The Wightlink Warriors achieved their aim of taming the visiting GB Young Lions Under 23 side at the Andrew Younie Smallbrook stadium last Tuesday (13th Septemebr) to bring the curtain down on their 2016 home National League speedway campaign, thus sending their supporters home happy and already looking forward to the 2017 season.
At the end of the 15 heats, the Warriors had recorded a comfortable 53-36 victory with a workmanlike performance and their margin of victory would have been even larger but for bike problems encountered by Kelsey Dugard and skipper James Cockle taking a tumble in the fifteenth and final race of the night.
The Warriors’ margin of victory doesn’t fully reflect the quality of racing witnessed by those present with the highlight possibly being Warrior Chris Widman and Young Lion Connor Coles seemingly passing and re-passing each other at will in heat 3 before Chris stamped his authority on the race to claim second place behind leader Lee Smart for a maximum 5-1 score.
Warrior number 1 Mark Baseby was an absentee because of a previously arranged engagement elsewhere but Kent King Danny Ayres stepped into replace him and top scored, dropping just 1 point to Stefan Nielsen.
Comiserations to the U23’s second highest scorer Danyon Hume, who rides for both Ipswich in the Premier League and Birmingham in the National League, who fell in a separate heat 15 incident to that of James Cockle and sustained a broken collarbone.
Final Score: Wight Warriors 53 | GB Young Lions U23s 36
Warriors: Danny Ayres (guesting for Mark Baseby) 14, Nathan Stoneman 11+2, Lee Smart 9+1, Chris Widman 7+2, James Cockle 7, Layne Cupitt 4+2, Kelsey Dugard 1.
GB Young Lions U23: Stefan Nielsen 13, Danyon Hume 7, Danny Phillips 5, Connor Coles 5, Alfie Bowtell 4, Matt Saul 1+1, Connor Locke 1.
