Mountain’s maximum boosts Bees

COVENTRY equalled their biggest win of the season with an emphatic 59-31 victory over Plymouth at Leicester.

No.1 Connor Mountain reeled off a 15-point maximum on Sunday for the Europress Bees and it was also a great day for reserve Luke Harris, who raced to a four-ride paid maximum.

And with solid scores right down the order, Bees continued their push for the play-offs, and are very much on course for a top-four finish – as long as their remaining meetings can be arranged before the cut-off.

The Devils were limited to four race wins, two apiece from Ellis Perks and Richard Andrews, with the result a blow to their outside chances of making the top four.

Bees made a whirlwind start with two 4-2s and two 5-1s in the opening four races, Mountain winning the battle of the big guns in Heat 1 despite a scare on the last bend, whilst Perks salvaged second place from Danny Phillips.

With Harris and Ryan MacDonald collecting a 4-2 in Heat 2, Luke Ruddick and Jamie Halder combined for maximum points in Heat 3 as Andrews retired, and then Henry Atkins hit trouble in the next, allowing Harris to re-pass him for second place.

The Devils did gain a foothold with a 5-1 from Perks and Ryan Terry-Daley in Heat 5, but it proved to be a brief respite as Bees led 26-16 after seven races before recording three successive 5-1s.

Phillips and Harris combined in Heat 8 before an excellent ninth with Halder getting the better of Atkins before Ruddick came through to join his partner for another maximum – and then Mountain and Phillips put the meeting beyond the visitors in the next.

A further 5-1 followed from Ruddick and Harris in Heat 12, and Mountain was decisive in moving Perks aside to quickly take the advantage in Heat 13.

Andrews and Kelsey Dugard picked up a consolation 4-2 in Heat 14, split by Halder, but Bees still finished in some style with an excellent 5-1 from Mountain and skipper Jon Armstrong.