Sheffield Speedway Match Reports 2007

Key:+ = from 15m handicap,  * = Tactical ride for double points,  ! = Tactical substitution from 15m
Sheffield Window Center 'Tigers' v Stoke 'Potters' Premier League 2nd August

Referee: Graham Reeve

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Tot+Bp
1. Ricky Ashworth 7.40 r 1' - - 1+1
2. Ben Wilson 6.56 1 2 2' 3 1 9+1
3. André Compton © 9.76 3 3 3 3 3 15
4. James Birkinshaw 5.18 0 0 2' 2' 4+2
5. Joel Parsons 6.04 1 3 2 2 8
6. Paul Cooper 5.01 3 0 1' fx 3 7+1
7. James Cockle 3.20 1 3 3 0 f 7
 Reg Wilson 1 4 3 4 3 3 3 5 5 3 3 3 2 5 4
Sheffield 'Tigers' 1 5 8 12 15 18 21 26 31 34 37 40 42 47 51
Stoke 'Potters' 5 7 10 12 15 18 21 22 23 26 29 32 36 37 39
 John Adams 5 2 3 2 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 4 1 2
1. Rusty Harrison 6.12 2' 1' 3 3 2 11+2
2. Ben Barker 5.44 3 2 1 0 6
3. Glenn Cunningham 7.63 1' 1' 1' 2 5+3
4. Lee Complin 6.08 2 2 2 ef 6
5. Claus Vissing 6.00 2 3 1 1 ef 7
6. Barrie Evans 3.96 2 0 0 1' 1 4+1
7. Jamie Smith 4.04 fx 0 0 - 0
Track Record: 59.5
S. Stead, & C. Holder
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

62.4

64.0

61.5

64.5

62.1

63.1

62.5

64.3

62.9

62.6

63.1

62.7

??.?

64.2

62.9

2007 Programme With the sun beating down from clear blue skies we started the meeting on a soaking wet track! Heat 1 was restarted due to movement at the tapes and it was the visitors who led the way in the restart. Ben Barker led and Ben Wilson followed Rusty Harrison closely without ever looking like making it past, while Ricky Ashworth retired after a couple of laps at the back of the field. The Tigers reserves led heat 2 until Jamie Smith tumbled off on the third turn, and Paul Cooper won the rerun from Barrie Evans with James Cockle sliding off on the third lap as he attempted to pass, but remounting for the odd point. André sped away to win heat 3 from Lee Complin and Glenn Cunningham but Birko trailed home last. James Cockle gated ahead in heat 4 and did enough to stay ahead of Claus Vissing with Joel Parsons unable to get up the inside of the Dane and getting filled in when he looked to try the outside line. André took another easy win in heat 5 but Birko was again left trailing the field. Five heats gone and Sheffield have clawed their way back to 15 points all.

Claus Vissing led heat 6 from Ben Wilson and Ricky who only picked up his odd point because Barrie Evens over slid as he went around him at the start of the second lap. Joel Parsons was again in the thick of the action taking the lead from Lee Complin in heat 7 as they exited the second bend. Lee hasn't forgotten his way around Owlerton though and he regained the lead off the pits bend, only for Joel to dive past at the start of lap two. Lee maintained the pressure for another lap before Joel was able to pull clear but the action wasn't over as Glenn Cunningham was wearing Paul Cooper down and switched his attentions to the outside line on the third bend of lap three to force another shared heat. The deadlock was broken with James Cockle winning heat 8 shepherded home by Ben Wilson with Ben Barker only passing his team mate Jamie Smith at the start of the last lap. Heat 9 became another 5-1 for the Tigers as André was joined at the front by Birko who had enough speed to outrun Claus. With Ricky withdrawn from the meeting as his injured wrist is obviously not better his place in heat 10 was taken by James Cockle, but he didn't gate particularly well and trailed home behind Lee and Glenn with Ben Wilson taking his only heat win of the night. The Tigers now lead by 8 points but will they miss Ricky's scoring potential in the closing stages.

Rusty Harrison traps ahead in heat 11 and soaks up every move that Joel tries while Paul holds out from Ben Barker to share the heat. André is untroubled on his way to victory in heat 12 but James Cockle falls on the last lap while running fourth behind Glenn and Barrie Evans. Paul Cooper replaces Ricky in heat 13 and makes a good gate to lead with Joel joining him on the back straight. Joel moves Paul a little wide on the pits turn and Claus Vissing moves through on the inside but Paul's wide line gives him the momentum to draw alongside Claus on the back straight. The video replays clearly show Claus twice checking over his shoulder and seeing Paul catching him before deliberately stuffing him into the fence. How Paul walked away from the wreckage I don't know, and to say he wasn't pleased would be an understatement. It took a lot of track staff and security to keep order when he returned to the pits, with a guilty looking Claus sat by his toolbox with his helmet and face mask still on for 10 minutes or more refusing to speak to anyone. A long delay ensued while the fence was rebuilt and what was left of Paul's bike was carried off the track. Graham Reeve joins the list of nominations for 'Mr. Myopia 2007' as he excludes Paul! Joel follows Rusty home in the rerun with the dirty Dane in last place and soundly booed as he does an inflammatory celebration lap. As he returns to the pit gate Paul is making his way out for heat 14 and words are exchanged resulting in Paul being attacked by Claus' pit crew and sparking a mass brawl on the track. James Cockle sportingly loans his bike to Paul who pulls off a big win ahead of Birko and Barrie after Lee Complin never got off the starting line. André completes another perfect maximum ahead of Rusty in heat 15 with Ben Wilson in third and Claus suffering engine trouble (nothing trivial I hope).

It is announced later that Graham Reeve subsequently fined Claus £100 for his inflammatory celebration lap following heat 13, and another (maximum) £300 for failing to control his pit crew. It might make him think twice about deliberately knocking other riders off in future, but it won't help Paul with the hundreds of pounds worth of damage to his bike.

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