PREVIEW: British Championships Day 3
The action moves to Horspath for the final day of the 2021 British Finals Weekend and is scheduled to begin with a pre-qualifying round for the British Under 16 Boys Individual Championship at 11am with the final scheduled for midday. Currently there are 17 riders entered but if 16 riders or less are signed-on by 10.40am then the pre-qualifier will not take place and the Final will commence at 11am. of the riders who are entered 5 of them rode in the Junior Home International at Astley & Tyldesley at the end of July. The Kesgrave duo of Torsten Jolly and Noah Woodhouse were in the victorious England team which won with the maximum possible 72 points. Harry Radford (Bury), Jack Reynolds (Coventry) and Charlie Burgess (Astley & Tyldesley) were all in the Ireland Select team which finished as runners-up to England. 4 riders who rode in the Under 14’s Championship on Saturday are also entered for this event as well, namely Mason Martin (Hethersett), JJ Wildman (Exeter), Kenzie Bennett (Poole) and Leon Penketh (Southampton). Also entered are Ellis Richmond (Wednesfield), Kai Gowers (Ipswich), McKenzie Loombe (Hethersett), Charlie Parr (Kesgrave), Feroze Langoo (Poole), Sam Marsh (Newport), Edward Selwood (Exeter) and Josh Nottle (Poole)
The Women’s Championship is currently scheduled to start at 1pm but if pre-qualifying is needed for the Under 16 Boys Championship then it will start at 2pm. 3 previous winners have entered this year, Lucy Whitehead (Leicester) who won the inaugural Women’s British Champion in 2006 and regained the title in 2009, Rachel Lammin (Horspath) who was victorious at Hull in 2010 under her maiden name Edge, and 2016 champion Lauren Hookway (Exeter). Phoebe Hammond (Kesgrave) and Rebekah Humphries (Birmingham) are also in this event having ridden in the Under 16 Girls Championship at East Newport yesterday. Also entered are Aimee Porter (Kesgrave), Chloe Whitehead (Leicester), Madeline Saunders (Poole), 2011 Women’s World Champion Laura Watson (Sheffield), Hannah Jones (Birmingham), Niamh Morton (Sheffield), Georgia Burt (Wednesfield), Megan Burt (Wednesfield), the current Under 16 Girls World Champion Emily Burgess (Astley & Tyldesley), Elizabeth Rigley (Leicester) and Shannon Tucker (Exeter)
The Open Championship completes the action and is scheduled to start at 3pm but if a pre-qualifier is needed for the Under 16 Boys Championship then the Open Final will start at 4pm. All of the 7 previous champions who have entered have qualified on this occasion, namely Mark Boaler (Horspath), 3 time champion Andy Angell (Hull), Zac Payne (Horspath), the reigning World Champion Ben Mould (Horspath), Myke Grimes (Coventry), Josh Brooke (Great Blakenham) and the defending champion Paul Heard (Birmingham). Aaron Smith (Poole), Mark Carmichael (Horspath), Ashley Hill (Ipswich), Will Jeffrey (Horspath), Lewis Brinkhoff (Ipswich), Chris Timms (Birmingham), Reece Pollitt (Astley & Tyldesley), Ben Clarke (Ipswich) and Chris Jewkes (Wednesfield) complete the line-up. Smith and Clarke will be riding in their first British Open Final. The full draw is listed below:
1 Zac Payne
2 Aaron Smith
3 Mark Carmichael
4 Myke Grimes
5 Ashley Hill
6 Ben Mould
7 Will Jeffery
8 Lewis Brinkoff
9 Andy Angell
10 Josh Brooke
11 Paul Heard
12 Chris Timms
13 Reece Pollit
14 Ben Clarke
15 Mark Boaler
16 Chris Jewkes
17 Matt Mildon (1st reserve)
4 riders have tied on 24 for second reserve, Will Bristowe (Poole), Nathan Everett (Hull), Lewis Foxley (Edinburgh) and Connor Tucker (Exeter) and there will be a run off for that before the womens final.