Around the Premier League Tracks 2007
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Tuesday, 30 October
……and so to the last match of the season (there’s not one tomorrow is there?! The final match of 2007 was a challenge match at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions, next year’s Premier League newcomers, took on Sheffield in a Challenge Match for the Halloween Trophy.
Halloween Trophy: Scunthorpe 44, Sheffield 45.
Scunthorpe used Rider Replacement at number 3 and had Adam Roynon at number 2 in place of Chris Kerr who was due to guest for the Scorpions but who had to withdraw due to a broken bone in his hand. They also had Carl Wilkinson as a guest at number 5. Sheffield used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Ricky Ashworth, who allegedly had what is commonly known as ‘the runs’. They also had Simon Lambert at number 2 in place of Ben Wilson and a reserve partnership of Ricky Scarboro and Luke Priest.
Scunthorpe, the Conference League Champions, had an opportunity to size up the reaction to the visit of a Premier League side before their proposed elevation to the higher flight next season. They must have been pleased with the size of the crowd – probably the best ever seen at the track on a bitterly cold night. The start of the meeting had to be delayed due to the traffic such was the interest.
Simon Walker made the best start in the opening heat but Tai Woffinden was soon past him while Joel Parsons (R/R) kept Adam Roynon at the back to share the points but the Scorpions took the lead in the reserves race. Luke Priest made the gate for the Tigers and had an excellent battle with Byron Bekker before Bekker got the better of him. Scott Richardson finished third for a 4-2 to the home side but Sheffield looked well placed to take a 1-5 in heat 3 when Paul Cooper and Andre Compton led from the start. Tai Woffinden (R/R) and Benji Compton passed Andre Compton on the inside on the third bend then chased after Paul Cooper. Woffinden got past him on the first bend of the second lap but Benji Compton went too wide on the third bend and crashed into the fence. The race had to be stopped and rerun without the younger of the Compton brothers. Tai Woffinden won the rerun from the gate for another shared heat. There was another excellent race in heat 4 as Joel Parsons, Carl Wilkinson and Byron Bekker passed and re-passed for the opening three laps. Eventually Parsons closed the door on Wilkinson to go on and win the race while the two Scorpions finished behind him for yet another shared race which took the score to 13-11.
Heat 5 produced the third 3-3 on the trot but this time the race was incident-free as Adam Roynon led home Paul Cooper and Simon Lambert from the gate but heat 6 had to be rerun after Tai Woffinden clipped Joel Parsons’ back wheel and went into the fence at some speed. Woffinden, who was excluded from the rerun, had to return to the medical room in the ambulance feeling a bit less than tickety-boo. Unfortunately for Scunthorpe Woffinden was to take no further part in the meeting. In the rerun there was another exciting race when Joel Parsons and Adam Roynon had a ding-dong battle which Parsons eventually won. Ricky Scarboro picked up the third place point so the Tigers scoreed a 2-4 to level the match. Sheffield followed this with a 1-5 in heat 7 when Andre Compton and Paul Cooper gated to beat Carl Wilkinson to shoot the Tigers into a four point lead. Back came the Scorpions in heat 8 with a 4-2. Adam Roynon won the race but the excitement was behind him as Byron Bekker came from the back to pass Luke Priest on the third lap before chasing after Lambert unsuccessfully on the last lap. The score now stood at 23-25.
There was another rerun in heat 9. Carl Wilkinson fell on the third bend of the opening lap when Joel Parsons dived underneath him. Wilkinson was not pleased but he was excluded nonetheless. In the rerun an inspired Benji Compton gave Parsons a hard race and after the riders had passed and re-passed each other the younger Compton won the race for the Scorpions for a 3-3. Adam Roynon won heat 10 for the home side after passing Andre Compton but Byron Bekker, replacing Tai Woffinden, just couldn’t get past Paul Cooper after spending the race tied to his exhaust pipe. This shared race was followed by a big 5-1 for the Scorpions in heat 11. Andre Compton taking the R/R ride was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back. He was then excluded after being adjudged to have caused Scott Richardson to fall when passing him and, in the rerun, Richardson was nursed home by Carl Wilkinson to keep Simon Lambert at the back. The maximum heat win wiped out the Scorpions’ two point deficit and put them two points in front and it stayed that way when heat 12, won by Andre Compton, was shared taking the score to 37-35.
Carl Wilkinson passed Simon Lambert on the fourth lap to win heat 13 but Woffinden’s absence was felt as the Tigers shared the points behind him. Sheffield levelled the scores in heat 14 with a 2-4. Paul Cooper won the race from Benji Compton while Luke Priest passed Scott Richardson on the third lap for the vital third place. The drama continued until the last bend of the last heat. Andre Compton led from the start but Paul Cooper crashed on the last bend while trying an outside sweep on Carl Wilkinson. This might have given Scunthorpe a draw but, unfortunately, Adam Roynon suffered an engine failure after falling so the race was awarded to Compton the elder and Wilkinson for a 2-3 which gave Sheffield a one point win.
The result was academic though as the huge crowd enjoyed a fabulous meeting full of incident and excitement to bring the 2007 season to a close.
Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Carl Wilkinson 11 (6), Adam Roynon 11 (6), Benji Compton 7 (5), Byron Bekker 6+2 (5), Tai Woffinden 6 (3), Scott Richardson 3+1 (5).
For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13 (6), Joel Parsons 10+2 (5), Paul Cooper 9+3 (6), Simon Lambert 8+1 (5), Luke Priest 3 (4), Ricky Scarboro 2+1 (4).
