Norfolk teenager Robert Lambert helped Great Britain earn their first World Cup medal since 2006.

The teenage racer put in a battling performance in a breathless meeting at the National Speedway Stadium in Manchester as Alun Rossiter's side claimed a surprise silver medal.

With world champion Tai Woffinden in blistering form, Lambert – who rides for King's Lynn Stars – chipped in with a hard-fought three points on just his second World Cup appearance.

It was another vital learning curve for the youngster from Foulsham as he continues to make excellent progress in the early stages of his career.

He will be back in action for King's Lynn as the Stars travel to Swindon for a crucial encounter in the race for the Elite League play-offs on Thursday).

Polish skipper Piotr Pawlicki led his country to victory with 39 points, with Great Britain on 32, last year's winners Sweden on 30 and Australia on 22.

Great Britain skipper Tai Woffinden said: 'It was a good meeting. I said before the start, 'let's focus on getting a bronze medal, and when we're in that position, we can focus on the silver, and then we can focus on the gold'.

'There was a point when we were only two points behind, and I said 'right boys, let's give it to them as hard as we can and see where we're at'. It wasn't meant to be, but silver is still great.

'We've been struggling to even make the finals over the past I don't know how many years. To be here and get second place is nothing short of amazing for the team.'

Woffinden didn't leave Manchester with his medal, after offering a young girl in the crowd the chance to join him on the podium, before presenting her with his prize as a priceless souvenir.

He said: 'A medal is a piece of metal and can sit on the wall for years. I picked a young girl out of the crowd, brought her down on to the podium with me and put the medal around her neck.'

Final scores: 1 Poland 39 (Bartosz Zmarzlik 11, Piotr Pawlicki 10, Patryk Dudek 10, Krzysztof Kasprzak 8), 2 Great Britain 32 (Tai Woffinden 19, Craig Cook 5, Danny King 5, Robert Lambert 3), 3 Sweden 30 (Fredrik Lindgren 10, Andreas Jonsson 8, Peter Ljung 6, Antonio Lindback 6), 4 Australia 22 (Chris Holder 10, Jason Doyle 7, Sam Masters 5, Josh Grajczonek 0).