Bears retain Pairs crown!
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗥 “𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮” 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗯 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗮.
The final saw the Bears take on Poole but it was not without drama! With the Bears sitting on a 6-3 advantage in the early stages of the race, Lewis Kerr and Erik Riss crashed, leaving both on the deck and with Kerr excluded, the Bears were tantalisingly close to more silverware.
The re-run saw Riss pass Zach Cook, and with Charles Wright sat in 3rd, Redcar secured a 6-3 win, which gave the Bears their third pairs success in four years.
Redcar began the meeting against Poole in heat 4, with the Pirates flying from the tapes for a resounding 7-2 success, leaving Redcar with work to do.
Redcar recorded their first heat advantage against Scunthorpe in heat 8 as Riss battled past Steve Worrall for the win, and with Wright in 3rd place, the reigning champions had a 6-3 advantage to get the Teessiders moving in the right direction.
Heat 11 saw another battle, this time against Oxford as the impressive Riss showed grit and determination to pass Sam Masters on the run to the line, and with Wright again in an important 3rd place, Redcar were on the right track heading into the final qualification heat.
The final qualifying race saw Redcar pitted against the hosts, Workington with Wright and Riss knowing another hea advantage was required for qualification. Despite Voulas taking an early lead, Wright reeled in the Finn to take the chequered flag, and with Riss in 3rd, Redcar had secured a semi-final berth by qualifying in 4th place.
The semi-final saw Redcar pitted against Glasgow, who topped the score charts over 18 heats. However, the Bears completely ripped up the script and struck a 7-2 success to put down a marker ahead of the final.
The second semi-final saw Poole take a 6-3 success over a valiant Plymouth side, setting up a repeat of the 2022 final, when Kerr was in Redcar colours!
The final saw Lewi Kerr take an early lead with Riss and Wright packing the minor places, however, Riss had the speed and passed Kerr on the third bend of the opening lap when Kerr collided with the Redcar heat leader, leaving the referee with a decision to make. After a short look at the footage, Wayne Jarvis excluded Kerr from the re-run.
The re-run saw Zach Cook gate with most onlookers expecting Riss and Wright to settle for a 5-4 heat advantage. However, Riss was determined to end the meeting in style as he passed Cook for the win, and with Wright in an untroubled 3rd, Redcar had the title again, much to the delight of their amazing travelling support.
Plymouth Gladiators = 24
1. Nicolai Klindt – 4, 4, 4, 3 = 15
2. Ben Barker – 3, 2, 2, 2 = 9
Workington Comets = 12
1. Antti Vuolas – 2, 2, 3, 3 = 10
2. Tate Zischke – 0, 0, 2, 0 = 2
Berwick Bandits= 17
1. Drew Kemp – 2, 3, 3, 3 = 11
2. Danyon Hume – 0, 4, F, 2 = 6
Glasgow Tigers = 25
1. Chris Harris – 4, 2, 2, 4 = 12
2. Kyle Howarth – 3, 3, 4, 3 = 13
Oxford Cheetahs= 16
1. Sam Masters – 3, 4, 3, 2 = 12
2. Jordan Jenkins – 4, 0, 0, 0 = 4
Scunthorpe Scorpions = 12
1. Steve Worrall – 2, 3, 0, 4 = 9
2. Simon Lambert – 0, 0, 3, 0 = 3
Redcar Bears = 20
1. Charles Wright – 2, 2, 2, 4 = 10
2. Erik Riss – R, 4, 4, 2 = 10
Poole Pirates = 24
1. Lewis Kerr – 3, 2, 4, 3 = 12
2. Zach Cook – 4, 4, X, 4 = 12
Edinburgh Monarchs = 12
1. Justin Sedgmen – 0, R, 0, R = 0
2. Kye Thomson – 3, 3, 4, 2 = 12
SEMI-FINAL 1: Redcar 7 Glasgow 2
SEMI-FINAL 2: Poole 6 Plymouth 3
FINAL: Redcar 6 Poole 3