Workington Comets 47 Sheffield Tigers 43

Workington Comets kept their 100 per cent home record intact with a 47-43 win against Sheffield which was nervier than it should have been thanks to a changing track.

Nicolai Klindt’s jet-propelled start gave him an easy win in the opening heat while Ty Proctor tried for four laps to line-up a pass on ex-Comet Charles Wright but ran out of track.

In a mirror image of last week’s second heat, Rene Bach and Kyle Bickley blasted away from the opposition at the start and, this time, there was no bad luck for the 16-year-old as he rode round with his partner for a 5-1.

A determined Lasse Bjerre elbowed his way through the tightest of gaps on the first bend to lead heat three and, despite Rasmus Jensen’s best efforts, he held on for a 3-3 ahead of Jensen and Campton.

Heat four saw former Workington rider Kyle Howarth make an unhappy return to Derwent Park as he was unable to split the formidable Comets pair of Bach and Proctor.

The hosts were on for another 5-1 in heat five but Wright put a stop to that with a brave drive up the inside of Jensen and Campton while Todd Kurtz pushed the latter but couldn’t get through.

Klindt gated and was long gone again in the next heat but the battle for second saw Campton and Howarth trade places numerous times in an entertaining scrap which ended with another home 5-1.

Another professional performance from Proctor shut out Bjerre in heat seven as Bickley gave it his all but couldn’t close in on Nicol in a shared heat.

Kurtz blasted away from the pack at the start of heat eight ahead of Bach and Shanes as the home duo struggled to pass in an away 4-2 to trim Workington’s lead.

The visitors turned the tables in heat nine with Wright and Howarth dominating on their old stomping ground, although Jensen was a whisker away from getting the latter on the line.

That result seemed to wake the home side back up as Bach stormed round and Klindt caught Nicol napping to snatch third.

The heavens had opened by now and Wright made the most of the wet conditions to control heat 11 but Bickley continued his good night with second place, with Proctor third to keep Sheffield at arm’s length.

It was the two Comets riders who got out in front in heat 12 and, with the track making passing difficult, the Tigers were on the wrong end of a 5-1, before they got one of their own in heat 13 through Howarth and Wright to leave 10 points behind the sides and keep their hopes of a consolation league point alive.

Another 5-1 from the away side guaranteed them a point to make heat 15 a formality and, with the momentum now very much with the Tigers, the final race went their way too with a 4-2 for a final score of 47-43.

Match Facts

Workington Comets 47

1. Nicolai Klindt – 3, 3, 1, 1, R = 8

2. Dan Bewley R/R

3. Rasmus Jensen – 2, 2, 0, 1, 3, 2 = 10

4. Mason Campton – 1*, 1*, 2*, 0, 1 = 5+3

5. Ty Proctor – 1, 2*, 3, 1*, 0 = 7+2

6. Kyle Bickley – 2*, 0, 2 = 4+1

7. Rene Bach – 3, 3, 2, 3, 2*, R = 13+1

Sheffield Tigers 43

1. Charles Wright – 2, 3, 3, 3, 2*, 1 = 14+1

2. Todd Kurtz – 0, 0, 3, 0 = 3

3. Lasse Bjerre – 3, 2, 2, 0 = 7

4. Broc Nicol – 0, 1*, 0, 3 = 4+1

5. Kyle Howarth – 1, 1, 2*, 3, 3 = 10+1

6. James Shanes – 1, 1, 1, 2* = 5+1

7. Joe Lawlor – 0, 0, 0 = 0

Heat-by-Heat

HEAT 1 – Klindt, Wright, Proctor, Kurtz – 64.5, 4-2

HEAT 2 – Bach, Bickley, Shanes, Lawlor – 65.9, 5-1, 9-3

HEAT 3 – Bjerre, Jensen, Campton, Nicol – 65.3, 3-3, 12-6

HEAT 4 – Bach, Proctor, Howarth, Lawlor – 65.5, 5-1, 17-7

HEAT 5 – Wright, Jensen, Campton, Kurtz – 66, 3-3, 20-10

HEAT 6 – Klindt, Campton, Howarth, Lawlor – 65.7, 5-1, 25-11

HEAT 7 – Proctor, Bjerre, Nicol, Bickley – 66.3, 3-3, 28-14

HEAT 8 – Kurtz, Bach, Shanes, Jensen – 66.1, 2-4, 30-18

HEAT 9 – Wright, Howarth, Jensen, Campton – 66.9, 1-5, 31-23

HEAT 10 – Bach, Bjerre, Klindt, Nicol – 67, 4-2, 35-25

HEAT 11 – Wright, Bickley, Proctor, Kurtz – 72.5, 3-3, 38-28

HEAT 12 – Jensen, Bach, Shanes, Bjerre – 71.2, 5-1, 43-29

HEAT 13 – Howarth, Wright, Klindt, Proctor – 70.1, 1-5, 44-34

HEAT 14 – Nicol, Shanes, Campton, Bach (retired) – 71.4, 1-5, 45-39

HEAT 15 – Howarth, Jensen, Wright, Klindt (retired) – 70.6, 2-4, 47-43