MATCH REPORT: Hull take first win of the season
Report by Andy Schofield
Hull played hosts to the Sheffield Stars in The North & Scotland League on another sunny dry day.
In Division One Hull opened up an early lead thanks partly to a bike failure to the visitors Jack Brownell but Sheffield hit back with a heat four maximum for Jack with Sam Stansfield. Will Banyard / Kielan Burton opened up a one point lead at the interval with a 6-4 in heat eight which emphasised a good first half for the South Yorkshire side. This lead was increased to five points by another 7-3 for Jack and Sam in heat nine before Hull responded with a 7-3 for Lewis Foxley and Liam Bennett in the following race and then Lewis teamed up with Noah Lyon two heats later to re-establish Hull’s lead with a heat 13 maximum. Heat 15 brought together both sides top riders with crucially Kielan Burton moving on the tapes and the home sides Jack Lister / Lewis Foxley taking a 7-2 over Kyle Holland. Hull’s eight point lead was deemed enough for Sheffield to give their reserves a run-out and the home side took their first North & Scotland league win of the season by 95 points to 83. Hull responded well in the second half after coming under pressure in the early stages. Lewis Foxley and Jack Lister were both on top form and unbeaten for Hull with good contributions from Rich Gibson, Liam Bennett and Noah Lyon. Jack Brownell and Sam Stansfield impressed for Sheffield with Kyle Holland and Kielan Burton always capable of producing race wins.
Hull 95: Jack Lister 23+1, Lewis Foxley 20+4, Liam Bennett 17, Rich Gibson 15+2, Noah Lyon 14, Kacey Bennett 5, Spencer Glenton 1.
Sheffield 83: Kielan Burton 14+1, Jack Brownell 13+3, Kyle Holland 12+1, Sam Stansfield 12, Laura Watson 10, Will Banyard 8+2, Joe Brownell 7+1, Oliver Banyard 1.
Division two was a very close affair with never more than two points separating the sides. Eleven drawn heats were punctuated by a Jack Brownell / Kieran Hale 6-4 for Sheffield in heat one before Hull took a similar win in heat four through Rich Gibson / Spencer Glenton. The following race saw the visitors re-take the lead with a Jack Brownell / Sam Stansfield 6-4 and Hull had to wait until heat 12 for Rich Gibson / Kacey Bennett to level the scores. The final races were very tense with the stalemate maintained and both teams deserving a hard earned point. Rich Gibson dropped just one point for Hull with good backing from Liam Bennett and Noah Lyon while Jack Brownell was unbeaten for Sheffield with Sam Stansfield also riding well.
Hull 75: Rich Gibson 18+1, Liam Bennett 17, Noah Lyon 15+2, Spencer Glenton 8+1, Kacey Bennett 7, Ryan Tomkinson 5+1, Harr Gibson 3, Harvey McClachlan 1, Barry Ashton 1.
Sheffield 75: Jack Brownell 20, Sam Stansfield 15, Laura Watson 10+3, Oliver Banyard 10, Will Banyard 9+1, Joe Brownell 6+2, Kieran Hale 5.
Hull had a comfortable win in division three to go to top of the league table with a 100 points to 16 win. Hull had ten riders in total against Sheffield’s Oliver Banyard who was unbeaten in the under 13’s section. Ellwood Harrison was unbeaten in the under 10’s and Spencer Glenton scored 14 in the under 13’s for Hull.
Hull 100: Ellwood Harrison (10) 16, Spencer Glenton (13) 14, Jayden Bennett (10) 12, Harry Gibson (13) 12, Harvey McClachlan (13) 12, Will Hollich (13) 10, Fletcher Glenton (10) 8, Mason Gleadhill Brown (13) 8, Alexis Woodcock (10) 4, Alfie Tasker (13) 4.
Sheffield 16: Oliver Banyard (13) 16.
Referee: Andy Schofield.