The Plymouth Gladiators continued their winning momentum with an impressive 49-41 victory over the Scunthorpe Scorpions at the Coliseum on Saturday night, producing a superb mid-meeting turnaround before skipper Danny King and birthday boy Scott Nicholls helped guide the Gladiators to another deserved home success.
After a difficult start that saw the visitors edge ahead 14-10 after four heats, Plymouth responded in style with a determined all-round team performance that gradually swung the meeting firmly in the Gladiators’ favour.
Scunthorpe’s early advantage was largely built around a flawless display from Josh Pickering, who was sensational throughout the night, but the Gladiators showed their resilience to fight back immediately.
A vital 5-1 in Heat 6 from the impressive pairing of King and Joe Thompson levelled the scores at 18-18 and sparked Plymouth into life. Thompson continued his excellent form with a paid 11-point return, while King’s experience proved crucial in the key stages of the meeting.
From there, the Gladiators began to build momentum. Nicholls thrilled the home supporters in Heat 7 with a trademark sweeping outside move to take victory, while the Plymouth reserves battled hard throughout to keep the pressure on the visitors.
The decisive spell came in Heats 9 and 10 as the Gladiators turned a tied meeting into an eight-point lead.
Guest rider Alfie Bowtell made a superb start in Heat 9 before Ben Barker produced one of the rides of the night, storming around the outside of Michael Palm Toft to secure a crucial 5-1 for Plymouth.
Another maximum followed immediately in Heat 10 as King and Thompson combined brilliantly once again to extend the Gladiators’ advantage to 34-26 and firmly put Plymouth in control of the contest.
Nicholls then produced one of the standout rides of the evening in Heat 11. After initially being shuffled back by the Scorpions pairing, the experienced former British Champion fought aggressively back into second place before launching a determined chase after Pickering in what proved to be one of the most entertaining races of the night.
The Gladiators continued to lead from the front in the closing stages, with Nicholls delivering again in Heat 13 by holding off Pickering for a superb victory to protect Plymouth’s advantage heading into the final races.
There was further drama in Heat 14 as Barker forcefully worked his way past Connor Mountain for another race win, with emotions briefly spilling over after the chequered flag in a sign of the competitive nature of the meeting.
Appropriately, Nicholls completed the job in Heat 15 on his birthday evening, taking the win ahead of Pickering while Barker backed up in third place to seal a deserved 49-41 home victory for the Gladiators.
Away from the action on track, supporters also joined together during the interval to celebrate Nicholls’ birthday with a special cake presentation, adding another memorable moment to an enjoyable night at the Coliseum.
Nicholls top scored for Plymouth with 12 points, backed up brilliantly by Barker’s 11+1 and Thompson’s excellent 10+1 haul, while Bowtell added a valuable 6+1 from his guest appearances as the Gladiators secured another important victory in front of their home fans.
Team manager Garry May praised the efforts of the entire side after the meeting, particularly the way the Gladiators responded after a difficult opening spell.
“Yeah, it went well tonight,” he said. “We started struggling getting out of the gates, and then it all sort of came together at the end. We had a couple of 5-1s, but all the boys dug deep tonight.
“Ben, Joe… Joe had a good night as well. Anze is just getting used to the track.
“Tom beat the other number reserve, so that’s his job done.”
“Danny, I think, needs another pair of shorts because he nearly went through the fence!”
“But other than that, it was all good, a good night. We take eight points up there. I’d have liked a little bit more because Scunthorpe are really good, but it’s what I got, so I’ve got to play with it.”
There was also an encouraging display from Anze Grmek, who continues to adapt to British conditions and the unique demands of the Coliseum circuit.
“Yeah, it was alright. I like the track,” Grmek said. “I need to get used to the track a little bit.
“Need to find the right setup. I think I tried my best for sure. The speed was good. The speed was there, but I had no start, so we need to fix the gating.”
Despite the difficulties, the Slovenian youngster remained upbeat after gaining valuable experience around the Coliseum in challenging conditions.
“It was a completely new setup and a new track for me as well, so there was a lot to learn,” he added.
Grmek also stayed out after the meeting for additional practice laps to better understand how the bike and engine were performing around the circuit. Those laps helped reveal an issue with the engine itself, which has since been removed from the bike and sent away for further inspection.
