Rampant Redcar beat Brummies!
The Redcar “Agilia” Bears had a night to remember in the second city as they defeated Birmingham 52-38 to fire themselves into contention in the battle for top spot in the BSN Series Northern Group. Redcar guest Richard Lawson top scored with 13+1 whilst Nick Morris hit 12 for the hosts.
Birmingham started the meeting with a heat advantage as Nick Morris got the better of Richard Lawson despite educated pressure from the stand in Bears number 1 and with Connor Bailey unable to land a blow on Alfie Bowtell in the battle for third, Birmingham started in the ascendency. However, this would be as good as it got for the Brummies as they failed to hold their lead past heat 1.
Heat 2 saw Redcar immediately level the scores as Jason Edwards won comfortably and with Jake Mulford securing a confidence boosting 3rd place, Redcar returned the favour and levelled the scores. The 3rd race of the night saw Charles Wright gate but the Bears skipper was passed on the opening lap by Birmingham’s guest Zach Cook but with Redcar packing into 2nd and 3rd, the teams remained deadlocked at 9-9.
The deadlock was spectacularly broken in heat 4 as Mulford, fresh from his confidence boosting 3rd in heat 2, gated and rode superbly to win heat 4, and with Danny King protecting the Bears reserve excellently, Redcar hit the front for the first time with a big 5-1. Lawson took his first win of the evening in heat 5 after a superb gate but with Bailey at the back, Redcar’s lead was not extended further.
Nevertheless, Gavin Parr did not have to wait long for his side’s lead to be extended as heat 6 saw King defeat Morris and with Edwards 3rd, Redcar were looking relatively comfortable at 15-21. Laurence Rodgers opted to use his tactical substitute in heat 7 in the form of Morris but it was ultimately in vain as Wright won superbly but with Birmingham packing the minor placings, Redcar’s lead remained at 6 points.
Heat 8 saw the start of a mini revival for the hosts as they recorded back to back 4-2 heat advantages in heats 8 and 9 with the Aussie duo of Zach Cook and James Pearson taking impressive wins and with Redcar riders at the rear in both heats, the gap was cut to 2 points. Heat 10 was shared as Morris took the win but Danyon Hume superbly passed Bowtell to ensure Redcar’s lead remained intact at 31-29.
Any hopes of a comeback for the hosts were dealt a major blow with a Redcar 5-1 in heat 11 as Bailey showed maturity beyond his years to take the chequered flag, and with the impressive Lawson passing Sedgmen for second, Redcar re-established their 6 point lead at Perry Barr.
After a shared heat 12 was won by the impressive Cook, Redcar all but secured the win with a dazzling heat 13 5-1, their 3rd of the evening. Lawson and King left the Brummies standing at the start and the pairing of Morris and Sedgmen were unable to make an impression on the Bears duo which saw Redcar extend their advantage to 10 points.
Heat 14 saw the Bears seal the deal with a shared heat which was won by Stefan Nielsen despite the best efforts of a hard charging Danyon Hume but the visitors finished the contest in fantastic style with another 5-1 in heat 15 courtesy of Lawson and King who once again gated superbly to leave the Brummies behind to secure a 52-38 away win and two vital BSN Series points.
Redcar team boss Gavin Parr was delighted with the performance and the win, with the result being a real team effort, “ All of the boys chipped in tonight and rode superbly, it was a big win and hopefully we can take that momentum into Friday now against Scunthorpe!”
Birmingham Brummies = 38
1. Nick Morris = 12
2. Alfie Bowtell = 2
3. Zach Cook (G) = 10+1
4. Stefan Nielsen = 6
5. Justin Sedgmen = 3+1
6. Joe Thompson (G) = 0
7. James Pearson = 5
Redcar Bears = 52
1. Richard Lawson (G) = 13+1
2. Connor Bailey = 5
3. Charles Wright = 9
4. Danyon Hume = 4+2
5. Danny King = 11+3
6. Jason Edwards = 5+1
7. Jake Mulford = 5+1