Bears take 10 point lead to Arlington
Redcar Agilia Bears continued their good form, with a hard fought 50-40 win over a strong Eastbourne team at the Media Prima Arena.
In front of a good crowd, the Eagles started off well with Edward Kennett winning heat 1 and guest Danny Phillips winning heat 2. The Bears packed the minor placers in those heats however, and the scores were tied going into heat 3. The Bears took a big 5-1 in heat 3, with the excellent Jordan Stewart and Michael Palm Toft leading the way over Kyle Newman and Lewis Kerr. The Bears followed that up with a 4-2 in the next heat, with Erik Riss taking the win and Nathan Greaves slotting in for third place.
The Eagles then stopped the Bears getting further ahead, with wins from Kennett, Lawson and Newman reducing the gap to 4 after 8 heats. Heat 9 saw a terrific race between Stewart, Lawson and Palm Toft – with Stewart getting the better of Lawson after a great battle with Palm Toft coming third. Guest Jake Allen then produced a wall of death ride to get the better of Kyle Newman in heat 10, before Tom Woolley brought the house down with a battling third in heat 11, getting the better of Eddie Kennett until bend 3 lap 1.
Heat 13 saw some more great racing, with the impressive Lawson just getting the better of Erik Riss with Kennett getting the third to reduce the deficit to 8 points. Going into the last heat, the Bears were looking for a heat advantage to increase the lead they would defend at Eastbourne on Saturday night. Championship Riders winner Erik Riss flew from the gate to win, with Lawson holding off the fast charging Palm Toft, who himself held off the challenge of Kennett.
It was a superb meeting, and leaves the tie finely poised going into the clash at Eastbourne on Saturday night. After losing by 10 at Eastbourne in the league only a couple of weeks ago, the Bears will be hoping to go one better and seal their place in the KO Cup Final. It is sure to be a great meeting tomorrow night – safe journey to all our fans who are making the trip to the South Coast!
Redcar Bears = 50
1. Jake Allen (G) 1*, 2, 3, 0 = 6+1
2. Kasper Andersen 2, 1*, 3, 0 = 6+1
3. Michael Palm Toft 2*, 1*, 1, 3, 1 = 8+2
4. Jordan Stewart 3, 2, 3, 2 = 10
5. Erik Riss 3, 2, 3, 2, 3 = 13
6. Tom Woolley 1*, 0, 1 = 2+1
7. Nathan Greaves 2, 1, 0, 1, 1* = 5+1
Eastbourne Eagles = 40
1. Eddie Kennett 3, 3, 2, 1, 0 = 9
2. Georgie Wood R/R (JE 0, JE 0, KN 2, DP 0 = 2)
3. Kyle Newman 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 = 8
4. Lewis Kerr 0, 3, 1*, 3 = 7+1
5. Richard Lawson 2, 3, 2, 3, 2 = 12
6. Danny Phillips (G) 3, 0, 0, 1*, 0, 0, FX = 4+1
7. Jason Edwards 0, 0, 0 = 0
8. David Wallinger