Chairman Terry Ashford has called the South East League's AGM for Sunday Jan 13 @ 14:00. The event takes place at Gt Blakenham Village Hall, alongside the track.
East Anglian Association clubs gather before the main event @ 11:00 for their get-together.

12-12-01 Colchester Milestone

Work is well underway on a new track for Colchester at the Shrub End sports ground. The club has raced on the grass of the playing field for the last few years while they have established the sport in the town, but this does have some practical problems and they are excited about their new shale raceway.
The £10,000 track, built by Elmy Landscapes, is believed to be banked to the maximum and should be ready for the new season.

09-12-01 Lindacre Support Continues

One of the improvements planned by the Somersham club for 2002 was to attain a PA system to help run the show. And supporters Linadacre, the Ipswich Land Rover dealers, have again come to the clubs aid by donating such a unit. Track manager Peter Mittell said "It's been recently repaired and even has a CD player. We just need to supply a microphone and speaker."

02-12-01 Conference Call

The cycle speedway Annual Conference took place today at Kegworth, Leicestershire. The event has taken place at the BCF headquarters in Manchester the past 2 years but moves to a more central location following some criticism.
The conference which is open to all British Cycling members, discusses various issues within the sport that will affect both 2002 and beyond. Items up for discussion included a Grand Vets competition, increased match ban fines, the re-introduction of black shoes, and a referee's assistant.
Unfortunately no news has been released from the event as to what decisions were actually made, so members who didn't attend will have to remain in the dark.

23-11-01 Midlands British

The British Individual Championship returns to the Midlands for 2002. This year though Wednesfield will stage the prestigous final. Gt Blakenham, Stoke & Southampton also have the honour of staging British Finals for the other age groups. More details in the first fixtures released for next season.

22-11-01 Somersham AGM

More of the same next year for the Somersham Stars appears to be the message from their recent meeting. All officials were happy to carry on and all riders indicated their keeness to race again in 2002. The club also hopes to carry on in the same competitions if the format in the South East is retained.
Everyone appeared to have enjoyed the positives of 2001. Track improvements were welcomed, while in contrast to previous years, the Stars rarely fielded an incomplete side. Hopefully the club can build on these in the future.
Andy Mittell's fantastic season was completed when he took enough votes to win the Rider of the Year award for the 3rd year running.

19-11-01 Wednesfield are Indoor Aces report from British Cycling

Wednesfield Aces added another trophy to their cabinet with a seemingly effortless win in the Cycle Speedway Indoor Team Championships at Broughton Leisure Centre in Salford on Sunday. With Lee Aris earning maximum points and team mates Leon Yelland and Mike Morgans not far behind Wednesfield were never headed in the four-team final, which pitted them against Swindon, Great Blakenham and Bury. With 11 heat wins out of 16, they built up a 14 point margin over runners up Great Blakenham, with Bury's young side coming a creditable third. Swindon, winners of this title at the same venue just two years ago and fielding individual indoor champion Steve Harris, finished a distant fourth. The real fireworks of the day came in the second semi-final. Bury and Swindon had eased their way through the opening semi against Sandwell and Somersham, but the second decider pitched eventual qualifiers Wednesfield and Great Blakenham against Stoke, Southampton and Leicester in a five-up encounter. Wednesfield maintained a healthy lead throughout, but there was a titanic battle for the second final spot between Stoke and Great Blakenham which was only decided in the final round of heats. Horspath retained their Indoor Junior title in Saturday's competition, but had to fight all the way, and took victory over Bury by a single point.

RESULTS
Senior Indoor Championships.
Semi-Finals:
Swindon 47, Bury 44, Somersham 37, Sandwell 28.
Wednesfield 53, Great Blakenham 46, Stoke 41, Southampton 32, Leicester 25.

Final:
Wednesfield 57 (Lee Aris 16, Mike Morgans 15, Leon Yelland 14, Chris Jewkes 10, Mick Pedley 2)
Great Blakenham 43 (Jason Ashford 13, Mick Skinner 11, Paul Brinkoff 11, Adam Peck 5, Will Page 3)
Bury 32 (Ben Scranage 11, Neil Howarth 10, Scott Jarman 6, Robert Pearce 5)
Swindon 21 (Mark Janes 7, Craig Nash 6, Danny Harper 5, Steve Harris 3)

Junior Final:
Horspath 47, Bury 46, Great Blakenham 41, Sheffield 25.

