STOKE Easy Rider Potters went down to a 49-41 defeat against the Buxton Hitmen in the City Gearboxes National League at Hi-Edge Raceway on Sunday afternoon.
The Potters got off to the worst possible start as home skipper Tony Atkin and Tom Woolley combined to take maximum points in the opening heat over Jon Armstrong and Chris Widman to put the Hitmen in front.
Stoke hit back with a 4-2 from Armstrong and Widman in heat five over Ryan Blacklock and Adam Extance to reduce the deficit to two points with the Potters trailing 16-14 after five heats.
The Hitmen struck back in heat seven after the race was awarded after Potters rider Danny Phillips had fallen while in second place resulting in Phillips being disqualified and the Hitmen gaining a 4-2 with Liam Carr taking the victory from Ryan Terry-Daley and David Holt taking third to open a four point lead to the Derbyshire side.
The Potters gained a 4-2 in heat nine from Payne and Ryan MacDonald over Extance after Blacklock had been disqualified for falling, but Atkin and Woolley gained their second maximum of the afternoon to open up a six point lead for the Hitmen as the Potters trail 33-27 after ten heats.
The Potters got themselves back into the meeting and level the scores up in the next two races as Armstrong and Widman gained a 4-2 and then Terry-Daley and the impressive Paul Burnett gained a 5-1 in heat twelve leaving the scores level at 36 all.
Heats thirteen and fifteen were to prove decisive though as the Hitrmen struck with two maximum heat advantages from former Potters Atkin and Carr to seal the victory for the Hitmen.
A disappointed Potters team manager Malcolm Vasey commented “It was a highly entertaining match but a very disappointing result for us this afternoon. I felt we were definitely worth at least a point or a draw and we just didn’t get it although it wasn’t for the want of trying, the lads worked hard today and I do feel if we’d have had Shaun Tedham riding today we’d have probably won but he wasn’t quite ready to start today. Heats one, thirteen and fifteen were the crucial races today and when the big guns were out we didn’t seem able inflict any damage points wise on them and we now have to turn our attentions to our home meeting against Birmingham next Saturday.”
BUXTON 49: Tony Atkin 13+1, Liam Carr 13+1, Tom Woolley 8+3, Ryan Blacklock 6+1, David Holt 6, Adam Extance 2, Paul Bowen 1+1.
STOKE 41: Lee Payne 9+1, Paul Burnett 8+2, Ryan Terry-Daley 7+1, Jon Armstrong 7, Danny Phillips 5, Chris Widman 4, Ryan MacDonald 1.
