Contravercial Compton claims PLRC.

Sheffield Tigers skipper Andre Compton emerged from Sunday night's Owlerton carnage as the 2004 Premier League Riders' Champion. Compton, who had come to grief twice in his qualifying races, was awarded the Championship when he and Simon Stead were involved in an horrific crash on the last bend of the Final.

Stead had scored a 15-point maximum to move straight into the Final, and Compton joined him after winning the semi. Craig Boyce, who had also qualified automatically, was due to go off the inside gate but suffered mechanical problems and was timed out of the race, much to his fury.

Stead gated and appeared to be pulling clear, but Compton gradually reeled him in and dived for the inside going into the last lap. Stead fought back around the outside but appeared to clip Compton's rear on turn three, sending both riders into the fence.

After a brief delay, Stead's exclusion light came on and Compton was declared the winner with Mark Lemon, who had kept out of trouble all night, awarded second place ahead of Stead. There was general relief when the two fallen riders were able to walk off the track, although Stead
missed the podium presentations.

Compton had been in the wars as early as Heat 1 when he was taken down by Ross Brady on the second bend, and the former Sheffield man took only one more ride before retiring from the meeting - and Rory Schlein, too, failed
to complete the event after a nasty crash in his third outing.

Compton, with a fall in his last race, and Craig Watson, with mechanical failure in his fourth, both hit trouble to end up in the semi, but Carl Stonehewer failed to make it that far after coming to a halt in his final ride. That gave Danny Bird a lifeline, but he dropped a chain in the semi, fell and was excluded - and Watson came to grief in the re-run to give Compton and Lemon a clear path through.

And it was the home fans who were belatedly celebrating in the end, although nobody wanted the Premier League's showpiece event to end with such a nasty accident between two of the top riders.

Compton commented: "I don't really know where I am at the moment, I feel all knocked about and it will take a bit of time to sink in that I have won it. All I kept getting told in the build-up to the meeting was that Simon Stead was unbeatable around Sheffield and I've done it."

But a heartbroken Stead said afterwards: "There is no point in getting involved in anything like that, I'm just hurting all over and I think people could see who was the best rider on the night. I dislocated my shoulder and I put it back in myself."