CHRIS Mills believes Buccaneers can retain their slender hold on the Knockout Cup after they slipped to a disappointing 52-39 defeat at King’s Lynn last night.

Bournemouth Castle Cover’s spearhead shrugged off the pain of riding with a cracked rib and engine problems to scorched to two vital heat wins which kept the cup holders in the tie.

Mills, who sustained his injury in a long-track spill last month, produced a gritty nine-point display that would have been more if he hadn’t suffered cam chain and carburettor problems.

He was a clear leader going into the final lap of heat five before mechanical gremlins forced him to slow up, allowing Adam Lowe to pass him and snatch victory.

Then he relinquished a safe third place after suffering more engine trouble when Kyle Howarth was out in front in race 11 as a Bournemouth 4-2 slipped away.

But, despite those problems, Mills was still in bullish mood about Buccaneers’ cup prospects after he, Howarth, with a spectacular 14 paid 15 performance, and Daniel Halsey, with seven, had kept their hopes alive.

Mills, unlucky to finish third behind Darren Mallett and Simon Lambert in a blanket finish to a thrilling heat 13, said: “We can definitely get back in the tie. Thirteen points is gettable.

“We’ll know what we have to do on the night and we’ll also know what our set-ups should be from the off.”

Mills, whose side have lost all four away this term, but won all four at home, |added: “We’ll just treat it as a normal meeting.

“King’s Lynn did well on their own track but we’d expect to beat them at home, hopefully by enough to win on aggregate.”

Howarth, 16, banged in his highest score for Bournemouth, reeling off two race wins and being the only rider to lower Lowe’s colours.

He also took charge of heat 12, belying his age by shepherding the more experienced Halsey home for a vital Bournemouth 5-1 ahead of Jake Knight.

Mills said: “I only met Kyle for the first time this year but he’s been phenominal.

“If he keeps going like he is, he’s going to be a great rider.”

King’s Lynn 52: 1 Simon Lambert (2-3-3-2*-2) 12+1, 2 Cal McDade (fell exc-2*-3-0) 5+1, 3 Scott Campos (2*-1-1*-0) 4+2, 4 Adam Lowe (3-3-2-3) 11, 5 Darren Mallett (3-3-2-3-ret) 11, 6 Lewis Kerr (0-1-fell exc) 1, 7 Jake Knight (3-exc tapes-1-1*-1-2*) 8+2. Team manager: Dale Allitt.

Buccaneers 39: 1 Chris Mills (3-2-ret-1-3) 9, 2 Aaron Baseby (1-0-0) 1, 3 Daniel Halsey (1-fell exc-2-3-1) 7, 4 Karl Mason (0-4^-1*-0) 5+1, 5 Mark Baseby (2-0-0) 2, 6 Kyle Howarth (2-1-2-3-3-2*-1) 14+1, 7 John Resch (1*-0-0) 1+1. Team managers: Garry May and Neil Vatcher.

Referee: Barbara Horley.

Ht 1: Mills, Lambert, A Baseby, McDade (fell excluded), no time, awarded, (2-4).

Ht 2: Knight, Howarth, Resch, Kerr, 63.34 (5-7).

Ht 3: Lowe, Campos, Halsey, Mason, 62.77 (10-8).

Ht 4: (re-run) Mallett, M Baseby, Kerr, Resch, Knight (excluded tapes), 62.84 (14-10).

Ht 5: Lowe, Mills, Campos, A Baseby, 63.15 (18-12).

Ht 6: Lambert, McDade, Howarth, M Baseby, 63.41 (23-13).

Ht 7: (re-run) Mallett, Mason^ (tactical rider, double points), Halsey (fell excluded), Kerr (fell excluded, not under power when race stopped), 62.92 (26-17).

Ht 8: McDade, Howarth, Knight, A Baseby, 63.97 (30-19).

Ht 9: Howarth, Lowe, Campos, M Baseby, 63.27 (33-22).

Ht 10: Lambert, Halsey, Mason, McDade, 63.97 (36-25).

Ht 11: (re-run) Howarth, Mallett, Knight, Mills (retired), 62.80 (39-28).

Ht 12: Halsey, Howarth, Knight, Campos, 64.59 (40-33).

Ht 13: Mallett, Lambert, Mills, Resch, 63.33 (45-34).

Ht 14: Lowe, Knight, Howarth, Mason, 63.17 (50-35).

Ht 15: Mills, Lambert, Halsey, Mallett (retired), 62.97 (52-39).