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Sheffield Tigers v Berwick Bandits
Premier Trophy (Group), 23 March 2006
Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield

Sheffield 58
1Ricky Ashworth3333R ..120
2Ben Wilson1131. ..60
3Emiliano Sanchez1Fx13. ..50
4Kyle Legault3332. ..110
5Andre Compton3332*3 ..141
6Paul Cooper2*011*. ..42
7Benji Compton312*0. ..61
Berwick 37
1Adrian Rymel22212 ..90
2David Meldrum01*00. ..11
3Lee Smethills01*02. ..31
4Michal Makovsky2226^1* ..131
5Andreas Bergstrom224^0. ..80
6Danny Warwick1001*0 ..21
7Craig Branney001.. ..10

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

Sheffield who lost so narrowly at Workington were at full strength for this, their opening home match of the season, as were Berwick who were, however, under some pressure after opening with two home defeats to Newcastle and Glasgow.

It always helps a team when they get off to a whirlwind start before their opponents get the measure of the track and Sheffield did just that building up a 10 point lead after just 4 heats. Adrian Rymel led from the gate in the opening heat but Ricky Ashworth was soon past and away. Ben Wilson’s third place meant that the Tigers opened with a 4-2. The Bandits reserve pairing who lost a heat 2 maximum at home last Saturday did no better tonight as Benji Compton and Paul Cooper led them from the start for a 5-1. Kyle Legault won heat 3 but behind him Michal Makovsky passed Emiliano Sanchez on the last lap to split the home pairing for a 4-2 before Andre Compton beat Andreas Bergstrom in heat 4 for another 4-2 to bring the score after the opening four heats to 17-7.

In heat 5 Emiliano Sanchez hit the front but fell forcing David Meldrum to lay down. Sanchez was excluded from the rerun and, although Adrian Rymel led the rerun from the start, he was passed by Kyle Legault on the last lap for a shared heat. Heat 6 was decided from the tapes as Ricky Ashworth hit the front. Andreas Bergstrom took second place ahead of Ben Wilson as Sheffield extended their lead to 12 points with the 4-2. Berwick were still looking for their first race winner. They were still looking after heat 7 as Andre Compton recorded his second race win of the night. Michal Makovsky took second place but Paul Cooper, who had passed Lee Smethills, suffered an engine failure on the last bend allowing Berwick to share the points in a 3-3. Heat 8 resulted in another Sheffield 5-2 which all but put them out of sight. Ben Wilson led from the start and Benji Compton passed David Meldrum before the end of the first lap to join him for the heat maximum. This took the score after 8 heats to 32-16.

In heat 9 Andreas Bergstrom was given a TR facing Sanchez and Legault but it was Kyle Legault who showed him the way home. It took Emiliano Sanchez until the last lap to pass Daniel Warwick but he did so to ensure a 4-4 shared heat. After heat 10 Berwick were still no nearer producing a race winner. Ricky Ashworth made a poor start and was in last place leaving the second bend. However a lap later he had passed the rest of the field to lead the race. With Ben Wilson in second place it looked like another maximum for Sheffield but Michal Makovsky passed Wilson on the last bend to limit the damage to a 4-2. Heat 11 produced another 4-2 as Adrian Rymel could only split the home pairing of Andre Compton and Paul Cooper as the Tigers eased into a 20 point lead. Paul Cooper had passed both Bandits on the back straight of the opening lap and it took Rymel until the last bend to slip past him for second place. The Bandits managed another shared heat in heat 12. They couldn’t supply the race winner though as Emiliano Sanchez the sixth Sheffield rider to win a race. However young Daniel Warwick held off Benji Compton for third place as Lee Smethills finished second. The score after 12 heats was 47-27.

In heat 13 Adrian Rymel hit the deck on the first bend but all four riders were invited back for the rerun. In the rerun Ricky Ashworth and Andre Compton were fast away and continued their unbeaten runs with a 5-1 ahead of Adrian Rymel. The other unbeaten Sheffield man, Kyle Legault, was next up in heat 14. He faced Michal Makovsky who was on a TR and Daniel Warwick who replaced Craig Branney. After a great race between Legault and Makovsky, it was the Berwick man who prevailed to provide the Bandits with their one and only race winner all night and spoil Legault’s maximum in the process. His win gave Berwick a 3-6 advantage from the race cutting the Tigers lead to 21 points. In the last race Ricky Ashworth’s maximum hopes came to end too. Although Andre Compton won the heat, Ashworth suffered an engine failure while in second place allowing Adrian Rymel and Michal Makovsky through for the minor placings.

Match Report by Merlin