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24 Aug 2008: Glasgow (56) Stoke (36) |
| Match Report Sunday 24th August 2008 Premier League 'Buildbase' Glasgow Tigers - (56)
Stoke 'Easy Rider' Potters - (36)
After last week's rain-off, it looked as though it could have been more of the same with weekend showers but, come racetime, the track looked in good condition and the showers never appeared, thankfully avoiding a third cancellation of this fixture. The Olympics closing ceremony may have had the biggest audience of the day, but the reception received by returning from injury Tiger Shane Parker must have run it a close second for the most emotional. For the first time since April, the Tigers started a home match with their own seven, Shane coming back at number 3, Robert Ksiezak switching back to 1, Trent Leverington going back to 5 and Anders Andersen moving to 4. For the Potters, Lee Complin's comeback from injury was delayed so Edinburgh's Ryan Fisher guested, the Stoke management no doubt having noted his early season Ashfield maximum, and partnered him with new signing Krister Jacobsen. Gate pattern B in operation. Heat 1 Robert Ksiezak made a super start and Lee Dicken and Ryan Fisher hit the turn together before the Potters' guest whipped round Lee on turn 2 and set off in pursuit of Robert. He was gaining ground on successive laps before trying a last lap do-or-die drive round turn 3. Robert was alert to his challenge, though, and just kept to his line to cruise home. Krister Jacobsen was adrift of the action and finally tootled home on the last lap. Ksiezak, Fisher, Dicken, Jacobsen (4-2) (4-2) - 58.4 Heat 2 Mark Burrows was moving at the start and got his visor caught in the tapes. The referee had no choice but to penalise him and he had to start off the 15 metre handicap. In the restart, Mitchell Davey gated first, but Klaus Jakobsen moved Josh Grajczonek out wide, causing him to snake and slow, baulking the fast approaching Burrows on the turn. Jakobsen set his sights on Mitchell and drove under him on turn 3 to take the lead. Mitchell was not for giving up without a fight and, as Jakobsen took an awkward turn on 2, next lap, he nipped under the Dane to take back the lead. Josh was also catching him and he tried a last gasp blast on turn 3, last lap, without gaining any reward. Davey, Jakobsen, Grajczonek, Burrows(15m) (4-2) (8-4) - 60.3 Heat 3 It was just like old times again as Shane Parker blasted the opposition into the turn and headed off into the distance. Jesper Kristiensen headed the rest and Ben Barker pushed Anders Andersen aside, but Anders wide run took him back ahead of the Potters' skipper off turn 2. Barker came back at him on turn 3 and a hard drive inside took him ahead of the Dane again. Parker, Kristiensen, Barker, Andersen (3-3) (11-7) - 59.1 Heat 4 Andrew Moore was first into the turn and it looked like a first heat winner for Stoke until Trent Leverington found some excellent drive off turn 2 to roar past the former Elite Leaguer. Josh could only take care of his own task and clinch another heat win to extend the Tigers' lead. Leverington, Moore, Grajczonek, Jakobsen (4-2) (15-9) - 59.5 Heat 5 Shane was off like a rocket again and no-one was going to catch him in this form. Anders targeted Jacobsen, who seemed slower, putting all his efforts into a blast round turn 3 on the third lap, but he didn't control it properly and lost ground. Not to be deterred, he tried the same again on the last lap, just getting pipped on the line. Parker, Fisher, Jacobsen, Andersen (3-3) (18-12) - 58.6 Heat 6 Robert was sharp from the start and Lee swooped wide to join him. Moore got past Burrows on turn 4 and his speed almost caught him up with Lee on the next turn, but the Ashfield fan favourite pulled away again for the Tigers' first maximum. Ksiezak, Dicken, Moore, Burrows (5-1) (23-13) - 60.1 Heat 7 The Potters tried to hit back right away by nominating Barker for a Tactical Ride. Trent made the best start, but Barker fired under Mitchell in the turn. Mitchell didn't panic but kept his wheels