Wasps' vastly experienced old heads, skipper Tony Atkin and Neil Collins, handed out a lesson to the younger riders and guest Stuart Robson in yesterday's home defeat by Premier League champions Hull, who were let off the hook.

On a sun drenched afternoon it was a double disappointment for Newport as the Wasps and then the Mavericks in a double header both fell to defeats.

There were mutterings about the track conditions, particularly from number one Mads Korneliussen, but he began with two straight wins and then, after the track had been watered, his last three rides produced one point.

Kristian Lund managed one point from five rides and it was left to the 43-year-old Collins, Atkin, 39, and Rye House's Robson to hit the double figures and carry the show.

However, a team with only four riders scoring cannot be expected to win, whether it's home or away, and with almost a couple of weeks before the next meeting there could be changes in the Wasps camp.

Promoter Tim Stone said: "It is always difficult against Hull who are extremely good. Nevertheless, this was a meeting we should have won.

"The two oldest riders in our team, the two most experienced and the two most committed simply got on with the job in hand - as they did in Scotland."

Neil Street, Wasps team manager, commented: "What a disappointment after such a good start. It was maddening."

With three heats remaining the teams were level and in heat 12 Atkin was excluded after Craig Branney went down on the first bend of the first lap. It was a harsh decision against Atkin who remonstrated, without success, to referee Barry Richardson.

Collins won the heat but with Atkin alongside him it could have been more profitable. A sympathetic Street added: "Tony's exclusion was most unfair. I couldn't really believe it and that was the turning point."

Atkin came from the back to second place in the third heat to finish behind Collins for the Wasps' first 5-1 success and was involved in their next maximum, finishing second to Robson in heat seven - again coming through the field - to give Wasps a lead of 25-17 and at this stage their fans were even suggesting Wasps could overturn the 52-38 defeat on Humberside and take the bonus point. The optimism quickly faded.

In a thrilling finish to heat eight Atkin again burst through to take second place just yards from the line.

Collins, who top scored in Glasgow and Edinburgh last week, was not outside the top two in his five rides while Atkin chalked up a second place in his first four rides and the only blot overall was the unfortunate exclusion.

The only disappointment for Robson was in the final heat when he had to settle for third place behind Emiliano Sanchez and Paul Thorp.

It was after heat six, which Korneliussen won, that there was a long conversation with Street and Stone which resulted in the water bowser appearing but it was the Vikings who profited, Wasps unable to win any of the last seven heats as the visitors gained two maximum victories.

Wasps: Mads Korneliussen 7 (5), Kristian Lund 1 (5), Michael Coles (rider replacement), Neil Collins 12 (5), Stuart Robson 11 (5), Tony Atkin 10+4 (7), Karlis Ezergailis 1+1 (3). Vikings: Emiliano Sanchez 11+1 (5), Paul Thorp 11+1 (5), Craig Branney 4 (3), Emil Kramer 6+1 (4), Garry Stead 7+1 (4), Joel Parsons 7+1 (5), Simone Teranzani 2 (4).