Bears battle to important win!

Redcar kept their play-off hopes alive with a 50-40 win over the Workington Comets. Danny King top scored for Redcar with paid 12 whilst Workington’s stand-in skipper, Troy Batchelor struck a fantastic paid 19. All of the Bears side registered at least a paid win in a good team performance whilst the Comets battled well in the absence of their skipper, Craig Cook. 

Batchelor started his evening with a scintillating gate to win heat 1, but with his partner, Ace Pijper at the back, the visitors had to settle for a shared opening heat. The reserves race saw Jake Mulford take a serene win, and with Ben Trigger battling his way past Paul Starke for 2nd, Redcar hit a 5-1 to open an early 4 point cushion. 

Workington struck their first heat advantage in heat 3 as their guest, Jordan Jenkins took the chequered flag, and with Antti Vuolas in 3rd, the Comets halved the deficit. Heat 4 saw Batchelor continue his superb start as he took another heat win, and with Starke benefitting from Mulford having machinery issues to claim 3rd, Workington levelled the tie.

However, Redcar hit back with their second 5-1 of the match to re-establish their 4 point advantage as Jason Edwards and Dan Gilkes combined in the middle order to take a comfortable maximum, much to the delight of the partisan home support. The “Agilia” Bears lead was extended further as Wright lowered Batchelor’s colours to win heat 6 and with Redcar’s guest Danyon Hume in a comfortable 3rd, the hosts had a 6 point advantage. 

After a shared heat 7 won by Danny King, Mulford and Hume rekindled their 2023 heat 8 partnership as they hit another Redcar 5-1 to stretch the side’s lead to 10 points. The ninth race saw the overworked Batchelor take another chequered flag in a shared race whilst heat 10 saw a comfortable win for Charles Wright in the 3rd shared race of the match. 

Batchelor, in his 5th outing of the evening took his 4th win, and with Jenkins in 3rd, the Comets still had hope at 37-29. However, Workington’s hopes were in tatters after heat twelve as Mulford and Gilkes team rode superbly to hold off Vuolas to give Redcar a 12 point advantage with only 3 heats remaining. 

Batchelor took another win in heat 13, but with Pijper at the back, Redcar secured the all important win at the ECCO Arena. Heat 14 saw the impressive Jenkins pass Edwards for the win, and with Starke 3rd for Workington, they secured their 4th heat advantage of the evening. The final race saw an enthralling battle as a fired up King took the win, but with Wright unable to get the better of Jenkins or Batchelor, Redcar had to settle for a 10 point win. 

Redcar Bears = 50

1. Charles Wright = 10

2. Danyon Hume (G) = 4+2

3. Dan Gilkes = 6+2

4. Jason Edwards = 8+1

5. Danny King = 11+1 

6. Ben Trigger = 2+1

7. Jake Mulford = 9

Workington Comets = 40

1. Craig Cook R/R 

2. Ace Pijper (G) = 1

3. Antti Vuolas = 5+2

4. Jordan Jenkins (G) = 13 

5. Troy Batchelor = 18+1 

6. Sam McGurk = 0

7. Paul Starke = 3