Reports and results week ending 15 July 2012
Northern League - Sheffield v Stockport
Location: Sheffield Cycle Speedway
Event: 16 July 2012
The Sheffield CRA Rockets were unable to prevent visitors Stockport from maintaining their grip on the Northern League Championship after a close tussle ended 86-91 in favour of the reigning Champions. Sheffield pressed the self destruct button in the first three heats and trailed 10-19 after an exclusion to Aiden Owen and falls by Louis German and Liam Webster. Radek Handke defeated Terry Norman for a second time in the match in heat 4, and with Tom Clare excluded after falling and being lapped the home team at least had the ball rolling. A fine win for Zach Smurthwaite over Matt Lush in heat 5 helped Sheffield to another six points and now the score was 22-26. The comeback seemed to be short lived as Jack Lush and Jake Read got their second maximum score in heat 6 to increase the visitors lead to nine points, helped by another tapes exclusion for Louis German (but at least this time it was not his first race). Radek Handke and Kyle Holland squeezed out Dylan Radcliffe on the first bend on heat 7 with the Polish ace keeping Radcliffe at bay despite his valiant efforts. Sheffield then got another maximum in the race before the interval after Jack Lush fell when attempting to pass Webster and the interval scores were 43-44. Read and Mat Lush hit Stockport’s fourth maximum score in heat 10 to give the visitors a five point cushion. Joe Pickford and Norman but had to make passes in heat 13 as Stockport got a 6-4 result from outside grids to maintain the five point cushion. Stockport then sealed the League points with their fifth 7-3 maximum in heat 16 from Read and Norman. Handke completed his maximum in heat 17, but again Radcliffe was pushing all the way. Sheffield finished the match with a 7-3 maximum from Owen and German after Owen created a big gap with a dive inside Matt Lush on turn one of the second lap.
SCORERS
SHEFFIELD CRA ROCKETS (86) – Radek Handke 19+1, Aiden Owen 13+1, Liam Webster 12, Kyle Holland 10, Richard Hudson 10, Zach Smurthwaite 9+1, Luke Morton 8+2, Louis German 5+1.
STOCKPORT (91) – Terry Norman 16+2, Dylan Radcliffe 16, Jake Read 16+3, Jack Lush 14+1, Mat Lush 14+2, Joe Pickford 9, Tom Clare 4, Ryan Coyle 2.
For the Combination fixtures Stockport were only able to field five riders and with one of them having to give away 20 penalty points it was going to be a hard task to win the league points. The Sheffield Phantoms welcomed back Ellie Sullivan, who has been out of action since breaking her leg just a few days after winning the British Under 13 Girls’ title and included Zach Smurthwaite to provide some extra strength in depth. Sandra Tamborska beat Joe Pickford in heat 2 for one of Sheffield’s only two race wins and with Stockport having only one finisher in the other opening three races the Phantoms led 26-21 after five heats. Heat 6 saw Billie Owen unlucky to suffer an exclusion for the Phantoms after falling while in front of Tom Clare. The re-run saw Stockport take their first maximum score, as Jake Read made sure Vicky Brown was unable to put in a challenge on Clare. A Stockport 6-4 win in the next race with Ryan Coyle managing to keep Alice Unwin at bay gave the visitors the lead for the first time. With Sullivan feeling the effects of her injury and unable to challenge Pickford and Clare in heat 9 the visitors took another maximum seven points and now led by 45-40. Read, Pickford and Mat Lush won the next four races in comparative comfort but with the Phantoms picking up the minor placings the scores stood at 60-64 with just two races remaining. Sheffield then gained only the second race winner of the match as Amber Webster outpaced Clare after making the most of a gap created for her by Sullivan. Unfortunately for the Sheffield youngster Clare was just too strong and was able to pass on the third lap to restrict the heat score to a 3-6 loss. With only one point between the teams as they entered the last race the line up showed the difference between the two clubs. For the Phantoms it was Brown and Niamh Morton and for Stockport up was Lush and Read. The visitors took the expected 7-3 maximum to win the match on the track by 74-69, but with the 20 penalty points it was the Phantoms who took the League points by 89-74.
