Key:+ = from 15m handicap,  * = Tactical ride for double points,  ! = Tactical substitution from 15m
SHEFFIELD SPEEDWAY MATCH REPORTS 2010
SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE 'Tigers' v Redcar 'Bears' Premier Trophy 27th May

Referee: David Watters

0102030405 0607080910 1112131415 Tot+Bp
1. Ricky Ashworth 7.94 2' 3 3 1' 3 12+2
2. Hugh Skidmore 5.06 3 2' 2' 3 2 12+2
3. Josh Auty 6.07 2' 3 2' 3 10+2
4. Josef Franc r/r 7.84 - - - - (11+1)
5. Richard Hall 7.37 3 3 3 3 ef 3 15
6. Paul Cooper ©

4.56

3 2' 2' 2' 1 10+3
7. Arlo Bugeja 3.00 1 1 1 2' 3 8+1
Eric Boocock 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 3 5 5 3 5 4
Sheffield 'Tigers' 5 9 14 18 23 28 33 37 42 45 50 55 58 63 67
Redcar 'Bears' 1 3 4 6 7 8 9 13 14 17 18 19 22 23 25
 Brian Havelock 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 4 1 3 1 1 3 1 2
1. Henning Bager 9.16 1 0 1 2 4
2. Emiliano Sanchez 7.07 r 1 *4 0 5
3. Gary Havelock © 7.44 1 *1 3 1 ef 6
4. Tomas Suchanek 4.72 0 0 0 1 1
5. Ben Wilson 7.01 2 1 1 +1' 2 7+1
6. Stuart Swales 4.06 2 0 0 0' 2
7. Gary Irving 3.00 0 0 0 0 0
Track record: 59.2
R. Ashworth, 21 May '09
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

61.3

62.0

60.8

61.8

61.5

62.0

62.0

62.5

62.0

63.2

62.3

62.8

63.0

63.8 64.1

2010 programme Paul Cooper won the toss and selected gates 1&3. Hugh Skidmore made an electric start and Ricky Ashworth slotted in behind him. I'd be lying if I claimed he was shepherding him home because if truth be known I don't think Ricky could keep up with him. Emiliano Sanchez certainly could and put Ricky under pressure until the second bend of the last lap when he fell gifting a point to the Bear's new top man. Paul Cooper rounded Stuart Swales to lead heat 2 while Arlo Bugeja (keen to put on a good show against his former team) looked uncertain about the track conditions but did just enough to hold off Gary Irving. Ricky was rider replacement for Pepe Franc (shoulder injury) and trapped to lead heat 3. Josh Auty took Tomas Suchanek very wide into the first turn and blasted around Gary Havelock on the second to follow his team mate home for a maximum win. Ben Wilson was warned for rolling at the start but still trapped ahead in heat 4. Richard Hall executed an inside pass out of turn two on the second lap and Ben lost interest after that. Emiliano trapped to lead heat 5 briefly but was passed inside and out by Hugh and Josh on the second turn. Henning Bager nearly stole a point on the line. Tigers sixteen points ahead of the team that won twice at Owlerton last year.

Ricky trapped to lead heat 6. Ben and Hugh side by side until Hugh pulled ahead out of turn two. Ben tried the wide line on the first turn of the second lap but it was strange territory and he nearly came a cropper. World Champion Gary is on a tactical in heat 7 and makes a cracking start. Richard passes him to take the lead out of turn two and Paul recovers from a bad start to pass Tomas on the pits turn to move up to third place. Paul then harries Gary on the inside for two laps before throwing caution to glory and blasting around him out of turn two on the last lap. Emiliano is on another tactical in heat 8 and has slightly more success passing Arlo at the end of the first lap, but is unable to get close to Hugh. Richard is rider replacement in heat 9 and blasts around Ben out of turn two to take the lead. Tomas and Gary lead heat 10 for the Bears! Gary passes Tomas on the third turn to lead. Hugh goes second at the start of the second lap, and Ricky follows suite out of turn two. Bears now trail by 28 with both of their jokers used!

Richard was off and away to win heat 11 while Paul had to work his way around the Bears on the second bend. Richard thrapped his engine for all it was worth to win by nearly half a lap despite their being no threat at all. Josh trapped (!) to lead heat 12, but no-one was interested after that. The World Champ and Stuart seemed quite content to share the heat riding mid track lines and certainly not chasing Josh. Arlo quietly made his plans and squirted it right around the white line on the first and second bends finding unexpected grip and passing Stuart in the process. Same procedure on the third and fourth turns found him sat on Gary's exhaust and, guess what, the same inside line took him sailing past the World Champion on the last lap. Gary gambled all on a wide line out of the pits turn but his efforts fell millimeters short, much to the delight of the home supporters. Ben tries his standard rolling start in heat 13, gets both a flyer and a 15 metre penalty for his troubles. Ricky leads the rerun from Richard whose engine expires at the end of the second lap. Arlo is the rider replacement in heat 14 (we are thirty six points ahead!). Paul leads and is joined by Arlo who then demonstrate a perfect example of team riding, except Tomas is so far behind it wasn't necessary. Still looked good though! Arlo eased off out of the last turn to give Paul the win, but Paul virtually came to a stop to ensure Arlo recorded his FIRST home win of the season. Let's hope it will be followed by many more. Coops was only the fourth highest scorer and sat on a maximum but was nominated for heat 15 above Hugh and Ricky whose own maximum hopes had been squashed by Havy. Richard had expensively blown his engine in heat 13 and was sat on an unwarmed second bike but still went on to pass Ben on the last bend to win. Paul's maximum hopes went adrift when Gary  pulled up on the second lap and severely baulked Paul's line.

Not quite as entertaining as last weeks fiesta against Berwick, but who cares when you are beating Redcar!

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