Sponsored by
Stars storm clear as injuries stall Tigers
Lynn Stars 59 Sheffield 35
Match points: Lynn 3
Sheffield 0
LYNN officials gave warm praise to injury-hit Sheffield after this eventful Premier League fixture on Wednesday.
Crashes in the first five races reduced the Tigers to just four riders, but they didn't cave in and it was only in the final few races where the Stars finally pulled away.
Lynn team manager Rob Lyon summed it up: "Full credit to Sheffield and their four riders, they really gave it a go after those crashes.
"From our point of view our top boys were very solid and we've come away with a 24-point win."
Sheffield lost key rider Josh Auty in heat four when he was caught by Jan Graversen on the second bend and was taken to Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a check-up to a neck injury.
In the very next race skipper Ricky Ashworth fell awkwardly and he also went to the QEH with a shoulder injury.
Team manager Eric Boocock said later: "The good news is they have both been released from hospital and there are no broken bones."
Sheffield had started a man down with Ritchie Hawkins sidelined, but through the fighting spirit of the remaining quartet – and in particular Richard Hall and Joel Parsons – there were still many excellent races.
The highlight was Heat 10, when Hall was on a tactical ride for double points and led for most of the way from Lynn's young hot-shot Darcy Ward. Having tried every which way to grab the lead, Ward's last-gasp challenge off the final bend paid off as he found drive to win the dash to the line.
Ward, wearing the No1 race jacket for the first time, duly went on to complete a faultless 15-point maximum.
And there was also a paid maximum for skipper Tomas Topinka, who had swopped places with Ward in the riding order, and looked at home at number five.
Lynn: Darcy Ward 15 (5 rides), Linus Eklof 7+1 (4 rides), Emiliano Sanchez 8+1 (4 rides), Chris Schramm 10+1 (4 rides), Tomas Topinka 13+2 (5 rides), Darren Mallett 2 (4 rides), Jan Graversen 4 (4 rides).
Sheffield: Ricky Ashworth 0 (2 rides), Ritchie Hawkins rider replacement, Chris Mills 4+1 (6 rides), Richard Hall 14 (6 rides), Josh Auty 0 (1 ride), Paul Cooper 4+3 (7 rides), Joel Parsons 13 (7 rides).
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -7 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Mist
Temperature: 0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