in line to zoom past him on turn 2 and put the Buildbase Tigers in line to negate the tactical move. Barker was quite tenacious though and a wide sweeping run on turn 2 lap 3 saw him sweep past Mitchell and share the heat. Leverington, Barker(TR), Davey, Kristiensen (4-4) (27-17) - 59.6 Heat 8 Lee powered from the start and Josh took a tight inside line to leave the Jac(k)obsens trailing. Dicken, Grajczonek, Jacobsen, Jakobsen (5-1) (32-18) - 60.7 Heat 9 Shane was away with another immaculate start, but Anders lost out to Moore and then Burrows on turn 2. The former Tiger looked in real trouble as he hit turn 3 and Anders rode wide out to miss him, only for 'Buzz' to regain control and take advantage of Anders' action as our Dane lost a lot of ground. Parker, Moore, Burrows, Andersen (3-3) (35-21) - 59.9 Heat 10 Kristiensen headed into the turn, but Robert rounded the Dane as Barker did the same to Lee. With Robert on this form nobody was going to catch him, even when Barker came through on turn 1 lap 4. Ksiezak, Barker, Kristiensen, Dicken (3-3) (38-24) - 59.7 Heat 11 The winning sequence continued as Trent and Mitchell gated. Fisher was last away, but a tight inside line saw him clip his team-mate and fly past Mitchell. The American tried his heart out to catch the Tigers' skipper and it almost paid off with a final outside blast wich Trent repelled. Leverington, Fisher, Davey, Jacobsen (4-2) (42-46) - 60.2 Heat 12 Shane was in superlative form with another tapes to flag victory and, whilst it is so entertaining to watch him coming from the back, this is just what he needed on his comeback. Josh lost out in a 'battle of the elbows' with Barker. Parker, Barker, Grajczonek, Burrows (4-2) (46-28) - 59.3 Heat 13 The Tigers' run of heat winners looked under threat here until the tapes went up and Robert hit the front with Trent rounding him as they left the Potters' duo in their wake. Fisher tried another handful of throttle on turn 3, but this time he slid off in a heap. He remounted and had clearly heard the home crowd cheering, so decided to have a little visual banter with the crowd, waving and 'wheelieing' as he went past before taking the quick route back to the pits. Leverington, Ksiezak, Moore, Fisher(F.Rmtd Ret) (5-1) (51-29) - 60.8 Heat 14 After 13 straight home heatwinners, it was the least likely Stoke pairing who broke the run, and they did it in style. Mitchell and Anders were terribly slow away so Jakobsen and Kristiensen took full advantage and although the Tigers swapped places, neither looked like catching the Danes. Jakobsen, Kristiensen, Andersen, Davey (1-5) (52-34) - 61.4 Heat 15 With his three heatleaders all unbeaten, Team Manager Stewart Dickson had a difficult choice to make and decided to rest Shane. Barker was moving at the start and got a flyer but the referee was not fooled and called all four back. This time Trent put in a determined first turn to take control but Barker managed to sneak inside Robert for second and Robert then had to fight off the attentions of Fisher and just miss out on his maximum. Leverington, Barker, Ksiezak, Fisher (4-2) (56-36) - 59.7 In a battle of the cellar dwellers, Buildbase Tigers commanded the match through heatleader strength although the backup points were there too. With our injury returnees back, only Anders was below par and looked better than his one point haul, but it was the emphatic style of Shane's victories which cheered the home support most. Guests are all very well, and we have been grateful for their contributions whilst Shane has been out, but our veteran star is worth more than just the points he scores. If this was the form the Tigers would have shown last week, it's such a shame that the weather put paid to the action, as I think the result would not have been the foregone conclusion that our friends in the East might have thought. For Stoke, only Barker and the entertaining Fisher put up any real fight, although Jakobsen's 6 point return was not bad for a reserve. Report by : John Sloss |
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