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Stoke Potters v Sheffield Tigers
Premier Trophy (Group), 08 April 2006
Loomer Road, Stoke

Stoke 48
1Mark Lemon2*3323 ..131
2Michael Coles3101. ..50
3Paul Clews2022. ..60
4Robbie Kessler1*31*3. ..82
5Alan Mogridge3231*M ..91
6Barrie Evans21*211 0.71
7Luke Priest000.. ..00
Sheffield 42
1Ricky Ashworth12232 ..100
2Ben Wilson01*30. ..41
3Emiliano Sanchez33231* ..121
4Kyle Legault0002. ..20
5Andre Compton223F. ..70
6Paul Cooper100.. ..10
7Benji Compton31*110 ..61

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

It was a full strength Stoke side which faced Sheffield . The home side were looking for a drier track than the one they opened their home season with last week in their one point win against Newcastle while Sheffield were hoping to go one better than the narrow defeats they have suffered away from home so far.

Sheffield continued their run of narrow away defeats this time going down by 6 points at Stoke. It may not win them any points but it puts them in a good position for bonus points. Losing a 5-1 in the opening heat did not help their cause. Michael Coles and Mark Lemon did the damage as Ricky Ashworth had to be content with third place. The Tigers hit back with a 2-4 in heat 2 won by Benji Compton from Barrie Evans and Paul Cooper, the Sheffield reserves apparently having recovered from their injuries of Thursday night. Emiliano Sanchez won heat 3 coming from third to first to do so to beat Paul Clews and Robbie Kessler for a 3-3 then Alan Mogridge took heat 4 also for a 3-3 with the two Comptons following in his wake. This took the heat 4 score to 13-11.

Heat 5, won by Robbie Kessler, was shared too but Stoke went four ahead again in heat 6 with Lemon and Coles, split by Andre Compton, doing the damage. Emiliano Sanchez won again in heat 7 again with no support from Kyle Legault for another shared heat but Sheffield cut two points from the Stoke lead with a 2-4 in heat 8. Michael Coles touched the tapes and went from 15 metres back. Ben Wilson won the race from Barrie Evans with Michael Coles unable to catch Benji Compton for third. The heat 8 score had moved on to 25-23.

Andre Compton became the fourth Sheffield rider to win a race in heat 9 but Paul Clews and Robbie Kessler followed him home for a shared race then Stoke pulled four points ahead again in heat 10. Again it was the Lemon/Coles pairing which did the damage with Lemon inflicting the first defeat of the match on Emiliano Sanchez as Michael Coles took third from Kyle Legault. The lead stretched to six points in heat 11 when Alan Mogridge beat Ricky Ashworth on the line after a great race with Barrie Evans third but Sheffield pulled it back to six again with a 2-4 in heat 12 as Sanchez returned to winning way ahead of Paul Clews with Benji Compton third. This took the score after 12 heats to 38-34.

In heat 13 Ricky Ashworth became the fifth visitor to win a race ruining Mark Lemon’s maximum hopes but at the back Alan Mogridge took third place after Andre Compton fell so Stoke’s four point lead remained the same. It was all over after heat 14 when Robbie Kessler beat Kyle Legault, scoring his only points of the match, with Barrie Evans ahead of Benji Compton. The 4-2 put the home side six points ahead with the final race to come. In that race Alan Mogridge was excluded for a tapes offence and was replaced by Barrie Evans. Mark Lemon passed both Sanchez then Ashworth to win and preserve Stoke’s six point lead

Match Report by Merlin