AFTER a bright start to the meeting Stoke A.R. Richards Potters slumped to a 54-35 defeat against Cradley in the Travel Plus National League at Monmore Green on Monday night.
Potters team manager Malcolm Vasey said “I thought the team inexplicably fell apart in the second half of the meeting after making a reasonable start to the match and once again some of the riders are just not scoring the points that they should be scoring. So really it is a disappointing result for us after starting the meeting well and we should have ended the meeting better. We did the initial spade work well and have done so in several meetings and then have just fallen apart. I have to take my hat off to Tony (Atkin) as he rode very well and we now have to regroup quickly and sort ourselves out ready for the Isle of Wight on Thursday.”
The Potters took the lead courtesy of a 4-2 from Atkin and David Wallinger over Joe Lawlor and they continued to hold the lead as they followed that up with a couple of drawn heats.
Cradley gained a 3-2 heat advantage in heat 6 as Danny Ayres took the victory over Luke Priest after firstly Paul Burnett had been excluded and then Luke Harris was then also excluded in the rerun as the Heathens took a 3-2 heat advantage and they followed up with a further advantage of a 4-2 from Tom Perry and Conor Dwyer over Atkin to put the Heathens in front 21-20 after seven races.
Cradley extended their lead to seven points with a maximum 5-1 from Dan Greenwood and Joe Lawlor over Burnett and quickly followed that up with a 4-2 from Ayres and Harris over Atkin.
Not for the first time this season the Potters suffered three successive 5-1 heat adsvantages as the Heathens ran riot in the final three races to take all three points and a comfortable victory on the night.
CRADLEY 54: Danny Ayres 15, Tom Perry 13+2, Joe Lawlor 8+2, Conor Dwyer 8+1, Dan Greenwood 5, Luke Harris 4, Tyler Govier 1+1. STOKE 35: Tony Atkin 11, Mitchell Davey 6+2, Ryan Terry-Daley 6, Shaun Tedham 4+2, Luke Priest 4, Paul Burnett 3+1, David Wallinger 1.
