A good crowd assembled at Baiter Park for round 4 of the British Club Championships. Poole/Seaview Coaches made it three wins in a row in the British under 19 team final with a convincing victory on their own Harbourside track while championship table toppers Ipswich took the runners-up spot.
It was Horspath who held a narrow lead over the rest of the field for the first ten heats with two comfortable race wins by Mark Carmichael over first Dan Chambers then Thomas Reed. The next four races involving Poole saw their riders first past the post and by the interval they had notched up 36 points with Ipswich and Horspath next with 26 apiece. While under 19 individual champion Mark Carmichael was recording his fourth race win in heat 23, Thomas Reed uncharacteristically trailed in last and the margin between the front runners Poole and Horspath was pegged back to seven points.
Three heats later, Reed who was being used as a tactical reserve by Poole, turned the tables on his great rival Carmichael and duly inspired a powerful finale for the hosts who picked up 15 out of a possible 16 available points including race wins from Arron Morgan and Poole skipper Leyton Glover who completed a full 20 point maximum having defied the dusty conditions with some skillful overtakes. Also finishing strongly were Ipswich who pulled clear of Horspath to finish runners up while the Oxford club tied on 48 with surprise packets Hethersett. Wednesfield and Sheffield tied on 40 points and Ricky Johnson won the toss for run-off grids which enabled him to hold off the challenge from Matt Smith to give the West Midland team fifth overall.
The battle for third place was even more tactical as Dan Chambers starting from gate 2 used every trick in the book to fend off the constant challenge from Mark Carmichael, bringing a smile to the face of team manager Mel Perkins and the rest of the Norfolk contingent. Overall, Poole were hot favourites and did not disappoint their home fans but they were made to fight all the way. The quality of the racing was excellent throughout and proved that British cycle speedway will have plenty to offer on the international stage in the coming seasons. Prizes were presented by sponsors Ray and Jean Clift from Cycle-Paths of Poole who were highly impressed with the whole event.
Result
Poole 66: Leyton Glover 20 Arron Morgan 14 Thomas Reed 12 Sam Hearn 11 Wil Bristowe 9
Ipswich 53: Ashley Hill 16 Lewis Roberts 12 Marcus Szyszlyk 12 Jordan Stant 10 Charlie Rumbold 3
Hethersett 48: Dan Chambers 17 Joshua Herring 13 Harley Hamill 10 Scott Grimes 8
Horspath 48: Mark Carmichael 19 Zac Payne 13 Wayne Clarke 9 Lee Clarke 7
Wednesfield 40: Ricky Johnson 18 Matt Haddock 10 Harry Evriss 6 Aaron O'Brian 6
Sheffield 40: Matt Smith 16 Kyle Holland 9 Aiden Owen 7 Liam Webster 5 Lewis German 3
Referee - Robin Spicer
