JAMES Cockle was ruled out of his return to Glasgow with Sheffield - and Tigers could only manage the bonus point in their 50-43 defeat.
Cockle was still suffering bad bruising after a series of recent crashes and there is no doubt his presence could have put the match in his new club's favour.
The Owlerton side were forced to use Scottish youngster Carl McDade in Cockle's absence.
Paul Cooper was, not surprisingly, a busy man as he took six rides for his 8+2 score and skipper Andre Compton included a maximum six-point return from a tactical ride in his 15-point haul.
Team boss Neil Machin, deputising for the unavailable Reg Wilson, used Compton in only his second outing but Ben Wilson, who had a poor afternoon, trailed in last and the Sheffield advantage was restricted to a 6-3 when they really needed a 7-2 or, ideally, the maximum 8-1 return.
Tigers were able to stay within sight of their hosts and were only five-points down when referee Paul Ackroyd could have called a halt at heat 12, but both sets of riders had a positive atttiude and the meeting went the full distance.
