Red hot Cook leads Belle Vue to last gasp victory
WHAT began as a tough night at Rye House turned into sheer jubilation for Belle Vue after a final 5-1 sealed victory.
After a slow start, and at one point falling behind by six points, the Rentruck Aces fought to keep the league new boys from moving too far ahead.
Their efforts did not go unrewarded and a vital Heat 11 advantage to Max Fricke and Steve Worrall put the visitors right back in contention, leaving them trailing by just two points with one race to go.
Skipper Craig Cook led his side by example from start to finish, bagging 14 points in a remarkable display of skill which he will be looking to reproduce in Saturday’s SGP Qualifier in Terenzano, Italy.
Also enjoying his night was guest star Brady Kurtz of Poole, who provided a solid contribution of 10+1.
Team boss Mark Lemon said: “It was vital we hit the ground running. The pressures of the league are part of professional sports and the calibre of this team is such that they thrive under pressure.
“I’ll be honest, based on what I was seeing from the boys in the early half of the meeting I was expecting to see a big response from them as we went along, and that’s just what we got.
“A few little things weren’t going our way initially but their overall performance never looked in doubt. They were well on the ball and never lost the belief that things would swing in their favour.
“Brady came in and did a fantastic job. He filled Kenneth’s boots very well and the rest of the boys did likewise, putting in the kind of night’s work that’s expected of them and that they’re capable of.”
Aces aiming high - See News Page 29