Team Royal London 360 Isle of Man
|
|
|
|
"You are in 2005 Archived News "
26th December * The dates for the 2006 Kerry Youth Tour are the 5th, 6th and 7th of August. Following the demise of the Manchester Youth Tour in 2002, the Kerry race has become the premier youth tour in Britain and Ireland. The club has supported the event every year since its inception in 1999, with James Berry giving us our first ever overall victory in 2004. * Things others have said about us - part 5 ................"Congratulations on yet another successful year in promoting our wonderful sport to so many youngsters. You are a credit to the sport and your island"........................................ (Suzanne Glavin, Development Director, British Cycling, 25th January 2001) _____________________________________________ 22nd December * Shoprite recently made a very generous donation of £1,000 to club funds. The money is part of the total raised by the company in its 2005 charity cycle ride, staged around the TT course and on Douglas promenade last September. The Team Scottish Provident "A" squad of Mark Christian, James Berry, Tom Black, Niall Shimmin, Colum O'Shea, Mark Redhead and Matthew Looker won the main event. Meanwhile, Ellan Vannin CC has presented the club with a cheque for £246 - the proceeds from this year's Rob Rohrer Memorial 25 mile time trial. A big thank you to both organisations * The club has managed to book the Manchester velodrome for some track coaching sessions on Saturday, 11th February and Sunday, 12th February. Places are limited so contact Dot ASAP if you are interested. * The club's final spin session of 2005 took place in the Braaid Hall last Monday night in a festive atmosphere. Alicia Corlett and James Everitt won the fancy dress competition and Father Christmas was on hand to distribute presents to everyone. The next session after the Yuletide break will be on Thursday, 12th January, starting at the slightly later time of 7.45pm. * What others have said about us - part 4........."Many thanks for the wonderful evening at the (Scottish Provident) Awards Presentation on Sunday. I must say I was very impressed at the number of young people involved in cycling on the Island and their very apparent enthusiasm"............. Chief Minister, Donald Gelling Esq CBE, MLC - 7th September 1998 _____________________________________________ 20th December * Following some excellent performances at last weekend's final selection event, Mark Christian has secured a place on British Cycling's 2006 Talent Team. There was also some good news for Mark's TSPIOM team mate James Berry. Despite being too young for this year's intake, James impressed the British Cycling coaches so much that he has been co-opted onto the 2006 Team with a view to gaining full membership later in the year. _____________________________________________ 16th December * The final spin session of 2005 takes place in the Braaid Hall next Monday, commencing at 7,00pm. In the New Year the weekly sessions move to a Thursday night, beginning on January 12th, and will start at the slightly later time of 7.45pm. * James Berry and Mark Christian travel to Manchester this weekend for the last of British Cycling's selection events for 2006 Talent Team hopefuls. The names of the successful candidates will be announced in the near future. * The Isle of Man Government will be honouring World Champions Mark Cavendish and David Knight in a special reception in the Villa Marina on Friday, 23rd December. Both ,of course, have very strong connections with Team Scottish Provident IOM. Mark is the Scottish Provident Youth League's most famous graduate to date and David is one of the club's patrons. Tickets for the event are free and can be obtained from the Villa or the Tourist Information Centre in the Sea Terminal. _____________________________________________ 12th December * The date for the club's annual fund raising concert at Marown School is confirmed as Friday,13th January 2006. The event is always a complete sell out, so book now to avoid disappointment. Tickets at £6 for adults and £3 for children (including supper) can be ordered from Dot on 851691. Last year's show raised a fantastic £1,500. * Our recently published annual accounts reveal that Team Scottish Provident Isle of Man's turnover for the 2005 season was a staggering £37,000. _____________________________________________ 9th December * Our best wishes go to Matthew Berry for a speedy recovery. Matt broke his leg in a football match at school and will be out of action for at least three months. * After consultation with the club, the date for the North West Division youth circuit race championships has been set at Saturday, 6th May 2006. The organiser has kindly scheduled the event to fit in with our travel arrangements. * The penultimate spin session before the Christmas break takes place in the Braaid Hall this coming Monday (12th December). After Christmas the sessions will be held on Thursday nights, starting at the slightly later time of 7.45pm. * What others have said about us - part 3 ........................."Without doubt the most successful children's cycling league in Britain is the Scottish Provident International series on the Isle of Man"............................(Cycling Weekly, 27 January 2001) _____________________________________________ 7th December * All four of the Team Scottish Provident squads that Peter Christian put together for the recent Shoprite Challenge charity relay around the TT course put in some excellent performances. The 'A' team consisting of Niall Shimmin, Colum O'Shea, Matthew Looker, Tom Black, Mark Christian, James Berry and Mark Redhead stormed around the 37.75 mile circuit in a very impressive 1 hour 41minutes and 44 seconds to win the event outright. The much fancied Manx Telecom septet of senior riders had to settle for second place some 43 seconds adrift of the TSP youngsters, with the Bikestyle Bandits third at 4mins 01 secs and the IOM Cycling Association fourth a further 9 seconds down. Plod Power and the IOM Fire Service completed the top six in 1.51.37 and 1.52.30 respectively. Matheu Marshall, Matthew Berry, Rebecca Whipp, Caroline O'Nell, Jonathan Cregeen, Thomas Mazzone and Adam Johnson made up the 'B' team and they posted a very good 2hrs 04mins 45secs, which was good enough for eleventh overall and third mixed team behind CMI and Team Sloth. 'C' team members Oliver Honeybone, Alexandra Christian, Joshua Cowie, Sam Black, Christopher Nicholson, Alicia Corlett and Sarah Quine were thirteenth fastest and fifth best mixed team in an excellent 2.12.37 - a brilliant ride considering the young age and relative inexperience of the riders. In a new initiative a TSP dads was entered in the event and Steve Shimmin, Ken Berry, Colin Cowie, Stephen Cregeen, Julian Corlett, Gary Mazzone and Brian Johnson did themselves proud by clocking 1.56.20 for a respectable eighth position. Organiser Kim Makin of Shoprite said : "we had more teams than ever in the relay and it was great that the winning team was the under 16's from Scottish Provident". _____________________________________________ 1st December * The club's weekly spin training nights in the Braaid Hall cover everything from base fitness to sprints and hill climbs. The next session is on Monday, 5th December. * The provisional date for the club's annual fund raising concert in Marown School is Friday, 13th January 2006. * Major off-island youth events already confirmed for next season are :- April 9 - National Youth Circuit Race Series (Northern Area Round) - Sunderland May 13 - National Youth Circuit Race Series (Northern Area Round) - Bradford June 4 - National Youth & Junior Track Series Series (Northern Area Round) - Dundee June 7 - GHS '10' Liverpool District Final - Merseyside June 17 - National Youth Circuit Race Series (Northern Area Round) - Preston June 18 - National Youth & Junior Track Series (Northern Area Round) - Scunthorpe July 1 - British National Youth Circuit Race Championships - Bradford Aug 15/19 - British National Youth & Junior Track Championships - Newport Sept 9 - GHS '10' National Final * What others have said about us - part 2 "Manx cycling can claim to being the most child cyclist-friendly place in the British Isles, with around 500 youths taking part in the Scottish Provident Children's League"...........