WEYMOUTH Wildcats pulled off a stunning upset in the Southern Development League against Exeter Falcons at Somerset’s Oak Tree Arena by securing a 21-14 victory with just three riders.

Wildcats were missing captain Martin French among others but the trio of stand-in captain Kenny Bowdery, James Chattin and Chris Bambury put in a superb display on the night to earn Wildcats their first triumph, and points, of the season.

Each Wildcat took an extra ride to negate their missing rider and it worked to Weymouth’s advantage as they avenged a 19-17 defeat to Exeter at their previous clash in May.

After two heats Exeter enjoyed a 7-5 lead but a 5-1 success in the third, thanks to a win by Bowdery and a last-minute pass from Bambury, gave Weymouth a lead they would not relinquish.

A 4-2 victory in the fourth heat, with Bambury leading from start to finish, moved Wildcats 14-10 up but the nerves were jangling later in the fifth.

Bowdery, on his extra ride, was excluded from the race when his bike failed to start, but Wildcats’ co-promoter Martin Peters explained the problem was simpler to solve than expected.

He said: “Heat five was where Kenny took the extra ride but he didn’t actually start the race. His bike stopped working and he got excluded.

“When Kenny came back in we found out he forgot to turn his fuel on! Bar that blip he won all his races.”

That slight mishap left Weymouth unaffected as they took four more points in the final heat for a memorable 21-14 victory, a result which left the future-minded Peters delighted.

“The lads rode really well, they all took an extra ride. We’re quite pleased really.

“Martin French was overjoyed for us. He’s one of those guys who puts 100 per cent into it. The rest of us were happy because it’s the first points on the board.

“There are a lot of strong teams in the league so to get some points is good. We’re happy and looking forward to the next one now,” he said.

“It’s all about developing those riders. For us it’s great to win but it’s more about getting those riders out there. Maybe we can attract more people from the Weymouth area and move on from there.

“In two years’ time we could have a team with two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds,” Peters added.