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Cycle Speedway Reports

Week Ending 21st March 2010

Reports and results from the cycle speedway leagues.

Hull 83 Sheffield 65 (Friendly)

Report: Hull CSC

Hull continued their early season preparation with the return leg of their challenge match against Sheffield. Unfortunately the Tykes could only field Andy Angell and Simon Gamble but a six - a -side match was made up with local riders. The first heat set the tone as Matt Beharrell held off a strong challenge from Andy Angell and Simon Gamble. The early races were closely fought and it was only over the last five heats that the home side began to pull away. As expected the final race was a cracker with Andy Angell splitting old team mates Adam Stephenson and Matt Beharrell in a race where the lead changed hands a number of times.

Corey Graham made his season's debut, albeit on Sheffield's side, and looked sharp in his first few outings. Lewis Aylmer had a strong meeting for Hull with Ben Swanborough improving as the match went on. Matt Beharrell and Adan Stephenson were only beaten by Andy Angell on a fast Hessle Raceway that provided a good advert for floodlit racing.

HULL 83: Matt Beharrell 17+1, Lewis Aylmer 17+1, Adam Stephenson 16+3, Ben Swanborough 12+1, Graham Storey 11, Andy Moody 10+2.

SHEFFIELD 65: Andy Angell 17,Simon Gamble 14+2, Corey Graham 11+3, Andy Norrie 11,
James Hunt 8, Rich Pawson 4.

Scorecards available on www.hullcyclespeedway.co.uk

Hull 82 Bury 67

Report: Hull CSC

Hull played host to a somewhat under strength Bury side in their opening Northern League fixture. The Hessle Raceway was still soggy from the previous days rain but held up well during the afternoon. Bury started brightly and for the first half of the meeting threatened to take home the points. Chris Parish/ Paul Dyson caught Matt Beharrell unawares in the first heat for a maximum 7-3 before Simon Plows / Andy Norriefor Hull and then Tom Doyle / Scott Jarman for the visitors traded 6-4's. Hull were beginning to find their feet and Matt Beharrellput in a determined display in heat 6 to shepard Ben Swanborough round for a 7-3 and a share in the lead. Adam Stephenson then teamed up with Lewis Aylmerfor a 6-4 and a narrow 2 point lead at the Interval.

Into the second half and Adam Stephenson / Matt Beharrell took a 7-3 in heat 10 with Simon Plows / Andy Norrie extending the lead to 9 points with a heat 11 6-4 advantage. Bury were increasingly finding the going tough and Matt Beharrell / Ben Swanborough and Simon Plows / Lewis Aylmer wrapped up the points with wins in heats 13 and 14. A sporting match was well refereed by Andy Moody with the result only decided over the final races.

Simon Plows and Adam Stephenson both rode to excellent maximums for Hull with Matt Beharrell only beaten once, Ben Swanborough also caught the eye and all the side contributed well. For Bury Chris Parish and Tom Doyle both impressed with heat wins while all the team dug deep but just struggled for fitness in the final stages.

HULL 82: Simon Plows 20, Adam Stephenson 19+1, Matt Beharrell 15+2, Ben Swanborough
14, Lewis Aylmer 7, Andy Norrie 6, Andy Moody 1, Graham Storey DNR.

BURY 67: Chris Parish 16,Tom Doyle14+1, Chris Dyson 11+1, John Whiting 11+1, Scott
Jarman 8+3, Paul Dyson 7+1.

COMBINATION

Bury fielded two ineligible riders in the combination match giving the hosts a 39 point start. The Comets took 7-3's in heats 2 and 13 from Tom Doyle and Scott Jarman and also in heat 5 where Tom was paired with Chris Parish. Hull had the luxury of eight riders who were a mixture of youth and experience and never really looked like losing their lead despite only winning one race in heat 14 from veterans Rich Pawson and Andy Moody.

Lewis Aylmer had a good meeting for Hull and Graham Storey looked a good prospect, while Tom Doyle was
unbeaten for Bury with Chris Parish and Scott Jarman only dropping one point and Tom Spencer showing promise for the future.

HULL 66+35 = 109: Andy Moody 12+1, Graham Storey 12+ 1, Lewis Aylmer 12, Rich Pawson
10+ 2, Robert Stockton Garner 7+1, James Hunt 7, Ben Swanborough 3, Andy Norrie 3

BURY 84: Tom Doyle 18+2,Chris Parish 18+1, Scott Jarman 18+1, Chris Dyson 12, John
Whiting 11+1, Tom Spencer 7+1

East Park 72 Wednesfield 106

Report and Images: Andy Whitehouse

Wednesfield Aces 2010 Midland league assult began today with a short trip across Wolverhampton to local rivals East Park. The Ashmore Park side took an easy victory 106 - 72 scoring nine 7-3 heats on the way.

