WEYMOUTH Wildcats endured a 21-8 defeat to newly-crowned champions Reading Racers in their latest Southern Development League meeting in Plymouth.

Both teams contested the event with just three riders after Wildcats’ Craig Nethercott sustained concussion as a result of a crash in an earlier race.

But Racers still had enough to defeat the Wildcats, for whom Mick Sutton scored four points, Ian Parsons collected three and Chris Bambury one.

Wildcats’ co-promoter Martin Peters was quick to lavish praise on Reading, whose roster included Stevie Anderson, Stephen Whitehouse and highly-rated Tom Brennan.

He told Echosport: “Tom is like having two riders, he’s pretty handy. He was going round at pretty much quarter speed, he didn’t even try.

“He got out in front and was miles ahead of everyone else.”

Peters was impressed by the consistency of Sutton, who kept his head in an action-packed meeting.

He said: “He got a few points. There were a couple of fallers in two of the races. Stevie Anderson laid it down in one heat when he was going to hit his partner, and got excluded.

“Then Chris in the second heat his chain snapped off the sprocket. Mick was second of the two riders. Stevie fell and he got some points from that as well. You’ve got to keep running and he’s scored a couple of points.”

With Wildcats’ team numbers often being low on race day, Peters is pleased with the application of his riders, despite conditions not being to every rider’s liking.

He said: “They really enjoyed it. There are the type of riders you want to see.

“Chris didn’t really like the track because it’s not that big. Tracks are all different shapes and sizes.

“But I think he did alright and was riding fine, keeping up with Stevie and then his chain went.

“One of the guys also forgot to turn their fuel on, which was a schoolboy error.

“The guys all muddled in and as far as I’m aware they all had fun and enjoyed it.”

Peters also offered an update on the health of Nethercott, who is likely to miss Friday’s meeting with Plymouth Demons.

He said: “I didn’t really see much because I was a mechanic in the first meeting. He banged his head and was seeing stars I think.

“It was concussion and it rules him out for the next seven days. He was planning to ride for us next week, but not now.”

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