Battling Bears edged out!
Despite falling to a 46-44 defeat in a last heat decider at Glasgow, Bears boss Gavin Parr insists the second leg is set up “perfectly”. Redcar led for much of the match but with Chris Harris winning heat 15, and Villads Nagel 3rd, the hosts secured a two point lead for the second leg.
The enthusiastic Bears boss was happy with his side’s display in Scotland. Parr said, “ All of the boys battled really hard, it was an absolutely brilliant performance. However, we’ve done nothing yet so we’ve got to finish the job off in the second leg.”
Both skippers top scored for their respective sides with Wright hitting 11 whilst Chris Harris scored paid 12 for the hosts.
Redcar started with a heat advantage as Jake Mulford won impressively from the gate despite the best efforts of Nagel, and with Wright 3rd, the Bears had an early lead.
After a shared heat two won by the fast improving Ace Pijper, Jason Edwards opened his account for the evening with a win, but with Leon Flint passing Bears guest Tate Zischke, Redcar remained two point ahead.
Shared heats were the order of the day as Kyle Howarth held off Danny King in heat five, but with Freddy Hodder 4th, the hosts could not draw level. Wright registered his first win of the semi-final by passing both Tigers on lap one, but with Mulford 4th, the two point lead remained.
Heat six saw Harris open his account with a win in a shared race whilst heat seven saw the run of 3-3’s end as Zischke won, and with Edwards 3rd, the “Agilia” Bears had a four point lead in Scotland.
After Glasgow’s Danish starlet Villads Nagel took the win in a shared heat eight, Glasgow cut the gap to two points in heat nine as Leon Flint won, and with Dan Thompson 3rd, the Tigers fans had renewed hope.
Glasgow turned the tables in heat 10 as Harris and Nagel combined for a 5-1 to give the former league champions a two point lead of their own. Nevertheless, Redcar continued to battle and they levelled matters as Wright took another win, and with Mulford 3rd, the visitors were level.
Edwards registered his second win of the semi-final in heat 12, and with Scott 3rd, the Bears supporters were sensing the possibility of an away win. Heat 13 saw a win for Harris, but with Howarth suffering problems with his machinery whilst battling for 2nd and retiring from the race, Redcar remained in a narrow lead.
The penultimate race of the first leg saw passing galore as Redcar initially gated on a 5-1, but with Zischke getting too close to Pijper, the Australian was passed by Flint, the former Wolves man then repeated the trick on the Redcar reserve to win, and with Hodder surprising most to pass Zischke, the meeting was locked at 42-42 heading into the final race.
The final heat saw Harris win at a canter, but with Wright holding off the faster looking Nagel, the Tigers had to settle for a two point advantage heading into the deciding second leg.
Glasgow Tigers = 46
1. Chris Harris = 11+1
2. Villads Nagel = 9
3. Dan Thompson = 6+1
4. Leon Flint = 9+1
5. Kyle Howarth = 7
6. Max Perry = 1+1
7. Freddy Hodder = 3
Redcar Bears = 44
1. Charles Wright = 11
2. Jake Mulford = 6
3. Jason Edwards = 8
4. Tate Zischke (G) = 3
5. Danny King = 7+1
6. Jody Scott = 2+1
7. Ace Pijper = 7+2
📷 Taylor Lanning