SCORERS
SHEFFIELD PHANTOMS (69+20) – Sandra Tamborska 13, Amber Webster 13+2, Vicky Brown 9+1, Ellie Sullivan 9+1, Zach Smurthwaite 8+1, Billie Owen 6+1, Alice Unwin 6+1, Niamh Morton 5+2.
STOCKPORT (74) – Mat Lush 19+1, Jake Read 19+1, Joe Pickford 18+1, Tom Clare 12, Ryan Coyle 6.
The second Combination match had Stockport again provide thirteen of the fifteen race winners for a 73-71 track win over the Sheffield Rockets but it was the home team taking the league points by 91-73. Jake Read and Tom Clare took a maximum 7-3 win over Kyle Holland and Ed Morton in heat 3 to give the visitors the lead by 16-13. The visitors Ryan Coyle was now getting some meaningful racing as Sheffield included young Jack Brownell at reserve and made sure the two met in four races. With the eventual score being two wins each. Brownell fell while leading Coyle in heat 7 and the resulting 6-4 heat win for Stockport increased their lead to 37-31. The efforts of the day had taking its toll on Joe Pickford as he withdrew from heat 9 (what would have been his fourteenth race of the day). Sheffield brought in Rob Mawhood to partner Ed Morton and the resulting 6-3 over Clare had the Rockets reduce the score to 42-44. Read and Jack Lush won heats 10 and 11 but Stockport’s lead was now only a single point. Heat 12 was another drawn heat but for Stockport it was the surprising result of Clare as the race winner with Read coming in last behind Niall Morton and James Unwin. Pickford came out in heat 13 against Richard Hudson and Matt Parrott and importantly finished ahead of Parrott to restrict the Rockets to a 6-4 win as Sheffield took the lead by 63-62. Although Sheffield were secure with the League points the next race, heat 14, would decide the destiny of the match result. Ed Morton made the all important quick start from grid one and held Clare on the outside to allow Unwin through and Sheffield were in a 7-2 position. The physically stronger Clare managed to use his strength to get past Morton on the third lap and then to his astonishment found that he was in the lead after Unwin fell on the back straight of the last lap. Therefore, Sheffield went into the last race ahead by 68-66 but it could so easily have been 70-64. Needing the maximum seven points from the last race to win on the track, Lush and Read made no mistake from inside grids, though Holland and Hudson gave it their best shot. The highlight of the match though had been the four races between Coyle and Brownell, let’s hope these two keep at the sport and have many more encounters in the years to come.
SCORERS
SHEFFIELD ROCKETS (71+20) – Niall Morton 14+1, Richard Hudson 10+1, Matt Parrott 10+1, Ed Morton 9+1, James Unwin 9+3, Rob Mawhood 7, Jack Brownell 6+2, Kyle Holland 6.
STOCKPORT (73) – Jack Lush 19+1, Tom Clare 16, Jake Read 16+1, Joe Pickford 15, Ryan Coyle 7.
Sustrans' Doncaster Project
The Sheffield Stars Club opened their doors and welcomed four primary schools from Doncaster to take part in Cycle Speedway racing at the Cookson Park Raceway. The event was made possible by the enthusiasm of Sustrans’ Bike It officer Tom Collister and Sheffield Club coach Rob Mawhood. There has never been Cycle Speedway racing in Doncaster but that didn’t deter the intrepid duo from going ahead with the project. First piece of the jigsaw was to visit the schools and provide a taster session on the grassed playing fields within the school grounds. The pupils and in particular the teachers, thought the racing to be thrilling and challenging. When a visit to race on a ‘proper’ shale track was offered the schools jumped at the chance. So each school (Bessacarr, Bawtry Mayflower, Finningley and Mallard) were asked to send teams of eight, with a mixture of boys and girls. The feedback after the event was that the schools all want to make this an annual competition and some of the pupils are hoping to persuade their parents to make the 25 mile journey to visit one of Sheffield’s Saturday morning club sessions. With Tom leaving his post at the end of July his successor will be left with the task of seeing Tom’s legacy finalised. Discussions are taking place with a School in the Doncaster area for being a base to see Cycle Speedway racing introduced. The idea is to purchase a number of bikes and store them at the school, with that school then being the base for others to visit and take part in racing on a grass circuit.
