Workington speedway eye cup final after first-leg defeat
Last updated 10:18, Saturday, 27 September 2008
Edinburgh Monarchs 49 Workington Comets 41: Workington Comets have a sporting chance of reaching the Knockout Cup final after restricting the new Premier League champions to an eight-point lead.
The Comets race the second leg at Derwent Park tonight and like opponents Edinburgh know the outcome is still very much on a knife edge.
Workington were hammered out of sight 59-30 on their previous visit to Armadale – and wish it had been out of sight of the Sky cameras!
This one would have made much better television with the outcome in doubt almost up to the last race.
After 12 heats the two teams were all square on 36-36 and if Workington could have maintained parity they would have been extra confident of making it through tonight.
But the Monarchs are not champions for nothing and they had heat advantages in the last three races, topping it off with what could be a crucial 5-1 in the last.
When the Monarchs visited Derwent Park six weeks ago they lost by 14 points so if Workington can replicate that performance they will be contemplating a Knockout Cup final appearance against the Somerset Rebels.
Team manager Ian Thomas said: “It’s a great result for us but the last three heats rather took the shine off it.
“Looking at who we had out in those three races I saw no reason why we couldn’t go on and earn a win or at least a draw.
“But if someone had offered me a deficit of eight points on the away leg then I would have taken it.
“We had some bad luck, too. Tomas Topinka had ignition problems in one race and Kauko locked-up in the last race after he had made the gate. He had been magnificent throughout the meeting.
“What we have to be careful of now, though, is any complacency by thinking the job has nearly been done. It hasn’t – Edinburgh are champions and have already reached the Premier Trophy final. They will be fighting tooth and nail to get through to another final.”
When Edinburgh opened with two successive 4-2’s and both star guest Tomas Topinka and returning reserve Tomi Reima were the two Workington men out of the points it didn’t look good.
But Kauko Nieminen and Joe Haines blasted Workington back level with an impressive 5-1 in the third race.
Tow successive shared heats had certainly given Workington a promising start, in direct contrast to their last visit when they were contemplating a tactical ride at a similar stage.
Although Edinburgh collected a 5-1 of their own in heat five it was the Haines and Nieminen combination who stormed back with a heat maximum of their own – and significantly finished well clear of third-placed Matthew Wethers.
Heats eight and nine were both shared and when Nieminen and Haines grabbed their third successive race maximum in heat ten Workington were in front for the first time in the meeting at 32-28.
It didn’t last long because Topinka suffered an engine failure in heat eleven and Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers scored a 5-1 from Charles Wright.
Nieminen won heat twelve but it was a shared heat, yet at 36-36 Workington had exceeded all their expectations.
Unfortunately the night ended disappointingly for the Comets as Fisher (twice) and Andrew Tully won the last three races when the best Workington could do were second places for Topinka and John Branney.
Nieminen had engine trouble in the last when Topinka was out-muscled by Fisher and Tully and the 5-1 rather got Edinburgh out of jail.
Edinburgh Monarchs 49: William Lawson 6, Derek Sneddon 10, rider replacement for Thomas Jonasson, Andrew Tully 12, Ryan Fisher 12, Matthew Wethers 8, Aaron Summers 1.
Workington Comets 41: Tomas Topinka 6, Charles Wright 5, Kauko Nieminen 11, Joe Haines 7, Carl Stonehewer 4, Tomi Reima 1, John Branney 7.
- Rye House booked their place in the Premier League play-offs when they leap-frogged the Comets into fourth spot tonight with a 59-34 home win over Newcastle Diamonds.
It’s now confirmed that the Comets will race against Scunthorpe next week-end in the first round of the Young Shield – away on Friday, home on Saturday.
