A SUPERB display by Barrie Evans helped Weymouth Wildcats establish a three-point lead to take into the second leg of the Devon/Dorset Trophy at the Wessex Bus Raceway tonight (7.15pm).

The 25-year-old Mildenhall ace rattled up 13 points as a guest replacement for Lee Smart, who was riding in the British Under-21 Champion-ship at Lakeside.

He also won a crucial last-heat decider at the St Boniface Arena against the Devils’ top duo of Mark Simmonds and Seemond Stephens.

It was a victory the Wildcats deserved as they covered well for the absence of injured number one Jon Armstrong, with Tim Webster, James Cockle and Matt Wright all giving Evans fine support.

His performance was in stark contrast to Dean Felton and Jason Prynne, who were guesting for Ply-mouth duo Kyle Hughes and Paul Starke – also in British Under-21 action – as they could only muster eight points between them, and that proved the big difference on the night.

It was a typical ding-dong affair between the two old West Country rivals,with the lead changing hands seven times and the gap never more than four points.

The two sides exchanged 4-2s in the opening two heats, but then misfortune struck the Wildcats, when Cockle fell on the last bend of heat three while lying second, giving Plymouth duo Felton and Prynne a 5-1.

However, the luck evened itself out in the next race, with Devils reserve Matt Bates losing control after being passed by Evans for second spot, producing a drawn heat.

Weymouth levelled the scores at 15-15 after five races when Terry Day and Wright managed a surprisingly comfortable 5-1 over the Devils' vulnerable pairing of Prynne and Felton, and they edged ahead for the first time two races later, when the impressive Cockle inflicted a rare defeat on Stephens.

However, there was controversy in heat eight. The Wildcats looked set for a 3-3, only for Jamie White-Williams to come down on the notoriously bumpy third bend, quickly followed by Day.

Referee Chris Durno deemed that both falls were separate incidents and excluded both riders, gifting Plymouth a 5-0 that put them three points clear.

The Wildcats’ response to that setback, though, was superb as Evans and Webster, relishing his return to his former track, registered a maximum to put Weymouth back in front at 27-26.

A race win by Stephens helped Plymouth regain their lead, but then came a topsy-turvy three heats, with a trio of 5-1s – two of them going to the visitors.

Cockle and Webster managed a full house in heat 12, only for Stephens and Simmonds to then produce brilliant team riding to thwart the heroic efforts of Evans, but Weymouth struck back with a Wright-Webster maximum to give them a 43-40 lead going into the final heat.

It was Evans against the Plymouth top dogs once again, but this time he outgated his rivals to take the chequered flag and give the Wildcats theupper hand going into tonight's second leg, when Smart should return.