SHEFFIELD were held to a 45-45 draw by Ipswich in a scintillating Premier League encounter at Owlerton.
A stunning 15-point maximum from comeback man Jason Garrity was not enough to see the Window Centre Tigers overcome the play-off chasing Witches.
But Garrity did ensure they salvaged a potentially crucial league point with victory in a dramatic last-heat decider.
The all-action ace was left on his own in the final race after skipper Simon Stead was excluded for bringing down Nico Covatti.
Yet Garrity held off British Champion Danny King to prevent them from slipping to a last-gasp defeat.
Joint team manager Eric Boocock admitted his side were disappointed not to end their winless run – but he felt a draw was “a fair result” after a magnificent night of racing.
“A draw was a fair result in the end,” said Boocock. “We were disappointed we drew, but we could have easily lost if it wasn’t for Jason who was absolutely superb.
“That was probably the best quality of racing we’ve seen at Owlerton this year. It was a superb meeting and it was just a shame we couldn’t quite get the win to go with it.”
Garrity starred throughout with a faultless display on his return from an arm injury, picking up where he left off before his lay-off to make it 18 successive races unbeaten at Owlerton.
Stead and Josh Bates also put in battling displays to offer him support, with the pair combining for a 5-1 in heat six.
However, Kyle Howarth endured a tough night after blowing an engine whilst Dimitri Berge also struggled with bike troubles early on before ending on a high.
Reserve duo Nathan Greaves and Arthur Sissis battled hard for little reward and the home side did not quite have enough to get over the line.
The Tigers will be back in action looking to end their five-meeting winless run against top of the table Somerset in a huge meeting at Owlerton next Thursday (7.30).
SHEFFIELD 45: Jason Garrity 15, Simon Stead 8+2, Josh Bates 8, Dimitri Berge 5+1, Kyle Howarth 3+1, Nathan Greaves 3+1, Arthur Sissis 3. IPSWICH 45: Danny King 12, Nico Covatti 10+2, Joe Jacobs 7+1, James Sarjeant 6+2, Ben Barker 6, Morten Risager 4+1, Jake Knight 0.
