Scorpions move to top of the table

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 52 PLYMOUTH DEVILS 43 (PREMIER LEAGUE)

FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions took maximum points from their Premier League clash with Plymouth Devils at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Sunday), registering a 52-43 victory.

The result moves Scunthorpe to the top of the Premier League table, although it is very early days, with some teams having yet to commence their PL fixtures.

Yesterday’s meeting contained some absolutely cracking racing, to warm everyone up on an overcast, chilly day.

The Scorpions got off to a flying start, charging into a 24-12 lead after six races, inspired by a fine early pass on Plymouth No 1 Ben Barker by Josh Auty in Heat 1. The Scorpions took maximum points from Heat 4 (Auty and Ryan Douglas) and Heat 6 (David Howe and Douglas).

Plymouth nominated Rasmus Jensen as a tactical ride in Heat 7. What followed was pure magic, as Auty started to battle with Jensen. Just when it looked Jensen might have done enough, Auty switched from outside to inside entering the third bend of the final lap, and roared inside. Back came Jensen, but Auty just held on. With Douglas in third, the race was shared 4-4.

Douglas also passed Jensen in fine style in Heat 8, but a 5-1 from Plymouth star reserve Kalle Katajisto and Sam Simota in Heat 9 proved the Scorpions still had a battle on their hands.

Following a 5-1 from Ashley Birks & Howe in Heat 10, another tactical ride from the Devils followed in Heat 11, with this time Ben Barker donning the black & white helmet colour. Auty did everything he could, but a lost steel shoe hindered his chase of Barker. But a fine pass by Matt Williamson on Hungarian Roland Benko, forcing his way inside with a lap remaining, restricted the scoreline to a 6-3 to the Devils.

A 4-2 from Douglas and Thomas Jorgensen in Heat 12 extended the Scunthorpe lead to 44-33, and Auty and Howe then shared the spoils in Heat 13 to ensure a Scorpions’ win.

But a 5-1 to the Devils in Heat 14 from Katajisto & Jensen cut the Scunthorpe lead to seven points, and meant it was still all to play for, in terms of the third league point, with the Scorpions requiring a 3-3 or better from Heat 15.

In an all-action opening lap, Barker flew into the lead on the second bend, but Douglas cut to the inside on the fourth bend and took over first place. With Jensen taking over second place from Barker, a battle ensued for third, which Auty won, despite Barker being over-exuberant in his tactics in trying to keep Auty behind. The 4-2 meant the Scorpions took all three Premier League points.

Douglas was again a star-turn; he now has scored 16+1, 15 and 16+2 in the last three meetings at Eddie Wright Raceway. Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Auty, showing his paid 4 score at Ipswich on Thursday was just a temporary blip, scored a fine 14 points, including gaining a number of his points from behind.

But all the Scorpions put in a fine effort, down to the battling paid four return from Matt Williamson.

Speaking after the meeting, Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It was just what the doctor ordered – we got in there and took all three points from the meeting.

“We’ve all fired on different days until now – we spoke to the boys beforehand and told them we needed them all scoring at the same time, because we’re now entering our league meetings and we need to get the points on the board.

“Plymouth were difficult to beat, because they had three riders scoring a lot of points, including a high scoring reserve in Kalle Katajisto.

“Of course, we have our own trump card reserve in Ryan Douglas, while Josh Auty was back to his spectacular best today.

“But it was a proper team effort from us. Everyone played their part, including Matt Williamson, who performed really well.”

Scunthorpe top-scorer Ryan Douglas said: “The track was consistent today, and there was some really good racing. We did what we had to do to get the points.

“We knew we needed at least a 3-3 in the final race to clinch the extra league point. I was second to Ben Barker early on, so I tried the inside on the first lap and it worked. After that, I just put my head down to go to get the win.”

SCUNTHORPE 52: Ryan Douglas 16+2, Josh Auty 14, Ashley Birks 8, David Howe 7+2, Thomas Jorgensen 5+1, Matt Williamson 2+2, Anders Mellgren r/r.
PLYMOUTH 43: Ben Barker 14, Rasmus Jensen 13+1, Kalle Katajisto 13+1, Sam Simota 3+1, Ben Reade 0, Roland Benko 0, Kyle Newman r/r.

PHOTO: Ryan Douglas comes past Ben Barker in the vital Heat 15, with Josh Auty chasing.