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Search forDevils survive Rye House scare
Sunday, August 10, 2008, 19:08
The Hertfordshire-based team pushed Devils close in today's second leg of the competition's semi-final.
In the end, a brave Devils performance from a patched-up team owed much to their first-leg heroics, when they built up a 17-point lead at St Boniface.
Devils, with notable absentees such as Kyle Hughes, drafted in 15-year-old Ben Reade and included rookie Jamie White-Williams in their line up.
But on a rain-interrupted day, it was the veteran performers – Mark Simmonds and captain Seemond Stephens – who carried the Devils to victory.
Simmonds, crucially, scored double points thanks to a tactical ride off heat 11 win after Rye House had battled to within three points of the visitors' aggregate score.
That gave Devils a six-point breathing space, although their Hoddesdon hosts ate away at their lead with a 4-2 win in the following heat.
Plymouth, though, drew the next two heats and although they lost the final one, 4-2, they had done just enough to sneak past Rye House 94-92 on aggregate.
Devils chairman Mike Bowden praised his team for sticking to their task.
He said: "It was a tremendous meeting, but basically we were a two-man team, with Mark Simmonds obviously starring on the night and Seemond Stephens also doing brilliantly.
"To give our other riders their due, though, they showed massive commitment in hassling Rye House and continually making it difficult for them.
"Ben Reade is only 15, but he came into the side and did very well, as did Jamie White-Williams.
"This was a great team performance and everybody can be proud of themselves."
Devils were under the cosh from the start of the meeting, going behind on the day 9-3 as Rye House posted 4-2 and 5-1 heat victories.
Plymouth went even further behind in the following heat when Rye House scored their third straight heat win (4-2) of the meeting.
Captain Stephens, though, steadied his troops by pulling back some points with a heat four victory.
Undergunned Devils were still potentially in a world of hurt at 16-8 and were reduced to picking off points where they could, particularly after they went down 5-1 in heat six.
Plymouth didn't win their first heat until seven. Stephens notched his second win of the afternoon as Devils pulled out a 4-2 win.
He did it again in heat nine, although his effort was only enough to tie the heat 3-3.
Rye House won heat 10 5-1 to really put Devils fans' hearts in their mouths. But then came Simmonds' timely tactical ride and a gateway to the final.
Devils are waiting on the result of the Scunthorpe-Boston semi-final before they know their Knock Out Cup final opponents.
But they already have a date with Boston in the final of the Conference Trophy on August 31.
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