Speedway Premiership grand final: Sheffield pipped by Belle Vue to title after controversial refereeing calls

The Tru Plant Tigers won their home leg 50-40 at a packed Owlerton Stadium on Thursday, but were denied a first ever top-flight title.

Trailing by 12 from Monday’s first leg in Manchester, the night got off to the perfect start for Sheffield, winning 5-1 in the re-run of the opener after Aces’ Brady Kurtz was excluded for taking the front wheel of Lewis Kerr.

Decisions levelled out when Adam Ellis was controversially thrown out of Heat Three, despite being ahead of his Belle Vue opponent Tom Brennan who was already unsettled into bend two.

After that, a hat-trick of 3-3s followed before Sheffield pulled back into the tie with three heat advantages in four races, trailing by two on aggregate before another major turning point in Heat 11. Tobiasz Musielak passed Kurtz fairly up the inside down the back straight of lap three - but the visiting skipper fell and it was Musielak who was disqualified following another questionable decision by SCB Referee Christina Turnbull.

The visitors were awarded a 5-1 and from nowhere the visitors were boosted. Ellis and Musielak claimed the next two race wins - but their team-mates couldn’t make up the minor places leaving the gap at six overall with two to go.

In the penultimate race, Justin Sedgmen pulled off one of the rides of the season to go from third to first - but that was totally overshadowed and it wasn’t enough to stop the visitors ending their 29 year misery without a league title to their name, with a hard fought consolation 5-1 for the Tigers in the very final race proving even more frustrating.

Simon Stead: ‘Refereeing decisions cost Sheffield Tigers’

Annoyed team boss Simon Stead said: “We were robbed. Some of the refereeing decisions over the two legs, in my opinion, have been horrendous and ultimately that’s what’s cost us.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the boys, they’ve given it absolutely everything. Unfortunately, the team have been robbed and the Sheffield supporters have been robbed of at least a grand finale in Heat 15 because it really could’ve gone down to that.

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“I would’ve been quite happy seeing the lads battle it out for the win and I would’ve taken it on the chin at that point if we weren’t good enough. But I felt we were good enough and it’s just some poor decisions which have gone against us and cost us which is a real shame. It’s a real shame that this Grand Final will be left with people talking about refereeing decisions.”

Sheffield visit King’s Lynn on Monday (October 17, 7.30) for the first leg of the Premiership League Cup Final with the decider at Owlerton next Thursday (October 20, 7.30).

When is Sheffield v Ipswich going to take place?

Meanwhile, the outstanding regular league fixture against Ipswich will now take place at Owlerton on Monday, October 24, 7.30 with further news to come regarding Premiership Pairs Round Five.Premiership grand final, second legSheffield 50: Tobiasz Musielak 10+1, Jack Holder 9+1, Lewis Kerr 9, Justin Sedgmen 6+1, Adam Ellis 6, Connor Mountain 5+2, Kyle Howarth 5.Belle Vue 40: Robert Lambert 10, Tom Brennan 9, Norick Blodorn 7+4, Matej Zagar 7+1, Brady Kurtz 5+2, Simon Lambert 2, Charles Wright R/R

Belle Vue win 91-89 on aggregate and are crowned 2022 Premiership League Champions.

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