02-11-01 Indoor Fireworks

More great news for the Somersham club following the British Indoor Riders Championship, when Andy Mittell won the Under 13 age category . He raced to a maximum, defeating last year's winner Jono Birks and outdoor champion Jack Hibberd in the process. There was also good news for the Eaton, Wednesfield, Stoke & Swindon clubs....full results courtesy of Rod Witham.

02-11-01 Finances Boost

The Somersham Stars received a welcome financial boost when, for the second year running, Lindacre Limited made a donation to the club. The support from the Ipswich Land Rover dealers has helped towards several improvements at the Somersham circuit this season and now the club can continue developements. The latest work has involved switching the water and electrical supplies from the old shed to the new storage facility.

18-10-01 Gt Blakenham dominate

Gt Blakenham currently dominate the league situation in the South East region. There are still several meetings to race and results to come in but it looks like they could sweep all the honours.
In SE Division 1 they have not lost a meeting, and can secure the title by beating Hawbush home or away. The Essex team can still mathematically win if they don't slip up any more, but probably blew their chances with that surprise heavy defeat at Hethersett. And if they lose their remaining meets then Norwich could snatch second. With only one win Somersham get the wooden spoon.
In Division 2 it's a 3-way race after Blakenham's recent defeat at Hethersett gives Kesgrave and Hawbush a small chance. Again it's those two Blakenham-Hawbush encounters which are vital because if Blakenham win both they will take the title. Hawbush will really need to win all their remaining meetings as Blakenham will probably not slip up against Colchester in their other fixtures. Barring a disaster for their opponents, Kesgrave will probably drop from their current position at the top of the table. Their home defeat to Blakenham with an under-strength team being the main reason. Without a win Gt Wakering again look like propping up the table.
Blakenham need just one more win from their remainng matches in the Norfolk & Suffolk league to win and it's difficult to see them losing any. It's possible for Kesgrave to spoil the party but expect Eaton to finish runners-up. Somersham are spared another spoon, as Spixworth's struggles to raise a team has earned enough penalty points to mean they finish bottom.

18-10-01 Tom Top

Throughout the season Leicester have staged second-half events for their members who could not always secure a team place. The overall results were decided by race average. Tom Sensicall finished top with 3.78 followed by Carl Jarvis and Lucy Whitehead.

16-10-01 Tie at top Report from BCF

After a season-long campaign, the county's two top cycle speedway clubs, Southampton and Wednesfield have tied at the top of the Premier League table. A play-off will now take place at Newport track on Sunday 28th October, commencing at 3pm. The match is sure to be fiercely contested and is a great opportunity for people in South Wales to see this exciting sport. The Midland and North Division Two also ended in a tie at the top: in this case Sandwell and Sheffield are the clubs involved. Their play-off will take place at Leicester, also on 28th October, with a 2 pm start.

5-10-01 Under Review

"This sport is under review by TeamHummingbird but it looks ideal for young diabetics." Read more on their site

04-10-01 British Under 19 Team Results Courtesy of Mel Perkins

Sat 29/9 British U19 Team Championship at Sandwell sponsored by Geoff Hill Electrical & Gas Superstore

QR
Horspath 59 (Mark Boaler 20 Wayne Hutt 15)
Bury 57 (Lee Morgan 14 Ben Scranage 14)
Sandwell A 57 (Jack Hibberd 16 Lee Abbott 16 Russ Evans 14)
Hethersett 56 (Nick Bedson 14)
Sandwell B 34 (Arron Flanaghan 9 Tom Hibberd 9) -- late entry
Leicester 22 (James Harrison 12)
Poole ns

Final
Horspath 49 (Wayne Hutt 14 Mark Boaler 13 Ricky Gregory 12 Steven Beesley 9 David Beesley 1)
Hethersett 42 (Dave Alexander 14 Nick Bedson 10 Leigh Cossey 9 Nick Myhill 6 Mike Kiddell 3)
Bury 34 (Ben Scranage 12 Rob Pearce 11 Scott Jarman 6 Lee Morgan 3 Tom Doyle 2)
Sandwell A 32 (Russ Evans 10 Rob Minchin 8 Lee Abbott 8 Jack Hibberd 5 Colin Barber 1)

04-10-01 British Under 16 Team Results Courtesy of Mel Perkins

Sat 22/9 British U16 Team Championship at Norwich sponsored by Broadland District Council - full official result

