Newport Cycle Speedway Club Awards Night
24th November 2007
Newport Sports Association clubhouse at Spytty Park, Newport was packed to the brim on Saturday 24th November, as club members past, present and future gathered to celebrate another successful year, and recognise riders of all ages who have achieved and contributed the most in the 2007 season.
2007 was a season that will probably be remembered more for the achievements seen amongst the Juniors, with two South West and British junior individual league champions, and several other Junior riders finishing in the top 10 Nationally, 2nd or 3rd in the South West Region. 2007 saw many young riders making appearances in Conference and Western League matches alongside the more experienced older riders, and the team's perseverance paid off with a win in the South West Region Western League.
The following awards were made:
Lee started with a bang, making a huge impression on trainer Tony Bennett. Sadly, after an excellent start to the sport, injury forced Lee to miss much of the remainder of the season. Until his injury, Lee was a regular member of the Western and Conference League teams. In the SW Junior GP Round that Lee raced, he came a close second on the day, showing huge promise.
Most Improved Rider - Jacob Soper
2006 Newcomer of the Year, Jacob finished his first full season 5th in the BY&JL National Championship, and after a nail-biting battle all season with Weymouth's Brandon Weekes, finally finished 2nd in the South West Individuals, after a run off for first place ended in a collision between the two riders. Jacob was a regular feature of the Finals at the BY&JL National rounds, making it into one of the A Finals. This comes after Jacob attended his first two National rounds in 2006, failing to make any finals.
Clubman of the Year - Mark Carmichael
Barely a match or a training session would go by without this young man not only attending, but always doing his best to help both trainers and fellow riders. Even a broken arm towards the start of the season didn't keep Mark away from the track. Always willing to show the younger riders a trick or two, or even just the basics of riding, Mark was the trainers' clear choice for Clubman of the Year.
Conference Rider of the Year - Rebecca Davies & Jacob Soper
Both of these riders have stood in regularly, often at short notice, to ride in the Conference League. Usually against riders nearly twice their age. Despite the David and Goliath odds, neither of these two young riders complained, going out again and again to pick up points for the team.
Colin Simmons' Rider of the Year - Chris Davies
A clear choice for Colin Simmons, Chris has been the mainstay of the older riders, a permanent and highly successful member of the Western League senior team. Chris has also now started his Go-Ride training to become a fully qualified coach, so he can share his wealth of knowledge and experience with the teams of tomorrow.
Trainer's Rider of the Year - Mark Carmichael
Stuart presented his Trainer's Rider of the Year award to Mark Carmichael. Mark has had a great season in 2007, riding regularly in the Conference and Western Leagues. In the BY&JL and South West Junior GP series, Mark was riding above his age category, in the Under 16s. Attending all the SW regional rounds, Mark proved his ability against these older riders, finishing 3rd overall in the SW.
Trainer's Rider of the Year - James Higgs
Tony presented his Trainer's Rider of the Year to James Higgs. A new rider this season, James struggled with the sport at the start of the season. However, hard work and determination made a huge difference to this young rider, to earn him the respect of his trainer.
Achievement of the Year - James Robinson
The very mention of this young rider's name sends shivers down the spines of Under 8 riders country wide. The British and South West Champion 2006 defended both of these titles with a rare skill and determination. In the 2007 BY&JL and SW Junior Grand Prix competitions, James Robinson remained unbeaten for the whole season. James won every heat of every round, and every Final of every round. An impressive feat for anybody. Level headed and focussed, he is a model rider that young riders around the country aspire to. This has been an outstanding achievement. We look forward to many more years of success as he goes from strength to strength.
Rider of the Year, 2007 - Ben Mould
The list of achievements of this young rider in 2007 seems to be endless (and I will apologise in advance for those that are missed here).
BY&JL National Champion 2007 (riding above his age group)
SW Junior GP Champion 2007 (riding above his age group)
SW Junior Individuals Runner up 2007
SW Senior Individuals 3rd 2007
Club Champion 2007
and more....
Yet another fantastic achievement for Ben, and a well deserved Rider of the Year Award. Well done Ben!
Special Thanks
Special thanks were extended to Beryl Bennett for her sterling effort throughout the season, manning the shop, and helping trackside at pretty much every event and training session held at Newport. Cups of perfectly made tea, snacks for the children and ice creams during the hot weather were tirelessly purveyed by Beryl, with a smile for everybody. Thank you Beryl!
Welsh Veterans Award
A special award was presented Newport Cycle Speedway Club by Gerry Escott on behalf the Welsh Veterans Association, in recognition of the achievements the Welsh club has made in 2007. The award was received on behalf of the club by Club Chairman John Turner.
Western League Winners
In its first and probably only year of running, Newport won the South West region Western League. This league consisted of two teams of four - open senior, one junior, racing within the same format, with the scores on the day being combined to give the result on the day. All the riders who have represented Newport in the Western League were presented with a trophy to mark the occasion.
Trophies were awarded to: Ben Mould, Colin Simmons, Chris Davies, Mark Carmichael, Corey Burnell-Jones, Lee Tippins, Ian Robinson, Louise Carmichael, James Turner, Rebecca Davies, Jacob Soper, Daniel Poole, Daniel Denny, Phil Davies.
For full report and photos, please see Newport CSC Awards Report
Posted 03/12/07