Last updated at 11:43, Friday, 04 May 2012

Redcar Bears 43 Workington Comets 47: Workington Comets closed in on the semi-finals of the League Cup with a well-earned victory last night.

Rusty Harrison leads a race

They will confirm their place as Northern section leaders if they beat Sheffield on Saturday and will meet the runners-up from the southern section.

But this latest win could have been achieved at a price as number one Rene Bach suffered injuries which might keep him out at the weekend.

Bach was left battered and bruised with a sore back, hand and head after he was taken-off in heat 11.

Aaron Summers, carried into trouble by the rutted track, had taken-out Bach and although the Danish star was able to get-up and win the re-run, he was forced to call it a day after completing only three of his programmed rides.

The ruts provided problems for most of the riders on both sides but they didn’t prevent Kenny Ingalls and Richard Lawson from racking-up the points for the Comets.

Ingalls, returning from a shoulder injury, continued from where he left off at Redcar last season, giving a confident display which saw him win his first three races.

Skipper Lawson was also in top form, winning four races, including heat fifteen.

Workington had gone into the match having to make a team change following the first-month’s averages and Kyle Howarth was in the body of the team at number four.

Although never off the pace, he struggled, running three lasts before ending the night on a high with a second place in the penultimate race.

But, as expected, Roynon scored well in the reserve berth, picking-up nine points, which included a win in heat two.

Workington had started well with a 4-2 in the first as Ingalls beat ex-Comet star Ulrich Ostergaard and Back took third.

Then six of the next seen races were shared – the only exception being an important 5-1 to the Comets, initiated by Rusty Harrison and Gary Irving.

When they took a break after seven heats Workington had a handy 27-21 lead but after an interval, which included some track grading, Redcar came-out fired-up and took the next two heats 5-1.

So suddenly, for the first time in the match, Workington were behind and needed some cover to get themselves pulled round.

A couple of shared heats kept them in touch before Bach won with Ingalls in third and the Comets were all square again.

A 5-1 and then a 4-1 in the last ensured the Comets came through to the victory which virtually wraps-up the Northern title.

Team manager Tony Jackson said: “It was a good effort by the lads. It was pretty tight throughout but Kenny and Richard were excellent and they helped lift us to victory.

“My only concern is Rene who, though no fault of his own, came off worse from a crash. We are going to see how he shapes-up on Friday and we will make a decision as late as possible.”

Redcar Bears 43: Ulrich Ostergaard 9+1, Matej Kus 8+2, Justin Sedgmen 7+1, Mark Jones 6+1, Carl Wilkinson 6, Aaron Summers 4+1, Max Dilger 3+1

Workington Comets 47: Richard Lawson 13, Kenny Ingalls 11, Adam Roynon 9+1, Rusty Harrison 5+2, Ren Bach 4, Gary Irving 3+1, Kyle Howarth

First published at 11:25, Friday, 04 May 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk