CLUB NEWS: Boom leads to junior expansion for Coventry

One of Coventry’s most successful amateur sports clubs have announced a summer long expansion to its hugely popular junior section – helped by the national boom in cycling.

Coventry Cycle Speedway club, based at Hearsall Common in Earlsdon, are to introduce extra Saturday morning “come and try it” sessions aimed at newcomers, starting on Saturday 9th July.

And, in a further effort to help expand the sport in Coventry & Warwickshire, the new sessions will take place at the club’s sister facility at the Brandon Bees track at Bretford Playing Fields, in Brandon Road, Bretford.

Entitled `The Speedy Bike Club`, the new sessions will run from 11am to 12.30pm each Saturday and will enjoy a seven week run. It is expected to attract dozens of excited youngsters weekly from Rugby and the surrounding East Warwickshire villages, such as Ryton, Brandon, Pailton, Monks Kirby and Wolston.

Backed by the Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull Sports Partnership, and supported by British Cycling, the Speedy Bike Club will enable youngsters and first time riders to have a go at the fast and exciting sport of Cycle Speedway – where riders race with no brakes.

Aimed at 8 to 18 year olds, each session will be managed by a qualified British Cycling level 2 coach. Bikes and safety equipment will be provided. All sessions at the Speedy Bike Club are free.

It is expected that Myke Grimes, one of Coventry’s top riders, and who recently qualified as an official coach, will be the lead coach at several of the new Saturday morning sessions.

In a further effort to cater for the thriving local Cycle Speedway scene, and to increase participation, club bosses have this week purchased five new bikes for newcomers to ride, compliments of club benefactor Craig Whale.

The go-ahead Coventry club, best known for their terrific presentation of major events at Hearsall Common, have also mounted a sustained recruitment drive to help promote the club and the new Speedy Bike Club.

Club members were out in force last Sunday at the Coventry Cycle Festival at Longford Park. Their promotional efforts proved an instant hit, with several new riders attending the club headquarters at Hearsall Common on Wednesday night to sample the sport on a real track.

The club are also to take part in the upcoming Godiva Festival and SkyRide events in the city. They are also to promote the club at the Coventry Bees Speedway match on Friday 1st July at Brandon Stadium, when the Bees entertain Swindon.

Club spokesman Dave Morris said: “The Coventry Cycle Speedway club was formed in 1978, and reformed in 2011. Never in all our history has the club attained such interest on so many fronts, be it in major events, racing in the Elite League and by our attainment of major sponsorship.

“Our summer long calendar of promotional events, and the introduction of the Saturday morning Speedy Bike Club at the Brandon Bees track, will build on all this and help attract the next generation of Coventry `skid-kids` into our ever growing club”.

The clubs main current focus of junior activity is their ever popular `Clubnight`, which takes place this and every Wednesday at Hearsall Common, starting at 6pm.

The Coventry club face a busy weekend of racing with the club’s top junior riders heading to the Leicester track on Saturday (25th June), for the first round of the national series of the British Junior League.

Dashing new junior starlet Ben Wells, the Midlands under 14s champion, will take his superb form to the national stage where he will take on the champions of the north, south and eastern regions.

Coventry go to friendly rivals Birmingham on Sunday (26th June) for Midland League challenge encounters at senior and junior level. Team boss Lee Marsh rests senior team members Myke Grimes, Matthew Lawrence and Joe McLaughlin but popular Pole Dominik Rycharski returns to the side.

Coventry team:

1 Dominik Rycharski 2 Ollie Morris 3 Dan Drewett 4 Jake Slatter 5 Matt Hambidge 6 Ben Wells 7 Joe Andrews 8 Sammi Marsh

Junior team manager Dave Morris calls up several new riders for the junior challenge at Birmingham. He includes newcomers Harry Hibbert, Heather Smith and Lewis Fry in his squad

Coventry junior team (from):

Sam Slatter, Jude Willcockson, James Morris, Heather Smith, Jack Reynolds, Jacob Slezak, Wyatt Jacobs, Lewis Fry and Harry Hibbert.