Challenge Meeting

ISLE OF WIGHT ISLANDERS 51 WEYMOUTH DOONAN WILDCATS 42

WEYMOUTH Wildcats’ captain Jon Armstrong could be sidelined for a month after injuring his knee in last night’s defeat at the Isle of the Wight.

The Wildcats went down 51-42 against the Islanders in a Challenge meeting and will now be on the lookout for a replacement rider as Armstrong continues to feel the effects of a broken leg he sustained last May.

Team manager Jem Dicken said: “We had a lot of bad luck. Jon only had two rides and banged his knee in the process so he was unable to take part after that.

“It’s a recurrence of the injury he had last year so I think he’ll be out for a while. He’s really down about it as he feels he’s letting the side down.

“The best thing is probably for him to take a month out and see if he can get his knee right, and then take it from there.

“We’ve got another number one in Lee Smart but we’ve got 10 and a half points to play with so we’ll try and bring someone in, although it will be difficult.”

James Cockle top scored for the Wildcats last night with an impressive 17 while reserve rider James White-Williams (8+1) also shone for the visitors on an otherwise unfortunate evening.

Dicken added: “Lee Smart twice snapped his chain while out in front so what could’ve gone wrong for us did.

“Matt Wright wasn’t really at the races for us but James Cockle and James White-Williams were excellent.

“Some of the lads have not ridden at the Isle of Wight before so it was a good experience for them. You’ve got to be beaten sometime so it was better that it happened in a Challenge meeting as opposed to a National League meeting.”

SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

ISLE OF WIGHT ISLANDERS 51

1 Tom Brown 2* 2* 1 3 2 2 12+2

2 Ben Hopwood 3 2 3 3 0 11

3 Ryan Sedgmen 1* 1 1 1 1 5+1

4 Chris Johnson 2 3 2 2* 2* 11+2

5 R/R

6 Brendan Johnson 3 2 3 3 11

7 Scott Meakins 1 0 0 0 1

8 Tom Hill 0 0

WEYMOUTH WILDCATS 42

1 Jon Armstrong ef 0 W

2 Terry Day 1 2 2 1 6

3 James Cockle 3 6^ 2 3 3 17

4 Matt Wright 0 0 1 0 1

5 Lee Smart 3 0 3 3 ef 9

6 Alex McCleod 0 1 0 0 1

7 James W-Williams 2 1 1 2* 1 1 8+1

Ht 1: Hopwood, Brown, Day, Armstrong (ef), 73.4 (5-1)

Ht 2: B Johnson, White-Williams, Meakins, McCleod, 72.9 (9-3)

Ht 3: Cockle, C Johnson, Sedgmen, Wright, 73.5 (12-6)

Ht 4: Smart, Hopwood, White-Williams, Meakins, 70.7 (14-10)

Ht 5: C Johnson, Day, Sedgmen, Armstrong, 73.6 (18-12)

Ht 6: Hopwood, Brown, McCleod, Smart (ef), 72.5 (23-13)

Ht 7: Cockle (tact), B Johnson, Brown, Wright, 71.8 (26-19)

Ht 8: Hopwood, Day, White-Williams, Meakins, 71.4 (29-22)

Ht 9: Smart, C Johnson, Sedgmen, McCleod, 72.0 (32-25)

Ht 10: Brown, Cockle, Wright, Hopwood, 71.7 (35-28)

Ht 11: B Johnson, C Johnson, Day, McCleod, 71.6 (40-29)

Ht 12: Cockle, White-Williams, Sedgmen, Meakins, 75.1 (41-34)

Ht 13: Smart, Brown, White-Williams, Hill, 71.6 (43-38)

Ht 14: B Johnson, C Johnson, White-Wililams, Wright, 72.0 (48-39)

Ht 15: Cockle, Brown, Sedgmen, Smart (ef), 72.0 (51-42)

* Under-achieving Poole Pirates look to stop their losing run when they take on Wolverhampton at Wimborne Road tonight (7.30pm).