QR - A
Kesgrave 55 (Elliott Ross 14 Ryan Bartram 13)
Horspath 50 (Mark Boaler 16 Ryan Taylor 14 David Beesley 13)
Hethersett 49 (Dave Alexander 13)
Norwich 46 (Shaun Brown 16)
Sandwell B 36 (Jamie Ball 10 Helen Ball 10)
Poole ns
Coventry B ns

QR - B
Bury 52 (Ben Scranage 16 Rob Pearce 15)
Gt.Blakenham 46 (Adam Peck 16)
Sandwell A 44 (Jack Hibberd 15 Russ Evans 14)
Wednesfield 42 (Chris Jewkes 14)
Coventry A 42 (Ashley Pointer 13)
Eaton 33 (Darren Slater 16)
Coventry C ns
Jewkes beat Pointer in race-off

Semi-Final A
Kesgrave 44 (Lewis Osborne 14)
Gt.Blakenham 44 (Adam Peck 15)
Sandwell A 36 (Jack Hibberd 12)
Norwich 34 (Shaun Brown 15)

Semi-Final B
Bury 49 (Rob Pearce 15 Scott Jarman 13 Ben Scranage 13)
Hethersett 40 (Dave Alexander 13)
Horspath 38 (Mark Boaler 16)
Wednesfield 32 (Chris Jewkes 13)

Final
Gt.Blakenham 46 (Adam Peck 15 Daniel Pike 12 Will Page 10 Greg Jacobs 7 Lee Pike 2)
Kesgrave 39 (Lewis Osborne 15 Chris Osborne 10 Ryan Bartram 8 Chris Osborne 6 Russ Stevenson dnr)
Bury 39 (Rob Pearce 15 Ben Scranage 14 Scott Jarman 6 Tom Doyle 4)
Hethersett 34 (Dave Alexander 11 Mike Kiddell 9 Jon Kerley 7 Nick Myhill 6 Marc Veness 1)
Lewis Osborne beat Pearce in race-off

Read a report on theEvening Star site.

26-9-01 British Under 13 Team Results Courtesy of Mel Perkins

Sat 15/9 British U13 Team Championship at Exeter sponsored by Exeter City Council
Official scores:-

QR A:-
Sheffield 65 (Simon Gamble 20 Jon Birks 19 Ashley Birks 18)
Swindon 58 (Daniel Golby 16 Jason Tatum 15 Shaun Rudman 13)
Leicester 56 (Tom Sensicall 20 Carl Jarvis 15)
Exeter A 51 (Dominic McCrae 16)
Newport B 44 (Dave Carmichael 18)
Exter B 23 (Marcus Gill 8)

QR B:-
Sandwell A 54 (Jack Hibberd 16 Tom Hibbered 14)
Newport A 48 (Ryan Jones 14 Ryan Hughes 13)
Horspath 37 (Ryan Taylor 16)
Gt.Blakenham 33 (Lee Richardson 11)
Sandwell B 26 (Jamie Ball 9)

REPORTAGE:-
Swindon 63 (Jason Tatum 19 Shaun Rudman 16 Daniel Golby 14)
Newport A 61 (Ryan Jones 20 Ryan Hughes 17 Ian Mayho 14)
Leicester 52 (Tom Sensicall 18 Lucy Whitehead 15)
Horspath 45 (Ryan Taylor 19 Michael Green 13)
Gt.Blakenham 39 (Nick Pyke 11)
Exeter A 34 (Dominic McCrae 12)

FINAL
Sandwell A 49 (Jack Hibberd 16 Tom Hibberd 13 Arron Flanaghan 12 Ashley Skeldon 8)
Sheffield 37 (Simon Gamble 12 Jon Birks 12 Ashley Birks 7 Jamie Brown 3 Ryan Hoyland 3)
Swindon 37 (Jason Tatum 11 Shaun Rudman 10 Daniel Golby 9 Robert Hunt 7)
Newport A 34 (Ryan Hughes 11 Ryan Jones 10 Ian Mayho 7 Keiron Jones 5 Chris Davis 1)
Gamble defeated Rudman in race-off

17-9-01 Southampton take British Team for first time

After going so close last year Southampton returned to ASTLEY and took their first Championship, winning 104-76 against debutees Great Blakenham. Full Report

