JAMES Brundle scorched to a 15-point maximum as Buccaneers beat Rye House 48-42 following a last-heat decider at Hoddesdon last night.

He was the first Bournemouth Castle Cover rider to go through the card from five rides this season as they boosted their hopes of reaching the National League title play-offs.

It was the first time high-flying Cobras had lost at home this term.

And Brundle’s final race 5-1 with ex-Rye House rider Daniel Halsey over Jerran Hart and Lee Strudwick completed the Dorset side’s second consecutive away success.

Buccaneers’ triumph propelled them to within four points of Cobras and fourth-placed Dudley, who occupy the last play-off berth at the moment.

With five home meetings still to come, the defending champions will fancy their chances of putting together a late run to keep themselves in the title chase.

Bournemouth enjoyed some good fortune when six-man Cobras, who started without Jamie Smith, Marc Owen (both injured) and Kyle Hughes (unavailable), suffered the loss of Ben Morley’s services after only four races.

They rode for more than two-thirds of the meeting with only five riders after he pulled up in his second outing following the recurrence of an ankle injury.

But Halsey fell while leading race four and also clattered into the fence while last in heat 13.

Brundle, who had been lying second behind Strudwick at the time, made the most of his second chance, sweeping to his fourth successive victory to grab a vital 3-3.

That kept Buccaneers, who trailed 40-38, firmly in the hunt and, once Shane Hazelden had been excluded for falling in the penultimate race, Kyle Howarth and Aaron Baseby combined for a 5-1 that fired Bournemouth in front for only the second time in a titanic tussle.

With tension mounting, Strudwick was forced to go off a 15-metres handicap in heat 15 when he failed to meet the two-minute deadline to reach the tapes.

Brundle and Halsey then powered away from Rye House guest Hart, covering for Smith, with Strudwick trailing in last as the Dorset side snatched three match points.

Rye House 42: 1 (guest) Jerran Hart (2-3-0-2-2-1) 10, 2 Rider replacement for Kyle Hughes, 3 David Mason (3-2-1*-0-2*) 8+2, 4 Ben Morley (1*-ret) 1+1, 5 Lee Strudwick (2-fell exc-3-2-1*-0) 8+2, 6 Tom Stokes (3-0-0-0-1) 4, 7 Shane Hazelden (fell exc-3-3-2-3-fell exc) 11. Team manager: John Sampford.

Buccaneers 48: 1 James Brundle (3-3-3-3-3) 15, 2 Mark Baseby (0-1-1*-1) 3+1, 3 Karl Mason (2-1*-3-1) 7+1, 4 Kyle Howarth (1*-2-1-3) 7+1, 5 Daniel Halsey (fell exc-2-3-fell exc-2*) 7+1, 6 Aaron Baseby (1*-1-1*-2-2*) 7+3, 7 (guest) James Sarjeant (2-exc tapes-0-0) 2. Team managers: Garry May and Neil Vatcher.

Referee: Daniel Holt.

Match points: Rye House 0 Bournemouth 3.

Ht 1: Brundle, Hart, Morley, M Baseby, 58.2 (3-3).

Ht 2: (2nd re-run) Stokes, Sarjeant, A Baseby, Hazelden (fell excluded), 59.2 (6-6).

Ht 3: D Mason, K Mason, Howarth, Morley, 57.9 (9-9).

Ht 4: Hazelden, Strudwick, A Baseby, Halsey (fell excluded), awarded, no time, (14-10).

Ht 5: Brundle, D Mason, M Baseby, Stokes, 58.3 (16-14).

Ht 6: (re-run) Hart, Halsey, A Baseby, Strudwick (fell excluded), 58.7 (19-17).

Ht 7: Strudwick, Howarth, K Mason, Stokes, 59.6 (22-20).

Ht 8: Hazelden, A Baseby, M Baseby, Hart, Sarjeant (excluded tapes), 59.4 (25-23).

Ht 9: Halsey, Hazelden, D Mason, Sarjeant, 60.7 (28-26).

Ht 10: K Mason, Hart, Howarth, D Mason, 59.8 (30-30).

Ht 11: Brundle, Strudwick, M Baseby, Stokes, 59.5 (32-34).

Ht 12: Hazelden, D Mason, K Mason, Sarjeant , (37-35).

Ht 13: (re-run) Brundle, Hart, Strudwick, Halsey (fell excluded), 58.8 (40-38).

Ht 14: (re-run) Howarth, A Baseby, Stokes, Hazelden (fell excluded), 59.5 (41-43).

Ht 15: Brundle, Halsey, Hart, Strudwick (excluded two minutes, started off 15 metres handicap), 58.7 (42-48).