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For the third successive Sunday, A&T lined up in an
away Northern League fixture. A&T had several senior riders missing, so
the juniors filled the gaps in the Division 1 match. Sheffield opened up
with seven maximum heat wins, before Reece Pollitt took a welcome 2nd
place in heat 8, relegating Niall Morton to third place. A&T performed
better in the 2nd half, before going down to a heavy 99-51 defeat.
Pollitt was A&T's best rider, three times beating home riders. A&T
riders gave it their best shot, but were well beaten by a solid scoring
Sheffield team. Sheffield had five unbeaten riders - Zac Smurthwaite,
Richard Hudson, Liam Webster, Simon Gamble, Aiden Owen.
Northern League Division 1 match result
Sheffield 99 Astley & Tyldesley 51
Sheffield: Zac Smurthwaite 15 (1), Richard Hudson 15 (1), Liam Webster
15 (1), Louis German 12 (2), Kyle Holland 11 (2), Simon Gamble 11 (1),
Niall Morton 11, Aiden Owen 9 (3).
A&T: Reece Pollitt 12 (1), Joel Partington 10, Ron Makin 8, Roy Heslop
7, Steve Waterworth 6, Daniel Burns 5 (1), Max Evans 3, Matthew Snell
dnr.
Referee - Mick Knowles.
Sheffield fielded a separate team for the Division 2 match, whilst A&T
lined up with the same riders, albeit in a different riding order.
Sheffield opened with a 7-3 heat win in heat 1, but the next four races
were all drawn. Sheffield held a 3 points lead at the interval, but a
7-3 heat win to the Reece Pollitt / Joe; Partington pairing in heat 9
put A&T ahead by 1 point. Sheffield immediately hit back with two
successive 7-3 heat wins to regain control of the match. A&T were not
down though and two successive 6-4 heat wins reduced the gap to three
points and forced a last heat decider. Sheffield rounded off the match
with a 7-3 heat win, to win 78-71. This was a very entertaining and
keenly contested match throughout. For A&T, Reece Pollitt won all his
five races, whilst Joel Partington was beaten only in heat 6. Plenty of
effort from the rest wasn't quite enough to secure the points against a
solid scoring Sheffield side.
Northern League Division 2 match result
Sheffield 78 Astley & Tyldesley 71
Sheffield: Matt Parrott 13 (2), Vicky Brown 13 (2), Mick Knowles 12 (2),
Ellie Sullivan 11, Luke Morton 10 (2), James Bunting 9 (1), Ed Morton 8,
Morgan Turner 2.
A&T: Reece Pollitt 20, Joel Partington 17 (1), Roy Heslop 9 (2), Ron
Makin 9, Steve Waterworth 8, Daniel Burns 4 (1), Max Evans 3, Matthew
Snell 1.
Referee - Rob Mawhood.
The final match of the weekend was the Division 3 match. A&T had three
members of the Burgess family all making their competitive debuts. Young
Charlie took a fall first time out, but bravely continued and his four
points proved decisive as A&T narrowly beat Sheffield 60-56. Jessica and
Emily can feel well pleased with their scores. There was some great
racing, particularly when the leading scorers came together in heat 11.
Sheffield's James Bunting took the win, to complete a 16 points maximum
score, but A&T's Daniel Burns and Max Evans relegated Sheffield's Morgan
Turner to the back, in what turned out to be a decisive race. Matthew
Snell was also impressive for A&T in this match. This was A&T's third
win out of three in this competition.
Northern League Division 3 match result
Sheffield 56 Astley & Tyldesley 60
Sheffield: James Bunting 16, Niamh Morton 13, Morgan Turner 12, Jack
Brownell 8, Joe Brownell 7.
A&T: Max Evans 14, Daniel Burns 13, Matthew Snell 12, Jessica Burgess
10, Emily Burgess 7, Charlie Burgess 4.
Referee - Dave Shoat.
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