READING Racers went down to a six-point defeat at the hands of Exeter Falcons in the Southern Development League.

The match, held at Plymouth’s St Boniface Arena, was an entertaining and eventful affair before it was halted after the fifth heat due to the curfew, with the score standing at 18-12 to the home team.

While Reading brought in Buxton's 15-year-old Corban Pavitt to fill their vacant No.1 spot, the Falcons were forced into a change of their own when their No. 3 Macauley Leek was injured in the preceding National League match.

Exeter’s managers moved quickly to ask Buxton’s Sam Wooley to step in.

Home man Adam Sheppard gated first in heat one, but was passed by Pavitt at the end of the opening lap, while Rhys Laker trailed Max Pankhurst making it a drawn heat.

The second saw a good start for the Racers as captain Stephen Whitehouse led from the start with teammate Jamie Bursill behind him.

Wooley, however, worked his way past them both before encountering some scary moments as he struggled with bend two on the last two laps, almost letting Whitehouse back in.

With the scores still level at 6-6, the Racers skipper again gated well, but found himself in third place behind Sheppard and Bursill as they finished the first lap. Pankhurst then forced his way past as they entered the second, and made ground on Bursill.

On the second bend third time around Whitehouse (pictured) collided with the airfence, and with Pankhurst passing a visibly slowing Bursill as the red lights came on the referee awarded a 5-1 heat advantage to the Falcons, making the score 11-7.

Bursill protested he slowed because he saw the red lights, and later produced a photo showing he was still in front of Pankhurst after they came on.

In heat four, Woolley made the start but was soon passed by the determined and impressive Pavitt who went on to his second win. At the back, Sutton scored his first point by keeping Laker, on his first visit to the track, in fourth place for a 3-3.

Whitehouse completed a hat-trick of excellent starts in heat five, but again could not make it count as Pankhurst passed him and went to his first win.

Sutton also got the better of Laker for a second time to stretch the lead to six points.

When heat six began, the Falcons duo Sheppard and Wooley streaked into the lead, but entering the third bend Sheppard came to grief, causing Pavitt to lay down his machine and Bursill to take evasive action giving the referee no choice but to stop the race.

With only one minute left to the 9.45pm curfew, there was no chance of staging a re-run, leaving a final score of 18-12.

Although a disappointing loss for the Racers, the match showed the Exeter quartet to be solid and very capable on the small Plymouth track.

With the win cementing the Falcons’ second place in the table, the Racers can afford few more mistakes if they are to challenge for a second successive title win.

Scores: Exeter – Adam Sheppard 5, Max Pankhurst 6+2, Sam Wooley 5, Mick Sutton 2+1.

Reading – Corban Pavitt 6, Rhys Laker 0, Jamie Bursill 3, Stephen Whitehouse 3+1.

Heat one – Pavitt, Sheppard, Pankhurst, Laker.

Heat two – Wooley, Bursill, Whitehouse, Sutton.

Heat three – Sheppard, Pankhurst, Bursill, Whitehouse (f).

Heat four – Pavitt, Wooley, Sutton, Laker.

Heat five –. Pankhurst, Whitehouse, Sutton, Laker.