The morning session saw a match up between Bessacarr and Mallard. Both sets of pupils were given track time to get accustomed to riding on a shale surface and a quick lesson in the starting technique. When the racing started (using the eight man 18 heat formula) it was the Bessacarr pupils who quickly adapted to the starts and cornering techniques as Ryan Whiteside, Jessica Powell and Ethan Sander won eight of the first nine races to give the interval scoreline as 51-39 in Bessacarr’s favour. The second half of the match saw much closer racing as the Mallard pupils began to impress. Dylan Sayles, Nathan Morton (twice) and Mortaza Malilgon all won races and the consistent Bradley Atack (the only Mallard winner in the first half) joined his teammate for two crucial drawn heats. However with Ryan Whiteside remaining unbeaten and Ethan Sander, Jessica Powell and Bobbi George winning races for Bessacarr it was they that came out on top by 97-83.
SCORERS
BESSACARR (97) – Ryan Whiteside 20, Jessica Powell 18, Ethan Sander 15, Bobbi Mcguire 14+1, Adam Iman 12+1, Ryan Gladders 7, George Thomas 7, Rebecca Jones 4.
MALLARD (83) – Dylan Sayles 16, Bradley Atack 15+1, Nathan Morton 15+2, Jack Keenan 12, Mortaza Malilgon 9, Sonar Kocakgol 6, Curtis Howcraft 5, Tyler Riley 5.
With time available before the bus returned them to school the pupils then put through there paces with an individual meeting. Ryan Whiteside was the stand out performer winning all of his races to take the gold medal, including a well taken win in heat 11 when the four unbeaten riders all met. Ryan had to make passes on Bradley Atack and Jessica Powell (on the last corner) to secure the win. Bradley Atack took the silver medal, his only defeat being when third in that important heat 11. Gold medal for the girls went to Jessica Powell, whose efforts were reminiscent of Ellie Sullivan’s first forays into Cycle Speedway (and she’s now British Under 13 Champion). Improving to take the girls’ silver medal was Rebecca Jones. In the team match Rebecca had finished in last place each time out but now she was really getting involved in the racing and got a well deserved 9 points.
SCORERS
Ryan Whiteside 16, Bradley Atack 14, Jessica Powell 14, Nathan Morton 13, Ethan Sander 13, Dylan Sayles 13, Jack Keenan 12, Bobbi Mcguire 12, Rebecca Jones 9, Adam Iman 8, Sonar Kocakgol 7, George Thomas 7, Mortaza Malilgon 6, Tyler Riley 6, Ryan Gladders 5, Curtis Howcraft 4.
The afternoon brought two more schools with Finningley in a match up against Bawtry Mayflower. Bawtry were at a slight disadvantage as when the school were visited for a taster session as it was cut short due to heavy rain. This time, the match was a bit more one sided with Finningley victorious by 101-79. The only unbeaten rider was Jesssica Eccles (who was another to really impress coach Rob Mawhood). Jessica was really quick out of the starts and fast on the straights. She was even able to copy the riding style of Radek Handke, who had turned up to do some training and stayed on to offer advice and provide some demonstration. Another Finningley rider who really took to the racing was Eatan Wragg. Eatan is a BMX racer and he really put that experience to good use, including one very strong pass that resulted in a fall for Bawtry’s Lewis Knights. The race was eventually re-run with Lewis showing great determination to take the win. Morgan Hamilton showed some good team riding techniques for Finningley as he was happy to sit behind Eatan when they were paired together, winning his other three races in fine style. Lewis Knights was top scorer for Bawtry with both Matthew Mankel and Rowan Hall recording race wins. A special mention too fro Thomas Cerenko whose first race resulted in a heavy crash. But to his credit he dusted himself down and was involved in some very close racing.
SCORERS
FINNINGLEY (101) – Morgan Hamilton 17+2, Jessica Eccles 16, Eatan Wragg 15, Robert Hughes 13, Sophie Wallis 13+1, Thomas Cassidy 10+2, Christian Downs 9+1, Thomas Cerenko 8+1.
BAWTRY/MAYFLOWER (79) – Lewis Knights 17+1, Luke Stocks 13, Jodie Williams 13, Rowan Hall 11, Matthew Mankel 11, Olivia Medlock 6, Izzabelle Allen 5, Erin Chandler 3.
