This in from Bryn from the Wightlink Islanders speedway team. Ed
In front of their biggest crowd of the season so far, the Wightlink Islanders clinched a thrilling 49-44 National League victory over the Buxton Hitmen at Smallbrook last night in a match that went to a last heat decider.
Skipper Danny Warwick and his men seemed to have everything under control when they led 35-25 after ten of the fifteen scheduled races in the clash had been completed but were dealt hammer blows in the next three races.
Machinery problems
Firstly, being ten points behind it, enabled Buxton’s team manager Jack Lee to nominate his number one rider Charles Wright to ride for double points in heat 11, which he duly won to collect a 6-3 heat win for his side. That was followed by them recording a maximum 5-1 advantage in the next race in which both home riders ran into machinery problems.
Paul Starke seemingly ran into fuel problems on the opening lap, leaving him trailing some way behind and worse was to follow when Adam Ellis’s chain snapped in a shower of sparks on the last lap whilst he was in second place.
Tension mounted
Suddenly, just three points separated the two sides with three heats to go, the Wightlink Islanders leading 39-36 and worse was to follow in heat 13, with Buxton’s top two riders Charles Wright and Robert Branford raced away from the tapes to record a second successive maximum heat advantage for their side to put their side into a one point lead with just two races remaining.
Tension mounted as referee Dave Robinson quickly stopped the first attempt to run heat 14 and issued a warning to Islander’s Adam Ellis to remain stationary before the tapes rose and then, at the second attempt Buxton’s Ryan Blacklock fell on the third bend of the first lap with Islander Aaron Baseby doing well in his attempts to avoid his fallen opponent.
On-track treatment for Baseby
He hurt himself in the process though and received on-track treatment from the medics for some time before, much to everyone’s relief, getting to his feet and, being a speedway rider, he took his place in the third attempt to run the race.
Blacklock having been disqualified, and as if scripted for the joyous home crowd, he duly partnered Ellis to a maximum 5-1 advantage to put the Islanders three points ahead at 45-42 with just one race remaining.
No mood to surrender
The home pairing of skipper Danny Warwick and Ben Hopwood were in no mood to surrender maximum points to their opponents, which would have seen victory for the visiting side and duly finished first and third respectively to complete the Wightlink Islanders’ 49-44 nailbiting victory.
Match result
WIGHTLINK ISLANDERS 49 BUXTON 44
Islanders scorers: Danny Warwick 11, Ben Hopwood 10+1, Aaron Baseby 9+1, Adam Ellis 8+2, Danny Stoneman 5+2, Kyle Hughes 4, Paul Starke 2+1.
Speaking afterwards joint team manager Chris Hunt said, “With both Kyle Hughes and Paul Starke plagued by machinery problems all night and that snapped chain for Adam Ellis, it was a hard struggle at times and nail-biting stuff for everyone but we got there in the end.”
