Speedway: Rain puts the skids on Glasgow Tigers' cup progress

May 11 2009

GLASGOW Tigers were halted in their tracks by the freak weather which lashed the west of Scotland at the weekend just when it looked like they would score an impressive cup win over Somerset Rebels.

The Tigers were strolling towards a second leg victory at Ashfield on Sunday when the heavens opened and rendered the track unraceable.

It means the Premier League Knock-Out Cup second leg will have to be restaged on a date which has yet to be confirmed.

Having put in a fighting display in Friday's first leg in Somerset, Glasgow Tigers went into the Ashfield showdown just two points behind the Rebels.

However just two heats into the decisive leg in Glasgow, a maximum 5-1 heat win from Lee Smart and Mitchell Davey, and the A-Plant Tigers were in front on aggregate.
 
The home side were very much in the ascendency from this stage on, and soon stretched out a 14 point lead at 28-14 after seven heats, and looked to be cruising to the quarter finals.

However, cruelly for the Glasgow fans, a poorly timed heavy shower soon rendered the track surface completely unraceable and, following a delay to assess the damage, both team captains and management agreed with the referees decision to abandon the cup tie.
 
A-Plant Tigers scorers: Parker 6, Grieves 6, Davey 4 , Grajczonek 4, Smart 4, McKinna 2, Juul 2
 
The disappointment of not managing to fulfil the Somerset fixture will frustrate the club and the riders as they now turn attention to this weekend’s home and away Premier Trophy battle with Scottish rivals Edinburgh Monarchs.

With the Monarchs having already secured their qualification to the semi-final stage, some pressure is on the A-Plant Tigers to at least win at Ashfield on Sunday (4pm) in order to make it a Scottish double in the semi-finals.