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Date |
Match / Event |
Venue |
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| Sun 10th May | Stockport v Astley & Tyldesley | Stockport | |
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It was top versus second in the big Northern League Division 1 match of the day at Stockport on Sunday. The home team quickly opened up a 9 points lead after just three races, in a bad tempered opening to the match. Three race wins by Radek Handke and two for Damian Zareba steadied things for A&T, but with Reece Pollitt receiving two exclusions, A&T went in 47-40 down at the break. Despite exclusions for Jake Read and Mat Lush, Stockport provided the next four race winners and their lead was still 7 points after heat 13. A&T moved up a gear and 6-4 heat wins in heats 14 and 16 reduced the gap to just three points. Astonishingly, A&T took the lead for the first time with a terrific 7-3 heat win to the Pollitt/Handke pairing over Ben Higham and Matt Turner in the penultimate race. A&T had the inside grids in heat 18, with the race re-run after a first bend clash. The second time saw Jake Read and Mat Lush speed away from the gate to take a 7-3 heat win over Danny Hughes and Mark Mulvey, to give Stockport a narrow 89-86 win. Reigning champions Stockport kept up their unbeaten run in this year's Division 1 campaign, but were given a real fright by A&T, who clawed back a big deficit after a poor start to the match. This was a really hard fought match throughout, with no shortage of incidents and clashes. Former British Champion Terry Norman won his opening four races for Stockport before being relegated to the back in heat 16. Best for A&T was Radek Handke, beaten only by Norman in heat 12. Northern League Division 1 match result: Stockport 89 Astley & Tyldesley 86 Stockport: Terry Norman 17, Jake Read 14, Jack Lush 14, Chris Eaton 13 (3), Mat Lush 13 (2), Ben Higham 11 (1), Matt Turner 6, Louis Wright 1. A&T: Radek Handke 18 (1), Damian Zareba 16 (1), Danny Hughes 11 (1), Paul Graham 10 (2), Mark Mulvey 10, Reece Pollitt 10, Lee Phillips 7 (1), Ciaran Collins 4. Referee - Graham Lush. Stockport conceded 39 penalty points after fielding two ineligible riders (Ben Higham and Mat Lush) in the Division 2 match. Two home 7-3 heat wins and a 6-4 early on suggested that the scores could be close at the end, but a 7-3 heat win by Mark Grantham and Ciaran Collins over Mat Lush in heat 6 stemmed the tide. A&T won three more heats, with the rest drawn, to take a 78-72 win on the track, adjusted to 117-72. Returning rider Matt Turner top scored for Stockport, whilst Ciaran Collins was best for A&T, losing only to Ben Higham in heat 3. This win made it six wins out of six for A&T, to remain firmly at the top of the table. Northern League Division 2 match result: Stockport 72 Astley & Tyldesley 117 Stockport: Matt Turner 16 (2), Ben Higham 15 (1), Michael Preston 14 (1), Louis Wright 11, Mat Lush 10 (1), Devon Campbell 6. A&T: Ciaran Collins 16 (3), Max Evans 14 (1), Mark Grantham 12, Emily Burgess 11, Charlie Burgess 9 (2), Gareth Paine 9 (1), Lee Phillips 7. Referee - Graham Lush. A&T kept up their winning ways in the Division 3 match, with an easy win to extend their unbeaten run at the top of the table. Stockport's Devon Campbell raced unbeaten, whilst his team mate Michael Preston lost only to Max Evans in heat 1. A&T's strength in depth proved decisive, Emily Burgess top scoring, with all eight riders making valuable contributions to the win. Northern League Division 2 match result: Stockport 41 Astley & Tyldesley 72 Stockport: Devon Campbell 16, Michael Preston 15, Louis Wright 10. A&T: Emily Burgess 12, Max Evans 11, Charlie Burgess 11, John White 9, Lucy Grantham 9, Jack Littler 8, Jack Murray 6, Caillen Langlands 6. Referee - Graham Lush. |
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