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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
The Eastbourne ‘Lifestyle’ Eagles might be riding on the crest of the wave around their home circuit just lately but on Friday night at Brandon stadium, they were bought crashing back down to earth by a rampant Coventry Bees outfit, one that demonstrated no weak links on the way to amassing a final 58-35 margin of victory, their biggest win of the season so far.
Were that not bad enough, they were to lose the services of number one Matej Zagar who was taken to hospital suffering a wrist injury following a freak accident in heat five. On the plus side, Swedish reserve Simon Gustafsson once again proved very much the star of their show, however with very little back up forthcoming from the remainder of the Sussex septet, as the match unfolded it was always going to prove an uphill struggle for the visitors.
The early exchanges saw the Eagles give a fine account of themselves, Zagar winning heat one by a comfortable margin having withstood the early pressure excerted by Bees number one Krzysztof Kasprzak. The Slovenian hit the front out of the start but his Polish opponent had his measure around the outside down the back straight. It proved to be a case of nothing doing for Zagar however as he regained the lead to secure an opening share of the spoils ahead of Kasprzak with Lewis Bridger claiming the odd point ahead of Tomasz Jedrzejak.
Eastbourne fortunes looked set to take a leap in heat two as Gustafsson continued his good form of the previous evening, powering away from the tapes for a comfortable victory. Indeed for much of the course he was tracked by partner Chris Schramm, a visitors 5-1 appearing a bolt on prospect for the most part however home reserve Josh Auty was about to demonstrate one of his trademark lightning passes, scorching around Schramm’s outside as the race neared its conclusion. So the Eagles suddenly found themselves two-points (7-5) to the good, courtesy of the 4-2 however it was soon honour’s even as Coventry immediately posted a similar reply, former Eagle Edward Kennett proving a comfortable winner of heat three ahead of the chasing Cameron Woodward while Ben Barker made light of Ricky Kling’s challenge.
Indeed, in a thrice the two-point deficit soon became a similar advantage for the home side, Richard Sweetman making light of a zero first time out by leading all the way in the fourth from Joonas Kylmakorpi as well as current British Champion Chris Harris, the resultant 4-2, Coventry’s second in succession seeing them lead 13-11.
Still the Eagles were holding their own, however Sussex fortunes were soon to take a sudden dip, their hosts extending their lead by a further 10-points to an imposing looking 27-15 over the course of the next three races.
The first instalment was to prove potentially disastrous for the visitors, not merely because Jedrzejak earned himself an exclusion for locking up and causing the first running to be halt but more so because it was Zagar who ploughed into his team mate having cut back hard on the second turn and ended in an untidy heap in the air barrier. Anxious moments followed as the Slovenian eventually rose to his feet and he was to claim a creditable second behind race winner Kennett in the restart, however it was to prove his final input of the night, Zagar being withdrawn under doctor’s orders ahead of his third outing in heat 11.
The slump was set to continue long before that however, back to back 5-1’s for the Bees in heats 6 and 7, Kasprzak and Bridger getting the better of Gustafsson and Harris and Auty doing likewise against Kling and Woodward, excerting firm control for the home side, the scores on the doors now standing at a formidable 27-15.
Gustafsson claimed a second impressive win ahead of Bridger and Sweetman in the eighth but early hopes of an Eastbourne 5-1 proved unfounded as both Bees made their way past Jedrzejak in quick succession. That stemmed the flow momentarily and indeed a 5-3 to the visitors, Kylmakorpi, taking the tactical ride, following home the as yet unbeaten Kennett with partner Schramm in close attendance, actually reduced the deficit slightly to 10-points (33-23) however a further brace of 5-1’s to Coventry in each of the next two effectively spelled the end of the match as a contest and lights out for the rather forlorn Eagles septet.
Kasprzak and Bridger again combined for a relatively untroubled maximum in the tenth, this coming at the expense of Kling and Woodward and then Harris romped to his second win of the night in race eleven, Auty doing well to fire his way past Gustafsson in the latter stages to bank a second successive 5-1 and Coventry’s fourth of proceedings so far, this landmark seeing the home side go 18-points, 43-25 to the good.
Ben Barker made his first effective input of the evening, winning heat 12 at a canter and a race that saw something of a mix up for the chasing Eagles, Kling heading home Gustafsson who was taking his turn to sport the black and white, double point helmet, thus limiting the Eastbourne advantage to a 4-3, one that shaved a point off the home lead (now 46-29), however with the news now filtering through that Zagar had been taken to hospital suffering with a wrist injury, it was rapidly becoming a night best forgotten for the Sussex side.
Indeed as the match moved towards conclusion, the travelling fans might have hoped for collective amnesia to kick in all the quicker as Kasprzak and Harris combined for Coventry’s fifth 5-1 of the night, this ahead of Schramm and Kylmakorpi and one that saw the Bees break through the half century mark, the scores with two races remaining on the card standing at 51-30 in favour of the home side.
The Eagles looked set to post a last gasp reply as Gustafsson and Woodward hit the front in the penultimate race but although the Swede remained in pole position throughout the four laps, the home duo of Kennett and Auty soon forced their way past the Eagles Captain sending the teams into the final race with the scores now standing at 54-33 in favour of the home side.
It just about summed Eastbourne’s night up as Gustafsson, their undoubted man of the meeting and one who provided the visitors all too few moments to remember, shed a chain heading into the first turn in the nominated riders race.
Kasprzak continued the dominant form demonstrated throughout the night by winning the final race of the night, Kylmakorpi at least getting the better of Kennett to limit the damage to a home 4-2, however it was to prove the merest crumb of comfort, Coventry extending the closing margin to 23-points, 58-35, their biggest win of the season.
Scorers :
Bees : Krzysztof Kasprzak 14(5), Edward Kennett 12(5), Chris Harris 9+1(4), Josh Auty 7+3(4), Lewis Bridger 7+3(4), Ben Barker 5(4), Richard Sweetman 4+1(4). – 58
Eagles : Simon Gustafsson 13(7), Joonas Kylmakorpi 8(5), Matej Zagar 5(2), Chris Schramm 3+1(4), Cameron Woodward 3(4), Ricky Kling 3(4), Tomasz Jedrzejak 0(3). – 35
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