BUCCANEERS slumped to their first National League defeat of the season when they relinquished a one-point lead with two races to go and lost 50-43 at Buxton today.
Ten points down after only four races, Bournemouth Castle Cover hit back strongly to take the lead for the first time 38-37 with only three heats remaining.
A 3-3 followed in race 13, but Charles Wright and Nick Morris outgated Mark Baseby to grab a Hitmen 5-1 in the penultimate heat as they scrambled 45-42 in front.
Then Buccaneers suffered last-lap puncture agony as a vital league point slipped away when Byron Bekker, passed for first place by Charles Wright at the end of the third circuit, slowed up with a puncture on the back straight while second.
Adam Allott roared past to steal a Buxton 5-1, which saw them win by seven points.
If Bekker had finished second, as he looked destined to do with only half a lap to go, Bournemouth would have only lost the race 4-2, but gained a valuable away league point by losing by six or less.
As it was, they ended up with nothing, while Buxton got the maximum three points for a home win.
Buxton 50: 1 (guest) Tony Atkin (3-3-2-exc unfair riding) 8, 2 Jason Garrity (2*-exc two mins-exc-1*) 3+2, 3 Lewis Dallaway (1-1*-0-fell) 2+1, 4 Charles Wright (3-2-1-3-3) 12, 5 Adam Allott (3-2-2-3-2*) 12+1, 6 Nick Morris (3-1*-1*-2*) 7+3, 7 Robert Branford (0-2*-0-2-2) 6+1. Team manager: Jack Lee.
Buccaneers 43: 1 (guest) Byron Bekker (fell-6^-3-1*-1) 11+1, 2 Aaron Baseby (1-0-fell exc) 1, 3 Daniel Halsey (0-0-ret-3) 3, 4 Mark Baseby (2-3-3-1-fell exc) 9, 5 Karl Mason (1-2-2*-2) 7+1, 6 Kyle Howarth (1*-1*-1-3-1) 7+2, 7 John Resch (2-0-3-0) 5. Team managers: Garry May and Neil Vatcher.
Referee: Dave Dowling.
League points: Buxton 3 Buccaneers 0.
Ht 1: Atkin, Garrity, A Baseby, Bekker (fell), 58.2 (5-1).
Ht 2: Morris, Resch, Howarth, Branford, 56.8 (8-4).
Ht 3: Wright, M Baseby, Dallaway, Halsey, 57.6 (12-6).
Ht 4: Allott, Branford, Mason, Resch, 56.7 (17-7).
Ht 5: Bekker^ (tactical rider, double points), Wright, Dallaway, A Baseby, 56.5 (20-13).
Ht 6: (re-run) Atkin, Mason, Howarth, Branford, Garrity (excluded two minutes), 57.7 (23-16).
Ht 7: M Baseby, Allott, Morris, Halsey, 57.2 (26-19).
Ht 8: Resch, Branford, Howarth (fell, remounted), Garrity (fell, remounted, excluded), awarded, no time (28-23).
Ht 9: Howarth, Mason, Wright, Dallaway, 60.0 (29-28).
Ht 10: M Baseby, Atkin, Garrity, Halsey (fell, remounted, retired), 58.0 (32-31).
Ht 11: (re-run) Bekker, Allott, Morris, A Baseby (fell excluded), 58.4 (35-34).
Ht 12: (2nd re-run) Halsey, Branford, Howarth (fell, pushed bike home), Dallaway (fell), 59.4 (37-38).
Ht 13: (re-run) Allott, Mason, Bekker (fell, remounted), Atkin (excluded unfair riding), 57.2 (40-41).
Ht 14: Wright, Morris, M Baseby, Resch, 57.7 (45-42).
Ht 15: (re-run) Wright, Allott, Bekker, M Baseby (fell excluded), 57.3 (50-43).
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