(Cycling Weekly, 20 Nov 2004) _____________________________________________ 27th November * Mark Christian, Tom Black and Matthew Looker will be attending the prestigious Road Time Trials "Champions Night" prize presentation and dinner in Nottingham on January 7th to pick up the team award they won at last September's national final of the GHS British juvenile 10 mile time trial championship. The magnificent GHS team trophy is one of the most impressive bits of silverware in cycling (see photo). _____________________________________________ 25th November * The club's weekly spin training nights in the Braaid Hall continue this Monday (November 28), commencing at 7.00pm. * The North West Division youth circuit race championships are set to return in 2006. More details to follow. * Bernie Quayle's highly acclaimed DVD "The NSC - Home of World Champions" would make an ideal stocking filler for Christmas. Copies are still available from Dot on 851691, but be quick as there are only a few left. * An occasional look at what others have said about Team Scottish Provident IOM. 1) "The biggest British Cycling club in modern history".......................(Cycling Weekly, 14 Dec 2002) _____________________________________________ 19th November * The second of the club's 2005/2006 winter spin sessions was held in the Braaid Hall last Monday night. Once again Christian Varley supervised the evening's activities, which consisted of a series of speed and strength increasing exercises. Newcomers Lucy Johnson and Jamie Everitt did well on their turbo training debut. The next session is being held this coming Monday (21st November), starting at the usual time of 7.00pm. * A date for your diary. The prize presentation for next year's Scottish Provident League will be on Sunday, 17th September. * The club has a limited number of application forms for free silver membership to British Cycling. Anyone interested in taking up this offer should contact Dot as soon as possible. * Manx Cycling Promotions has announced that the provisional dates for the 2006 Isle of Man Youth Tour are 28, 29 and 30 April. Unfortunately, youth categories D & E have been dropped and replaced with a junior class. _____________________________________________ 12th November * Team members James Berry and Mark Christian acquitted themselves well at the recent British Cycling Talent Team selection events in Manchester. Both have been invited back to the next session in December. * Considering the atrocious weather conditions, there was a good turn out at the Braaid Hall last Monday night for the opening session of the club's 2005/2006 indoor winter training programme. Former GB rider Christian Varley was in charge of the proceedings and he soon had everyone warmed up with a structured series of spin exercises. Don't forget that the sessions are now being held weekly, with the next one taking place on Monday, 14th November. * Twenty things you always wanted to know about Alicia Corlett can be found here. _____________________________________________ 3rd November * A superb photograph of Tom Black competing in the time trial stage at this year's Midland Youth Tour appears twice in the this week's edition of Cycling Weekly. The shot, which was taken by Andrew Haddock, is reproduced on page 5 of the magazine and repeated in the "Readers' Photos" section on page 58. The accompanying caption, however, is incorrect. _____________________________________________ 1st November * James Berry and Mark Christian will both be in Manchester this weekend for a two-day training camp. The event is the latest stage in British Cycling's selection process for the 2006 Talent Team. * Signing on for this Monday's (November 7th) training and coaching night in the Braaid Hall is 6.45 for a 7.00pm start. The weekly sessions, which cost £2 per member per night, will last for approximately one hour. * The club is about to send yet another clothing order to Impsport. Would anyone with any special requirements please contact Dot ASAP. * Many thanks to Mike Nicholson who recently raised £140 for club funds by requesting that donations be made to the club in lieu of presents for his 70th birthday. Mike has officiated at the Tuesday night youth league since its inception in 1992. _____________________________________________ 23rd October * Don't forget that the club's 2005/2006 winter training programme gets underway in the Braaid Hall on Monday 7th November, starting at 6.45 for 7.00pm. * Congratulations to club patron David Knight on becoming the 2005 World Enduro Champion. * Demand has been great for Bernie Quayle's excellent little DVD " The NSC - Home of World Champions". There are only a few copies left so contact Dot now on 851691 to avoid disappointment. * The club's annual fund raising concert at Marown School will probably be held sometime in early January 2006. _____________________________________________ 10th October * The club's popular winter spin sessions in the Braaid hall will commence on Monday, 7th November. Former British Cycling Under 23 Academy member Christian Varley will be running the weekly sessions. * The four teams that Team Scottish Provident entered in this year's Shoprite Challenge cycle relay around the TT course raised a fantastic total of £1260 for the designated charities. Well done to all concerned, especially the hard working directeur sportif Peter Christian. _____________________________________________ 8th October * Thomas Mazzone finished an excellent 6th overall in the under 12's category of British Cycling's prestigious national youth circuit race series. The season long competition was staged over nine rounds, with a rider's best five results to count towards a final overall position. Despite competing in only three rounds, Joshua Knights and Leon Mazzone were placed a very good 10th and 11th respectively in the under 10's class, with Matthew Davies picking up enough points in the the one round he contested ( a fine 3rd in the Midlands Youth Tour) to secure13th spot. In the under 14's and under 16's age groups James Berry and Mark Christian competed just two rounds for 16th and 28th places overall. Anna Christian, Eleanor Stokoe, Alexander Haddock, John Sanderson, Joshua Cowie, Jack Wolstencroft, Warwick Sanderson, Andrew Marshall, Matheu Marshall,Sam Looker, Adam Johnson, Mark Redhead, Matthew Looker and Tom Black also got in amongst the points in the one or two rounds they rode in. _____________________________________________ 2nd October * Celebrating his recent invitation to attend the final selection meeting for British Cycling's 2006 Talent Team, Mark Christian powered up the tough 0.8 mile Baltic climb at Kirk Michael in an impressive 4mins 19secs to finish a brilliant third overall and first juvenile in last Saturday's Bobbie and Essie Callister Memorial hill climb. Tom Black was a very good 8th in 5.03, which was just two seconds quicker than ninth placed Adam Johnson, who in turn had a narrow three seconds in hand over Colum O'Shea in tenth spot. Relative newcomer Ryan Dean did well to get to the top in 7.13 for 15th position. _____________________________________________ 1st October * Club members James Berry and Mark Christian have been invited by British Cycling to join an elite group of Britain's top young cyclists on a special coaching day in Manchester on October 15th. The event has been arranged so that British Cycling coaches can have a closer look at the riders with a view to selecting new members for the Talent Team. _____________________________________________ 29th September * Public Lottery Trust representatives Caroline Convery and Marlene Hendy officially handed over four new track bikes to the club at the recent prize presentation ceremony in the Villa Marina. The bikes were purchased with financial assistance from the Trust and will be used on the club's regular coaching visits to the Manchester velodrome and for competition. Thanks to the generosity of the Trust, the club now has an large pool of road and track bikes for club members to use. _____________________________________________ 22nd September * The Team Scottish Provident "A" squad of Mark Christian, Matthew Looker, Tom Black, James Berry, Niall Shimmin, Colum O'Shea and Mark Redhead stormed to victory in last Sunday's Shoprite Charity Cycle Challenge relay around the TT course. The team covered the 37.75 miles in an impressive 1hr 41mins 54secs to beat Manx Telecom by some 30 seconds. The "B", "C" and "TSP Dads" teams also put in some good performances. More details to follow. * Copies of Bernie Quayle's DVD, "The NSC - Home of World Champions", are now available here. The video was premiered to great acclaim at the recent prize presentation ceremony. * The Team Scottish Provident "A" squad of Mark Christian, Matthew Looker, Tom Black, James Berry, Niall Shimmin, Colum O'Shea and Mark Redhead stormed to victory in last Sunday's Shoprite Charity Cycle Challenge relay around the TT course. The team covered the 37.75 miles in an impressive 1hr 41mins 54secs to beat Manx Telecom by a clear