STOKE Easy Rider Potters slumped to their fourth home league defeat of the season going down to a 49-41 defeat against the King’s Lynn Young Stars in the National League at Loomer Road on Saturday night.

The Potters started off with a maximum 5-1 from guest Daniel Halsey and skipper Luke Priest over Jake Knight the race having been awarded after Stars guest Stefan Nielsen had fallen.

The Stars brought the score level after three heats with Knight and Darren Mallett gaining a 5-1 over Potters debutant Tom Young. The Stars went in front with a 4-2 from Nielsen and Mallett over Priest and a further 4-2 from Knight and Mallett extended the Stars lead to four points as the Potters trailed 23-19 at the midway point of the meeting.

Halsey and Potters in form reserve Lee Payne gained an impressive maximum 5-1 heat advantage for the Potters over Knight and Mallett to level the scores up at 30 all after ten heats but the Young Stars quickly restored their advantage as firstly Nielsen and Lewis Rose gained a 5-1 and then Mallett and Shane Waldron combined for a 4-2 over Payne in heat twelve to leave the Potters trailing 39-33 with just three heats remaining.

King’s Lynn completed the victory to take all four points that were available to them with a 4-2 from Nielsen and Rose over Halsey and Hughes to give the Young Stars a 49-41 victory.

The Potters provided seven of the fifteen heat winners during the meeting but rarely were they backed up as the Potters camp gained only four bonus points compared to compared to seven for the Stars.

Potters team manager Malcolm Vasey commented “It was disappointing to lose tonight we matched King’s Lynn well, but when we had race winners we unfortunately did not provide the back up in those heats to turn them into heat advantages. Tom (Young) unfortunately suffered bike problems all night and just prior to heat twelve his clutch just disintegrated and we had to replace him from his final ride. Lee (Payne), Kyle (Hughes) and Daniel (Halsey) all chalked up double figure scores and Luke (Priest) also gained paid ten and perhaps had we had Steve Worrall in the side tonight the result may have been different.”

STOKE 41: Lee Payne 11+1, Kyle Hughes 11, Dan Halsey 10+1, Luke Priest 8+2, Tom Young 1, Shaun Tedham 0, Steve Worall r/r.
KING’S LYNN 49: Stefan Nielsen 11+2, Lewis Rose 11+2, Jake Knight 11, Darren Mallett 7+1, Shane Waldron 6+1, Shane Hazelden 3+1, Lewis Kerr r/r.