Astley & Tyldesley Cycle Speedway's ever improving youngsters were in action at Bury on Saturday for the 1st National Round of the Cusack British Youth & Junior League. Although not qualifying for the team event, Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare / CTA Direct had three riders in action who had qualified for the National Individual Grand Prix series.

First up for A & T was John Nuttall and he improved steadily throughout the U-10 match, finishing with 8 points and winning the Grand Prix 'C' Final, to finish in 9th place on the day.

Next out was Becky Heslop in the U-12 event, and she started off with a 2nd place, before pulling out a great pass in her second race to win from the overall series leader, Lee Richardson of Gt. Blakenham. Next time out she repeated the dose on Richardson again and eventual match winner Rhys Godsal of Newport, before falling when well clear on the last lap, after losing her front wheel on the notoriously slippery exit from the first bend at Bury. Shaken, she took her last ride but was hampered by machine damage resulting from the fall. A final tally of 9 points was scant reward for an excellent performance, which won her plenty of admirers from rival managers. She finished 7th overall.

Damien Hack took to the track for the U-18 category, and he won two races to finish with 14 points out of a possible 16 and qualify comfortably for the Grand Prix 'A' Final. Second away from the tapes, he coolly stalked the race and overall series leader, Dave Alexander of Hethersett, for two laps before switching from outside to inside and swooping past the Norfolk rider on exiting the pits bend to pull away and record a great win in the 1st Round of the British U-18 Grand Prix series.