Last updated at 11:40, Monday, 06 August 2012

Workington Comets 51 Sheffield Tigers 38: Workington Comets picked up another three home points after a hard fought 51-38 victory over Sheffield Tigers.

Richard Lawson

Comets had only led by one point at the halfway stage of the meeting but then a succession of heat maximums put them in control and they secured victory with two heats to spare.

Heavy rain during Saturday afternoon had put the meeting in doubt but great work by the track staff managed to get the match on but conditions and passing did prove difficult on a heavy track.

Comets brought in Mason Campton as a guest for the injured Kyle Howarth while Sheffield had former Workington captain Kevin Doolan deputising for Josef France while operating rider replacement for Emiliano Sanchez.

Comets got off to the worst possible start as they conceded a heat maximum Doolan and Hugh Skidmore gating in front and were untroubled for the whole race.

Workington pulled back two points in the reserves race Campton making the gate and winning despite being challenged by former Comet Chris Schramm while Ashley Morris was unlucky not to take second on the line.

Sheffield captain Richard Hall gated in heat three and was chased hard by Rene Bach but Skidmore fell on the third bend of the second lap, hit the fence and was excluded.

Skidmore was withdrawn with a shoulder injury and in the re run Bach gated and led before Hall fell on the second bend of the second lap with the race awarded as a 5-0 to Comets.

Ricky Wells was quick away from the tapes in heat four and led Adam Roynon home while Campton did well to hold off Schramm who fell on the third bend of the last lap trying to pass.

Bach chased Doolan had in heat five but just couldn’t find a way past before a third successive heat followed – Richard Lawson gating and winning from Wells with Kenny Ingalls unable to make any impression at the back.

A 4-2 heat advantage in the seventh put Sheffield a point behind at 21-20 after Roynon fought well with Wells for the first two laps before getting past down the home straight at the start of the third lap.

A shared heat eight followed with Joe Haines comfortable out in front with Ingalls going up the inside of Schramm for third on the second bend of the first lap.

It was from then on Comets started to pull away with three successive 4-2 heat advantages followed by a 5-1 putting them in control.

In heat nine Bach gated and won with Tero Aarnio forcing his way past Haines on the second bend of the first lap before Haines retired at the start of the second lap.

Lawson gated and won easily in heat 10 while Hall chased Ingalls hard and passed him round the outside of the second bend of the third lap for second while Schramm fell on the second bend of the first lap.

Roynon won by a long way in the next heat over the previously unbeaten Doolan with Morris in third after Haines retired with mechanical problems on the third bend of the first lap.

A heat maximum in 12 put Comets 41-30 up Bach gating but slowed down on the back straight to allow Campton through while Schramm fell on the fourth bend of the second lap trying to pass Bach but remounted to finish third.

A shared heat 13 followed which secured victory for Comets Roynon gating and riding to a comfortable victory while Lawson was unable to hold off Doolan for third on the second bend of the first lap.

Aarnio did well to hold off Hall for victory in the penultimate heat before Doolan rounded Roynon off the second bend of the first lap and, despite Roynon’s best efforts, he couldn’t find a way past.

WORKINGTON COMETS 51: Adam Roynon 12, Rene Bach 11+2, Mason Campton 9+1, Tero Aarnio 7+2, Richard Lawson 6, Kenny Ingalls 3+1, Ashley Morris 3

SHEFFIELD TIGERS 38: Kevin Doolan 12+1, Ricky Wells 10, Richard Hall 7, Joe Haines 4+1, Chris Schramm 3, Hugh Skidmore 2+1, Emiliano Sanchez r/r

First published at 11:30, Monday, 06 August 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk