MATCH REPORT: Last heat decider snatches win for Coventry

It was a tense Easter Sunday affair between Wednesfield Dragons and Coventry. Just like in previous seasons, it went right down to the wire.

The Dragons got off to a dream start, with Brandon Whetton and Carl Parfitt surprising everyone, by beating an off colour Dominik Rycharski and Charlie Barnett, to open up with a maximum heat advantage.

McMillan and Phillips returned the favour in heat two with a well crafted 6-3 win, after the returning Troy Allen suffered a mechanic failure. Myke Grimes and Dan Drewett put Coventry ahead the following heat, with a steady 6-4 over Haydn Rowley and Harrie Everiss.

The Dragons hit straight back with a 6-4 of their own, courtesy of Carl Parfitt and Mick Aris against Barnett and Sensicall, the latter riding a good debut race of the season to secure second place. The following two heats were shared leaving the Dragons one point up.

Whetton and Parfitt pulled off another 6-4 in favour of the Dragons in heat 7, with heat 8 ending in a 5-4 to Coventry, after Troy Allen was excluded for the second time. Heat 9 finished 5-5, meaning just two points were between the sides at the interval after an entertaining first half.

A strong tatical ride by Mason Phillips after the break kept the visitors in touching distance, but their job was made harder after an exclusion for Myke Grimes in heat 11, after coming off attempting a dive on Chris Jewkes, leaving Troy Allen with no where to go. The re-run resulted in a 7-2 to the Dragons, as Jewkes protected his team mate from the ever pressing Drewett.

Coventry pulled themselves straight back into contention in heat 12, as McMillan and Phillips skillfully mastered a 7-3 against Whetton and Parfitt, closing the gap once again. Two shared heats followed before Coventry pulled themselves to within a point of their hosts, with a 6-4 from Dan Drewett and Tom Sensicall against Mick Aris and Troy Allen.

Coventry saw their gap widen once again in heat 16, in a race that took three restarts after all four riders tried to race on the same part of the track (pictures above). Whetton and Everiss emerged victorious and put the Dragons firmly in the driving seat.

Heat 17, the tables turned again. Carl Parfitt was leading against Dan Drewett in second, team mate Chris Jewkes in third and Bobby McMillan being kept at bay by an excellent ride from the Aces guest. With one lap remaining, Parfitt washed out, flipping the result in favour of the Coventry side and giving them a lifeline.

Heat 17 Go-Pro footage – onboard with Coventry’s Dan Drewett, with Jewkes and McMillan battling behind.

Only a 7-3 would do for Grimes and Rycharski against Rowley and Allen. After a restart, which saw Rowley put Rycharski on the centre green, Grimes made the gate off three, with his team mate holding off the Dragons youngster. Grimes let the uncharacteristically struggling pole past coming onto the second lap to hold off the advancing Rowley and bringing home a dramatic win for the visitors.

It was another highly entertaining Midland League fixture, the Dragons were unlucky not to win after leading for most of the meeting. Coventry’s vastly improved second half, despite the setbacks gave them a fighting chance, which they took with open arms at the death.

Wednesfield Dragons 88
Carl Parfitt 12, Brandon Whetton 16+2, Troy Allen 6, Chris Jewkes 16+1, Harrie Everiss 12+2, Haydn Rowley 15, Mick Aris 7+1, Connor Dyke 4+1

Coventry 89
Charlie Barnett 7, Dominik Rycharski 15+1, Bobby McMillan 15+1, Mason Phillips 13+1, Myke Grimes 14+1, Dan Drewett 13, Tom Sensicall 6, Joe McLaughlin 6+1