The alarm bells were certainly ringing after the Islanders had won the first two races 5-1 but Magnus Karlsson and Emiliano Sanchez cut the gap in half in heat 3 and by heat 6 the Scorpions were in lead, never to be headed again.

Karlsson went on to produce an impeccable maximum whilst Carl Wilkinson produced one of his best displays for the club, dropping just one point to an opponent in five rides.

With Richard Hall also winning three races, after he had finished last in heat one, the Scorpions actually had the match tied up with two races to go as the Islanders somewhat failed to live up to their early promise.

The Islanders could point to the injury sustained by their Polish rider, Krzysztof Stojanowski, after a coming together with Sanchez in heat nine whilst three engine failures, two of them for number one Jason Bunyan, certainly didn't help their cause.

Bunyan had certainly looked highly impressive in his first ride as he passed both Hall and Bergström to join the fast-starting James Holder for a 5-1 and when Richard Sweetman held off the late-charging Scorpions debutant, Gary Irving, on the line in heat two it looked like the Scorpions might have to dig deep to avoid their second home league defeat of the season.

The nerves were settled by Karlsson and Sanchez's 5-1 in heat 3 and when Ben Powell somehow held off Sweetman for third in the next the gap had been cut back to just two. The tie was all square after another 4-2 in heat 5 with Sanchez just failing to work his way past both Islanders.

Hall worked hard to overhaul Stojanowksi in heat six before Irving impressed in the next to defeat Glen Phillips. When Bergström and Powell combined for a 4-2 in heat 8 it was the Scorpions sixth heat advantage on the trot as they had turned an eight-point deficit into a six-point lead. The 50/50 call that went against Sanchez in heat 9 produced the only 3-3 of the night in the re-run, but Bergström won an good battle with Paul Fry in heat 10 to join the now-flying Richard Hall for a 5-1. Of course going ten points up meant Bunyan was given a tactical ride in the next race.

Bunyan passed Wilkinson to claim six points for the win whilst Holder rode well to pass Irving for third place. It was a fantastic speedway race and suddenly the gap was back to just five points. However, some fantastic team riding from Magnus Karlsson and Ben Powell in heat 12 ensured a 5-1 over Phillips and Bargh, and after Bunyan ground to a halt in turn two of heat 13 the Scorpions were able to claim another 5-1 and the league points.

After the meeting a delighted Rob Godfrey (Scunthorpe Promoter) said "It was another good performance. We went down 10-2 but I didn't panic. I knew we would be okay. We clawed the score back, got on level terms and away we went.
"Isle of Wight are a good side from number one to number seven and it was always going to be difficult but we won and, for me, the man of the match tonight was Gary Irving.

He rode really well on his debut. Byron Bekker has had a run out tonight and it looks like he will be back in the side for the Sheffield match next Friday but Gary acquitted himself very well indeed.

" As for next week I say Bring on Sheffield. It is sure to be a real battle and a cracking atmosphere. We owe them big style and hopefully next Friday we can show them that we are a much better side than back in April.".

Next Friday's meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway (August 15 7.30pm) against Sheffield is the next time the Scorpions are in action.

Full scorers:
Scunthorpe Scorpions 53 – Richard Hall 9 (4 rides), Viktor Bergström 7+1 (4), Magnus Karlsson 14+1 (5), Emiliano Sanchez 3+1 (4), Carl Wilkinson 12+2 (5), Gary Irving 3 (4), Ben Powell 5 (4)
Isle of Wight Islanders 40 - Jason Bunyan 10+1 (5 rides including a six point tactical ride), James Holder 6 (4), Glen Phillips 1 (4), Paul Fry 8 (5), Krzysztof Stojanowski 4 (2), Andrew Bargh 6+2 (5), Richard Sweetman 5+1 (5)

1 Holder, Bunyan, Bergström, Hall, 59.01 (1-5)
2 Bargh, Sweetman, Irving, Powell, 62.21 (1-5) (2-10)
3 Karlsson, Sanchez, Fry, Phillips (retired), 60.93 (5-1) (7-11)
4 Wilkinson, Stojanowski, Powell, Sweetman, 60.50 (4-2) (11-13)
5 Karlsson, Bunyan, Sanchez, Holder, 60.70 (4-2) (15-15)
6 Hall, Stojanowski, Bergström, Bargh (engine failure), 60.75 (4-2) (19-17)
7 Wilkinson, Fry, Irving, Phillips, 61.31 (4-2) (23-19)
8 Bergström, Holder, Powell, Sweetman (fell), race awarded, no time (4-2) (27-21)
9 Karlsson, Sweetman, Bargh, Stojanowski (fell, non re-starter), Sanchez (fell, excluded), 60.98 (3-3) (30-24)
10 Hall, Bergström, Fry, Phillips, 60.78 (5-1) (35-25)
11 Bunyan (tactical ride), Wilkinson, Holder, Irving, 61.39 (2-7) (37-32)
12 Powell, Karlsson, Phillips, Bargh, 62.12 (5-1) (42-33)
13 Hall, Wilkinson, Sweetman, Bunyan (engine failure), 60.51 (5-1) (47-34)
14 Fry, Bargh, Irving, Sanchez (engine failure), 61.78 (1-5) (48-39)
15 Karlsson, Wilkinson, Fry, Bunyan (engine failure), 60.92 (5-1) (53-40)


