Eagles stung by Bees

Though the Bees appear to be fulfilling many peoples prophecy as favourites for the League title with eight victories in nine outings so far this term, the Eagles were seldom far from the pace and as the meeting moved towards its conclusion, the aggregate bonus point if indeed the win was by no means out of the question.

In the event, ill fortune at crucial times cost them dear. A fall and an engine failure for David Norris as well as mechanical gremlins for Joe Screen undoubtedly cost them points and ultimately snuffed out hopes of any tangible return.

On the flip side of the coin, the Bees weren't without their problems, and as Lee Richardson was forced to withdraw from the meeting suffering with concussion and Andreas Jonsson's form deserted him midway through, it was left to reserve Stuart Robson to pull a match winning performance from the hat.

The night started brightly for the Eagles and a 5-1 in a rerun first race from Dean Barker and Mark Loram ahead of the powerful American duo, Billy Hamill and Billy Janniro handed them the best possible opening.

The Bees moved level with back to back 4-2's in heats two and three. The first of these saw Robson begin his top scoring performance with a win before Richardson followed suit showing little sign of the problems that were set to befall him.

A maximum 5-1 through Jonsson and Robson in the fourth ahead of Screen set the home side on the road and propelled them into a 4-point lead, 14-10 for the first time on the night.

Loram took heat five by the proverbial street but behind him Barker, despite sustained efforts just failed to get on terms with either Ryan Fisher or Richardson.

A further 5-1 for the Bees in heat six, as Hamill and Janniro got into the groove, served to give them some breathing space and offered them an 8-point advantage, 22-14.

A brace of 3-3's followed as tactical substitute Loram and Norris blocked the minor places behind Jonsson in the seventh and then Janniro and Robson did likewise following Barker to the flag in heat 8.

The Eagles bared their claws in the next as Norris was introduced as a tactical substitute and combined with Screen for a comprehensive 5-1 over Fisher and Richardson to reduce the ante to just 4-points on the night, 29-25 and level pegging on aggregate.

Coventry suffered with the conditions in race 10 as Hamill fell while looking good to take the win. This left Janniro to lead home Norris and Kylmakorpi but with 4-points still the difference, 32-28, the destiny of the points was still in the balance.

Eastbourne raised the stakes in the eleventh as Loram took his tally to double figures with a victory ahead of Robson while Barker comfortably fended off Jonsson for third place. The resultant 4-2 moved Eagles to within 2-points of their hosts, 34-32 and handed them a realistic chance of the bonus point if not the win.

Heat 12 unfortunately saw those hopes receive a severe jolt however. Norris and Adam Shields led from the start to set the adrenalin pumping, but Robson rode a brilliant race to overcome both Eagles around the outside down the back straight of lap one.

Difficult track conditions again played a part as Norris fell on the first bend of lap three to all but gift Jason Bunyan a point and Coventry a quick reply 4-2 to level the aggregate scores once more.

Further problems then beset the Sussex side in heat thirteen as Screen looked set to share a 3-3 with Loram behind race winner Hamill. In a shower of sparks Screen's machine failed him to let Bees in for a second successive 4-2, a 42-36 lead on the night and a 2-point aggregate advantage.

The two Elite League points were wrapped up in the penultimate race as Fisher took his first win of the night. Though Robson ended his impressive exploits with an engine failure at the start line, his partner secured the necessary points to maintain Bees 6-point lead, 45-39, and move them out of Eagles reach with one heat to go.

The Sussex sides remaining hope was to take a heat advantage from the last to at least force a run off for the aggregate bonus point. Sadly this expectation died along with Norris's engine at the start line. Though Loram signed off as he'd started with another emphatic win ahead of Hamill and Janniro, it proved of little consolation. Coventry had already cached all three points to strengthen their position at the top of the Championship table.

Scorers:

Bees: Stuart Robson 11+2(6), Billy Hamill 9(5), Billy Janniro 8+2(5), Andreas Jonsson 7(4), Ryan Fisher 7(4), Lee Richardson 4+1(3), Jason Bunyan 2(3).

Eagles: Mark Loram 15+1(6), Dean Barker 8+1(5), David Norris 8+1(6), Joe Screen 4+1(4), Adam Shields 4(3), Joonas Kylmakorpi 3+1(3), Seemond Stephens 0(3).