MATCH REPORT: A&T’s unbeaten record comes to an end
Astley & Tyldesley’s long unbeaten record in North & Scotland League Division 1 matches, stretching back more than two years over 25 matches, came to an end at Hull on Sunday.
Hull took the lead with a 7-2 to the Dave Hemsley/ Adam Stephenson pairing in heat 2 over Paul Graham, after Pawel Idziorek incurred a gate exclusion. Hull hung on to their lead and increased it to six points, after Kyle Holland was excluded when he attempted to split the Hemsley/ Stephenson pairing in heat 8. In a very tight match, with a succession of 5-5s and 6-4s either way, Hull’s lead remained at six points going into heat 15. A&T pair of Adam Phillips and Steve Harris launched an attack from outside grids, but Hull’s Adam Stephenson held firm and Jack Lister took advantage to come through and take the race win, for a Hull 7-3 heat win and a valuable 79-69 lead. The teams cancelled each other out in the three nominated heats, for Hull to take a 94-84 win.
Former British Champions Andy Angell and Dave Hemsley were both on top form for Hull, dropping two points each. Reece Pollitt was best for A&T, dropping three points, with good support from Pawel Idziorek and Steve Harris. As hard as they tried, Team Green never managed to reduce the five points deficit incurred in heat 2, as Hull held on to their lead throughout the match.
North & Scotland League Division 1 match result
Hull 94 Astley & Tyldesley 84
Hull: Andy Angell 22, Dave Hemsley 22, Adam Stephenson 15 (4), David Cooper 13 (1), Nathan Everett 11 (2), Jack Lister 11.
A&T: Reece Pollitt 20 (1), Pawel Idziorek 17 (1), Steve Harris 17, Adam Phillips 12, Kyle Holland 7 (1), Mark Grantham 4 (1), Paul Graham 4 (1),
Matt Snell 2, Mick Knowles 1.
Referee – Andy Schofield.
A&T bounced back from last week’s defeat at Fife, to keep up their title challenge with an emphatic 68-52 win in the Division 2 match. Matt Snell dropped just one point to Jack Lister in heat 4, with 12 year old John White turning in an excellent display to joint top score. The presence of the young guns enabled A&T’s veteran riders to be used sparingly and effectively. David Cooper top scored for Hull, losing only to Snell in heat 6 and Mark Grantham in heat 12.
North & Scotland League Division 2 match result
Hull 52 Astley & Tyldesley 68
Hull: David Cooper 13 (1), Jack Lister 13, Frank Auffret 8, Matt Eglen 8, Andy Knowles 6, Will Alvey 4.
A&T: Matt Snell 18 (1), John White 18 (1), Mark Grantham 13 (1), Mick Knowles 10 (2), Lee Phillips 6 (2), Duncan Whalley 3.
Referee – Andy Schofield.
There was a good turn out of riders from both teams for the Division 3 match. A&T took a convincing 131-64 win to extend their 100% record in the division. A&T’s Aiden Green and John White rode to 16 points maximums in the u-10s and u-13s categories respectively.
North & Scotland League Division 3 match result
Hull 64 Astley & Tyldesley 131
Hull: Noah Lyon 14, Kacey Bennett 14, Matteo Hodson 12, Jayden Bennett 7, Nathan Brown 7, Morgan Mobbs 6, Tyler Mills 4.
A&T: Aiden Green 16, John White 16, Frank White 15, Freddie Cox 13, Levi Edwards 13, Duncan Whalley 13, Stephen Warn 10, Chloe Warn 10, Myles Grantham 9, Ada Cox 9, Aliesha Green 7.
Referee – Andy Schofield.