Scunthorpe Scorpions 52, Berwick Bandits 41

Jul 5 2008 The Journal

THE loss of Tony Atkin in heat one hampered Berwick Bandits last night, but the side still managed to hold Scunthorpe under control until the latter stages.

At the back at the time, Atkin went down solo on the second bend of the last lap injuring a hand to the extent his match was over, although lasting damage could be minimal judging by initial medical reports.

Michal Makovsky again suffered from a bout of inconsistency as he opened in heat three with a last-place finish but followed up in heat seven with a stunning pass on bend three to put himself in an unassailable position.

He went on to take one more win surrounded by a couple of ineffective thirds.

Ten points down with five races to go, Berwick’s guest Henning Bager was put on a tactical ride in heat 11 which he won in fine style for six points over Emiliano Sanchez and Scott Smith – in a 2-7 heat advantage – to haul the visitors’ deficit back to five points. And following Makovsky’s second win in heat 12 Scunthorpe’s lead was cut to 39-36.

Berwick boss Peter Waite admitted: “We came so close tonight. We really should have just pushed that little more to take the victory, but too many points were lost where they shouldn’t have been and we’re working hard with Michal to get him back to his invincible best sooner rather than later.”

Tomorrow Newcastle Diamonds host current league champions Rye House Rockets (5.30pm), a side expected to put up a serious challenge.

Tai Woffinden is the new sensation of the league, and when paired up with Tommy Allen, will pose a threat to the best in any team.

Robert Mear and Daniel Halsey were high-flyers in the Rye House conference squad in 2007 but have upped their game significantly to start their big scoring in the Premier League as well.

Newcastle’s veteran Dane Richard Juul returns from injury and will race at number two with Sean Stoddart returning to the reserve births.

RESULTS AND TEAM NEWS

SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS: Richard Hall 13+1, Carl Wilkinson 7+1, Magnus Karlsson 4+1, Viktor Bergstrom 11+2, Emiliano Sanchez 9+1, Ben Powell 4+1, Byron Bekker 4.

BERWICK BANDITS: Henning Bager (Guest) 12, Tony Atkin 0, Michal Makovsky 8, Tero Aarnio 5, Norbert Magosi 7, Paul Clews 4+1, Scott Smith 5+2.

NEWCASTLE DIAMONDS (home v Rye House Rockets): Josef Franc,Richard Juul, George Stancl, Jason King, Christian Henry, Jerran Hart, Sean Stoddart.