PREVIEW: British Indoor Championships Day 2
Day 2 of the British Indoor Championships gets underway at 9am with the first of 2 Pre-Qualifying rounds for the Open Individual Championship, the 2nd one starting at 10am. The 38 riders entered will be whittled down to 32 for the 2 semi-finals which are scheduled to start at 12.30pm & 2pm. 11 of last year’s finalists have also entered this year’s event and they include the reigning champion Ricki Johnson (Birmingham), who also won this event in 2014. The 2016 champion Jake Read (Stockport 2006) has also entered. The current British Outdoor Champion Paul Heard (Birmingham) has also entered as he bids to emulate what only Shaun Ellis (in 1999) and Lee Aris (in 2006) have achieved, namely winning the Outdoor & Indoor Championships for the same year.
Before the 2 Open Individual semi-finals the Under 14 Individual Championship will take place (11am start) and Harvey Young (Ipswich) will be looking to go one better than last year and add the Indoor Championship to the Outdoor Boys title that he won at Norwich in August. JJ Wildman (Exeter) will be looking for a podium place this time, having finished last in a 3 way run-off for 3rd in last year’s event. JJ goes into this event on the back of his success in the British Outdoor Under 12’s Championship at Norwich in August. His Exeter team-mate Rosie Tidball won the British Under 14 Outdoor Girls title at Norwich in August and finished 9th in this event last year. 4 riders who rode in last year’s event return for this year’s event, Kyle Wells (Leicester), who was 4th having finished 2nd in the 3rd place run-off last year, Shannon Tucker (Exeter), Kai Gowers (Ipswich) & Jack Reynolds (Coventry). Also entered are Poole riders Kenzie Bennett, Oliver Saunders & Natalie Goulden, Phoebe Hammond (Kesgrave), Ellis Richmond (Wednesfield), Charlie Burgess (Astley & Tyldesley) & Charlie Parr (Kesgrave)
Following the 2 Open Semi-Finals (from which the top 8 will advance to the Final at 4.30pm) the Women’s Individual Championship will be decided. The defending champion Lauren Hookway (Exeter) has entered and if she retains her title she will become the first rider to win this event 3 times having won in 2014 also. 4 other riders who rode in this event last year have also entered this year’s event, 2015 champion Charlie-Jane Herbert (Ipswich), Michelle Whitehead (Leicester), who was 3rd last year, Gemma Hill (Ipswich) and Elizabeth Rigley (Leicester). The line-up is completed by Phoebe Hammond (Kesgrave), Jasmine Oddie (Poole), Sian Raynor (Leicester), Rosie Tidball (Exeter), Rebekah Humphries (Birmingham), Sophia Sinclair-Black (Leicester) and the reigning Under 16 Girls World Champion Emily Burgess (Astley & Tyldesley)