CRAIG COULD HAVE BEEN CHAMPION

NEWS Monday 15th June 2015, 11:06pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Craig Cook finished runner-up in the British Final for the second year running, and will again ride at Cardiff. But he was the unluckiest rider on the night and could well have been champion.

He led comfortably in the first running of the final with Woffinden having badly missed the gate, but when Jason Garrity spun off the race was stopped after two laps. Garrity did try to clear the track, but his bike had gone a long way and the referee took the safety option and put the lights on.

In the rerun Craig slightly jumped and as a result missed the start, before easily picking off Danny King to get into second, and make ground on race leader Woffinden.

Craig gave a dignified response in his post-race interview, basically saying “That’s speedway” although he had felt he was on the way to the title.

During the qualifying heats he won four races, missing out only in his second ride when his chain came off on the first lap and threw him over the handlebars. Fortunately he was unhurt, and later featured in exciting races, passing Blackbird and Kennett in heat 10 and then Chris Harris in heat 15, perhaps the race of the night. He then won the semi-final easily.

We may have been seeing the passing of the old guard with Harris not making the semi, and Nicholls knocked out in that. There aren’t a lot of less experienced riders coming through but Craig Cook and Jason Garrity again staked their claim to be considered at the forefront of British Speedway.