Scorpions fall to new league leaders
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 36 GLASGOW TIGERS 48 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)
(Abandoned after 14 races – rain – result to stand)
HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions had no answer to a solid Glasgow Tigers outfit at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday evening (Sunday), with the visitors taking a 48-36 victory that takes them to the top of the SGB Championship table. The meeting was curtailed after 14 races due to heavy rain, with the result to stand.
Scorpions saw second heat-leader Lewis Kerr crash out of the meeting with a hand injury in a Heat 4 fall.
Injury rider replacement came into operation for Kerr, enabling his team-mates (except Michael Palm Toft) to take his remaining rides, but this gathered just 3+1.
Reserve Tero Aarnio top scored for Scorpions with 13 points from seven outings, while Josh Auty (10) and Ryan Douglas (8+2) were also paid for double figures.
But every Tiger scored at least five points, and it was the all-round strength of the visitors that prevailed, in a meeting which contained some excellent racing.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Glasgow are a very good side and they simply rode our track better than we did and totally deserved their victory.
“The track was top drawer and provided some great racing. It had been hit by some heavy rain the day before, while we dodged the weather yesterday.
“We got on with the meeting, because you can go onto the radar and it shows where the rain had reached and we knew it was coming. It said the rain would arrive at around 7pm and I think it arrived just a few minutes before then. By then, we’d managed to get everything in, bar the very final race, but Glasgow had already earned all four points.
“Lewis Kerr banged his hand in his fall in Heat 4. He couldn’t continue in the meeting, but we don’t think it’s broken.”
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 36
1. Michael Palm Toft 1 2 0 1(4)
2. Carl Wilkinson 0 0 0# (0)
3. Josh Auty 3 1 1 3 2 (10)
4. Ryan Douglas 1 3 2* 2* F (8+2)
5. Lewis Kerr FX (0)
6. Tero Aarnio 3 0 3 2 3 0 2 (13)
7. Josh Bailey 0 1 0 (1)
# = tactical ride
GLASGOW TIGERS 48
1. Richard Lawson 3 2 0 2* (7+1)
2. Nike Lunna 2* 0 2 1 (5+1)
3. Richie Worrall 2 2* 3 3 (10+1)
4. Dan Bewley 0 3 1 1 (5)
5. Aaron Summers 3 3 0 3 (9)
6. Tom Perry 2 1 1 3 (7)
7. Jack Smith 1* 2* 1* 1 (5+3)
1: Lawson, Lunna, Palm Toft, Wilkinson, 56.25 (1-5) (1-5).
2: Aarnio, Perry, Smith, Bailey, 56.40 (3-3) (4-8).
3: Auty, Worrall, Douglas, Bewley, 57.31 (4-2) (8-10).
4: (Re-run) Summers, Smith, Bailey, Kerr (fell, excluded), 57.63 (1-5) (9-15).
5: Douglas, Lawson, Auty, Lunna, 57.13 (4-2) (13-17).
6: Summers, Palm Toft, Perry, Wilkinson, 56.87 (2-4) (15-21).
7: Bewley, Worrall, Auty, Aarnio, 57.75 (1-5) (16-26).
8: Aarnio, Lunna, Smith, WILKINSON (TR), 57.87 (3-3) (19-29).
9: Auty, Douglas, Perry, Summers, 57.88 (5-1) (24-30).
10: Worrall, Aarnio, Bewley, Palm Toft, 58.19 (2-4) (26-34).
11: Aarnio, Douglas, Lunna, Lawson, 58.25 (5-1) (31-35).
12: Worrall, Auty, Smith, Bailey, 58.19 (2-4) (33-39).
13: Summers, Lawson, Palm Toft, Aarnio, 58.38 (1-5) (34-44).
14: Perry, Aarnio, Bewley, Douglas (fell), 61.06 (2-4) (36-48).
15: Not held due to rain.
PHOTO: Top scorer Tero Aarnio leads Tom Perry in Heat 2.
