Workington Comets completed the double over Redcar Bears with a 49-41 victory at Northside in their return BSN Series clash.
It meant they took the aggregate point (95-85) after a 46-44 win last week at Redcar so it’s now a shoot-out between the Comets and Scunthorpe Scorpions to see who progresses as group winners.
Both meetings, home and away between the pair, have been called off because of the weather and still have to be rearranged.
This afternoon’s meeting produced some outstanding racing, and there was more evidence that this Comets new-look team is coming together.
Antti Vuolas and Tate Zischke both had their moments, involved in some quite outstanding passing, while skipper Craig Cook and Troy Batchelor provided the experience and know-how to steer the Comets home.
Cook, who scored a paid maximum of 14 and a bonus point had set the standard in the very first race when he knocked a second and a half off Connor Bailey’s track record, set last season.
But it was the team performance which delighted him most as he said: “I’m very proud of them all. We are really coming together as a team. The young lads are exciting riders, starting to get well-used to conditions and it’s great to have them on board.”
Just as at Redcar, however, Workington had been slow to dominate and were not ahead until heat 10 when a 5-1 from Cook and Zischke gave them a 32-28 lead.
Jason Edwards had made a great start but between turns three and four he was passed in a pincer movement by the two Comets and they never looked back.
If that was a set-back, heat 11 was a disaster even though it was awarded as a 3-3.
Batchelor had forced his way to the front after good starts by both Danny King and Jonas Knudsen, but on the third lap King was wiped out by reserve Sam McGurk in last place, whose bike seemed to leap across the track into the Redcar rider.
King was down on the track for a few minutes receiving treatment before getting gingerly to his feet and limping off, before being withdrawn from the meeting with a hip injury.
With their number one gone there was little hope of Redcar turning things around although they did share heat 12 as Connor Bailey and Jake Mulford followed in the Flying Finn Vuolas, with Celina Liebmann taking a fall at the back on the last lap.
Then after Cook and Batchelor had done enough for a 4-2 in heat 13, the Bears did well in the penultimate race to eke out a 4-2 for themselves through Knudsen and Edwards, split by Claus Vissing.
It meant Redcar needed a 5-1 in the last to square the meeting although Workington would win the aggregate point. But that went the Comets way after Cook and Batchelor eventually saw off Knudsen and Sedgman for a 5-1 and victory.
Workington Comets 49: Craig Cook 14 + 1; Tate Zischke 7 + 1; Antti Vuolas 10; Claus Vissing 4; Troy Batchelow 11 + 1; Sam McGurk 2; Celina Liebmann 1 + 1.
Redcar Bears 41: Danny King 6 + 1; Jonas Knudsen 12 + 2; Connor Bailey 7; Jason Edwards 2 + 1; Justin Sedgman 8; Jake Mulford 4 + 1; Ben Trigger 2.
