For once the Scorpions got off to a flying start. Hall combined with Emiliano Sanchez in heat 1 for a 5-1 over Tomas Topinka and Charles Wright before the reserve pair of Ben Powell and Byron Bekker claimed a 4-2 in Heat 2. However, the lead fluctuated between four and eight points until the penultimate race when Viktor Bergström and Ben Powell were able to claim a 5-1 over John Branney and former Scorpion Joe Haines. It marked the end of a miserable night for Haines who had two engine failures and failed to beat a Scorpion all night. It was a far cry from the twelve points he scored for the Comets on their league visit back in May.


With Haines and, to a lesser extent, former Grand Prix rider Carl Stonehewer struggling the Comet’s lower order riders produced some impressive rides to keep their team in the match. Finnish reserve Tomi Reima was paid for nine points whilst Charles Wright combined with Branney for an unexpected 5-1 in heat 8. The race produced some great racing before Branney managed to round both Scorpions on the final two bends. One race later the Scorpions were out-gated but Bergström produced a thrilling ride of his own to work his way to the front. It kept the gap at four points and that was doubled when Hall and Sanchez claimed a 5-1 in heat 10 after Wright crashed whilst in second place.


Hall was in exceptional form all night but he a maximum in Scorpions’ colours still evades him as Topinka finally kept him at bay when they met in heat 15. Hall had worked his way from last to second but the chequered flag came a little too soon and he was just a bike length short of catching the Czech rider on the line.