COVENTRY are off the mark in the National League thanks to an impressive 51-39 win over highly fancied Eastbourne at Leicester on Sunday.
The Europress Bees never looked in danger of losing to an Eagles side who arrived on a high after winning at Plymouth on Friday and then hitting the 60-point mark at home to Buxton 24 hours later.
But the visitors had no answer to the Coventry top two, with No.1 Connor Mountain cruising to a five-ride 15-point maximum – whilst skipper Jon Armstrong was paid for the lot from six rides, taking an extra outing with the rider-replacement facility in operation for Danny Phillips.
Bees managed to cover Phillips’ absence well enough with a string of third places and Armstrong’s Heat 8 win, and there was a third double-figure scorer in Luke Ruddick who delivered a consistent display from five rides.
The early stages were closely fought with Eastbourne’s teenage reserve Jason Edwards an impressive winner of Heat 2, whilst Armstrong had to work hard to keep a thrusting Georgie Wood behind him in Heat 4.
The deadlock was broken with successive Coventry 4-2s in Heats 5 and 6 with Eagles’ No.1 Mark Baseby missing the former race due to mechanical trouble, Edwards doing well to split Ruddick and Luke Harris to prevent a Bees maximum.
Harris then supplied the third place again in Heat 6 backing up Mountain’s win to put Bees four-up, a lead they maintained through three successive shared heats.
Mountain out-trapped Tom Brennan to take Heat 10 as Bees extended the lead to six, and the Eagles’ move to hand Edwards an extra ride in the next failed to reap dividends as he was kept at the back by Jamie Halder – with Armstrong keeping up his winning ways ahead of Baseby, who by now was on a borrowed bike and also lost his steel shoe to compound his issues.
Bees edged closer to victory by packing in behind Brennan in Heat 12, and secured their first league win of the campaign with a convincing Mountain/Armstrong 5-1 in the next.
Eastbourne gained a consolation maximum in Heat 14 which was the race of the day as Halder took second place from Edwards on the second lap before the Eagles rider bravely fought back around the outside.
But any thoughts of an Eastbourne consolation league point were ended by the Coventry top two in Heat 15 with Armstrong initially in front before allowing Mountain through for his full maximum, and then holding off Brennan before the Eagles youngster came down on the third lap.
Bees boss Martyn Macdonald said: “We always hoped to win, but to beat them by that many was very unexpected.
“Eastbourne are a strong team who are tipped to definitely finish in the top four, so it’s a real achievement.
“I’m more than delighted with the boys – the top two riders performed as they’re in the team to do, and the rest pitched in. It’s a team effort, and like in any sport everything counts.
“I think we couldn’t have done any better in covering for Danny – you have days where everything goes to plan, and I think this was one of those days!â€
Bees now have a two-week break before Cradley visit in the National Trophy on April 29 – but before that, Armstrong stages his Testimonial meeting at Mildenhall next Sunday.
COVENTRY 51: Jon Armstrong 16+2, Connor Mountain 15, Luke Ruddick 10, Jamie Halder 6+1, Luke Harris 4+2, Ryan MacDonald 0, Danny Phillips r/r. EASTBOURNE 39: Jason Edwards 10+2, Tom Brennan 10, Georgie Wood 7, Mark Baseby 6, Charley Powell 4+1, Kelsey Dugard 1+1, Charlie Brooks 1.
