Speedway: Outgated Sheffield with mountain to climb after Owlerton KO Cup loss to Leicester
Sheffield in first home defeat in the season against ‘bogey team’ Leicester
Sheffield left themselves with a massive hill to climb in the KO Cup, as they were outgated by Leicester in a home defeat at Owlerton.
The home side were trailing from heat two and never led during the meeting, as the visitors were consistently quicker out of the gates.
The home side’s captain Josh Pickering had described the Lions as Sheffield speedway’s bogey team before the meeting, and so it proved.
Sheffield number one Jack Holder provided some stunning overtakes on his way to a 12, paid 13, but Sheffield were always chasing, eventually losing 49-41, with three time world champion and former Tigers hero Tai Woffinden among the spectators.
It means Tigers need to go to Leicester next Thursday and win the second leg by a large margin to secure the aggregate point.
Heat one saw Ryan Douglas excluded after a false start before heat one, with Anders Rowe given a warning.
But in the re-run, Dan Thompson won the race to give visitors Leicester a share of the points, ahead of Jack Holder and Rowe, who had been leading before the original race was halted
Heat two saw the visitors quickest away, leading the way to a 5-1, Drew Kemp beating Joe Thompson and Jye Etheridge
Tigers narrowed the deficit to two points with a 4-2 in heat three, Chris Holder finishing ahead of Nick Morris, and Tigers team mate Leon Flint.
Tigers levelled to 12-12 as skipper Josh Pickering finished three seconds clear of the visitors’ Joe Thompson, with Killeen, celebrating his 21st birthday, taking his first point of the night ahead of Sam Masters.
Leicester led again after heat five, as Dan Thompson won from the gate ahead of Chris Holder and third placed Ryan Douglas.
Jack Holder pulled off a fine overtake on the inside to pass Masters on the second bend of lap three to win heat six, with Anders Rowe taking third to level the scores again.
Former Tigers skipper Kyle Howarth produced a fine ride for heat seven to lead his replacement, Pickering, through the four laps, with Morris third as Leicester went back ahead with another 4-2.
Tigers' Anders Rowe was winner in heat eight, leading from the second bend, but Killeen could not find a way past Joe Thompson. Dan Thompson was second in a 3-3 that kept Leicester ahead.
Leicester were four clear after Masters won heat nine, with a 4-2, Chris Holder second for Sheffield and Kemp in third for Leicester.
Howarth got a warning for moving before the start of heat 10.In the re-run, Lions looked set to go further ahead, until Jack Holder battled his way past Morris on the third bend of lap three. Howarth was third in a 3-3.
Heat 11 saw another 3-3, with the excitement in the race for third, where Etheridge held off the challenge of Dan Thompson. Douglas won the heat ahead of Pickering.
Chris Holder found his way past Kemp on lap two to win heat 12, but Tigers again had to settle for a 3-3, Morris third ahead of Etheridge, riding as a reserve switch.
Douglas led from the gate in heat 13, ahead of Pickering, and Jack Holder in another 3-3.
Howarth and Kemp, Kemp riding as a reserve switch for the Lions, secured victory on the night for the visitors leading from the gate to a 5-1, Flint in third.
Jack Holder won the last heat, again coming from behind, to finish as the Tigers' top scorer, but heat 15 was another shared heat with Douglas and Howarth taking points for the visitors.
Sheffield 41: Jack Holder 12+1, Chris Holder 10, Josh Pickering 9, Anders Rowe 5+1, Jye Etheridge 2+1, Leon Flint 2, Luke Killeen 1.
Leicester 49: Ryan Douglas 9, Kyle Howarth 8+2, Drew Kemp 8+1, Dan Thompson 8, Nick Morris 6+1, Joe Thompson 5+2, Sam Masters 5.