South West Junior Grand Prix Finals
Southampton CSC
Welsh riders had a great day on Saturday, as the top competitors from all over the South West region gathered in Southampton for the finals of the South West Junior Grand Prix Cycle Speedway competition. After six rounds throughout the season, the top 16 in each age group were invited to ride in the double points scoring Grand Final. Riders from Newport Cycle Speedway club and East Newport Cycle Speedway club competed against the best riders from Southampton, Swindon, Exeter, Horspath, Poole and Filton.
The Under 8s competition has been dominated this year by former Newport rider Sean Bennett, recently crowned Wosskow Brown British Youth and Junior League Under 8s champion, now riding for East Newport CSC. Sean didn't disappoint the strong East Newport crowd, winning the race on the day to make it 7 wins from 7 rounds, and a comfortable win in the overall competition.
The Under 10s was another competition that has been dominated by one rider all year. Another former Newport rider, James Robinson, now riding for Exeter, also recently crowned British Youth & Junior Champion, won on the day to make it 7 out of 7, and comfortably win the South West Junior Grand Prix. Newport's Stuart Ward maintained his consistent performance this season, to finish in the top 10.
The Under 12s competition was more closely fought, with Newport's Jacob Soper defending 3rd place, closely followed by Lauren Hookway of Exeter and Charlotte Cox of Poole. The Under 12s has seen some tough competition from new riders from Horspath and Poole, and although Ben Carter of Horspath had a substantial lead going into the Final, the competition was still open. Jacob Soper pulled out all the stops for this last race, and qualified along with Charlotte Cox and Lauren Hookway for the top scoring 'A' Final- along the way, Jacob becoming the highest scoring Under 12s rider, collecting the most points in the heats. However, it was the Final that counted, and he didn't let up- coming home in first place on the day ensured that he wasn't caught by his rivals, and pushed him into second place overall in the competition.
The Under 14s race saw Newport newcomer Jack Harold and old timer Dan Denny competing. Both put on a fine display of riding, with Jack securing a very respectable second place in the 'A' Final, to place him in the top 10 ten finishers in this age group. This was some achievement for the newcomer, who only competed in the 4 of the 7 rounds - one to watch for next season! East Newport rider Louis Harvey finished in 3rd place overall in the competition after finishing 3rd in the 'A' Final.
Another former Newport rider, Ben Mould, riding for Poole, had dominated the Under 16s competition all season, and despite missing one of the rounds, Ben made it 6 wins out of 6 races, to win the competition. Another Newport newcomer, Ryan Evans showed that he is another one to watch next season, with a respectable mid-table finish after just 3 rounds raced.
Finally, Newport's ladies were prominent in their competition. Rebecca Davies had qualified for 6 out of 7 'A' finals this year, despite some much older competition. Finishing an excellent second place on the day secured her 3rd place overall in the competition. Club stalwart and new rider Sarah Davies tied for 6th place with Sophie Tullock, and special mention should go to Natalie Ward who was unable to race having suffered a fractured wrist in training.
Overall, this was a fine day of racing, a fitting end to what has been an exciting competition.
Final Positions:
Under 8s:
1. Sean Bennet (ENE)
2. Jack Currell (Hors)
3. Owen Tidball (Exe)
Under 10s:
1 . James Robinson (Exe)
2. Will Tidball (Exe)
3. George Horsley (Hors)
Under 12s:
1. Ben Carter (Hors)
2. Jacob Soper (New)
3. Jordan Richardson (Hors)
Under 14s:
1. Aaron Morgan (Poole)
2. Corey Heyde (Exe)
3. Louis Harvey (ENE)
Under 16s:
1. Ben Mould (Poole)
2. Leyton Glover (Poole)
3. Sam Dart (Exe)
Under 18s:
1. Thomas Reed (Exe)
2. Craig Nethercott (Exe)
3. Mark Carmichael (Hors)
Ladies:
1. Rachel Edge (Hors)
2. Charlie Jane Herbert (Exe)
3. Rebecca Davies (New)
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South West Individual Championships
This weekend, four of our top riders competed in the South West Individual Championships at Southampton CSC. Jake Sicolo, Jack Harold and Jacob Soper competed in both the Junior and Senior competition, and Chris Davies competed in the Senior.
Our three riders in the Junior were all up against many riders considerably older than them in this Under 16 Competition. Jake and Jack both qualified for the final, and at just 11 years old, Jacob Soper found himself up against riders 5 years his senior, but still managed to score an impressive 13 points, reaulting in a run-off for for the last place on the final with East Newport's Dan Bok. Unluckily for Jacob, Dan had the gate advantage and managed to hold onto it for the race, so Jacob went through as reserve.
Against some of the top riders in the South West, including former Newport riders, and training mates Ben Mould and Mark Carmichael, Jack and Jake scored a respectable 11 and 10 points respectively, securing a mid-field finishing position. The final was eventually won by Horspath's Mark Carmichael, 2nd place went to Pool's Sam Hearn and Tom Reed of Exeter took 3rd.
