BUXTON ‘Ductair’ Bulls suffered a heavy 58-32 defeat against the Oxford Chargers at Cowley on Friday night.
The Chargers got off to a solid start from Jody Scott and Harry Fletcher, gaining a 5-1 lead over Arran Butcher to lead by four points after four races, putting the Bulls in the meeting.
A second 5-1 reverse came in heat five after Alfie Bowtell was involved in an incident that saw the Bulls skipper withdraw from the meeting. Jack Shimelt replaced the skipper in the rerun, and Senna Summers and Ashton Vale combined for a maximum 5-1 over Arran Butcher, as the Bulls fell further behind after Scott and Fletcher scored their second 5-1 of the night to open a 24-12 lead after six heats.
The Chargers continued their dominance over the Bulls with a couple of 4-2s and a 5-1 to open up a twenty-point lead after ten heats.
The Bulls steadied the ship with three drawn heats until heat thirteen, as Scott and veteran Darryl Ritchings teamed up for a 5-1 in heat thirteen over Luke Harris to seal all three points that were on offer with two heats remaining. The Chargers then finished the evening with a 4-2 from Scott and Fletcher over Jack Roberts.
Team manager Laurence Rogers commented, “Losing Alfie (Bowtell) in his second ride left us up against it. He is so influential and has been consistent all season for us and is normally good for double figures, and losing him was a cruel blow for us.
“The lads gave their all, and I couldn’t have asked for any more from the team. We now have to turn our attention to Sunday’s final meeting of the season against the Leicester Lion Cubs at Hi-Edge Raceway on Sunday afternoon and hope that we can continue our good home form.”
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
OXFORD 58:
Jody Scott 15, Darryl Ritchings 11+1, Harry Fletcher 10+3, Senna Summers 10, Ashton Vale 8+1, Max Broadhurst 3, Archie Strong 1+1.
BUXTON 32:
Jack Roberts 9, Jack Shimelt 7+2, Luke Harris 7, Charlie Southwick 5+2, Arran Butcher 3+1, Harrison Rogers 1+1, Alfie Bowtell 0.
Oxford won the aggregate point, 96-83