13-9-01 King's Lynn Exhibition

Cycle speedway made it's debut in King's Lynn last night when top riders from East Anglia raced some demo races on the junior speedway track of Elite League speedway club King's Lynn Knights.
The plan was to race a Norfolk v Suffolk encounter on the track which is situated on the centre green of the main speedway track at the Saddlebow Road stadium during the interval of the Knights cup clash with Peterborough. However, the weather intervened and the interval was dispensed with as track conditions deteriorated with the rain. When conditions worsened, the meeting was actually abandoned, but the 'cycle-speedwayers' were still keen to have a spin. Therefore a few muddy races were enthusiastically run and the spectators seemed to enjoy the spectacle of more overtaking in one heat than the whole speedway meeting! Well done to the riders who put on a show and the organisers for setting things up. Perhaps we'll see a cycle speedway club in King's Lynn one day?

30-8-01 Ladies / Girls Cycle Speedway Event

The Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare / CTA Direct Cycle Speedway Club are staging an Open event, exclusively for ladies and girls. Cyclists from all disciplines are invited to partake in an afternoon of Cycle Speedway racing on Saturday 6th October - provisional start time of 3 pm. The circuit is located at the Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare Club, Meanley Road, Gin Pit, Astley, Gt. Manchester, M29 7DW and is the North's Regional Cycle Speedway Centre.
The Astley & Tyldesley club boast excellent facilities, including showers, changing rooms, clubhouse with licensed bar, ladies and gents toilets, hot and cold refreshments, covered pits area, floodlighting, permanent spectator seating, car parking.
The club also has plenty of club cycle speedway bikes, of different sizes, available for use by competitors on the day.
Cycle speedway regulations require that all competitors wear a cycle helmet and are fully covered from the neck down.
All interested parties are invited to declare their entry to Mike Hack, no later than Saturday 22nd September. There is an entry fee of £2, payable to the club on the day.

28-8-01 Finals Weekend Well Done

Well done to everyone at all the Manchester clubs for their excellent running of the British Finals weekend. Everything seemed to run pretty smoothly, culminating in a splendid final. Where else can you watch such an exciting sporting spectacle for free? The Bury circuit was meticulously prepared througout the day and even the weather was great for a change!
Full results on Dave Graham's site.

06-8-01 British Finals Weekend Hotel

Some rooms have been set aside at the Wilton Hotel (Premier Lodge) for the finals weekend. They are unable to reserve them indefinitely so riders and/or spectators requiring accommodation there are urged to book as soon as possible before the rooms are allocated to other visitors. The telephone number for the hotel is 0161 643 3270, if anyone has any problems they may contact Stuart Howarth of the Bury club. When booking please mention Cycle Speedway.

