CLUB NEWS: Birmingham’s champions fail in Poole

Birmingham’s reigning Eurovets champions, Mark Winwood and Steve Hodgkinson, failed to make the A finals in Poole on Saturday, leaving their title hopes hanging on a thread for 2016.

Round three saw the series move to the picturesque Poole Harbour in Dorset, with a strong turn out of riders. Rain affected the meeting from start to finish but they didn’t stop the action being hot on track.

Winwood won his first race before a star studded second heat saw him at the back. The damage however came in heat 10 when leading the race, an attempt to pass by over 40’s world champion Craig Marchant saw the Leicester rider hit the deck, falling as he failed to find a way through.

However, the decision of the referee to exclude Winwood not Marchant was the main talking point of the match, with Marchant confirming he was at fault. Winwood failed to recover from this decision finishing the meeting on 11 points and failing to even make the over 40’s finals stage.

Hodgkinson meanwhile will rue his opening race in heat 1 after letting slip 2nd place to home rider Rob Haywood. Haywood finishing on 17 points to reach the A final, while Hodgkinson scored 16 and missed the A final by that vital point, a 3rd place in the over 50’s B final scant reward for effort on the day.

Paul Timms meanwhile scored 17 points and came 3rd in the A final, he lies 4th overall.

Winwood currently in 5th place overall, Hodgkinson in 7th.

Ewan Hancox came 4th in the junior Dash trophies at Wednesfield on Saturday.

Monarchs over 40’s team travel to Wednesfield on Sunday for the British Cycling Club Championships, start time 11am.

A top 2 finish will be required for the club to progress to the final later in the day.