Again the pupils were allowed to compete in an Individual Competition to finish the day. The Finningley pupils were all at the top of the scorechart with Jessica Eccles the eventual winner with a superb maximum score, including a very impressive heat 15 win over Eatan Wragg and Lewis Knights. Silver medal in the girls’ event was claimed by Sophie Wallis who just managed to hold off the challenge of Izzabelle Allen.
SCORERS
Jessica Eccles 16, Eatan Wragg 15, Morgan Hamilton 14, Lewis Knight 13, Rowan Hall 12, Luke Stocks 12, Matthew Mankel 11, Thomas Cassidy 10, Sophie Wallis 10, Izzabelle Allen 8, Robert Hughes 8, Christian Downs 7, Thomas Cerenko 7, Jodie Williams 7, Olivia Medlock 6, Erin Chandler 4.
This Is Sheffield Summer Series
Event: 4 July 2012
Sheffield’s Cookson Park raceway was again the venue for the ‘This is Sheffield’s’ bike crews summer series opener on July 4th. The series is a competition of eight or nine rounds exploring different disciplines of extreme cycle racing. Cycle Speedway was added to the calendar three years ago and the competitors, mainly very experienced MTB racers, really enjoy pitting their skills on the unfamiliar bikes and shale surfaced oval track. With some riders returning for the third time and others making their debuts (and with four Sheffield Stars riders added in the mix) there was plenty of interesting and exciting racing, plus some big crashes. First up was the qualifying races, and with this event being the first in the series no quarter would be given as all riders were intent on being the top racer. Will Swinden took the honours with three smart wins, after taking second place first time out, as he got accustomed to the skills required for speedway racing to top the leader board. Ruari Halland and defending champion Nick Hamilton both recorded two wins to also make the A Final. Hamilton coming out on top in a heat 20 shoot out with Rich Baybutt to secure his A Final spot with brilliantly timed inside pass coming out of turn 4 on the last corner. Baybutt had been very impressive on his debut at Speedway, and was resplendent in his all white ‘Evel Knievel’ gear (completed by t shirt) as he got into the spirit of American Independence Day (including motor cycle helmet and shades). He was involved in the most eventful race of the night as he and Henry Norman battled for the lead in heat 15. As they entered the last corner it was an ‘all or nothing pass’ from Byabutt that saw both riders hit the dirt. Both riders then grabbed their bikes and ran for the line, with Baybutt taking the flag as he sprinted like Usian Bolt. Tim Pearson and Andy Bilsborrow both had two wins but missed the A Final due to getting last place. Chris Pearson was the model of consistency with one win and three second places to secure his place in the A Final. There were big crashes for Martin Baker and Rob Jolley that hindered their final scores.
The excellent racing continued into the Grand Finals with first up the D Final. John Jones won this quite comfortably (and was ruing the fact that a late arrival due to work commitments had given him only two qualifying races), but it was the battle for the minor placings where all the action was. Joe’s Howard and Berry were swopping places of every bend with Howard making the important last pass on the final turn. The C Final saw another last bend pass as Tim Pearson got the better of Rob Jolley going into the final turn, while the battle for third place went to Martin Baker after he passed Lee Howden. The B Final again went to a last bend pass with Andy Bilsborrow just getting the inside run out of the turn to defeat Henry Norman, with Rich Baybutt less than a bikes length behind in third spot. For the third year running Nick Hamilton had secured grid one for the A Final, so it would be all about the run to the first corner. The flying Will Swinden made the best start from grid two and was clear on the first corner as Hamilton then clashed wheels with Ruari Hallam and hit the deck and was out of contention. Hallam gave chase on Swinden to no avail and the winners spoils went to the impressive Swinden.
The night’s racing was completed with Swinden taking his place in a race off against the three Stars riders who had volunteered their help by refereeing and starter duties. The MTB rider getting the better of Louis German with a strong shoulder charge on the first bend, which also took out James Unwin. Then on the last corner disaster struck as Swinden came down just as he lined up a perfect pass on Liam Webster, picking up his pedals just a fraction too early and losing the front wheel.