margin of 30 seconds. More details to follow. _____________________________________________ 17th September * The Villa Marina's Royal Hall was packed last Sunday night for the prize presentation ceremony of the club's 2005 Scottish Provident children's cycling league. Before the official preceedings got underway the huge audience enjoyed an excellent buffet while watching the premiere of Bernie Quayle's DVD, "The NSC - Home of World Champions", and a slide show of Bill Dale's excellent photographs. Scottish Provident's Alison Rymill and Paul Ellison were made to work hard presenting the medals and prizes to the hundreds of enthusiastic youngsters who attended the function. The overall class winners were named as Corey Phillips, Kirsty Walsh, Thomas Holden, Caitlyn Smith, Marcus Simpson, Victoria Watson, Owen Dudley, Emily Kelly, Matthew Bostock, Victoria Kinrade, Matthew Davies, Laura Kinley, Joshua Knights, Eleanor Stokoe, Alexander Haddock, Alicia Corlett, Thomas Mazzone, Alexandra Christian, James Berry, Mark Christian and Caroline O'Neill. At the end of the ceremony the names of the special award winners were revealed. The prestigious Alex Forrest memorial cup, which was awarded to World Track Champion Mark Cavendish in 1998, went to Thomas Mazzone for his excellent on and off - Island performances during 2005. Alex's son and grandson, Brian and Ryan Forrest, handed over the trophy. Emerging talent Joshua Knights received the Peter Buckley memorial trophy from Peter's aunt Marion Gell and TLI British juvenile time trial champion Mark Redhead picked up the Steve Hislop trophy in recognition of the great improvement he has shown this season. Under 16's champion Mark Christian, who the day before had led Team Scottish Provident to the team prize in the national final of the GHS 10 mile time trial championship, collected the annual £100 George Wilson memorial bursary from Mrs Rozanne Wilson, while former Olympic rider and Tour de France Feminin stage winner Marie Noon presented the newly introduced Marie Noon youth award for girls to Caroline O'Neill. Underlining its status as the biggest event of its kind in the whole of the British Isles and beyond, this year's league attracted an all-time record total of 550 competitors, with an average of 230 taking part in each of the nineteen rounds that were staged. There was an amazing entry of 332 riders for round two of the series. Final overall results here _____________________________________________ 13th September * Tom Black's time in last Saturday's GHS national 10 mile time trial final has been amended from 23mins 47secs to 23mins 34secs, which leapfrogs him over team mate Matthew Looker into 13th place. The adjustment increases the club's winning margin in the team competition to 1min 37secs. Incidentally, Tom's, Matthew's and Mark Christian's combined time of 1hr 10mins 27secs is the seventh fastest in the 35 year old history of the team event. In 2003 the Team Scottish Provident trio of Ashley Whipp, Elliott Moore and Aaron Whipp won the team award in 1.08.50 - the second quickest time ever. Please note that the Cycling Time Trials annual "Champions Night" prize presentation is now being held on Saturday, 7th January 2006 at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. _____________________________________________ 11th September * We are the Champions ! For the second time in three years Team Scottish Provident Isle of Man has won the team prize at the national final of the prestigious GHS 10 mile time trial championship. Overcoming the very wet conditions, Mark Christian, Matthew Looker and Tom Black posted some remarkable times to take the coveted team award by over one and a half minutes from their nearest rivals. Individually, Mark was an impressive 9th overall and first 14 year old in a very rapid 23 minutes 15 seconds, with Matthew and Tom and excellent 13th and 14th in 23.38 and 23.47 respectively. James Berry also put in an outstanding performance to take the 13 year old honours in 30th position overall with a very good 24.39. Caroline O'Neill was the fourth best 16 year old girl in 89th spot on 30.02, one place and 27 seconds ahead of Rebecca Whipp, who was the top 13 year old girl. Finally,Twelve year old Jonathan Cregeen was fourth in his age group, getting round in a creditable 31.35 for 96th place overall. The fantastic GHS shield, one of cycling's most stunning trophies, will be presented to the team at the Cycling Time Trials annual Champions Night prize presentation next January. _____________________________________________ 6th September * There were some outstanding performances from the 24 team members who competed in the recent Midlands Youth Tour, held at various venues in the Wolverhampton area. The three-day four stage event, which was the final round of British Cycling's national youth series, consisted of a time trial, two circuit races and a road race. The tour began at the Curborough motor racing circuit near Lichfield before moving onto the RAF base at Cosford and ending on a closed roads circuit around Chesterton village. After three days of intense competition, Matthew Davies ended up on the podium in a brilliant third place overall in category D for under 10's. Matthew picked up two thirds, a fifth and a second in the four stages to finish just two points behind runner-up Nathan Smyth (LVY CC) and six points down on the winner Emily Kay (Halesowen ACC). In the same class Leon Mazzone was a very good fifth overall, with Joshua Knights five points behind in sixth spot. Anna Christian rode well for fourteenth overall (2nd girl), while Eleanor Stokoe, who was a victim of one of the numerous crashes, was unable to finish the final stage but was still credited with eighteenth place - a good effort on her off-island racing debut. In category C for under 12.s Thomas Mazzone fared the best in an excellent fifth overall. Thomas was only one point behind second and third placed riders Joshua Papworth (Halesowen CC) and George Moore (Royal Sutton CC), who only finished ahead of him due to the bonus points they picked up on stages two and three. Joshua Cowie rode consistantly for a good twelfth overall, with Alexander Haddock, Jack Wolstencroft, Warwick Sanderson and Andrew Marshall separated by a narrow nine points in 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th places respectively. Alexandra Christian was the sixth best girl in 25th spot, followed by Sarah Quine (8th girl) and Lucy Johnson (10th girl) in 28th and 31st positions. The impressive John Sanderson had been on course for a top ten finish until a innocuous looking crash on the penultimate stage put him out of the race. Unfortunately, John fell awkwardly and broke his left arm in two places. Our best wishes go to him for a speedy recovery. In the under 14's class James Berry was on top form again, grabbing a fine 6th overall. James got off to a flying start by finishing second in the opening day's time trial behind eventual winner Dominic Schills (Interbike RT), who dominated the class with three stage wins. A sixth on the second stage and two eighths on stages 3 and 4 put James on the top six leader board a mere one point short of Thomas Wieckonski (Halesowen CC) in fifth place. With three top ten stage finishes to his credit, the ever improving Matheu Marshall produced his ride of the year to take a well deserved 9th place overall, pipping Peter Dibben (I-Team.co.uk) on count back. Relative newcomer Adam Johnson gave 100% as usual in a creditable 17th overall, with Christopher Nicholson and Sam Black 23rd and 26th. Mark Christian rounded off a very successful trip for the club by securing 10th place in the under 16's event. Mark's best placings were a superb third in the time trial and a good ninth in the Curborough circuit race. Saving his best for the end of the season, Port Erin's Mark Redhead was not far behind his team mate in a brilliant 12th place on GC and would probably have finished even higher if it had not been for a relatively poor position (20th) in the time trial. Tom Black posted the seventh best time in the race against the clock, but lost ground in the circuit races to eventually finish mid-field in 20th spot overall, some seven places ahead of Colum O'Shea. _____________________________________________ 5th September * Good luck to James Berry, Tom Black, Mark Christian, Jonathan Cregeen, Matthew Looker, Caroline O'Neill and Rebecca Whipp who will be travelling down to Cambridge this weekend to compete against the cream of Britain's youth cyclists in the national final of the prestigious GHS 10 mile time trial championship. * Don't forget that the prize presentation for the club's Tuesday night Scottish Provident league