SHEFFIELD fought back from a ten-point deficit to beat Berwick 46-44 at Owlerton. It means it’s two out of two in the Championship for the Tigers on home shale who had to dig deep in tricky conditions.
Rain fell throughout the meeting - but the Owlerton outfit weren’t going to let that dampen their spirits. Ty Proctor (Wrist) and Zaine Kennedy (Concussion) were both ruled out following crashes in the away fixture on Saturday - but Tigers showed plenty of determination to add three more league points to their tally.
They conceded three heat advantages in the opening races as the Bandits went ten points up early doors. But back-to-back race wins and a 5-1 from Danny King and tactical substitute Kyle Howarth gave the visitors something to think about.
Kasper Andersen and guest reserve Nathan Greaves combined for another maximum in the eighth before fellow guest Cameron Heeps led a 4-2 in the ninth to move within two.
Tigers moved back level with their opponents before hitting the front for the first time as King and Howarth registered another 5-1 in Heat 13. Berwick weren’t done though and responded with a maximum of their own to take things to a last heat decider for the second successive week at Owlerton.
But No.1 King showed his class once more as he produced a stunning ride to work his way past Dany Gappmaier. And with Howarth getting the better of Aaron Summers for a vital third place, Tigers snatched a last gasp victory.
Sheffield co-promoter Damien Bates said: “Full credit to both teams; conditions weren’t the easiest but not one rider moaned, they all got on with it and to have the meeting done in an hour and 15 minutes deserves a lot of credit for all involved. “It was another great battle between these two teams and of course we’re delighted to get the win in the end. “I had my head in my hands after the first three races but to come back like we did, in tough conditions as well, I’m really happy. “We’re still not fully firing yet and we had two riders missing today, but the guests came in at short notice and helped us get the job done. “Cameron (Heeps) was fantastic and Nathan (Greaves) battled hard and they contributed to a gutsy performance in the end.”
Sheffield travel to Glasgow for the second leg of their Knockout Cup tie a week on Tuesday (May 28) with the next action at Owlerton on Sunday, June 2 against Scunthorpe (4pm).
SHEFFIELD 46: Danny King 12, Kyle Howarth 11+2, Cameron Heeps 11, Broc Nicol 5, Kasper Andersen 4, Nathan Greaves 2+1, Drew Kemp 1. BERWICK 44: Dany Gappmaier 14+1, Jordan Stewart 9+2, Aaron Summers 7+1, Kevin Doolan 6+1, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 5, Leon Flint 3+2, Jye Etheridge R/R.
