The opening team ficture for the 2012 season at Brandon took place this evening with the first leg of the Midland cup between the Coventtry Bees speedway team and the Birmingham Brummies.
The Bees took to the track minus Kenny Larsen who was unable to ride due to CAT scan results on his injured wrist not being available, so rider replacement was used as cover. The Brummies tracked a full side including former Bee Martin Smolinski.
Meetings such as this are a good way of blowing away any winter cobwebs but Bees fans must hope that tonight is a portent of things to come for team set about their night in super form with successive 5-1's in the first 2 heats, with a further 5-1 maximum on the cards in heat 3 until Arron Summers suffered an unfortunate engine failure.
Thereafter the Bees were in total control and opened up a lead of 38-16 after heat 9 before the Brummies claimed their first heat win in a tactical ride in heat 10 to peg the score back by 3 points going into the interval.
in the final heats the Bees further extended their lead before succumbing to a 5-1 reverse in the final heat 15, running out victors in an impressive 56-39 scoreline.
The Bees scorers on the night were:-