SITTINGBOURNE AC Associates Crusaders Speedway team finished their season with another home defeat against local rivals Rye House Raiders on Saturday.

But perhaps Crusaders can take some positives from the fact that it was Barry Burchatt, a graduate from the Iwade-based club's still flourishing youth training scheme, who did the damage for the visitors, amassing 16 points from four heat wins.

One race win and one point behind him was Sittingbourne's 16-year-old Mark Baseby, and two further heat wins behind was another homegrown product, James Theobald.

Theobald and Burchatt were involved in a thrilling battle in heat 10, when the efforts of the fast improving 19-year-old from Ashford to hold off the Raider brought the home side back level.

But, it was again a calamitous heat 13 that ended Sittingbourne's hopes.

With Mark Baseby leading comfortably his hard-chasing, but last-placed, team-mate Theobald was baulked and fell.

Feeling the victim of a miscarriage of justice, the former Wimbledon man stayed down, but this benefited his team’s cause little, as Powell and the impressive Luke Bowen made no mistake second time out, securing what turned out to be a match-winning maximum.