GLASGOW beat Sheffield in a scintillating showdown for the Sky Sports speedway cameras tonight.
There were fireworks on and off the track as the Tigers came out on top 53-40 to open their Premier League account with a bang.
No 1 Nick Morris carried on the form that’s seen him named in the Australia squad for this summer’s World Cup with three wins. At reserve, James Sarjeant scored nine, while Dimitri Berge bagged the new track record as he raced to eight points.
Sheffield had been rocked by the news that their No 2, Ty Proctor, couldn’t race due to a visa problem just hours before tapes-up. Thanks to ex-Glasgow man Andre Compton and impressive reserve Arthur Sissis, they kept it tight early on, but the home team pulled clear in the middle part of the meeting and never looked back.
Sarjeant said: “There were a few close races but no-one was too hard on anyone – there was some fair racing. Everything is going well – we’ve just got to keep scoring points and winning matches.
“I put hard work in so it’s nice to get something back, when you’ve put 100% in.
“We put a good meeting on for Sky for the rest of the country and it shows what Premier League speedway is all about – it’s just as good.”
After some early-meeting nerves at the tapes, things settled down and despite some close racing, Glasgow started to race into the distance.
Heat 11 proved to be one of the night’s most eventful. Sheffield’s guest No 1 Josh Grajczonek scored six points as he won while on a tactical, and had to pass two home men to do so. But sparks flew in the first lap when first Sarjeant and James Garrity clashed, then Richard Lawson collided with Garrity moments later, leaving the Sheffield man having to pull up at the back.
And there was a further flashpoint in heat 12 when Rafal Konpka – guesting for the home side’s missing reserve Victor Palovaara – and Sheffield’s Josh Bates almost came to blows after a tumble on the third bend. Bates was eventually excluded, and Konopka won the re-run to secure the victory.
The result gives Glasgow their first three points of the league campaign ahead of a trip to Ipswich on Thursday.
Tigers scorers: Nick Morris 12+1, Aaron Summers 9+2, James Sarjeant 9+1, Dimitri Berge 8+2, Kozza Smith 6+2, Richard Lawson 6+1, Rafal Konopka 3.