takes place in the Villa Marina this coming Sunday (11th September) - doors open 4.00pm. Tickets can still be ordered from dot@juniorcyclingiom.co.im * Congratulations to Tom Black for taking the overall honours in the juvenile category of the season long Manx Telecom 10 mile time trial league. Also, well done to Niall Shimmin on his superb victory in last Sunday's triathlon at Ramsey. * Peter Christian is hard at work getting Team Scottish Provident members signed up for the forthcoming Shoprite Challenge relay around the TT course on Sunday,18th September. He is hoping to have three juvenile squads and at least one dad's team on the start sheet. * Jonathan Cregeen was first in the under 12's category at the recent John Hinksman Memorial meeting at Darley Moor. All the youth categories raced together and Jonathan stayed with his older rivals to contest the sprint finish. The event incorporated the East Midlands youth championship. _____________________________________________ 31st August * A dramatic improvement in the weather meant that conditions were surprisingly good for the 184 competitors who turned out at the NSC last Tuesday night for the nineteenth and final round of the 2005 Scottish Provident children's cycling league. In the novices class Ryan Forrest scored maximum points for the second week in succession. Morgan Scarffe was the runner-up and top girl ahead of fellow female riders Megan Farrer, Kirsty Walsh, Lucy Callow, Libby Scarffe, Charlotte Maddrell, Amy Beattie and Sinead Hands, who filled third to ninth places. Callum Quirk was the second boy in tenth spot and newcomer Nicholas Peniata did well to come sixteenth on his first attempt. Thomas Bostock finished well clear of the field to record his third win of the series in the born 2000 & later age group. Leading girls Caitlyn Smith and Megan Kelly were second and third respectively, with Matthew Thomas coming home in front of Adam Long, Adam Kelly and Joseph Corkish for fourth. Adam Scarffe, Elise Smith and Sam McCord completed the top ten leader board. Continuing his excellent end of season run of good form, Dillon Cowie broke away from the field for a clear victory in the born 1999 category. A fast finishing Alex Cain got the better of Marcus Simpson, Victoria Watson, Michael Quayle, Joseph Glover and Sam Murray in the frantic charge for second place, while further down the field Joseph Walters overtook Kaitlin Slack on the finishing straight to claim fourteenth and Nathan Millar won a close tussle with Adam Garrett for seventeenth spot. Owen Dudley further strengthened his grip on the overall honours in the born 1998 category, notching up his thirteenth success of the season ahead of Matthew Draper, who stayed with Owen for the opening lap but in the end had to settle for second. Luis Novo-Smith pipped Brody Patience for the final position on the podium and eighth placed Amy Kinley took the girls' prize two positions in front of Emily Kelly. In the born 1997 category Matthew Bostock edged out Victoria Kinrade in the final sprint for the line. The consistent James Skillicorn was third followed by Kathryn Hull, Breeshey Cain and Matthew Naylor. First timer Rebecca Hempsall was a very good seventh. Matthew Davies went from the gun in the born 1996 event and managed to hold onto his advantage to the finish. Ashley Faragher went off in pursuit and made considerable inroads into the lead before settling for second place. Jamie Dudley outsprinted Laura Kinley for third, with chase group companions Andrew Cregeen and Sophie Black fifth and sixth. Emma Kennaugh pipped Daniel De Weert for seventh. In order to inject some pace into a very negative born 1995 class, the three lap race was re-run as a handicap with longmarker Ryan Dean coming through to get the verdict from Maria Hull, Eleanor Stokoe and Nicholas Corlett. Alicia Corlett completed a hat-trick of wins in the born 1992-94 class, while the ever improving Andrew Marshall did well to beat overall leader Alexander Haddock for third. Laxey's Warwick Sanderson was a good fourth ahead of Sarah Quine, who beat Alexandra Christian for the girls' honours. There was some exciting racing in the under 12's racing bikes. After five fast and furious laps a delighted Jack Wolstencroft beat Joshua Cowie by the narrowest of margins to notch up his first win of the season. Andrew Marshall grabbed third from Warwick Sanderson, Alexander Haddock and Matthew Davies. The under 14's / under 16's racing bikes event was reduced in distance due to the failing light. Matthew Looker, Mark Redhead, James Berry, Sam Looker and Matheu Marshall formed an early break and worked well together to preserve their lead. At the finish Matthew Looker narrowly won the sprint from Redhead, with Berry the best under 14 in third spot. Marshall was an impressive fourth - one of his best rides of the year - and Sam Looker, who is still recovering from illness, tied with Adam Johnson for fifth. Alicia Corlett was the best girl in ninth place and Tom Craine made a good debut in eleventh position. Several riders were in with a shout at the end of the born 1998 handicap but it was middlemarker Macklin Wilson who came through for the victory. Rory McCann and Jack Goodwin were second and third. The final overall positions in the league will be revealed at the prize presentation in the Villa Marina on Sunday, 11th September. Anyone still requiring tickets should contact Dot immediately on 851691. It's going to be a great night. _____________________________________________ *James Berry and Mark Christian competed with distinction in the recent British national youth track championships at the Newport velodrome in Wales. Using the event mainly for experience, James was an excellent 5th overall (1st under 13 year old) in the under 14's omnium and Mark an impressive 12th (8th in his heat) in the final of the under 16's points race. In the three disciplines that make up the omnium James was 6th in the pursuit, 4th in the sprint and 8th in the 500m time trial. Mark also contested the under 16's sprint and pursuit competitions and was unlucky not to qualify for the finals. James and Mark still have another year to go in their respective age groups. *There was a total of 180 entries for round 18 of the club's youth league, staged in perfect conditions at the NSC on Tuesday,16th August. Ryan Forrest picked up his second win of the season in the novices class, taking the chequered flag well clear of the leading girl Morgan Scarffe, who outsprinted Lewis Christian for the runners-up spot. Libby Scarffe was a good fourth ahead of Megan Farrer, with Rhiannan Perkins having her best ride to date in sixth place. Callum Bratty, Callum Quirk, Conor Christian and Lucy Callow completed the top ten. Reversing the previous week's result, Thomas Holden fought off another strong challenge from main rival Thomas Bostock to increase his tally of wins to fifteen. Third placed Kyle Caley got onto the podium for the first time in the series and Megan Kelly was the top girl in fourth position. Matthew Thomas beat Ben Christian to the line for fifth and Joseph Corkish edged out Corey Phillips and Antony Coward in a close battle for seventh. Dillon Cowie continued his recent run of good form to grab his second win in succession in the born 1999 event. George Dalton-Brown was a safe second and Alex Cain led Joseph Glover and Victoria Watson home for third. In the born 1998 category Matthew Draper got the better of series leader Owen Dudley for the fifth time this year. Luis Novo-Smith and James Costain were third and fourth respectively, with Emily Kelly taking the girls' honours again in fifth spot. The field stayed together for the opening stages of the born 1997 race. By the last lap, however, Matthew Bostock and Victoria Kinrade were out on their own, with Matthew eventually getting the verdict in the gallop for the line. Joseph Holden was third followed by Breeshey Cain, Aaron Beattie and James Skillicorn. Matthew Davies, Leon Mazzone and Ashley Faragher made an early bid for glory in the born 1996 race and were never caught. Ashley dropped off the back in the closing stages leaving Matthew and Leon to contest the final sprint, which Matthew duly won. Jamie Dudley was the best of the rest in fourth place and Sophie Black was the top girl in fifth spot. In another close finish, Joshua Knights outsprinted Ryan Dean and Nicholas Corlett to pick up maximum points in the born 1995 class. Jamie Everitt was fourth ahead of early leader Anna Christian, who took the girls' prize. For the second week running Alicia Corlett proved to be too strong for the boys, pipping Jonathan Cregeen and Andrew Marshall in the bunch finish to the born 1994-92 group. Alexander