CS ELITE LEAGUE ROUND UP: Eagles off the mark, Coventry make it two out of two

April 18, 2016 editor

There were sensational scenes in the second round of the British Cycling Cycle Speedway Elite League series at Whitton Raceway on Sunday, as Ipswich Eagles turned around a poor first half performance, which saw them 13 points adrift, to win their first Elite League match of the season against the reigning champions, Wednesfield Aces.

Away team, Wednesfield, were in cruise control for the opening heats. Ipswich came out a different side in the second half and with the help of some Wednesfield exclusions, pulled themselves back into contention, before seeing out the meeting with some clinical passing in the nominated heats. Charlie Rumbold and Cody Chadwick pulling off sublime passes for the home side to clinch the league points, with the final score 99-96 to Ipswich.

The Eagles will be hard to beat on their home track this season. They face the difficult task of coming away with some points from the village of Horspath, Oxford in round 3, whilst the Aces welcome Coventry to Ashmore Park in Wolverhampton.

Cody Chadwick leads Paul Heard, who is challenged by Ashley Hill. Photo by Andrew Parr.

Ipswich’ s Cody Chadwick leads Wednesfield’s Paul Heard, who is challenged by Ashley Hill. Photo by Andrew Parr.

Coventry extended their lead at the top and made it two out of two in the Elite League series with a comprehensive victory against Poole in Dorset, where a fine spectacle of CS racing was witnessed by the healthy and vocal crowd at the picturesque Harbourside Park circuit.

It was another sturdy team performance from the away side. Poole did their best to pull back the deficit to make it all square after Coventry had started to edge in front in the first half. However, the West Midlands team really turned the screw in the second and took advantage of some Poole gate exclusions later on to wrap up the points before the nominated heats. The final score a deserved 92-106 victory to Coventry.

No inch was given by either side, with Poole's Polish star, Dawid Bas, having a spectacular fall. Photo by Mark Phillips.

No inch was given by either side, with Poole’s Polish star, Dawid Bas, having a spectacular fall in heat 18. Photo by Mark Phillips.

Teenager, Mason Phillips, starred for Coventry, but was well supported by the top end fire power of McMillan, Grimes and Sassek, while valuable points and fine passes were contributed by each rider. Poole battled hard and the home grown riders Hayden Chant, Dean Hook and Will Bristowe especially deserved more for their efforts.

With five teams in the league, it is Poole’s turn to take a week off in round 3, which takes place on 15th May 2016.