06-8-01 First win for Astley Report from Mike Hack

Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare / CTA Direct recorded their first Midlands / North League Division 2 win of the season at Gin Pit Yesterday. Fielding their strongest line-up this year, A & T opened up a 6 points lead after heat 5. However, two bad decisions went against A & T, enabling Hull to draw level by heat 10. Two drawn races followed, before the match was effectively decided in a hard fought heat 13. Four re-runs were necessary following first bend clashes, before Hull's Andy Moody was excluded for legging off A & T's Russ Holland, with the Hull man subsequently match banned for comments made to the referee. A & T took a maximum 7-2 heat win in the re-run, and a 6-3 in the final race gave A & T a deserved 78-70 win.
Damien Hack raced unbeaten for A & T, with good scores from Russ Holland and Mike Hack. Young Rob Longworth impressed with some excellent passes. Corey Graham was excellent for Hull, losing only once, with good support from Andy Schofield, and, before his match ban, Andy Moody.
Astley & Tyldesley scorers:
Damien Hack 20, Russ Holland 16 (plus 1 bonus), Mike Hack 15, Marvin Kinlock 9 (1), Steve Holland 8 (2), Rob Longworth 6 (3), Phil Bennell 4.
Hull scorers:
Corey Graham 19, Andy Schofield 16, Ben Moody 11 (1), Andy Moody 10 (1), Craig Skelton 9 (1), Jaron Barnes 5.
In the Junior Individual that followed, A & T's Rob Longworth rode to a 16 points maximum score, to win from Hull's Craig Skelton (15), with A & T's Marvin Kinlock third with 14 points. All three met in a decisive heat 6, in which Longworth passed Skelton on the last lap to secure the crucial win.
Astley & Tyldesley hosted the recent Northern Individual Championships. Tameside's Terry Norman raced unbeaten on his favourite track to take the Senior title with a 20 points maximum. In a run-off for 2nd place, Bury's Neil Howarth beat Heckmondwike's Stuart Carter, after both had scored 18.
Scorers: Terry Norman (Tameside) 20, Neil Howarth (Bury) 18, Stuart Carter (Heckmondwike) 18, Paul Dyson (Bury) 17, Alan Smith (Scotia) 15, James Carter (Heckmondwike) 14, Damien Hack (Astley & Tyldesley) 13, Andy Moody (Hull) 12, Alan Mackie (Scotia) 12, Scott Jarman (Bury) 11, Steve Mann (Bury) 11, Tom Doyle (Bury) 10, Chic Mackie (Scotia) 8, Darren Kent (Heckmondwike) 6, John Olijnyk (Bury) 6.
Referee - Dave Blinston (Tameside).
Paul Dyson of Bury raced unbeaten, with 16 points, to take the Northern Veterans title. Hull's Andy Schofield finished runner-up after scoring 15, ahead of John Whiting of Bury, on 14.
Scorers: Paul Dyson (Bury) 16, Andy Schofield (Hull) 15, John Whiting (Bury) 14, Mike Hack (Astley & Tyldesley) 13, Chic Mackie (Scotia) 12, Ian McKinlay (Scotia) 10, Steve Mann (Bury) 9.
Referee - Alan Farrell (Tameside).
In a midweek Manchester League Division 2 match at Gin Pit, A & T put in a great performance to easily beat Bury and Tameside. In this league, it is each team's top five scorers that count to the team total. Tameside's Chris Eaton was the only unbeaten rider, in the U-13 category.
Manchester League Division 2 match final score: Astley & Tyldesley 63 Bury 49 Tameside 41. Astley & Tyldesley Miners Welfare / CTA Direct 63:
Russ Holland 15, Rob Longworth 14, Marvin Kinlock 14, Damien Hack 13, Luke Rigg 7, John Nuttall 6, Michael Collier 6, Daniel Meadowcroft 6.
Bury 49:
Robert Pearce 15, Ben Scranage 14, Scott Jarman 12, John Olijnyk 8. Tameside 41:
Chris Eaton 16, James Staley 15, Gemma Wylie 10.

06-8-01 Bury's Turn Report from John Whiting

Bury Vs Heckmondwike is usually very close encounters, but not this year. The visitors have struggled all year with injuries, and unavailability for several reasons, today being no exception. The Division 2 match, saw 3 visitors take to the track. This provided competition in each race. Jonathan Hardy and Darren Kent raced unbeaten, whilst Danny Sharp lost 3 times. Steve Mann lead for the home side with 14 points, with Lee Morgan unlucky not to score more. A victory 95-45 to Bury. Heckmondwike added the Carters to the squad for the Senior event, Bury however were short themselves, not helped by Paul Dyson being at Heckmondwike! Pearce won h1 from Kent, with Whiting and Hardy dicing all over the track for 3rd place. The Carters took the next 2 races. Whiting took the 4th, as Hardy and Pearce battled for 3rd. Kent unlucky once again with machine problems in race 5. Stuart continued his winning ways in the 6th. Race 7 and Pearce and Whiting lead the younger Carter, who decided for some reason to jump straight across the track and knock Whiting off, who needless to say wasn't very happy about that. 7-2 to Bury. Race 8 and Heckmondwike took a race win, Kent won from Howarth and Hardy for a 6-4. S. Carter executed a smart pass in the 9th to beat Pearce. Young Tom Doyle won his 2nd race in the 10th, the visitors unable to provide opposition. Race 13 and Morgan looked set to win after 2 laps, a dive by Hardy, turned the tables and Kent took 2nd for a welcome 7-3. James Carter stopped Doyle's winning ways in the 14th, but Tom took the 15th with help from Neil Howarth. Stuart Carter completed a fine maximum with Hardy and Howarth taking the final races. 98-67 to Bury. Carter senior in fine form , with support from Kent Hardy, and Carter. For the home side, A solid rather than spectacular performance, Howarth scored 18, with young Tom Doyle having an enjoyable day in the Seniors scoring 15.

