Workington Comets produced a fine performance to beat Plymouth Gladiators 47-43 at the Colosseum and continue their fine start in the Championship.
Another outstanding contribution from skipper Craig Cook, with a four-ride maximum, backed by the experienced pair of Claus Vissing (11) and Troy Batchelor (9) provided the backbone for the win.
After already taking the aggregate point from reigning champions Glasgow Tigers, the Comets are making the pundits sit up and take notice having been written off before a wheel was turned.
It will be interesting to see how they shape-up at Poole tonight when they will face a sterner test against the Pirates.
Last night’s meeting looked in some doubt after heavy rain on the previous two days and there was some concern about one particular soft area on the Plymouth track.
Cook expressed his concerns; the Plymouth track staff did a good job and the racing went ahead, although a little later than planned.
Gating proved to be the key and all of the Comets’ big three showed their prowess from the start, particularly Cook who was again in confident and effective form.
But there were important contributions from the young guns, with Tate Zischke (5) and Antti Vuolas (6) getting to grips with the conditions as the meeting progressed.
The Workington management took a punt on both by what they’d heard from Australia and Finland, and it is proving a successful gamble with both young men catching the eye as they adapt to the variance of British tracks.
The Comets won 10 of the 15 heats and were never behind in the contest, making dure of victory in the penultimate race when Claus Vissing and Sam McGurk won a re-run from Plymouth’s only finisher Jacob Hook.
With the match won Cook, who would have been a certain starter in any decider, opted out of heat 15 and Batchelor, with three straight wins, might have been the other contender but instead manager James Denham went with Vissing and Zischke.
Unfortunately the Australian fell and was excluded and in the rerun a rare missed gate by Vissing saw him outpaced by Dan Thompson and Alfie Bowtell.
So it’s on to Poole with an unchanged team, and one brimming with confidence ahead of a tough test against the Pirates.
Listen to James Denham’s verdict on the meeting here:
Plymouth Gladiators 43
Paco Castagna (4); Alfie Bowtell 10 + 2; Dan Thompson 8 + 2; Kyle Newman 4; Ben Barker 7 + 1; Joe Thompson 3; Jacob Hook 7 + 4.
Workington Comets 47
Craig Cook 12; Tate Zischke 5 + 2; Antti Vuolas 6; Claus Vissing 11 + 1; Troy Batchelor 9; Celina Liebmann 1; Sam McGurk 3 + 1.
