MATCH REPORT: Manchester League Grand Prix Round 4
Astley & Tyldesley hosted Round 4 of the Manchester League Grand Prix series, on a very warm sunny Wednesday evening. A well watered track kept the dust down.
The Division 2 match was raced first, and it continued the run of close encounters between Astley & Tyldesley and Bury. However, the lack of a fifth rider cost Bury on the night, despite all four of their riders scoring well. A&T ran out winners 63-55. Bury’s Jayden Hancock, in the u-13s section, and A&T’s Duncan Whalley, in the u-16s group, continued their unbeaten runs in this year’s Grand Prix series. However, Bury’s Bobby Dunphy dropped his first points of the series at u-10s level, when he was twice beaten by A&T’s Josh Pilkington. Bury’s George Keeble impressed with three wins, including Pilkington’s only defeat in heat 5, before the A&T rider gained his revenge in heat 8, as the Bury rider fell whilst attempting an inside pass.
Manchester League Division 2 result (top 5 scorers only count to teams’ totals)
Astley & Tyldesley 63 Bury 55
U-10s: Josh Pilkington (A&T) 15, Bobby Dunphy (Bury) 14, George Keeble (Bury) 13, Levi Edwards (A&T) 12, Nahom Tumizghy (A&T) 8, Alex Lawless (A&T) 7, Thomas Smith (A&T) 7, Ted Woods (A&T) 4.
U-13s: Jayden Hancock (Bury) 16, Oscar Belt (A&T) 12, Jasmine Lawless (A&T) 8, Chloe Bassett (A&T) 4.
U-16s: Duncan Whalley (A&T) 16, Tom Dunphy (Bury) 12, Caspar Ellis (A&T) 7, Owen Simcock (A&T) 5.
Referee – Chaz Whalley.
There was a good turn out of 13 riders for the Division 1 match, and some excellent racing took place. A&T took the team win on the night, to extend their lead in the table. A&T’s Reece Pollitt raced to a fine 16 points maximum score and recorded the fastest time of the night, 42.41 seconds in heat 14. Bury’s Mike Baldock lost only to Pollitt in heat 7, with Stockport’s Ben Higham third in that race. A&T’s Steve Harris lost only to Higham in heat 11 and Pollitt in heat 14.
Manchester League Division 1 result (top 5 scorers only count to teams’ totals)
Astley & Tyldesley 56 Bury 44 Stockport 27
Seniors: Reece Pollitt (A&T) 16, Mike Baldock (Bury) 15, Ben Higham (Stockport) 14, Steve Harris (A&T) 14, Terry Norman (Stockport) 13, Duncan Whalley (A&T) 12, Adam Watson (Independent) 12, Kris Ramsden (Bury) 11, Eryk Motala (Bury) 10, Caspar Ellis (A&T) 8, Mark Radford (Bury) 8, Laura Watson (Independent) 7, Owen Simcock (A&T) 6.
Referee – Chaz Whalley.
Manchester League standings (after 4 rounds of 6 completed)
Division 1: A&T 11, Bury 8.5, Stockport 4.5.
Division 2: A&T 7, Bury 5, Stockport 0.
U-10s GP: B. Dunphy 62, J. Pilkington 56, L. Edwards 50.
U-13s GP: J. Hancock 64, O. Belt 52, O. Fox-Wingfield 27.
U-16s GP: D. Whalley 64, T. Dunphy 50, O. Simcock 17.
Senior GP: R. Pollitt 59, M. Baldock 55, S. Harris 50.
Veterans GP: S. Harris 63, T. Norman 44, M. Radford 29.
Women’s GP: L. Watson 16.
Round 5 takes place at Stockport on Wednesday 6th July, 7 pm start.