Drawn 90-90 on aggregate – Poole win Super Heat by 6-3

ELLIE ROSE TRAVEL Scunthorpe Scorpions were denied their first league title in 14 years in the most controversial of circumstances in the second leg of the Cab Direct Championship Grand Final at Poole’s Wimborne Road last night (Wednesday). Poole Pirates won the second leg by 49-41, which led to the two teams drawing 90-90 on aggregate. A Super Heat was required to decide the title, which Poole won 6-3, but only after race-winner Zach Cook crossed the inside white with both wheels – which should have resulted in his exclusion.

The extra Super Heat race was required after a brilliant effort by Scorpions’ skipper Josh Pickering to pass both Cook and Richard Lawson in Heat 15 to leave the scores tied overall.

In the Super Heat, Pickering was soon in front of Cook, while Scorpions’ team-mate Michael Palm Toft was battling it out in third place with Lawson.  Due to the 4-3-2-0 scoring system for this race, avoiding finishing last is vital, and Pickering started to slow down Cook. Cook moved to the inside at the start of the second lap to move past Pickering, but in doing so, momentarily put both wheels over the white line.

Meanwhile, Lawson won the battle for third place. Pickering then did his best to slow Lawson, but the race finished as a 6-3.

Scunthorpe team manager David Howe – having spotted that Cook crossed the white line – was speaking to Poole’s clerk of the course even as the race was progressing, while Pickering also felt that Cook had crossed the white line. A replay from a rear angle showed that Cook – while not by much – had briefly both wheels on the centre green, which was backed up by the tyre tracks left by Cook on the inside of the track.

But experienced referee Paul Carrington – perhaps afraid to earn the wrath of the home supporters – did not exclude Cook and the result stood as a 6-3 to Poole. Had Cook been excluded, as a firmer referee would have done, it would resulted in a 6-3 to Scorpions.

It was such a shame that such an enthralling 31 heats of speedway ended in such a fashion.

In the second leg last night, Scorpions extended their aggregate lead to 12 points when Pickering burst through from fourth to second and then team-rode with Connor Mountain for an opening 5-1 in Heat 1.

But Scorpions suffered a hammer blow in Heat 2, when Nathan Ablitt was involved in a three-man pile-up with Poole pair Kyle Newman and Slater Lightcap. Both Pirates were soon on their feet, but Ablitt was forced to pull of the meeting with a dislocated shoulder. It meant fellow reserve Ryan Ingram had to take seven rides, while Pirates levelled the scores on the night with a 5-1 in Heat 2.

It was Poole’s turn to suffer a blow in Heat 3, when Lewis Kerr crashed on the third bend and took no further part of the meeting, while Palm Toft and lively guest Jordan Jenkins took a 5-1 in the re-run.

Poole levelled the scores again in Heat 4, but Pickering and Mountain took a 4-2 in Heat 5. After Poole moved ahead a 5-1 in Heat 6, neither team scored another maximum heat win all night.

Instead Poole took several 4-2s and eventually took the aggregate lead for the first time in Heat 13. But Scorpions were not finished. Palm Toft was put 15 metres for hitting the tapes in Heat 14. But he produced a brilliant ride to pass Cooper Rushen on the final lap to win the race – and combined with an early fall for Newman – Palm Toft and Ingram took a 4-2 to level the scores on aggregate.  Pickering then moved from third to first in Heat 15 to force the Super Heat.

Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “I went into meeting tonight pretty relaxed, but it’s hard to get away from the fact that we’ve lost out on a league title due to two instances of referees not using the technology available to them.

“We had the tyre-warming situation at Scunthorpe where William Cairns should have excluded from Heat 8 and then tonight Zach Cook put both wheels over the white line in the Super Heat. Both referees have chosen to do nothing about it, when both rules are clearly in the rulebook.

“We protested even while the Super Heat was still in progress. We put in the protest in good time and then it’s up to referee to check the video evidence. There were two angles and the one from the rear was the most conclusive. It showed Zach Cook had put both wheels across the line. What’s the point in having replays and what’s the point in having rules which are there in black and white but are ignored.  

“The team are absolutely gutted. If we’d have been beaten comprehensively tonight, we’d have no complaints. Congratulations to Poole, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow losing like this.  

“In one way I’m completely gutted for the lads, but in another way, I’m extremely proud with what they’ve done today. We’ve been written off all season – I saw some comments heading into tonight which again wrote us off.  They proved a lot of people wrong tonight, just as they have all season.

“After we lost Nathan Ablitt with a dislocated shoulder, the boys kept on battling. Even when the meeting seemed to be running away from us, Michael (Palm Toft) came up with a great ride in Heat 14 and so did Picko (Josh Pickering) in Heat 15.

“The boys can be proud of their efforts across the season, including tonight.”

POOLE 49: Richard Lawson 12, Zach Cook 11+1, Kyle Newman 10+1, Cooper Rushen 9, Will Cairns 5+1, Slater Lightcap 2+1, Lewis Kerr 0.

SCUNTHORPE 41: Josh Pickering 12+1, Michael Palm Toft 9+1, Jordan Jenkins 7+2, Connor Mountain 7+1, Luke Harrison 4, Ryan Ingram 2, Nathan Ablitt 0.

Drawn 90-90 on aggregate

Poole win Super Heat by 6-3

Photo Credits: Ian Rispin & BSN

Report by: Rob Peasley