Speedway: Sheffield end Belle Vue's winning start to league campaign with big victory
Tigers Owlerton success secures aggregate point
Sheffield produced another majestic second half show to end Belle Vue’s winning start to the Rowe Premiership.
With Tigers losing the first half of a double header in the heat in Manchester earlier in the afternoon by 50-40, Tigers responded in style, with a 54-36 victory at Owlerton.
Number one Jack Holder scored a paid maximum of 14+1, and skipper Josh Pickering lost only one point to an opponent on his way to 12+2. And three 5-1s in the last four heats secured the aggregate point for Tigers.
With Tigers missing Luke Killeen, who aggravated an injury in the Belle Vue leg, the Tigers brought in Freddy Hodder as a guest , while Belle Vue tracked Niels Kristian Iversen for the injured Dan Bewley, Justin Sedgmen for Peter Kildemand, also injured, and used Kye Thomson for the unavailable Norick Blödorn.
Tigers got off to a fantastic start, Anders Rowe first home, ahead of team mate Jack Holder. Kye Thomson was third with world number two Brady Kurtz last.
Hodder had his first Tigers outing in heat two, but finished last in heat two. However, with Jye Etheridge winning the heat for Sheffield ahead of Aces' Tate Zischke, and William Cairns, it finished 3-3.
After a short delay for track work, Belle Vue got away quickly with Zack Cook and Justin Sedgmen leading Leon Flint and Chris Holder. But first Flint passed Sedgmen, with a sweeping wide move on the first two bends, then Holder passed the same rider on the inside on the third bend of lap three.
Tigers put Etheridge into heat four in a reserve switch. Josh Pickering roared off from the gate to win the heat, but Etheridge finished fourth behind Cairns, second, and Niels Kristian Iversen, guesting in place of injured GP star Dan Bewley.
Chris Holder was fastest off the line in heat five, but the visitors' Kurtz had found his form again, and was past him halfway through the first lap. With Flint in third for Sheffield, it was another 3-3.
Jack Holder was in the lead by the back straight in lap one, and went on to win the heat. But Rowe ran into trouble on the second bend, getting squeezed out, and retiring at the end of lap three while at the back. With Iversen second and Zischke third, it was another 3-3.
Visitor Cook was fastest out in heat seven, but was finally overhauled by Pickering, passing on the outside at the end of lap three. Etheridge took third to give Sheffield a 4-2.
Belle Vue won their first heat advantage of the night as Thomson led Tigers' Rowe from the start, with Cairns third in a 4-2 in heat eight.
Sheffield restored a six point lead as Flint led from the tapes, staying clear of Aces' Iversen, with Chris Holder in third, for a 4-2 in heat nine
The visitors brought Kurtz in for Sedgmen in heat 10 as a tactical substitute.
But it was Jack Holder who won the clash of the GP stars, heading out of the tapes like a rocket to win four seconds clear of Kurtz, Cook third in a 3-3 shared heat.
Heat 11 saw Sheffield switch reserves again, with Hodder in for Etheridge.
Kurtz was back to winning ways in heat 11, leading from the start to finish well clear of Pickering, with Thomson third, as a 4-2 for Belle Vue closed the gap to four.
Tigers switched reserves again for heat 12, with the result a 5-1 home heat advantage. Tigers gated well, with Chris Holder team riding to take second, as Etheridge won the race. Zischke took third.
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Tigers effectively secured the win on the night with another 5-1, Jack Holder and Pickering taking first and second, initially team riding, before it became apparent they were well clear of Iversen in third in heat 13
Tigers extended their lead to 14 points with a 4-2 in heat 14, with Flint getting past quick-gating Cook, going wide on the last bend of the first lap. Etheridge took third, well clear of Cairns.
Kurtz took the outside lane for heat 15, and initially led. But Jack Holder had reeled him in by the end of lap one. Pickering, pushing all the way, then found a way past Kurtz too at the end of lap three, as Tigers secured another 5-1 to end Belle Vue’s unbeaten start to the season and secure the aggregate point for Sheffield.
12noon meeting:
Belle Vue 50: Jaimon Lidsey 10+2, Brady Kurtz 10+1, Zach Cook 10, Kye Thomson 8, Tate Zischke 8, Justin Sedgmen 4+3, Will Cairns 0.
Sheffield 40: Chris Holder 16, Josh Pickering 9, Jack Holder 4+1, Luke Killeen 4, Anders Rowe 3+1, Jye Etheridge 3, Leon Flint 1.
7.30pm meeting:
Sheffield 54: Jack Holder 14+1, Josh Pickering 12+2, Leon Flint 9+1, Jye Etheridge 8, Chris Holder 6+2, Anders Rowe 5, Freddy Hodder 0.
Belle Vue 36: Zach Cook 9+1, Brady Kurtz 8, Niels-Kristian Iversen 6+1, Kye Thomson 5, Tate Zischke 4+1, Will Cairns 4+1, Justin Sedgmen 0.
Sheffield win the aggregate point