HOME INTERNATIONAL: Copping & Colby announce Ireland squad

After Mark Boaler & Gavin Kennedy announced their respective teams for the Home International this week, Ireland joint managers Steve Copping & Gary Colby have announced the riders who are scheduled to don the green of Ireland on July 11th.

The Junior team have a combined total of 1 international cap between them, Hethersett’s Katie Adams is the rider who has that 1 cap having made her debut in last year’s Celtic Cup at Newport, scoring a very creditable 7 points. Her Hethersett team mate Adam Reeve is one of 3 riders who are scheduled to make their international debuts but Adam is an injury doubt having picked up a suspected fractured wrist.

Norwich’s Ciaran Wenn is also currently out of action with a fractured arm but hopes to recover in time to make his international debut. Another Ciaran, Astley & Tyldesley’s Ciaran Collins, is another rider who will be making his Ireland debut. Ciaran started racing midway through 2012 and quickly impressed in Under 13 events. He took second place in the A&T Under 12 individual and also won the Rory Blackwell Cup for best Newcomer. He was third in the 2013 Manchester League Under 13 Individual, a placing he repeated in the Manchester League Under 16 Grand Prix last year. This season he has been a big points scorer in Astley’s Northern League Division 2 team.

The Senior team will feature two riders who will be racing on their home track, Charlie Rumbold & Lewis Roberts. Hethersett’s Daniel Butler will also be in the team as will Norwich rider Craig Norton, who has returned to the sport this season after a gap of 3 years. Craig’s Norwich team-mate Gary Colby, the joint Ireland manager, is expected to complete the line-up but this was not confirmed at the time of writing