Workington moved back into second place in the Cab Direct Championship with a 51-39 home win over Scunthorpe.
The Comets were always in command after the Scorpions took a heat advantage in the reserves race, and the home riders won 11 races in all.
Australian youngster Tate Zischke broke the Northside track record in heat one, lowering the time set by his skipper and race partner Craig Cook to 55.2.
Zischke was one of four Comets riders in double figures headed by fellow Australian Troy Batchelor with 12+2 whilst Craig Cook (10+1), Zischke (10) and Antti Vuolas (10) gave solid support.
By the half-way stage the Comets were eight points clear and to some degree the Scorpions dug in well to only fall a further four points behind at the end.
It will leave the battle for the aggregate point nicely poised for the return when the Scorpions have home advantage on Friday, July 26.
Zischke was having his first outing since a bad fall in Poland left him with a painful back injury but it didn’t show in the first race of the afternoon when he raced away to the new track record.
Nathan Ablitt led from start to finish in heat two with guest Jake Mulford splitting the two Scorpions for a 4-2 to the visitors.
The Comets have certainly unearthed a talent with Zischke and their young Finn Antti Vuolas is also attracting favourable comments too.
He showed his ability in the third heat when he took former Comet Simon Lambert on turns three and four of the opening lap and was never headed as he flew home.
Claus Vissing was third in that race and he generally struggled on the day, rather uncharacteristically ending the meeting with just two points from his four rides.
Sam McGurk also struggled for points and he missed his second ride, times out with guest Mulford coming in to follow home Batchelor for a Comets 5-1.
A 4-2 for the Comets, with Cook blasting clear and Zischke finally having to settle for third behind Justin Sedgmen, kept the hosts in charge although a series of shared heats meant Scunthorpe were digging in and holding on with actually winning races.
Of the first eight races only Ablitt had managed to take the chequered flag ahead of a Comet.
In fact they almost managed that second win in heat eight but Zischke produced a great effort to finally get round Connor Mountain on turns three and four of the final lap to win.
That second win for the visitors came in heat nine when Sedgmen got away with Kyle Howarth and despite the best efforts of Vuolas they held on to the 5-1– their only maximum of the meeting.
But it pulled the Scorpions to only six points in arrears and the Comets suffered a setback in the 10th race, even though it finished as a 3-3. Cook snapped a drive belt causing him to retire when second on turn four of the third lap.
Zischke was able to hold-off Lambert and Jake Allen to maintain the Comets lead.
The reliable Batchelor won the 11th heat after an aggressive first bend and the hard-working Mulford was just beaten for second by Howarth and the lead was back to eight points.
A succession of three shared heats followed, including heat wins for the Scorpions Allen and Howarth before a 5-1 in the last by Cook and Batchelor secured the 12 point advantage to take to Scunthorpe next month.
Howarth top-scored for the Scorpions with 10+1 as their weekend double of away matches saw them unable to add to their league total – but they remain in the top four.
Workington Comets 51 – Craig Cook 10 + 1; Tate Zischke 10; Antti Vuolas 10; Claus Vissing 2 + 1; Troy Batchelor 12 + 2; Jake Mulford 7 + 1; Sam McGurk 0.
Scunthorpe Scorpions 39 – Kyle Howarth 10 + 1; Connor Mountain 3 + 1; Simon Lambert 6 + 2; Jake Allen 7 + 1; Justin Sedgmen 6; Nathan Ablitt 6 + 1; Ben Trigger 1.
