STOKE Easy Rider Potters gained three important league points as they took a 46-44 victory over Mildenhall at West Row on Sunday afternoon keeping their slim hopes of qualifying for a top four play-off place alive.
The result leaves the Potters in sixth place in the table just 2 points behind fourth place Coventry Storm.
The Potters went behind in the opening heat after Jon Armstrong missed the gate, but fought his way through into second place just failing to get the better of home skipper Daniel Halsey with Tigers Tom Bacon keeping Chris Widman at bay for a 4-2.
Stoke immediately returned the compliment as Shaun Tedham took the chequered flag ahead of Nick Laurence with Paul Burnett taking third place to level the scores.
Mildenhall gained a maximum heat win in heat three as Connor Coles and Connor Mountain take a comfortable 5-1 from Ryan Terry-Daley after Danny Phillips had clipped the back wheel of Mountain resulting in the Potter falling.
The Potters then gained three successive 4-2 heat advantages with Lee Payne taking victory in two of the three and skipper Armstrong taking victory in the other to give the Potters a narrow 19-17 lead after six races.
The Fen Tigers level the scores in heat eight as Bacon takes the victory from Widman with Luke Ruddick taking third after Tedham had fallen for a 4-2 heat advantage leaving the scores level at 24 points each.
Daniel Halsey is disqualified for falling in heat ten and the Potters make the most of the disqualification with Phillips and Terry-Daley who passed Bacon taking a maximum 5-1 advantage putting the Potters back into the lead by four points. The Potters extended their lead to six points as Armstrong and Widman combined for a 4-2 over Jack Kingston to give Stoke a 36-30 lead after eleven heats.
Halsey got the better of Payne in heat thirteen as the tigers gained a 4-2 with Kingston taking third after Potters skipper Armstrong retired due to blowing another engine while the Potters pairing had been on a 5-1, Halsey passing Payne off the final turn and getting victory on the line to reduce the Potters lead to four points.
Tedham was disqualified for falling in heat fourteen and the Fen Tigers take advantage as they gain a further 4-2 advantage from Coles and Ruddick over Phillips to set up a last heat decider with the Potters leading by 2 points going into the final heat.
Home captain Halsey takes victory in the final heat but the Potters duo of Payne and Armstrong fill the minor placings for a drawn heat and a 46-44 victory for the Potters.
Potters team manager Malcolm Vasey commented “I’m delighted with what was an excellent win for us this afternoon, everyone in the team contributed points towards our victory today and that is something I’d called for prior to the meeting. Everyone rode their hearts out and I couldn’t really ask anything more from the team as Mildenhall are very good around their home track and don’t get beaten easily around here.”
MILDENHALL 44: Dan Halsey 11, Connor Mountain 8+2, Connor Coles 8, Jack Kingston 6, Tom Bacon 5, Luke Ruddick 4, Nick Laurence 2. STOKE 46: Lee Payne 13, Jon Armstrong 9, Ryan Terry-Daley 7+1, Danny Phillips 6+1, Chris Widman 4, Shaun Tedham 4, Paul Burnett 3+1.