BIRMINGHAM moved a step closer to the Premier League play-offs with an exciting home win over Rye House at Perry Barr Wednesday night.

Birmingham 53 Rye House 41

BIRMINGHAM moved a step closer to the Premier League play-offs with an exciting home win over Rye House at Perry Barr Wednesday night.

The Rockets’ Swedish youngster Linus Sundstrom showed his supreme talent with a series of race wins, but he ran out of consistent support as the strength-in-depth Brummies controlled the meeting.

The home side recovered from an early setback when they conceded maximum points in Heat 1 when skipper Jason Lyons was forced onto borrowed machinery, but the Rockets offered little apart from the combination of Sundstrom and Stefan Ekberg.

The Swedes kept the visitors in touch with another 5-1 in Heat 5 after the Brummies had moved clear, but Lyons superbly rounded visiting captain Chris Neath on the last bend of Heat 6 for a 5-1 with the back-to-form Justin Sedgmen as Birmingham extended their lead.

Brummies then took full advantage in mid-meeting when Sundstrom was not on track, and 5-1s in both Heats 9 and 10 put them into a commanding 16-point lead before the visitors’ top man was deployed for double points.

But Richard Sweetman pulled off one of the rides of the season as, when facing an 8-1 reverse, he went between Sundstrom and Ekberg off the last bend and took a sensational win in a blanket finish between all three riders.

Chris Neath then banked six points in Heat 12 as the Rockets fought back, and they remained in contention for a league point when Kyle Newman crashed heavily in Heat 14, although thankfully he appears to have escaped with bruising.

The visitors needed a 5-1 from the last race for a point, but Sweetman was too fast for Sundstrom with Steve Johnston supplying third place.

BIRMINGHAM: Richard Sweetman 13, Steve Johnston 9+2, Justin Sedgmen 8+1, Aaron Summers 8, Jason Lyons 7+2, Klaus Jakobsen 5, Kyle Newman 3+2.

RYE HOUSE: Linus Sundstrom 15+2, Chris Neath 10, Stefan Ekberg 7+1, Kyle Hughes 7, Robbie Kessler 2+1, Paul Starke 0. Jordan Frampton r/r.