Super Comets close in on leaders
Last updated 12:13, Monday, 09 June 2008
Glasgow Tigers 41 Workington Comets 49: Workington Comets bounced back from Wednesday’s defeat at King’s Lynn to register their fourth win on the road.
Sunday’s victory at Ashfield edged them closer to Premier League leaders Somerset with Workington already past the halfway stage on their list of away fixtures.
The Comets have ridden more matches than anyone else but their high percentage of away matches, and good strike rate from them, means they are a force to be reckoned with.
Although Daniel Nermark suffered his only defeat in the opening heat of the meeting, the 4-2 lead for the Tigers lasted only the time it took reserves John Branney and Charles Wright to hammer out an emphatic 5-1 in the secondrace.
From that point Workington never looked back, holding their advantage and then pulling away over the last five races of the meeting for an impressive win.
Three 4-2s, all initiated by Nermark victories, over the last five races and two shared heats meant Glasgow were unable to get in a blow when they needed to in the closing stages.
Nermark, with four straight wins after that first race defeat by Glasgow’s guest Adrian Rymel, was again the Workington spearhead but there was excellent support from his two fellow heat leaders Kauko Nieminen (12) and Carl Stonehewer (8), and an excellent effort from reserve Branney.
With Workington using rider replacement for Joe Haines it was a particularly busy match for Branney with seven outings producing nine points and a bonus.
He only failed to score in one of his races but that was a hot one against Rymel, Stonehewer and Trent Leverington.
Team manager Ian Thomas said: “That was a terrific effort by John. The boys were racing in 70 degrees so they were pretty hot in those leathers. Because Charles Wright’s bikes packed up John had to ride in six of the first eight races and that’s a lot of speedway in those conditions.
“I don’t often pick out individual riders but that was excellent stuff from John, especially when Charles was struggling. Charles eventually got going but ran two lasts and then borrowed Kauko’s bike to get a third place in the penultimate race.
“It was another good performance and when you consider we’ve won away in the Premier Trophy and the Knockout Cup, scoring six away victories at this stage of the season is pretty good going.”
Workington are on the road again on Wednesday night when they tackle Birmingham Brummies at Perry Barr. Then next Tuesday night it’s the second leg of the Knockout Cup quarter final on the Isle of Wight.
GLASGOW 41: Adrian Rymel 13; Trent Leverington 8; rider replacement for Anders Andersen; Lee Dicken 7; Robert Ksiezak 11; Mitchell Davey 1; Adam McKinna 1.
COMETS 49: Daniel Nermark 14; Tomi Reima 3; Kauko Nieminen 12; rider replacement for Joe Haines; Carl Stone-hewer 8; Charles Wright 3; John Branney 9.
HEAT BY HEAT
Heat 1: Rymel, Nermark, Leverington, Reima(Ret) (57.7) 4-2
Heat 2: Branney, Wright, Davey, McKinna (59.6) 5-7
Heat 3: Nieminen, Leverington, Branney, Dicken(F) (58.6) 7-11
Heat 4: Stonehewer, Ksiezak, Branney, McKinna (59.8) 2-4 9-15
Heat 5: Nermark, Rymel, Dicken, Reima(Ret) (59.1) 12-18
Heat 6: Rymel, Stonehewer, Leverington, Branney (58.2) 16-20
Heat 7: Nieminen, Ksiezak, Branney, Davey (59.2) 18-24
Heat 8: Leverington, Reima, Branney, McKinna (60.8) 21-27
Heat 9: Ksiezak, Stonehewer, Dicken, Wright (59.8) 25-29
Heat 10: Rymel, Nieminen, Leverington, Reima (58.8) 29-31
Heat 11: Nermark, Ksiezak, Reima, Davey (59.6) 31-35
Heat 12: Nieminen, Dicken, McKinna, Wright(Ret) (60.0) 34-38
Heat 13: Nermark, Ksiezak, Stonehewer, Rymel (59.8) 36-42
Heat 14: Dicken, Branney, Wright, Davey (60.7) 39-45
Heat 15: Nermark, Rymel, Nieminen, Ksiezak (59.6) 41-49
