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Report: Heckington Show Grass Track

Story posted August 3, 2010; Event: 24th July 2010 | thanks to Dave Kennedy

Local Club, Sleaford Wheelers, were keen to defend their Go-ride Club champions title which they won last year and started in great style with George Thompson winning the 4 lap individual Pursuit. Spalding CC fought back hard in the one lap sprint events providing the winners in the girls' event (Jenny McAndrew) and the under 14s (Reece Moradakan). The young team from Witham Wheelers rounded off the first session when Ashley Money won the under 16s boys sprint.

So, after 4 events, Spalding were leading with 36 points to Sleaford's 34 and Witham's 27. The reigning champions had a narrow victory in the Team Sprint by a couple of seconds and retook the lead going into the final series of scratch races. Jenny McAndrew again scored maximum points for Spalding in the Girl's scratch race but sisters Alice and Grace Hayler kept Sleaford in contention with second and third placings. 

Sleaford still had a seven point advantage with two events to go. Spalding would not go away and fought back well in the under 14s scratch event, scoring 16 points with first and second places being taken by Reece Moradakan and Jake Norton. The tables had now been turned and Spalding lead Sleaford by 4 points (73 to 69) with just the Under 16 boys 6 lap scratch race to go. 

This final race was won in style by the very impressive George Thompson of Sleaford with team-mate Nathan Williamson in 4th place and Henry Thompson 8th.  Spalding's sterling efforts to lift the trophy from Sleaford were thwarted by a very good performance by the Witham Wheelers duo of Peter Cocker and Ashley Money who took 2nd and 3rd places forcing the Spalding riders down into 5th, 6th and 7th places to collect only 9 points between them. 

The overall result was a narrow victory for Sleaford Wheelers with 84 points to Spalding's 82. The youngsters from Grantham's Witham Wheelers rode with great enthusiasm and finished with 50 points.  Jill Sewell from HSBC, the event sponsor, presented the prizes, ably assisted by Richard Kennedy, Chairman of British Cycling East Midlands Region.

Senior Racing
The senior racing which followed was equally thrilling with first blood going to Ben Elliot from Manchester who won the Devil-take-the-Hindmost event from Richard Lambert (Doncaster) and Lewis Meadows (Selby). Elliot was to score another win in the 800 metre scratch sprint, the event in which he is National Champion, winning this title at York last month. Second to Ben was John McClelland from London with Ben's younger brother, Rowan, in third place. After the ladies sprint was won by Jodie Brumhead from Hull, the exciting 400 metre handicap sprint provided the closest finishes of the day. In a very hard-fought final, Tony Wilkins from Suffolk took the verdict from Lewis Meadows and Boston's Charlie Porter.

With two more scratch races still to run, it looked as though Ben Elliot was going to repeat his virtual clean-sweep of last year. However, Richard Lambert had other ideas. His constant attacks in the Tony Skinner Mile wore down the opposition and gave him a well deserved victory over Ben and John McClelland.  Such was the ferocity of the Mile event that a below-par Elliot, recovering from a bout of illness and with European Masters races next week, decided not to start the final event of the day – the gruelling 26 -lap event which is the 8km scratch race. 

Ben's absence certainly didn't detract from the excitement of the event in which Richard Lambert gave a demonstration performance to lap the rest of the field.  Not content with being a lap ahead, Richard then went on to win the final sprint for the line in convincing style.  Minor placings went to John McClelland and Neil Withington (Carlisle).  

