Whitehaven News

Vintage Stonehewer leads Workington Comets to Young Shield final

John Walsh reports from Derwent Park

Last updated 12:44, Monday, 20 October 2008

Workington Comets 51 Redcar Bears 42 (Agg: 94-90): A thrilling night of speedway ended the right way for Workington Comets, leaving them still on track to land that elusive first seven-man trophy.

HERO CARL: Carl Stonehewer (red helmet) leads Redcar's Chris Kerr (yellow) and Gary Havelock (green) into the first corner of the decisive final heat at Derwent Park, with Comets guest Jason Lyons (blue) partly hidden

Shrugging aside the disappointment of Knockout Cup failure 24 hours earlier, the Comets bounced back to claw their way past Redcar and reach the Young Shield final.

Bears Stoned might have been a regular headline for the Daily Bugle of the Middle Ages but in more enlightened times it will have more in common with the Sun – unless our own sub editors go down that route!

On this occasion those two words tell it all because it was a vintage performance by acting skipper Carl Stonehewer which really did for Redcar.

Stoney hasn’t been racking-up the points over the last few weeks as well as he used to, but he turned the clock back in impressive fashion to spearhead the Workington challenge.

With the Comets still having to use rider replacement for absent captain Kauko Nieminen and with guest Jason Lyons without a win all night it needed a big performance from the third heat leader.

Stonehewer produced an outstanding display which had the crowd on its feet to greet his sixth victory, and the one which secured Workington’s place in the final.

Going into the last heat Redcar needed a 5-1 to take the semi-final to a race-off. Stoney and Lyons were pitched against Chris Kerr and Gary Havelock for the decider and once the Workington captain had taken off from the gate there was never going to be any doubt.

Only a mechanical fault was going to halt his relentless charge to the line and the fans in the stand gave him a standing ovation as he flashed past the chequered flag to take his victory lap, satisfied with a job well done.

The outcome was on a knife-edge because the last five heats were all shared.

Workington were clinging onto a four point advantage overall for those races and the Bears just couldn’t get any closer.

But if Stonehewer’s last heat win officially won it, his effort in heat 13 had also played a key part.

He’d been left to take-on Ty Proctor and Havelock after Lyons had been controversially excluded. Proctor went down on the third bend and referee Dave Watters ruled that the Workington guest had been the cause of it. Subsequent protests from team manager Ian Thomas were to no avail.

There was more drama in the re-run. Havelock led Stoney until shedding a chain on the third bend of the third lap. Stoney swept away to win and former world champion Havelock had to push his bike for almost a lap to earn the point for his side. But it still kept the Bears frustratingly four points adrift.

The Bears had used their tactical opportunities in heats ten and twelve but didn’t make the inroads they needed.

Kerr took a tactical ride in heat ten and it looked promising when James Grieves went with him at the start. But Lyons battled back into second and in a dramatic conclusion to the race Charles Wright, capped a fine night by nipping through to grab third place.

The 6-3 heat advantage wasn’t as good as it might have been, and it was also only the second and last time in the whole meeting that they took more race points than their hosts.

Proctor, who had been unbeatable at Redcar on Thursday, but who struggled in the return, that was handed the black and white helmet colour in heat twelve to race-off as a tactical substitute off 15 metres.

Grieves was again the other Redcar rider involved and this time he got to the front.

That was perfect for him to slow down the chasing Workington pair of Joe Haines and John Branney and allow Proctor to catch up and overtake.

But again the Redcar game plan came unstuck for although Proctor closed up to give himself a lap and a half to make his attack, he just couldn’t get into over-drive and take on the two Comets who followed in Grieves for another share of the points.

Redcar had held the five point advantage until heat six when Wright and Lyons fashioned Workington’s second 5-1 over Proctor and reserve Arlo Bugeja, who seemed off the pace all night.

That was the first of two wins for Wright who finished with a very creditable nine points and a bonus, exactly what was required from him.

Fellow second string Haines also won a heat, as did reserve Tomi Reima and although John Branney only picked up four points, without a win, he gave his usual determined, all-action performance.

Team manager Ian Thomas said: “Everyone made a contribution and that’s important when you are going into a match like this without your two top riders.

“I think it’s amazing really how we have done so well, keeping the season going and making two finals, with two top men out of action.

“The lads have rallied round and it would be a great way to round-off the season if we would just give the fans that elusive seven-man trophy next Sunday.”

MATCH FACTS

Workington Comets 51: Jason Lyons 6; Charles Wright 9; Rider replacement for Kauko Nieminen; Joe Haines 8;Carl Stonehewer 18; Tomi Reima 6; John Branney 4.

Redcar Bears 42: Gary Havelock 9; Josh Auty 2; James Grieves 7; Chris Kerr 14; Ty Proctor 7; Benji Compton 3; Arlo Bugeja 0.

HEAT BY HEAT

Heat 1: Havelock, Wright, Lyons, Auty 3-3 (67.8)

Heat 2: Reima, Branney, Compton, Bugeja 8-4 (67.9)

Heat 3: Kerr, Grieves, Haines, Reima 9-9 (68.5)

Heat 4: Stonehewer, Proctor, Branney, Bugeja 13-11 (67.8)

Heat 5: Stonehewer, Havelock, Haines, Auty 17-13 (68.6)

Heat 6: Wright, Lyons, Proctor, Bugeja 22-14 (68.1)

Heat 7: Stonehewer, Grieves, Reima, Kerr 26-16 (68.4)

Heat 8: Wright, Compton, Auty, Branney 29-19 (68.9)

Heat 9: Haines, Proctor, Lyons, Compton 33-21 (68.3)

Heat 10: Kerr (tr), Lyons, Wright, Grieves 36-27 (68.2)