Sheffield Tigers v King’s Lynn Stars

Report

SHEFFIELD were emphatic 58-32 winners over a depleted King’s Lynn side in the first fixture of the season at Owlerton on Thursday.

Jack Holder scored a 10+2 paid maximum from four rides for the Tigers with fellow heat-leaders Tai Woffinden (12+1) and Chris Holder (12) also in good form, for a result which extends their unbeaten run against the Stars to 17 matches in the top-flight.

Former Sheffield star Tobiasz Musielak top-scored for the visitors with 12+1 but they were without both Niels-Kristian Iversen and Benjamin Basso after crashes in Denmark this week, and heat-leader Vadim Tarasenko endured a disastrous meeting failing to score.

Sheffield boss Simon Stead said: “It’s always a difficult one when you’re coming back for a home meeting after six months or so and you’ve not even had chance for a practice or anything.

“It would’ve been quite easy to come unstuck but the fact that the boys got their heads down, rode like they’ve never been away from the place and carried on their momentum with a really convincing win was everything I could’ve asked for and more really.”

King’s Lynn co-promoter Rob Lyon said: “Tobi had a good night, but you would expect him to come here and get dialled in pretty quick. But we struggled as a team and Vadim had an absolute nightmare.

“There’s not a great deal I can say about it and there’s not a great amount of positives to come out of it.

“We’ve got to move on and try and regroup as a club, to get seven riders on track would be nice, and now we’ve got Monday to put things right against Sheffield again.”

SHEFFIELD 58: Tai Woffinden 12+1, Chris Holder 12, Jack Holder 10+2, Josh Pickering 8+1, Dan Gilkes 7+2, Kyle Howarth 5, Jason Edwards 4+2.
KING’S LYNN 32: Tobiasz Musielak 12+1, Tom Brennan 9, Anders Rowe 7, Michael Palm Toft 2+1, Patryk Wojdylo 2, Vadim Tarasenko 0, Niels-Kristian Iversen R/R.

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Photo credit: CHARLOTTE FLANIGAN