Astley and Tyldesley riders triumphant in Junior Cup tie

Morning rain continued into the start of the Junior Cup match, making conditions tricky in the early stages. But the rain halted and the track dried out to give good conditions for the rest of the day.

A&T started the match as holders, and were determined to retain the cup.

But they faced a strong challenge from the home team and at the halfway stage, A&T held a slender one-point lead over Sheffield.

A&T really turned on the power in the second half, scoring 29 out of a potential 32 points.

This secured victory for A&T over Sheffield by six points, with Hull third and Bury fourth.

John White raced to a flawless 16-points maximum, with strong support from Duncan Whalley and Frank White. Special mention went to youngsters Josh Pilkington and Oscar Belt, who again stepped up, with excellent riding to support the main trio.

North & Scotland Junior Cup result: Astley & Tyldesley 52, Sheffield 46, Hull 31, Bury 23.

A&T scorers: John White 16, Duncan Whalley 14, Frank White 13, Josh Pilkington 5, Oscar Belt 4.

Holders Sheffield made a successful defence, with a convincing victory in the Senior Cup match.

They scored 15 points in the first round of races and their lead was never troubled after that.

Once again, A&T’s riders stepped up to the challenge, and held second place at the end of each round of races in the match, to take a well-deserved second place overall.

Bury just edged out Hull for third place, with Fife fifth.

John White rode to a superb 15-points score for A&T, his only defeat of the day against Sheffield’s Leon Wild in heat 14.

Pawel Idziorek top scored for Sheffield, losing only to John White in heat 10, with both riders recovered after a heavy clash in the first run of the race.

North & Scotland Senior Cup result: Sheffield 56, Astley & Tyldesley 43, Bury 37, Hull 35, Fife 29.

A&T scorers: John White 15, Terry Norman 11, Emily Burgess 9, Steve Harris 5, Frank White 3.