Narrow defeat at home for the Comets
Narrow defeat at home for the Comets
Harbourside Park, Poole – A sun-drenched afternoon set the stage for an intense National League encounter as the Poole Comets played host to Great Blakenham in a match brimming with skill, strategy and cycle speedway drama.
Despite a spirited team performance and home-track advantage, the Comets were edged out 86–95 by a strong Great Blakenham side, who capitalised on 2 early heat advantages to clinch victory despite a chance of a draw still on in the final heat.
Matt Mildon was a standout for Poole, delivering a commanding 19 points, consistently challenging the opposition with strong gating and tactical riding. He was well-supported by Kenzie Bennett (15+1), Greg Gluchowski (17+2) and Tom Colling (14+2), Oliver Saunders also chipping in with important mid-meeting rides along with Gavin Wheeler adding very valuable points. Despite solid individual efforts, Poole couldn’t quite maintain the late heat advantages needed to hold off their rivals.
Josh Brooke proved to be the difference-maker for Great Blakenham, leading the charge with an outstanding 23 points, including several crucial heat wins in all his second half races. He was backed by the ever-reliable Noah Woodhouse (22), and Torsten Jolly (17+1), who provided depth and resilience as the match wore on. Adam Peck(13+4) showed his experience adding more points to the tally and both Lewis Brinkoff and Lewis Foxley kept Great Blakenham’s scores coming in ultimately winning the match.
Poole’s hopes were briefly revived in heat 15 with Matt Mildon nominated for the Super-Heat collecting 6 points and then again in heat 16 with another heat advantage for Poole taking the score within 4 points. This left the Poole team needing a maximum win in the last heat to draw the match. In a nail biting final heat Poole’s Gav Wheeler unfortunately fell exiting the second bend which led to the race being stopped by the referee and exclusion from the re-run. Blakenham gated well and forced a slip up by Poole’s captain Matt Mildon to take maximum points and secure the victory.
A fantastic advertisement for Cycle Speedway and the top tier of racing in Britain.
If you missed it the video is available to watch on the British Cycle Speedway National League page.
Final Score:
Poole Comets 86 – Great Blakenham 95
