By John Walsh

Last updated 12:46, Monday, 21 July 2008

Workington Comets 64 Mildenhall Fen Tigers 28: There was an air of inevitability about this Premier League clash at Derwent Park as Mildenhall came in search of their first points of the season.

Power: Workington's Kauko Nieminen (red helmet) leads Mildenhall's Ricky Ashworth (black and white) and Michal Rajkowski (yellow) into the first corner of heat five

Nobody seriously expected the struggling Fen Tigers to trouble the home side and the question on most people’s minds beforehand was how many the Comets would win by.

In the end Workington collected their biggest win of the season and the Fen Tigers moved on in their northern tour with little hope of ending their barren run at Glasgow’s Ashfield.

Guest rider Ricky Ashworth top-scored with 12 points and was one of only two race winners in the Fen Tigers line-up.

One of his rides was also worth four points from a tactical ride second place that helped the visitors to a 5-3 heat advantage – one of only two in the meeting.

The Comets swept to nine heat advantages and apart from a couple of shared heats dominated from start to finish.

“We were on a hiding to nothing against a team with Mildenhall’s record. In the end we got in the meeting and won it well, which is all you could really ask for,” said owner Keith Denham.

It was undoubtedly not a match to linger long in the memory bank but for one Workington rider, it was a bit special.

John Branney helped himself to 14 points, which included three wins, and that was his best return in Workington colours.

The Comets reserve admitted afterwards that he had hoped to be in a second string slot by now, but has been pleased with his form over the last few weeks.

“I don’t think there’s much doubt that Wednesday’s win at Belle Vue in an individual meeting helped considerably because I beat some good riders on the way.

“It is a lot down to confidence and that gave me a big lift. I felt as though everyone went spot on from the word go against the Fen Tigers.

“I felt good, the machinery was going well and everything seemed to fall into place,” he said.

He had started his meeting by following home team-mate Charles Wright in the reserve race to record a bonus point from the opening 5-1.

He gated brilliantly in heat four and Carl Stonehewer was content to sit in second place and make sure that there was no challenge from the back. It was a second 5-1 for Branney.

He was beaten by an opponent in heat six, taking the replacement ride and just not being able to catch the fast-gating Jan Graversen with guest Andre Compton back in third.

Another good start, slicing up the inside to head Michal Rajkowski got him his second win in heat eight and the in the tenth race Compton slowed sufficiently near the line to give Branney the honours of winning the race for a clear-cut 5-1.

His sixth ride came in heat 12 and although he beat previous race-winner Graversen was surprised by the quick-starting Luke Priest and had to settle for third. But a 14-point haul, with a bonus point in there as well, was a satisfying night’s work for the Workington reserve who is clearly looking for a big finish to the season.

Fellow reserve Charles Wright was also in double figures with nine actual points on the track and a bonus for following in Joe Haines in the penultimate race of the night.

With skipper Kauko Nieminen (14), Stonehewer (12) and Haines (10) there were plenty of points in the Workington riding order and it’s conceivable that if Daniel Nermark hadn’t been on World Cup duty the Comets could have reached some kind of record.

The Comets even claimed ten points from their four replacement rides for the absent Tomi Reima through Branney (5), Wright (3) and Haines (2).

Guest Compton didn’t win a race – although he could have had one to his name had he not allowed Branney the privilege – and only managed five points and three bonus from his four rides.

Not for the first time of late, skipper Nieminen was the fastest Workington rider on the track and he was the only rider on this occasion to dip under 66 seconds.

He finished with a paid maximum, following Haines in for a bonus in heat nine when he had to work hard to get past Graversen after an unusually slow start.

Workington will face much sterner tests in their six remaining home matches but they still have to travel to Mildenhall at the end of the month when they will have targeted a victory to maintain their top four challenge.

Workington: Andre Compton 5, rider replacement for Tomi Reima, Kauko Nieminen 14, Joe Haines 10, Carl Stonehewer 12, Charles Wright 9, John Branney 14.

Mildenhall: Ricky Ashworth 12, Michal Rajkowski 4, rider replacement for Robbie Kessler, Marek Mroz 2, Jan Graversen 5, Luke Priest 2, Matt Wright 2, Adam McKinna 1.