|
|
|
|
|
ROCKETS SNEAK PAST SCORPIONS
Saturday August 31, 2013
The Silver Ski Rockets ultimately stole all three match points in a tense, tight fixture that had clear implications beyond its immediate fifteen heats.
The 50-40 result ended the defending League Champions’ last ditch efforts to make the Play-Offs, while mathematically keeping the Rockets’ own hopes faintly alive, at least for another hour or two.
Much closer to home, however, it also impacted on the second half of the night’s double header, with injuries to the Rockets’ Pontus Aspgren and Scunthorpe’s Thomas Jorgensen – earmarked as a guest by Redcar – ruling both out of the Cup tie which followed. Jorgensen’s withdrawal with lower back bruising followed a third bend fall in Heat 3, while Aspgren bravely soldiered through a further outing after his own Heat 8 tumble before being ruled out.
That further outing came in Heat 10, when the Swede partnered Olly Allen to a critical 5-1 over visiting guest Hugh Skidmore and Ashley Birks that gave Rye the lead at 31-29, and effectively ignited their final push for points.
Anders Mellgren quickly followed up by winning Heat 11, with Kasper Lykke’s third lap pass of Ryan Douglas for third place enhancing the Rockets’ lead to 35-31. Mellgren also featured in the two clinchers, maxing out with Allen against Lewis Blackbird and Josh Auty in Heat 13, and then producing the same result with the same partner when pitted against Ashley Birks and Hugh Skidmore in the finale.
Indeed, the pair provided Rye with its main scoring spearhead. Mellgren was headed only by Ashley Birks in Heat 7, while Allen dropped his only points when kept at the back in a difficult Heat 1. With Aspgren unbeaten in completed races and Ben Morley solid with 6+1, the Rockets had just enough in the tank to deny a brave Scunthorpe side that soldiered on despite the early loss of Jorgensen, thanks in no small part to three race wins from Ashley Birks and an exciting sting in the tail courtesy of freshman Ryan Douglas (10+1).
Rye House team manager John Sampford admitted afterwards that “It was almost a war of attrition, with a series of falls and stoppages. We managed to pull it out of the fire in the last six races, but it was tight for much of the match and a pretty gruelling encounter.
“Pontus lifted coming out of the second bend in Heat 8, and came down heavily. We think he’s either jarred his back or damaged his coccyx, but he has gone to hospital for a precautionary x-ray just to be safe.â€
Rye House scorers:
Anders Mellgren 13+1, Olly Allen 11, Pontus Aspgren 7+2, Ben Morley (guest) 6+1, Tyson Nelson 6, Jason Bunyan 5, Kasper Lykke 2+1
Scunthorpe scorers:
Ashley Birks 12, Ryan Douglas 11+1, Lewis Blackbird 8+1, Josh Auty 7+2, Hugh Skidmore (guest) 2, Thomas Jorgensen 0, David Howe R/R
Match Points: Rye House 3 Scunthorpe 0
|
|
|
|
|
