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Welwyn Friday Night Track League (July 30)

Story posted August 2, 2010 | by Peter Waghorn

The holiday season and the start of Assen Youth week contrived to reduce the numbers of both adult and youth participants in this weeks Track League. Despite this, the Senior A group produced some all out attacking racing with Alex Wise the main aggressor. Andrew Elderfield won the opening 10 lap Scratch by inches from comeback man Lee Desborough while Alex Minting won a highly competitive 10 lap Points.

The 10 lap Odds and Evens Block Pursuit saw the ‘Odds’ disintegrate early on after a fast and chaotic start, meanwhile the ‘evens’ powered on and were reduced to just four riders by half distance. Alex Wise led out and won from Phil Lisher and Lee Desborough with Rob Cox fourth.

Tom Neale had a positive start in the Senior B group with a fine win in the 10 lap scratch. He followed that up with third spot in the 10 lap Handicap won by Cameron Howard and took a well deserved second place in the Devil won by Ben Bailey. Not content with that, he took a lone early lead in the 10 mile but was soon swallowed up. By half distance, a select group of eight riders had established a good lead and soon lapped the field. As the race progressed the eight became four and at the end of 35 laps, Alex Wise made sure of the victory attacking with 200m to go. David Langlands, Digby Symons and Phil Lisher took the minor places

A depleted youth field required some adjustments to the programme. Ollie Plumley increased his lead in the Youth A/B group over Sam Gilzean The younger riders were condensed into a series of handicap events with wins for Tristan Rayner, Jack Plumley and Will Raymond.

The overall League positions with seven weeks remaining:

John McClelland leads the Senior A group from Lewis Atkins and Tony Gibb
Alex Anderson leads the Senior B section from Alan Trolove and George Farrell
Youth A/B - Ollie Plumley, Sam Gilzean, Jamie Howes
Youth B/C – Jack Plumley, Ollie Fensom, Archie Wishart
Youth C/D – William Raymond, Tom Street, Connor Woodford       

Results

Senior
10 lap scratch A
1. Andrew Elderfield (VC Revolution)
2. Lee Desborough (St Ives) 
3. Rob Cox (Cambridge)

10  lap Points
1. Alex Minting (Planet X)
2. David Langlands (Fenland Clarion)
3. Alex Wise (Agiskoviner)

10 lap  Block Pursuit A
1. Alex Wise (Agiskoviner)
2. Phil Lisher (Team Welwyn)
3. Lee Desborough (St Ives)
                                                                 
10 lap Scratch B
1. Tom Neale (Spalding)
2. 2nd Ben Bailey (Welwyn Whs) & Jon Munns (BC PM)    

10 lap Block Handicap
1. Cameron Howard (Welwyn Whs)
2. Greg O’Brien (CC Luton)
3. Tom Neale (Spalding)

Devil
1. Ben Bailey (Welwyn Whs) 
2. Tom Neale (Spalding)
3. Jon Munns (PM)

10 mile 
1. Alex Wise (Agiskoviner)
2. David Langlands (Fenland Clarion)
3. Digby Symons (Cambridge)

Youth A
5 lap scratch
1. Ollie Plumley (Welwyn)
2. Sam Gilzean (Icknield RC)
3. Charlie Bexfield (Welwyn)   

500m Handicap
1. Sam Gilzean (Icknield)
2. Ollie Plumley  (Welwyn)
3. Charlie Bexfield (Welwyn)               

5 lap Points
1. Ollie Plumley (Welwyn)
2. Sam Gilzran (Icknield)
3. Kiera McVitty (Kinkscliffe Flyers)

5 lap scratch
1. Ollie Plumley (Welwyn)
2. Sam Gilzean (Icknield)
3. Charlie Bexfield (Welwyn)
                 
Youth B/C
4 lap Scratch
1. Jack Plumley (Welwyn)
2. Marcus Burnett (Icknield)
3. Isobel Taylor (Welwyn)

Youth C/D
4 lap Scratch 
1. Will Raymond (Welwyn)
2. Alexi Edwards (Welwyn)
3. Niall Dawkins (Hillingdon)

B/C/D
3 lap Handicap
1. Tristan Rayner (CC Ashwell)
2. Abigail Coles (Welwyn)
3. Jack Plumley (Welwyn)

4 lap Handicap
1. Jack Plumley (Welwyn)
2. Marcus Burnett (Icknield)
3. Will Raymond (Welwyn)