Astley & Tyldesley travelled to Stockport to take on Tameside in a Northern League match, featuring the league's two unbeaten teams. Both teams were at full strength, with the track hard and swept, but not watered, on a hot, sunny afternoon.

A & T took the lead in heat 2 with a 6-4 to Wlodarczyk / Smith, over White, after Wylie had fallen. A & T extended their lead to 4 points with a 6-4 heat win to C. Finnigan / Radcliffe in the following race. C. Eaton and Wylie levelled matters in the next race with a 7-3 for Tameside over Smith and Mee. Controversy in heat 5 as F. Finnigan clearly didn't move whilst on grid 1, (subsequently confirmed on video), but he was excluded by referee Blinston. This exclusion enabled Tameside to take the lead for the first time with a 6-3 to B. Eaton / White over Wlodarczyk. Binkowski pulled out a great pass on Ward to win heat 6, to keep the visitors in close contention. Heat 7 saw further controversy, as F. Finnigan went down, when White barged past him on the inside, with the referee stopping the race and excluding the A & T rider. The resulting 7-3 win to Wylie / White over Radcliffe in the re-run put Tameside 8 points ahead. Wlodarczyk went for the big gate in the next race off grid 2, but didn't quite clear B. Eaton, and was pushed wide with C. Eaton dropping under, for another Tameside 7-3 and an astonishing interval lead of 45-33.

Tameside stretched the lead to 15 points with a 6-3 win in heat 9 to Wylie / Taylor over Mee, after Radcliffe moved at the start. Binkowski / Wlodarczyk replied with a great 7-3 win off outside grids in the next race over Ward / White. A & T reduced Tameside's lead to 8 points with a 6-3 win in the next race from F. Finnigan / Longworth over B. Eaton, after C. Eaton was excluded at the start. The last four heats were all shared, as Tameside protected the lead they had gained from the first half, to win 77-69.

Astley & Tyldesley were most unhappy with the refereeing decisions in the first half concerning Frank Finnigan, that went in Tameside's favour, and from then on were forced to take risks in order to try to close the gap. Przemek Binkowski was in great form, winning all his four races for a maximum score, with A & T's other three A grade riders scoring well in the races they finished. Tameside were a more solid scoring team, with 'B' grade riders Chris Eaton and Mark Wylie making crucial contributions to back up Brian Eaton.

Northern League match result:

Tameside 77 Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare / CTA Direct 69

Tameside: Brian Eaton 17 (plus 1 bonus), Mark Wylie 15 (1), Chris Eaton 14 (1), Steven Ward 13, Danny White 11 (2), Alan Taylor 5 (1), Lewis Riley 2.

A & T: Przemek Binkowski 16, Chris Smith 12, Tomasz Wlodarczyk 11 (1), Chris Finnigan 8 (2), Frank Finnigan 7, Jeff Radcliffe 6 (1), Warren Mee 6, Rob Longworth 3.

Referee - Dave Blinston (Tameside).