NATIONAL LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CUP, FIRST ROUND, SECOND LEG BOURNEMOUTH BUCCANEERS 55 NEWPORT HORNETS 38 (Bournemouth win 114-69 on aggregate) MARK Baseby celebrated becoming a fully-fledged Poole asset yesterday by top scoring in Bournemouth’s comprehensive home triumph over Newport last night.

But then he said he felt he had been riding “a little bit mediocre” at times this season despite banging in a fighting 14 points against the Hornets.

The 21-year-old from Kent passed riders in every race he took part in as he caught the eye at wet and windy Wimborne Road.

With Poole-born Kyle Newman also starring, and all the other Castle Cover Buccaneers except Luke Priest solidly getting among the points, Bournemouth romped to their fourth successive victory.

But Newport dug deep after the track had dried out and got three heat advantages – including a marvellous 8-1 by Shelby Rutherford and Sam Hurst – as they cut a one-time 21-point deficit back to 43-32 with three races to go.

Buccaneers’ greater strength in depth told in the end, as two late 5-1s finally put plucky Newport in their place, before the Hornets finished on a high, grabbing a 4-2 through Lee Dicken and Hurst which denied Baseby a five-ride maximum.

Bournemouth, who’d won the first leg 59-31 in Wales, triumphed by a mighty 114-69 on aggregate and now face what should be a much stiffer test against National League champions Weymouth in the cup quarter-final.

Baseby, formerly a Mildenhall, then King’s Lynn, asset, now on Poole’s books while riding for their nursery club Bournemouth said: “The track was a bit heavy tonight, but you just have to ride it.

“To be honest, it suited me down to the ground and I’m pleased I got 14 points.

“Up until tonight, I feel I’ve been riding a little bit mediocre at times this season.

“It’s partly because I haven’t had enough meetings, unlike the other boys in our team who are also riding in the Premier League, some of whom have already done a good 20 or so.

“I didn’t have a particularly good meeting at Newport on Sunday, so it was great to do what I did tonight.”

The opening five heats were marred by plenty of falls, induced by the wet condition of the track, and most riders went down on the entrance to the third turn.

Fortunately, it didn’t appear as though anyone sustained any injuries, although a 20-minute delay for re-grading after Priest and Baseby had fallen in race five, finally made the track raceable.

Both teams were then able to settle down as the circuit dried out and Hornets then produced the best score against Bournemouth so far this term.

All eyes were on Hurst and Priest when they lined up together in heat three, but there was no repeat of their on-track fracas at Newport on Sunday when the Buccaneer claimed Hurst punched him after Bournemouth’s rider had inadvertently brought the Hornet down from behind.

In fact, the main talking point in the race was that referee Phil Griffin awarded a re-run with all four riders even though Karl Mason had locked up on the third turn while leading and fell.

Priest went into the back of Mason and went down, with Hurst also falling, but with Bournemouth’s fans calling for Griffin to exclude Mason, the official ordered all four back when normally that only happens following incidents on the first and second bends.

It was probably the correct common sense decision, though, bearing in mind that almost all the riders were having problems staying up at that stage.

Ironically, Hurst, who’d been fined £300 as well as Priest because of their skirmish at Newport, did catch the eye again this time, and once more for the wrong reason.

Third following team-mate Mason home in a re-run of race three, he inadvertently bought his fellow Hornet down on the last bend, which gifted Priest a point and gave Buccaneers a 4-2 rather than a shared heat.

Buccaneers 55: 1 Jay Herne (2*-3-fell exc-3) 8+1, 2 Andrew Aldridge (3-1-3-2) 9, 3 Luke Priest (1-fell exc-ret-1) 2, 4 Mark Baseby (3-3-3-3-2) 14, 5 Kyle Newman (3-3-2-2*-0) 10+1, 6 Jerran Hart (3-1-1*-2*) 7+2, 7 Aaron Baseby (2*-2*-1-fell exc) 5+2. Team managers: Garry May and Neil Vatcher.

Newport 38: 1 Lee Dicken (fell exc-2-3-1-3) 9, 2 Richard Andrews (1-1*-exc two mins-0) 2+1, 3 Sam Hurst (fell unfair riding-2-fell exc-2*-1) 5+1, 4 Karl Mason (2-0-3-1) 6, 5 Tony Atkin (fell exc-ret-4^) 4, 6 Shelby Rutherford (1-2-2-1*-6^-0) 12+1, 7 John Resch (fell exc-fell exc-0-0) 0. Team manager: Kevin Brown.

Referee: Phil Griffin.

Ht 1: (re-run) Aldridge, Herne, Andrews, Dicken (fell excluded), 65.08 (5-1).

Ht 2: (re-run) Hart, A Baseby, Rutherford, Resch (fell, remounted, fell excluded), 65.71 (10-2).

Ht 3: (re-run) M Baseby, Mason, Priest, Hurst (excluded unfair riding), awarded, no time, unofficially 66.19 (14-4).

Ht 4: Newman, A Baseby, Atkin (fell excluded), Resch (fell, remounted, fell excluded), awarded, no time, (19-4).

Ht 5: (re-run) M Baseby, Dicken, Andrews, Priest (fell excluded), 63.16 (22-7).

Ht 6: Herne, Rutherford, Aldridge, Atkin, 63.82 (26-9).

Ht 7: Newman, Hurst, Hart, Mason, 64.06 (30-11).

Ht 8: Aldridge, Rutherford, A Baseby, Resch, Andrews (excluded two minutes), 65.17 (34-13).

Ht 9: M Baseby, Atkin^ (tactical rider, double points), Rutherford, Priest (fell, remounted, retired), 65.02 (37-18).

Ht 10: (2nd re-run) Mason, Aldridge, Hurst (fell excluded), Herne (fell excluded), 65.30 (39-21).

Ht 11: Dicken, Newman, Hart, Andrews, 63.83 (42-24).

Ht 12: (re-run) Rutherford, Hurst, Priest (fell remounted, fell remounted), A Baseby (fell excluded), 67.21 (43-32).

Ht 13: Herne, Newman, Dicken, Rutherford, 63.22 (48-33).

Ht 14: M Baseby, Hart, Mason, Resch, 63.55 (53-34).

Ht 15: Dicken, M Baseby, Hurst, Newman (fell, remounted), 63.33 (55-38).

Knockout Cup, first round: Bournemouth 114 Newport 69, King’s Lynn 99 Mildenhall 83.

Revised second round draw: Buxton v Rye House, Plymouth v Isle of Wight, Bournemouth v Weymouth, King’s Lynn v Scunthorpe.

Last night’s other results, Elite League: Ipswich 51 Wolves 40, Swindon 59 Belle Vue 34.

Fixtures, tonight, Elite League: Coventry v Peterborough, Lakeside v Wolves.

Tomorrow, Elite League: Eastbourne v Ipswich.

National League: King’s Lynn v Plymouth, Scunthorpe v Mildenhall followed by British Under-15 Championship, round one.

Sunday, National League: Buxton v Plymouth.

Monday, Elite League: Ipswich v Peterborough, Pirates v Belle Vue (3.30pm), Wolves v Coventry.