Skipper Cameron Woodward reckons Eastbourne can keep improving after scoring their first win of the season.

Eagles banked a bonus point, taking them six clear of rock bottom Coventry, as they beat the Bees 50-40 at Arlington on Saturday.

Woodward shut the outside door on Ben Barker and helped impressive Ricky Kling to the heat 14 5-1 which opened a ten-point margin and finally made sure of a long-awaited Elite League win.

Then the captain and Joonas Kylmakorpi rode out a 3-3 beind Edward Kennett which ensured a maximum three-point haul.

It was Eagles’ first win since they saw off the visiting Bees last September, only their third in the last 12 home fixtures and, reassuringly, came without the need for heroics from any of their top five.

Kling was excellent at reserve but the other regulars will know they can still improve on this.

Eagles will also feel the absent Matej Zagar and Dawid Lampart could have scored more than Adam Shields and Ritchie Hawkins, creditably though the guests performed.

Things are looking a lot brighter ahead of tonight’s trip to Wolverh ampton after this win and the bonus point picked up at Ipswich last Thursday.

“We are all starting to get there,” Woodward said. “We are getting our kit sorted out.

“When we’ve got all together it will be brilliant.

“Coventry are still a good team, that’s the weird thing.

“Edward can fly around here, Bomber (Chris Harris) is a GP rider.

“I think they are still a tough team to beat around here and we did it convincingly, which is nice.”

Eagles only had seven heat winners but this line-up is built for strength in depth rather than top-end fireworks.

They had just four scoreless rides and six of their team had at least one win or paid win.

Eastbourne let slip a six-point lead in mid-meeting to be tied at 21-21 but Simon Gustafsson responded with his first Arlington win of 2010 before Kling completed his third successive double figure score at home.

Team manager Trevor Geer said: “Ricky was star of the show again.

“If he carries on like this he will be out of the reserves and that’s good for us because who is going to go in there? Simon? Cameron?

“There is some time to go until then but at least we will always get a good reserve there.

“It was a well deserved win. We’ve been waiting for it.”