WEYMOUTH Wildcats sailed home from the Isle of Wight with a hefty injury list after slumping to a 50-40 defeat last night.

Jem Dicken’s side left Smallbrook empty handed and counting the cost of crashes for Mark Burrows, Tim Webster and skipper James Cockle.

First, Cockle sustained a foot injury after flying under the fence in race one and things got worse in the reserves race as Tim Webster hit out-of-control Islander Tom Hill on bend four.

Mark Burrows then joined the casualty list when he suffered suspected knee ligament damage in heat nine, when he locked up, spun and fell on turn one.

Despite riding in two more races, the 45-year-old was struggling badly to walk. And while Dicken hopes Webster and Cockle will be fit to face King’s Lynn on Friday, he admits Burrows is a worry.

He said: “Tim should be alright but Buzz is doubtful. It looks like he has damaged the ligaments in his knee. He couldn’t stand up after his last ride.”

Burrows’ fall proved the turning point of a meeting which was deadlocked at 24-24 going into heat nine.

The Isle of Wight’s 5-1 in the re-run of this heat gave them an advantage they never relinquished.

Wildcats shared the next two races but a maximum for Nick Simmons and former Weymouth man Chris Johnson in heat 13 sealed the win.

Cockle’s fall hindered his performance as he bagged five paid six and Burrows battled to just seven.

Dicken believes this was a meeting his side should have won, but with so many riders battered and bruised, he admits it quickly became an uphill struggle.

He added: “We should have won it. But we had three lads come off, which left us up against it.

“Benji Compton had some good races but there was just no way to pass because there was no dirt on the track.”