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| |  | BIRMINGHAM were cruelly denied their first away win of the season as they went down 46-44 in a thriller at Oxford on Thursday.
The Curtis Sport Brummies led for long spells of the meeting and even after going four points behind after Heat 10, they came roaring back to take the lead in the closing stages.
But with a 3-3 required from Heat 15 to win the match, Tom Brennan was controversially disqualified after clashing with home rider Erik Riss, and then in the re-run Macej Janowski produced a stunning ride to defeat Fredrik Lindgren and secure a clinching 5-1 for the Spires.
It was very harsh on the Brummies who played their part in an outstanding speedway contest with Lindgren, Brennan and Zach Cook all delivering top-notch displays.
And with an impressive display of gating from the visitors, the Oxford riders were often forced into making moves from the back, including the first race when Riss split Lindgren and Wiktor Lampart after the Brummies had initially held a 5-1.
Each of the first four races was won by a Birmingham rider with Michael Palm Toft, Cook and Brennan taking the next heats, with Brummies again on a 5-1 in Heat 4 before Chris Harris got the better of Leon Flint.
Oxford narrowed the gap to two points with a 4-2 in Heat 5, Lindgren going hard inside Janowski for second place, but the Brummies came back with their own 4-2 in the next as Brennan defeated Rohan Tungate with Palm Toft keeping Riss at the back.
A spectacular Heat 7 was eventually shared 3-3 after Piotr Pawlicki stormed inside Harris on lap two only for the Spires captain to hit back around the outside on the last lap.
Oxford then produced successive 4-2s to level the scores as Brennan just lost out to Janowski in Heat 9, and the home side hit the front for the first time in the next with Riss and Tungate fast from the start to defeat Cook and Pawlicki, leaving the scores at 32-28.
But the Brummies were quick to respond, and they cut the gap back to two in Heat 11 with Lindgren going clear whilst Harris battled with Lampart, and the visitors gated on a 5-1 once again in Heat 12 only for Janowski to fly around the outside on turn four.
Brummies did get it spot in Heat 13 as Lindgren gated on Tungate and clamped him whilst Brennan made it from gate four for a massive 5-1 to put them 40-38 ahead – and at that stage, they looked good for the win.
Cook rode a smart first lap to see off Charles Wright in Heat 14 but a reserve switch to bring in Palm Toft for Flint didn’t have the desired effect as Ashton Boughen held on for a vital third place for the Spires.
Even so, Brummies went into the last race 43-41 ahead and tracking Lindgren and Brennan once more, whilst Oxford changed totally from Heat 13, going for Riss and Janowski rather than Harris and Tungate.
The first start saw Lindgren make it from gate two, but as he moved off the line on the exit of turn two, both Spires went either side of him. Lindgren forced his way back inside Riss coming out of turn four, leaving the German with no momentum, and as Brennan followed his team-mate through Riss went down after light contact and Brennan was disqualified.
That left Lindgren in the awkward situation of being one against two, and in the re-run he elected to go straight for the outside in a bid to block Janowski’s run – but the Pole was totally committed with minimal room between the Swede and the fence, and whilst that was going on Riss had a clear run on the inside as Oxford edged home.
Brummies will never go closer to an away win in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership, and they are next in action on Monday (August 5) when they visit Belle Vue.
OXFORD 46: Maciej Janowski 11+1, Erik Riss 11, Charles Wright 7+1, Chris Harris 7, Rohan Tungate 5+1, Ashton Boughen 3+1, Luke Killeen 2+1.
BIRMINGHAM 44: Freddie Lindgren 11+1, Tom Brennan 11, Zach Cook 8+1, Michael Palm Toft 5+1, Wiktor Lampart 4, Piotr Pawlicki 4, Leon Flint 1.
Oxford win the aggregate point
Photo credit: LES AUBREY
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