Scorpions through after battling victory
SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 50 NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 40 (CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD)
HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions – managed by injured No 1 Steve Worrall – took a hard-earned 50-40 victory over Newcastle Diamonds at the Eddie Wright Raceway last night (Friday), to top their group of the Championship Shield, and progress to the semi-finals of the competition.
Scunthorpe moved 13-5 ahead after three races and led throughout, but Newcastle proved worthy opponents, and Scorpions were only assured of victory after Gino Manzares and Jake Allen took a 5-1 from Heat 14.
Josh Auty top scored for Scorpions with 14+1, with Allen (10+3), Stefan Nielsen (10+2) and Gino Manzares (10+1) also scored double figures.
Meanwhile, ex-Scorpion Tero Aarnio produced probably his best-ever display at the Eddie Wright Raceway, totting up 15+2 for Newcastle.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey admitted: “We weren’t quite at our best tonight, and we really had to ground out a result against the Diamonds. But we got the win and now we’re through to the semi-finals, which was our objective all along.
“There was such a wind whipping across the track all day. We put down twice as much water as the previous week, when it had been really hot, but the track was still drying out and it wasn’t the track our riders have been used to this year.
“But we adapted to the track and got the job done, despite a rare off-night for Jason Garrity. I can’t say anything against Jason, because he’s been such a star for us this year.
“The other guys pulled us through and it shows the strength-in-depth that we have.
“The Josh Auty and Jake Allen partnership again came up trumps, Stefan Nielsen put in another strong home performance, while Gino Manzares is really starting to fly down at reserve.
“Gino would have scored even more, but for an exclusion in Heat 4. There was no malice from Ashley Morris, but he picked up and was only on one wheel, and Gino was left with nowhere to go but the fence, so I was surprised when Gino got excluded.
“It’s been an eventful week, with both Jake and Stefan suffering nasty falls while riding elsewhere. But we have a team that can win meetings, even when not everything is going our way.”
HENDERSON INSURANCE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 50
1. Steve Worrall R/R
2. Stefan Nielsen 1 1* 3 2* 3 (10+2)
3. Josh Auty 3 3 2* 2 3 1 (14+1)
4. Jake Allen 2* 3 2 1* 2* 0 (10+3)
5. Jason Garrity 1 1 3 0 0 (5)
6. Danny Phillips 1 0 MX 0 (1)
7. Gino Manzares 3 FX 2* 2 3 (10+1)
NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS 40
1. Ludvig Lindgren 2 0 1 2 2* (7+1)
2. Dany Gappmaier (Guest) 0 1 0 (1)
3. David Howe (Guest)1 3 0 2 (6)
4. Matthew Wethers 0 2* 1 1 (4+1)
5. Tero Aarnio 2* 3 3 3 1* 3 (15+2)
6. Carl Wilkinson 2 0 0 (2)
7. Ashley Morris 0 3 1 1* 0 (5+1)
1: Auty, Lindgren, Nielsen, Gappmaier, 58.94 (4-2) (4-2).
2: Manzares, Wilkinson, Phillips, Morris, 60.09 (4-2) (8-4).
3: Auty, Allen, Howe, Wethers, 59.13 (5-1) (13-5).
4: Morris, Aarnio, Garrity, Manzares (fell, excluded), no time – awarded (1-5) (14-10).
5: Allen, Auty, Gappmaier, Lindgren, 58.31 (5-1) (19-11).
6: Aarnio, Allen, Nielsen, Wilkinson, 59.19 (3-3) (22-14).
7: Howe, Wethers, Garrity, Phillips, 59.69 (1-5) (23-19).
8: Nielsen, Manzares, Morris, Gappmaier, 59.75 (5-1) (28-20).
9: Aarnio, Auty, Allen, Wilkinson, 59.13 (3-3) (31-23).
10: Garrity, Nielsen, Wethers, Howe, 59.93 (5-1) (36-24).
11 (Re-run) AARNIO (T/S), Manzares, Lindgren, Garrity, 59.69 (2-4) (38-28).
12: Auty, Howe, Morris, Phillips, 59.72 (3-3) (41-31).
13: Nielsen, Lindgren, Aarnio, Garrity, 59.75 (3-3) (44-34).
14: Manzares, Allen, Wethers, Morris, 59.75. (5-1) (49-35).
15: Aarnio, Lindgren, Auty, Allen, 60.12 (1-5) (50-40).
* HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are next in action when they host Workington Comets in league action at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday (May 18).
