Champions too good

NEWS Friday 17th June 2022, 10:56pm

by Mike Hunter

League Champions Mildenhall took a maximum advantage from a shambolic opening race against the Stellar Devils, and never looked like loosening their grip on the match. Danny Phillips and reserve Josh Embleton managed double figure returns for the Devils to keep a semblance of respectability in the final scoreline of 38-50.

Stand in team manager Alex Harkess said "Mildenhall deserved their win obviously but we did manage to give them a better fight over the closing races. Josh Embleton worked hard and got some reward and Danny Phillips led the way for us."

In that opening race, William Lawson failed to beat the two minutes, and it was initially announced that reserve Embleton would come in, but eventually Lawson went off 15 metres. However the outstanding Jason Edwards and his impressive partner Sam Bebee comfortably took the 5-1.

Josh Embleton was impeded as Warren fell on the first turn in heat 2, but the race wasn't stopped and Luke Muff raced to victory with Embleton eventually managing to get back into second spot.

Jack Kingston took the first of three impressive wins in heat 3. Devils did appear to be robbed of a point here as Gregor Millar eventually completed the heat, having initially not realised that Alex Spooner had fallen on the last lap. However it didn't greatly affect the outcome.

Danny Phillips became the first home race winner in heat 4, leading home Mildenhall's guest Greg Blair. Devils only had four winners all night and didn't get a race advantage until heat 12, and with Edwards and Bebee recording 5-1s in all of their three races together there was precious little chance to peg back the Fen Tigers.

Devils trailed 24-41 after 11 heats, then Kingston fell under pressure from Woolley allowing the home captain and Embleton to take 5 points, indeed a 5-0 with Warren also falling.

Sharing the last three heats represented something of an upturn in fortunes for the Devils though they could not prevent Edwards completing his full maximum, even though he had to pass both Phillips and Woolley in heat 15.

It looks like Mildenhall will be title contenders once again, but the Devils need a bit of a boost. William Lawson only got into the match in his last couple of rides and even then didn't look quick, while the Millar brothers apparently only had one bike between them and even that didn't function well.