Another Comets comeback is on the to-do list when Scunthorpe come to Derwent Park for the Knockout Cup final second leg on Thursday after the Scorpions saw off Workington 54-36 at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

Rasmus Jensen was inspirational once again with 15 points from six rides and, despite decent scores from Rene Bach and Mason Campton, he was the only Comet who seemed truly comfortable on the track as Scunthorpe were too strong on the day.

The 18-point lead will be tough to overcome but Workington have proven they shy away from no challenge in recent weeks with big comebacks against Edinburgh and Glasgow and will still believe they are more than capable of lifting the cup.

The opener had to be restarted due to medical staff not being in place, then stopped again when the tapes failed, before Scunthorpe guest Ricky Wells got the hosts off to a flying start with a comfortable win while Stefan Nielsen split Bach and Comets' stand-in Paul Starke behind him in a 4-2.

Heat two saw Danny Phillips and Kyle Bickley hit the deck on the first bend, with Comets wiping out the Scorpions' two-point lead immediately in the re-run as Mason Campton and Bickley gated on a 5-1 but had to settle for a 4-2 when Gino Manzares sliced between the pair.

A decent start to heat three fell apart for Workington as Jason Garrity hit the front and Nicolai Klindt slipped from second to the back, with Jake Allen following his fellow Scorpion in a home 5-1.

Again Comets came back at their hosts with another 4-2, Klindt making no mistake this time from the gate on his old track and Campton slotting in behind Steve Worrall for third to trim Scunthorpe's lead.

Garrity and Allen combined for another 5-1 in heat five as the latter drove under Bach to join his partner at the front while Starke retired, then Jensen blew away Wells from the start to win heat six but Bickley couldn't hold up Nielsen for long as Scunthorpe got away with a 3-3.

Another jet-propelled start saw Jensen pip Worrall in heat seven but Klindt couldn't find a way to join him as Workington chipped two points off Scunthorpe's lead.

The Scorpions doubled their advantage with a somewhat surprising 5-1 in heat eight as the in-form Campton lost out to Nielsen and Manzares and retired while Starke was unable to trouble the home duo in a big blow for the visitors.

That result seemed to fire up the hosts and Allen and Garrity got their third 5-1 of the afternoon in heat nine, although Bach made them work for it with a determined ride which fell just short of earning him second.

Jensen has arguably been Comets' top performer in the second half of the season and more spectacular racing saw him dive past Nielsen to win heat 10 but a poor start left Klindt well off the pace in a 3-3, then another 4-2 for the Scorpions put them 14 points up as Worrall gated and cleared off while Bach and Manzares traded places with the Comet just getting the edge.

Campton became the first Comet to get the better of Garrity in heat 12 and he did it with a special move to pass both Scunthorpe riders which earned the applause of the whole ground and turned a home 5-1 into a 3-3 as Klindt was nowhere to be seen.

The let up was short-lived as the Scorpions added their fifth 5-1 in heat 13 but Jensen scored his fourth win and Campton picked up third in the penultimate heat to put a small dent in Scunthorpe's hefty lead.

It was the Scorpions who had the final say, topping up that lead with another 4-2 in heat 15 to leave Workington looking at another mountain to climb but one they will be confident they can manage.