Glasgow’s Richard Lawson took the 9th running of this important meeting for the riders fund, as the 2017 season kicked off in front of a large crowd .
He took advantage of a kind draw in the final to take a tapes to flag victory, whilst behind him there was a fierce battle with Chris Harris taking second from Richie Worral on the run in to the line, this was after he had passed Ricky Wells earlier in the race.
Worrall will feel a bit aggrieved, as the top scorer in the meeting he would’ve expected first choice of gates but had to settle for gate 4 instead of the better middle gates, although he couldn’t hold off Harris during the race in any event.
Rain had made the track heavy early on as the first three heats were won from the gate, Aaron Summers being the first heat winner of the new season.
Heat 4 was the first race of note, with Chris Harris brilliantly picking his opponents off one by one to go from last to first.
He surprisingly failed to pass his former team mate James Sarjeant in heat 6, despite throwing everything at him, a last bend swoop just failing.
The home men had all started well and Richie Worrall remained unbeaten after pressurizing and then passing Summers to win heat 8.
At that point he had 6, with Summers, Lawson and Harris next on 5.
The next group of heats saw that turned on its head, as Thomas Jorgensen beat R Worrall, whilst Lawson could only finish third behind Harris and Bridger(another great pass by Bomber), with Summers also losing to Steve Worrall.
At the interval, the top 4 now read: R Worrall 8, Harris 8, S Worrall 7, Summers 7
Heat 13 looked an important one, with three of the top 4 meeting. It was Richie who won the battle of the Worrals on the first bend, allowing the other two to pass, although Steve managed to get past Claus Vissing by the end. Up front, Harris was unable to get anywhere near Richie.
By this stage, Ricky Wells was looking good as he took his third successive win, while Lawson kept the pressure on with a rare gate 1 victory.
After four rides the top four were now: R Worrall 11, Harris 10, Wells 9, Lawson 9
Lawson moved onto 11 with a second behind Jorgensen, while R Worrall took his tally to 14, winning heat 19. Wells took another victory in heat 20, although he had to fend off a hard chasing Harris who just failed to catch him on the run in and it was these 4 who then took their place in the final.
As opening meetings go, it was entertaining enough, with Chris Harris providing most of it, although special mention to Lewis Bridger, on his Ashfield debut, who was always in the thick of it.
Of the rest, Thomas Jorgensen’s swift gating brought plenty of points, whilst clubless Theo Pijper, James Sarjeant and the returning David Howe all showed that they would be useful additions to a Championship side.
All in all, it was a good day, with hopefully plenty of money raised for a worthy cause.
Ben Fund Bonanza Sunday March 12th 2017 Ashfield Stadium, Glasgow Riders scores: R Worrall 14, R Wells 12, C Harris 12, R Lawson 11, T Jorgensen 9, S Worrall 9, A Summers 8, C Vissing 7, K Doolan 7, J Sarjeant 6, T Pijper 6, L Bridger 6, D Howe 5, S Robson 5, M Clegg 1, B Barker 1, N Lunna(res) 0 Heat 1: Summers, Vissing, Bridger, Jorgensen; 59.52 Heat 2: S Worrall, Howe, Doolan, Sarjeant; 58.9 Heat 3: (2 re-runs) S Worrall, Lawson, Barker, Wells (tapes, 15m); 59.45 Heat 4: Harris, Pijper, Robson, Clegg; 59.87 Heat 5: (re-run) Lawson, Doolan, Vissing(tapes, 15m), Robson; 58.48 Heat 6: Sarjeant, Harris, Jorgensen, Barker; 59.5 Heat 7: Wells, Bridger, S Worrall, Clegg; 58.8 Heat 8: R Worrall, Summers, Howe, Pijper; 59.5 Heat 9: Wells, Piper, Vissing, Sarjeant(ef); 59.46 Heat 10:(re-run) Jorgensen, R Worrall, Lunna(x 2mins), Doolan (x 2mins), Clegg (FX); 59.19 Heat 11: (re-run) Harris, Bridger, Lawson, Howe(R); 58.81 Heat 12: S Worrall, Summers, Robson, Barker; 58.27 Heat 13: (re-run) R Worrall, Harris, S Worrall, Vissing; 58.37 Heat 14: Wells, Jorgensen, Robson, Howe; 59.8 Heat 15: Doolan, Pijper, Bridger, Barker; 59.22 Heat 16: Lawson, Sarjeant, Summers, Clegg(f); 59.63 Heat 17: Vissing, Howe, Clegg, Lunna(ns); 59.27 Heat 18: Jorgensen, Lawson, S Worrall, Pijper; 59.77 Heat 19: R Worrall, Robson, Sarjeant, Bridger(ef); 58.86 Heat 20: Wells, Harris, Doolan, Summers(R); 58.67 Final: Lawson, Harris, R Worrall, Wells; 58.8