Team Websites for News and More Detailed Match Reports:
Glasgow Tigers Website (Official)
Glasgow Tigers Website (Unofficial)

Live Updates for a Current or Recent match: Live Speedway Updates
Discussion on Matches and Other Speedway Issues: Speedway Forum

Glasgow Tigers v Stoke Potters
Premier Trophy (Group), 23 April 2006
Ashfield Stadium, Glasgow

Glasgow 56
1Danny Bird31*R30 ..71
2David McAllan1233. ..90
3Lee Dicken1*1*0.. ..22
4Kauko Nieminen2233. ..100
5Shane Parker22*32*3 ..122
6Robert Ksiezak2*3131 ..101
7James Cockle31*2*F. ..62
Stoke 36
1Mark Lemon23Fx^.. ..50
2Michael Coles0F12. ..30
3Paul Clews0122. ..50
4Robbie Kessler3R1*22 ..81
5Alan Mogridge334^11* ..121
6Barrie Evans101*1*0 ..32
7Luke Priest0000. ..00

* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).

Glasgow were at full strength as were Stoke who had Alan Mogridge back in the side following the BSPA’s refusal to let him ride for the Potters last night.

Glasgow were quickly off the mark in this match. They took the first race 4-2 with a comfortable Danny Bird win from Mark Lemon after the race had been rerun following a first bend fall for Lemon after he’d been nudged by Bird. This was followed by a reserves race 5-1 won by James Cockle but Stoke then produced the winners of the next four heats. Robbie Kessler won heat 3 for a 3-3 then Alan Mogridge had an intelligent win against Shane Parker in heat 4 which was also shared making the heat 4 score 15-9.

Mark Lemon won heat 5 from Nieminen and Dicken with Michael Coles falling at the back for another shared heat then it became four shared races on the trot when Alan Mogridge won heat 6 after the early race leader, Danny Bird, lost power. Glasgow effectively killed off the match with consecutive 5-1s in heats 7 and 8. In the first Robert Ksiezak made the gate and Shane Parker sat behind him as Paul Clews followed them home after Robbie Kessler had pulled up with machine problems. David McAllan and James Cockle had a tapes to flag maximum in heat 8 as the score reached 31-17.

Stoke then reached for the black and white helmet and gave the unbeaten Alan Mogridge a TR in heat 9. He wasn’t unbeaten after this race as Kauko Nieminen passed him for a fine win. Mogridge did take second and when Lee Dicken got into a spot of bother Barrie Evans came through to third place for a 3-5 heat advantage for the Potters cutting the gap to 12 points. Danny Bird led heat 10 but suffered an engine failure leaving Paul Clews and Robbie Kessler sitting on a 1-5. However David McAllan brought the house down by first reeling in Kessler then chasing and passing Clews as well to win the race and share the points. Disaster struck Stoke in heat 11. Mark Lemon on a TR made a poor start but raced round the outside of Robert Ksiezak on the second bend to chase Shane Parker. However he ran out of room, crashed into the fence, and fell heavily causing him to withdraw from the meeting. In the rerun Michael Coles split the Parker/Ksiezak pairing as Glasgow took a 4-2 and a 14 point lead. In heat 12 Robert Ksiezak and James Cockle looked to be heading for another 5-1 but on the last bend James Cockle’s engine casing disintegrated causing him to lose control and fall. This left Clews and Evans to follow Ksiezak over the line for a shared race as the heat 12 score went to 44-30.

A Bird/Parker 5-1 from the gate put the Tigers further ahead and they scored a 4-2 in heat 14 with Kauko Nieminen taking his score to double figures with a win over Robbie Kessler. In the last race Shane Parker was soon off and running but behind him Alan Mogridge roared round Danny Bird to follow Robbie Kessler home for another shared heat and a 20 point defeat.

Match Report by Merlin