BRITISH INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP

UNDER-16

EARLY START AT LEICESTER – posted 29 July 2013

 

The under-16 Boys face an early morning start at Leicester on Sunday 25 August.  With an entry of 33 riders, 16 will be seeded direct to the semi-finals and the remaining 17 will have to go through a pre-qualifying process to drop one rider, starting at nine o’clock in the morning!

 

Those who do make the cut will contest the semi-finals which take place at 12 noon and 1.30 pm with the final starting at 4.30 pm.

 

The pre-qualifying draw is         

1 Reece Pollitt (Astley & Tyldesley), 2 Jesse Moore (Hellingly), 3 Adam Phillips (Stockport), 4 Jake Slatter (Coventry), 5 Aaron Smith (Poole), 6 Danny Margitson (Norwich), 7 Daniel Knights (Ipswich), 8 Brandon Whetton (East Park), 9 Jack Herbert (Exeter), 10 Niall Morton (Sheffield Stars), 11 Jamie Whetton (East Park),

12 Sam Schofield (Hull), 13 Liam Davies (Leicester), 14 Richard Hudson (Sheffield), 15 Nathan Everett (Hull), 16 Matthew Hill (Ipswich), 17 Connor Simpson (Stockport)

 

Those seeded to the semi-finals are:

Callum Albin (Poole), Adam Dickinson (Coventry), Daniel Drewett (Coventry), Richard Fellgett (Ipswich), Matthew Haddock (Wednesfield), Matthew Hambidge (Bretford), Ben Harvey (Ipswich), Kyle Holland (Sheffield), Lee Kemp (East Park), Oliver Morris (Coventry), Jake Neighbour (Swindon), Jordan Richardson (Horspath), Oliver Riley (Hethersett), Jacob Soper (Newport), Adam Watson (Sheffield), Liam Wood (Leicester)
 

NORTHERN SUCCESS IN UNDER-16S – posted 25 August 2012

 

For the first time in sixteen years, a northern rider riding for a northern team, has won the national under-16 championship.  Stockport’s Jake Read ended the drought by scooping the title at East Newport after a thrilling tie-break with Poole’s Aaron Smith after they finished level on 18 points.  A run-off was needed to decide the last rostrum place, Hellingly’s Jesse Moore beating Ipswich’s Richard Fellgett to the bronze after they had tied on 16 points.

 

Read (pictured above) got his campaign off to a winning start by winning from grid four, a rare achievement of the tight but eminently raceable confines of the Polo.  Looking cool under pressure, Read consolidated, executing a glorious pass on Richard Fellgett in race eleven.  Although beaten by Matt Haddock and Jesse Moore, Read was the leader in the clubhouse on 18 points.
















After surrendering his second inside gate to team-mate Matt Mildon (pictured above) in a fiercely contested heat five in which he executed a glorious pass, Smith kept himself in the race, winning his last outing in style to force a championship tie-break with Read.

 

Earlier in the proceedings, in race fourteen (pictured below), Read had seen off a strong challenge from Smith, so the rapidly thinning crowd were looking forward to the run-off with some anticipation.  However the mounting excitement quickly evaporated as Smith slipped his pedal at the gate, immediately conceding half a dozen lengths.  The outcome looked academic but Smith made a remarkable recovery, closing the gap with every pedal stroke, only to be pipped on the line.  It was a great effort by the Poole youngster.

 

Meanwhile Hellingly’s Jesse Moore and Ipswich’s Richard Fellgett had ridden sensibily without taking any undue chances to finish equal of 16 points.  The ballot for gate positions would always be key.  Moore won the toss, took grid two and confidently raced to the bronze medal. 

 

Poole’s Matt Mildon set the early pace.  At one stage he led the field on 14 points out of 16 but a disastrous final outing when he failed to make any impression from a difficult gate four left the former schoolboy champion a point short of a third place run-off.  Southampton’s Hayden Chant was also up with the leaders before he suffered a similar fate from the uncompromising outside grid. 

Read was quick to acknowledge the contribution Alan Taylor (pictured above) and Julie Higham have made to his track career and development, Taylor having transported the burgeoning star to events up and down the country for several seasons.

 

Finally a word of praise for the organisers.  The East Newport track staff did a sterling job, keeping the track in good raceable condition while announcer Rob Absolom kept the crowd well informed with his knowledgeable commentary.

 

It was just a shame that less than 100 spectators were there to witness the closing stages of an excellent day despite the vagrancies of the summer weather which ranged from torrential downpours to scorching sun. Having traditionally formed part of Monday’s grand finals but edged out this year by the women’s events, several people trackside were calling for the under-16s final to be returned to its Monday billing.

 
British Under-16 Boys Championship

Final

Jake Read (Stockport) 18, Arron Smith (Poole) 18, Jesse Moore (Hellingly) 16, Richard Fellgett (Ipswich) 16, Hayden Chant (Southampton) 15, Matt Mildon (Poole) 15, Matt Haddock (Wednesfield) 14, Daniel Knight (Ipswich) 13, Jacob Soper (Newport) 13, Adam Phillips (Astley & Tyldesley) 11, Matt Hill (Ipswich) 11, Charlie Rumbold (Ipswich) 10, Richard Hudson (Sheffield) 8, Lee Kemp (Leicester) 7, terry Gilbert-Rolfe (Ipswich) 7Jack Herbert (Exeter) 5

Referee: Colin Simmons (Gwent)

Non Qualifiers
Will Tidball (Exeter), Jake Neighbour (Swindon), Zac Smurthwaite (Sheffield), James Kirrane (Coventry), Sean Brown (Swindon), lee Bonnici (Newport), Conner Tucker (Exeter), William Tidball (Exeter), McCaulay Burnett (Coventry)

Non Starter

William Cartwright (East Park)