MATCH REPORT: Bury record final home win of the season

Northumbria made the long trip to Bury for the Northern league first, second and third division matches on Sunday and was blessed with really good weather for racing.

The Northumbria team are in the first year riding on their new track, but have proved to be resilient opponents, home and away. However, Bury were in no mood to lose in the last home match of the season and started the match with a 7-3 score. The home side tore into the Geordies with three more maximum heat wins, two 6-4s and 3 drawn heats to lead at the interval 55 points to 33, Gavin Parr had taken 2 wins for the away side and as usual looked good all afternoon.

The match resumed with Bury once again taking a 7-3 in heat 11 and four 6-4s in the next seven heats the rest being drawn heats. Gavin Parr and Jason Keith took 2 wins each in the second half, but Northumbria could not break through into a heat winning situation with Bury taking the win 106-71.

Michael Parr had an unusually low score due to 2 exclusions after falls and race stoppages. The races were run in the usual friendly attitude expected of the Northumbria team.

Bury 106
Ben Scranage 19, Chris Parrish 17, Will Owens 16 (+2), Danny Taylor 15 (+1), James Elston 13 (+2), Kris Ramsden 12 (+2), Neil Howarth 8 (+2), Will Thacker 6 (+1).

Northumbria 71
Gavin Parr 17, Jason Keith 17, Dan Redshaw, 8, Michael Parr, 8. Terry Kirkup, 7, Daniel Wharriner 6 (+1), Andy Knowles 4.

Division 2 started with three drawn heats before Bury took a 6-4 heat advantage, followed immediately by two more, a 7-3 in heat seven and a drawn heat in eight. Bury were in the lead at the interval 44 points to 35. Bury increased their advantage in heats 9 and 10 and looked like following their first team club mates until heat 12 when after a rerun race the Northumbria pairing took a 7-3 heat win, but Bury retaliated with a 7-3 of their own and two drawn heats to win the match 82-67.

Bury
James Elston 20, Danny Taylor 19 (+1), Will Thacker 14/1, Steve Mann 10 (+2), Adam Turnbull 10 (+1), Louis Tuner 9.

Northumbria
Neil Mcgee 16, Dan Redshaw 14, Daniel Warriner, 11, Andy Knowles 10 (+4) Jim Graham (9 (+2).

The third division match was an all Bury affair with 11 bury riders competing in a 12 heat event and amassing a winning aggregate score of 114-0. Adam Turnbull 16, Adam Taylor 15, Daniel Miller 14, Sean Etheridge 14, Josh Neath 11, Lewis Habib 9, Charlie Thacker 9, Jake Brayshaw 8, Louis Turner 7, Hermoine Whalley 6, Kaci Neath 5.