Sheffield Tigers v Oxford Spires

Report

SHEFFIELD’S Rising Star reserve Leon Flint enjoyed a sensational performance with a paid maximum in the Tigers’ thumping 60-30 home win over Oxford.

Flint, in his first ROWE Motor Oil Premiership match back after a shoulder injury, raced to 13+2 from five rides as the home side stormed away in the second half of the meeting.

The Spires had opened up with a 5-1 from Maciej Janowski and Rohan Tungate and they trailed by just four points after Heat 7, but Sheffield ended the meeting with six 5-1s in the space of eight races to hit the 60-point mark.

Skipper Josh Pickering collected 12+2 from five rides and Chris Holder recovered from a last place first time out to reel off four wins for a 12-point total. Janowski top-scored for the Spires with nine.

Sheffield boss Simon Stead said: “It was a pretty devastating second half we pulled out the bag there so a massive well done to all the lads.

“But a big shout out to Leon and a massive well done to him; to watch him ride the way he was and to see him score those points in his first meeting back from injury was brilliant.”

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “We shook Sheffield a bit at the start of the meeting, but we just couldn’t hang on.

“Towards the end, rider replacement really started to hurt us, and we missed Erik (Riss) and Craig (Cook). I don’t want to make too many excuses. Sheffield are a strong side, especially around their own track, and they were the better side tonight.”

SHEFFIELD 60: Leon Flint 13+2, Josh Pickering 12+2, Chris Holder 12, Jack Holder 9+1, Lewis Kerr 9+1, Justin Sedgmen 5+2, Anders Rowe r/r.
OXFORD 30: Maciej Janowski 9, Rohan Tungate 8+2, Charles Wright 7, Peter Kildemand 5+2, Luke Killeen 1, Antti Vuolas 0, Erik Riss r/r.

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Photo credit: PHIL McGLYNN