Comets comeback to beat Bears
Workington delivered a seismic blow to Redcar’s play-off hopes as they fought back from 6 points down to take a 47-43 home win over the “Agilia” Bears. Antti Vuolas hit 13 for the hosts whilst Danny King struck 10 for Redcar. Despite not securing victory on the day, the Bears did secure the aggregate bonus point with an 87-93 success over both fixtures.
The opening heat of a see-saw battle saw the Redcar guest, James Pearson gate, but his Glasgow teammate and Workington guest for the day, Chris Harris passed the Australian on the 4th bend of the opening lap for the win but with Ace Pijper last for the Comets, heat 1 was shared.
The reserves race saw Ben Trigger take a deserved win, but with Jake Mulford at the back, a shared race looked on the cards. However, Workington’s new signing, Paul Starke suffered machinery issues which let Mulford through for a 4-2 which sent the Bears into an early 2 point lead.
Heat 3 saw the Comets level matters as their guest Leon Flint took the win, and with Antti Vuolas in 3rd, the play-off chasing Comets had parity on home shale. The topsy turvy nature of the meeting continued in heat 4 as Danny King triumphed over Troy Batchelor after a pulsating battle and with Mulford in 3rd, Redcar were back in front.
However, the Comets immediately hit back as Vuolas defeated Charles Wright, and with Flint passing Pearson for 3rd, we were once again deadlocked in Cumbria at 15-15. Nevertheless, Redcar once again regained the initiative with their 3rd 4-2 of the match as King took his second win, and with Trigger in 3rd, the Bears had a slim lead.
Heat 7 saw Batchelor gate with Edwards and Gilkes packing in the minor placings. However, Starke passed Gilkes for 3rd, and with Gilkes then falling when he was attempting to repay the favour, the Comets were looking set to level up once again. However, disaster struck for Batchelor as he packed up on the last lap, gifting Edwards the win, but with the former Grand Prix star tootling round for the solitary point, Redcar remained 2 ahead.
Jake Mulford then struck a superb win in heat 8 for Redcar, and with Pearson getting the better of Starke after a fierce battle, Redcar had breathing space with a 21-27 lead. Workington’s Antti Vuolas then passed King to win the ninth race of the afternoon, and with Flint 3rd, the hosts were within striking distance at 25-29.
Heat 10 saw Harris win after passing Edwards, and with Starke 3rd, the Comets were back within 2 of Redcar once again. The 11th race of an exciting afternoon’s speedway saw Wright win, and with Pearson 3rd, the “Agilia” Bears 4 point lead was re-established. Nevertheless, the lead was short lived as Vuolas took his 3rd chequered flag, and with Starke passing both Gilkes and Mulford to impress his new home fans, Workington were back level.
Heat 13 saw Workington turn the tables as they took the lead thanks to the ninth 4-2 of the match as Harris won, and with Batchelor 3rd (despite looking set for 2nd until Wright blocked his run), Workington had the momentum heading into the final 2 races.
After heat 14 was a shared race won by Jason Edwards, the meeting came down to the final race. Importantly, the hosts had the choice of gates with Redcar being left on gates 2 and 4 with 4 being a clear disadvantage. The final race saw a pulsating race as King gated, and with Wright battling with Vuolas for 2nd, the Bears looked set to give themselves a chance of forcing a super heat. However, Vuolas showed why he is loved by the Comets fans as he passed both Bears to win, and with Harris passing Wright on the run to the line, Workington secured a 47-43 success on home shale to boost their Cab Direct Championship play-off hopes.
Workington Comets = 47 (87)
1. Chris Harris (G) = 12
2. Ace Pijper (G) = 0
3. Antti Vuolas = 13
4. Leon Flint (G) = 7
5. Troy Batchelor = 6+1
6. Sam McGurk = 2
7. Paul Starke = 7+2
Redcar Bears = 43 (93)
1. Charles Wright = 8+1
2. James Pearson (G) = 5+1
3. Dan Gilkes = 3
4. Jason Edwards = 8
5. Danny King = 10
6. Ben Trigger = 4
7. Jake Mulford = 5