The first two heats saw scores level at ten points each but heats three and four saw Wednesfield's first 7-3 of the day, the strength of the Aces' riders proving just too much for the young East Park. Heat five saw Wednesfield's Tony De Leon, in his first competitive match, earn an exclusion for moving at the tapes.The second half of the meeting would see an ever-improving De Leon take a second in heat thirteen and his first four points in the final race of the day.

Heat eight gave the crowd some of the best racing seen on a speedway track with Roger Cox, Chris Jewkes and Lee Aris head-to-head from the gate never giving each other a bike's length for the four laps, Jewkes finally taking the four points from team mate Cox and Aris in the final few metres.

Wednesfield went into the half time interval twelve points to the good, at 50-38.

The second half saw the Aces off the grid all guns blazing with Scott Doherty taking his second win of the afternoon with team mate Roger Cox taking second place it was the first of the Aces 7-3 heats in the second half. British champion Lee Aris, riding for East Park, took the win in heat fourteen and Steve Guy taking third place gave the Wolves their first win in the second half but Wednesfield, with such strength-in-depth, proved a win too far for East Park and rode out eventual winners on the day.

Result

EAST PARK WOLVES 72: LEE ARIS 17 PTS, STEVE GUY 12, LUKE DRAISEY 10, DANIEL GARNER 8, STUART BENTLEY 8, LIAM JOHNSON 6, RICKY REEVES 6, JORDON RICH 5

WEDNESFIELD ACES 106: CHRIS JEWKES 18 PTS, MICK ARIS 16, SCOTT DOHERTY 15, SAM SMITH 14, MARK GRIFFITHS 13, ROGER COX 3, MATT TURLEY 9, TONY DE LEON 8

COMBINATION MATCH (Report: Tracy Perks)

Heat one on the first bend was a fight for first place between Liam J Rich and Wednesfield's John Russell, resulting in John taking a fall and being excluded, 7-2 to East Park. Heat 2 was won by Daniel Graves with nine-year-old Joe Guy pushing Conner Dyke all the way, the score was 5-5 to both teams. Heat 3 was easily controlled and won by Jordon Rich giving East Park 6-4. Heat 4 was a good race between John Russell and Danny Graves with an even 5-5 score. Heat 5 saw great team riding by Jordan Rich, who rode team mate Jamie Burke through to take first and second places, giving East Park 7-3.

Heat 7 saw a big crash for John Russell, with Danny Graves taking first place and promising rider 9 year old Joe Guy coming home in third place, giving East Park another 6-4 score. Heat 8 saw East Park taking first and second place, by Liam J Rich and Jamie Burke, with a 7-3 win. Heat 9 saw Danny Graves taking first place and reserve rider Armand Bentley taking fourth place with a 5-5 all. Heat 10 saw the unfortunate John Russell fall at the first corner, once again Jordan Rich team-riding well to bring Jamie Burke through to take the win, 7-3 to East Park. Heat 11 Liam J Rich took the win again, giving him a max with his 4th win, with team mate Armand coming in 4th, 5-5 all. Heat 12 was another win for Jordan Rich with Joe Guy pushing Wednesfield's Shana Cox all the way, giving a score of 5-5.The final heat was the nominator where we saw Danny Graves and Tara Warren for an East Park win with first and 2nd place, the score 7-3.

Another great match with no riders from each team being over 17 years old, with Liam J Rich taking maximum points, closely followed by Danny Graves and Jordan Rich, who team-rode excellent in his races. Tara Warren showing great tenacity carrying on after her fall and Joe Guy who never gave up in every one of his races.

East Park Scores: Tara Warren 9, Liam J Rich 16, Danny Graves 19, Joe Guy 4, Jamie Burke 13, Jordan Rich 14, Armond Bentley 2.

Wednesfield Scores: John Russell 6, Courtney Aris 9, James Harriman 12, Conner Dyke 6, Charlie Ellitts 12, Shana Cox 7.

Birmingham v Stoke

Report: John Heard

This was the match we had all been waiting for - Birmingham unbeaten in the Midland League 2009 v Stoke unbeaten in the Northern League 2009. For added spice four of the Whiterock riders had represented Birmingham so well in their inaugral Premier league season in 2009 - so what would give?

It started with Stoke struggling to get a full contingent of riders to travel, only seven of the 12 riders on view at home last week turning out this week, but how well those seven rode!

Heat one saw a win for Mark Winwood with Leighton Bates relegating Chris Timms into third place. In heat two a shared heat with Gary Pearce winning turned into a 7-3 Monarchs win as Gary slipped off on a very difficult third turn. Paul Heard won heat three but with Lewis Bates and Rich Harrison team-riding Russ Evans into last place the heat was tied. Heat four was a disaster for Stoke, tracking only one rider, Errol Thaw, who was excluded for use of the leg leaving Andy James and Chris Timms to coast round for a 7-0 win.

