Key:+ = from 15m handicap,  * = Tactical ride for double points
SHEFFIELD SPEEDWAY MATCH REPORTS 2012
SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE 'Tigers'  v Belle Vue 'Aces' Inter-League challenge 22nd March

Referee: Darren Hartley

0102030405 0607080910 1112131415 Tot+Bp
1. Josef Franc 7.34 0 2 1 2 5
2. Hugh Skidmore 5.95 3 1' 2 3 1 10+1
3. Ricky Wells 6.46 1' 2 0 2 5+1
4. Richard Hall © 6.87 2 0 2 f 4
5. Emiliano Sanchez 6.01 2 1 1' 0 4+1
6. Joe Haines

4.31

3 0 2 2 0 7
7. Klaus Jakobsen 4.70 0 1' 1' 0 2+2
David Hoggart 3 3 3 3 2 3 1 3 2 4 3 2 2 2 1
Sheffield 'Tigers' 3 6 9 12 14 17 18 21 23 27 30 32 34 36 37
Belle Vue 'Aces' 3 6 9 12 16 19 24 27 31 33 36 40 44 48 53
Jim Lynch 3 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 4 2 3 4 4 4 5
1. Rory Schlein © 14.05 1' 3 3 3 2' 12+2
2. Josh Grajczonek 7.23 2 1 3 0 6
3. Patrick Hougaard 10.37 3 2' 0 3 8+1
4. Charlie Gjedde 11.47 0 3 2 3 8
5. Adam Shields 11.17  3 3 3 1 3 13
6. Simon Lambert (g) 7.48 2 0 1 1 4
7. Linus Eklof 6.48 1' 0 0 1 2+1
Track record: 59.1
R. Ashworth 2010
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

60.4

61.6

61.4

62.2

61.1

62.8

62.5

63.0

63.3

63.3

62.5

63.4

63.6

64.2

64.3

2012 Programme Speedway Star pic  The result of this mis-match was never in doubt with the Elite league opposition expected to take us to the cleaners. Hugh Skidmore made a cracking gate to lead heat 1 with Rory Schlein having to blast around Josef Franc on the third turn to share the heat. Joe Haines made an equally impressive start in the reserves race but Klaus Jakobsen never recovered the ground lost on the first turn. Richard Hall was the early leader of heat 3, but Patrick Hougaard just opened his throttle and left him standing. Klaus trapped ahead in heat 4 but it was short lived as Adam Shields left him for dead out of turn two. Emiliano breezed around Linus Ekloff on the third turn and Klaus on the second lap but alas couldn't close down on the race leader. Ricky Wells led heat 5 as far as the second bend when Rory breezed past. Josh Grajczonek had to work hard to stay ahead of Richard and even bounced off the back straight fence on the last lap. Tigers trail by just two points which is unexpected.

Hugh switched to his spare bike with seconds to go before heat 6 and made a very poor start. Adam led the way from Josef and Hugh sliced inside Simon Lambert out of the second turn. Joe Haines was twitching at the start of heat 7 and missed out when the tapes rose and I guess the ref thought that fair punishment. Klaus trapped ahead in heat 8 but Josh passed him by the third turn and Hugh moved into second off the last turn of the second lap. Adam took heat 9 comfortably but Richard and Simon kept us entertained with a great scrap for second place. Hugh sped into the lead of heat 10 and was never troubled by Charlie Gjedda while Josef couldn't quite get on terms but easily outpaced Patrick. Tigers trail by six points but there are some redeeming features.

Joe holds the lead until the end of the third lap in heat 11 when Rory blasts around him, and Emiliano does sufficient to hold off Josh. Ricky can do no more than follow Patrick home in heat 12 and Klaus might have had a better chance of picking off the Belle Vue reserve if he wasn't an Owlerton specialist. Josef and Emiliano make a blistering start to heat 13 only for the ref to invoke "all 4 back". Josef leads the restart but it's only a matter of time before Rory blasts high and wide into the lead at the end of the third lap. Charlie leads heat 14 from hard chasing Joe but Richard throws it away at the start of the second lap by trying too hard. Joe and Hugh are the Tigers nominations but couldn't control the firepower of the Aces top two who take only their second 5-1 of the evening.

Rye House is not normally a happy hunting ground for the Tigers, so I guess we will have to wait until next Thursday to see how we cope with the Workington Comets.

ps. How come Lambo was used at reserve when the average of the rider he replaced was higher than Josh Grajczonek's? Three team managers and no-one spotted it!!!

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