SITTINGBOURNE AC Associates Crusaders Speedway team pulled off one of the most remarkable come-backs in Conference League history to end their previously barren spell of away matches at the home of the Newport Mavericks.

Trailing by 10 points with just four heats remaining, the Iwade-based side struck back to win by one point on the night 47-46.

That mirroring the result in the last home meeting when the fellow strugglers from Wales triumphed at the Old Gun Site, a race-off was required for the bonus point - awarded for aggregate success - and new number one David Meldrum secured victory in that for the Kentish team.

All of this had seemed unlikely when proceedings began with a heat one win for the Mavericks’ top pairing of Karlis Ezergailis and Karl Mason, who beat the somewhat more improvised pairing of skipper Chris Hunt and Paul Candy.

A 5-1 reverse and it seemed like any other away trip for the beleaguered Crusaders.

However, the result was suddenly called into doubt by eagle-eyed officials, who spotted that Ezergailis had won without possession on his rear wheel of the mandatory (in this day and age) dirt deflector.

His victory was expunged from the records and the result became an altogether more palatable 3-3.

And though three drawn heats and no further 5-1s against in the next six races amounted to an improvement on most away days, the three 4-2s secured by the home side meant they were able to pull ahead into an ominous looking six-point lead.

That was maintained in heat eight, but there was further significance to the ultimate result when the in-form young Mavericks’ rider Sam Hurst suffered a heart-stopping chain-shedding that caused him to rear up on the home-straight and hit the safety fence.

Fortunately, there was no serious injury, but the teenager was unable to play any further part.

In the following heat, new signing Meldrum secured his second win of the afternoon, and a tenacious third-place by the ever-improving Dan Blake meant a first heat advantage for the visitors.

However, Chris Hunt was forced to concede that his collar-bone could not contend with the rigours of the rutted track circuit and withdrew from the meeting. As a result, his side succumbed to a 5-1 reverse in what would have been his next ride in heat 11.

With Crusaders 10 points behind with four races remaining, Peter Collyer took the responsibility of riding as a Tactical Rider for double points in heat 12 and pocketed the full six with an emphatic victory.

Nothing less than a 5-1 by Meldrum and the hugely impressive Mark Baseby would do in heat 13. They delivered and suddenly Sittingbourne were just three behind.

Despite the narrowness now of the margin many among the band of loyal Crusaders fans looking at the task that faced their heroes with two heats remaining were left rueing the two large slices of misfortune that had befallen the ever-trying local youngster James Theobald earlier in the match that seemed still to represent the difference between victory and defeat.

In the penultimate heat nothing less than a 3-3 would do if the match was to be taken to the final ride. And the respnsibility fell to 19-year-old James Theobald.

In front of an increasingly excited band of visiting fans, Theobald delivered in style to add his name to the list of heroes that had made this incredible comeback possible.

With Meldrum and Collyer securing the necessary 5-1 in the final race and then Meldrum beating Ezergailis for the most unlikely of bonus points the joy of all in the Sittingbourne camp was complete.

Scorers: Peter Collyer 14; David Meldrum 13; Mark Baseby 8; Paul Candy 6; James Theobald 3; Chris Hunt 2; Dan Blake 1.