MATCH REPORT: A&T record emphatic win over Falcons
Astley & Tyldesley staged a full day of racing on a glorious spring afternoon at Gin Pit. In the opening home Northern Cycle Speedway League of the season, the Gin Pit circuit was in top condition, for five matches in front of a large crowd.
The main match of the day saw A&T record an emphatic win over a strong Edinburgh side, by 108-70. As in last week’s win at Sheffield, A&T provided the majority of race winners, this time 15 out of 18, to lay the foundations for victory.
The first two races were shared, but A&T took the major points to open up a 6 points lead after heat 4 and were never headed. A&T held a 50-40 lead at the interval, before running riot in the second half, winning eight of the nine races.
Damian Zareba and Radek Handke were both unbeaten by an opponent, with Reece Pollitt losing only to Mikey Hewitson, twice. The strength of the A&T side was illustrated by all eight riders winning a race, with Errol Thaw and Simon Munden making impressive debuts for Team Green.
Mikey Hewitson rode really well for Edinburgh, winning two races, but dropping points when falling whilst leading Zareba in heat 12. Zareba recorded the fastest time of the match, 42.32 seconds, in heat 17.
Northern League Division 1 match result
Astley & Tyldesley 108
Radek Handke 19 (1), Damian Zareba 18 (2), Reece Pollitt 16 (2), Paul Graham 12 (1), Errol Thaw 12 (1), Simon Munden 11 (2), Mark Mulvey 11 (1), Luke Jamson 9.
Edinburgh 70
Mikey Hewitson 15, Neil Swanson 11 (1), Jake Slight 10 (1), Kamil Greszla 9 (1), Neil McPherson 9 (1), Marcin Czarkowski 8, Lee Lawrence 4, Dougie Morgan 4.
Referee – Mark Graham
A&T opened up with a 7-3 heat win by the Ciaran Collins/Lee Phillips pairing in the Division Two match against Edinburgh. However, the visitors put in a determined performance to hang on to A&T’s coat tails for most of the match, before the same pairing secured the points with a 7-2 heat win in heat 13.
This was a good solid performance by A&T, with local youngsters Collins and Max Evans in great form, both having stepped up a level from last season. Lee Phillips was unbeaten in his three races. Douglas Morgan raced unbeaten for Edinburgh, with the others scoring well, but the absence of a sixth rider cost the visitors dearly.
Northern League Division 2 match result
Astley & Tyldesley 78
Ciaran Collins 17, Max Evans 14 (4), Gareth Paine 13 (1), Jon Quarmby 12, Lee Phillips 10 (2), John White 7 (1), Ben Dickinson 5 (2), Emily Burgess dnr.
Edinburgh 67
Dougie Morgan 19 (1), Marcin Czarkowski 15, John Murphy 12 (3), Ewan Kennedy 12, Paul Kelly 9.
Referee – Bill Phillips
Edinburgh didn’t field any riders for the Division 3 (u-13s) match, so the 14 A&T riders enjoyed a good match amongst themselves, to rack up a big victory. John White raced unbeaten, passing the otherwise unbeaten Emily Burgess on the last lap of heat 13. Ben Dickinson lost only to Emily in heat 9, whilst Jonah Clare had his best match to date.
Northern League Division 3 match result
Astley & Tyldesley 151
John White 16, Emily Burgess 15, Ben Dickinson 15, Charlie Dickinson 14, Jonah Clare 13, Charlie Burgess 13, Luke Hill 11, Jack Murray 10, Denby Ashurst 10, Kieran Fallon 10, Finn Boland 6, Lucy Grantham 6, Ryan Fallon 6, Caillen Langlands 6.
Edinburgh 0
Referee – Mike Hack
Earlier in the day, A&T took on Glasgow in a Division 2 match. The first two races were shared, before A&T took the lead with a 7-3 heat win to the Jon Quarmby / Max Evans pairing. A&T pulled away to take a convincing 84-66 win.
Ciaran Collins raced unbeaten, with Evans losing only to Glasgow’s best rider Andy MacDougall, with strong back-up from the rest. The other visiting riders, all veterans, used their guile against A&T’s much younger and faster riders, in a sporting encounter.
Northern League Division 2 match result
Astley & Tyldesley 84
Ciaran Collins 20, Max Evans 17 (2), Gareth Paine 15 (1), Jon Quarmby 14 (3), Lee Phillips 9, Ben Dickinson 4, John White 4, Charlie Burgess 1.
Glasgow 66
Andy MacDougall 16 (2), Jim Alexander 12, Joe Beuckmann 11 (2), Colin Gray 10 (1), Chic Mackie 6 (1), Lachlan MacDougall 6, Brian Sibbald 5.
Referee – Bill Phillips
Glasgow didn’t field any riders for the Division 3 (u-13s) match, so the 12 A&T riders had two races each to secure the points. Emily Burgess and John White both raced unbeaten.
Northern League Division 3 match result
Astley & Tyldesley 60
Emily Burgess 8, John White 8, Denby Ashurst 6, Ben Dickinson 6, Luke Hill 6, Charlie Burgess 6, Charlie Dickinson 6, Jonah Clare 4, Lucy Grantham 3, Caillen Langlands 3, Finn Boland 2, Max Quarmby 2.
Glasgow 0
Referee – Bill Phillips
Photo by Linda Kirkland