SITTINGBOURNE Crusaders raced to their first home win in official competition for a decade when they defeated Weymouth in the Conference Shield.

Solid scoring by all seven of the home side saw them triumph over a Wildcats team who relied heavily on skipper David Mason, the fast gating Gordon Meakins and Conference debutant James Walker.

Led superbly by Dean Felton, all of the Crusaders managed at least one paid win, but it was the efforts of the younger brigade which was most pleasing.

Dan Blake came up with his best score in a short career so far, while new boys at reserve Aaron Baseby and Luke Goody both look like they will go a long way in the sport.

Goody came up with the match winning ride in heat 14 with a superb last bend outside overtake of another useful looking first timer, Nick Laurence.

It was new signing Gary Cottham who produced arguably the best ride of the night in heat eight.

Mason was introduced as a tactical substitute off 15 metres, and hounded the youngster for the full four laps, but the Crusader didn’t put a wheel wrong, superbly holding off his challenger and inflicting his only defeat of the day.

Heat 12 produced more than its fair share of controversy. Meakins, as a tactical rider, rode a clever race up front, trying to slow the race to allow team-mate George Piper round him, but Piper seemed to clip Baseby’s back wheel, and tumbled off, to be excluded.

The Wildcats argued that there had been no contact, and that the home rider had fallen on his own, but Referee Christina Turnbull thought otherwise.

Sittingbourne look to have the makings of a good steady side, mixing youth and experience well. Team manager Chris Hunt won’t always have it this easy, but it was nevertheless a very encouraging start.