CYCLE SPEEDWAY: MULTIPLE costly exclusions prevented Coventry Sabres from picking up points in the Midland League on Sunday afternoon at home to Leicester Monarchs.
Led by skipper and British number two Myke Grimes, the Sabres were made to rue a pair of exclusions for moving at the gate and two more for on track incidents.
An experienced Monarchs side took charge of the meeting early on – and allowed the Sabres little room for error.
The visiting side started the meeting in the best possible way when former world champion Dave Hemsley teamed up with Damien Pelazyzk to earn Monarchs a 7-3 after Grimes tangled with team mate Cameron Gill exiting turn four.
Mark Whitehead and Craig Marchant teamed up to guide Monarchs past the chequered flag in the following two heats before Grimes earned Coventry’s first race win of the afternoon in heat four.
Monarchs extended their advantage to ten points following a dramatic heat six which saw Matt Lawrence and Dave Frith tangle on the fourth bend after a lap long battle for the minor placings.
Lawrence was excluded for excessive force by referee Josh Marsh, which helped Leicester boost their lead to comfortable ten points after nine of the 18 races.
A shared race in heat ten was followed up by a maximum 7-3 for Leicester in heat 11, which meant Coventry were in a position to claim the inside grid positions as a consequence of being 12 points behind.
Despite claiming the inside grids, Leicester extended their lead in heat 12 when Cameron Gill was excluded.
Wins for Leicester racers Pelazyzk, Marchant, and Kyle Wells followed as Monarchs put the result beyond any doubt – leading by 24 points with three races remaining.
Youngster Ollie Morris battled hard to earn a second place finish in heat 16 ahead of experienced racer Dave Frith.
But the last laugh went to the Monarchs when Hemsley and Marchant teamed up for a 7-3 over Daniel Drewett and Matt Lawrence.
Leicester won the meeting by 102 points to Coventry’s 72.
