Sayfutdinov: top-scored for Coventry with 11 points
Coventry Bees defeated Elite League leaders Poole Pirates 49-42 in an extraordinary clash at the Brandon Stadium on Monday evening.
What was a re-run of last year's Grand Final turned into something of a nightmare for the Pirates who finished the night with only four fit riders.
To their credit, despite the numerical disadvantage, they still pushed Coventry all the way and were unfortunate not to finish with a losing bonus-point.
Having lost the first heat 4-2, Poole hit back in style in the second with a 5-1 through Renat Gafurov and Kyle Newman that saw them hit the front.
But their problems started in heat three when Jason Doyle slid out after clipping Ryan Fisher's back-wheel and sustained concussion that ruled him out for the remainder of the meet.
They then lost Newman in the next as he crashed out at the final corner and picked up a knee problem that would keep him on the sidelines.
Coventry reclaimed the lead with a 5-1 in heat five through Fisher and Przemyslaw Pawlicki that put them 16-14 ahead and did not trail again.
More problems
Indeed, things got even worse for the Pirates in heat nine when Darcy Ward - who was riding solo with Gafurov rested for later heats - also came off awkwardly and injured a hip.
With the Australian excluded for the restart, Coventry secured a facile 5-0 that stretched their advantage to nine at 31-22.
There was more carnage in heat ten as Bees duo Emil Sajfutdinov and Kenni Larsen and Pirates rider Gafurov all collided at the first corner and crashed into the air fence.
All four restarted and the highly-impressive Sayfutdinov lead home a Coventry 4-2 that opened a 11-point lead, allowing Poole's Chris Holder to ride for double points in the next heat.
Amazingly, Holder won the race and saw team-mate Dennis Andersson pip Ed Kennett on the final lap to take second, securing an unlikely 8-1 which threw the contest back open at 36-32.
Riding solo, Holder also won heat 13 to claim a 3-3 that kept alive his team's hopes of pinching something against all odds.
But those hopes were dashed by another tumble, Gafurov - also riding solo - skidded out of heat 14 to hand the Bees another 5-0 that moved the score on to 47-38, assuring them of the win.
The Pirates were still targeting a 5-1 in the final heat to nick a losing bonus point, but they came up just short despite the efforts of Holder who produced another assured ride, a 4-2 leaving them a solitary point adrift of their target.
Despite the loss, the Pirates remain top of the table, with Coventry climbing to sixth on the back of their success.
Easy for Belle Vue
Elsewhere on Monday evening, Belle Vue recorded an emphatic 53-40 win over Peterborough to maintain their play-off hopes.
The Aces, who stay in fourth place, were inspired by Chris Harris who chipped in with 13+1, while Troy Batchelor (16) top-scored for the Panthers who sit in seventh.
Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_7061688,00.html
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