Horspath Hammers maintained their good start in defence of their British Premier League title with a 89-86 win at Poole.

The visitors were rocked as the hosts took a first-heat lead, but they stormed back superbly to take a 12-point lead in the next five races.

Exclusions to both Shaun Rudman and Mike Morgans cost Hammers dear as two heat wins became reverses.

Poole won the penultimate heat 7-3 to set up a potential last-heat decider, but Hammers defended their three-point advantage, thanks mainly to the sterling efforts of Steve Harris and Mark Boaler.

Lewis Osborne top-scored while Hammers’ Rafal Dulinski, deputising for the absent Matty Szymanski, scored a vital 14 points from four starts.

Horspath scorers: L Osborne 17, R Dulinski 14, M Boaler 12+3, S Harris 12+1, M Carmichael 11, S Rudman 9, C Osborne 8+1, M Morgans 6+1.

Horspath went down to a 73-56 defeat in their Combination match against Poole.

Mike Burgess led the way for Hammers, receiving some good support from Wayne Clarke.

Horspath scorers: M Burgess 14, W Clarke 12, M Janes 9, Z Payne 8, L Clarke 5, M Coulter 4, J Lamb 4 R Edge snr.

This weekend Horspath are in South & South Wales Division 1 action at Newport where they will face Mark Carmichael who is on a season-long loan to Welsh side from Hammers.