The Tiger Cubs produced probably their best performance so far despite losing to the Stoke Spitfires last night.

The match started in less than ideal conditions with light rain turning the track surface greasy which caught out Tom Bacon who slid off in the first turn of Heat 1. With Ben Hewitt struggling on a badly spluttering motor it handed the home team a confidence boosting 5-1 in the opening race. However the Cubs dug in and allowed the Spitfires only one more heat advantage, a 5-1 in Heat 3, sharing the points in the remaining four heats. Alex Wilson, on his first visit to Stoke, was again the Cubs top scorer and really took the fight to the Spitfires with three excellent rides, Tom Bacon recovered well after his first ride hiccup, Ben Hewitt did really well just to bring his ailing bike home in all his races, and Dan Miles continued his steep learning curve by listening to advice which he then applied to show marked improvement with each ride.

The Spitfires were simply the better team with both Andy Mellish and Sam Ward impressing with a paid maximum apiece, whilst Layne Cupitt, arguably the best rider on the night, spoiled a full maximum by slipping off whilst leading his last race. Only Sam Darroch had an off night with a fall in his first ride seemingly knocking his confidence.

Overall, a very entertaining match and more good experience for the Cubs, who are all continuing to improve with every ride.