Date

Match / Event

Venue

Return to A & T
Fixtures

Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare Cycle Speedway took on the Edinburgh based Scotia / Lantis Leisure team in a challenge match at Gin Pit on Sunday. A & T rested their top riders to enable a Combination League standard match to take place. The result was a close, entertaining and sporting match, on a dry slippery track, despite watering and brushing.

Scotia took an early lead, but A & T quickly levelled, and the scores were still level after heat 6. The next race proved to be significant as Scotia's Mikey Hewitson fell whilst trying to pass Warren Mee, and with Dougie Urquhart taking a heavy fall whilst at the back, A & T took a 7-2 to take the lead for the first time. Urquhart took no further part in the match, as A & T loaned Scotia their two young reserves for the remainder of the match. Mee and Mike Hack took a 7-3 over Tom Lee in heat 9 to extend A & T's lead to 9 points and from then on the home team were in control. Ewan Tulloch sustained an injury after falling on the first bend in his 4th race, and took no further part in the match. A & T's lead stretched to 12 points, before Scotia's two best riders, Lee Lawrence and Hewitson teamed up for a last heat 7-3, to make the final score 78-70 to A & T.

Warren Mee rode to a great 20 points maximum score, with solid support from the rest of the A & T team. For Scotia, former South London rider Lee Lawrence was most impressive, losing only to Mee in heat 13, whilst Mikey Hewitson was unbeaten, apart from his fall in heat 7.

Challenge match result:

Astley & Tyldesley MWC 78:

Warren Mee 20, Mike Hack 13 (plus 4 bonus), Jeff Radcliffe 13 (1), Mark Taylor 11 (2), Becky Heslop 11, Mark Keirl 8 (1), Dylan Radcliffe 2.

Scotia / Lantis Leisure 70:

Lee Lawrence 19, Mikey Hewitson 17 (1), Gavin Kennedy 15 (1), Tom Lee 10 (1), Ewan Tulloch 4 (1), Ryan King 3, Dougie Urquhart 1, Dylan Radcliffe 1.

Referee - Remi Burchardt.