The Oxford Cheetahs narrowly lost to the Workington Comets in a close-fought match on Saturday.
The SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs ended the day with a 48-42 defeat at the GT Tyres Arena, but they can still claim the aggregate bonus point when the two teams meet again on August 12.
The Cheetahs had a difficult start, with Workington taking a 17-7 lead after four races.
Despite this, the Oxford side fought back and put the match down to the wire.
Oxford’s new signing, Edward Kennett, made his first appearance for the Cheetahs, scoring 7+1 in his first competitive appearance in British Speedway since 2022.
The 39-year-old was brought in as a 28-day replacement for Erik Riss, who is currently unwell.
The comeback began in Heat 6, where Dayle Wood and Mitch McDiarmid combined for a 5-1 lead, with 18-year-old McDiarmid shutting out Comets’ top rider Jonas Jeppesen.
The pair continued to impress, taking a 4-2 lead in Heat 8, with McDiarmid making an impressive move from last to first.
Darryl Ritchings, making his first appearance at the track, also put in a strong performance, beating Tate Zischke to second place in Heat 9.
The Cheetahs continued to battle for every point, with Anders Rowe overtaking Vinnie Foord for third place in Heat 10.
Manager Peter Schroeck placed McDiarmid into Heat 11 as a tactical substitute, which paid off as the Cheetahs closed the gap to four points with a 4-2.
A dramatic incident in Heat 12 saw Rowe and Max Perry make contact on the final lap, resulting in Perry being excluded from the awarded result.
In Heat 13, the Cheetahs closed to just two points behind with a 4-2 lead.
Kennett put in a determined effort in Heat 14, but was beaten by Zischke, leaving the Comets four points ahead going into the final heat.
Despite their efforts, the Cheetahs couldn’t overcome the Comets’ lead, and the home team clinched victory with a 4-2 in the last heat.
Rider replacement scored 10+1 for the Comets and six for the Cheetahs, including the tactical substitute ride in Heat 11.
Cheetahs’ skipper Sam Masters was the top scorer for his team with 11 points.
Mr Masters said: “We lost, but I’m proud of everyone’s efforts, because we haven’t been on track much lately.
“We overcame a difficult start to the meeting and I thought we were good enough to win, but the luck just didn’t go our way at the end.
“We’ve got a lot of fixtures coming up and I’m looking forward to that.
“When it’s a busy period, you tend to just go out there and ride your bike, rather than thinking about everything that is going on.”
The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium is on June 17 at 7.30pm, where the Cheetahs will take on the Glasgow Tigers in Cab Direct Championship action.
Tickets are available on the Oxford Speedway website.