SPEEDWAY: BIRMINGHAM were made to rue a series of errors as they slipped to a narrow 46-44 defeat at Stoke.
It’s the first time the Brummies have lost a regular league fixture since July 2016.
Graham Drury’s side found themselves four points down with six heats remaining, but a hat-trick of 4-2s edged the Brummies in front 37-35 after heat 12.
Despite taking the chequered flag in heats 13 and 15, a 5-1 to the Potters in the penultimate race proved a major turning point in the meeting – forcing Birmingham to settle for a consolation league point.
Teenage star Jack Parkinson-Blackburn was in breathtaking form once again, dropping just one point to a strong Stoke opposition.
It takes his tally to 86 paid 88 from his last five official meetings in the red and yellow race jacket.
Team boss Graham Drury described it as a frustrating night for his side and has challenged his riders to get back to winning ways.
Captain Darryl Ritchings picked up three race wins on his way to double figures while Tom Bacon secured impressive back-to-back race wins in the middle of a mixed night for the No.1.
Reserve Layne Cupitt was only denied double figures again after sliding off on a couple of occasions while Macauley Leek and Kyle Roberts failed to score.
Drury said: “It’s a tough one to take because of the position we got ourselves back into but we’ve only got ourselves to blame.
“We threw a lot of points away.
“If this was at a higher level I’d be standing here a lot more annoyed than I am right now.
“At the end of the day, our team is full of young, English lads who are developing their careers.
“While a couple of them are annoyed with one or two of their rides, we need to learn from it and move on to the next one.”
