MATCH REPORT: Sheffield get the job done in entertaining match

July 13, 2015 editor

Poole seem to have developed a habit of making life hard for themselves and correspondingly easy for the opposition this season and a whole bunch of gift wrapped points were gratefully accepted by the visitors who maintained their interest at the top end of the 2015 campaign.

A heat 1 tapes exclusion to Arek Szymanski gave Sheffield a 7-2 courtesy of the powerful Handke/Zareba pairing and a lead which the Stars did not relinquish for the rest of the 17 heats. 4 drawn heats and a brace of 6-4’s apiece meant that the 5 point advantage still stood at the interval as the scorechart read 42-47.

In the opening half, there were race wins for Handke, Zareba, Angell and a brace for Myke Grimes who seemed to be enjoying his first visit to Harbourside while Harris, Szymanski and Gluchowski (2) took the flag for Poole.

Andy Angell beats Gavin Wheeler by inch in a dramatic race to the line. Photo by John Burge.

Temperatures rose in a drawn heat 10 after a robust exchange between Ben Donohue and Gavin Parr while more excitement was to follow in heat 11 as a Gluchowski/Harris 6-4 narrowed the gap to just 3 points with Grimes headed for the first time in the match.

In heat 12 Angell/Parr sat in behind Szymanski for a share of the spoils to make it 58-61 but hopes of a home recovery crashed when a hotly disputed tapes exclusion for Gavin Wheeler in heat 13 resulted in a killer 7-2 for the visitors.

A Gluchowski/Donohue 6-4 gave Poole a glimmer of hope but that was finally extinguished in heat 16 when out of form Aaron Smith picked up another tapes exclusion leaving team mate Szymanski to split the Stars duo.

Greg Gluchowski completed a faultless 20 point max ahead of Handke in heat 18 with Wheeler relegating Grimes to the rear of the field. Sheffield were good value for their win and showed why they are challenging for the title while Poole clearly lacked enough support for their top 4 riders.

The damp conditions kept some of the regulars away, but those who came along witnessed another top quality Elite League encounter. The day finished on a high note for Myke Grimes who sped from gate 2 to hold off a strong challenge from defending match race holder Greg Gluchowski.