Sheffield Speedway Match Reports 2006

Troy Batchelor was the unfortunate one to go from gate four in the first heat and a combination of the greasy outside line and getting filled in saw him fall on the first turn. Ricky kept it tight to the white line and the three riders finished well strung out. The Lynn reserves trapped to lead heat 2 with Paul and Benji unable to respond. Kyle led down the back straight in heat 3 with Emiliano and Trevor Harding neck and neck behind him. Trevor took the advantage on the third turn but Emiliano showed us what a racer he is powering around him and back into second place on the pits turn at the end of the second lap. Controversy at the start of heat 4 as the Lynn management try to prevent Benji from starting the race on the used tyre from his spare machine. The tyre he used in heat 2 was faulty but he'd been given permission to change it by the appropriate official and the referee was happy. Jason Lyons made a good start to lead from Tom Topinka and John Oliver passed Benji on the outside of turn one at the start of the second lap. Benji responded by diving through on the third turn to reclaim third place and looked like holding it until he tried just a little too hard and tumbled off on the very last corner. Emiliano and Kyle won heat 5 from Troy with Kevin Doolan disinterested in last place.

Heat six was delayed while more tyre shenanigans were sorted out. It seems Ricky's tyre has also distorted along with one of the Stars riders. Chris Mills and Ben dispute the lead as they reach the back straight with Ricky powering around Tom into third spot. Ben goes into the lead with the inside line on turn three and Ricky follows suit out of the pits turn and follows Ben home for the 5-1. Tom pulls off the track at the end of lap two but rides back into the pits once the race is over. Paul tries the wide line on the first corner of heat 7 but only succeeds in losing a lot of ground which he never made up. Jason demotes Trevor with a lovely inside pass on the pits turn at the end of the first lap, and then closes in on Daniel Nermark before repeating the manoeuvre to take the lead on the third lap. Rob Lyon nominated Troy for a tactical ride in heat 8 but Ben storms into the lead. Troy takes a couple of laps to watch Ben's lines before swooping around him at the start of lap three to claim the full 6 points. Kyle makes another textbook start to lead heat 9 but Emiliano's attempt to join him is stymied when Chris almost dumps him in the fence on the second turn. Emiliano recovers lost ground with the wide line on the pits turn but then loses it all again in the grease on turn one. Ricky is off gate four in heat 10 but switches back to the inside line on the first turn and nearly catches Daniel. Ben easily outpaces Trevor to share the heat. The trophy is by now the property of the 'Stars' but can the Tigers hold on for the home win?

Kevin Doolan takes heat 11 with Jason hot on his tail but Paul is not at the races today. Emiliano makes no mistake winning heat 12 while Benji tries his all to pass Chris Mills but only ends up on his arse again! Ricky rounds Kevin on the second turn to lead heat 13 and Jason scythes past Tom into turn three to set up a 4-2, but it ends in tears as Jason's bike splutters and dies as they cross the start/finish at the end of lap three. The lead stands at three points and a result is required to keep us in the match. Benji is pressed into action in place of his fellow Conference Pairs champion but is he just the lesser of two evils? Daniel makes another blistering start and although Kyle is right on his tail there is no way past, while Benji capitalizes on a good gate and rides a tidy line to finish ahead of John and share the heat. The 'Stars' need a 1-5 from heat 15 to make it an away win but Ricky is having none of that as he blasts around Kevin Doolan on the third turn to take the lead. Kyle once again is stuck behind Daniel but Ricky does a fine captain's job to seal the home win.

The 'Stars' ran out worthy winners with the reserves being the deciding factor. Over the two legs Chris Mills and John Oliver carded a useful 25 (+5) points between them while Paul and Benji managed a meagre 4 (+1) with Benji's heat 14 point being the only time in the two meetings that either of them finished ahead of an opposing rider! Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Jason Lyons was announced as the guest choice for the home fixture but he rode well and Neil certainly got it right on this occasion.

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