Speedway: Leon Flint 'milestone' as Sheffield bounce back to notch biggest win since April against Oxford
Returning Rising Star Leon Flint notched a ‘milestone’ paid maximum as Sheffield recorded their biggest win since April at Owlerton.
Flint said afterwards he was ecstatic with his 13 plus two bonus points, describing his score as ‘quite a big milestone’, as the Tru7 Group Tigers finished the Rowe Motor Oils Speedway Premiership meeting strongly to win 60-30.
It came after he returned after missing the Tigers’ last two meetings through injury.
But Sheffield also suffered a possible fresh injury blow, with number two Anders Rowe hurting his left arm in heat one, which led to him withdrawing from the meeting after his second ride.
Team manager Simon Stead said afterwards he was hopeful Rowe’s injury was not too serious, but thought the rider would possibly need an X-ray on Tuesday.
The meeting saw Sheffield finish strongly, winning five of the last six heats by 5-1 margins.
Tigers had got off to a bad start to the meeting, with Maciej Janowski winning the first heat ahead of Rohan Tungate, in a 5-1 win for Oxford, Tigers’ Jack Holder in third unable to find a way past.
But Tigers quickly levelled the scores in heat two, with the returning Flint leading from the gate, ahead of Justin Sedgmen. Peter Kildemand ran Sedgmen close in the end in a 5-1 to Sheffield.
After heat three, Tigers were ahead. Lewis Kerr gated well, although Josh Pickering had some catching up to do out of gate four. Pickering was at the front by the of lap one, teammate Kerr in second, staying clear of third placed Charles Wright in Tigers' second 5-1.
Heat four saw the first shared heat of the night, Flint finishing ahead of Kildemand, second, and Tungate taking third ahead of Chris Holder.
At the end of the heat it was announced that Anders Rowe was feeling discomfort in his left arm. He was checked by medics and initially judged fit to continue.
Oxford pulled back two points after heat five, Janowski leading from the gate. But Pickering, who had been trailing in third for much of the race pulled a fine pass on the outside at the end of lap three to take second ahead of Spires' Tungate.
Jack Holder found a way past early leader Charles Wright on lap one to win heat six comfortably, Kildemand third ahead of Rowe in a shared heat.
Chris Holder got his first points on the board in heat seven, leading from the gate. Sedgmen initially found himself in second , until Wright found a way past. Sedgmen pushed to try to regain second on the last lap, but the heat ended 4-2 to Tigers.
Before heat eight, Rowe was pulled out of the meeting with his arm injury, Kerr taking his place for what would have been Rowe’s ride in that race.
Kerr seized the opportunity, leading from the gate to finish clear of team mate Flint. Tungate was third, well behind Flint.
With Tigers eight clear, Oxford brought Janowski in for heat nine as a tactical substitute, taking the rider replacement slot for Erik Riss, which he would otherwise not be eligible to fill.
But the change did not work, with Janowski finishing last. The heat was won by Pickering, taking the lead early in heat one again, but Kildemand took second ahead of Kerr.
Flint was brought in for the injured Rowe in heat 10, and started well, finishing second behind team mate Jack Holder, with Wright third in a Tigers' 5-1, which opened up a 14 point lead on the night.
Janowski led initially in heat 11, but Chris Holder found a way past by the end of lap two, going on to win the heat, Tungate taking third in a 3-3.
Heat 12 saw Flint quickly out of gate four to take a lead he would hold to the end of the race, teammate Pickering in second in another Tigers' 5-1. Wright was third, in a heat that completed a paid maximum for the Sheffield rising star.It also confirmed the Tigers victory on the night.
Tigers extended their lead in heat 13, Chris leading Jack across the line as the Holder brothers team up for a 5-1, Janowski in third.
Another 5-1 followed for Sheffield, as Kerr and Sedgmen led for the whole of heat 14, Kerr taking first place. Luke Killen took his first point of the night for the visitors in third.
Tigers finished with another 5-1 to seal a 60-30 victory. Chris Holder was quick out of the gate. Pickering was initially chasing Tungate, but quickly passed him on the first lap and took second.
Sheffield 60: Leon Flint 13+2, Josh Pickering 12+2, Chris Holder 12, Jack Holder 9+1, Lewis Kerr 9+1, Justin Sedgmen 5+2, Anders Rowe r/r.
Oxford 30: Maciej Janowski 9, Rohan Tungate 8+2, Charles Wright 7, Peter Kildemand 5+2, Luke Killeen 1, Antti Vuolas 0, Erik Riss r/r.
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