The revamped North & Scotland League format made its bow at Astley & Tyldesley on Sunday afternoon, March 22nd. With eight of the region’s clubs represented, 55 riders, 3 matches and 84 races completed in four and a half hours, the new format made a successful introduction.
Sheffield ‘A’ edged out Bury in match A, with both teams qualifying for Match A in the next round. Edinburgh took third place ahead of Sheffield ‘B’. Pawel Idziorek and Ed Morton both raced unbeaten for the Stars.
North & Scotland League Round 1 Match A result
Edinburgh 48 Sheffield ‘B’ 41 Bury 68 Sheffield ‘A’ 72.
Edinburgh: Jack Brownell 15, Sam Stansfield 14, Alex Matthews 7 (1), Alexander Rudge 6, Nathan Slight 6.
Sheffield ‘B’: Matt Parrott 17, Lacey Ackroyd 12 (3), Lincoln Ackroyd 12.
Bury: Danny Taylor 15 (3), Kris Ramsden 13 (1), Mike Baldock 12 (2), Reece Pollitt 12 (1), Eryk Motala 10 (1), Mark Radford 6.
Sheffield ‘A’: Pawel Idziorek 24, Ed Morton 23 (1), Niall Morton 16 (3), Kielan Burton 10 (3).
Referee – Kyle Holland.
Ed Morton beat Danny Taylor in the Division 1 match race, clocking the fastest time of the day, 41.31 seconds.
Five teams contested match B, which was comfortably won by Hull. There was a close battle throughout between Fife and Astley & Tyldesley to secure the 2nd qualifying place for the next round, before the Scottish team pipped the home team. Heckmondwike edged out Glasgow to finish 4th in the match. The Hull pairing of Lewis Foxley and Noah Lyon raced unbeaten, whilst A&T’s Frank White lost only to Fife’s Jake Slight in heat 25.
North & Scotland League Round 1 Match B result
Astley & Tyldesley 65 Fife 68 Glasgow 42.5 Heckmondwike 44.5 Hull 78.
A&T: Frank White 23, Emily Burgess 16 (3), Oscar Belt 16 (2), Steve Harris 5 (1), Amy Baynes 5..
Fife: Kayden Davidson 19 (1), Jason Keith 14 (2), Jake Slight 13, Kyle Holland 11 (2), Harry Langdale 11 (2).
Glasgow: Andy MacDougall 14.5, Sophia Temple (Guest) 11, Terry Kirkup 9, Colin Gray 5, Alexis Woodcock (Guest) 3.
Heckmondwike: Justin Naylor 9 (1), Darren Kent 9, Elliot Long 9, Lee Warhurst 7 (1), Pat Beacock 6.5, Joe Brownell 4.
Hull: Noah Lyon 23 (1), Jack Lister 21, Lewis Foxley 19 (5), Harry Gibson 15 (2), Kacey Bennett dnr.
Referee – Lee Phillips.
Frank White beat Noah Lyon in the Division 2 match race, with the Hull rider falling on the first lap.
Ladder Individual (sponsored by Abby Pike Sports Massage)
26 riders contested the Ladder Individual, which ideally catered for the full range of ages and abilities in the line-up. After a last place first time out, Ed Morton reeled off three wins to win the competition. His win in the final race was from grid 2, ahead of Lewis Foxley (grid 1), Kielan Burton (grid 4) and Frank White (grid 3). Ed received a £50 cash prize from the sponsor, with the younger riders each receiving a chocolate bar from the A&T club.
Ladder Individual final placings
- Ed Morton (Sheffield), 2. Lewis Foxley (Hull), 3. Kielan Burton (Sheffield), 4. Frank White (A&T), 5. Jack Lister (Hull), 6. Harry Gibson (Hull), 7. Steve Harris (A&T), 8. Elliot Long (Heckmondwike), 9. Oscar Belt (A&T), 10. Kacey Bennett (Hull), 11. Amy Baynes (A&T), 12. Riley Candy (A&T), 13. Sophia Temple (Hull), 14. James Jackson (A&T), 15. Yahya Hassan (A&T), 16. Kyle Holland (Fife), 17. Alex Lawless (A&T), 18. Aaliyah Temple (Hull), 19. Alexis Woodcock (Hull), 20. Jack Challinor (A&T), 21. Charlotte Brighouse (A&T), 22. Harry Jackson (A&T), 23. Finlay Brent (A&T), 24. Leo Griffin (Heckmondwike), 25. Leighton Aird (A&T), 26. Heather Brighouse (A&T).
Referee – Lee Phillips.
Round 2 of the series will take place at Bury on Sunday 12 April, 1 pm start.
Match A draw: 1. Bury, 2. Sheffield ‘A’, 3. Hull, 4. Fife.
Match B draw: 1. Edinburgh, 2. Glasgow, 3. Sheffield ‘B’, 4. Astley & Tyldesley, 5. Heckmondwike.
Click on the link to view completed race scorecards:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ikSh-7el3ChSHMoStJ7A3X0G29nKF8Bt/edit?gid=225832622#gid=225832622
