Official Sheffield Tigers Speedway website: BIRMINGHAM 43 TIGERS 47

SHEFFIELD closed the gap on league leaders Ipswich with a 47-43 win at Birmingham on Monday.

A run of four straight defeats has ended for the Tru7 Group Tigers, who held their nerve in a final qualifier to return to South Yorkshire with two vital ROWE Motor Oil Premiership points in the bag.

The hosts started the stronger, with Freddie Lindgren and Michael Palm Toft beating Jack Holder and Kyle Howarth for a 5-1 opener.

Jason Edwards led 4-2 for the Tigers in Heat Two as he beat Leon Flint with Dan Gilkes taking third ahead of Brummies’ visitor Paco Castagna who was given a 15m handicap penalty for that he touched the strips in the initial scene. .

The hosts restored their four-point lead in Heat Three before host Max Fricke led two 4-2 scores, one with Gilkes and one with Edwards to help the Tigers pull back level by the end of Heat Six.

Chris Holder led 3-3 in the seventh before the Tigers took the lead for the first time in Heat Eight as Gilkes got his nose out in front as Howarth forced his way past Flint for second for a big 5-1.

A 3-3 hat-trick followed before the final round of Heat 12 arguably swung the momentum in the Tigers’ favor. Wiktor Lampart looked on course to record a third win of the night for the home side but Chris Holder lifted from turn two before getting far enough up the inside which appeared to unsettle the Pole and Edwards was at right place at the right time to snatch the second on the run to the line.

Fricke and Jack Holder held off Tom Brennan in Heat 13, but a tense finale was set up when Birmingham’s tactical replacement paid off in Heat 14, with Lindgren and guest Zach Cook going 5-1 to come back in four.

The hosts needed another maximum to force the Super Heat and while Cook blocked and hit in front, Fricke and Jack Holder rode smartly to ensure Lindgren stayed behind them as the Tigers won another confidence boosting win.

The games keep coming thick and fast and the action returns to Owlerton this Thursday (July 25, 7.30pm) with Oxford the visitors.

BIRMINGHAM 43: Fredrik Lindgren 13+1, Zach Cook 10, Wiktor Lampart 7, Tom Brennan 5+1, Michael Palm Toft 3+1, Paco Castagna 3+1, Leon Flint 2.
SHEFFIELD 47: Max Fricke 12, Jack Holder 8+2, Jason Edwards 7+2, Chris Holder 7+1, Josh Pickering 5, Dan Gilkes 5, Kyle Howarth 3+2.

Photo credit: STEVE FEENEY