King's Lynn left with a mountain to climb as Sheffield Tigers dominate first leg of KO Cup final
Norfolk rider Lewis Kerr returned to haunt the King's Lynn Stars who have a proverbial mountain to climb in the League Cup Final second leg after losing 39-51 against Sheffield in the home leg.
There were six shared heats in the first nine and the Minors & Brady Stars, who were never ahead, levelled after ten.
But the hosts immediately suffered three successive 1-5 reverses as Sheffield grew in strength with Kerr being among three visitors to reach double figures and Lynn's heat leaders misfired at the Adrian Flux Arena.
The Tigers, who were defeated Premiership Grand Finalists last week, are now hot favourites at Owlerton in three days' time.
In the opening outing Dersingham rider Kerr – who was released by Lynn midway through this season – made the gate but Thomas Jorgensen overtook him to win a shared 3-3 race.
Frederik Jakobsen won the reserves' clash from Tigers opposite number Justin Sedgmen in another shared heat.
Adam Ellis became Sheffield's first victor in Heat 3 over persevering home skipper Josh Pickering with the action nip and tuck and score all-square.
Lynn immediately made a reserve switch with Jakobsen replacing Jason Edwards and maintaining that sequence with the Dane's second win. Ex-Lynn rider Connor Mountain surprisingly beat Stars heat leader Nicolai Klindt, who was last behind Tobiasz Musielak.
Jack Holder and Kerr broke the deadlock with a 5-1 maximum after Pickering fell on the final bend of lap one and remounted to finish last as the visitors led 13-17.
Jorgensen hit back to thrillingly pass Musielak on the inside to bag win number two in a Lynn 4-2.
Ellis also kept his perfect record, just shading Jakobsen who ever-so-briefly led, in the fifth shared heat of the night.
After track grading, Kerr continued to haunt his home town club by lowering Jorgensen's colours with Mountain third in an away 2-4.
Musielak took an extreme inside line on gate one to bag victory ahead of the so-far winless Klindt and Pickering to make the scores 25-29.
Lawson bagged a timely first success ahead of in-form team-mate Jorgensen in a much-needed second home 5-1 to level matters.
Heat 11 was an unsatisfactory start with Jakobsen falling during some first-bend bunching. Kerr and Holder delivered a bitter 1-5 blow in the restart.
After further grading, Ellis and Sedgmen hammered home the advantage at 32-40.
Musielak and Holder beat Lawson and Klindt in the battle of the heat leaders, while Jakobsen and Pickering gave Lynn a glimmer of hope with a Heat 14 5-1 to make it 38-46..
Musielak and Ellis bagged Sheffield's fifth 5-1 in the final nominated race over Lynn's best riders, Jorgensen/Jakobsen.
The deciding away leg is on Thursday.
Then Lynn are due to complete their Premiership season next Monday, October 24 versus newly-crowned champions Belle Vue – who recently signed a certain Norfolk star Robert Lambert, who needs no introduction to Saddlebow stadium race fans.
King's Lynn Stars: Richard Lawson 4, Thomas Jorgensen 11+1, Richie Worrall 5+1, Josh Pickering (capt) 5+2, Nicolai Klindt 1+1, Frederik Jakobsen 12, Jason Edwards 0.
Sheffield Tigers: Jack Holder 8+3, Lewis Kerr 10+1, Adam Ellis 11+1, Kyle Howarth (capt) 2, Tobiasz Musielak 12+2, Justin Sedgmen 4+1, Connor Mountain 4+1.
Referee: Wayne Jarvis.
Fastest time: Holder, Heat 5, 58.96 seconds. Lynn: Jakobsen, Heat 2/Jorgensen Heat 6, 59.06 seconds.
