(Saturday) Workington Comets 50-43 Somerset Rebels and (Sunday) Glasgow Tigers 64-25 Workington Comets

The joy of humbling Premier League leaders Somerset with a 50-43 home win was short-lived for Workington Comets as they succumbed to a 64-25 defeat in the League Cup semi-final first leg at Glasgow yesterday.

A Glasgow 5-1 courtesy of Nike Lunna and Richard Lawson was not the start Comets would have hoped for, but they steadied the ship with a 3-3 in the following heat as Adam Roynon and Matt Williamson followed Fernando Garcia.

Richie Worrall and Rene Bach produced another 5-1 in heat three, before Claus Vissing split Aaron Summers and Danny Ayres in a home 4-2.

Another three Tigers 5-1s followed as things started to look gloomy for those in blue and white, but an eventful heat eight saw Comets get their first advantage with an awarded Mason Campton win ahead of Lunna as Williamson was excluded and Ayres retired.

The hosts hit back immediately with a sixth 5-1 before a shared heat 10 as Hansen and Jensen chased Lunna.

The action continued after referee Jim McGregor consulted teams about the downpour, with a Summers win giving Glasgow a 4-2 in heat 11.

Hansen split home pair Worrall and Ayres in heat 12 while Roynon retired and Comets captain Wells then got between Summers and Lawson in heat 13.

A pair of Glasgow 5-1s followed to cap a miserable afternoon for Workington and put their League Cup progress in jeopardy.

On Saturday, Wells controlled the opening heat from the start while Campton drifted wide to allow the returning Josh Grajczonek in for second.

Bradley Wilson-Dean was out again in heat two and hit the front, only for Roynon to glide past him on the fourth bend, while Danny Phillips got the better of fellow guest Nathan Stoneman for another Comets 4-2.

Charles Wright impressed with a comfortable win, ahead of Hansen and Jensen in heat three to share the points.

Vissing was jet-propelled out of the gate in heat four, with Rohan Tungate slotting in behind him and Stoneman following him until a pass up the inside from Phillips gave Comets the advantage.

Hansen and Jensen muscled their way into the lead in heat five, with the latter pulling away from his teammate before Grajczonek shot into second.

Wilson-Dean then rounded everyone to win, ahead of Wells and Tungate to record the away side’s first heat advantage.

Wright and Starke were fast in heat seven but Vissing was a class apart to win, before Campton pushed Wright all the way and Roynon eventually pipped Wilson-Dean in heat eight.

Tungate was imperious in heat nine but Hansen and Jensen were comfortable behind him for another draw.

A strong ride from Campton couldn’t hold off Wright, who had already squeezed past Wells, in heat 10 as the sides stayed six points apart.

Grajczonek roared past Vissing in heat 11 but Roynon pipped him by less than a bike’s length to stretch Comets’ lead to 10 points.

An action-packed heat 12 saw Wright clear off on a tactical ride before Hansen swept around Roynon and Wilson-Dean to give chase, not quite managing to catch him as the Rebels notched a 6-3.

Wells and Vissing bolted from the line in heat 13 but Grajczonek carried an immense amount of speed out of the second bend to blast into the lead.

Roynon nailed the start in heat 14 but the race was pulled back when Wilson-Dean hit the deck and was excluded. It was Starke who gated in the rerun but both Comets were up the inside of him by the first bend. The Rebel came back at the hosts to pass both for the win in another shared heat which gave Comets victory on the night.

Wells stormed into the lead early in the final heat and Grajczonek had the speed but had to concede defeat on the last bend.

SATURDAY

1. Ricky Wells – 3, 2, 1, 2, 3 = 11

2. Mason Campton – 1, 0, 2, 3 = 6

3. Kenneth Hansen – 2, 1, 2, 2 = 7

4. Rasmus Jensen – 1*, 3, 1*, 1* = 6+3

5. Claus Vissing – 3, 3, 1, 1*, 0 = 8+1

6. Adam Roynon – 3, 1*, 3, 1*, 2 = 10+2

7. Danny Phillips – 1, 1, 0 = 2

1. Josh Grajczonek – 2, 2, 2, 3, 2 = 11

2. Jake Allen R/R

3. Charles Wright – 3, 2, 3, 2, 6^, 1* = 17+1

4. Paul Starke – 0, 1*, 0, 3 = 4+1

5. Rohan Tungate – 2, 1, 3, 0 = 6

6. Bradley Wilson-Dean – 0, 2, 3, 0, 0, 0, FX = 5

7. Nathan Stoneman – 0, 0, 0, 0 = 0

SUNDAY

Glasgow Tigers 64

1. Richard Lawson – 2*, 3, 0, 1 = 6+1

2. Nike Lunna – 3, 2*, 2, 3 = 10+1

3. Richie Worrall – 3, 2*, 2*, 3 = 10+2

4. Rene Bach – 2*, 3, 3, 3, 2* = 13+2

5. Aaron Summers – 3, 2*, 3, 3, 3 = 14+1

6. Fernando Garcia – 3, 3, 1, 2* = 9+1

7. Danny Ayres – F, 1, R, 1 = 2

Workington Comets 25

1. Ricky Wells – 0, 1, 2, 2, 1 = 6

2. Mason Campton – 1, 0, 3, R, 0 = 4

3. Kenneth Hansen – 1, 1, 2, 2 = 6

4. Rasmus Jensen – R, R, 1*, 1 = 2+1

5. Claus Vissing – 2, 1, 1, 0 = 4

6. Adam Roynon – 2, 0, R, R = 2

7. Matt Williamson – 1*, 0, X, X = 1+1