REPORT: Terrific win for Oxford Cheetahs in hard-fought encounter

SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs took an exciting 48-42 victory over the Plymouth Gladiators in the Cab Direct Championship in glorious weather at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium last night (Wednesday).

The win lifted Oxford off the bottom of the table. Such is the closeness of the standings in the Cab Direct Championship that Cheetahs are now just a single point off the play-off places. In all competitions, Cheetahs have won six out of eight meetings at Cowley this season.

Plymouth were missing both Danny King and Ben Barker through injury, but had two very good guest riders in Chris Harris and Jason Edwards.

In particular, the fast-starting Edwards scored 14 points, and only dropped a point when Anders Rowe raced around him after a lap in Heat 7. Rowe top-scored for Cheetahs with 11 points, winning his opening three outings. Rowe also fended off Harris in an intriguing battle in Heat 11.

An exciting Heat 1 saw Joe Thompson the initial leader, but Luke Killeen came through to win the race ahead of Harris, while Oxford skipper took Sam Masters overhauled Thompson for third place, as Cheetahs started with a 4-2.

Cheetahs’ reserves Dayle Wood and Darryl Ritchings slammed in a 5-1 in Heat 2. A strange situation occurred in Heat 4, when Wood suffered a bike failure just before the race, with the referee then starting with three riders only, rather than excluding Wood under two minutes and allowing a replacement. Rowe minimalised any damage by leading former Oxford skipper Scott Nicholls all the way.

Edward Kennett avoided a 5-1 to Plymouth in Heat 5, by overhauling Thompson for second place, while Killeen flew around Nicholls in Heat 6 in great style on the fourth bend to join Masters for a 5-1 to restore Oxford’s six-point lead.

In Heat 9, Gladiators brought in Harris as a tactical substitute. Mitch McDiarmid had started the meeting with machinery troubles, but flew around Nicholls early on, and then held off both Nicholls and Harris for a fine victory.

Gladiators reduced the gap to four points, but Kennett and Wood took a priceless 5-1 in Heat 12 that moved Cheetahs eight points clear, while a win for Masters in Heat 13 moved Cheetahs closer to the winning post.

Edwards won Heat 14, but McDiarmid and Wood packed the minor places to clinch the meeting for Oxford.

Cheetahs could have snatched the aggregate bonus point with a 5-1 in Heat 15, but Plymouth had the better gates and trapped ahead for a 5-1. Rowe hugged the inside and moved past Nicholls into second place, while the race finished as a 4-2 to Plymouth, with Edwards capping his fine display by winning the race for Plymouth.

Cheetahs’ manager Peter Schroeck said: “We took a good win over a really strong Plymouth side tonight, who strengthened their side with two good guests in Chris Harris and Jason Edwards, while obviously Scott Nicholls was one of our own for quite a while and is a track specialist around here.

“Anders was on top form. He brought a good attitude to the pits today and I can’t fault him. Along with Sam, he led the team tonight.

“But the whole team contributed tonight, and I was chuffed with that. It was one of those meetings where there were no real dramas down the pits and everyone was in good spirits.

“Mitch lost a coil in his first ride, but he got everything right on his spare bike and then popped out in Heat 9 to thwart their tactical substitute ride.

“We were not that far from the bonus point either. We needed a 5-1 from Heat 15. The track was awesome tonight and there was some good racing to entertain the fans, but the racing line goes over gate 4 and it is a bit of graveyard by Heat 15. We gave Sam the outside gate in that one to try to get the 5-1, but it didn’t work out. But, as I’ve said before, the bonus is a bonus.

“The main thing was to win the meeting – that’s what our fans are expecting – and we accomplished that. Plymouth kept us on our toes, but we won the match on merit.”

The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium is next Wednesday (July 15) at 7.30pm, when the Real Mini Company Oxford Chargers take on Edinburgh Monarchs Academy in a top-of-the-table WSRA National League clash. Tickets will be sale in due course on the Oxford Speedway website at: https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs 48: Sam Masters 9, Luke Killeen 7+1, Edward Kennett 7, Mitch McDiarmid 5, Anders Rowe 11, Darryl Ritchings 2+1, Dayle Wood 7+2.

Plymouth Gladiators 42: Chris Harris 9+2, Joe Thompson 5+1, Daniel Kilma 4+1, Jason Edwards 14, Scott Nicholls 8, Anze Grmek 0, Ben Whalley 2+1.

PHOTO: Anders Rowe holds off Chris Harris in Heat 11 (pic: Steve Edmunds)