However rather than move on from here Monarchs had exclusions at the gate for Mark Winwood and Marcus Wadhams in the next three races that saw Stoke reduce the defecit - one of these races did however see Ben Mould stranded off gate four but pull off an exceptional pass on the experienced Errol Thaw to keep the damage down to a manageable level. Heat nine saw a tremendous first turn from Paul Heard to pin England International Gary Pearce to the line and help team mate Andy James around into first place and the resultant 7-3 saw Birmingham go into the interval 49 - 36 up.

The second half racing was as feisty as the first with Errol Thaw and Lewis Bates both winning two races each and showing why the Monarchs had used them so much in 2009. However the strength of this Monarchs squad is in the number of riders who can win races and that's exactly what they did - four riders won races and, at the end, The Monarchs won by a margin of 17 points.

COMBINATION

The combination match had the makings of a damp squib as Stoke had no new riders for this match, so with 51 penalty points to come off, the match was a 'dead rubber' before it started. However the Stoke lads rode the match in the correct spirit and when up against younger opposition they encouraged theM but when the opposition was right the racing was top class.

Overall a great day and Birmingham will be happy to gain two wins from a tricky day.

Stockport 93 Astley & Tyldesley 54

Report: Mike Hack

Astley & Tyldesley opened their 2010 season on Sunday with a trip to Stockport, for a Northern Combination Division match. A & T's youngsters put in a gallant display against a much older Stockport team, consisting of half their first team, before going down 93 - 54. Ali Lam, Matt Turner, Jack Lush, Mat Lush and Jake Read all raced unbeaten for Stockport. Joel Partington and Matthew Turnbull were joint top scorers for A & T, with Sacha Street recovering well after a fall first time out.

Northern Combination Division match result.

STOCKPORT 93 Ali Lam 20, Jake Read 16, Matt Turner 14 (2), Jack Lush 10 (2), Mat Lush 10 (2), James Carter 9 (3), Joe Pickford 8, Georgina Healey 6.

ASTLEY & TYLDESLEY 54 Joel Partington 12, Matthew Turnbull 11 (1), Sacha Street 10 (2), Stefan Whitelegg 10, Max Evans 6 (1), Adam Turnbull 5.

Referee - Alan Taylor.

Ipswich 103 - Hethersett 77

Report: Mel Perkins

Two young members of the Hethersett Hawks / Swinton & Co cycle-speedway club have been selected for the England U18 team to take on Wales in Newport (April 3) and Bristol (April 10). This is a big achievement for the small village club. Dan Chambers and Leon Wild have impressed in pre-season British Academy weekends to earn their caps.

The two new internationals were paired in the Hawks' opening South-East League match at Ipswich and rode well together. Both teams were down on full strength but it was a well-contested opener in which Ipswich had most of the breaks. Hethersett competed well and the final score slightly flattered the home side. Ex-British Champion Phil Howells made a tentative start but reeled off three good wins but it was Chambers and Wild who gained the heat advantage for the Hawks - a 6-4.

Final Score Ipswich 103 - Hethersett 77.

P.Howells 17 Dan Chambers 14 P.Adams 13 L.Wild 10 B.Collins 7 Dave Chambers 6 D.Adams 5 S.Wilcox 5

In the Combination League match the Hawks were eight points down after five races but a rousing 7-3 orchestrated by Ben Collins with Mel Perkins gave them hope. But a nagging injury and general fitness told as the younger home side took advantage. There were some encouraging signs from the female pairing of Tiffany Collins and Carly Grimes while Ben Collins remained unbeaten.

IPSWICH B 99 HETHERSETT B 76

B.Collins 23 D.Adams 19 C.Grimes 9 T.Grimes 8 M.Perkins 8 T.Collins 6

Great Blakenham 100 - Norwich 76

Report: Glenn Grange

Norwich ‘Premier Coachwork Stars' began their defence of the South East Division 1 title with a tough away match at Great Blakenham. With this seasons focus being to bring the younger riders on, this was the first opportunity to give some of their exciting juniors a taste of first team action and over all the exercise didn't go too badly.

A very experienced top 6 home side put the visiting Norwich side to the sword in the first half, scoring six 7-3 heat wins, with only Leigh Cossey being able to record a first half race win. Trailing 56-34 at the interval Norwich rallied slightly, but with the racing surface cutting up, Norwich made mistakes which allowed Great Blakenham to remain in control.

Final score Great Blakenham 100 - Norwich 76.

