REPORT: Fighting performance by Cheetahs to force draw with unbeaten title favourites at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium
SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs were involved in an absolute humdinger of a speedway meeting with reigning champions Poole Pirates at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium last night (Friday), with the meeting ending as a 45-45 draw.
The meeting was a lively affair, and had everything you could wish for – top-notch racing from Heat 1 onwards, as respective No 1 Sam Masters and Richard Lawson engaged in a battle for second place behind Luke Killeen; a lively atmosphere; a slice of controversy when referee Phil Griffin excluded Oxford’s Dayle Wood after Poole’s Zach Cook barged into Wood on the third turn of Heat 9; and a meeting which went all the way to the final race.
Poole would have moved to the top of the Cab Direct Championship with victory but were denied by Oxford. The Pirates – who are still odds-on to league top of the regular table this season – had won six of their previous seven league matches and drawn the other at Scunthorpe. But they found themselves put under pressure, and indeed were forced into a tactical substitution ride in Heat 11, after Cheetahs moved six points clear with a 5-1 from Killeen and Masters in Heat 10.
It was a heroic back-to-the-wall performance by Cheetahs, who were reduced to five rides after Edward Kennett pulled out with a reported wrist injury after just one outing.
Both sides used the rider replacement facility – with Mitch McDiarmid and William Cairns on SGP2 duty – and the last thing any team using R/R needs is the withdrawal from the meeting of another rider.
Cheetahs’ reserves Dayle Wood and Darryl Ritchings were forced to take the maximum of seven rides apiece, and faced a Poole side with very strong reserves, including in-form guest rider Luke Harrison, who replaced the injured Fraser Bowes who scored just two at Cowley earlier this year.
Both Wood and Ritchings came up the vital points last night, to back-up skipper Sam Masters, Luke Killeen and Anders Rowe.
Both relegated the hugely experienced Kyle Newman to fourth place in Heat 2, while Wood raced around the outside early in Heat 7 to join Luke Killeen for a notable 5-1 over a strong middle Pirates pairing of Cooper Rushen and Lewis Kerr. Ritchings pounced halfway through Heat 12 to round Harrison and combined with Wood for another invaluable 3-3. Wood finished his seven outings 6+2 and Ritchings on five, and both gave their absolute all to the cause.
Masters posted a 13+2 paid maximum – staying unbeaten by a Pirate – and took victory in the ‘big races’ of Heats 13 and 15. Killeen joined him for two 5-1s and was only dropped points in one race (Heat 6) and scored 11+1.
Rowe is currently showing his best form of the season. His won his opening two opening races – including defeating Poole No 1 Lawson in Heat 5. Just as Pirates seemed set to move ahead in Heat 14 with a 5-1, Rowe produced a battling ride to overtake Rushen for second place with a lap remaining and ensure the scores were level at 42-42 entering the final race.
Heat 15 saw Masters take the lead, with Rowe pushed wide on the second turn. Masters then headed home Lawson and Cook, after fending off a challenge from Lawson, and the meeting ended 45-45, a fair result since neither team really deserved to lose.
Maximum man and skipper Sam Masters said: “It was a good night and a good performance from our lads. I expected us to get beaten after we were reduced to five rides. Sometimes, you’ve got to be realistic and when you go down to just five riders against a side as strong as Poole, you know it’s going to be tough. But it was fantastic performance from all our remaining boys. To take a draw against Poole when we had several races with our two reserves out together, we can’t complain.
“Dayle and Darryl dug deep tonight and can be proud of their performances. It’s races like the one where they combined to beat Luke Harrison that made all the difference to the final score. I was watching some of their races and they were putting in everything into their racing.
“I have got a couple of maximums against Poole before – such as in the leg of the play-off final around here. I didn’t feel super comfortable on the bike at the moment, but I was pleased with my night.
“We all dug deep tonight. We stuck together, made sure we discussed set-ups, rode as a team, and stayed on top of the meeting. It was awesome to get the draw out of it and I’m pretty happy.”
The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium is next Wednesday (August 5) at 7.30pm, when the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs take on league leaders Scunthorpe Scorpions in further Cab Direct Championship action. Tickets are already on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at: https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/
SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs 45: Sam Masters 13+2 (paid maximum), Luke Killeen 11+1, Edward Kennett 0, Anders Rowe 10, Mitch McDiarmid R/R, Dayle Wood 6+2, Darryl Ritchings 5.
Poole Pirates 45: Richard Lawson 7+3, William Cairns R/R, Lewis Kerr 6+1, Cooper Rushen 5, Zach Cook 14+1, Luke Harrison 10+1, Kyle Newman 3+2.
PHOTO: Captain Fantastic Sam Masters heads home Richard Lawson in the concluding Heat 15 (pic: Steve Edmunds)