Haddock was fourth, Alexandra Christian fifth and Stephen Smith sixth. At least eight riders were in contention at the end of the very well supported under 12's racing bikes event, but it was Jonathan Cregeen who grabbed the number one slot from Joshua Cowie and Andrew Marshall, who did well to oust Jack Wolstencroft for third. New girl Helen Anstead made an impressive debut, finishing twelfth overall and first girl, one place in front of Alexandra Christian. An aggressive Matthew Looker got the victory in the under 14's / under 16's racing bikes ahead of Mark Redhead. Third place and fourth places went to fellow breakaway partners Tom Black and Colum O'Shea. Matthew Cain caught longmarker Christopher Jackson on the line to win the born 1999 handicap. _____________________________________________ 13th August * There were some great rides by team members in the recent League International time trial championship over one lap of the TT course. Recording the fourteenth fastest time of the day, Mark Redhead covered the 37.75 miles in a very impressive 1hr 48mins 29secs to take the juvenile title by exactly 3 minutes from Tom Black. Twelve year old Jonathan Cregeen, the youngest rider in the event, got round the arduous circuit in a creditable 2hrs 23mins 28secs. Also, well done to Mathue Marshall and Caroline O'Neill, who finished an excellent second and third respectively in last Thurday's sixth round of the Bikestyle handicap road race series. Caroline won the previous round. * Don't forget to book your tickets for the Scottish Provident league's grand prize presentation at the Villa Marina on Sunday, 11th September. You can order them down at the NSC on a Tuesday night or by e-mail at dot@juniorcyclingiom.co.im * James Berry and Mark Christian will be competing in next week's British national youth and junior track championships at the Newport velodrome in Wales. Last year James picked up a bronze medal in the under 12's omnium, with Mark finishing 11th overall in the under 14's. At the end of the week James will travel down to London for the penultimate round of the British youth series at Lee Valley. * The club is sending a large team to the Midland Area Youth Tour on 27th - 29th August. The event, which is the final round of British Cycling's national youth series, is being staged at various venues in the Wolverhampton area. The riders are Tom Black, Mark Christian, Caroline O'Neill, Colum O'Shea, Mark Redhead, James Berry, Sam Black, Adam Johnson, Matheu Marshall, Christopher Nicholson, twin brothers John and Warwick Sanderson, Alexandra Christian, Joshua Cowie, Sarah Quine, Alexander Haddock, Andrew Marshall, Thomas Mazzone, Jack Wolstencroft, Lucy Johnson, Anna Christian, Matthew Davies, Joshua Knights, Leon Mazzone and Eleanor Stokoe. * Rounding off a busy couple of months, James Berry, Tom Black, Mark Christian, Jonathan Cregeen, Matthew Looker, Caroline O'Nell and Rebecca Whipp are representing the club at the British national final of the prestigious GHS 10 mile time trial championship at Bottisham near Cambridge on Saturday, 10th September. The riders qualified for the final at the Liverpool District heat of the competition in July. Over 120 of Britain's top juvenile cyclists will be contesting the event. _____________________________________________ 9th August * Considering that the holiday season is now in full swing , there was a good turn out of 177 competitors at the NSC last Tuesday night for round 17 of the club's Scottish Provident league. Corey Phillips continued his tion of the novices class, bagging maximum points for a thirteenth time. Ryan Forrest was the runner-up ahead of top girl Megan Farrer, who picked up her first podium placing of the series. Lewis Christian was fourth for the second week running and Charlie Lewin did well to grab fifth. Libby Scarffe was the second girl home in sixth spot, with Callum Bratty, Sean Jackson, Sean Maxwell and Morgan Scarffe completing the top ten. In the born 2000 & later age group Thomas Bostock scored his second success of the season and in doing so ended Thomas Holden's remarkable run of fourteen straight victories. Third placed Caitlyn Smith pipped Megan Kelly and Kyle Caley for the girls' honours. Arthur Bankes-Jones was sixth followed by Matthew Thomas, Adam Scarffe, Antony Coward and Ellen Barker. Dillon Cowie rode away from breakaway partner Victoria Watson for a clear victory in the born 1999 event. George Dalton-Brown finished on his own in third place and Sam Murray outsprinted leading girl Emelie Haddock for fourth. In another close tussle Eleanor Davies got the better of Alex Cain for the final spot on the top six leader board. An aggressive Owen Dudley went from the in the born 1998 category and gradually increased his lead all the way to the chequered flag. Emily Kelly got away from a large first lap chasing group of eleven riders to claim an excellent second place and James Hansford led Matthew Kneale, Alex Jackson and Daniel Isherwood over the line for third. A slow start to the born 1997 race kept the field together on the opening lap. By the finish, however, Victoria Kinrade and Matthew Bostock had broken clear of a leading group of five riders, with Victoria getting the verdict in the final sprint. Breeshey Cain held off Joseph Holden for third. Returning from a week's break, Leon Mazzone led from start to finish in the born 1996 class. Ashley Faragher made a good effort to chase the leader down but in the end had to settle for second place. Jamie Dudley outsprinted round sixteen winner Laura Kinley to secure third. Glen Vine's Matthew Davies edged out Joshua Knights and Ryan Dean for victory in the born 1995 event, while Eleanor Stokoe won her battle with Anna Christian to take the girls' prize in fourth position. Nicholas Corlett and James Everitt, who had both been circulating with the leaders until the final lap, were sixth and seventh. The born 1994-92 group ended in a nine strong bunch gallop, with Alicia Corlett outgunning the in form Jonathan Cregeen for an impressive win. Alexander Haddock was third ahead of Andrew Marshall, Alexandra Christian, Sarah Quine, Warwick Sanderson, Stephen Smith and Jacob Holden. In the under 12's racing bikes Joshua Cowie, just back from a racing trip to Holland, won a hotly contested sprint from Jonathan Cregeen and Jack Wolstencroft. The fast improving John Sanderson was fourth just in front of Andrew Marshall and Alexandra Christian was the first girl in thirteenth position. Newcomers to the "droppies" class Laura Kinley, Eleanor Stokoe and Owen Dudley all rode extremely well in 16th, 19th and 20th positions. Mark Christian stamped his authority on the under 14's / under 16's racing bikes. Attacking with six laps to go, he left the rest of the field to fight over the minor placings. Matthew Looker, who was having his first outing since returning from a successful school rugby trip to South Africa, and Mark Redhead put in a determined chase but were unable to make any inroads into the lead, finishing second and third respectively. Tom Black was fourth and James Berry the best under 14 in fifth position. In the abcense of Caroline O'Neill, who was marshalling, Alicia Corlett was the top girl in twelfth spot. Longmarker Jessica Perry just managed to maintain her starting advantage to win the born 1994-92 handicap from a fast closing Warwick Sanderson, Stephen Smith and Sarah Quine. Don't forget to order your tickets for the league's prize presentation in the Villa Marina on Sunday, 11th September. Contact Dot on 851691. _____________________________________________ 5th August * There were some excellent performances by team members in last weekend's Kerry Youth Tour, staged over three days at Killorglin on the west coast of Ireland. Twelve year old James Berry won the under 13's class and finished an excellent third overall in the combined under 14 / under 13 category, just 6 seconds behind winner Adrien Guerreo (VC Ardennes) of Belgium. James was at the head of the race throughout, recording top 12 positions in all three road stages and producing one of the rides of the event to win the time trial outright in a top class field of over 50 competitors. Mathue Marshall was also very impressive in the same category, ending the event in a very good 18th overall. Matheu was in the winning bunch in all the road races, placing 15th, 29th and 19th, and was 18th fastest in the second day's time trial. Finishing 22nd overall and eigth best under 13 year old, Adam Johnson was one of the revelations of the trip. A relative novice at off-island racing, Adam came 27th in the opening day's road race, a narrow 8 seconds behind the front group. In the time trial he was19th fastest, one