Speedway: Sheffield drop out of top four with first home league defeat, against King's Lynn
Narrow defeat for Tigers, in first home league loss of 2026
Injury-hit Sheffield dropped out of the top four in the Rowe Motor Oils Speedway Premiership, after a battling recovery from visitors King’s Lynn.
Sheffield went into the meeting missing world number five Jack Holder, and reserve Jye Etheridge. With rider replacement in operation for Jack Holder, Jake Mulford was brought in as a guest at reserve.
The visitors, 10 points behind after heat 10, came storming back late on, and never looked back after a 5-1 in heat 12 after they used Max Fricke as a tactical substitute.
The Stars had taken the lead after heat 13, a 5-1 from Fricke and Jan Kvech, in a heat which had seen Sheffield skipper Josh Pickering suffer engine failure while in second place.
It was one of four successive 5-1 wins for King’s Lynn, which turned the meeting on its head.
Tigers went into heat 15 six behind, but with the visitors’ top scorer not selected for the heat, Chris Holder and skipper Josh Pickering took the top places in a Tigers 5-1 as the score ended 44-46.
The result sees the Stars leapfrog Sheffield into fourth place in the table.
Heat one: Tigers got off to a bad start, as Max Fricke led from the first bend to win the race for the Stars, just ahead of Anders Rowe. Chris Harris took second, Leon Flint failing to finish, having trailed from the gate, as the away side won 4-2.
Heat two: Jordan Jenkins was ahead by the first bend, winning ahead of Tigers guest Jake Mulford. Tiger Luke Killeen took third after passing Jody Scott on the inside of bend two in a 3-3.
Heat three: Tigers fell further behind as Ben Cook led from the gate for Stars to finish well clear of Flint, who was closely pushed by Cooper Rushen, in a 4-2 for the visitors.
Heat four: Tigers pulled out their first heat advantage of the evening, as Stars' Jordan Jenkins pulled up with mechanical problems on the last bend of lap three while in third. It let Sheffield's Luke Killeen in, taking a point in a Tigers 4-2 behind skipper Josh Pickering, who was well clear, and Jan Kvech, second.
Heat five: Chris Holder pulled out a quick heat, leading ahead of Flint in a Tigers 5-1 from the gate. Flint finished clear of Fricke.
Heat Six: Tigers took another 5-1, winner Pickering and Rowe starting quickly. Kvech had been putting pressure on Rowe, until the Czech locked on the last bend of lap three, falling further behind.
Heat seven: Pickering was away quickly, but Cook and Rushen passed him quickly. He soon got back ahead of Rushen again but Stars took a 4-2.
Heat eight: Tigers were leading 5-1 when the red lights went on for a problem with the tapes. In the rerun, Harris was ahead by the second bend to win a 3-3 shared heat, ahead of Killeen, second, and Rowe.
Heat nine: Leon Flint held on to a narrow lead over Kvech from the gate, to win, Chris Holder in third as Tigers took a 4-2.
Heat 10: It was Tigers from the gate, Chris Holder leading team mate Rowe, who held Cook's close challenge off in a 5-1.
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Heat 11: King's Lynn hit straight back Fricke and Harris well clear of third placed Pickering in a visitors 5-1
Heat 12: Bringing in Fricke as a tactical substitute for Jenkins, the visitors recorded a 5-1, Fricke and Cooke leading from the gate, Chris Holder third, narrowing the gap to two points.
Heat 13: King's Lynn went ahead on the night, after Pickering suffered engine failure while in second, with Fricke going on to win ahead of Cook, Rowe in third.
Heat 14: A 5-1 for the visitors secured the meeting, Rushen winning ahead of Jenkins, with Killeen third.
Heat 15: Chris Holder and Pickering led from the start, despite nearly getting in each other's way after the second bend. It was a Tigers 5-1, with Kvech third. Cook was fourth, but Tigers lost by two points on the night.
Sheffield 44: Josh Pickering 11+1, Chris Holder 11, Anders Rowe 8+3, Leon Flint 7+1, Luke Killeen 5+1, Jake Mulford 2, Jack Holder r/r.
King’s Lynn 46: Max Fricke 13, Ben Cook 9+1, Jan Kvech 8+1, Chris Harris 6+1, Jordan Jenkins 5+1, Cooper Rushen 5, Jody Scott 0.
King’s Lynn win the aggregate point