Bears beat Diamonds in a thriller!
REDCAR retained the Tyne-Tees Trophy after a dramatic 46-44 last heat success over a Newcastle Diamonds select side.
The final heat saw Jason Edwards, and Charles Wright, who went through the card with a 15 point maximum, needing a 5-1 for the Bears to win, and the pair duly delivered to the delight of the home crowd. Lewi Kerr top scored with paid 11 for Newcastle.
The “Agilia” Bears started in scintillating fashion as Charles Wright won comfortably whilst Jake Mulford showed superb form (in his first appearance in the main body of the side) to comfortably take 2nd and Redcar had a maximum advantage to begin 2025.
However, the Diamonds hit back in heat two as Alfie Bowtell won in serene fashion, but with Bears debutant Tom Spencer keeping away from Newcastle’s Danny Phillips, George English’s side had to settle for a 4-2 heat advantage which cut Redcar’s lead to two points.
Danny King opened his account with a big heat win, whilst Jason Edwards used his ECCO Arena knowledge to hold off the hard charging Simon Lambert for 2nd which extended Redcar’s lead to six points on Teesside.
The visitors emphatically hit back in heat four as Lewi Kerr took the chequered flag, and with Alfie Bowtell riding well to hold off Redcar guest Dan Gilkes, the meeting was looking much more even at 13-11 to the Bears.
Heat five was full of drama throughout, after three attempts to finish the race. Firstly, Steve Worrall demolished the tapes in the opening staging which saw the Diamonds 2012 KO Cup winner replaced by the undefeated Alfie Bowtell. The second staging saw Bowtell take out King with Bowtell excluded.
The third and final staging saw Ben Barker gate, but King quickly hit the dirt and took the lead, and, to the joy of the large crowd, Edwards used the outside line to pass Barker on the final lap to take the paid win and send Redcar back into a four point lead.
Redcar’s lead was stretched to six points as the red-hot Wright took another chequered flag, and with Mulford in a comfortable 3rd, Redcar had a 22-14 advantage.
Nevertheless, the Diamonds immediately hit back to halve the deficit in heat seven. Simon Lambert took the win, and with Dan Gilkes hitting the deck (whilst in 2nd) whilst trying to pass Lambert for the win on the final band, Connor Mountain took 2nd and Newcastle were back in with a shout.
The first shared heat of 2025 saw Newcastle’s Ben Barker win with ease, but with Jake Mulford and Ace Pijper (scoring his debut point in Redcar colours) packing the minor placings, Redcar still had the upper hand in the battle for the Tyne-Tees Trophy.
Heat nine saw Kerr stretch his legs to record an impressive heat win, and with the win, he ended both Edwards and King’s maximum hopes, but with Phillips at the back, the gap remained at four points on opening night.
Heat 10 saw more drama as Mulford broke the tapes in the first staging, and he was excluded from the re-run. Remarkably, the next two attempts to stage the race saw Mulford’s replacement, Tom Spencer hit the deck on the first turn which saw both races stopped. The final staging saw Wright cruise to another win, but with Spencer at the back, Newcastle were still within touching distance of the Bears.
Newcastle emphatically hit back in heat 11 as Barker won comfortably, and with Worrall coming to the party in 2nd, the Diamonds had levelled in their attempts to regain the Tyne-Tees Trophy.
Heat 12 saw Newcastle take the lead for the first time as Lambert passed Edwards to win, and with Bowtell 3rd, Newcastle fans could see a trophy in their midst. Heat 13 saw Wright continue immaculately to win again, but with Gilkes 4th, Redcar remained two behind.
Heat 14 saw another shared race as King won, but with Bowtell holding off a spirited effort from Spencer, the Diamonds had a two point advantage heading into the final race.
The final race saw breathtaking drama as Wright completed his full maximum, but Edwards rode with remarkable skill and maturity to hold off Worrall and Kerr to hand Redcar a 46-44 win and the Tyne-Tees Trophy.
Redcar Bears = 46
1. Charles Wright = 15 Maximum
2. Jake Mulford = 5+1
3. Jason Edwards = 9+4
4. Danny King = 11
5. Dan Gilkes (G) = 2
6. Tom Spencer = 3
7. Ace Pijper = 1+1
Newcastle Select = 44
1. Steve Worrall = 4+1
2. Ben Barker = 8
3. Simon Lambert = 8+1
4. Connor Mountain = 6+1
5. Lewis Kerr = 10+1
6. Danny Phillips = 1
7. Alfie Bowtell = 7+2