……and so to the last match of the season (there’s not one tomorrow is there?! The final match of 2007 was a challenge match at Scunthorpe where the Scorpions, next year’s Premier League newcomers, took on Sheffield in a Challenge Match for the Halloween Trophy.
Halloween Trophy: Scunthorpe 44, Sheffield 45.
Scunthorpe used Rider Replacement at number 3 and had Adam Roynon at number 2 in place of Chris Kerr who was due to guest for the Scorpions but who had to withdraw due to a broken bone in his hand. They also had Carl Wilkinson as a guest at number 5. Sheffield used Rider Replacement at number 1 for Ricky Ashworth, who allegedly had what is commonly known as ‘the runs’. They also had Simon Lambert at number 2 in place of Ben Wilson and a reserve partnership of Ricky Scarboro and Luke Priest.
Scunthorpe, the Conference League Champions, had an opportunity to size up the reaction to the visit of a Premier League side before their proposed elevation to the higher flight next season. They must have been pleased with the size of the crowd – probably the best ever seen at the track on a bitterly cold night. The start of the meeting had to be delayed due to the traffic such was the interest.
Simon Walker made the best start in the opening heat but Tai Woffinden was soon past him while Joel Parsons (R/R) kept Adam Roynon at the back to share the points but the Scorpions took the lead in the reserves race. Luke Priest made the gate for the Tigers and had an excellent battle with Byron Bekker before Bekker got the better of him. Scott Richardson finished third for a 4-2 to the home side but Sheffield looked well placed to take a 1-5 in heat 3 when Paul Cooper and Andre Compton led from the start. Tai Woffinden (R/R) and Benji Compton passed Andre Compton on the inside on the third bend then chased after Paul Cooper. Woffinden got past him on the first bend of the second lap but Benji Compton went too wide on the third bend and crashed into the fence. The race had to be stopped and rerun without the younger of the Compton brothers. Tai Woffinden won the rerun from the gate for another shared heat. There was another excellent race in heat 4 as Joel Parsons, Carl Wilkinson and Byron Bekker passed and re-passed for the opening three laps. Eventually Parsons closed the door on Wilkinson to go on and win the race while the two Scorpions finished behind him for yet another shared race which took the score to 13-11.
Heat 5 produced the third 3-3 on the trot but this time the race was incident-free as Adam Roynon led home Paul Cooper and Simon Lambert from the gate but heat 6 had to be rerun after Tai Woffinden clipped Joel Parsons’ back wheel and went into the fence at some speed. Woffinden, who was excluded from the rerun, had to return to the medical room in the ambulance feeling a bit less than tickety-boo. Unfortunately for Scunthorpe Woffinden was to take no further part in the meeting. In the rerun there was another exciting race when Joel Parsons and Adam Roynon had a ding-dong battle which Parsons eventually won. Ricky Scarboro picked up the third place point so the Tigers scoreed a 2-4 to level the match. Sheffield followed this with a 1-5 in heat 7 when Andre Compton and Paul Cooper gated to beat Carl Wilkinson to shoot the Tigers into a four point lead. Back came the Scorpions in heat 8 with a 4-2. Adam Roynon won the race but the excitement was behind him as Byron Bekker came from the back to pass Luke Priest on the third lap before chasing after Lambert unsuccessfully on the last lap. The score now stood at 23-25.
There was another rerun in heat 9. Carl Wilkinson fell on the third bend of the opening lap when Joel Parsons dived underneath him. Wilkinson was not pleased but he was excluded nonetheless. In the rerun an inspired Benji Compton gave Parsons a hard race and after the riders had passed and re-passed each other the younger Compton won the race for the Scorpions for a 3-3. Adam Roynon won heat 10 for the home side after passing Andre Compton but Byron Bekker, replacing Tai Woffinden, just couldn’t get past Paul Cooper after spending the race tied to his exhaust pipe. This shared race was followed by a big 5-1 for the Scorpions in heat 11. Andre Compton taking the R/R ride was excluded under the two minute rule and went from 15 metres back. He was then excluded after being adjudged to have caused Scott Richardson to fall when passing him and, in the rerun, Richardson was nursed home by Carl Wilkinson to keep Simon Lambert at the back. The maximum heat win wiped out the Scorpions’ two point deficit and put them two points in front and it stayed that way when heat 12, won by Andre Compton, was shared taking the score to 37-35.
Carl Wilkinson passed Simon Lambert on the fourth lap to win heat 13 but Woffinden’s absence was felt as the Tigers shared the points behind him. Sheffield levelled the scores in heat 14 with a 2-4. Paul Cooper won the race from Benji Compton while Luke Priest passed Scott Richardson on the third lap for the vital third place. The drama continued until the last bend of the last heat. Andre Compton led from the start but Paul Cooper crashed on the last bend while trying an outside sweep on Carl Wilkinson. This might have given Scunthorpe a draw but, unfortunately, Adam Roynon suffered an engine failure after falling so the race was awarded to Compton the elder and Wilkinson for a 2-3 which gave Sheffield a one point win.
The result was academic though as the huge crowd enjoyed a fabulous meeting full of incident and excitement to bring the 2007 season to a close.
Scorers: For Scunthorpe – Carl Wilkinson 11 (6), Adam Roynon 11 (6), Benji Compton 7 (5), Byron Bekker 6+2 (5), Tai Woffinden 6 (3), Scott Richardson 3+1 (5).
For Sheffield – Andre Compton 13 (6), Joel Parsons 10+2 (5), Paul Cooper 9+3 (6), Simon Lambert 8+1 (5), Luke Priest 3 (4), Ricky Scarboro 2+1 (4).
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