Lambert’s on song, but the Tigers roar

BRITISH Under-21 champion Robert Lambert stormed to a magnificent 18-point maximum last night.

However, without the services of Steve Worrall - nursing a wrist injury after a crash at Redcar last Thursday - Newcastle Diamonds found Glasgow Tigers just a touch too strong and went down 47-43 in last night’s SGB Championship match at Byker.

It was Newcastle’s first home defeat in the league since July 2015, while the three points Glasgow collected for last night’s success lifts them up to second in the table behind Edinburgh.

Worrall’s races were shared out among his colleagues and produced just six points – three of them by the superb Lambert (pictured) who produced breathtaking moves throughout.

The Diamonds began the match well with a 5-1 from Lambert and Ashley Morris over top Tiger Richard Lawson.

When reserves Dan Greenwood and Ben Hopwood pulled off a 4-2 in the next it looked as though a shock result might be forthcoming.

However, once all the Tigers had had a race they began to look very much at home on the Byker track and Newcastle’s 21-15 advantage was suddenly turned into a two-point deficit as the Glasgow men cashed in on races in which Lambert did not appear.

Richie Worrall and Nike Lunna raced to a 4-2 over Lewis Rose, while Dan Bewley and Jack Smith did the same to Morris in the next before Aaron Summers and Tom Perry, with brilliant team-riding, shut out Ludvig Lindgren and Rose to put Glasgow in front 28-26.

Despite the, at times, heartstopping manoeuvres by Lambert, who seemingly went through the eye of a needle to split Worrall and Lunna in the tenth heat, Glasgow gradually forged ahead.

A killer blow to the Diamonds’ chances was a 5-1 by Bewley and Lawson over Lindgren, which put the Tigers ahead 36-30.

With Glasgow in front 46-38 and only one race remaining, Lambert and Rose combined well to ensure the Diamonds finished on a high with a 5-1 over Summers and Worrall.