Resilient Redcar see off Scunthorpe
Redcar signed off from their Jubilee League campaign with a hard fought 48-42 win over the Scunthorpe Scorpions at the ECCO Arena. Jordan Jenkins was again superb around his home circuit and the Brit top scored with paid 11 whilst Ryan Douglas hit 16 for the visitors.
Redcar started the meeting in fine fettle with a 5-1 as Charles Wright shepherded Jason Edwards home after both Scorpions struggled out of the gate.
Despite Redcar’s fast start, Scunthorpe were not behind for long as the former Redcar duo of Anders Rowe and Adam Roynon got the better of the current Bears reserves, Jordan Jenkins and Kyle Bickley to level the scores.
The first shared heat of the match arrived in heat 3 as Douglas took the rider replacement ride to take his first win of five on the night but with Redcar’s guest Danny King and Kasper Andersen comfortably holding off James Wright the scores remained level.
Scunthorpe hit the front for the first time in heat 4 after a controversial exclusion in the original staging of the race. Lewis Kerr attempted to dive up the inside of Teri Aarnio with the Finn subsequently hitting the deck with Kerr excluded from the re-run.
The second staging saw Aarnio game a comfortable win with Jenkins defeating Rowe to minimise the damage. After a Douglas heat 5 win with Simon Lambert in third ahead of Kasper Andersen, Scunthorpe sensed victory as they stretched their lead to 4.
Aarnio made it two wins on the trot as he held off Wright but with Roynon suffering bike problems at the back, the visitors lead remained at 4. By the start of heat 7, Redcar we’re struggling to find heat winners with only 1 to their name so far. However, two heat winners followed in shared heats as Kerr won comfortably from the gate whilst Jenkins held off a hard charging Rowe to keep the hosts in touch.
Home heat wins were now becoming home heat advanatages as the Bears struck two, back to back decisive blows. King and Andersen brought Redcar level as they stopped Aarnio’s maximum hopes whilst heat 10 brought the same result as Charles Wright passed Rowe and his partner Edwards to send Redcar into a 4 point lead of their own.
Nevertheless, the Scorpions were not about to wave the white flag as the impressive Douglas took the win after a buzzard opening lap. Kerr gated but clipped the fence on the 2nd bend which relegated him to the back. However, Kerr was not about to give up the chase as he seamlessly passed both Bickley and Lambert but ultimately left himself too much to do to catch Douglas.
Redcar looked set to stretch their lead to 6 but Scunthorpe’s new man Anders Rowe had other ideas as the former Bear passed both King and Jenkins to keep his new side in the hunt. The 6th shared race of the night came in heat 13 as Douglas proved he was a cut above the rest with another superb tapes to flag win but with Wright holding off Aarnio, Redcar still held their slender 2 point lead.
Redcar sealed the deal in a fantastic heat 14 as Jenkins gated and the Brit was joined by Andersen who dived up the inside of Rowe on bend 3 of the opening lap to secure Redcar’s 12th home win of the season.
Scunthorpe were still in the hunt for a consolation point and they got exactly that after Douglas won with Aarnio passing Wright for 3rd to secure a deserved point for the visitors.
Redcar Bears = 47
1. Charles Wright = 8+2
2. Jason Edwards = 6+2
3. Danny King (G) = 9
4. Kasper Andersen = 5+3
5. Lewis Kerr = 9
6. Kyle Bickley = 0
7. Jordan Jenkins= 10+1
Scunthorpe Scorpions = 43
1. Ryan Douglas= 16
2. Simon Lambert = 4+2
3. James Wright = 3
4. Jake Allen R/R
5. Tero Aarnio = 8
6. Adam Roynon = 2+1
7. Anders Rowe= 10
