SHEFFIELD were undone by a late Rye House rally in the 50-39 defeat at Hoddesdon on Saturday.

The scores were level after Heat 8 and the Sheffield Window Centre-backed side were only two-points down with four races to go.

But the Rockets hammered home 5-1 maximums in Heats 13 and 15 to give the scoreline a more emphatic appearance.

Ricky Ashworth enjoyed three wins in his 10-point haul and got the meeting off to a good start with an impressive victory over home hero Chris Neath in the opener.

Josef Franc deserves praise for riding through the pain barrier after his crash at Somerset the night before and he managed 7+2 from five outings.

Skipper Paul Cooper said: “It was a brave effort by the lads and I honestly feel on another night we could have pulled off the win.

“But they killed us in 13 and 15 and that’s what cost us. I think we deserved at least a point from the performance.”

Sheffield are now looking to bounce back from their weekend disappointment when Berwick Bandits visit Owlerton on Thursday.

RYE HOUSE 50: Jordan Frampton 14, Chris Neath 11+2, Stefan Ekberg 11+1, Luke Bowen 6+1, Lee Strudwick 5+3, Kurt Shields 3, Linus Sundstrom R/R.

SHEFFIELD 39: Ricky Ashworth 10, Josef Franc 7+2, Richard Hall 7, Josh Auty 5+1, Hugh Skidmore 5, Paul Cooper 4, Arlo Bugeja 1.