Scorpions’ late show just fails to grab a point

BERWICK BANDITS 49 SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS 41 (CHAMPIONSHIP)

HEB Scunthorpe Scorpions finished their meeting at Berwick last night (Wednesday) in storming fashion, but it came just slightly too late to grab a Championship point, as they lost by 41-49.

Berwick Bandits flew into an almost unassailable 40-20 lead after 10 races, but Scorpions then took four 5-1s in the last five races, including three successive maximum heat wins from Heats 13, 14 and 15.

Ben Barker (pictured) top scored for Scorpions with 13 points, while Simon Lambert’s 9+3 from reserve would have been even larger but for an engine failure in Heat 2.

Jake Allen recovered from two pointless outings to register 7+2 from his final three rides, while Josh Auty scored 7+1 after winning Heat 14.

For Bandits, Dany Gappmaier piled up 13+2 from six outings and only dropped points in Heat 15.

Scorpions’ team manager Dave Peet reflected: “It was a strange evening. We were struggling for most of it, as we couldn’t get out of the start and that’s crucial around Berwick. It seemed we were in for a hammering.

“But we then got going and made it look a lot tighter than it had been for most of the night.

“We have to take the positives out of the performance – we finished the meeting strongly with four riders hitting a bit of form. We need to take the momentum from the final few races forward into the home meeting with Newcastle at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening.”

BERWICK 49: Dany Gappmaier 13+2, Jye Etheridge 9+2, Aaron Summers 8, Kevin Doolan 7+2, Leon Flint 7, Coty Garcia 5, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen R/R.
SCUNTHORPE 41: Ben Barker 13, Simon Lambert 9+3, Jake Allen 7+2, Josh Auty 7+1, Stefan Nielsen 3+1, Ryan Kinsley 2, Danny Ayres R/R.

* HEB Scorpions host Newcastle Diamonds at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm), in a mouth-watering clash, with Diamonds led by ex-Scorpions Steve Worrall and Thomas Jorgensen.