The Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions’ Promoter Rob Godfrey was left feeling “absolutely gutted” after going down to a narrow 46-44 defeat away at the Glasgow Tigers yesterday. 

“This is a bitter pill to swallow.  I’d always got this down as one we could win.  Obviously Richard Hall’s crash was a major blow because we just got two points from rider replacement but we shouldn’t have lost”.

Victory would have seen the Scorpions claim the three points on offer for an away win and soar to third place in the league table but it wasn’t to be.  The meeting started superbly for the Scorpions with Andrew Moore and Carl Wilkinson racing to an opening race 5-1.  Another followed in heat 2 as Mitchell Davey had to start fifteen yards back and Ross Brady ploughed through the tapes.  However, the Tigers were on even terms by heat 6 with 5-1s of their own in heats 4 & 6.  Magnus Karlsson and Benji Compton put them back in the lead with a 4-2 in heat 7 but another 5-1 for Glasgow in heat 9 saw the home side go four points up.

Viktor Bergström gradually came to terms with the track and he combined with Karlsson in heat 10 to halve the gap.  Then, heat 11 saw Wilkinson and Moore combine for an impressive 5-1 over Robert Ksiezak and once again the Scorpions perhaps looked favourites to win the meeting.  That all changed in heat 13 when the same Scorpions’ pair made poor starts and found themselves behind Ksiezak and Trent Leverington.  Moore gradually reeled in Leverington and passed him at the end of the third lap.  However, Leverington had other ideas and he leaned on the Scorpions’ number one.  Leverington went crashing into the fence and in a decision that could have gone either way it went, much like a penalty appeal at Old Trafford, the way of the home side.  A home 5-1 was awarded when it would have been a drawn heat if Leverington has been adjudged at fault.

In the end it was the difference between defeat and victory after two drawn heats completed proceedings.  After the meeting Andrew Moore commented on the heat 13 incident by saying “I was trying my guts out like I normally do.  I pulled a good straight on him and I thought I’d got my wheel in front going into the first turn.  He leaned on me as much as I leaned on him.  It’s a tough one but these things happen.  Someone needed to give in and neither of us did”.

The Scorpions were missing their Captain, Richard Hall, because he got injured in a World Long Track meeting in France on Saturday night and under the rules are only allowed to operate rider–replacement for him.  The injury is with his ankle that had to be rebuilt at the end of last season and he will be seeking further medical advice early this week.    

The team are next in action when they travel back to Scotland next Friday (23rd May) to take on the Edinburgh Monarchs before going onto ride against the Berwick Bandits the following night.  Then, on Bank Holiday Monday, there is another double-header meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway with the Edinburgh side, complete with former-Scorpion Andrew Tully, in Premier League action before the Conference League Saints take on the Buxton Hitmen in a Knockout Cup Quarter-Final tie.  As usual a bumper crowd is expected for the bank holiday fixture and racing starts at 3pm.

Glasgow Tigers 46
Trent Leverington 5+2 (4 rides), Kauko Nieminen 14 (5), Lee Dicken 4+3 (4), Robert Ksiezak 11+1 (6), Mitchell Davey 1 (4), Ross Brady 11 (7)

Scunthorpe Scorpions 44
Andrew Moore 8+2 (5 rides), Carl Wilkinson 9+2 (5), Magnus Karlsson 14 (6), Benji Compton 1 (3), Viktor Bergström 9+1 (7), Byron Bekker 3+1 (4)