Scunthorpe beat battling Bears

The Redcar “Agilia” Bears fell to a 53-37 defeat away at Scunthorpe. However, the side put in a resolute, battling display with the Bears performance deserving more. Jake Allen top scored for the hosts with 13 whilst Charles Wright hit 10 for Redcar.

The Scorpions started with a 4-2 heat advantage as Connor Mountain got the better of Wright in the early exchanges, and with Kyle Howarth in 3rd ahead of Connor Bailey, the hosts had their noses in front after the first heat. Heat 2 saw Scunthorpe double their lead to 4 points as Luke Harrison bolted from gate 4 for an impressive win but with Ben Trigger admirably holding off Nathan Ablitt, Scunthorpe did not hit a maximum heat advantage. 

The third heat of an entertaining evening’s racing saw Jake Allen win, and with his partner, Simon Lambert in 3rd, Scunthorpe made it a hat-trick of 4-2 heat advantages to open up a 6 point lead over the Bears. Heat 4 saw Redcar pick up their first heat win as Tate Zischke took the win after a ding dong battle with Michael Palm-Toft, but with Trigger at the back, the Bears could not eat into Scunthorpe’s early advantage. 

Heat 5 saw the visitors hit their first heat advantage. Redcar gated on a 5-1 until Allen passed Bailey and then set after Wright with no quarter given, but the skipper held on for the win, and with Bailey in a comfortable 3rd, the gap was reduced to 4 points. 

However, Scunthorpe immediately hit back with a 5-1 in heat 6 as Howarth and Mountain both passed the fast starting Ben Trigger, and with Zischke unable to provide a challenge, the hosts stretched their lead to 8 points on home shale.

The initial staging of heat 7 saw the race sat on a 3-3 until Ablitt hit the fence on lap 2, with the race set for a re-run. However, the initial re-run saw Palm-Toft move at the start with the Dane being warned to sit still at the start. The next few minutes saw another 3 attempts to run the race with the automatic starting system malfunctioning, causing a lengthy delay to proceedings. Finally, in the 5th attempt at a re-run, Palm-Toft won (despite having looked to have moved at the start), but with the Bears unopposed for the minor placings, Scunthorpe’s lead remained at 8 points. 

Heat 8 saw more starting issues with the solution of a green flag being used in place of a green light. The second staging of heat 8 saw Bailey take a confidence boosting win, and with Jake Mulford in 3rd, Redcar kept battling to reduce the deficit to 6 points in Lincolnshire. Heat 9 saw the race of the night as tactical substitute Charles Wright and Scunthorpe’s Jake Allen produced a race for the ages! Wright gated but Allen passed him on lap 2. Nevertheless, the skipper was not done as he produced not one but two masterful cutbacks on laps 3 and 4 respectively to get the better of his former Bears teammate for the win, but with Zischke at the rear, Redcar remained 6 behind. 

Heat 10 saw the Redcar hopes of a comeback diminish as Howarth and Mountain took a big 5-1 over Dan Gilkes and Jason Edwards to give Scunthorpe breathing space with a 10 point advantage. The next heat saw Redcar hit a 4-2 as the ever improving Bailey took another win, but with Wright in 3rd after being passed by Palm-Toft, the Bears supporters had to settle for a 4-2 which reduced the deficit to 8 points. Heat 12 marked Dan Gilkes’ first win as a Bear as he produced a superb ride to pass and then hold off Simon Lambert, but with Trigger at the back, Redcar remained 8 in arrears. 

Heat 13 saw more controversy as Wright led from the tapes with Zischke trying everything at the back. The exciting Aussie fell, but almost immediately cleared the track. However, the referee immediately put the red lights on as Zischke crashed, with the decision to re-run the race being met with derision from the Redcar faithful. The re-run saw both Scorpions (Palm-Toft and Howarth) pass Wright for a 5-1 to secure the 3 points for Scunthorpe. 

Heat 14 saw another superb battle as Edwards and Allen battled it out in the first 2 laps until Allen used his years of Scunthorpe experience to take the win, but with his partner, Ablitt at the back, the gap remained 12 points. The final race of the night saw Howarth and Palm-Toft hit a 5-1, despite the best efforts of Bailey to give Scunthorpe a 53-37 win on home soil. 

Scunthorpe Scorpions = 53 (99)

1. Kyle Howarth = 11+2

2. Connor Mountain = 10+1

3. Simon Lambert = 4+1

4. Jake Allen = 13

5. Michael Palm Toft = 9+1

6. Nathan Ablitt = 1

7. Luke Harrison = 5+2

Redcar Bears = 37 (81)

1. Charles Wright = 10

2. Connor Bailey = 8

3. Dan Gilkes = 6

4. Jason Edwards = 5+1

5. Tate Zischke (G) = 4

6. Ben Trigger = 27. Jake Mulford = 2+1