Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare Cycle Speedway entertained Sheffield Stars in a British Team Championship, 1st Round tie at Gin Pit on Sunday. Despite heavy rain before the match, the track held up well and a great match took place. It was held in the best sporting manner, which is always the case when these two teams meet - cycle speedway's only two Go-Ride clubs.

A & T's Jeff Radcliffe shed a chain in heat 1, and Sheffield's Martin Gamble and Mick Knowles took full advantage to start with a maximum 7-3 heat win. A & T immediately hit back with a 7-3 to Danny Hughes and Warren Mee, after Peter Pearson and Martin Cain spun at the start. The scores were still level going into heat 9, before Chris Finnigan and Mike Hack took a 6-4 over Pearson and Andy Knowles, to give A & T a slender 2 points lead at the interval. Mee won heat 11 from the gate for A & T, and he was joined for a 7-3 after a great ride by partner Hughes, who passed Simon Gamble. Three more drawn heats ensued as A & T looked to hold onto their 6 points lead. Two more 6-4s in the closing stages to A & T clinched their first ever victory in a British Team Championship match, before Sheffield rounded off with a 6-4 heat win to S. Gamble and M. Knowles over Hughes and Mark Taylor.

Chris Finnigan scored a great 20 points maximum score for A & T, with Danny Hughes also riding superbly, dropping just 1 point in the last race. Warren Mee won three races. Martin Gamble top scored for Sheffield, beaten only by Hughes and Finnigan. Both teams scored solidly, but the difference between the two teams was the 12 race winners provided by A & T, in contrast to Sheffield's tally of 6.

British Team Championship 1st Round match result:

Astley & Tyldesley MWC 94:

Chris Finnigan 20, Danny Hughes 18 (plus 1 bonus), Warren Mee 16 (1), Tom Hall 12 (1), Jeff Radcliffe 11 (1), Mike Hack 8 (1), Mark Taylor 7, Mark Keirl 2.

Sheffield / Wosskow Brown Solicitors 86:

Martin Gamble 15 (2), Mick Knowles 14 (1), Peter Pearson 13 (1), Martin Cain 12 (1), Simon Gamble 11 (1), Rob Hudson 10, Andy Knowles 7, Jamie Brown 4 (1).

Referee - Alan Farrell.