Top scorers were: Leigh Cossey 13, Lee Grange 12, Barry Copping 11+1

Newport 89 Exeter 85

Report: Graham Sutton

For the second week running Exeter featured in a last heat decider at Newport but ended up on the losing side in contrast to their narrow home victory against Horspath seven days previously. The Welsh club held the lead (84 - 80) as the riders lined up for heat 18 but with their top two of Thomas Reed and Dominic McCrae scheduled to race, a share of the spoils was a distinct possibility. Step up Mark Carmichael who shielded partner Dave Murphy and held off the challenge of McCrae to secure a nailbiting home win.

NEWPORT 89 Dave Murphy 15, Jack Harrold 14, Mark Carmichael 13, Joe Lewis 12, Colin Simmons 11, Olly Sidwick 11, Chris Davies 11, Ryan Evans 2.

EXETER 85 Thomas Reed 19, Craig Nethercott 19, Aaron Herbert 15,Dom McCrae 15, Dan Wichester 7 Aaron Coles 7 Corey Hyde 2 Sam Dart 1 (Match ban)

Referee - Phil Davies

Conference League:

NEWPORT 88 Jack Harrold 20, Olly Sidwick 16, Joe Lewis 15, Ryan Evans 14, Owen Tendree 12, Rebecca Davies 4, Dan Denny 2.

EXETER 57 Corey Hyde 14, Lauren Hookway 10, Jack Herbert 8, Chalie Jane Herbert 8, James Robinson 7, Jamie Lovering 7, Joe Avery 3.

Sandwell 98 Leicester 83

Report: Tim Jarvis

Sandwell proved too strong for a battling Leicester outfit - for the majority of the match there was usually no more than ten points between the teams which reflects the closeness of the racing. The visitors actually took the lead in heat one but a Burns gate exclusion in heat four and the resulting 7-2 gave the home side a lead they would never relinquish.

Lee Smith's only defeat was by Carl Jarvis in heat one, whilst younger brother Matt started with a last place and then reeled-off four impressive wins. Mark Newey and Jamie Ball gave good backing but the home team didn't really have a weak link.

Leicester entered this meeting without a member of the Whitehead family present, probably the first time this has been the case for at least ten years! Whilst only Marchant and Jarvis won races, Burns and Skinner were always competitive and the youngsters in the side didn't disgrace themselves.

All in all an excellent meeting ridden in good spirit by both teams.

SANDWELL 98 (L Smith 18+1, M Smith 17, J Ball 16, M Newey 15+1, P Hemmings 10+1, S Millward 8, P Clarke 4+1)

LEICESTER 83 (C Jarvis 17+1, C Marchant 17+1, M Skinner 15, K Burns 9+2, J Kemp 9, A Doughty 8, M Hartshorn 6+1, L Kemp 1)

Combination Match

SANDWELL 70 - LIONS 60

Poole 106 Swindon 70

Report: Graham Sutton

Poole completed an early season double over Swindon at Harbourside with a powerful 1 to 8 team display but they had no answer to the individual brilliance of Sean Rudman who chalked up his third 2010 South West League maximum in as many matches. The fixture started with a flourish for Poole as Sam Hearn outpaced Danny Harper in heat one and was joined by Ben Donohue for a 7 - 3 in the dash for the line with inches between the riders.

The Sea View side had built up a 20 point advantage by the interval with a pair of race wins apiece for Harper and Rudman - the only time a home rider dropped points. Donohue chased Rudman hard in heat 16 and nearly caught him unawares but did not quite have the pace to lower his colours. The match was ridden in good spirit although it ended on a controversial note when Pete Young and Danny Harper crashed in heat 18 and were both unable to finish the race.

POOLE 106 Sam Hearn 17, Arron Morgan 16, Chris Shylock 15, Jake Williams 14, Ben Donohue 13, Pawel Cegielski 13, Pete Young 12, Leyton Glover.

SWINDON 70 Sean Rudman 20, Danny Harper 14, Mark Janes 11, Martin Glover 7, Paul Matthews 6, Robbie Hillier 4, Ethan Greenslade 4, Jake Neighbour 4.

Referee - Robin Spicer.

COMBINATION

POOLE 41 Harry Boucher 16, Alex Lane 9, Kristina Mines 6, Dean Hook 4, Matt Elston 3, Sam Harbord 3.

SWINDON 38 Robbie Hillier 12, Ethan Greenslade 12, Jake Neighbour 8, Roger Ponting 5, Michael Whitmore 1.

Other Results

21/3 South-East League Division 1

IPSWICH 103 Dave Solomon 19+1 Dan Pike 15+4 Leon Mower 17+1
HETHERSETT 77 Phil Howells 17 Dan Chambers 14+1 Phil Adams 13
Referee - Tony Stant

21/3 South-East Combination League

IPSWICH B (87+12) 99 Ashley Hill 15+2 Charlie Rumbold 16 Will Clarke 13+3 Dan Johnson 12+4
HETHERSETT B (73+3) 76 Ben Collins 23+1 David Adams 19+1 Carly Grimes 9
Referee - Dave Solomon