28-7-01 Hard sport

Kesgrave's Andrew Hardy picked up a nasty knee injury while practicing in the week before the European Club Championships. Andrew crashed at high speed into the pit area at Kesgrave, narrowly missing team mates, but striking his knee on a concrete bike stand. The knee quickly swelled up so a check-up at the nearby hospital was needed the next day - his 17th birthday.
But worse was to follow for the Hardy family. Brother Kelvin was sandwiched in a competitive heat of the European competition at Gt. Blakenham and ended up on the deck, landing heavily on his hands. So it was back up the hospital for mum Hardy, this time with 14 year old Kelvin. A broken thumb was diagnosed.
Lets hope both guys are back in action as soon as possible.

23-7-01 Sheffield Surprise Report from Shaun Hudson

After going down heavily at Sandwell earlier in the season many pundits would have thought a Sheffield victory at home was still highly unlikely. However a gritty display by the Home team saw them win by 5 pts, every rider played his part in a very entertaining fixture but Andy Srettons superb 15+3 was the cornerstone of this remarkable win.The turning point of the match for Sheffield was heat 7 when Martin Cain and Andy Stretton linked up for a 7-3 over Russ + Mick Evans, up to this point the teams had never been more then 2 pts apart.After the interval Sheffield forged further ahead with a 6-4 from Martin Cain and Simon Gamble and then the next 3 heats were shared 5-5.
A controversial heat 13 saw Sandwells Jack Hibberd excluded for dangerous riding which brought strong protests from the visitors Team manager and riders. After a long delay Referee Richard Whiteley indicated his original decision stood and the race was re run with 3 riders only. Lone Sandwell rider Tony Bowen to his credit made an excellent pass on Martin Cain to limit the damage to a 5-4 to Sheffield.An excellent heat 14 saw Sandwell hammer in a maximum 7-3 courtesy of Mick Evans and Rob Minchin to bring the score within 3pts with 1 heat remaining.
Veteran Martin Gamble rode a classic last heat to foil Tony Bowen while team partner Spencer Wright got away for the all important win which resulted in a 6-4 and victory to Sheffield by 5pts overall. This was an excellent fixture rode in a friendly and sporting manner and afterwards both teams retired to the Graves Leisure Centre for a buffet and drinks.
Sheffield 77 (S.Wright 16+1 M.Gamble 16 A.Stretton 15+3 M.Cain 15 S.Gamble 10+1 J.Birks 5)
Sandwell 72 (R.Minchin 16+3 T.Bowen 16 R.Evans 13 M.Evans 10 +1 L.Abbott 8+1 J.Hibberd 6+1 P.Dalley 3)

29-6-01 EAGP

The East Anglian Grand Prix series starts on July 7 14:00 @ Colchester. The competition is now in it's 4th year and is open to all members of clubs in the EACSA. The age groups are Senior, U-19, U-16, U-13 & subject to entries an U-10 for the first time.
There is no committment to enter all 4 rounds as a riders best 3 scores will count in the final classification. There is no entry fee and riders can turn up on the day.
I understand the host club have arranged their own awards for this round, and Ivan Pike has also arranged sponsorship for the series with A-Plant.

29-6-01 New Storage

Somersham now have a replacement storage container on the playing field thanks to the help of another club.
Somersham's old shed, suffering badly from old age & word worm is beyond repair and with limited resources, equipment has had to be stored in track manager Peter Mittell's garage.
The Gt Blakenham club upgraded their own storage facility earlier in the year and kindly agreed to let Somersham have their old container. This was transported by lorry yesterday.
It's great to see this co-operation within the sport, and the Somersham club is very grateful to their local on-track rivals.

