OXFORD Spires kept themselves in fourth place in the Premiership after a thrilling 46-44 win over Birmingham Brummies at Sandy Lane.

Spires won all three points on offer, including the aggregate bonus point, since they won 37-23 in a curtailed contest at Birmingham last month.

Oxford entered Heat 15 two points down, and it looked over when Fredrik Lindgren showed first from the tapes for Brummies.

However, Maciej Janowski flew around the Swede down the back straight. Lindgren moved across to try to block the move and left room for Erik Riss on his inside on the third bend, and the German moved through.

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Spires at that point held a 5-1, but more drama was to follow. Lindgren pushed back under Riss on the first turn of lap two.

His teammate Tom Brennan followed through the gap, but there wasn’t enough room, leading to contact and Riss crashing down.

Brennan was excluded from the re-run, in which Riss made the start, while Lindgren went wide on the second bend to block Janowski.

He didn’t appear to have left a gap, but the Pole didn’t back down and still managed to squeeze between Lindgren and the fence.

With Spires on a 5-1, Lindgren tried hard but both Riss and Janowski rode the outside line to perfection as Spires snatched victory.

Spires have won all four meetings against Brummies this season, but this was the closest contest, as the visitors belied their bottom of the table position.

Birmingham provided all four of the opening heat winners, as they moved 14-10 ahead. Charles Wright became Spires’ first race winner in Heat 5.

Janowski forced a route under the previously unbeaten Brennan in Heat 9, as Spires levelled the scores with a 4-2, and then Riss and Rohan Tungate placed Spires in front for the first time with a 5-1 in Heat 10.

Brummies were far from finished and took a 4-2 in Heat 11, with Chris Harris passing Wiktor Lampart to avoid the visitors taking a 5-1.

Janowski was flying by this time, and used the outside line for a breathtaking double outside pass on Piotr Pawlicki and Michael Palm Toft to win Heat 12. Brummies then regained the lead with a 5-1 from Lindgren and Brennan in Heat 13.

Wright edged in front in Heat 14, but he was relieved of the lead by Zach Cook. Meanwhile, Ashton Boughen took a crucial third-placed point ahead of Palm Toft.

That left Spires two points down, and facing two riders in Brennan and Lindgren who had dropped a single point apiece entering Heat 15, but then there was the heroics of Riss and Janowski.