NEWPORT promoter Tim Stone has told Scott Smith to get treatment after he suffered another back injury.

Smith is extremely doubtful about tomorrow's visit from Exeter Falcons after struggling badly in last night's defeat at Somerset, but Wasps lost after captain Craig Watson was excluded in heat 13.

Watson left the race after his bike failed just as lights turned green, leaving Wasps fans fuming in frustration as the team fell to a 4-2 defeat in the heat which left them 40-38 behind with just two races to go.

Despite a valiant effort from the rest of the team, Newport lost out at the death having needed a 4-2 win in the last heat. Frank Smart managed to win, but Chris Neath could just not get past Steve Bishop and it ended in a 3-3 draw.

Tim Stone said Wasps will probably run a rider replacement for Smith, and praised his team for their effort.

He said: "It was a meeting we could have won, but we only had six riders, because of Smithy.

"He needs to go and get treatment for his back injury, it's obviously giving him problems."

It was heart-breaking night for Wasps, who lost the Premier Trophy match 91-89 on aggregate after winning 47-43 at Hayley Stadium on Sunday. This leaves them second behind Swindon who beat Trelawny 55-35 at home on Thursday night with Oliver Allen taking 14 points.

But last night things didn't go quite according to plan for the Wasps.

They got off to a good start when Craig Watson won the opening heat, only for Mario Jirout to grab second place and lead the Rebels to a 3-3 draw - and things didn't improve from there.

Carl Wilkinson fell while pressurising Malcolm Holloway and Somerset took a 4-2 win, then Scott Smith retired from his heat three, just as he later did in heat seven, as the serious back injury he picked up in Sunday's first heat came back to haunt him.

Guest rider Chris Neath, a replacement for the injured Ben Howe, won the heat and then Frank Smart and Wilkinson combined in heat four for a good 4-2 win which tied the score at 12-all.

The Rebels responded with a 5-1 win as Steve Bishop and Glenn Cunningham did the damage against Carl Wilkinson and Lee Dicken.

Smart and Barrie Evans battled hard, but were powerless to stop Jirout and Derek Meldrum racking up a 4-2 win in heat six.

While the next three heats were tied, riders from both sides started to suffer with injury. Just as Smith's back problems flared up again, so Somerset's Meldrum fell heavily and had to be taken by ambulance into the pits for treatment.

Dicken came in as a substitute for the injured young Australian Smith.

The race was stopped in heat ten to assist Meldrum and ended in a 3-all draw when the race was re-run, even though Neath and Dicken had been leading in the original.

Wasps had their revenge in heat 11 when Smart replaced Dicken and combined with Watson for an important 5-1 win over Neil Collins and Gary Phelps.

Neath and Evans combined for a 4-2 win in heat 12 to tie the scores 36-all, but then Watson's exclusion turned the tide for the Rebels.

Somerset Rebels: M Jirout 14 (5), D Meldrum 2 +1 (4), G Cunningham 8 +1 (4), S Bishop 8 +4 (5), N Collins 6 (4), G Phelps 4 +1 (3), M Holloway 6 (5). Newport Wasps: C Watson 5 +1 (3), L Dicken 5 +2 (4), C Neath 11 (5), S Smith 0 (2), F Smart 16 (6), B Evans 4 (6), C Wilkinson 1 (4).