Ben Hopwood performs a wheelie for the crowd after winning one of his heats against Plymouth. Picture by David Valentine.
SPEEDWAYWightlink Islanders 52, Plymouth Devils 41
WIGHTLINK Islanders made a very thorough job of beating the strong Plymouth Devils in the National League at Smallbrook Stadium on Tuesday night.
Top scorers for the Islanders were Danny Warwick with 13 points, skipper Nick Simmons, paid ten, and Ben Hopwood with nine points.
Dean Felton, despite a nasty crash mid-meeting, came back to win heat 14 and nail victory for his side.
Team manager, Kevin Shepherd, said: "We have been saying for a few weeks that they just need to get some confidence back. Well, they did that tonight with flying colours.
"We have persevered with the current side, believing they were all capable of better performances than we have seen them produce in recent weeks.
"Tuesday night’s performance was what we had been waiting for, we hope will now see it for the rest of the season."
"There are some weaker teams in the National League this season, as is the case every year, but Plymouth are not one of them. They are a good, strong, solid side, and it was a good showing all round from our boys."
The Islanders are away to Plymouth tonight (Friday), and at Buxton in Derbyshire on Sunday. Next Tuesday sees Veteran Speedway Bikes and Quads back at Smallbrook.
• A special meeting has been announced for August 5, which will involve two former Island favourites, Ray Morton and Scott Swain, back on track for a match race.
And there are plans afoot for an Island first — and probably a first for any speedway track — hovercraft racing.