Coventry Cycle Speedway club bring down the Midland League curtain on a hugely successful season at Hearsall Common by entertaining Birmingham at the Earlsdon venue tomorrow (Sunday 18th October), commencing at 2pm.
A win will ensure Coventry will finish in third place in the final Midland League standings. The club have enjoyed success on all fronts this year, with high young rider recruitment and the magnificent staging of the Great Britain V Australia Test match amongst the highlights.
Birmingham will provide attractive and potent opposition. The Brummies are assured of finishing league runners-up – whatever tomorrows result – and will field several top rated top tier Elite League standard riders in their starting line-up.
Coventry will take to the track without Polish firebrand Dominik Rycharski and are also without talisman Matt Lawrence and Leicester based Tom Sensicall. They include home grown find Ollie Morris, who has made rapid strides in the closing weeks of the season.
Coventry team:
1 Bobby McMillan 2 Dan Drewett 3 Myke Grimes © 4 Mason Phillips 5 Dave Frith 6 Matt Hambidge 7 Ollie Morris 8 Joe McLaughlin
The final senior match of the campaign will be supported by an eagerly awaited Midland Junior League (under 14s) title decider, with the Coventry whizz-kids receiving current leaders Birmingham.
Coventry team:
1 James Morris 2 Jacob Slezak 3 Jack Reynolds 4 Bailie Phillips 5 Jimmy Wassall 6 Sam Slatter 7 Wyatt Jacobs 8 Ben Wells
The Coventry club, ever keen to encourage new junior talent, will stage a special Coventry Junior Grand Prix Individual meeting, for under 12s, under floodlights at Hearsall Common this Wednesday evening (21st October), at 6.45pm.
The meeting, sponsored by Coventry company Galaxy Seating, will feature many of Coventry`s newest recruits – many of which joined the club following the Great Britain V Australia Test match in August.
MCMILLAN AND DREWETT IN DOUBLE SUCCESS
Coventry Cycle Speedway riders Bobby McMillan and Dan Drewett scored a superb double success in two major events last week in Birmingham, capping a tremendous season for the popular duo.
McMillan, in the form of his career, stormed to the gold medal in the Second City Trophy at the Birmingham track. In typically swashbuckling style, the Australian topped the scorers before winning the grand final.
In an astonishing double act, McMillan`s 18 year old protégé Drewett then romped to victory in the supporting Second City Junior Trophy. It was a deserved win for the dedicated youngster, one of Coventry`s leading home grown talents.
The pair continued the golden run of success by Coventry riders in prestigious individual events this year. The Coventry club provided three world individual finalists and scooped numerous podium finishers in the other top competitions around the country.
BEES CAP COMEBACK SEASON
Brandon Bees closed their highly encouraging comeback season last Tuesday evening under the impressive new East Park Wolves floodlights, going down by 88-59 at the Wolverhampton venue in the Midland League division 2.
The Bees, with veterans Dave Frith (injury) and Joe McLaughlin (illness) both handicapped, were up against from the start against the speedy home riders on the biggest track in the sport.
Only Josh Marsh and Dan Drewett won races for the Bees but they managed to keep the score line respectable in an exciting and sporting encounter on a rain soaked track, which held-up surprisingly well after 48 hours of rain.
Brandon Bees point scorers:
Dan Drewett 16, Josh Marsh 12, Ollie Morris 11, Matt Hambidge 10, Joe McLaughlin 4 and Dave Frith 1.
The match brought down the season on the Bees comeback year. They have kept the sport alive in the East Warwickshire village of Bretford, near Rugby, saving a precious rural sporting facility and have proved keen competitors – losing no fewer than three matches by a single point.
The Bees have used Coventry contracted riders in order to track a team in the hope newcomers can be attracted to run a stand-alone club. This has proved invaluable by providing extra racing to a whole range of local riders.
Long retired former Coventry riders such as Mick Docker, Liam McGuire, Ashley Pointer and ex world champion Ray Oliver have all returned to the track in Brandon colours. All four look set for more racing in 2016.
For more information on Coventry Cycle Speedway team, please go to: www.coventrycyclespeedway.co.uk