19-6-01 Youngsters Shine for Kestrels report from Pete Ingram

Seven matches into the new season and Kesgrave Kestrels, supported by Travelwise campaign, have made a good start to the season. Although Kesgrave were knocked out of the British Team Cup by Eaton, in the South East Region Division 2 (SE2) and the Norfolk & Suffolk League (NSL) the team has won 2 out of 3 of their matches.
This season is somewhat of a transitional time as the majority of the senior riders of the club have retired to make way for younger riders who are continually improving. The decision to ride only in Division 2 and the NSL, rather than the illustrious levels of their Premier League neighbours Great Blakenham, was made to assist the development of these riders but at the same time not to put them under too great a pressure.
After losing the opening NSL match at home the Eaton, Kesgrave rode to big win in SE2, against Great Wakering 111 to 68. Ali Martin made his debut for the Club and scored a creditable scoring 8 points and Glenn Wildon, Ryan Bartram, Mick and Lewis Osborne completed the meeting unbeaten by an opponent.
However, Kesgrave were brought back down in the next meeting when they were beaten 76 - 102 by a strong East London team, where Lewis Osborne and Glenn Wildon top scored. This did not effect the team spirit too much as the team gained a very good win at Somersham 97.5 to 80.5 in the NSL. Brothers Andrew and Kelvin Hardy rode their first matches of the season after injuries and this made the difference. There was some very close and exciting racing, especially from Ryan Bartram.
After the expected loss to Eaton in the British Championship, another victory was gained in the Division 2 match at the tricky Colchester grass circuit. Apart from Glenn Wildon the team that took to track were all 16 and under and showed their progress by wining 100 to 74. Kelvin Hardy should be congratulated for gain a 20 point maximum.
The trip to Spixworth was expected to provide further test for the youngster progress this season. However, Spixworth's team was hit by injuries and unavailability and there were not as strong as they could have been. Kesgrave ran out winners 99 to 66 although the meeting was marred by a nasty crash involving Peter Ingram and Robert Howard from Spixworth. The resulted in Ingram damaging his check bone when colliding with the safety fence and Howard sustaining serious damage to his knee. This did not prevent Ingram from scoring 19 points, who together with Lewis and Mick Osborne, top scored.
The progress in the club, who train regularly on Wednesday nights from 6.30pm, can be seen by the introduction of new riders Ali Martin, Kyle Duxbury, Elliott Ross and Adam Poulter. In addition Lewis Osborne, who finshed 5th in last seasons British under 16 championships, has been chosen to ride for England, in a U16 Test Match at Newport.
For further information contact Peter Ingram and any new riders are welcome at training.

16-5-01 Entries Required

Entry forms for the 2001 British Individual Championships are now out - see your club secretary if you've not got your's yet. Note the fee & closing date varies for each age category - don't hang about because entries for the Open need to be in by May 23. This is because, depending on numbers, there may need to be regional qualifiers before the big August bank holiday weekend in Manchester. Good luck!

23-4-01 Former stars still racing writes Mike Hack

Two former Astley & Tyldesley riders, Lee Smethills and James Mann, made their debut on Sky Sports recently, racing for Workington in a motorcycle Speedway League match in atrocious conditions at Sheffield. Both lads, who starred in A & T's 1997 British U-16 Team Championship win, didn't enjoy the best of nights though, with a spectacular fall by Mann in heat 2 showed several times from numerous camera angles in typical Sky Sports style!
Astley & Tyldesley continue to hold their weekly club training nights every Wednesday, between 7 and 9 pm. Future stars are always welcome at the track at the Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare Club, Meanley Road, Gin Pit.

05-4-01 Illness

Hellingly club secretary George Hollebon has recently undergone a major operation and will be convalescing for several weeks. We wish George a full and speedy recovery and hope it won't be too long before he's seen around the tracks again.
In the meantime George's son Martin will take over the secretarial duties.

10-3-01 Big Win

The sport got a brief mention on TV recently through former Somersham rider and England International Alan Scrutton. Ipswich based Scrutton appeared on 'Who wants to be a Millionaire?' and went away with a fancy cheque and big grin. Alan came across very well and Chris Tarrant was obviously impressed with his exploits for England.

25-2-01 Steve Galloway

It is with deep regret to report the death of Steve Galloway. Steve, 41 from Oxford, was involved in an industrial accident on 23-2 and has died of his injuries. It is believed he was loading a lorry when he was crushed by a fork-lift truck. Steve was a key figure in south west cycle speedway and I'm sure all in the sport extend sincere condolences to Steve's family and friends.

10-2-01 Hunting Hire Indoor

In the Indoor event @ Bentwaters, Gt Blakenham proved how strong they will be this year with a predicted win in the Fours final. Near neighbours Kesgrave surprised themselves with 2nd place.
In the U-16 event, Daniel Pike was very impressive as he beat team mate Adam Peck from the back in an exciting run-off. It was an action replay of their clash a few heats earlier!
In the U-13s Kesgrave's Chris Osborne won despite some fierce rivalry. In one bizarre heat he and Somersham's Andy Mittell were physically locked together for what seemed several minutes. But Osborne got away first for what proved a decisive extra point. In another exciting run-off Mittell defeated Scott Doherty for 2nd overall.
Full Scores

28-1-01 South East Cycle Speedway League AGM