Coventry Cycle Speedway team return to action this Sunday at Hearsall Common, when they entertain all-star Wednesfield Aces in the Midland League, commencing at 2pm.
Coventry will face stiff opposition against multi champions Wednesfield. The Wolverhampton club are one of the most successful teams in the sports history and they will once again bring a powerful side to Hearsall Common.
The home side, decimated this season at regional level by injury, illness and availability issues, will again look to youth to challenge the Aces. Team manager Lee Marsh will track teenagers Dan Drewett, Jake Slatter and Matt Hambidge in his youthful combination.
Skipper Myke Grimes will lead the home attack and he will have strong support from popular Pole Dominik Rycharksi. They will be boosted by the return of Mason Phillips and Matthew Lawrence.
Looking ahead to the match, team boss Marsh said: “We once again go into a regional match reliant on youth. However, there is evidence from recent matches our younger riders are becoming increasingly competitive at this level”.
Coventry team:
1 Dan Drewett 2 Myke Grimes 3 Mason Phillips 4 Matthew Lawrence 5 Dominik Rycharski 6 Matt Hambidge 7 Jake Slatter 8 To be named.
COVENTRY RUN BRUM CLOSE IN CHALLENGE
With their Elite league challenge at Birmingham last Sunday being called off, both clubs elected to fill the expected blank date in the racing calendar by holding a hastily arranged Midland League level challenge between the two friendly sides.
It proved to be a worthwhile affair, with several of Coventry`s younger riders and lesser lights enjoying valuable track time as Birmingham notched a close 94-86 victory.
Dominik Rycharski led the Coventry scorers but a heat 5 fall prevented an even higher return from the 36-year-old Pole. Dan Drewett showed increasing signs of more consistency, while Matt Hambidge enjoyed another good meeting.
ANGELL AND HIGHAM IN ENGLAND CALL-UPS
Two of Coventry`s top Elite League team riders, Andy Angell and Ben Higham, have both been called-up to the England team for the Home International at Hull later this match.
Three times British champion Angell, the most successful British rider of the last decade, will add to his string of England caps. The 27-year-old, Coventry`s top winter signing, will be looking to lead his country to success on his home regional league track.
Higham, who has been a revelation in Coventry`s early season Elite League success, will bring his highly effective tactical riding to his national colours. It’s a deserved honour for the un-assuming Stockport based rider, who has established himself a firm favourite in his Coventry outings.
BRANDON BEES LAUNCH NEW `COME & TRY IT` CLUB
A major new summer Saturday morning cycling attraction aimed at young people is being launched in Bretford near Rugby next weekend who want to have a go at Cycle Speedway racing.
Entitled the `Dirt Bike Club`, the club will run from 10am to 11.30am each Saturday morning and will enjoy a six week run. An official British Cycling coach will supervise all the sessions.
The first event of the new Saturday morning attraction will be on Saturday 9th July at the Brandon Bees Cycle Speedway track in Bretford Playing Fields, which has been completely restored in the past 18 months.
The new club is expected to attract dozens of excited youngsters weekly from Rugby and the surrounding East Warwickshire villages, such as Ryton, Brandon, Pailton, Monks Kirby
and Wolston.
Aimed at 8 to 18 year olds, each session will give new and first time riders the basic skills of the sport of Cycle Speedway and a chance to take part in racing. Bikes and safety equipment will be provided. All sessions at the Dirt Bike Club are free.
Backed by the Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull Sports Partnership, and supported by British Cycling, the Dirt Bike Club will enable youngsters to use the safe off-road Brandon Bees track – Warwickshire’s only cycling facility.
The Brandon Bees track, previously the home of the Bretford Bulldogs team, has undergone complete refurbishment and has now been restored to its former glory after being taken over by the booming Coventry Cycle Speedway club.
Former 1960s Cycle Speedway star Rob Hardie, from Coventry, has led a team of volunteers to get the track and surrounds into tip-top condition ready for the new Saturday morning `Dirt Bike Club` sessions.
Hardie said: “We have worked really hard to get the facility back into top class condition ready to regular activity and racing. The aim is to attempt to establish a separate and independent Cycle Speedway club in East Warwickshire.
