MATCH REPORT: Defeat in Scotland for Bury

Bury Comets Cycle Speedway headed north of the border for a Division Two and Three double header against the Dunfermline based Fife team and Glasgow. It was a select band that made the trip, led by second team captain Adam Turnbull and including a debut from Phil Neath, dad of Josh and uncle to Kaci, who together formed half of the team.

First up was a visit to Fife, who are new to the league in 2017. Based at the Queen Anne High School, the side was spirited from the outset, with some solid pairings, who have been effective all season, especially on home ground.

The home side took the lead as early as heat four, but Bury pulled back to level again after a Louis Turner – Phil Neath 7-3 in heat 6.  Fife were back in front with a 7-3 of their own in heat 7, to take a four point lead into the interval.

The second half was a little more stable, with four 5-5 shared heats, but try as they might Bury could not make serious inroads into the Fife advantage.  It was an excellent effort from all involved, including U10s superstar Kaci Neath, with Phil Neath’s 10 points on debut a particular highlight. Adam Turnbull rode unbeaten, shepherding fast gating partner Josh Neath to a great win in heat 1 and completing a 7-3 alongside Louis Turner in heat 15.

Fife 79
James Penny 16+2 (from 5 rides), Jake Ferguson 16+1 (5), Vas Hill 16 (5), James Keenlyside 15+4 (5), Andrew Keenlyside 9 (5), Craig Masson 7+1 (5).

Bury 71
Adam Turnbull 18+2 (5), Louis Turner 15+1 (5), Steve Mann 13+1 (5), Josh Neath 10+1 (5), Phil Neath 10 (5), Kaci Neath 5 (5).

Division Three saw Josh and Kaci Neath in action once again in a 28-0 victory for Bury, Josh scoring 15 and Kaci 13, from four rides each.

The rain fell steadily in Glasgow, having hammered earlier in the day, making the track a little tricky, but Bury made a good start to lead by four points after 5  races.  Steve Mann did well to win heat 5 after a heavy fall, an incident that earned an exclusion for Glasgow’s Joe Beuckman. Glasgow then hit back, with a series of wins, led by the impressive Andy MacDougall.

Steve Mann was again at the heart of the action, falling on the first bend and cracking his helmet in heat ten, trimming his score a little. Adam Turnbull was again imperious taking another paid maximum. Louis Turner too showed a great turn of pace in racing to his 16 points. Phil Neath was very competitive throughout, in his second ever match, an effort by no means reflected in his final total.

Son Josh repeated his excellent performance from earlier in the day, including a classy heat fourteen win from grid four. Perhaps the highlight of the day was when Kaci Neath almost took third place on the first bend of a very competitive heat thirteen.

In the end Glasgow also had a little too much for Bury on this day taking victory by the same eight points.

Glasgow 78
Andy MacDougall 16+3 (5), Jim Alexander 15 (5), Joe Beuckman 13 (5), Colin Gray 13 (5), Darren Maxwell 11+2 (5), Laughlin MacDougall 10+3 (5).

Bury 70
Adam Turnbull 19+1 (5), Louis Turner 16 (5), Steve Mann 12 (5), Josh Neath 10 (5), Phil Neath 7 (5), Kaci Neath 6+1 (5).

Division Three again saw a unchallenged victory for Bury, this time by 14-0 (Josh Neath 8 (2), Kaci Neath 6 (2)).

Though the Division Two fixtures resulted in two narrow defeats, the day showed much of what is great about the Comets, and the sport more widely. There was maximum effort and a real sense of team spirit from a Bury side with ages spread across almost 50 years.  There were debuts, falls and some great racing, with smiles all round, a great advert for commitment to sporting endeavour.  Thanks to all involved.

Other action this week saw Kris Ramsden as Bury’s only representative in the final round of the Supertrax Elite GP at Astley and Tyldesley, a competition which features many of the countries top riders.  Competitive throughout, Kris continues to prepare for the forthcoming British Finals Weekend at the end of August, whilst leading the Bury side in Northern League action each week.

This Sunday sees Edinburgh and Fife as the visitors to Goshen, starting at 2pm.  Training continues on Thursday evening and Saturday morning, all are welcome.