place and a fraction of a second behind team mate Mathue Marshall, and in the following two road stages finished with the leaders in 19th and 28th places. Caroline O'Neill, who was still recovering from the tumble she took at the NSC on the previous Tuesday, was the fourth member of the team taking part in the class and she did well to end the Tour as the seventh best girl in 41st spot overall. Caroline got stronger as the race went on, picking up two 40th and two 43rd finishes. The quartets performances put the club into second place in the team competition, some 27 seconds adrift of the powerful VC Ardenes squad from Belgium. In Category 1/1a for under 16's and under 15's Mark Christian was 21st overall, Mark Redhead 30th and Tom Black 70th in a large field of over 80 riders, with Mark Christian and Tom finishing 5th and 22nd respectively in the under 15's competition. Tom would have finished much higher up the order but for some cruel luck on the second day when serious mechanical problems put him out of contention. Mark Christian and Mark Redhead had no trouble coping with the pace, finishing comfortably in the leading group on all the road stages. Christian was an impressive 9th on stage one, 29th on stage 2b and 12th on stage three, with Redhead 47th, 41st and 33rd respectively. Tom was 59th on the opening day, 78th on the ill-fated second stage and 65th on the third. In the time trial, which greatly affected the overall positions, Tom was 22nd, Mark Christian 25th and Mark 38th. Finally, in a category dominated by older girls riding down a class, Jonathan Cregeen was a very good 5th overall and top boy in the under 12's / under 11's age group, with Alicia Corlett finishing a respectable 16th and 8th girl in her first go at the event. Jonathan posted top six positions on every stage, including a fine 4th on the final day, while Alicia's highest placing was 12th in the time trial. _____________________________________________ 3rd August * Last Tuesday's changeable weather conditions resulted in a relatively low turn out of just 110 competitors for round 16 of the Scottish Provident league. Fortunately, the band of rain that swept across the Island during the afternoon cleared away before the evening's racing to got underway. In the novices class Corey Phillips added a twelfth win to his already impressive tally. Second and third placed Kirsty Walsh and Morgan Scarffe had their usual battle for the girls' honours, with Kirsty coming out on top this time. Lewis Christian had his best ride of the series so far to finish fourth ahead of former winner Ryan Forrest, while Sean Jackson did well to pick up his second top six placing of the year. Conor Christian was a good seventh in front of the ever improving Rebecca Killip. Thomas Holden had to work hard to fend off a strong challenge from Thomas Bostock before claiming his fifteenth win in the born 2000 & later category. Caitlyn Smith, who is the only rider to have beaten Holden this season, was third and Megan Kelly fourth. Kyle Caley and Ben Christian completed the top six. After shaking off a first lap chasing group of four riders, Marcus Simpson scored a good solo victory in the born 1999 event. Alex Cain edged out Victoria Watson for the runners-up spot and Alex Watson beat impressive newcomer Joseph Glover to the line for fifth position. George Dalton-Brown, who had finished second in the previous week's round, was sixth followed by Eleanor Davies, Emelie Haddock, Daniel Scarffe and Adam Garrett. Owen Dudley had another comfortable win in the born 1998 race. James Costain was an excellent second, his best ever placing, and Emily Kelly picked up the girls' prize in third spot. Amy Kinley continued her recent return to good form, grabbing fourth ahead of Matthew Kneale and Daniel Isherwood. In a separate battle Emma Nicholson got the verdict over Olivia Perry in a close sprint for tenth place. Reversing last week's result, Victoria Kinrade got the better of Matthew Bostock in the gallop at the end of the born 1997 class. Breeshey Cain dropped Joseph Holden in the closing stages to claim the final position on the rostrum. Despite a small field of only five riders, the born 1996 age group produced one of the best races of the night. Making the most of the tailwind section of the course, Laura Kinley made a well timed attack with half a lap to go and powered away to score a memorable maiden victory. Longtime leader Ashley Faragher made a determined effort to bridge the gap but was unable to do so and in the end had to settle for second place. Jamie Dudley was third ahead of Daniel De Weert and Nicole Caley. Matthew Davies was first past the post in the born 1995 three lapper, taking the chequered flag clear of Joshua Knights, who finished with a similar advantage over Ryan Dean. Fourth placed Eleanor Stokoe had been circulating with the leading trio but lost contact on the final lap. Nicholas Corlett was fifth and Anna Christian sixth. Alexander Haddock and Andrew Marshall made an early break in the born 1994-92 group and were never challenged, despite a concerted chase by Warwick Sanderson, Sarah Quine, John Sanderson and Stephen Smith. At the finish Haddock outsprinted Marshall for first place, with Warwick Sanderson leading Sarah Quine home for third. Newcomer Tom Smith was a good eighth. In the born 1995 handicap Eleanor Stokoe came through from a mid field start to take the honours from Anna Christian and Nicholas Corlett. Due to the damp conditions it was decided to cancel the racing bike events for safety reasons. Don't forget to book your tickets for the league's prize presentation at the Villa Marina on Sunday, 11th September. _____________________________________________
27th July
* Conditions were perfect at the NSC last Tuesday night for the 223 competitors who contested round 15 of the club's Scottish Provident league.
Finishing well clear of the field, Corey Phillips headed the novices class for an eleventh time. Morgan Scarffe was the first girl in a safe second, with Kirsty Walsh pipping Ryan Forrest for the final place on the podium. Megan Farrer was a good fifth followed by Charlotte Maddrell, Sean Jackson, Lucy Callow, Charlie Lewin and Libby Scarffe.
Thomas Holden held off strong challenges from Caitlyn Smith and Thomas Bostock to record his fourteenth straight win in the born 2000 & later category, with Luke Murray leading chasing group companions Arthur Bankes-Jones and Megan Kelly home for fourth place. Eddie Morris picked up a top ten finish in only his second race and Kyle Caley did well to come twelfth in his first outing of the season.
In the born 1999 event Dillon Cowie broke away from a nine strong bunch of riders to grab his second success of the series. George Dalton-Brown was an excellent second in front of six times winner Marcus Simpson and Alex Cain outsprinted leading girl Victoria Watson for fourth. Eleanor Davies completed the top six.
Matthew Draper put in one of the performances of the night to get the better of overall leader Marcus Simpson in the Born 1998 race. Luis Novo-Smith was third and James Costain edged out top girl Emily Kelly for fourth. Amy Kinley had one of her best rides of the year in sixth spot and further down the field a fast finishing Conor Till overtook Macklin Wilson in the final stages to grab twelfth.
Returning from a two week break, Matthew Bostock outsprinted Victoria Kinrade in the born 1997 age group, with Joseph Holden, also coming back from a fortnight's holiday, edging out Breeshey Cain for third. The consistent Tamara Preskey was fifth and James Skillicorn sixth.
Leon Mazzone cleared off at the beginning of the born 1996 class and was never seen again, leaving the rest of the field to fight over the minor placings. Jamie Dudley crossed the line just ahead of Andrew Cregeen, Laura Kinley and Ashley Faragher to secure the runners-up position.
Six riders circulated together at the front for most of the born 1995 three lapper, with Joshua Knights getting the verdict over Matthew Davies and Ryan Dean in the sprint for the line. Fourth placed Anna Christian took the girls' prize in front of Maria Hull and James Skillicorn.
Jonathan Cregeen attacked on the second lap of the born 1994-92 event and stayed away to the finish. Andrew Marshall, Stephen Smith and Alexandra Christian came in together for second, third and fourth places respectively.
Completing the double for the third week in succession, Jonathan then went on to notch up another impressive win in the under 12's racing bikes. Joshua Cowie was second and relative newcomer John Sanderson was a very impressive third ahead of the more experienced Jack Wolstencroft. Sarah Quine was the best girl in fourteenth spot.
