Barrie Evans stars by scoring a magnificent 17 points

National League:

Buxton 40

Hackney Hawks 50

The Hackney Hawks celebrated their first away win of the new season in stunning style, with a ten-point victory against Buxton.

The win takes the Hawks to the top of the National League table for the first time and puts the team four points clear of second-placed Dudley.

Despite the late withdrawal of captain David Mason, who was forced out on the morning of the match for family reasons, the Hawks were in control from the very first race.

A 4-2 from guest Paul Starke and Ben Morley set the visitors on their way and further successes built the advantage to 16-8 by heat four.

Buxton briefly threatened with a 5-1 in heat 10 that pulled the score back to 32-28, but a maximum from Barrie Evans and Starke over Adam Allott and Robert Granford in heat 13 effectively clinched the win.

The same pair then secured a 4-2 win in the last race to make sure of the final match points for the Hawks.

Evans finished the match as the star of the show, having dropped just a single point all afternoon and finished with a magnificent 17.

Hawks’ joint team manager John Sampford was delighted with his side’s performance.

“The team really took the match by the scruff of the neck,” he said.

“That early eight-point advantage could have been even bigger but for Ben Morley suffering a broken chain and Brandon Freemantle falling on the last bend a heat later.

“There were a few tense moments at 38-34, but Barrie Evans and Paul Starke totally controlled the start of heat 13 and led all the way to clinch the points.

“As we said at the start of the season, this is a team that will improve as the campaign goes on.

“We’ve turned the corner in the last week or so.

“Now it’s a question of building for the run-in to the play-offs.”

Hackney scorers: Paul Starke (guest) 10+1 (5 rides), Ben Morley 5+1 (5), David Mason R/R, Marc Owen 3+1 (4), Barrie Evans 17 (6)Brandon Freemantle 5+1 (4), Ben Hopwood 10+2 (6).