COVENTRY Storm’s National League debut saw them beaten 48-41 at reigning champions Mildenhall – going agonisingly close to what would have been a notable point.
The Fen Tigers required a 4-2 from the last race to secure maximum points from the meeting, and they got it after a frantic battle which ended with Coventry’s Robert Branford and Mildenhall’s Stefan Nielsen colliding as they crossed the finish-line.
Storm had the perfect start with a 5-0 in Heat 1 as Nielsen and team-mate Aaron Baseby both crashed out, and the visitors led throughout the first half of the meeting.
Branford and skipper James Sarjeant both won their first two rides, Sarjeant riding superbly to switch inside Nielsen in Heat 6 to defeat the Fen Tigers’ No.1.
And reserve Martin Knuckey was also to the fore with a neat overtake on Nathan Stoneman in Heat 4 before keeping the pressure on home skipper Daniel Halsey, who made a mistake on the last bend to hand the Storm a 5-1.
But a long-running Heat 9 began to turn the meeting in the Fen Tigers’ favour, as the first two stagings of the race resulted in first-bend accidents. The second of those saw Sarjeant tangle with home rider Josh Bates, and the Storm captain needed extensive repair work to his machinery, before Bates and Jon Armstrong collected a 5-1 in the re-run.
Mildenhall gradually edged clear with three 4-2s in the next four races, Heat 13 providing some stunning action between Halsey and Sarjeant who passed and re-passed for second place with the Coventry man taking the verdict on the line.
Branford had made it three wins out of four in Heat 12, and when Brendan Johnson produced his best ride of the afternoon to win Heat 14, the Storm gained an unexpected bonus when Liam Rumsey fell on the last bend to hand Knuckey third place.
The 4-2 left the scores at 44-39, but the Fen Tigers had the favourable gates one and three in the final race, and Nielsen and Halsey duly took full advantage to lead into the first bend. Branford gave chase and eventually got the better of Nielsen after a terrific battle, with the Mildenhall man coming to grief as they crossed the line.
Although Branford was confirmed in second place, it wasn’t quite enough for a point from the meeting, leaving boss Blayne Scroggins pleased with many aspects of the performance but reflecting on a near-miss.
He said: “We were really pushing for that point and I think the boys should be proud of themselves. It’s a tough place to come and for most of the meeting it looked like we were going to get something out of it.
“We just ran out of a bit of steam towards the end, but once we get all of the boys firing I think it looks very promising, and this performance also bodes well for when we meet Mildenhall in the Knockout Cup.â€
MILDENHALL 48: Daniel Halsey 10, Josh Bates 9+1, Stefan Nielsen 9, Jon Armstrong 8+2, Aaron Baseby 5+1, Liam Rumsey 4, Nathan Stoneman 3+2. COVENTRY 41: Robert Branford 13, James Sarjeant 9, Ben Morley 6, Martin Knuckey 5+1, Brendan Johnson 4, Richard Franklin 3+2, Tommy Fenwick 1.
MILDENHALL 48 Stefan Nielsen X 2 3 3 1 = 9 Aaron Baseby X 1* 3 1 = 5+1 Josh Bates2 2* 3 2 = 9+1 Jon Armstrong 1* 3 2* 2 = 8+2 Daniel Halsey 1 2 3 1 3 = 10 Liam Rumsey 3 0 1 X = 4 Nathan Stoneman 2* R X 1* = 3+2
COVENTRY 41 Ben Morley 3 1 2 R = 6 Richard Franklin 2* R 1* = 3+2 Robert Branford 3 3 2 3 2 = 13 Brendan Johnson 0 1 0 3 = 4 James Sarjeant 3 3 1 2 0 = 9 Tommy Fenwick 1 0 0 0 = 1 Martin Knuckey X 2* 2 0 1 = 5+1
