Premier LeagueStoke 33 King's Lynn 57KING's Lynn banked the maximum four points after comprehensively beating Stoke in a meeting which ended the Potters' unbeaten home league record.

Premier League

Stoke 33 King's Lynn 57

KING's Lynn banked the maximum four points after comprehensively beating Stoke in a meeting which ended the Potters' unbeaten home league record.

Darcy Ward and skipper Tomas Topinka were unbeaten by an opponent in a solid team effort and after being just four points up after 10 races the visitors won the last five heats with maximum points.

“We were never complacent but generally felt in control of the outcome,” said team manager Rob Lyon. “We worked hard at everything here in the pits before even getting out on the track and it really was a terrific result for us.”

Lynn went ahead in the first race as Ward went within three tenths of the Loomer Road track record set by Ty Proctor the previous week and the Stars were never headed throughout the meeting as they won 11 races and took maximum heat advantage in six races in total.

Ward and Linus Eklof, who outscored every Stoke rider bar Jason Bunyan on his Loomer Road debut, teamed up in heat five to put Lynn 12-18 up before Topinka took a relatively comfortable win in the next.

Jesper Kristiansen took his second win of the night after a good battle with Eklof in heat eight though the Potters, No.2 felt Chris Schramm had left him no room two races later. Kristiansen missed the gate and went down heavily as he tried to get round Schramm and Emiliano Sanchez on the pits turn.

Eklof impressed in heat 11 by relegating Rob Ksiezak to third spot as he joined Ward at the front as Stars hit their second 5-1.

The race of the night came in heat 13. Bunyan and Topinka made slightly the better starts and were scrapping at the front, with Ward and Ksiezak just behind. Ward took his time and picked his spot to blast around the front two coming out of turn two on the third lap for a very impressive win, with Topinka coming in behind him.

“This was a real team effort tonight and we were just pumped to go for it,” said the Australian.

“I felt there was room out there to get by and I just let the other two sort themselves out before making my move. The bike is pulling and I knew I had the speed if I could make the gap and it just worked so well. I think we showed tonight that we are a real team and that we can be mean on the night when we have to.”

Kerr, who was unbeaten in his last two rides after a difficult start, teamed up with Sanchez for a solid win over Potters guest Mark Lemon in the penultimate race before Topinka and Ward completed their maximums (paid in Topinka's case) in the final outing from Bunyan and Kristiansen.

Stoke: J Bunyan 9, J Kristiansen 7+1, K Jakobsen (r/r), M Lemon 5, R Ksiezak 7+1, C Branney 1+1, T P Madsen 4+1.

King's Lynn: D Ward 15, L Eklof 7+2, C Schramm 7+2, E Sanchez 7+2, T Topinka 13+2, C Kerr 5+1, J Gravesen 3.