Junior Competition Result:
1st Mark Carmichael (Horspath) 19, 2nd Sam Hearn (Poole) 19, 3rd Thomas Reed (Exeter) 18, 4th Ben Mould (Poole) 18
All four of our riders competed in the Senior competition - including young Jacob. Up against a field of top adult racers from the South West, the race was great experience for the younger riders. Chris Davies and Jake Sicolo scored 9 points each, Jack Harold scored ? points and Jacob picked up 6 points. None of them made it through to the final, but was great to see them competing at such a high level.
Final result of the Senior Competition:
1st Gavin Wheeler (Poole) 20, 2nd Thomas Reed (Exeter) 18, 3rd Tom Colling (Poole) 17, 4th Mike Morgans (Horspath) 151
British Under 16 Club Championship
This Saturday saw Newport Cycle Speedway Club host the prestigous 2009 British Under 16 Club Championship at the Newport International Sports Village Cycle Speedway Track. Teams from all over Great Britain competed in three Semi-Finals for a place in the Grand Final, and British victory.
Local club Newport fielded a young Under 16 team, consisting of Jacob Soper, Jack Harold, Jake Sicolo, Rebecca Davies and Joe Lewis in the first Semi-Final against Poole, Sandwell and Bretford. From the start, Poole emerged as early contenders, with former Newport CSC rider Ben Mould, along with team mates Sam Hearn and Leighton Glover showing that Poole would be a force to be reckoned with on the day. Despite a strong challenge from Sandwell, Poole finished the race as clear winners to qualify for the Final, with Sandwell hoping to pick up the highest runner-up place.
Semi-Final two saw a close contest between surprise strong condenders East Newport, sporting some new riders, fighting hard with Stockport. Also chasing a place in the Final were Horspath and Exeter. Throughout the contest there were really only two contenders: East Newport and Stockport. Another fine ride was put in by former Newport CSC rider Mark Carmichael, who remained unbeaten on the day riding for Horspath, however, East Newport held onto their lead to take the second place in the Final.
Semi-Final three was close to the last race, with Ipswich, Hethersett and Wednesfield neck and neck all the way, ahead of Sheffield. After a series of exciting races, Ipswich took the third place in the Final. Sandwell secured the last place as the highest scoring runner up, and the scene was set for another British Championship showdown at one of the UK's premiere Cycle Speedway venues.
Despite the best efforts of the weather, which deteriorated throgh the course of the race, the Grand Final lived up to expectations, with some outstanding Cycle Speedway action, witnessed by an animated crowd, including representation from British Cycling. Over the course of the first few heats, two clear front runners emerged: Poole, again Ben Mould leading the charge, and Sandwell. A nail-biting series of races ensued, with no clear favourite between Poole and Sandwell. Going into the last heat, the championship was there for either team to win, with East Newport securely in third position. Poole finished the race in style, ending up three points ahead of Sandwell to take the championship, and bring a fine day of racing to a conclusion.
Results:
Semi-Final One
Poole 54, Sandwell 46, Bretford 36, Newport 23
Semi-Final Two
East Newport 47, Stockport 2006 44, Horspath 37, Exeter 28
Semi-Final Three
Ipswich 47, Hethersett 45, Wednesfield 40, Sheffield 27
Final
Poole 50
B Mould 15, S Hearn 14, A Morgan 14, L Glover 7, M Mildon dnr
Sandwell 47
M Smith 16, J Palmer 13, S Millward 13, R Johnson 5
East Newport 38
R Lewis 11, A Hughes 10, L Harvey 9, J Turner 8
Ipswich 23
A Hill 8, J Stant 5, L Roberts 4, W Clark 3, C Rumbold 3
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Welsh Junior Open
This Saturday saw some action packed Junior Cycle Speedway action, as Newport CSC hosted the 5th Annual Welsh Junior Open Chamionship. With riders from across the country, including Southampton, Poole, Birmingham and Horspath, the scene was set for a great days racing.
Defending champion Tom Reed of Exeter was among the favourites to win the title, and bring home his 3rd consecutive win in this competition. Also hotly tipped were Horspath's Mark Carmichael, Poole's Ben Mould (both former Newport riders) and Lee Smith of Sandwell. All four riders started strongly, dropping few points in the opening rounds: Tom Reed starting out particularly strongly with two firsts in his first two heats. Also emerging as a contender were Nathan Groves from Birmingham and Craig Nethercott of Exeter. Craig's chances of victory took a set back in heat 5 when he was excluded for movement at the tapes, closely followed by a similar set back for Nathan Groves when he was also excluded for movement at the tapes: all the riders fighting hard in the windy conditions not to jump the tapes.
Local boys Joe Lewis and Owe Pendree of Newport showed promise in this their toughest competition so far in their short Cycle Speedway careers, whilst youngster Jacob Soper (Reserve) waited eagerly on the bench for a chance to ride with these top Junior riders from around the country.After an exciting 20 heats, Tom Reed emerged as the clear winner, unbeaten in all 5 heats, closely followed by Lee Smith, who only dropped 1 point - against Tom Reed. Mark Carmichael and Ben Mould both finished on 16 points,so a run-off was held to decide the third place rider.
