2-4) (11-13).
5: Grajczonek, Kerr, Wilson-Dean, Kurtz, 57.25 (3-3) (14-16).
6: Howarth, Palm Toft, Wilkinson, Branford, 57.56 (3-3) (17-19).
7: Bjerre, Bates, Auty, Bailey, 58.38 (1-5) (18-24).
8: (Re-run) Wilkinson, Kurtz, Wilson-Dean, Shuttleworth, 58.25 (4-2) (22-26).
9: Howarth, Kerr, Wilson-Dean, Branford, 57.93 (3-3) (25-29).
10: Bates, Palm Toft, Bjerre, Wilkinson, 58.19 (2-4) (27-33).
11: Wilson-Dean, Grajczonek, Auty, Kurtz, 58.06 (4-2) (31-35).
12: Kerr, Bjerre, Branford, Wilson-Dean (fell), 59.07 (3-3) (34-38).
13: Howarth, Grajczonek, Palm Toft, Auty, 58.12 (1-5) (35-43).
14: Bates, Bailey, Kerr, Branford, 59.13 (3-3) (38-46).
15: Howarth, Palm Toft, Grajczonek, Kerr (ret), 58.04 (2-4) (40-50).