Last updated 19:43, Thursday, 29 May 2008

THIRTY young cyclists enjoyed a great evening’s racing at Rowrah Karting Stadium with many riders achieving new pb times in the 500m and 1km time trial tests while the novel format of the skill course put the bike handling abilities of the division four and three riders to the test.

In the 500m time trial, division four rider Ben Frankland led the field with his new pb of two minutes exactly, with Jack McDonagh behind him on 2.03 (pb), followed by the steadily improving Harvey Canning (2.07 pb).

Lucy Hewitt, in her third outing at Rowrah, completed the 500m course in 2.11 (pb) while Olivia Fearon finished in 2.49. Poppy Watson, riding for her second time at Rowrah, finished in 4.26 (pb).

Molly Rankin, also riding for her second time at Rowrah, recorded 4.40 whilst Ruth Atkinson continued to knock minutes off her times, coming home this week in 5.16 (pb).

The division three riders, also riding the single-lap 500m time trial course, were led by Scott Glaister in 1.39. Relative newcomer Heather Thomas took a second off her last week’s time to finish in 1.44 (pb) whilst Charlie Frankland finished in 1.47 to take third.

Next came Matthew Last (2.03), Ruth Jennings (2.04) and Matthew Atkinson (2.28).

Division two rider Adam Watson was awarded an estimated finishing time of 2.49 for the two-lap 1km course when confusion over lapping riders led to a timekeeping error, with Robert Atkinson completing the kilometre in 3.07, just two seconds ahead of third placed rider Philip Jennings (3.09 pb).

In the increasingly competitive first division, five of the evening’s 13 riders had new pbs. Jordan Peck took four seconds off his previous time to finish in 2.09 ahead of Daniel Baron (2.24) and Jason Jenkinson (2.25pb).

William Hughes equalled his previous pb with his time of 2.27, whilst Alice Rae was first girl in 2.29 (pb). Alex Hargreaves, showing great consistency in his riding this year, finished in 2.30, just one second ahead of Patrick Cowman (2.31) and an improving Sam Haywood (2.34 pb).

David Houghton made a welcome return to the circuit and on his first outing this season came home in 2.35, ahead of George Bennett (2.44) and Thomas Lennox, shaving one second off his previous best to finish on 2.45 (new pb). Two seconds later, Kristian Cook finished on 2.47, with Stephen Gascoigne closing the evening’s trial with a time of 2.53.

The field was then divided into three teams for the evening’s circuit races.

In the Italian Pursuit, Peck, Hargreaves, Cook and Gascoigne completed the four-lap race in 4.43 ahead of Lennox, Jenkinson, Cowman and Hughes (5.01) and Houghton, Rae, Haywood and Baron (5.19).

In the team pursuit relay, again Peck’s team finished first in 4min 50sec, just ahead of Lennox’s team (4.59) and Hargreaves’s squad. (5.07).