Day 3 of the British Individual Championships later today (Monday 25th August)will see the last 4 champions crowned at Southampton in the Over 40’s, Under 16 Open, Women’s and Open categories
The Over 40’s event (10am start) sees 10 riders entered who rode in last year’s final at Kesgrave including Gavin Wheeler (Southampton) who is the 2 time and defending champion and will be looking to make it a hat=trick on his home track. Lee Aris (Wednesfield) and Craig Marchant (Great Blakenham) completed the rostrum at Kesgrave last year. Andrew Yard (Nreport), Will Banyard (Sheffield), Alan Nation (Poole), Craig Norton (Birmingham), mark Whitehead (Leicester), Jason Ashford (Great Blakenham) and Mark Winwood (Birmingham) also rode in last year’s final, the latter 3 riders being former winners of this event. The line-up is completed by Chris Jewkes (Wednesfield), Steve beesley (East Newport), Mark Boaler (Horspath), Toby Millen (Great Blakenham), Adam peck (Great Blakenham) and Richard Williamson (Great Blakenham)
The Under 16 Open Championship at midday has 14 riders entered of which 6 rode in the corresponding event last year at Kesgrave. They are Mitchell Baker (Ipswich). Joe Gillespie (Southampton), James Randall (Poole), Noah Lyon (Hull), Jude Wilcockson (Coventry) and Teddy Curtis (Poole). Joining them this time round will be Kalem Martin (Newport), Theo Case (Kesgrave), Lily Parr (Kesgrave), Isaac Powling (Kesgrave), Sam Comben (Southampton), Luca Woodhouse (Great Blakenham), Oliver Banyard (Sheffield) and Oscar Myall (Ipswich). Lily will be bidding to do what only Lucy Whitehead and Rosie Tidball have achieved, namely win a British Individual Championship of any description in the same event that males were competing in
The Women’s Championship follows at 2pm and 11 of the riders from last year’s final at Kesgrave are entered on this occasion. They are the 2 time and defending champion Maddie Saunders (Southampton), Laura Watson (Sheffield), the 2006 & 2009 champion Lucy Whitehead (Leicester), Amy Baynes (Coventry), Millie Shear (Polle), Amberley Gant (Kesgrave), Georgia Burt (Wednesfield), Lexie Curtis (Poole), Lily Parr (Kesgrave), Elizabeth Rigley (Sheffield) and Rebekah Humphries (Birmingham). Also entered are Lacey Ackroyd (Sheffield), the 2016 champion Lauren Hookway (Exeter), the 2014 Champion Charlie-Jane Herbert (Ipswich), the 2010 champion Rachel Lammin (Horspath) and the 2021 & 2022 champion Emily Burgess (Astley & Tyldesley) who missed last year’s championship due to injury
The Open Final is at 4pm and the draw is below:
1 Gavin Wheeler (Southampton)
2 Torsten Jolly (Great Blakenham)*
3 James Porter (Ipswich)*
4 Feroze Langoo (Poole)*
5 Ash Hill (Ipswich)
6 Luca Woodhouse (Great Blakenham)*
7 Chris Timms (Birmingham)
8 Ben Mould (Birmingham)
9 Lewis Brinkhoff (Great Blakenham)
10 Mark Carmichael (Exeter)
11 Josh Brooke (Great Blakenham)
12 Shaun Kell (Ipswich)
13 Reece Pollitt (Bury)
14 Paul Heard (Birmingham)
15 Noah Woodhouse (Great Blakenham)
16 Tom Colling (Southampton)
*-These riders will be making their British Open individual Final debut. For Shaun Kell it will be his first full final after being a reserve last year at Kesgrave where he took 1 ride
A run-off for the 2 reserve berths will be required between the Horspath duo of Zac Payne & Will Jeffery plus Poole’s Oliver Saunders
