MATCH REPORT: Poole provide BYJL champions across the board

September 15, 2016 editor

For the first time in over 15 years the Hellingly Lions club staged a round of the BYJL on Saturday 10th September. The South and South Wales region continue their regional rounds after the initial four rounds.

The weather forecast had been changeable all week but with visitors from Exeter and Poole both reporting driving through the wet stuff up to 40 miles away from the track and it heading in the direction of East Sussex it wasn’t looking good.

The meeting started with the under 8s category, 9 competitors had assembled including two members of the Hellingly club, who were having their first competitive meeting.

Scott Rowles (Poole), had already won the overall series with no less than 5 A final wins in the first 5 regional rounds, he made no mistake in making it 6 as he took to the Hellingly track with an unbeaten performance in his 5 rides.

Two other riders, Poole’s Max Parry (2nd in the final), and George Whale from Southampton (4th), also deserve a mention as their colours were only lowered by Scott in the 4 heats.

Nataleigh Goulden who had finished with 12 points after 4 2nd places in her 4 heats finished 3rd in the A final.

Next up was the under 10s. 13 entrants saw this field as the biggest of the day. JJ Wildman went through the day unbeaten in his heats, being joined in the final by Horspath’s Jack Allman (2nd) Poole’s Joe Hurren (3rd), who had both only failed to win when they came up against JJ. Shannon Tucker (Exeter) completed the final line up in 4th

With 11 under 12s lining up, including two home riders, hopes were high for a home result in the age group and the home support were not to be disappointed as Ethan Page managed to take the honours.

Poole’s Nathan Goulden, who like Scott earlier, had gone right through the seasons competition unbeaten in any A final, had to make do with third, which was enough for him to take the series overall. Maddie Saunders (Poole) and Jack Horton (Exeter) finished in 2nd and 4th respectively.

With the rain approaching and due to low numbers in the respective age categories, the U14s (7), U17s(5) and girls (6) competition were run alongside each other in order to speed it up and refrain from too many breaks for riders having two consecutive races.

Danny Byrne, who on his last visit to Hellingly had suffered a nasty fall that had resulted in a fracture of the wrist, came to the track as the series leader and made no mistake in the final, taking the win in front of Horspath’s Jack Ellis, Ryan Bollom, the other Poole rider in the line up finished 3rd, with Newport’s Dan Wright taking 4th.

Fraser Garnett from Poole took the honours in the Under 17s category in a field of 5 in front of clubmates Ben Tinsdale and Callum Smith (4th), Horspaths Will Jeffery being the rider to split the Poole trio.

Macie Scmidt, who had recently been crowned British Girls under 16s champion and also British womens runner up, came to the track tied on points at 100 in the overall standings with Swindon’s Alice Neighbour.

A faultless performance in her 4 heats, Schmidt also took the chequered flag in the final, meaning that the Dorset club had supplied the winners in every age category in this years overall GP series, Alice finished 2nd, with the Poole duo of Anna Tuttle and Bethany Briggs 3rd and 4th.