HEATHENS won a bruising Knockout Cup tie with Belle Vue 45-39 at Monmore Green on Tuesday.

Both Ashley Morris and Kyle Newman were involved in horrific crashes for the former Cradley club but came away relatively unscathed.

Sadly Belle Vue man Kyle Howarth suffered a collarbone injury in a hard fought Heat 14 which saw the fence damaged and the meeting abandoned because of the 10pm curfew.

Once again there was some breathtaking racing in front of a bumper crowd made up of Heathens fans with little travelling support.

Heathens boss Will Pottinger said: "We're pleased to get a six-point lead for the return leg.

"It's hard to say whether we've done enough, but it's nice to have a lead to take up there. We had to work hard for it and credit to all the boys, they've given us everything.

"We had some misfortune along the way but so did Belle Vue. It was a cracking meeting."

HEATHENS: Ashley Morris 12, Jon Armstrong 11, Tom Perry 8+3, Kyle Newman 5, Darryl Ritchings 4+1, Richard Franklin 3+1, Danny Stoneman 2+1.

BELLE VUE: Kyle Howarth 10, Jason Garrity 10, Byron Bekker 8, Adam McKinna 5+2, Scott Richardson 4+2, Chris Widman 1+1, Karl Mason 1.