COMETS SEAL CLOSE CONTEST

WORKINGTON edged out Oxford 48-42 in a last-heat decider at the GT Tyres Arena to move up to fifth place in the Cab Direct Championship table.

The Cheetahs dropped ten points down after Heat 4 but worked their way back into the meeting and they were just two adrift with two races remaining.

Tate Zischke and Max Perry gave the Comets some breathing space with a 4-2 in Heat 14, leaving the visitors needing a 5-1 from the last race to force a draw.

But Oxford suffered disaster before the start as Mitch McDiarmid was disqualified for exceeding the time allowance, with top-scorers Jonas Jeppesen (13) and Troy Batchelor (14) securing the home win with another 4-2.

Sam Masters led the Cheetahs’ scoring with 11 points despite a mechanical breakdown in Heat 1, whilst Edward Kennett made a solid debut with 7+1.

Masters said: “We lost, but I’m proud of everyone’s efforts, because we haven’t been on track much lately. It’s a tough place to come after a few weeks off.

“We overcame a difficult start to the meeting and I thought we were good enough to win, but the luck just didn’t go our way at the end.”

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Photo credit: DAVE PAYNE