Oxford 48, Hull 42

By JOHN GAISFORD

IT was Rosco to the rescue with a brilliant maximum as Gresham Cheetahs thrilled the home crowd with their second Craven Shield speedway double in a week.

Alun Rossiter, the rider Oxford fans used to hate, won them over with a scintillating first-ever maximum after 384 attempts as Cheetahs beat the Vikings more comfortably than the score suggests.

The night was all about the former Swindon ace as he raced to three straight wins, including the scalp of top American Sam Ermolenko.

If he had stopped there, eveyone would have been happy, but when Rosco's on a role, nothing can stop him. He had a long wait before his final ride and even though Vikings' Gary Stead led him, he fought back to gain the lead and the place erupted as he came over the line punching the air with delight .

He rightly received the rider-of-the- night award and said: "I can't believe it. I've taken some stick since I've been here, but it shows I can still do it."

It was a sound all-round performance from the home side with every man jack pulling his weight. Lawrence Hare deserved more for his efforts and at one time looked like making the pass of the season as he bore down on Joe Screen and Ermolenko in heat 11, only for the experienced Screen to keep him in check. Jan Staechmann piled up a steady paid ten, while birthday boy Paul Hurry would have made double figures except for a fall when holding a 5-1 with Steve Johnston in heat 5.

Ermolenko and Shane Parker were the only real threats to Cheetahs who had the luxury of leaving out their top men in the final heat.

Oxford: Rossiter 12, Steachmann 8+2, Hurry 7, Wiltshire 7, Boyce 6+1, Hare 4+2, Johnston 4+1. 48 pts.

Wolves: Ermolenko 15, Parker 9, Screen 7+2, Thorp 5, Stead 3, Dicken 2+1, Morton 1+1. 42 pts.

HEAT DETAILS

Heat 1: Thorp, Screen, Wiltshire, Stechmann 60.8 secs.

Heat 2: Rossiter, Hare, Dicken, Stead 61.9.

Heat 3: Hurry, Johnston, Morton, Johnston 60.7.

Heat 4: Rossiter, Ermolenko, Dicken, Boyce 60.7.

Heat 5: Johnston, Screem Thorp, Hurry (f) 60.9.

Heat 6: Ermolenko, Wiltshire, Staechmann, Stead 60.9. Heat 7: Boyce, Hare, Parker, Morton 61.2.

Heat 8: Rossiter, Staechmann, Thorp, Dicken 60.8.

Heat 9: (re-run) Ermolenko, Hurry, Johnston, Stead 60.2 .

Heat 10: Staechmann, Parker, Wiltshire, Morton 60.7.

Heat 11: Ermolenko, Screen, Boyce, Hare 61.1.

Heat 12: Rossiter, Stead, Parker, Johnston 61.4.

Heat 13: Wiltshire, Boyce, Ermolenko, Screen 60.9.

Heat 14: Morton, Hurry, Stead, Hare (f) 61.1.

Heat 15: Ermolenko, Staechmann, Screen, Hurry 91.2.

Story date: Saturday 10 April

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.