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| |  | BATTLING Birmingham produced an impressive display to earn a hard fought draw at Scunthorpe.
It was a rollercoaster of a fixture at the Eddie Wright Raceway which eventually ended 45-45.
It meant the Edwards Plumbing Brummies picked up their first away league points since returning to the Championship after a torrid run of results on the road.
Adam Ellis, who returned to action in Wednesday's home win over Eastbourne after three weeks out with a broken collarbone, won the opener with a tapes to flag victory.
But Brummies conceded a 5-1 in the second as reserve duo Jordan Jenkins and James Shanes were outgated by their Scunthorpe counterparts.
Italian favourite Paco Castagna stormed to the front in Heat Three while former Scorpion Tero Aarnio earned third place after an intriguing battle with Stefan Nielsen.
Ellis and Nick Agertoft registered a 4-2 to pull Birmingham level in the fifth while recent recruit Jason Garrity enjoyed a solid start against his former employees with five points out of six.
Skipper Shanes came through to snatch a win in the eighth but advantages for the hosts either side saw them establish a six-point lead.
Aarnio and Castagna combined again in the tenth, this time it was a 5-1 though as they took full advantage of home man Danny Ayres suffering a tapes exclusion.
The hosts responded instantly before Brummies hit back with two more maximums of their own to take the lead for the first time.
Garrity won Heat 12 as a tactical substitute with Aarnio before teaming up with No.1 Ellis in the next to make a quick getaway and move ahead 40-38.
Shanes could only split the home pair of former Brummies man Josh Auty and inspired reserve Ryan Kinsley in the penultimate race to set up a last heat decider with the scores all square once again.
Auty was away and gone out front and it looked as though Brummies were on the verge of suffering late heartache when former Perry Barr favourite Ben Barker joined his team-mate out front for a 5-1.
But Ellis and Garrity wound it on to put him under some severe pressure and forced an error from Barker on lap two as he slid off to ensure the sides could not be separated after a topsy-turvy encounter in North Lincolnshire.
Team boss Laurence Rogers said: "After everything we've been through with injuries and what not this year, this is a night everyone connected with Birmingham Speedway should be proud of.
"The boys battled so, so hard, it was a great team effort, there was a great team spirit in the pits and a draw was the least we deserved.
"We've again shown what we can do with a full 1-7 and it gives us more hope of working our way up the league table in the final few weeks of the season."
Brummies host Scunthorpe at Perry Barr this Wednesday (7.30).
SCUNTHORPE 45: Josh Auty 13, Ryan Kinsley 9+2, Ben Barker 7, Simon Lambert 6+2, Danny Ayres 6, Jake Allen 3+2, Stefan Nielsen 1.
BIRMINGHAM 45: Jason Garrity 13+2, Adam Ellis 11, James Shanes 7+1, Tero Aarnio 6+1, Paco Castagna 6+1, Nick Agertoft 1, Jordan Jenkins 1.
Championship Points: Scunthorpe 1 Birmingham 2
Picture: IAN RISPIN
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