A & T's 1st team were in action at Sheffield on Sunday
for their opening Northern League match of the season. Boosted by the appearance
of the club's two Polish stars, 'Team Green' went into the match confident of
getting a win but also knowing that it was likely to be a close, tactical
encounter. And so it proved. A & T took the lead in the first race and held
it throughout the first half, going into the interval with a 41-37 lead.
Sheffield levelled the scores with a maximum 7-3 heat win in heat 9 and took the
lead for the first time in the match with a 6-4 heat win in heat 11. Sheffield
had looked set for two 7-3 heat wins in heats 11 and 12, but great riding by
first Tomasz Wlodarczyk to secure 2nd in heat 11 and then by Ewan Tulloch to win
heat 12, kept A & T in contention. Heat 13 was drawn, and then A & T
took a 5-4 heat win in heat 14 after Sheffield's Richard Bowler suffered a
machine failure. This set up a thrilling last race decider, with Sheffield
holding a 1 point lead and going off the more favourable inside gates. Polish
stars Przemek Binkowski and Tomasz Wlodarczyk flew from the start to take the
lead and hold off the challenge of Sheffield's former Gt. Britain captain Martin
Gamble, to record a memorable 7-3 heat win and secure a 75-72 match win for
Astley & Tyldesley.
Taking the unfavourable outside start positions, Binkowski
won all his five races, whilst Wlodarczyk lost just once to M. Gamble. Tulloch,
Jeff Radcliffe and Warren Mee all won races for A & T, as the visitors
provided the race winner in 12 of the 15 races, but Sheffield's teamwork saw
them regularly take the 2nd and 3rd places. The home team also benefited from
the referee's interpretation of starting infringements, whereby the away rider
was penalised but not the home rider.
Northern League match score:
Sheffield Stars 72 Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare
/ CTA Direct 75.
Sheffield scorers: Martin
Gamble 15, Simon Gamble 13 (plus 4 bonus), Mick Knowles 12 (1), Peter Pearson 11
(4), Martin Cain 10, Adrian Brownell 6, Robert Hudson 4, Richard Bowler 1.
A & T scorers: Przemek
Binkowski 20, Tomasz Wlodarczyk 18 (1); Jeff Radcliffe 11, Ewan Tulloch 10 (1),
Warren Mee 9, Chris Smith 6, Becky Heslop 1.
Referee - Richard Whiteley (Sheffield).
Sheffield won the 2nd team challenge match, helped in no
small way by a home referee who saw fit not to penalise the home team for
starting infringements. Richard Bowler scored a maximum, but moved at the start
in heats 1 and 15, whilst Peter Pearson lost only to Becky Heslop in heat 3.
2nd Team Challenge match score:
Sheffield Stars 'B' 78 Astley & Tyldesley Miners'
Welfare / CTA Direct 'B' 72.
Sheffield 'B' scorers:
Richard Bowler 20, Peter Pearson 18 (1), Adrian Brownell 16 (1), Andy Knowles 11
(2), Jamie Brown 8, William Gamble 5.
A & T 'B' scorers:
Becky Heslop 14 (1), Warren Mee 14 (1), Roy Heslop 13 (1),
Mike Hack 12 (1), Daniel Swales 10 (1), John Nuttall 5 (1), Dylan Radcliffe 4.
Referee - Steve Pearson (Sheffield).