Workington Comets were well beaten at Plymouth last night, but this time they couldn’t salvage the aggregate point.
They lost 52-37 to the Gladiators after the home meeting at Northside had finished 51-39 in their favour in June.
Again, as at Scunthorpe the night before, the Comets were outgunned in the first half of the meeting and after eight heats they trailed 31-17.
They had managed a 4-2 and a couple of shared heats in there but the damage had been done. Tate Zischke (twice) was the only Comets rider to have won at that stage of the meeting.
Things did improve after that but not enough for them to challenge the Gladiators for the win, and neither for the bonus point which would have softened the blow of defeat.
Oddly, though, Zischke only managed a third and second after that before running last in heat 15.
Skipper Troy Batchelor had started the meeting with three second places and finished with two wins and was the only Workington rider in double figures.
Certainly the Comets were much more competitive in the last five races of the meeting and didn’t allow their hosts any heat advantages – picking-up a 5-0 when the two Plymouth riders got in a tangle and fell while sharing the other four heats.
The Comets operated rider replacement for the absent Fraser Bowes (riding in Poland) and had two guests in Ben Morley and Ben Trigger who only scored two points each.
So it was tough going and the best support to Batchelor and Zischke came from a third Aussie in Jacob Hook who was kept busy with seven rides and he was the third Workington rider to win a race.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Comets as their next outing on Friday is at Glasgow who are chasing Championship leaders Poole, and they will be certainly hoping their trio of missing riders Bowes, Jye Etheridge and Vinnie Foord are available again for the trip over the border.
- Plymouth Gladiators 52: Kye Thomson 8; Ben Barker 13; Lasse Fredriksen 5; Joe Thompson 9; Scott Nicholls 9; Alfie Bowfell 8; Kai Ward 0.
- Workington Comets 37: Troy Batchelor 12; Rider replacement for Fraser Bowes; Tate Zischke 9; Ben Morley 2; Antti Vuolas 4; Jacob Hook 8; Ben Trigger 2.