RESULTS

SENIOR EVENTS

Devil-take-the-Hindmost
1. Ben Elliott  VC St Raphael
2. Richard Lambert Cottingham Coureurs
3. Lewis Meadows Yorks Cycle Works
4. Matthew Fenton Cottingham Coureurs
5. John McClelland Agiskoviner CC
6. Martin Smith  Chesterfield Coureurs

8 KM scratch
1. Richard Lambert Cottingham Coureurs
2. John McClelland Agiskoviner CC
3. Neil Withington VC St Raphael
4. Lewis Meadows York Cycle Works
5. Martin Smith  Chesterfield Coureurs
6. Matthew Fenton Cottingham Coureurs

Skinner Mile
1. Richard Lambert Cottingham Cours
2. Ben Elliott  VC St Raphael
3. John McClelland Agiskoviner

800 mtrs Scratch Sprint - Men
1. Ben Elliott  VC St Raphael
2. John McClelland Agiskoviner CC
3. Rowan Elliott  VC St Raphael

800 mtrs Scaratch Sprint - Women
1. Jodie Brumhead Cottingham Coureurs
2. Amy Willoughby Cottingham Coureurs
3. Karen Lifford  Team VC Nottingham

400 mtrs  Handicap Sprint
1. Tony Wilkins  Team Endura
2. Lewis Meadows York Cycle Works
3. Charlie Porter  Boston Wheelers

Lincolnshire Go-ride Club Championships Sponsored by HSBC

                                                    SLEAFORD        WITHAM       SPALDING
A/B  BOYS 4 LAP PURSUIT           9                          6                     3
GIRLS 1 LAP SPRINT                   12                         4                      9
C/D/E  BOYS 1 LAP SPRINT        5                           4                     16
A/B  BOYS 2 LAP SPRINT            8                            9                       8
TEAM SPRINT                                18                          6                     12
GIRLS SCRATCH                         12                           4                      9
C/D/E  BOYS 3 LAP SCRATCH   5                            4                     16
A/B  BOYS 6 LAP SCRATCH       15                          13                     9
                                           TOTAL  84                           50                  82

A/B BOYS 4 LAP PURSUIT   Pts Time
1. George Thompson Sleaford 9   2 min 18.4 sec   
2. Peter Cocker  Witham  6 2 min 27.6 sec
3. Harry Bellars  Spalding 3 2 min 43.8 sec

GIRLS 1 LAP SPRINT    Pts
1. Jennifer McAndrew Spalding 9
2. Alice Hayler  Sleaford 7
3. Grace Hayler  Sleaford 5
4. Caitlin Conneely Witham  3
5. Tilly Gurney  Witham  1

C/D/E BOYS 1 LAP SPRINT   Pts
1. Reece Moradakan Spalding 9
2. Jake Norton  Spalding 7
3. Thomas Webster Sleaford 5
4. Robert McAndrew Witham  3
5. Kerrigan Rob  Witham  1

A/B BOYS 2 LAP SPRINT   Pts
1.  Ashley Money  Witham  9
2. Nathan Williamson Sleaford 7
3. Jake Peel  Spalding 5
4. Oliver Fensom  Spalding 3
5. Henry Thompson Sleaford 1

TEAM SPRINT     Pts Time
1. Sleaford    18          1 min 47.1 sec
2. Spalding    12          1 min 49.2 sec
3. Witham       6           2 min 07.0 sec

GIRLS SCRATCH RACE   Pts
1. Jennifer McAndrew Spalding 9
2. Alice Hayler  Sleaford 7
3. Grace Hayler  Sleaford 5
4. Tilly Gurney  Witham  3
5. Caitlin Conneeley Witham  1

C/D/E BOYS 3 LAP SCRATCH   Pts
1. Reece Moradakan Spalding 9
2. Jake Norton  Spalding 7
3. Thomas Webster Sleaford 5
4. Kerrigan Rob  Witham  3
5. Robert McAndrew Witham  1

A/B BOYS 6 LAP SCRATCH   Pts
1. George  Thompon Sleaford 9
2. Peter Cocker  Witham  7
3. Ashley Money  Witham  6
4. Nathan Williamson Sleaford 5
5. Harry Bellars  Spalding 4
6. Jake Peel  Spalding 3
7. Oliver Fensom Spalding 2
8. Henry Thompson Sleaford 1