First win of season comes at last for battling Hitmen

Solid performances from Ben Wilson 16, Connor Coles 14 and a paid maximum from skipper Tom Woolley 12+3 and good back up from the rest of the team got the Hitmen over the lone and their first points of the season.

The Hitmen went in front in heat three with a maximum 5-1 heat advantage from Connor Coles and skipper Tom Woolley over Henry Atkins and they followed this up with a 4-2 from Wilson and Corban Pavitt with Richard Andrews splitting the Hitmen pairing.

In heat five Jon Armstrong made the start for the Devils before suffering an engine failure allowing Coles and Woolley to take a maximum 5-1 advantage with the Hitmen leading 20-10 after five heats.

Buxton continued the heat advantages with a further 4-2 in heat seven from Coles and Kieran Douglas over Ryan Terry-Daley to open up a 12 point lead for the Hitmen.

Plymouth gained their first heat advantage of the afternoon as Terry-Daley and Macauley Leek took a 5-1 in heat eight after Lewis Whitmore had led fro three laps before making an error allowing both the Devils past to take the chequered flag reducing the Hitmen’s lead to eight points.

Buxton were in no mood to allow the Devils back into the meeting though as the Coles and Woolley combination were at it again with a 5-1 over Andrews to restore their twelve point lead with the Hitmen leading 33-21 after nine races.

The Hitmen extended their lead in heat ten with a 4-2, Wilson was leading comfortably with Atkins and Andrews chasing with Andrews falling and being disqualified by SCB Referee Barbara Horley with the race being awarded and Douglas taking third place extending the Hitmen’s lead to fourteen points as Buxton close in on their first win of the season with five races remaining.

The Devils gained a 4-2 in the twelfth heat from Atkins and Leek although Coles had to pass Leek to take second place.

A further 4-2 from Armstrong and Andrews over Wilson reduced the deficit to ten points but it wasn’t enough as the Hitmen claim their first league points of the season with two races remaining.

Woolley took the chequered flag in the penultimate race from Atkins, but Douglas took third after Leek had fallen for a Hitmen 4-2 advantage.

BUXTON 51: Ben Wilson 16, Connor Coles 14, Tom Woolley 12+3, Kieran Douglas 4+1, Corban Pavitt 3, Lewis Whitmore 2+1, James Cockle R/R

PLYMOUTH 39: Henry Atkins 9+1, Jon Armstrong 9, Ryan Terry-Daley 8+2, Richard Andrews 7, Macauley Leek 6+1, Saul Bulley 0, Tim Webster R/R