COVENTRY were unable to add to their away tally as they went down 52-32 at Eastbourne on Saturday.
Despite an impressive guest appearance from Danny Ayres, the Europress Bees found the solid Eagles side in typically uncompromising mood at home, as the hosts extended their 100 per cent record at Arlington.
Ayres won four of his five rides and was only denied a possible maximum when he suffered a broken chain in Heat 11.
He was also involved in the incident which caused the early abandonment of the meeting, as he was left with nowhere to go but into and over the fallen rider when Eastbourne’s Georgie Wood lost control on the outside in Heat 15.
A halt was called to racing as Wood required extensive treatment, but thankfully hospital x-rays revealed no broken bones.
Ayres aside, Bees’ other successes came from reserve Luke Harris, who took the spoils in Heat 2 on his old home track, whilst Luke Ruddick completed another hard-working display with a good win over Charley Powell in Heat 14.
The Eagles took control of the meeting with 5-1s in Heats 3 and 4 after two opening shared races, and they added maximum points again in Heat 6 with the absence of captain Jon Armstrong hampering the Bees.
Eastbourne’s fourth 5-1 in Heat 8 put them 32-16 up before Bees largely pegged things in the second half of the meeting.
They gained a race advantage from Ayres and Harris, split by Mark Baseby, in Heat 9, although the Eagles responded immediately through youngsters Tom Brennan and Jason Edwards in the next.
The home side gained another 4-2 in Heat 11 due to Ayres’s breakdown, but Bees then avoided further damage as the final three races to be completed all ended in 3-3s.
Coventry are back in action this week at Birmingham on Wednesday, before hosting Plymouth at Leicester on Sunday (4pm).
EASTBOURNE 52: Georgie Wood 11, Mark Baseby 10, Tom Brennan 9+1, Jason Edwards 8+3, Charlie Brooks 6+2, Charley Powell 5+2, Nick Laurence 3+2. COVENTRY 32: Danny Ayres 12, Luke Ruddick 8, Luke Harris 6, Jamie Halder 4, Danny Phillips 2+2, Jamie Sealey 0, Jon Armstrong r/r. Abandoned after Heat 14 (curfew/medical requirements) – Result stands