COVENTRY Storm are outside the National League top four on points difference as of Sunday’s cut-off - despite a terrific 48-44 win over local rivals Cradley at Brandon.
The City Gearboxes Storm are set to miss out on Gold Cup qualification at the hands of Rye House, who picked up a league point from their 44-46 defeat at Mildenhall later on Sunday afternoon.
The Storm had led the Raiders 32-19 on Friday before the meeting was abandoned two races short of the mark needed to produce a result, and the loss of a near-certain three league points from that meeting have proved crucial.
Laurence Rogers’ side did all they could against the Heathens and achieved the notable feat of a league win over their neighbours for the second successive season -and there has been major rider development over the course of the campaign.
It was an eventful encounter in which Cradley captain Matt Williamson was superb, but he almost ran out of team-mates as the visiting side of the pits resembled a battleground with men and machinery affected.
The Storm won the match by limiting mistakes, their only real setbacks coming in the first two races when guest Danny Ayres fell on the fourth bend in Heat 1 when leading, and then when Jamie Halder looped at the start in the reserves’ race.
But they took the lead in Heat 4 with a smart move by captain Martin Knuckey to get the better of Williamson, and Cradley struck trouble in the next with guest Ben Morley taking an unusual fall on the way to turn one, and Darryl Ritchings and Mark Baseby profited with a 5-1.
More drama followed in Heat 6 as the Heathens gated on a 5-1 and Rob Shuttleworth fell on the fourth bend, only for Arron Mogridge to plough into the fence at the same time. Shuttleworth remounted, Mogridge was disqualified and the Storm saved a 3-3.
Knuckey dived inside Ellis Perks on turn three to win Heat 7 and a clear 5-1 from Shuttleworth and Conor Dwyer in the next race put the Storm eleven points up with the Heathens’ Michael Neale packing up his kit at that stage.
Williamson cut the gap to eight by winning a tactical ride before a long-running Heat 10 initially saw Mogridge fall apparently on his own on turn two, only for an all-four re-start to be called.
Mogridge was replaced by Tyler Govier, and the re-run saw Ayres take Perks wide with the Cradley man tangling with Shuttleworth as he came back from a wide line onto the back straight. To the frustration of Coventry, Shuttleworth was disqualified - but Govier clipped the stray machine of Perks and suffered ankle damage, and Perks subsequently required treatment for a hand injury and was also forced onto Govier’s bike!
A lengthy delay followed as Coventry questioned the legality of the Heathens replacing Govier with Mogridge, who had already been taken out of the race, but when the action re-commenced it was a fine ride by Ayres to snatch victory from Perks on the line with an outside pass.
With Neale non-starting, Cradley fielded just one rider in Heat 11 and a fine turn two move from Knuckey saw him get the better of Morley, before Mogridge was a surprise winner of the next with Perks kept at the back by Dwyer - and that was the last ride of the day for another Heathens team member.
Williamson and Morley took a 5-1 in Heat 13 as Knuckey slipped off on turn four, but with only one visiting rider in Heat 14 it was easy for the Storm to secure their win, Ritchings tracking Mogridge for three laps before making his move to hit the front.
Another maximum from Morley and Williamson in the last ensured the Heathens took a league point, but the Storm’s job was already done at that stage.
Rogers said: “That was a convincing win and a great all-round team performance. The boys all dug in, and it was more convincing than the final score suggests.
“When the side was put together at the start of the year we weren’t given a chance, but I knew it was a side which would grow, and they’ve all improved their averages, they have great spirit and they’re a lovely bunch of lads.
“In all the years I’ve been a team manager I’ve never been able to bring a rider back into a race when he’s been taken out, so the referee certainly read that rule differently to me!â€
The Storm have three remaining home fixtures, against Mildenhall, Rye House and Eastbourne, where they will look to secure their deserved top four finish. Dates for those matches will be confirmed when the Elite League play-offs have progressed.
COVENTRY 48: Darryl Ritchings 11, Martin Knuckey 9, Conor Dwyer 7+2, Rob Shuttleworth 7, Mark Baseby 6+3, Danny Ayres 5+1, Jamie Halder 3. CRADLEY 44: Matt Williamson 16+1, Ben Morley 10, Ellis Perks 7, Arron Mogridge 6+1, Tyler Govier 3, Michael Neale 2, Nathan Greaves r/r.
