MATCH REPORT: Fife battle gamely against A&T

Report by Mike Hack, Photo by Len Priestley, A&T club official photographer

Astley & Tyldesley welcomed the Fife Revolutions to Gin Pit on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. This was Fife’s first visit for a Division 1 match, after tussling with A&T for the Division 2 title in recent years. Despite plenty of watering beforehand and during the interval, the lack of rain for the past month rendered track conditions dry and dusty for most of the match.

A&T got off to a flying start, dropping just one point in the opening four races, to open up a 27-13 lead. Fife claimed inside grids for the remainder of the match, and coupled with A&T giving their young reserves a few races, made for more competitive racing afterwards. A&T went in to the interval leading 52-28, and it was heat 10 before Fife took their first heat win, a 6-4 to the Alsop brothers over Steve Harris and Duncan Whalley. Fife’s other heat win came in heat 16, with another 6-4, this time to Victor Hill and Danny Peoples over Duncan Whalley and Caspar Ellis, who was making his 1st team debut for A&T. Pawel Idziorek and Reece Pollitt both raced unbeaten for A&T, with solid support from the rest of the team. Fife were bolstered by the inclusion of loan rider Jake Slight and battled gamely throughout the match. Five of their riders won races, against a much more experienced team at Division1 level. Reece Pollitt recorded the fastest time of the match, 42.94 seconds, in heat 5.

A close shot of the riders entering the 1st turn in Heat 3
L-r: Harris Alsop, Pawel Idziorek, Kayden Davidson, Tom Morrissey. The Astley & Tyldesley pair took first and second places in this race.


North & Scotland League Division 1 result

Astley & Tyldesley 107 Fife 72

A&T: Joel Partington 18 (3), Tom Morrissey 16 (3), Reece Pollitt 14 (2), Pierce Bacon 12 (3), Steve Harris 12, Pawel Idziorek 11 (1), Paul Graham 10, Duncan Whalley 9, Owen Simcock 3, Caspar Ellis 2.

Fife: Jake Slight 15, Kayden Davidson 14, Lewis Alsop 12, Harris Alsop 12, Victor Hill 10, Danny Peoples 9 (1).

Referee – Lee Phillips.

Duncan Whalley took a fine 3rd place, after scoring 17 points, in the u-14 event at the Wednesfield 60th Anniversary meeting on Saturday. Ryker Jolly of Kesgrave was the winner, on 20, ahead of Shaun Kell of Norwich, with 19.