“All youngsters have to do is to turn-up on any of the next six Saturdays from 9th July at 10am for an action packed introduction to a wonderful sport. We will even loan you a bike at each of the sessions to have your first go.
“Cycle Speedway is a really great sport for young people and is by far the cheapest entry-level cycle sport in the UK. It gets youngsters into an extremely healthy activity and being off-road, is free of the dangers of traffic”.
Youngsters who show promise and wish to take up the sport will be given further encouragement and coaching – with the chance to be part of the Brandon Bees team and race in competitions.
The Dirt Bike Club launches on Saturday 9th July and continues in July on the 16th, 23rd and 30th. It then continues on Saturday 6th August and Saturday 13th August.
The full address of the Dirt Bike Club is: Brandon Bees Cycle Speedway club, Bretford Playing Fields, Brandon Road, Bretford, Rugby, Warwickshire. Post code is: CV23 0LA.
For more information on the Dirt Bike Club, please call: 07400 993999.
BRANDON BEES STAGE MAJOR INDIVIDUAL EVENT
Brandon Bees Cycle Speedway club stage the `Clubmans Trophy` individual championship
this Tuesday evening (5th July), at Bretford Playing Fields, starting at 7.30pm.
The event features sixteen evenly matches mainly local riders who will battle for the silverware over 20 heats at the restored Brandon Bees track. Local riders Dave Frith, Dan Drewett and Ray Oliver are amongst the favourites to win the inaugural staging of the event.
Clubmans Trophy – Full Line-up
Steve Hodgkinson (Birmingham), Josh Hill (East Park), Paul Timms (Birmingham), John Whetton (East Park), Ray Oliver (Coventry), Ollie Morris (Coventry), Matt Hambidge (Coventry), Joe Andrews (Coventry), Shaun Reynolds (Coventry), Josh Marsh (Coventry), Dave Frith (Leicester), Joe McLaughlin (Coventry), Mick Knowles (Heckmondwike, Yorkshire), Bob Prince (East Park Wolves), Josh White (East Park) and Dan Drewett (Coventry).
ENDS
NOTES TO MEDIA
Coventry Cycle Speedway team are based at Hearsall Common, Earsldon, Coventry, one mile from the city centre.
In 2015, the club race in the Midlands League. They will also compete in a host of other events. They will compete in the 2015 World championships, to be held in the UK in August, and at a host of other competitions at senior, junior and veteran’s level.
By agreement with Coventry City Council, the club occupy the Hearsall Common Cycle Speedway track. In May 2011, the club, utilising their own voluntary labour and self-generated funds, reinstated the Hearsall Common track to international standard, after four years of decline. This was at no cost to any taxpayer.
An astonishing revival took place throughout the summer of 2011. Once again, the Hearsall Common track now boasts a thriving community sports club, catering for elite sporting cyclists and providing a rich range of exciting racing competition for scores of local young people. Parents of local youngsters help organise the club.
In 2012, Myke Grimes became the first Coventry club member for nearly 30 years to reach the British Final. They also very successfully launched a winter indoor venture in Coventry, resulting in the British Indoor Finals being staged in Coventry at the Sports Connection.
A brand new safety fence, costing over five figures, was constructed around the Hearsall Common track in May 2013.
On Bank Holiday Monday, 26th August 2013, the Coventry club staged the British Final at Hearsall Common in glittering style. The British Final was shown on Sky Sports in March 2014 in the UK, and will be broadcast in over 30 countries worldwide, with a global reach of over 200 million homes.
This worldwide TV coverage generated the biggest international exposure for the city of Coventry since Football matches were staged at the Rioch Arena as part of the Olympic Games of 2012.
The new 2015 season will run from March to October. Coventry have signed world class Australian rider Bobby McMillan for the new season. Aged 22 years, the 2012 Australian national champion will live and work in Coventry. He will assist in the coaching of the clubs` many young riders.
The highlight of the 2015 season will be the third and final International Test match on Thursday 6th August (7.15pm start), between Great Britain and Australia. It will be the first ever official Cycle Speedway Test match in the history of the sport in Coventry.