NEW-LOOK Sheffield Tigers suffered an opening night defeat at the hands of Scunthorpe on Friday night.

A bumper crowd saw Swedish star Magnus Karlsson, who was linked with a move to Owlerton two-years ago, romp to a 14-point haul for the home side.

Richard Hall, who rode for the Scorpions last season, was top man for Sheffield with 12 but he received little support from his colleagues on a night to forget or Eric Boocock's side.

The result meant the North Lincolnshire side ended a run of six straight defeats at Premier League level against Tigers.

Richard Hall was used as a tactical ride and managed four-points for his efforts - but it was a case of damage limitation by this stage as Tigers turned their thoughts towards tomorrow's return leg at Owlerton.

Joel Parsons, who recently linked up with Elite League Coventry in as a squad member, failed to score from his tactical ride.

And whilst the mood in the Tigers camp was negative, the atmosphere for the home fans was superb and many Scorpions fans will travel to Sheffield tomorrow expecting the aggregate win.

Sunday's eagerly awaited clash starts at 6pm and a big crowd is expected.

SCUNTHORPE: Magnus Karlsson 14, Jerran Hart 10+2, Carl Wilkinson 10, Viktor Bergstrom 8+3, David Howe 8, Simon Lambert 6+1, Byron Bekker 4+2.
SHEFFIELD: Richard Hall 12, Joel Parsons 7, Josh Auty 3+1, Chris Mills 3, Ricky Ashworth 3, Paul Cooper 2, Ritchie Hawkins 2.