STOKE Easy Rider Potters signed off with their biggest win of the season with a 57-36 victory over King’s Lynn Young Stars in their final City Gearboxes National League meeting of the season as they avoided the wooden spoon moving off the foot of the table.
Danny Phillips topped the Potters score chart scoring his first paid maximum in Potters colours and he was well supported by Lee Payne, Ryan Terry-Daley and Chris Widman who all chipped in and were paid for at least double figure scores in a meeting the Potters dominated as the Potters had just two last places throughout the fifteen heats.
The Potters got off the a flying start opening up a 13-5 lead after just three races as Chris Widman went from third to first followed by Lee Payne with Tom Stokes taking third after he had to lay his bike down to avoid Ryan Kinsley who had fallen with referee Flint awarding the heat. Stoke piled on the pressure with two successive 4-2 heat advantages before the Young Stars struck back with a 4-2 from Josh Bailey and Kinsley over Widman.
The fightback was short lived as the Potters struck with a 5-1 from Danny Phillips and Paul Burnett over Kinsley after Stokes had fallen while challenging Burnett and the Potters extended their lead with a further 4-2 from Payne and Burnett over Josh Bailey as the Potters lead 24-12 after six heats.
Bailey was introduced as a tactical ride in heat eight and he promptly delivered as he took victory from Payne and Shaun Tedham for a Young Stars 6-3 advantage.
The Potters sealed the victory and all three points necessary to move them off the foot of the table in the next three heats as they gained two 4-2 advantages and a maximum 5-1 to lead 46-29 before the Young Stars gained a 4-2 advantage in heat thirteen from Stokes and Bailey who was held at bay by Widman after stand in Potters skipper Payne had fallen.
Phillips completed his paid maximum with a victory in heat fourteen and he was followed home by Terry-Daley for a maximum 5-1 advantage over Ben Basford who came into replace Shane Hazelden who’d withdrawn from the meeting with an arm injury with the Potters also gaining a 4-2 in heat fifteen with Payne taking victory from Rob Shuttleworth as Terry-Daley kept Stokes at bay for third place and a convincing Potters victory.
Potters boss Malcolm Vasey commented “I’m delighted we’ve finished on a high and I was also pleased with our performance tonight. Everyone was firing and I’m really pleased to end the season with a solid victory and send the supporter’s home happy. It was important we won tonight as we wanted to avoid the wooden spoon and we’ve managed that. We now have to look towards next season and see what comes out of the conference and then look at our options.”
STOKE 57: Danny Phillips 14+1, Lee Payne 13+1, Chris Widman 9+1, Ryan Terry-Daley 9+1, Paul Burnett 6+2, Shaun Tedham 6+1, Jon Armstrong r/r. KING’S LYNN 36: Josh Bailey 14, Rob Shuttleworth 11, Tom Stokes 6, Ben Basford 3, Ryan Kinsley 2, Shane Hazelden 0, Scott Campos r/r.