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Stoke Potters v Workington Comets
Premier League, 30 July 2005
Loomer Road, Stoke

Stoke 50
1Robbie Kessler2*2131 ..91
2Adam Allott31*00. ..41
3Paul Clews3113. ..80
4Alan Mogridge2*3333 ..141
5(g)Phil Morris321*.. ..61
6Barrie Evans3020. ..50
7Jack Hargreaves10210 ..40
Workington 43
2Shaun Tacey12332 0.110
3Scott Robson0132. ..60
4James Wright1032*2 2.101
5(g)James Grieves1*6^2X. ..91
6Jamie Courtney000.. ..00
7(g)Trent LeveringtonF2210 1*1*72

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

Stoke had new signing, Adam Allott, at number 2 replacing Peter Carr and Phil Morris at number 5 as a guest for Jan Staechmann. Workington , who are beginning to look unrecognisable from the team which started out the season’s campaign, were also using a Newcastle rider as a guest. They had James Grieves in for Carl Stonehewer and used R/R for the missing Kauko Nieminen. They also had Trent Leverington as a guest at reserve for Aidan Collins. With only one point separating the teams in the match at Derwent Park last night, the home side knew that a two point win would secure the bonus point.

Workington got off to a terrible start. They lost an opening 5-1 to Adam Allott and Robbie Kessler when Trent Leverington fell while leading the heat. This was followed by a reserves race 4-2 to the Potters and a 5-1 from Paul Clews and Alan Mogridge leaving the Comets 10 points adrift. Phil Morris won heat 4 but Leverington and Grieves filled the minor places for a shared heat and the score after the opening four races was 17-7.

A Mogridge/Clews 4-2 put the Potters 12 points up after heat 5 so Workington gave James Grieves a TR in heat 6 which he duly won. Since there was no support for him the result was a 3-6 for Workington. They pulled another two points back in heat 7 with a 2-4 from Wright and Robson then repeated that score by winning heat 8 by 2-4 again as Stoke began to look extremely vulnerable. The score after 8 races was 28-23.

Stoke took a 4-2 from heat 9 when Alan Mogridge beat James Grieves but they got another jolt when Robbie Kessler and Adam Allott conceded a 1-5 to Scott Robson and James Wright in heat 10 to reduce the gap between the teams to 3 points. In heat 11 the two Newcastle riders, Morris and Grieves, collided with Grieves excluded and taking no further part in the meeting due to damaged ribs. Tacey won the rerun so Workington were still only three points adrift but without James Grieves for the rest of the match things did not look rosy for them. Clews and Leverington made it even more difficult by taking a 4-2 in heat 12 to take the score to 40-35.

Heat 13, won by Kessler, was shared as was heat 14, won by Mogridge so Stoke had clinched the match with their five point lead. However, there was the matter of the bonus point to be settled with Workington needing a 1-5 to tie on aggregate. Alan Mogridge settled the issue by completing his paid maximum in heat 15 and with Robbie Kessler taking third place, Stoke finished with a 4-2 which gave them a win by seven points.

Match Report by Merlin