SHEFFIELD 50 FOXES 39
A MAKESHIFT Northampton side put up a tremendous effort at Sheffield in their final away fixture of the season, going down to a very respectable 50-39 defeat.
The Tigers, who were at full strength with Grand Prix star Max Fricke coming in at No.1, required one league point to mathematically secure their place in the play-offs.
But they were given a nervous night by a battling Foxes side, who were actually leading the meeting after Heat 9 despite being without three of their regular top five riders.
The visitors opened up with a tremendous 5-1 from guests Jason Edwards and Sam Masters over Fricke in Heat 1, and although that was cancelled out in the next race the Foxes were soon back ahead.
They were on a 4-2 in Heat 3 when Leon Flint came down whilst chasing Adam Ellis, and although the race was not awarded it actually worked in Northampton’s favour because the re-run saw them record a 5-0 whitewash as home man Chris Holder suffered mechanical trouble.
Sheffield collected 4-2s in Heats 4 and 6 to narrow the gap to one point, with Masters taking the win in Heat 5, but the Tigers hit the front for the first time with a 5-1 from Josh Pickering and Jye Etheridge in Heat 7.
Northampton weren’t going down quietly, however, and after Adam Ellis won Heat 8 with Luke Harrison taking advantage of mechanical trouble for Luke Killen it was a 4-2 to the Foxes, backed up by another in the next race thanks to a great ride by Mitch McDiarmid to take the win, with Flint just edging out Jaimon Lidsey in the battle for second place.
Foxes led 27-26 at that stage and a shock result looked possible, but Sheffield restored some order with a 5-1 from Fricke and Anders Rowe in Heat 10, whilst Pickering blasted to the front in the next race to extend the lead to five points.
The next two heats were shared with Lidsey an impressive winner of Heat 13 over Pickering and Fricke, but the Tigers finally wrapped things up with a 5-1 from Flint and Etheridge in Heat 14 – Lidsey then splitting Fricke and Pickering in the last race.
SHEFFIELD 50: Josh Pickering 12, Max Fricke 9+1, Jye Etheridge 7+3, Anders Rowe 7+1, Leon Flint 7, Chris Holder 4+1, Luke Killeen 4.
NORTHAMPTON 39: Jaimon Lidsey 10, Jason Edwards 9, Sam Masters 7+1, Adam Ellis 6+1, Mitch McDiarmid 5+1, Luke Harrison 2, Kye Thomson R/R.
Sheffield win the aggregate point 95-84.