DUDLEY Heathens have taken a giant step towards the Knockout Cup Final – after racing to a 28-point lead from the first leg of their last-four clash against the Isle of Wight.

Heathens came up with a storming finale at Monmore Green on Tuesday, rattling off five maximum 5-1 advantages in the last six races to hit 60 points for the night and put them into a very strong position ahead of the return at the Smallbrook Stadium early next month.

And their score would have been even more but for a series of falls during the meeting which saw Ashley Morris, Byron Bekker and Dan Greenwood (twice) all lose points when they hit the deck.

But it was a dominant display from the home side with the Islanders limited to one race win, that coming from Kyle Hughes in Heat 5 – but last year’s Golden Hammer winner was remarkably relegated to third place when he went for double points in Heat 11 by Morris and Darryl Ritchings, who rode a superb first lap.

The visitors’ other tactical ride had been repelled by James White-Williams in Heat 8, the Welshman recovering well from a slow start to the meeting, and Morris reeled off four straight wins after coming to grief in his first ride when well clear.

Skipper Adam Roynon eased to a four-ride paid maximum whilst it was Tom Perry who supplied the meeting’s two best overtaking moves – first a stunning effort to round Paul Starke on the run to the line in Heat 9, and then a fourth-to-second dash inside Hughes and Danny Warwick to link up with Morris for a last-heat 5-1.

Morris said: “We had a discussion at the interval about the bikes and the track, and to look at how much we were leading by, and we talked about keeping the points ticking over to make sure we got a good lead, and that’s what we did.

“No-one knew how we would be when we started, but it does look like we’re one of the strongest teams now all the way through, and we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with at the end of the season.”

HEATHENS 60: Tom Perry 13+1, Ashley Morris 12, Adam Roynon 11+1, Darryl Ritchings 7+3, Byron Bekker 6+2, Dan Greenwood 6, James White-Williams 5+1.

ISLE OF WIGHT 32: Kyle Hughes 7+1, Danny Stoneman 6+3, Danny Warwick 6, Gary Cottham 5+1, Paul Starke 4, Ben Hopwood 3+1, Aaron Baseby 1.