The Jack Cane Sports Centre played host to a round of matches in the Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League which brought thrills, spills, skill and determination in equal measure with all 26 riders on show serving up a feast of racing for the watching guests from Scottish Cycling, Sustrans I Bike, Bike Club and City of Edinburgh Council Active Schools.
The first match saw some tight racing during the opening four races with Queen Anne in front by just two points. However, five heat advantages in a row saw them pull 16 points clear of their Inverkeithing rivals and despite two late victories for the outstanding Kyle Robertson, Queen Anne eventually triumphed by 93 points to 67.
Maximum man Stuart Turvey led the way for the Dunfermline side and he received excellent support from Tyler White and Darren Sayer. Inverkeithing's Kyle Robertson raced to a 15 point score and he received good back-up from Nathan Barrie and Ilya Spakovs.
If the first match was good, the second was even better. Liberton edged ahead in the second race thanks to a 7-3 from Ben Wright and Ted Kanjewe following an uncharacteristic slip by Stuart Turvey. Two heat wins from the fast-starting Connor Garvey helped Liberton hold onto that lead until heat 8 when Queen Anne levelled at 40 points apiece following a 7-3 from Harry Langdale and Darren Sayer.
A magnificent heat 11 saw all four riders hold the lead at some point before Queen Anne's Langdale eventually snatched victory from Liberton's Kanjewe on the final bend. That proved to be the turning point and a heat 13 7-3 from Joel Kelman and Jake Ferguson all but sealed victory for Queen Anne who eventually won an enthralling match by 83 points to 77.
Next Friday (16 March) sees a double header of matches between Inverkeithing and Liberton with tapes up at 2pm.
Results
Match 1
Queen Anne 93: Stuart Turvey 16, Tyler White 14, Darren Sayer 13, Jake Ferguson 12, Aaron Brown 12, Joel Kelman 11, Ryan Hunter 8, Aiden Rae 7.
Inverkeithing 67: Kyle Robertson 15, Nathan Barrie 12, Ilya Spakovs 9, Ben Slaney 8, Jordan Crossland 7, Rikki Moody 6, Dean Dawson 4, Sean Ramsay 3, John Binnie 3.
Match 2
Queen Anne 83: Harry Langdale 16, Stuart Turvey 14, Jake Ferguson 13, Tyler White 12, Joel Kelman 10, Darren Sayer 7, Mitch Stevens 6, Darren Lister 5.
Liberton 77: Connor Garvey 18, Ben Wright 15, Ted Kanjewe 14, JP Mason 10, Lewis Balsillie 9, Rowan Moran 8, Aiden Rae 3.