* The Scunthorpe Saints traveled to Derbyshire on Sunday afternoon and with skipper and number one rider Byron Bekker missing went down 53-38 to the Buxton Hitmen. The Saints kept things close until heat 11 but two 5-1 heat wins in heats 12 and 13 sealed victory for the home side. With Bekker missing the Buxton heat-leader trio won ten races between them and only occasionally looked troubled by the Saints who had Stuart Parnaby top score with nine points (and two bonus points).

The meeting started well enough with the Hitmen just 10-8 up after three races. However, three home heat advantages took the scores out to 24-12 with the Scorpions yet to produce a race winner. Heat 7 saw a change of fortune as Parnaby and Scott Richardson led from the tapes. Sadly Parnaby made a mistake on the second lap to drop from first to third but Jack Roberts then knocked Richardson off as he tried to pass him on the last lap. With Roberts' partner Scott Whittington having fallen the Saints were awarded a 5-0 and then the next heat produced a 5-1 to the Saints as Gareth Isherwood brought down Gary Irving coming out of turn two. In the re-run Adam Wrathall joined his reserve partner, Irving, to claim maximum points over Lewis Dallaway and suddenly the gap was just three points.

The Hitmen did edge the gap back out to seven by heat 11 and there was still some hope for the Saints but the Hitmen's top four riders, Ben Taylor, Gareth Isherwood, John Branney and Jack Roberts were lined-up in heats 12 and 13 and duly claimed two 5-1s to secure the league points. Scott Richardson, who had looked lively all day, did head Taylor in heat 12 until he fell on the second lap but what the Saints really lacked was their number one rider, Byron Bekker, who despite being on hand to give his team-mates every encouragement could go out and win races for them.

There was some consolation in heat 14 as Parnaby claimed four points on a tactical ride but it could have been six as he led until going too wide on the second lap. The tricky Buxton track, which he hadn't even seen before, caught him out and he had to settle for second place and a 5-3 heat advantage with Adam Wrathall. Then, in heat 15, Scott Richardson showed his improvement by breaking a second Buxton rider's maximum. This time it was John Branney but he, nor any of his team-mates, could do anything about Ben Taylor who won the race and claimed a paid maximum.

After the Buxton meeting the Saints Team Manager Malcolm Vasey felt his side sorely missed it's captain "I really think that if we had been at full strength today we would have nicked a victory but we have to hold our hands up and say we weren't as strong as Buxton today. Buxton were very much at full strength today, much better than the team I saw ride here a couple of weeks ago and their top riders all rode very well. Jonathan Bethell is suffering with a kidney infection which is giving him back pain. That is why he had just three rides and in the main our side rode very well and we made a match of it as long as we could. We'll now focus on the Weymouth match on Friday week".

The result leaves the Saints with just two league matches left knowing they need to win at least one of them to progress to the end of season playoffs. First of all they travel to Weymouth on Saturday August 23 before taking on the Plymouth Devils at the Eddie Wright Raceway on the Bank Holiday Monday, August 25. That meeting follows the Scorpions Premier League match against Glasgow whilst before then the Scorpions take on their arch-rivals, the Sheffield Tigers, this Friday, August 15 at 7.30pm.

Buxton 53 – John Branney 12+1 (5 rides), Paul Burnett 5+1 (4), Ben Taylor 14+1 (5), Lewis Dallaway 5 (4), Jack Roberts 9 (4), Scott Whittington 0 (4), Gareth Isherwood 8+1 (4)
Scunthorpe 38 – Jonathan Bethell 6 (3 rides), Mike Pickering 1+1 (3), Scott Richardson 7 (5), Stuart Parnaby 9+2 (4 rides, including a four point tactical ride), Ben Hopwood 5 (5), Gary Irving 5 (5), Adam Wrathall 5+3 (5