The ‘This is Sheffield’ crew then thanked the Sheffield riders for once again putting on the event and Sheffield coach Rob Mawhood thanked the competitors for continuing to try out Cycle Speedway. Promotional leaflets and contact details were taken by Andy Bilsborrow and Rich Baybutt who both expressed a real interest in returning. But the biggest plus for Sheffield though was that John Jones, a top level MTB coach at Whistler Bike Park in Colorado, would be interested in including Cycle Speedway as part of a weekend programme when taking MTB instructors through their paces as they develop their coaching techniques. John saw Cycle Speedway as an excellent opportunity to develop skills in an environment unusual to the would be instructors.
QUALIFYING SCORES
Will Swinden 15, Ruari Hallam 14, Nick Hamilton 13, Chris Pearson 13, Rich Baybutt 12, Henry Norman 12, Andy Bilsborrow 11, Louis German 11, Tim Pearson 11, Shane Townsend 11, James Unwin 11, Martin Baker 10, Liam Webster 10, Rob Jolley 8, Rob Mawhood 8, Joe Howard 7, Lee Howden 7, Joe Berry 5, Ian Hagan 5, John Jones 4.
Grand Finals
A – 1st Will Swinden, 2nd Ruari Hallam, 3rd Chris Pearson, 4th Nick Hamilton.
B – 1st Andy Bilsborrow , 2nd Henry Norman, 3rd Rich Baybutt, 4th Shane Townsend.
C – 1st Tim Pearson, 2nd Rob Jolley, 3rd Martin Baker, 4th Lee Howden.
D – 1st John James, 2nd Ian Hagan, 3rd Joe Howden, 4th Joe Berry.
20 LAP DEVIL RACE
1st Will Swinden, 2nd Rich Baybutt, 3rd Nick Hamilton.
SE Regional League - Division 2 - Hethersett B v Kesgrave
Location:Hethersett Cycle Speedway
Event: 15 June 2012
Hethersett Hawks / Swinton & Co had an unchanged "B" team for the visit of Kesgrave and it paid off as the Hawks rode consistently well as a team, not losing a race until the final heat when the match was already well won. The match was quite entertaining, highlighted by the first race when the lead changed hands every lap but the points were eventually shared. The Hawks did have some slices of luck, especially when races were stopped an rerun, but Kesgrave had no answer to both Scott Grimes and Harley Hamill who both scored maximums. Ben Collins was always competitive giving no quarter and his sister Tiffany deserved more points for her efforts.
Results:
HETHERSETT B: 84 Scott Grimes, 20 Harley Hamill, 20 Ben Collins, 16, Oliver Buxton 14 Tiffany Collins 5, Calvin Grimes 4, Roger Carter 3, Carly Grimes 2
KESGRAVE 75: Gary Brown 15, Lewis Davies 13, Patrick Kruger 12, Harry Swallow 12, Phil Repman 11, Neil Cuttimg 7, Matt Oakley 5
S&SW Regional Youth & Junior League 5
Location: Southampton Cycle Speedway
Event: 14 July 2012
Results of Cycle Speedway S&SW Regional Youth & Junior League 5
A FINALS
Under 8
1st Nathan Goulden Poole
2nd Harry Stanbury Exeter
3rd Danny Reeks Poole
4th Jo Hurren Poole
Under 10
1st Owen Tidball Exeter
2nd Max Russell-Sharpe Horspath
3rd Jack Currell Horspath
4th Ben Stanbury Exeter
Under 12
1st Will Tidball Exeter
2nd Sean Bennett East Newport
3rd George Newman Poole
4th Shane Hanmer Poole
Under 14
1st Ethan Greenslade Swindon
2nd Jay Briggs Poole
3rd Jake Neighbour Swindon
4th George Horsley Horspath
Under 16
1st Aaron Smith Poole
2nd Jess Moore Hellingly
3rd Hayden Chant Southampton
4th Jacob Soper Newport
Under 18
1st Leyton Glover Poole
2nd Will Bristow Poole
3rd Dan Bock E Newport
4th Dan Miller Southampton
GIRLS
1st Lauren Hookway Exeter
2nd Charlie-Jane Herbert Horspath
3rd Livvy Horsley Horspath
4th Patricia Borak Horspath
