SHEFFIELD agonisingly missed out in the closing stages in their 47-43 defeat at Workington on Saturday evening.

Despite the four-point loss they do pick up a consolation Premier League point, but it was very much a case of what might have been for the Yorkshire side.

Chris Mills had one of his better meetings of the season scoring 9+2 and Richard Hall (9) and Paul Cooper (7+1) provided decent support, but led by a 15-point maximum from former Tiger Andre Compton, the Comets had the all-important top-end strength as the meeting reached its climax.

Sheffield went ahead as early as heat 2 when in-form reserves Mills and Cooper cruised to a 5-1, but when Richard Hall ran wide in his opening ride next time out, the Cumbrians levelled things up with a maximum of their own.

Workington then raced to another five-pointer in heat 5 to take a 17-13 lead, but parity was again restored when Josh Auty and Mills took full-advantage of Kevin Doolan’s retirement in heat 6.

Cooper and Hugh Skidmore then put the Tigers into a 25-23 lead following a 4-2 in heat 8, but despite the Comets losing Adrian Rymel to a mid-meeting rib injury they managed to level things up with a 4-2 in heat 11. Compton pulled off a great pass on Ricky Ashworth at the end of the opening lap and John Branney picked up the important third place point ahead of Skidmore.

The pendulum swung back in the Tigers favour in heat 12 when Mills and Joel Parsons raced to another 4-2, but Compton and Doolan’s 5-1 for the home side in heat 13 proved decisive as they led by two points going into the penultimate race.

Hall won heat 14 to ensure it went to a last race decider, but Compton completed his maximum ahead of Hall, Doolan and Mills in the final race and with it went Sheffield’s hopes of victory.

WORKINGTON 47: Andre Compton 15, Kevin Doolan 9+1, John Branney 9, Richard Lawson 8+3, Adrian Rymel 6, Craig Cook 0, Charles Wright (rider-replacement)

SHEFFIELD 43: Chris Mills 9+2, Richard Hall 9, Paul Cooper 7+1, Josh Auty 6+1, Ricky Ashworth 5, Joel Parsons 4+2, Hugh Skidmore 3+1