THE SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE TIGERS are through to the League Cup semi-finals after a marvellous win over a powerful Leicester team on Thursday.
Sheffield, who are predicted to finish second from bottom of the Premier League this year by Speedway Star experts, triumphed over the Lions, predicted to finish second, and reigning league champions Scunthorpe, predicted to be fourth.
The Tigers produced two fantastic home performances and collected a vital away point at Leicester’s Beaumont Park to top the Midland group and progress to the final four.
Richard Hall has had a scintillating start to the season and that continued on Thursday night as he romped to a faultless five ride maximum which inspired his side to the win.
Simon Stead was beaten just once all night while Ricky Wells dropped just two points from his four rides, and alongside Hall they looked to have formed a powerful spearhead for the Owlerton men.
Although the scores were kept close throughout Sheffield never looked as if they’d lose, but it was vital that they won by more than seven points if they were to qualify.
Just four points up going in to heat 13, Stead and Wells recorded a huge 5-1 and then Hall won the final two races to secure the win, and his heroics earned him the traditional bumps from his team-mate’s at the end of the meeting.
A rejuvenated Hall said; “I felt really good out there, I’m really enjoying racing at the moment. The main thing today was to get through the group and we knew it’d be tough, but everyone chipped in.
“It’s nice to get a maximum of course, but the team qualifying was the main thing. Not everyone fancied us to do anything so it’s nice to prove some critics wrong already.”
