COVENTRY 55 OXFORD 35
COVENTRY: OXFORD:
G.Hancock E 2'3 2'2' 9(3) T.Wiltshire 3 2 1'2 1 1 10(1)
St.Robson 3 3 3 F 9 J.Staechmann 1'2'0 1' 4(3)
D.Norris 2 F 0 1 3 P.Hurry 3 1'1'2 0 7(2)
A.Jonsson 1'1 3 3 8(1) S.Johnston 0 2 2 F 4
B.Hamill 3 3 3 3 3 15 C.Boyce 1 0 2 0 3
Sc.Robson 1'0 X 1(1) L.Hare 3 1 2 F 6
S.Tacey 3 2'1 3 2' 10(2) A.Rossiter F 0 1 1HEAT DETAILS:
Ht 1:St.Robson, Wiltshire, Staechmann, Hancock(ef), 62.8 3-3 3-3
Ht 2:Hare, Tacey, Sc.Robson, Rossiter(f), 64.0 3-3 6-6
Ht 3:Hurry, Norris, Jonsson, Johnston, 63.1 3-3 9-9
Ht 4:Hamill, Tacey, Boyce, Rossiter, 62.2 5-1 14-10
Ht 5:Wiltshire, Staechmann, Jonsson, Norris(f), 63.4 1-5 15-15
Ht 6:St.Robson, Hancock, Boyce, Hare, 63.8 5-1 20-16
Ht 7:Hamill, Johnston, Hurry, Sc.Robson, 63.3 3-3 23-19
Ht 8:St.Robson, Hare, Tacey, Staechmann, 62.6 4-2 27-21
Ht 9:Jonsson, Boyce, Wiltshire, Norris, 62.9 3-3 30-24
Ht10:Hancock, Johnston, Hurry, St.Robson(f,exc), 63.6 3-3 33-27
Ht11:Hamill, Wiltshire, Staechmann, Sc.Robson(f), 63.7 3-3 36-30
Ht12:Tacey, Hurry, Norris, Hare(f), 64.1 4-2 40-32
Ht13:Hamill, Hancock, Wiltshire, Boyce, 63.7 5-1 45-33
Ht14:Jonsson, Tacey, Rossiter, Johnston(f), 64.3 5-1 50-34
Ht15:Hamill, Hancock, Wiltshire, Hurry, 95.2 5-1 55-35
Many thanks to Pete Ballinger for the following report:
BEES will take a 20 point lead to Cowley on Friday evening after a comfortable win over a despirited Oxford team at Brandon last night.
In a meeting in which both teams were fortunate to complete due to the non arrival of the spares van, and with fuel supplies running perriously low, Bees consistently outgated the Cheetahs after a slow start to the meeting.
Stuart Robson enjoyed his best Bees meeting for many months with a 9 point return, a fine start in Heat 1 taking him ahead of the Oxford pair of Todd Wiltshire and Jan Staechmann. With Greg Hancock tucking into second place, a first heat 5-1 looked a certainty until Hancock threw a chain with a lap to go, gifting the Cheetahs a share of the heat.
Bees lost more points in the Reserves race also, as Shaun Tacey lost power on the final corner to allow Lawrence Hare an easy win, Alun Rossiter having fallen on the second lap.
Bees Guest David Norris made a superb start in Heat 3, only to let it slip on the second corner of lap 2, as Paul Hurry drove underneath, but a third successive 3-3 kept the scores level at 9 a piece.
On a dry, dutsy, and bumpy circuit, Billy Hamill showed his class in Heat 4 to roar away with a win, whilst Tacey once again displayed heroics (albeit not very quickly) to take second from the out of sorts Craig Boyce. This 5-1 however was instantly redressed in the next as Wiltshire and Staechmann easily defeated the disappointing Andreas Jonsson and David Norris.
Bees came back with another 5-1 of their own in Heat 6, as Stuart Robson once again impressed, Hancock making amends for his first heat stoppage to take the lead back to 4 points.
Hamill again gated superbly in Heat 7 to head the Oxford pairing of Hurry and Johnston, however with Scott Robson tailed off at the back, it meant the gap was still 4 points, and no tacticals for Oxford in Heat 8.
Bees extended the lead to 6 points in Heat 8, as Stuart Robson went clear ahead of Hare, and Tacey kept Staechmann behind him, until the Dane messed up the first coner of lap 3, and did well to keep on his machine as he 360d.
Cheetahs introduced the tactical substitution of Todd Wiltshire in Heat 9 in an attempt to claw back the defecit, but Andreas Jonsson, having missed the start once more, executed an excellent second bend cut back to storm underneath the Oxford pairing and to take the win. Norris again tailed off at the rear.
Stuart Robson's maximum hopes disappeared on the first corner of Heat 10, as he came to grief after pulling a tremendous locker, but Hancock was once again out front, and at the interval stage Bees remained 6 points ahead at 33-27.
Bees looked in trouble in the first staging of Heat 11, as Hamill was left chasing the fast starting Wiltshire / Staechmann combo, but Scott Robson fell on the third corner causing the race to be re-run.
Of course, in the restart Hamill didn't make the same mistake again, and took an easy win. Oxford can certainly feel agrieved in this heat, because it certainly appeared that Scott Robson had not been in any hurry to get off the circuit.
This misfortune appeared to have a profound effect on an Oxford side, so obviously low on confidence, as Bees decided the time was right to turn the screw, and to put them themselves almost certainly into the Craven Shield Final, as a 4-2 in Heat 12, was followed by 3 successive 5-1s in the final 3 heats to finally kill off any Cheetahs challenge for a 55-35 points victory, Hamill securing a superb 15 point maximum.
This wasn't an excellent performance from the Bees by a long way, Oxford are a team that look like the end of season can't come soon enough, however Bees will now go to Cowley on Friday confident of obtaining the 36 points required, especially with the return to form of Stuart Robson.
One hopes that it bodes well for Saturday evening's Knock Out Cup Semi Final against Poole, when Bees will be looking for a better points return from the guest (Shane Parker is booked), a double figure score from Andreas Jonsson, and support from both Tacey and Scott Robson. For Bees to take any lead down to Dorset next week it will be crucial that Bees outscore the League Runners-Up in all departments.