SHEFFIELD pulled off a hard fought 48-42 win over Berwick in an entertaining Owlerton clash on Thursday night.

Former Sheffield hero Scott Smith showed his liking for his hometown track with an impressive 13-point haul and he helped Berwick lead twice to give Sheffield a real scare.

Berwick even gave the thumbs-up to the meeting continuing after a post-heat 12 downpour as they tried to grab the win points.

Rain fell to turn the track into a bog but both sides got on with the racing and the meeting was won for Sheffield in Heat 13.

Team boss Eric Boocock said: "Berwick made us work hard but we knew they were capable of coming here and winning. We needed the points to start climbing the league table."

TIGERS: P. Cooper 13+1, J. Oliver 10+1, A. Compton 9+3, B. Wilson 6+1, J. Parsons 6, R. Ashworth 4, K. Hughes 0.

BERWICK: S. Smith 13, A. Rymel 12+1, M. Makovsky 9, T. Aarnio 4, P. Clews 2+2, G. Franchetti 2+1.