The under 14's / under 16's racing bikes was cut short near the end due to a crash involving Caroline O'Neill and Thomas Mazzone Both were taken to hospital for a check up but fortunately there were no serious injuries. The result of the race was decided on count back, with Mark Christian Tom Black and James Berry credited with the top three placings.
In an exciting end to the born 1996 handicap scratch rider Ashley Faragher caught longmarker Phillipa Malarkey on the line.
_____________________________________________
26th July * James Berry, Tom Black, Mark Christian, Alicia Corlett, Jonathan Cregeen, Adam Johnson, Matheu Marshall, Caroline O'Neill and Mark Redhead will be competing for the club in next weekend's Kerry Youth Tour on the west coast of Ireland. Since the demise of the Manchester International 3-Day the Kerry event has become the number one priority for many of the top juvenile cyclists in Britain and beyond. Indeed, this year's entry list includes teams from Belgium, Holland and South Africa, as well as two national Irish squads. In 2004 James Berry scored a superb overall victory in Category 3 for under 12's and Sam Looker won the green jersey for being the best 13 year old in Category 2 for under 14's. On the same weekend Joshua Cowie travels to the Netherlands for the week long International Rabobank Youth Tour in Assen. The race, which has become the biggest youth competition in Europe, runs from the 1st to the 6th of August. Previous winners include world cycling stars Erik Dekker and Leontien Van Moorsal. Last year Josh was an excellent sixth in his class. * Caroline O'Neill warmed up for the Kerry Youth Tour with a good win in the fifth round of the Bikestyle handicap road race series at Jurby last Thursday night. _____________________________________________
21st July
* There was another large entry of 239 competitors for round 14 of the Scottish Provident league, held in sunny but very windy conditions at a packed NSC last Tuesday night.
Corey Phillips bounced back from the rare defeat he suffered in the previous round to notch up his tenth success in the novices class. Last week's winner Morgan Scarffe was second and top girl ahead of Kirsty Walsh, Ryan Forrest, Sean Maxwell and Lewis Christian.
Colby's Thomas Holden continued his domination of the born 2000 & later age group, gaining maximum points for an eleventh time. Caitlyn Smith and Megan Kelly were second and third respectively, with William Draper, Thomas Murray and Millt-Rose Killeen completing the top six. Newcomer Eddie Morris did very well to finish eleventh on his debut.
In the born 1999 event Marcus Simpson led breakaway partners Victoria Watson and Eleanor Davies across the line for his sixth victory of the season. Fourth placed Dillon Cowie just failed to catch the leading trio and Liam McCann overtook Alex Watson at half distance to claim fifth.
Owen Dudley took the honours in a head to head finish with Matthew Draper in the born 1998 race, while Brody Patience outsprinted Ashley Lewis and Luis Novo-Smith for third. Emily Kelly got the better of Rory McCann in the battle for sixth and Brett Dean led a group of four riders home for eighth spot.
Leading from start to finish, Victoria Kinrade cruised to victory in the born 1997 category. Tamara Preskey edged out Matthew Naylor, James Skillicorn, Dillan Matthews and Kathryn Hull to grab the runners-up spot - her best result to date - and Breeshey Cain, who had been lying a safe second for most of the race, salvaged seventh after having to stop and replace an unshipped chain.
Leon Mazzone gradually pulled away from a chasing group of five riders to win the born 1996 class by a comfortable margin from Jamie Dudley, who got second in a close finish with Laura Kinley . Andrew Cregeen was not far behind in fourth position and Ashley Faragher pipped Sophie Black for fifth.
In the born 1995 three lapper Joshua Knights led out the sprint and held on to the chequered flag, beating arch rival Ryan Dean by just half a wheel. Matthew Davies, who was riding up a class and does not count in the official result, took third followed by Eleanor Stokoe, Maria Hull and Nicholas Corlett.
The in form Jonathan Cregeen filled the number one slot in the born 1994-92 group. Eight riders contested the final gallop with Jonathan taking the flag in front of Alexander Haddock, Alicia Corlett, Andrew Marshall, Rachel James, Jacob Holden, Stephen Smith and Alexandra Christian.
With hardly any time to recover, Jonathan repeated his performance in the following Under 12's racing bikes event, this time he outsprinting Joshua Cowie and Jack Wolstencroft to complete the double for the second week running. Matthew Davies and Alexander Haddock had good rides in fourth and fifth places and relative newcomer Juan Hendy was an impressive seventh. Alexandra Christian was the top girl in tenth spot, while Jamie Dudley, Laura Kinley and Eleanor Stokoe did well to come 16th,17th and 18th in their very first "droppies" race.
Lapping the half mile track in a consistent 1.25 minutes, the very talented Mark Christian made an early attack in the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes and stayed away for another clear victory. Mark Redhead ousted Niall Shimmin, James Berry and Colum O'Shea in the fight for second and Caroline O'Neill was the leading girl in eighth place.
Finally, middlemarker Breeshey Cain chased down Beth Davies and Aaron Beattie to come out on top in the born 1997 handicap.
_____________________________________________
15th July
* Club members were on good form again in last Wednesday's (13th July) round of the Manx Telecom 10 mile time trial league, staged in near perfect conditions on the Andreas course.
Getting faster and faster with every ride, Tom Black was the top juvenile in an excellent 5th overall in a very quick 23.57, with fellow GHS team finalists Mark Christian and Matthew Looker 9th and 13th in 24.08 and 25.03.
Twelve year old James Berry produced the ride of the night to set a new Manx national under 13's record in a brilliant 25.09, good enough for sixteenth overall one place and two seconds ahead of Niall Shimmin.
Mark Redhead, Matheu Marshall and Christopher Nicholson were 24th, 35th and 51st in very creditable times of 25.38, 26.47 and 28.51 respectively, while Adam Johnson just missed out on a sub 29 minute ride in 52nd spot on 29.04.
Young Thomas Mazzone, who only reached the minimum qualifying age (12) on the Saturday before, dipped under the magic 30 minutes barrier at the very first attempt, posting an impressive 29.16 for 59th overall. Jonathan Cregeen (59th in 29.47) and Caroline O' Neill (60th in 29.50) also did well to break evens (20 mph).
Finally, just eight seconds separated Oliver Honeybone (30.22), Rebecca Whipp (30.26) and Matthew Berry (30.30) in 64th, 65th and 66th places.
_____________________________________________
14th July
* Making the most of the good weather that the Island has been enjoying recently, a total of 218 competitors turned out at the NSC last Tuesday night for round 13 of the Scottish Provident League.
Before the proceedings got underway Lillian Boyle and Alison Rymill of Scottish Provident International presented the club with the sponsorship cheque for the 2005 series. This is the twelfth year that the company has supported the league, which is now firmly established as the biggest and most successful event of its kind in the whole of the Brtish Isles.
Getting the race programme off to a flying start, Morgan Scarffe produced one of the performances of the night to notch up her maiden win in the novices class at the expense of nine times winner Corey Phillips, who had to settle for the runners-up spot this time. Ryan Forrest was third and Kirsty Walsh led fellow female riders of Megan Farrer, Charlotte Maddrell and Emma Mayhew home for fourth place. Sean Jackson, Callum Parker and Lewis Christian completed the top ten.
In the born 2000 & later category Thomas Holden stretched his tally of wins to eleven. Caitlyn Smith wasn't too far behind in second position, while newcomers Luke Murray and Callum Corlett were a very impressive third and fourth respectively. Nathan Corrigan was fifth and Thomas Murray, another first timer, a good sixth.
Following several near misses, Dillon Cowie finally made it to the number one spot in the born 1999 age group. Marcus Simpson got the better of Victoria Watson on the final straight to claim second, with Sam Murray finishing on his own for fourth. Eleanor Davies beat George Dalton-Brown to the line for fifth place and further down the order Ryan Courtie pipped Jessica Lloyd in a very close battle for fifteenth.