The 3rd place run-off turned out to be quite a tactical race: Ben starting off Gate 2 took the first corner ahead of Mark off Gate 4, who pushed him all the way. For 4 laps, Mark climbed all over Ben, but could not find a way past, as Ben skillfully held the racing line, defending his position to the last.
Final Positions:
1st.Tom Reed (Exeter)
2nd Lee Smith (Sandwell)
3rd Ben Mould (Poole)
4th Mark Carmichael (Horspath)
Final Points: Tom Reed (Exeter) - 20, Lee Smith (Sandwell) - 19, Ben Mould (Poole) 16, Mark Carmichael (Horspath) - 16, Craig Nethercott - (Exeter) 15, Matthew Smith (Sandwell) - 14, Nathan Groves (Birmingham) - 14, Joe Lewis (Newport) - 13, Scott Milward (Sandwell) - 11, Rich Hayes (Southampton) - 11. Leighton Glover (Poole) - 10, Owen Pendree (Newport) - 10, Aaron Herbert (Exeter) - 8, Aaron Hughes (East Newport) - 7, Joe Wyatt (Horspath) - 7, Matt Coulter (Horspath) - 6, Jacob Soper (Newport) - 0
Conference League
Newport 70 Poole 79
Newport faced a tough challenge on Sunday, when they entertained Poole at home in the Conference League. With Poole's riders ranging from top rider Jake Williams to British Under 13 Champion Matthew Milden, the Newport team had it all to do. Still recovering from the hard fought win against East Newport on Saturday, Newport set out to defend their honour! Some excellent racing ensued, with some fine overtaking moves by Newport's top scorers Lewis Beresford and Lucien Burnell-Jones. The race also saw the return of Corey Burnell-Jones to the team. Youngster Miles Davies put in an excellent performance, taking 3rd position off the tapes, and defending it for 4 laps against riders several years his superior.
Newport 70: Lucien Burnell-Jones 19, Lewis Beresford 13, Corey Burnell-Jones 10, Jacob Soper 9, Jake Sicolo 9, Jacob Street 6, Rebeca Davies 4
Poole 79: Leighton Glover 17, Jake Williams 16, Aaron Morgon 15, Matthew Milden 12, Matt Elston 11, David Buzak 1, Harry Ryan 1
Conference League
Newport 82 East Newport 67
There was tension on and off the track on Saturday when the two Newport clubs met for the first time this year in the Conference League. An exciting match ensued with some excellent riding, under the watchful eye of referee Phil Davies. Newport managed to establish a small lead early in the proceedings, and defended it, growing to a full 15 points lead by the end of the match. Top scorer for Newport was Lucien Burnell-Jones,closely followed by Lewis Beresford and Lee Tippins.
Newport 82: Lucien Burnell-Jones 17+3, Lewis Beresford16+1, Lee Tippins 15+1, Ollie Sidwick 13, Jake Sicolo 13, Jacob Street 8
East Newport 67: Aaron Hughes 17+2, R Lewis 15+1, Lewis Harvey 12+2, Dan Bock 11+2, S Clark 6, Josh Davis 3, Colin Wildy 2
Conference League
Newport 72 Horspath 78
The 2009 season got off to an exciting start today, as Newport entertained Horspath at home in the first Conference League match of the season. A strong Newport team sported both familiar and new faces, including Ollie Sidwick, racing for Newport for the first time.
It was close from the first heat, which ended up 5 points a piece. Heat 2 saw Horspath's Matt Coulder and Wayne Clark secure the first 1st,2nd victory and put the visitors 4 points ahead. Heat 3 saw the unlucky Rachel Edge take a tumble on the second bend, allowing Newport to take 1st and 3rd to close the gap. From there on in there was never much gap between the two teams, but the visitors managed to maintain their edge, particularly with former Newport rider and current training mate Mark Carmichael using his familiarity with the Newport track to his advantage while putting in some excellent team racing.
Heat 13 was full of excitement, when the tapes failed to lift properly, catching Jacob Soper on the neck as he gated, and lifting him off his bike as they eventually raised. Shaken by his tangle with the starting tapes, Jacob was overtaken on the 3rd bend by a skillful young Marco Cooper in one of the best moves of the day.
Horspath kept their nose ahead of Newport all afternoon, at one point increasing their lead to 10 points, but Newport fought back valiantly, closing the gap to 6 by the end of the match.
Final score; Newport 72, Horspath 78.
Newport 72: Lucien Burnell-Jones 18, Owen Pendree 15, Lewis Beresford 14+2, Ollie Sidwick 11, Joe Lewis 6+1, Jacob Soper 4, Jacob Street 4
Horspath 78: Mark Carmichael 15+3, Wayne Clark 13+2, Matt Coulter 13, Jack Smith 13, Rachel Edge 10, Lee Clark 8+1, Jordan Richards 4+1, Marco Cooper 2
