MATCH REPORT: Aces superb in opening home match

The reigning British Cycle Speedway Elite League Champions, Wednesfield Aces, rode a superb opening home fixture with a resounding win against the 2016 season’s
early pace setters, Coventry,.

The whole Aces squad were solid throughout. The home side struck with a massive 7-3 heat win as early as race two from the partnership of Aris and Smith over Coventry’s Grimes and Parish.

The racing was quite even between the teams, then in race 7, Coventry gave the homeside a bit of a fright with the fast gating Sassek and Read recording a 7-3 away advantage to put them right back in the match, just one point down 34-33.

The Aces reponded with a steading shared heat before firing in their own 7-3 advantage from Heard and Mould just before the interval halfway score of 46-41.

After the break heat 10 was re-run after the referee excluded Coventry’s Adam Watson for the offence of ramming his opponent. Mikey Hewitson. The rerun resulted in a 6-3 win for the Aces, with Hewitson, Aces’ new recruit from Edinburgh recording his first points for his new team.

The home side continued to make steady progress with consecutive 6-4 heat wins putting Wednesfield in front by 12 points. Coventry had the misfortune of a double exclusion in heat 13, first Andy Angell for a false start and then in rerun, Ben Higham for obstuction, causing his opponent to crash into safety fence, leaving the Aces to record a 7-0.

The next race it was Aces turn for a exclusion, when Lee Aris moved before the tapes went up. In that re-run, Aces’ Ben Mould was not amused when the referee did not recall the race after he was obstructed on the first turn by Sassek, resulting in a Coventry 7-2 win.

At this stage of the meeting, with six races remaining, the Aces still held a 14 points advantage.

In the remaining races, the Aces talented squad of riders used their knowledge of their home track and drew five of the races, plus a 6-4 advantage, knowing the match was
done and dusted with the Elite League points in the bag.

Before the meeting began, Wednesfield Aces held a photo shoot with photograther Paul Devine, with team captain Chris Jewkes being re-presented with the Elite League trophy.

The Aces won the Elite league in 2015 in spectacular fashion going the whole season undefeated.

WEDNESFIELD 104
Chris Jewkes 9+2, Brandon Whetton 15, Matt Smith 12+1, Lee Aris 13+1, Paul Heard 18+4, Lee Kemp 9, Ben Mould 21, Mikey Hewitson 5, Carl Parfitt 2+1.

COVENTRY 88
Andy Angell 16, Ben Higham 8, Chris Parish 12+1, Myke Grimes 15, Michal Sassek 15+1, Jake Read 9+2, Mason Phillips 7, Adam Watson 6.

Referee: Mike Legge (Dorset)