Decent effort at Peterborough

PETERBOROUGH PANTHERS 51 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 39 (SGB CHAMPIONSHIP)

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions played their full part in an absorbing encounter at Peterborough’s East Of England Showground last night (Tuesday), before eventually slipping to a 39-51 defeat, in their final SGB Championship meeting of the season.

Scorpions edged in front with a 4-2 from Josh Bailey and Tero Aarnio in Heat 2, and the scores remained close throughout most of the meeting, with Peterborough building up a small advantage.

Jake Allen was again a star turn for Scorpions, and he won two races. A 4-2 from Allen and Lewis Kerr in Heat 11 reduced the deficit to just 31-35 with four races to go.

Both Peterborough took 5-1s from both Heats 13 and 15 to end up as twelve-point victors.

Panthers’ Jack Holder blasted to a 12-point maximum. But Josh Auty (pictured) was in the thick of the action and made sure neither Chris Harris nor Ulrich Ostergaard finished with a full score. Allen also defeated former British Champion Harris.

Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet said: “I don’t think the final scoreline quite reflects the effort we put in.

“We played our full part in this meeting, and we gave Peterborough a good run for their money, before they pulled away at the end.

“Jake Allen was tremendous again. He just gives it his all. Before Heat 15, I told him and Josh (Auty) that we needed either a 5-1 or a 4-2 to take a point. Unfortunately, Josh then fell and we longer had the chance of taking anything from the meeting. But that didn’t stop Jake from chasing Chris Harris and Ulrich Ostergaard all the way home in the re-run. One mistake from them and he’d have been through.

“I think our performance gives us an important boost before we entertain the Panthers in the KO Cup at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday. We showed that we could stay with them for almost the whole match around their own track. I feel on Friday if we attack them from the off, then we’ve got a chance of getting back those 18 points.”

PETERBOROUGH PANTHERS 51
1. Jack Holder 3 3 3 3 (12)
2. Bradley Wilson-Dean 0 2* 2 0 (4+1)
3. Paul Starke 1 0 3 2 (6)
4. Ulrich Ostergaard 3 3 1 3 2* (12+1)
5. Chris Harris 2 3 2 2* 3 (12+1)
6. Simon Lambert 2 0 0 0 (2)
7. Tom Bacon 0 1* 1* 1* (3+3)

HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 39
1. Lewis Kerr 1* 2 1 0 (4+1)
2. Jake Allen 2 1* 3 3 1 (10+1)
3. Michael Palm Toft 0 2 2 MX (4)
4. Ryan Douglas 2 1* 1* 2 (6+2)
5. Josh Auty 3 1 2 1 FX (7)
6. Tero Aarnio 1 R 0 3 1* (5+1)
7. Josh Bailey 3 0 0 0 (3)

1: Holder, Allen, Kerr, Wilson-Dean, 59.6 (3-3) (3-3).
2: Bailey, Lambert, Aarnio, Bacon, 61.1 (2-4) (5-7).
3: (Re-run) Ostergaard, Douglas, Starke, Palm Toft, 61.3 (4-2) (9-9).
4: Auty, Harris, Bacon, Bailey, 60.7 (3-3) (12-12).
5: (Re-run) Ostergaard, Kerr, Allen, Starke, 60.5 (3-3) (15-15).
6: Holder, Wilson-Dean, Auty, Aarnio (ret), 61.6 (5-1) (20-16).
7: Harris, Palm Toft, Douglas, Lambert, 60.5 (3-3) (23-19).
8: Allen, Wilson-Dean, Bacon, Bailey, 61.8 (3-3) (26-22).
9: Starke, Auty, Ostergaard, Aarnio, 62.0 (4-2 (30-24).
10: Holder, Palm Toft, Douglas, Wilson-Dean, 62.4 (3-3) (33-27).
11: Allen, Harris, Kerr, Lambert, 62.6 (2-4) (35-31).
12: (Re-run) Aarnio, Starke, Bacon, Bailey, Palm Toft (excluded, two minutes), 63.0 (3-3) (38-34).
13: Holder, Harris, Auty, Kerr, 63.2 (5-1) (43-35).
14: Ostergaard, Douglas, Aarnio, Lambert, 62.9 (3-3) (46-38).
15: (Re-run) Harris, Ostergaard, Allen, Auty (fell, excluded), 63.2 (5-1) (51-39).