TIGERS boss Eric Boocock sang the praises of his side after they held Berwick to a 45-45 draw in an entertaining Premier Trophy clash at Shielfield Park on Saturday.
Skipper Ricky Ashworth did his job superbly with 13-points, while rejuvenated reserves Paul Cooper and Joel Parsons again provided strength in-depth.
Boocock's boys could have won with a race advantage in the last heat decider but Michal Makovsky
denied Ashworth and Richard Hall. A share of the spoils was probably a fair result.
Said Boocock: "There's a good feeling in the camp right now, I've been saying all week that things are starting to come together for us and this proves it.
"Of course we're a bit disappointed we didn't win the meeting but it was a good performance and we can build on it. We've got the Premier League to focus on now and there is no reason why we cannot make a firm impression in that.
"I certainly feel we have what it takes to develop into one of the top Premier League teams, especially with the form of Coops and Parsons who look different riders altogether now they've got a bit of confidence."
Tigers took an early lead with a 5-1 in heat 2 from Parsons and Cooper, but Berwick fought back and after six races had edged into a 19-17 lead.
Sheffield quickly levelled things with a 4-2 from Hall and Chris Mills in heat 7.
Then Hugh Skidmore and Parsons took full advantage when William Lawson had to go off a 15-metre handicap after exceeding the two-minute allowance in heat 8 and Tigers stormed to a 5-1.
Back came the Bandits with a 4-2 in heat 10. After a series of shared races the home side took it to a last heat decider with another four-pointer in heat 14.
BERWICK 45: Makovsky 12+1, Josef Franc 10+1, Gino Franchetti 8+1, Paul Clews 7, William Lawson 3+1, Sean Stoddart 3, Greg Blair 2.
SHEFFIELD 45: Ashworth 13, Richard Hall 10+1, Paul Cooper 8+2, Joel Parsons 7+1, Josh Auty 3+1, Hugh Skidmore 3, Chris Mills 1. n Tigers face Birmingham at Owlerton on July 2.
Got a view? Add your comment below.READ MOREWatch Premiership highlights, international football, golf, tennis, darts and much moreFootball headlines.Football gossip.Blades newsBlades watch 0809 - The season so farOwls newsOwls watch 0809 - The season so farReds news.Millers news.More rugby.More boxing.Sports columnists.All sport categories