LYNN’S second half onslaught blitzed Scunthorpe in Wednesday night’s Premier League cross-border derby.

King’s Lynn 55, Scunthorpe 35

LYNN’S second half onslaught blitzed Scunthorpe in Wednesday night’s Premier League cross-border derby.

Rob Lyon’s men looked set for another arduous battle that has increasingly become the theme at the Norfolk Arena this season in the opening exchanges. Scorpions’ tactical raider David Howe was odds on to cut the gap to seven points until an untimely heat nine engine failure gifted Lynn a maximum.

The champions needed little further encouragement to cash in down the home straight before Scunthorpe pocketed their only heat advantage of the night in the finale.

Lyon rewarded Kozza Smith and Darren Mallett with a nominated tour but Mallett missed out on the chance to add to his career best paid 14 haul in Stars’ colours. Chris Mills had also weighed in with paid 12 as Lynn’s bottom end compensated for Kevin Doolan’s expensive evening which cost the normally reliable Aussie two blown engines.

Lynn’s vice-captain had earlier opened his account in a re-run heat one - Mills grabbing a point on a rider replacement outing for Casper Wortmann again ruled out with a knee injury.

Mills and Mallett flew in unison from the tapes to dictate the reserves but Carl Wilkinson stalked Smith in the next. Smith was in control until a lost handlebar grip allowed Wilkinson to pounce. Howe oozed Elite League class to conjure his first Saddlebow win over Stars’ skipper Tomas Topinka but Mills squared off the heat.

Smith roared to an impressive heat five flag after duelling with Magnus Karlson down the back straight but Joe Haines looked off the pace in the rear.

Howe split the Stars’ pair in a crackerjack heat six when Doolan suffered a suspected cracked valve in his original engine to run out of steam behind Saddlebow specialist Mallett.

Topinka was awarded heat seven when Tero Aarnio careered into the bottom boards forcing Mills to take emergency action to lay down his machine - the Finnish rider playing no further part with a lower back problem.

Jerran Hart confidently out gated the arch gater to subdue Mallett and Haines but Lynn still led by ten at half way. Howe emerged on a tactical foray to stem the flow until pulling up lame around the bottom boards - the home crowd’s sympathy extending to all of a millisecond as Smith and Haines cashed in.

Doolan clambered over Wilkinson but was forced to defer on his second bike. Topinka strained every sinew from the tapes to cut across Karlson on a tactical raid in the next - Mallett sweeping around the outside for the win to a cacophony of noise.

Lynn piled on the punishment with a second consecutive maximum but Karlson’s uncompromising line checked Doolan who eventually trundled to a halt to cap a miserable meeting. Mallett reduced the penultimate tour to a victory parade but Wilkinson and Howe gained a crumb of consolation in the finale.

Stars: Doolan 6, Smith 11+1, Haines 5+3, Topinka 10+1, Mallett 14, Mills 9+3.

Scorpions: Karlson 6+1, Aarnio 0, Wilkinson 14+1, Howe 9+1, Hart 6, Irving 0.