Double or quits for Diamonds
WINS VITAL TO KEEP SEASON ALIVE
IT’S day of reckoning for the Newcastle Sapphire Engineering Diamonds as they take to the track in a massive double header SBG Championship Knock-Out Cup replay tie against the Workington Comets, writes Jeff King.
After the two teams couldn’t be split back earlier in the season coming up with a 90-90 tie over the original two legs, both promotions have been struggling to come up with suitable dates to fit the replay in. The solution was to hold a doubleheader on the same day to decide the outcome.
It means The Diamonds go to Derwent Park, Workington today for a 1.00pm start in the first leg before the teams and supporters travel east for the second leg at Brough Park which sees tapes-up at the slightly later time of 7.30pm.
After missing out through injury last weekend when The Diamonds slipped to their first home defeat of the season against Glasgow, they are buoyed by the news that Britain’s number 2 rider Stevie Worrall will be back in their ranks and Newcastle’s vice-captain is fully aware of the tie’s importance.
“It’s a match we must win because if we don’t, the season’s going to be finished in August. It’s not impossible for us to make the play-offs but it’s not going to be easy considering the position we’re in.”
“If we don’t win this meeting against Workington, we’re out of the cup and we’re probably going to be finished in August basically.”
Worrall’s reasoning lies in the fact his side have struggled away from Brough Park this season meaning they may well not make the end-ofseason play-offs in the SGB Championship.
Worrall is quite open and decisive about why The Diamonds are in this position.
“There’s not much more I can do, to be honest. I’ve been trying my best every week. It’s just that the seven of us must do it all together. I know they see the importance of it as much as I do.”
“So, if all seven of us can get it together and do what we’re capable of, then we can win and extend our season a bit longer.”
It is a match that has been billed and sold on the back of last Monday’s terrific British Final which saw Worrall finish runner-up to Workington’s Craig Cook, who took the crown, but Worrall is in no doubt this is not Cook v Worrall revisited.
“There’s seven of us in the team and we’ve all got to pull our weight. That’s been the problem this year at Newcastle. We’ve never had everyone firing together at the same time and that’s what’s been costing us.”
“You can’t do that in this league this season. The teams are far too strong for just two or three riders to get you wins against teams that have everyone contributing. If you want to do well, you all have to fire at the same time and we’ve just not done that.”
But Worrall is in no doubt his team-mates are ready for today’s double-header.
“All the guys are aware of and know the importance of this meeting and that we have to win. We’ll have to wait and see but I’m pretty sure they want to make up for what happened last Sunday against Glasgow.”
It should be a fascinating day and one that everyone agrees could define The Diamonds season.