Tigers tamed by Comets’ big game hunters
Last updated 14:36, Saturday, 24 May 2008
Sheffield Tigers 40 Workington Comets 50: There can’t have been many better away results than this since 1970 since Ian Thomas and Jeff Brownhut re-launched speedway in Workington.
To win with ten points in hand at a place like Owlerton against the all-conquering Sheffield Tigers is a remarkable effort.
The win kept Workington on the heels of early Premier League leaders Somerset but the Comets have ridden more away matches than anybody else.
This was their second win on opposition territory but quite easily their most significant result on the road.
Workington had ten race winners throughout the meeting and all six riders either won a race of were paid for a win. Sheffield only enjoyed one heat advantage all night – in race three - as Workington carved-out an emphatic victory.
To rub it in Workington came up with a 5-1 in the last race of the night as Daniel Nermark and Carl Stonehewer led in Ben Wilson and Andre Compton.
Workington continue to operate rider replacement for Barry Burchatt and John Branney was out of the points in the opener which Daniel Nermark won in the fastest time of the season (61.0) in a shared heat.
Sheffield’s Ricky Ashworth, who went on to have a disappointing night, passed Branney entering bend three of the first lap while Nermark went around Joel Parsons superbly on bend three of the third lap.
Joe Haines flew from the gate in the reserves race and kept going impressively for the win which produced the second 3-3. Andre Compton equalled Nermark’s fastest time of the season in heat three but not before he had to produce an impressive pass of Kauko Nieminen which earned the Tigers a 4-2 and put them in front for the first and only time on the night.
The Comets produced their first 5-1 in heat four through Stonehewer and Branney but were helped by an engine failure for Paul Cooper who was lying second at the time.
Haines took a replacement ride in the following race and made an absolute flying start only to scrape the fence which slowed his momentum. Compton recovered to go on and beat Nermark comfortably but the 3-3 kept Workington ahead by two points.
Stonehewer and Haines extended the Comets lead with a 4-2 in the next and it could have been better but Ashworth managed to slip through into second place when the Workington teenager was forced wide.
The next four heats were all shared but crucially Workington had three race winners as they continued to hold onto their advantage. The sequence was broken in heat eleven when Nermark beat Ben Wilson and Haines nipped into third place to give the visitors an important 4-2.
The next three heats were shared so that Workington had won the match before the final showdown.
Sheffield’s night of woe continued when the Comets pairing of Nermark and Stonehewer proved too quick for Wilson and Compton in the last and the 5-1 pushed them to the 50-point mark.
Sheffield rarely lose at home and certainly don’t concede 50 points and this impressive victory by the Comets certainly suggests they can go on and make a consistent challenge for the League title.
Sheffield: Ricky Ashworth 5, Joel Parsons 4, Andre Compton 11, Lee Smethills 3, Ben Wilson 10, Sam Martin 1, Paul Cooper 6.
Workington: Daniel Nermark 13, rider replacement for Barry Burchatt, Kauko Nieminen 9, Charles Wright 4; Carl Stonehewer 12, Joe Haines 10, John Branney 2.
