COVENTRY were edged out in a narrow 44-46 reverse at Birmingham on Wednesday - but still took a further Elite League point for their Perry Barr efforts.
The Buildbase Bees mounted a late fightback after a number of mid-meeting setbacks to come from eight points down and go into a last-heat decider with a chance of snatching overall victory.
But although No.1 Hans Andersen picked up his second win of the night, the hugely impressive Kyle Howarth was squeezed out from the outside gate as Adam Skornicki and Danny King made sure of a hard-fought success for the Brummies.
Five points from the opening two away matches, though, already matches the Bees’ total on the road for the entire 2013 campaign and gives them a solid platform on which to build their challenge.
Bees travelled to the Second City with both Andersen and Jason Garrity carrying injuries, and skipper Chris Harris only recently back in the UK following last weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix.
Garrity, heavily bruised in a crash at Plymouth on Friday, endured a tough night but there was another solid display from James Sarjeant to ensure Bees remained competitive at reserve.
Neither side could gain control of the meeting in the early stages although Coventry went ahead when Ryan Fisher won Heat 4 and was joined for a 5-1 by Sarjeant when second-placed Daniel Nermark came to a stop.
They maintained a two-point advantage for a time although a return to form for home captain Danny King, defeating Andersen and Harris in Heat 6, gave the Brummies plenty of encouragement – and experienced Pole Adam Skornicki was winning races with some fast starting.
The overall key to the meeting came in Heats 8 and 9, both of which resulted in Brummies 5-1s – firstly when Nermark defied every effort of first Kenneth Hansen and then Fisher to get past for second place in Heat 8, and then with another maximum in Heat 9 when Garrity took his second fall of the night.
A double clash between Howarth and King in Heat 11 resulted in the interval being called early, and after the break Bees were far sharper from the starts and set about their eight-point deficit with purpose.
Three 4-2s in the space of three races brought the match right back to the boil, yet it could even have been better as King just managed to make it inside Andersen on turn three in Heat 11 as the fast-gating Howarth led; and after a fine Fisher win in Heat 12, Edward Kennett rescued second spot over Harris in Heat 13 just when it seemed the Coventry man was linking up with Andersen.
Howarth’s Heat 14 victory booked him in for a place in the decider, with Sarjeant kept at the rear by Paul Starke to take the Brummies into the last race narrowly ahead.
Andersen made the start in Heat 15 and clamped Skornicki from the inside, but King ensured there was no way through for Howarth and Bees had to be content with one point overall from the narrow defeat.
Manager Gary Havelock said: “We said before that there would probably be a backlash from them, and there’s no doubt Birmingham were much-improved.
“We just fell a little short but to pull it back from eight down with five races to go and take it into a last-heat decider and a point, we’ll take that. We’re sitting on five points from two away meetings and when you think back to last year we’re doing alright!
“Kyle was sensational, he was making the best gates out of our whole team and that was why we put him in Heat 15. Gate four was difficult, he almost got there but he got squeezed out – but I’m really impressed with Kyle so far, and there’s definitely fight in this team.â€
BIRMINGHAM 46: Adam Skornicki 12+1, Danny King 11, Paul Starke 6+2, Simon Lambert 5+1, Edward Kennett 5, Daniel Nermark 4+1, Ben Barker 3. BUILDBASE BEES 44: Hans Andersen 11, Kyle Howarth 9+1, Ryan Fisher 8+1, James Sarjeant 7+1, Chris Harris 6+1, Kenneth Hansen 3+1, Jason Garrity 0.
BIRMINGHAM 46 Ben Barker 0 3 0 0 = 3 Adam Skornicki 3 3 3 2 1* = 12+1 Danny King 1 3 3 2 2 = 11 Daniel Nermark R 0 2* 2 = 4+1 Edward Kennett 3 0 0 2 = 5 Simon Lambert 1* 1 3 0 = 5+1 Paul Starke 2 1 2* 1* = 6+2
BUILDBASE BEES 44 Hans Andersen 2 2 1 3 3 = 11 Ryan Fisher 1* 3 1 3 = 8+1 Kenneth Hansen 0 2 0 1* = 3+1 Kyle Howarth 1* 2 3 3 0 = 9+1 Chris Harris 2 1* 2 1 = 6+1 Jason Garrity R X X = 0 James Sarjeant 3 2* 1 1 0 = 7+1