STOKE’S search for their first win of the season continues as they were comprehensively beaten by the unbeaten Birmingham Brummies 57-33 in the National Trophy at Perry Barr on Wednesday night.
Birmingham took the lead in heat three with a 4-2 from Tom Bacon and Callum Walker over Potters skipper Tony Atkin and the home side followed this up with a 5-1 from Danyon Hume and teenager Leon Flint who held off Tom Perry to leave the Potters trailing 15-9 after four heats. The Brummies’ continued to pile of the misery for the A.R. Richards Potters as Hume and Walker combined for a 4-2 over Perry and then they gained a 5-1 from Bacon and Layne Cupitt over Paul Burnett before the Potters filled the minor placings in heat seven behind Hume for a drawn heat at the Potters trail 27-15 after seven heats.
The West Midlands outfit gained a 4-2 in the next race before Tony Atkin became the Potters first race winner of the night in heat nine as he got the better of Walker and Flint for a drawn heat with the Potters trailing 34-20. The Potters filled the minor placings in the next couple of races as they looked to keep the score respectable.
The Brummies’ young guns had no intention of easing up though as they gained a couple of maximum 5-1 heat advantages to open up a 22-point lead before Adam Extance and William O’Keefe filled the minor placings in the penultimate heat for a drawn heat. Birmingham completed the meeting with a 4-2 in the final heat to seal a comfortable victory.
Potters co-team manager Adam Isherwood commented “Birmingham were quick out of the gate and you could tell quite a few of their riders are getting regular action in other leagues. Tony (Atkin) rode hard for his score but it was always going to be a difficult meeting against a very good side.”
BIRMINGHAM 57: Tom Bacon 17+1, Danyon Hume 15, Leon Flint 13+2, Callum Walker 9+1, Layne Cupitt 3+1, Arran Butcher 0, Mitchell Davey r/r STOKE 33: Tony Atkin 12, Tom Perry 8, Paul Burnett 5+2, Adam Extance 4+2, William O’Keefe 3+1, Joe Alcock 1+1, Rob Shuttleworth r/r
