Top end power plus a potent reserve is the key to Redcar Bears’ early season success according to team manager Jitendra Duffilll
Top end power plus a potent reserve is the key to Redcar Bears’ early season success according to team manager Jitendra Duffilll.
The Ecco Finishing Bears will go into next week’s back-to-back home and away matches against Sheffield favourites to qualify after strengthening their position at the top of the Northern Group with a commanding 55-35 victory over local rivals Newcastle on Thursday.
And it’s difficult to argue with Duffill’s analysis after heat-leader trio Richard Lawson, Aaron Summers and Hugh Skidmore dropped just one point to an opponent between them and reserve Jan Graversen piled in with a third successive double-figured pay packet.
Lawson stormed to an immaculate 15-point maximum – his second in a week – having now won 16 of his last 17 races in in Redcar colours.
The former Workington ace’s thrilling last to first blast around everyone in heat 10 proved that it wasn’t even imperative that he made the gate and was as good as anything witnessed on Teesside this season.
Skipper Summers claimed a four-ride paid maximum through two wins and twice closely following his team-mates home.
Skidmore – the year’s big improver so far – dropped his only point to veteran former Middlesbrough Bears favourite Stuart Robson in heat 3 – one of just two race advantages that Newcastle savoured all night – while Graversen celebrated his 27th birthday with paid 11 from five rides, including a vital pass of the Diamonds’ Lewis Kerr for the odd point in heat 7, at a time when the match was still in the balance.
Newcastle tied the score at 24-all in the following race but it was all Redcar from then on in.
Four maximum heat wins and a brace of 4-2s in the last seven races saw the rampant Bears make a more than useful Diamonds septet look very ordinary.
And with Carl Wilkinson beset by mechanical problems and a fall, local youngster Luke Crang more than justifying his place by winning heat 4 for the second successive week and Polish newcomer Rafal Konopka showing real signs of good things to come, Duffill has plenty of reasons for optimism.
He said: “Having a strong top end is a position we haven’t been in for a long time but Richard Lawson’s riding so well at the moment and I think that his good form is bringing the best out of Aaron (Summers) too.
“Hugh (Skidmore) has been terrific although sometimes needs a bit of reassuring about his own abilities but, after his first four rides he went out in heat 15 (the top scorers race) saying: I can win this.”
“Jan’s form at reserve is very important as I was able to use him twice as a replacement at important stages of the match.”
The vital victory – Redcar’s third in eight days – was made even more significant by Scunthorpe bouncing back from three straight defeats in the group with a shock 53-41 win away at second placed Sheffield which leaves the Bears four points clear at the summit.
BEARS: Richard Lawson 15, Hugh Skidmore 13+1, Aaron Summers 10+2, Jan Graversen 9+2, Luke Crang 4+1, Carl Wilkinson 3, Rafal Konopka 1.
DIAMONDS: Christian Henry 8+1, Stuart Robson 7, Chris Schramm 7, Lewis Kerr 4, Lewis Rose 3+2, Ludvig Lindgren 3+1, Anton Rosen 3+1.
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