A LATE show from Glasgow Tigers – led by top stars Craig Cook and Chris Harris – robbed Berwick Bandits of getting any points in a thrilling match at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium tonight.
The pair romped to two brilliant 5-1s – and should’ve had a third until Bomber clipped the fence while cruising in heat 13 – to seal a 49-41 win for three Championship points.
Reserve James Sarjeant also won three times to complete a home fightback after they’d fallen six behind after nine heats.
The one black mark on the night was a horrendous crash for home debutant Nathan Greaves, who locked up with Theo Pijper on the first bend of heat six and smashed into the air fence, which saw him thrown into the air.
He was conscious and talking after landing on the track, but he was taken to hospital for check-ups, and the club await further news on the 20-year-old.
Cook – who’ll now bid to secure his World Championship future in the Grand Prix Challenge meeting tomorrow – was delighted with his performance in front of a large crowd, though admitted he’d had to work hard for it.
He said: “It was close. The Bandits were going really well and they set off with such a strong pairing in Kevin Doolan and Aaron Summers – they’re very unpredictable and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they popped out with a 5-1 every time they race.
“It was quite a strange set-up the way they did that, but it obviously worked for them, and we had a bit of misfortune – so it could have gone either way.
“Halfway through the match we didn’t know which way it was going to go. But we came good at the end there with a nice 5-1 to finish and all three points, and they went home with their tail between their legs.
“I’ve been brought here to get results and I had a little blip in the first one, but I felt afterwards I delivered.
“But I do feel the pressure – mostly because the Facennas love to win and they are very passionate. I feel like it’s my duty to go out there and score 13-plus points every time I go out.”
Cook and Greaves lost a 5-1 to start the match though the home side reciprocated in heat three.
The Bandits then took the initiative with a 5-1 and a 4-2 in heats eight and nine to put massive pressure on the home men.
That’s when Cook and Harris – who was brought in as a substitute for Greaves – stepped up, with Sarjeant winning heat 11 thanks to some superb team-riding from Harris.
The top two were then sailing to a 5-1 in heat 13 when Harris drifted too wide and was sucked into the air fence – which threw him off, though he walked away unscathed.
Another Sarjeant win in 14 and a maximum from Cook and Harris in the final heat ensured the Bandits – who are one of Glasgow’s rivals for fourth place – left empty-handed ahead of tomorrow’s return in Northumberland.
GLASGOW 49: Chris Harris 13+2, Craig Cook 12+1, James Sarjeant 10, Claus Vissing 8, Paul Starke 6+2, Jack Thomas 0, Nathan Greaves 0.
BERWICK 41: Aaron Summers 9+1, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 9+1, Dany Gappmaier 8+1, Theo Pijper 5+2, David Howe 5, Kevin Doolan 3+2, Jye Etheridge 2+1.