COVENTRY Storm saved their best performances to last after running up their biggest wins of the season to end their National League season on a high at Brandon on Sunday.
An emphatic 57-32 victory over runners-up Eastbourne was followed up by a 55-36 win over Mildenhall in the afternoon.
Conditions were excellent at Brandon despite the previous day’s poor, wet weather with the track staff working hard to produce a circuit that delivered plenty of entertaining speedway.
The two wins confirmed the Storm in a fully deserved fourth place in the overall standings, just one point behind Cradley at the end of a most praiseworthy campaign where rider improvement has been obvious in several areas.
Captain Martin Knuckey was in spectacular form and his Heat 11 battle with Eastbourne number one Bradley Wilson-Dean was one of the racing highlights of the season.
The two swapped places on numerous occasions before Knuckey took it on the line and Storm boss Laurence Rogers was full or praise for the pair.
He said: “I think that one race between Martin Knuckey and Bradley Wilson-Dean was one of the best races I’ve seen anywhere this season, and I’ve done 130-odd meetings. Marty was really on it.
“That was a tremendous finish to the season, and really we should have had a completely unbeaten home record – it was just that Birmingham match, which we should have won.
“These boys have been magnificent, the track was superb for them and they attacked it exactly like they should do.
“I’d like to thank everyone who came along to watch it, I hope they enjoyed it – we certainly did, and now we’ll look to build for next year.”
