Key:+ = from 15m handicap,  * = Tactical ride for double points
SHEFFIELD SPEEDWAY MATCH REPORTS 2012
Scunthorpe 'Scorpions' v SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE 'Tigers' League Cup 4th June

Referee:Ronnie Allen

0102030405 0607080910 1112131415 Tot+Bp
1. David Howe 8.34 fx 0 3 0 3
2. Tero Aarnio r/r 6.67 - - - - (4)
3. Carl Wilkinson (g) 6.38 2 2 1 1 1' 2 9+1
4. Tom Armstrong 5.00 fx f 0 - 0
5. Josh Auty 7.68 3 1 3 3 3 fx 13
6. Michael Palm Toft 4.98 2 2 1 1 2 8
7. Ashley Birks © 4.50 f 2' 3 0 2 fx 7+1
Richard Hollingsworth 2 2 2 5 2 1 4 4 1 3 4 3 3 2 2
Scunthorpe 'Scorpions' 2 4 6 11 13 14 18 22 23 26 30 33 36 38 40
Sheffield 'Tigers' 4 8 12 13 17 22 24 26 31 34 36 39 42 46 50
David Hoggart 4 4 4 1 4 5 2 2 5 3 2 3 3 4 4
1. Josef Franc 7.30 1 1 2 2 1 7
2. Hugh Skidmore 5.96 3 3 0 0 6
3. Chris Schramm 6.28 1 0 1' 0 2+1
4. Richard Hall © 7.05 3 2 2 1 8
5. Ricky Wells 6.56 0 2' 2' 1' 3 8+3
6. Emiliano Sanchez 5.94 3 3 3 3 3 15
7. Joe Haines 3.58 1 1 2 - 4
Track record: 55.5
D. Howe 29 July 2011
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

awd

57.57

58.69

58.94

59.13

58.10

57.78

58.81

58.79

58.40

58.16

58.93

58.32

59.31

59.50

Emiliano & Ricky lead heat 6

Michael Palm Toft leads the way in heat 1 but Hugh Skidmore cuts inside him exiting the fourth bend to take the lead. David Howe is comfortably ahead of Josef Franc in third place but falls heavily on the second bend on the last lap. Emiliano Sanchez makes a blistering start to lead heat 2 from Michael and Joe Haines passes Ashley Birks on the inside of the second bend. Joe has his work cut out defending third place until Ashley falls on the last lap. Tom Armstrong falls in heat 3. Carl Wilkinson passes Chris Schramm on the back straight in the rerun but Richard Hall wins by a mile. Ashley leads heat 4 from Joe and Josh Auty takes Ricky Wells very wide on the first turn. Josh passes Joe on the fourth turn and takes the lead from his team mate as they start lap two. Hugh leads heat 5 from Carl and Josef . Tom looks precarious at the back and indeed falls on the third lap. Tigers lead by  four points. Four fallers in 5 heats and all from the home team.

Ricky keeps Josh at bay in heat 6

Josh is the rider replacement in heat 6 and the Sheffield fans resign themselves to a 5-1, but it's Ricky who leads and Emiliano off gate 4 swoops around the field to lead down the back straight. Josh tries everything but the Sheffield pair stick to their lines. It's three abreast into turn three on the last lap but Josh nearly locks it up on the last turn and the Tigers hold on for a memorable win. Josh wins heat 7 comfortably from Richard and it looks like a shared heat until Chris runs too wide on the last bend letting Michael through to steal the point. Ashley traps to win heat 8 from Joe and Carl passes Hugh on the last bend of the third lap to pull another two points back. Carl rounds the field on the first two turns of heat 9 to lead down the back straight from Ricky. Emiliano passes Tom on the third bend to go third. Emiliano just loves the outside line today and he sets off in pursuit of the leader. He pulls alongside around the second turn on the last lap and goes high and wide into turn three with Carl closely following allowing Ricky to sneak past glued to the white line for another maximum heat win. David leads heat 10 and does well to contain Richard. Chris goes around Ashley on the second turn and hangs on valiantly to share the heat. Tigers lead stands at eight points but at least the home riders have stopped falling off!

Emiliano on his way to his fourth race winJosef traps to lead heat 11 and Hugh rounds Josh on the third turn to join his team mate but they both run wide and Hugh nearly hits the fence. Josh takes advantage and the lead and Hugh struggles to make up lost ground. Ashley leads the charge in heat 12 from Carl and Chris. Emiliano blast around his team mate on the fourth turn on the first lap, then Carl on the fourth turn on the second lap and then likewise Ashley on the third lap. I wonder how many Weetabix he had this morning! Josh leads heat 13 from Josef and Ricky with David unable to make any impression. Ashley replaces Tom in heat 14 and unbeaten Emiliano takes Joe's place. The Tigers pair burst from the gate and are on a 5-1 until Ashley slides off on the fourth turn while running last. The Tigers pair do it again in the rerun and team ride but Richard looks as if he would be happier on the outside. Michael keeps up the pressure and cuts under Richard out of the last turn to split the Sheffield pair. The Tigers just need to share heat 15 to take maximum match points. Josh and Carl are nominated for the Scorpions and the Sheffield fans cannot believe their ears when unbeaten Emiliano is not nominated for the Tigers. Josh Auty takes a tumble exiting turn two. Ricky and Josef lead the rerun but Carl never gives in and catches Josef napping off the last turn to steal second place.

It transpires that after he'd won heat 14 they discovered Emiliano's frame was broken (!) which was why he wasn't nominated for heat 15. The Scorpions had two riders making their return from injury who were not fully race fit, and had six fallers to the Tigers none. Add to that just four points from rider replacement and it just wasn't the Scorpions day.

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