Dragons tame Wildcats.

The Wildcats dominance of their home circuit came to an end in a last heat decider at the Wessex Stadium on Friday evening. In their opening Conference League fixture and also parading new top scoring number one signing, David Mason with fourteen points could not stop the Dragons victory.

An action packed meeting saw the visitors from Wales quickly adapt to the heavy conditions, Ben Powell who rode last season for the South Coast club piled on eleven points backing up reserve Darren Pugh and new signing Steve Bishop both scoring thirteen points.

Meeting referee Barrie Richardson had to resort to elastic tape starts after a problem with the magnets could not be rectified in time for racing. A thin piece of elastic was stretched across the track and released to signal the start of each race. Although not ideal both teams got on with the job in hand entertaining the supporters with some terrific racing during the evening.

Prior to the start of the meeting the Wildcats had a team meeting which resulted with the new captain being named as non other than Paul Candy. In only his second year of racing a speedway machine Paul takes over as skipper just as new number one David Mason makes his debut.

Heat number one with a very nervous David Mason making his first appearance on a bike since last season apart from a short practice session on Tuesday this week where he wrecked a machine. The fastest time of the night for David Mason in heat one settled him into the groove with Paul Candy in third split by Ben Powell.

Jack Gledhill fought his way through the pack in heat two only for Steve Bishop and Dean Felton to claim maximum points to edge two points in front in heat three. Chris Courage kept the gap at two by taking heat four. With David Mason taking the spoils with the first rider replacement ride covering for twisted knee victim Mark Thompson backed up with Danny Warwick in third leveled the scores with Ben Powell splitting the Wildcats in the best race of the short season so far with Ben Powell leading all the way to the final bend with a hard chasing David Mason finding just enough drive to take the checkered flag.

A busy night early on for David Mason taking victory in heat six with Paul Candy in third to edge the Wildcats two points clear. The race was marred by Chris Hunt taking a tumble resulting in tissue and nerve damage to his right shoulder. Chris took no further part in the meeting. Another shared heat with Chris Courage leading the way in heat seven only for the Dragons to level the scores again in heat eight with Darren Pugh leading the way.

Darren Pugh made it two on the trot by taking heat nine from Danny Warwick after Chris Courage fell on the first lap to push the Dragons two points clear. Heat ten was a shared event with David Mason again hitting the front from Steve Bishop and Dean Felton.

All level again after Chris Courage and Jack Gledhill combine split by Ben Powell in heat eleven. Steve Bishop supported by team mate Darren Pugh with Danny Warwick in the middle took the two point advantage once again in heat twelve.

The big guns race heat thirteen and another shared heat with the impressive Ben Powell outgating Chris Courage and David Mason. Jack Gledhill rounding off a super night in heat fourteen came from last to first after Danny Warwick was excluded, set the stage for a last heat decider.

For the second time of the evening Carmarthen won the toss and took gates one and three. Steve Bishop and Ben Powell combining for victory over David Mason. Chris Courage had lead the race early on until a fall on the second lap, Steve Bishop and Ben Powell did all they could to keep the door firmly shut on David Mason to ensure a six point victory for the Dragons on the night.