MATCH REPORT: BYJL National Round 4
Report by Mike Hack
A&T hosted the 4th and final national round of the British Youth & Junior League series at Gin Pit on Saturday. There was a turn out of 64 riders for the BYJL and Little League matches, which saw six matches, 98 races and both the day’s and series’ presentations completed in seven hours.
Kesgrave ran out convincing winners of the BYJL match, to complete a clean sweep of the four national rounds, and win the BYJL team title, to add to the British Club Championship they won earlier in the year. Astley & Tyldesley finished in 2nd place on the day, and with Poole finishing in 4th place, behind Newport, that meant that A&T finished 2nd in the overall series table, with Poole third.
The day started with a minute’s silence before the match, in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. The two Little League Individuals, which are separate fr-m the BYJL series, opened the day’s racing. In the u-8s, Southampton’s Thomas Comben raced to a 16 points maximum score in the qualifying heats, before winning the Grand Prix ‘A’ Final, and win the overall series, with 80 GP points, by virtue of having won all four GP ‘A’ Finals. Gt. Blakenham’s Freddie Mower was runner-up on the day, ahead of Coventry’s Caiden Spencer and Kesgrave’s Tom Parr. This meant that Caiden took the overall second place in the series, with Freddie and Tom tieing for 3rd place.
U-10s series leader Luca El-Labany, of Hethersett, had to work hard on the day, before clinching the overall series win, by taking 2nd place to Bury’s Bobby Dunphy in the GP ‘A’ Final. Bobby’s win on the day saw him seal 2nd place in the overall series. Kesgrave’s Theo Case edged out A&T’s Levi Edwards for both 3rd place on the day and in the overall series standings.
The BYJL competition started with the u-12s match, which attracted the largest field of the day, 17 riders. Oliver Edmunds, of Kesgrave, began the day as the individual series leader, one point ahead of A&T’s Frank White. Oliver scored a 16 points maximum in the qualifying heats, inflicting the only defeats on Frank and on his Kesgrave teammate Demi-Blu Harris. Bury’s Jayden Hancock looked set to complete the GP ‘A’ Final qualifiers, but fell when well clear of Kesgrave’s Connor Jarrett, in a run-off, after both had scored 14 points. In the GP ‘A’ Final, Harris lined up on grid 1, Edmunds on 2, White on 3 and Jarrett on 4. Edmunds took the lead, with White in hot pursuit and the other two close behind throughout. White made a series of moves to try and pass Edmunds on the inside, but the Kesgrave rider thwarted every attempt, until going down the back straight on the last lap. In a desperate attempt to retain the lead, Oliver came across Frank, as they entered the pits bend, with both riders taking to the grass centre. They returned to the track on exiting the corner, with White crossing the finishing line first, ahead of Edmunds, with Harris third and Jarrett fourth. It was a dramatic end to the match, and indeed the series, as not only did Frank White win the GP ‘A’ Final, but he also won the overall series, by a single point from Oliver Edmunds, who finished on 74 points. Demi-Blu Harris was third overall with 63 points.
Kesgrave’s Ryker Jolly dominated the u-14s category, winning all four qualifiers and the GP ‘A’ Final, to finish 9 points clear in the overall series standings, on 76 points. Ryker also recorded the fastest time of the day, 42.97 seconds, in heat 1. A&T’s Duncan Whalley scored 13 points in the qualifiers and finished 2nd place in the GP ‘A’ Final, ahead of Bury’s Tom Dunphy and Wednesfield’s Cory Burt. Norwich’s Shaun Kell had the disappointment of two falls in the qualifying heats, but managed to hold on to 2nd place in the overall series standings, by winning the GP ‘B’ Final. His final series tally of 67 points kept him one point clear of the overall 3rd placed rider, Duncan Whalley.
British Women’s Champion, Emily Burgess, of A&T, made her first appearance of the season in the Girls competition, and she went through the card unbeaten. Kesgrave’s Lily Parr took 2nd place in the GP ‘A’ Final, ahead of Poole’s Maddie Saunders and Kesgrave’s Ella Case. The third place was sufficient for Maddie to secure the overall series win, with 75 points. Lily finished 2nd overall, on 72 points, with Ella third on 64.
Just five riders turned out for the u-18s match, four of whom were u-16s riders. There were close fought races each time out, before Kesgrave’s Torsten Jolly made it a family double by winning the u-16 GP ‘A’ Final and clinching the overall series win, with 74 points. Southampton’s Leon Penketh finished 2nd in the GP Final, ahead of Poole’s Oliver Saunders, after Kesgrave’s Charlie Parr was excluded as the cause of the stoppage in an earlier run. Penketh incurred a one point deduction from his GP points score for a gate infringement. Parr finished 2nd in the overall series standings, on 68 points, with Penketh third on 64 and Saunders fourth on 61.
It was a sporting families day occasion, on a bright sunny day, ideal for racing and spectating in a friendly atmosphere. After two Covid pandemic affected years, it was great to run a full programme of BYJL racing again. Thanks go to Ross Mee, for organising this year’s series, and to the riders, staging clubs, officials, volunteers and parents for making it happen again.
Little League National Round 4 Results
U-8 Qualifying Scores: Thomas Comben (Southampton) 16, Tom Parr (Kesgrave) 15, Freddie Mower (Gt. Blakenham) 13, Caiden Spencer (Coventry) 12, Brody Harris (Kesgrave) 12, Alex Lawless (A&T) 12, Lincoln Ackroyd (Sheffield) 12, Archie Rawlings (Kesgrave) 11, Lincoln Powling (Kesgrave) 11, Alexis Woodcock (Hull) 10, Ted Woods (A&) 7, Elijah Rechembei (A&T) 7, Lincoln Davies (A&T) 7.
