Compton lands Trophy for Tigers in final run-off

TIGERS warmed up for next week's Premier League Championship showdown with King's Lynn by claiming the Sport Trophy - but they needed a run-off to do it.

Visitors Stoke came to town defending an eight-point lead from the first leg and took Sheffield right to the wire with a feisty performance which left the aggregate scores level after 15 heats, forcing a decider between top guns Andre Compton and Lee Complin.

Compton claimed the run-off win, but only after Complin's bike threw a chain at the start line, the result of a bent frame after the former Tiger fell while chasing home stars Ricky Ashworth and Joel Parsons in heat 13.

Sheffield started disastrously as Stoke banged in two successive 5-1s, taking their aggregate lead to 16, but the Tigers hit back with heat maximums in the next two races to square the score on the night and then notched two successive 4-2s to go 20-16 up.

It looked as though the league title contenders would go on to win with ease at that stage, but the Potters had other ideas and a 5-1 from guest Jason Bunyan and Claus Vissing again levelled the scoreline.

Tigers then won three successive heats to go 34-26 up before the visitors hit back when Bunyan and Complin scored their side's fourth 5-1 of the night to make it 35-31 and leave the tie on a knife-edge with four heats to go.

Complin's heat 13 fall saw Sheffield make it 43-35, the highly-rated 22-year-old coming to grief after a spectacular chase when he was initially left at the back after being baulked on the second bend by team-mate Vissing.

Stoke took a heat advantage in heat 14 meaning Tigers needed a 5-1 in the finale to clinch the silverware, but even though Compton went on to win his fifth straight ride, team-mate Paul Cooper could only finish behind Bunyan, setting up the dramatic run-off.

Sheffield finished as victors on the night, but they know that it'll need a much better performance to topple King's Lynn next week.

TIGERS:A. Compton 15, P. Cooper 8+2, B. Wilson 8, J. Parsons 7+1, R. Ashworth 7, J. Cockle 3+1, B. Hopwood 1.

STOKE: J. Bunyan 13, L. Complin 10+1, C. Vissing 6+1, B. Evans 5+1, M. Burrows 4+1, J. Smith 3+1.