REPORT: Cheetahs furious after being cheated at Poole
SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies lost out in highly controversial circumstances in the Cab Direct Championship at Poole last night (Wednesday). Poole Pirates won 48-42, but all the talk was on a last-heat decider that brought the integrity of speedway into disrepute.
A malfunction with the starting tapes, with part of the tapes left dangling down onto the outside of the track, had caused two earlier races – Heat 7 and Heat 11 – to be stopped. Despite there being a spare set of spare tapes on the centre green, the faulty tape continued to be used.
In Heat 15, Cheetahs needed a 5-1 to force a draw and a Super Heat. Skipper Sam Masters and Francis Gusts did the hard work around the opening two bends and emerged in front. But again the tapes had malfunctioned and the race had to be stopped.
If that left the Oxford camp fuming, it was nothing compared to the re-run. Again, the tapes malfunctioned (for a fourth time). But Poole No 1 Richard Lawson had made a better start, so the start marshal – instead of leaving the track – ran and grabbed the dangling bit of tape and then stood directly outside the track in a dangerous position to stop the tape dangling back down.
The start marshal was stood in the Neutral Zone, as designated in the rulebook of the Speedway Control Bureau. Two years ago, a photographer was hit by a bike in a freak accident at Edinburgh and since then, the rules had been tightened where people can stand during a speedway race. It’s a health and safety issue, detailed within the track license at each circuit.
But neither the referee or trainee referee stopped the race, in which Poole took a 4-2 to clinch a 48-42 victory. The Oxford management spoke to the referee immediately after the race, to request a re-run, but the referee kicked out their protest and the result stood.
It was a shame such an absorbing contest ended in such a fashion. It was clear that it was going to be a hard-fought clash from the moment that opposing No 1s Lawson and Masters both hit the deck on the first turn of Heat 1.
Cheetahs took the lead with a 5-1 from reserves Gusts and Luke Killeen in Heat 2 and edged ahead again with a 4-2 from Jonas Knudsen and Gusts in Heat 4.
Pirates’ Anders Rowe trapped in both in both attempts to hold Heat 7. In the re-run, Mitch McDiarmid burst around him on the third bend to win the race, while guest Zaine Kennedy almost pushed into second place. Cheetahs levelled the scores the scores at 24-24 with a 4-2 from Gusts and Cameron Heeps in Heat 8.
Pirates opened up a six-point gap, but Cheetahs were not finished. In Heat 11, Masters and Gusts twice had to get the better of Rowe on the opening bends, to post a 5-1, to close to just two points behind.
Killeen and Kennedy filled the minor positions, as Heat 12 became the first shared 3-3 on the night. Pirates took a 4-2 in Heat 13, despite a sterling effort by Knudsen to take third place in a battle with Rowe.
Poole skipper Zach Cook won Heat 14, but Gusts and McDiarmid chased him home, and the 3-3 took the race to the controversial final race.
Gusts top-scored for Cheetahs with 12 points, while Masters collected 10+1.
Cheetahs’ manager Peter Schroeck said: “The ending of that meeting was diabolical, to be honest. In the final race, there was no consistency. We were on a 5-1 in the first staging – and Sam and Francis knew what they needed to do.
“That was stopped, because of the problem with the starting tapes. But to have the same problem in the re-run and yet let the race continue – I have no words. It robbed us of a draw and taking the meeting to a Super Heat.
“It was a really good meeting, but it turned into a complete shambles, due to the lack of consistency. Everyone could see what happened, whether they were watching it here or on the Poole stream. The referee told me it was too late to pull back the race, but I don’t think that’s the case because we questioned the result in time.
“I mentioned the problem with the tapes earlier in the evening and it was laughed off, when it should have been fixed. For a big club like Poole, it’s not what you expect – it was highly unprofessional, especially when there’s thousands of people here.
“Out of a really good meeting between two top sides, it turned into not such a fair situation. I don’t normally get too upset about it, but tonight I’m not happy at all.
“We’re one of the few teams who can come down here and give Poole a good run for their money. Poole normally take a few heats and warm up around here and then pull away, but we stayed right with them. Francis put in a fantastic performance at reserve, while all the boys got stuck in and chipped in points. I’m proud of the team, but highly disappointed with how the meeting ended.”
Cheetahs are back in action at Berwick on Saturday evening.
The next action at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium sees the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies host the Redcar Bears in the Cab Direct Championship next Wednesday (August 6) at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at: https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/
Poole Pirates 48: Richard Lawson 15, Tobias Thomsen 4+1, Lewis Kerr 10, Zach Cook 10+1, Anders Rowe 6, Paul Starke 1, William Cairns 2.
SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies 42: Sam Masters 10+1, Cameron Heeps 1, Zaine Kennedy 4+1, Mitch McDiarmid 6+1, Jonas Knudsen 3, Luke Killeen 6+1, Francis Gusts 12.
PHOTO by Steve Edmunds