CRADLEY were unable to defend the National League Fours Trophy on a tough afternoon in Coventry yesterday.

The Heathens, who were already without captain Max Clegg due to his Premier League commitments, were dealt a further blow when Nathan Greaves was also ruled out less than 24-hours before the meeting after breaking his right tibia and fibula.

The Heathens got off to a decent start with both Ellis Perks and Luke Harris picking up second places in their first outings but a last place for Matt Williamson and a spill for Arron Mogridge when in a point scoring position made their task that little bit harder.

The quartet would go on to claim a total of just five more points from their second outings to finish on nine-points, seven behind qualifiers Rye House and Kent.

Cradley Team Manager Will Pottinger said: “We were always up against it right from the off but our four riders gave it a decent go.

“We were disappointed not to win any races and we’re naturally disappointed that we couldn’t retain the trophy we’ve won for the last two years.

“But it’s important that we don’t dwell on this result too much; we’ve got some really big, important league matches coming up and we need to ensure we pick up points in those to keep us in a decent position at the top of the National League table.”