REPORT: Great effort by Spires just falls short

SPIRITED OXS Oxford Spires just fell short of an aggregate bonus point for the second away meeting in a matter of days, after they lost 40-50 in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership at defending champions Sheffield last night (Thursday).

Sheffield Tigers are known for their strong home form and had scored at least 54 points in their previous four meetings at Owlerton.

With only a 48-42 lead from the meeting at Oxford Stadium on July 1, Spires looked up against it, but they led 22-20 after seven races and a shock result looked a possibility.

Reserves Luke Killeen and Ashton Boughen did a good job in shutting out Dan Gilkes at the back in a shared Heat 2, and then Spires took the lead with a 5-1 from Maciej Janowski and Charles Wright in Heat 3.

Skipper Chris Harris was in fine form and won his opening two outings, including pipping Gilkes on the line in Heat 4. In that same race, Killeen found out how ruthless top-flight speedway can be, when former World Champion Chris Holder barged straight into him on the way through to third place.

Tigers are not champions for nothing and they turned around the meeting with successive 5-1s between Heats 8 and 10 to take a ten-point lead. At that point, the focus of Spires became the aggregate point.

Harris produced a stellar ride in Heat 13 to storm around both Holder brothers, Jack and Chris, to keep Oxford in contention. Meanwhile, Rohan Tungate pulled out after his engine blew up.

Spires’ team manager Peter Schroeck bided his time with the tactical substitute and placed Janowski into Heat 14, where he joined Wright for a 5-1 that narrowed the aggregate deficit to just two points – while it was also the second 5-1 of the meeting for this pairing.

In Heat 15, Spires needed a 4-2 to force a Super Heat or a 5-1 to take the bonus point outright. But Chris Holder led all the way from Janowski, while Jack Holder passed Harris for third.

Janowski top-scored for Spires with 12+1, while Harris scored 10, Wright 6+2 and a competitive-looking Erik Riss 6+1.

Oxford team manager Peter Schroeck said: “We were a bit unlucky to lose the bonus point. Rohan has been fantastic this season, but mechanically he had issues today. As a result, they are trying things on his bike, but then it blew up in his final ride in Heat 13.

“Sheffield are strong around here, but even when they got three 5-1s on the bounce we didn’t give in. I left the tactical sub to Heat 14, because that was the race where it would have maximum effect and Maciej and Charles took the 5-1 that kept us in with a chance of the bonus point entering Heat 15.

“”Maciej was on it today, despite it only being the second time he’s been to this track. He’s really got dialed in on the British tracks as this season has progressed and this meeting was further proof of that.

“The boys all battled today, down to the two lads at reserve who were so close to extra points at times. We gelled really well as a team and worked together. It was would have been nice to pick up a point but it wasn’t meant to be.”

The next action at Oxford Stadium sees OXS Oxford Spires host the Birmingham Brummies next Thursday (August 1) in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership. Tickets are already on sale at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

Sheffield Tigers 50: Jack Holder 11+1, Tai Woffinden R/R, Josh Pickering 12, Kyle Howarth 5+1, Chris Holder 14+2, Jason Edwards 3, Dan Gilkes 5+1.

OXS Oxford Spires 40: Rohan Tungate 2, Erik Riss 6+1, Maciej Janowski 12+1, Charles Wright 6+2, Chris Harris 10, Ashton Boughen 2+1, Luke Killeen 2.

(Photo: Steve Edmunds)