WEYMOUTH Weyline Wildcats beat South West neighbours Plymouth Devils with a much improved team performance in Saturday night’s National league fixture at the Wessex Stadium 49-41. James Cockle led the way for the Wildcats with Tom Brown back to form and a solid debut for Adam McKinna all bode well for the Radipole Lane side.
Bekker and McKinna combined for the perfect start for the Wildcats in heat 1 holding back the Devils returnee to the National league Nicki Glanz. Richard Andrews took heat 2 from Devils pair Jaimie Pickard and Ben Reade after Luke Chessell fell on the last turn. The following three heats were shared affairs with ex-Cat Matt Bates taking heat 3 from Tom Brown and Gary Cottham after a clever cut up the inside of the Wildcats pairing. The experienced Mark Simmonds kept Cockle and Chessell at bay in heat 4 while Glanz won his only race of the night with an inside pass over Brown and Cottham in heat 5 with the scores at 17-13 in favour of the Wildcats.
The Devils hit in with a 5-1 in heat 6 with Simmonds and Pickard combining following a fall from Bekker on the last turn while in second position to level the scores. Cockle and Andrews hit back with a heat advantage in the re-run heat 7 to go two points up after Bates fell, Cockle getting the verdict on the line over Stephens. Shared heat in the next two with McKinna grabbing a debut win over Pickard and Gough followed by Simmonds taking the flag over Brown and Cottham.
The Devils again levelled the scores in the re-run heat 10 with Seemond Stephens taking the honours on the line over Bekker after McKinna took a tumble. Cockle cut up the inside of Glanz to combine with Andrews again for a heat advantage in heat 11 for the Wildcats to go two up. Brown and Chessell took maximum points in heat 12 putting the Cats six up over Bates who missed the start and Pickard, 39-33.
Bekker took another fall while in third place and Cockle a fifteen metre handicap for a tapes offence in heat 13 where Simmonds and Glanz hit back in the re-run to bring the Devils within two points of the Wildcats. Heat fourteen saw the meeting won by Cottham and Andrews, Stephens slowed down while leading on the last lap allowing the Wildcats pair through for maximum points. Cockle and McKinna took the heat advantage in heat 15 for a result of 49-41 and three league points after Glanz demolished the tapes.
After the meeting McKinna said “I’m a bit battered and bruised, I don’t feel too bad, I wish I’d not got excluded in that one ride and got a point or two to put my overall score up a bit. I was hoping to score more but I think I was a bit keen to do better than I should be keen to do when I’ve just come back from a ten week spell on the side lines. Other than my knee hurting a bit I’m quite happy with it all.”
James Cockle said “It’s about time we have done that, everyone rode well tonight, Adam has come in, it’s done us well with seven riders in the team, he’s made his heat 15 in his first match. I’ve ridden with Adam before, he’s showed what he can do and he knows he can do it as well. Tom was a better rider this week, he’s going through a rough time as he’s been out injured, he’s just trying to catch up to race fitness now, I think he is getting there after tonight. The reserves have done well, Richard has picked up and we’ve all got to fire on all cylinders like we did tonight.”
A special thank you to Southern Classic Speedway Bikes for the time and effort put into their display on Weymouth promenade on Saturday helping to promote the Wildcats and Speedway in general.
If you are able to display an A4 poster to help promote Weymouth Speedway there is a downloadable poster available on the homepage of the clubs website www.weymouthwildcats.co.uk
MEETING DETAILS:
WEYMOUTH WEYLINE WILDCATS 1. Byron Bekker (3-F-2-F) 5 2. Adam McKinna (2*-1-3-FX-1) 7+1 3. Tom Brown (C) (2-2-2-3-) 9 4. Gary Cottham (1*-1*-1*-3) 6+3 5. James Cockle (2-3-3-1-3) 12 6. Richard Andrews (0-1-0-2*) 7+1 7. Luke Chessell (0-1*-0-2*) 3+2 Team manager: Phil Bartlett
PLYMOUTH DEVILS 1. Nicki Glanz (1-3-2-2*-R) 8+1 2. David Gough (F-0-1*) 1+1 3. Matt Bates (3-FX-1-1) 5 4. Seemond Stephens (C) (0-2-3-1) 6 5. Mark Simmonds (3-3-3-3-2) 14 6. Jaimie Pickard (2-2*-2-0-0-R) 6+1 7. Ben Reade (1*-0-R) 1+1 Team manager: Gary Spiller
REFEREE: Mick Bates
GATE POSITIONS: Devils won the coin toss and took gates 1 & 3
