SHEFFIELD closed the gap on league leaders Ipswich with a battling 47-43 win at Birmingham on Monday.
It ended a four match losing streak on the road for the Tru7 Group Tigers who held their nerve in a last heat decider to head back to South Yorkshire with two vital ROWE Motor Oil Premiership points in the bag.
It was the hosts who started stronger with Freddie Lindgren and Michael Palm Toft outgating Jack Holder and Kyle Howarth for an opening 5-1.
Jason Edwards led a 4-2 for the Tigers in Heat Two as he got the better of Leon Flint with Dan Gilkes taking third ahead of Brummies’ guest Paco Castagna who was handed a 15-metre handicap penalty for touching the tapes in the initial staging.
The hosts restored their four point lead in Heat Three before guest Max Fricke led two 4-2s, one with Gilkes and one with Edwards to help bring the Tigers back level by the end of Heat Six.
Chris Holder led a 3-3 in the seventh before the Tigers took the lead for the first time in Heat Eight when Gilkes got his nose out in front whilst Howarth forced his way past Flint into second for a big 5-1.
A hat-trick of 3-3s followed before the final lap of Heat 12, arguably, swung the momentum in the Tigers’ favour. Wiktor Lampart looked on course to record his third win of the night for the hosts, but Chris Holder lifted out of bend two before fairly coming up the inside, that appeared to unsettle the Pole and Edwards was in the right place at the right time to snatch second on the run to the line.
Fricke and Jack Holder kept Tom Brennan at the back in Heat 13 but a tense finale was set up when Birmingham’s tactical substitute paid off in Heat 14 with Lindgren and guest Zach Cook getting a 5-1 to move back within four.
The hosts needed another maximum to force the Super Heat and whilst Cook gated and hit the front, Fricke and Jack Holder rode cleverly to ensure Lindgren remained behind them as the Tigers picked up another confidence boosting victory.
The fixtures continue to come thick and fast and the action returns to Owlerton this Thursday (July 25, 7.30pm) with Oxford the visitors.
BIRMINGHAM 43: Fredrik Lindgren 13+1, Zach Cook 10, Wiktor Lampart 7, Tom Brennan 5+1, Michael Palm Toft 3+1, Paco Castagna 3+1, Leon Flint 2. SHEFFIELD 47: Max Fricke 12, Jack Holder 8+2, Jason Edwards 7+2, Chris Holder 7+1, Josh Pickering 5, Dan Gilkes 5, Kyle Howarth 3+2.