U-8 GP ‘A’ Final: Comben, Mower, Spencer, Parr.
U-8 GP ‘B’ Final: Ackroyd, Harris, Rawlings, Lawless.
U-8 GP ‘C’ Final: Powling, Woodcock, Woods, Rechembei.
U-8 GP ‘D’ Final: Davies.
Referee – Chaz Whalley.
U-10 Qualifying Scores: Theo Case (Kesgrave) 15, Bobby Dunphy (Bury) 15, Levi Edwards (A&T) 15, Luca El-Labany (Hethersett) 14, Josh Pilkington (A&T) 13, Samuel Comben (Southampton) 12, Harry Gibson (Hull) 11, Caiden Rawlings (Kesgrave) 11, Charlie Taylor (Sheffield) 10, Jacob Jewkes (Wednesfield) 9, Thomas Smith (A&T) 7, Bella Reynolds (Coventry) 7, Amelia Harrison-Jones (A&T) 7.
U-10 GP ‘A’ Final: Dunphy, El-Labany, Case, Edwards.
U-10 GP ‘B’ Final: Pilkington, Gibson, Comben, Rawlings.
U-10 GP ‘C’ Final: Reynolds, Jewkes, Taylor, Smith.
U-10 GP ‘D’ Final: Harrison-Jones.
Referee – Darren Kent.
British Youth & Junior League National Round 4 Results
U-12 Qualifying Scores: Oliver Edmunds (Kesgrave) 16, Frank White (A&T) 15, Demi-Blu Harris (Kesgrave) 15, Connor Jarrett (Kesgrave) 14, Jayden Hancock (Bury) 14, Lacey Ackroyd (Sheffield) 13, Jamie Randall (Poole) 12, Will Blackmore (Norwich) 11, Harvey McLachlan (Hull) 10, Oliver Banyard (Sheffield) 10, Isaac Powling (Kesgrave) 10, Jayden Jenkins (Newport) 9, Oscar Belt (A&T) 9, Tyler Davies (Newport) 9, Chloe Bassett (A&T) 8, Hollie George (Newport) 7, Riley Sinclair (Leicester) 6.
U-12 GP ‘A’ Final: White, Edmunds, Harris, Jarrett.
U-12 GP ‘B’ Final: Hancock, Randall, Blackmore, Ackroyd.
U-12 GP ‘C’ Final: Banyard, Powling, McLachlan, Jenkins.
U-12 GP ‘D’ Final: Belt, Davies, Bassett, George.
Referee – Chaz Whalley.
U-14 Qualifying Scores: Ryker Jolly (Kesgrave) 16, Duncan Whalley (A&T) 13, Corey Burt (Wednesfield) 12, Tom Dunphy (Bury) 11, Shaun Kell (Norwich) 9, Oscar Hammond (Kesgrave) 8, Jude Wilcockson (Coventry) 6.
U-14 GP ‘A’ Final: Jolly, Whalley, Dunphy, Burt.
U-14 GP ‘B’ Final: Kell, Hammond, Wilcockson.
Referee – Darren Kent.
Girls Qualifying Scores: Emily Burgess (A&T) 16, Maddie Saunders (Poole) 14, Ella Case (Kesgrave) 13, Lily Parr (Kesgrave) 13, Rebekah Humphries (Birmingham) 12, Ellie George (Newport) 9, Kacey Bennett (Hull) 9, Harriet Belt (A&T) 9, Caitlyn Jenkins (Newport) 8.
Girls GP ‘A’ Final: Burgess, Parr, Saunders, Case.
Girls GP ‘B’ Final: Humphries, Bennett, George, Belt.
Girls GP ‘C’ Final: Jenkins.
Referee – Darren Kent.
U-16/U-18 Qualifying Scores: Torsten Jolly (Kesgrave) 13, Charlie Parr (Kesgrave) 13, Leon Penketh (Southampton) 12, Kielan Burton (Sheffield) 7, Oliver Saunders (Poole) 5.
U-16 GP ‘A’ Final: Jolly, Penketh, Saunders, Parr. (Penketh deducted 1 GP point for gate infringement).
U-18 GP ‘A’ Final: Burton.
Referee – Darren Kent.
Team Scores: Kesgrave 131 Astley & Tyldesley 70 Newport 42 Poole 31 Sheffield 30 Norwich 20 Birmingham 12 Coventry 6.
Little League – Final Standings
U-8s: Thomas Comben (Southampton) 80, Caiden Spencer (Coventry) 69, Tom Parr (Kesgrave) 63, Freddie Mower (Gt. Blakenham) 63.
U-10s: Luca El-Labany (Hethersett) 78, Bobby Dunphy (Bury) 73, Theo Case (Kesgrave) 61.
British Youth & Junior League – Final Standings
U-12s: Frank White (A&T) 75, Oliver Edmunds (Kesgrave) 74, Dem-Blu Harris (Kesgrave) 63.
U-14s: Ryker Jolly (Kesgrave) 76, Shaun Kell (Norwich) 67, Duncan Whalley (A&T) 66.
Girls: Maddie Saunders (Poole) 75, Lily Parr (Kesgrave) 72, Ella Case (Kesgrave) 64.
U-16s: Torsten Jolly (Kesgrave) 74, Charlie Parr (Kesgrave) 68, Leon Penketh (Southampton) 64.
U-18s: Kielan Burton (Sheffield) 78, Jack Reynolds (Coventry) 51, Tom Blackmore (Norwich) 34.
Team: Kesgrave 32 (593) Astley & Tyldesley 23 (182) Poole 22 (206) Sheffield 17 (126) Newport 15 (174) Norwich 14 (107) Coventry 12.5 (96) Birmingham 7.5 (52).