Dukes triumphant in four team tournament
SCUNTHORPE STAGS 22 HALIFAX DUKES 31 BELLE VUE COLTS 26 EXETER FALCONS 16 (NATIONAL LEAGUE FOUR TEAM CHALLENGE)
HALIFAX DUKES were deserving winners of the National League Four Team Challenge at the Eddie Wright Raceway earlier this afternoon (Bank Holiday Monday), which followed the Scunthorpe vs Somerset Premier League meeting.
The Dukes had the best all-around team, despite Belle Vue’s Lee Payne scoring a 12-point maximum.
Halifax clinched victory in an absorbing Heat 15, in which Adam Kirby held on for second place, ahead of a charging Tom Bacon.
All four teams were well balanced, demonstrated by the fact that all the teams had six points apiece after four races.
Rob Shuttleworth was the pick of the Scunthorpe Stags’ riders, hitting double figures with a 10-point tally.
Stags’ team manager and meeting organiser Richard Hollingsworth said: “The four-team format was something a bit different; we haven’t used it before in a second half of a Bank Holiday meeting.
“But the format proved popular with the fans. A lot of people stuck around for this meeting and I had positive feedback afterwards.
“The teams were well-balanced. But for Tyler Govier’s back luck while riding for Exeter, all four teams would have been very close. Tyler lost a number of points, including throwing a primary chain while leading a race.
“There was some good racing throughout the meeting, and it was a good run out for the riders. I think we had a good balance: by my reckoning we had one Premier League rider, ten National League riders, one ex-NL rider, three NL No 8 riders, and one rider yet to reach the NL.”
SCUNTHORPE STAGS 22
1. Adam Extance 2 2 R 1 (5)
2. Rob Shuttleworth 2 3 2 3 (10)
3. Robert Parker 1 1 FX 1 (3)
4. Jamie Halder 1 1 0 2 (4)
HALIFAX DUKES 31
1. Benji Compton 2 3 3 (8)
2. Adam Kirby 2 2 3 2 (9)
3. Paul Burnett 1 0 1 3 (5)
4. David Speight 1 3 2 3 (9)
BELLE VUE COLTS 26
1. Lee Payne 3 3 3 3 (12)
2. David Holt 3 2 1 0 (6)
3. Sam Ward 0 0 1 1 (2)
4. Tom Woolley 0 2 2 2 (6)
EXETER FALCONS 16
1. Connor Coles 3 1 3 2 (9)
2. Tom Bacon 3 1 2 1 (7)
3. Tyler Govier X FX R FX (0)
4. Saul Bulley 0 0 0 0 (0)
Meeting reserve: Luke Whitehead 0 (0)
1: Bacon, Compton, Halder, Woolley, 61.88
2: Coles, Kirby, Parker, Ward, 61.56
3: (Re-run) Payne, Shuttleworth, Speight, Govier (excluded), 58.38
4: Holt, Extance, Burnett, Bulley, 61.44
5: Payne, Kirby, Halder, Bulley, 59.94
6: (Re-run) Compton, Holt, Parker, Govier (fell, excluded), 59.82
7: Shuttleworth, Woolley, Coles, Burnett, 59.63
8: Speight, Extance, Bacon, Ward, 60.56
9: Coles, Speight, Holt, Halder, 61.62
10: (Re-run) Payne, Bacon, Burnett, Parker (fell, excluded), 60.13
11: Compton, Shuttleworth, Ward, Bulley, 60.06
12: Kirby, Woolley, Extance (ret), Govier (ret), 61.75
13: Speight, Woolley, Parker, Bulley, 61.00
14: Burnett, Halder, Ward, Govier (fell, excluded), awarded – no time.
15: (Re-run) Shuttleworth, Kirby, Bacon, Holt, 60.50
16: Payne, Coles, Extance, Whitehead, 60.31
