GLASGOW boss Cami Brown admitted it was a “frustrating” defeat at Oxford.
The Allied Vehicles Tigers lost their unbeaten Cab Direct Championship record, losing 52-38 to the league leaders at Cowley last night (Wednesday).
It was a clash marred by a horror crash in Heat 5 which saw Oxford guest Rory Schlein, Jordan Jenkins and Chris Harris all hit the fence at high-speed.
Schlein had to withdraw from the meeting but the home side still had enough to fend off the battling Tigers.
Brown said: “We kept it tight until the last couple of heats but we never could find that extra level we needed.
“They lost Rory Schlein but still had enough strength in depth so fair play to them.
“There were a few positives for us but it was frustrating not to come away with something better.
“Chris Harris was once again sensational all night but we need to make sure he has more back up away from home.”
Harris got up from the crash to produce a fine performance with several outstanding passes.
On the incident, he said: “I didn’t make the best start but managed to cut back down the back straight.
“Next thing I got hit from the back, straightened the bike up and obviously Rory and Jordan went in.”
Schlein was left in a bad way after the crash but thanked Harris for his quick thinking immediately after the pile-up.
He said: “I think everyone was going for the same racing line. I got collected and then I was a passenger.
“The lower back is a little bit sore and my knee is quite swollen. I’ll probably get that checked out. A bit of TLC and hopefully it’s nothing serious.
“I’m very lucky to walk away. I don’t know how I ended up in behind the bike. But I have to thank Chris Harris, he actually rushed in to pull the bike off me. All my suit is burnt up around my leg. If it wasn’t for Chris I might have had severe burns. A big thanks to him.”
Oxford 52: Sam Masters 14, Cameron Heeps 11+2, Scott Nicholls 10+2, Jordan Jenkins 7+1, Henry Atkins 5, Rory Schlein 3, Ryan Kinsley 2.