LIVVI STARS IN BRILLIANT WOMEN'S FINAL - posted 28 August 2011

Livvi Horsley took over the mantle from Horspath team-mate Rachel Edge to become the 2011 British Women's champion at a rain-soaked Hethersett in a thrilling final.  The Oxford flyer dropped just one point as she sped to victory ahead of Leicester's Lauren Davies (18 points) and Michelle Whitehead who saw off the challenge of Exeter's Lauren Hookway and Norwich's Danielle Riley after the three riders had tied on 17 points.

It was a brilliant final!  Nothing epitomises women racing better than all-action heat 17.  Needing a win for the title and up against one of the best women racers of all-time, determined Horsley passed two-times champion Lucy Whitehead on the back straight third time round in a wonderfully exciting race.  It was top drawer!

Conditions proved difficult  for the women racers

Somehow it also signalled a change in the pecking order.  Ok, Lucy Whitehead was not at her best and defending champion and five months pregnant Rachel Edge was spectating from the gallery, but Horsley's victory, Lauren Davies emergence as a real force, together with superb performances from Lauren Hookway and Danielle Riley's, was a moral victory for the young brigade.

Horsley, under the watchful eye of coach Geoff Gamage, is a real racer.  There were doubts about her gating ability but her fitness and determination were never in doubt.  It was these two qualities that won her to the title on a taxing and demanding track.

 Horsley set out her stall in the very first race when she swept inside pre-match favourite Lauren Jacobs on the first turn and raced away to beat arch rivals Lauren Davies, Lauren Jacobs and Danielle Riley in the opening race of the day.  It was a big, big race.

Using all her strength and fitness, Horsley bided her time before executing a glorious pass on rival  Michelle Whitehead (pictured below) on the back straight on lap three of race six.  Horsley also featured in another great race when she came up against Lauren Hookway in heat 14.  

















Showing a degree of restraint and a great deal of maturity for her young age, Horsley, sensibly, seemed reluctant to make a serious charge, so protecting her lead as the riders went into the last round of races.  Then came that remarkable, exciting, exhilerating heat 18 clash with Lucy Whitehead.

The emegence of Lauren Davies as a real tour-de-force on the national scene continued unabated.  Beaten by Horsley and Hookway in her opening two outings, Davies impressively pieced together three excellent wins to deservedly take the silver medal. Here's another real women's super-star in the making.

Michelle Whitehead also impressed.  She took bronze for the second year in succession, seeing off  a strong challenge from Lauren Hookway and Danielle Riley after gating over Hookway from grid two in the tie-break.  The Exeter girl also enjoyed a good final, taking a trio of wins and a well deserved bronze in the under-16 category.

Unluckiest rider of the day was Norwich's Danielle Riley (pictured above).  Facing tough opposition iin the form of Horsley, Davies and Jacobs in her opening ride from grid four, she contested well but finished last.  When many would have capitulated, to her credit, she picked herself up and rattled off four cracking wins to finish on 17 points, enough for a run-off for the under-16 bronze medal.  Unfortunately luck was not on her side again when she was drawn outside Michelle Whitehead and Lauren Hookway.

Sheffield's Vicky Brown was consistent, notching five second places to finish on 15 points.  The GB women's skipper kept the rain-soaked but enthusiastic crowed entertain with some good passes, including a corker on Laura Watson in heat ten.  Watson, ranked World number one after winning the title in America earlier in the year, will be disappointed with her performance. Despite a favourable draw which gave her two inside gates, the Sheffield Star was far from her best, just managing to edge into double figures. 

Wednesfield's Charlie Jane Herbert made a whirlwind start, scoring seven points for her opening gate ones but faded in the second half as the gruelling track started to take its toll.

The weight of expectation proved too much for tournament favourite Lauren Jacobs (pictured above).  Put simply, she had a nightmare.  Out-thought by Horsley in race one, excluded at the gate in race five, relegated to last place in heat nine when she slipped her pedals - it was a disaster!

Another rider far from her best was home favourite and well-fancied Tiffany Collins.  After sliding off unchallenged in second place in her opening race (pictured below), she never really looked comfortable, finishing with a modest ten point tally.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the day came in the preliminary qualifying round when Caryl Grimes, clearly far from her best and possibly overawed by the occasion, failed to make the cut after a disappointing performance.

And talking of performance, this way another sound and solid display by referee Mick Knowles.  Like all good refs he kept control and was hardly noticed.  Perhaps his most prominent action came when he took the track grading rake and started patting down a first bend rut - a job well done on both counts!

There's no doubt that women's racing has come on leaps and bounds since it bureeoning days.  With more and more women and girls taking up the sport, the future looks really exciting for the female game.

So after a long and memorable day, racing finally came to an end about 9pm under the floodlights a day belonging to one young lady from Oxford, Horspath's Livvi Horsley, double national champion.

Wilco British Women's Individual Championship at Hethersett
















Livvi Horsley (Horspath) 19, Lauren Davies (Leicester) 18, Michelle Whitehead (Leicester) 17, Lauren Hookway (Exeter) 17, Danielle Riley (Norwich) 17, Vicky Brown 15, Charlie-Jane Herbert (Horspath) 13, Lucy Whitehead (Leicester) 12, Lauren Jacobs (Ipswich) 11, Laura Dale (Ipswich) 11, Tiffany Collins (Hethersett) 10, Laura Watson (Sheffield) 10, Rebecca Davies (Newport) 9, Natalie Timms (Birmingham) 7, Kristina Mines (Poole) 7, Courtney Aris (Wednesfield) 6
Non Qualifiers
Carly Grimes (Hethersett), Caris Glover (Poole), Katie Adams (Hethersett), Jessica Harris (Poole), Natalie Ward (Newport)
Absent
Phoebe Kemp (Hellingly), Jasmine Matthews (Hethersett)
Under-16 Girls

















1st Livvi Horsley (Horspath), 2nd Lauren Davies (Leciester), 3rd Lauren Hookway (Exeter)
Referee: Mick Knowles (South Yorkshire)