Owen Dudley worked his way up from sixth place at the end of the opening lap to grab his ninth win in the born 1998 event, outsprinting Luis Novo-Smith and early leader Matthew Draper in dash for the line. Brody Patience, Max Murray and Rory McCann filled the next three places followed by Emily Kelly, who took the girls' honours in seventh spot.
With regular top three leader board finishers Matthew Bostock, Joseph Holden and Breeshey Cain all having a week off, Victoria Kinrade had a relatively easy victory in the born 1997 group. James Skillicorn picked up some valuable points in second position and Tamara Preskey had her best ride to date in third place.
Leon Mazzone did well to stay with Matthew Davies for most of the born 1996 three lapper. In the end, however, it was Matthew who proved to be the strongest in the run in to the chequered flag. A chasing group of four riders contested the gallop for third place, with Laura Kinley coming through strongly to get the verdict from Jamie Dudley, Ashley Faragher and Andrew Cregeen.
Joshua Knights led out of the final corner in the born 1995 class and managed to hold off a strong challenge from Ryan Dean for his tenth success of the season. The impressive Maria Hull had a great ride to secure the girls' prize and final place on the podium ahead of James Everitt, Eleanor Stokoe and Anna Christian.
A delighted Jonathan Cregeen came out on top in the born 1994-92 race, outsprinting breakaway partners Alexander Haddock, Alicia Corlett, Andrew Marshall, Alexandra Christian, Rachel James, Jacob Holden and Stephen Smith for a well earned victory. Sarah Quine pipped Warwick Sanderson for ninth.
After a great scrap, Jonathan Cregeen picked up his second win of the night in the under 12's racing bikes. Once again Jonathan had to fight it out in a frantic sprint finish, this time edging out Joshua Cowie and Jack Wolstencroft. Another good ride from relative newcomer John Sanderson was rewarded with a fine fourth place and Sarah Quine was the best girl in thirteenth position.
Seven riders broke away early on in the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes event and stayed clear to the finish where Mark Christian took the sprint from Mark Redhead, Matthew Looker, Tom Black, James Berry (1st under 14), Niall Shimmin and Colum O'Shea. The hard working Adam Johnson was the best of the rest in eighth spot and Caroline O'Neill was the top girl in eleventh place.
In the popular born 1998 handicap longmarkers Jack Goodwin and Emma Nicholson just held on in front of the fast finishing Rory McCann.
_____________________________________________ 11th July * The fantastic news that the Isle of Man will be staging the Commonwealth Youth in 2011 will be a great incentive for the hundreds of youngsters currently competing in the Scottish Provident league to continue in the sport. * The closing date for the receipt of entries for the British national youth & junior track championships is July 18th. The event is being held in the Welsh National Velodrome at Newport between August 15th - 19th. Anyone interested in going should contact Dot down at the NSC on Tuesday night. _____________________________________________
9th July * Representatives from Scottish Provident International are coming down to the NSC next Tuesday (12th July) to hand over their 2005 sponsorship cheque to the club. The presentation will be made at 6.30pm, so make sure that you are there in plenty of time to be included in the official photograph. _____________________________________________
6th July
Considering the amount of rain that had fallen just prior to the start of the event, conditions were reasonably good for the 147 club members who made it down to the NSC last Tuesday night for round twelve of the Scottish Provident league. However, a damp perimeter track meant that the two racing bike events had to be cancelled for safety reasons.
Corey Phillips chalked up another victory - his ninth - in the novices class. Kirsty Walsh was second and Morgan Scarffe third, with Ryan Forrest overcoming Carl Henson in a close battle for fourth place. Libby Scarffe led Will Gledhill, Megan Farrer, Sean Jackson and Lucy Callow home to claim sixth, while newcomer Rebecca Killip did well to finish sixteenth on her maiden appearance in the league.
In the born 2000 & later age group Thomas Holden increased his tally of wins to ten. Thomas Bostock was the runner-up and Caitlyn Smith was the top girl again in third postion followed by William Draper, Adam Long and Megan Kelly, who completed the top six. Ben Christian and Adam Kelly crossed the line together and were credited with equal seventh.
Marcus Simpson's recent run of success continued in the born 1999 category. Victoria Watson returned to form to grab second ahead of Ben Cregeen, who was delighted to pick up his first podium placing of the season. Eleanor Davies pipped Michael Quayle and Benjamin Raven for fourth and Sophie Alton-Heath held off the fast finishing Kaitlin Slack for seventh.
The impressive Owen Dudley got the better of Matthew Draper and Luis Novo-Smith to bank maximum points again in the born 1998 event. Rory McCann was fourth and fifth placed Emily Kelly took the girls' prize in front of Jack McAlinden.
After circulating together for the opening two laps, Matthew Bostock pulled away from Victoria Kinrade on the final circuit for a clear win in the born 1997 race. Joseph Holden and James Skillicorn were third and fourth respectively, with Louis Clucas recording his highest finish to date in fifth spot. Further down the field Dillan Matthews edged out Nathan Knights in an exciting sprint for ninth place.
Matthew Davies scored another fine solo victory in the born 1996 class, taking the chequered flag with a comfortable advantage over Leon Mazzone. The tussle for third place could have gone to any one of five riders. In the end it was Jamie Dudley who got the verdict from Ashley Faragher, Laura Kinley, Andrew Cregeen and the ever improving Sophie Black.
Born 1995 overall leader Joshua Knights managed to hold off main rival Ryan Dean for his ninth win of the season. Eleanor Stokoe was third and best girl ahead of Anna Christian, Nicholas Corlett and James Everitt.
In the abscence of the racing bike events, Thomas Mazzone picked up his mountain bike and duely won the born 1994-92 group, but only by the narrowest of margins from Andrew Marshall. Sarah Quine was a good third and Alexandra Christian fourth, with twin brothers Warwick and John Sanderson fifth and sixth. The damp conditions caught out early leader Alexander Haddock who slid off bringing down several other riders in the process. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.
Liam McCann took the born 1999 handicap from Eleanor Davies and Daniel Scarffe.
Earlier in the day Team Scottish Provident IOM members took it in turns to ride three static turbo trainers in a "guess the milage" competition at a very wet Tynwald Day Fair, raising over £300 for club funds. The total distance covered in the 3.5 hours was 162.52 miles. Eleanor Davies won the star prize - a brand new bike - with her very near guess of 162.50 miles. Chloe Shimmin and Tony Quirk were the runners up. Many thanks to everyone who took part and to Bikestyle, Alicia Corlett and The Artist for supplying the fabulous prizes.
_____________________________________________
3rd July
* A total of seven team members have qualified for the national final of the prestigious GHS time trial championship.
Tom Black, Mark Christian, Matthew Looker, James Berry, Jonathan Cregeen, Caroline O'Neill and Rebecca Whipp all booked their places with some outstanding performances at the Liverpool District heat of the competition, staged over two and a bit laps (a total of eight miles) of a flatish circuit at Bickerstaffe last Saturday.
Tom Black was the star of the show, powering round in a super-fast 19 minutes and 9 seconds for an excellent third place just 5 seconds behind runner-up Scott Flynn (Steve Goff Frames) and only 9 seconds down on winner Jonathan McEvoy (Liverpool Century RC). All three riders gained automatic entry to the final.
Mark Christian and Matthew Looker also had storming rides to clock 19.13 and 19.38 respectively. Their times, combined with Tom's, gave Team Scottish Provident the team prize (for the third year in succession) by over 2 minutes from the much fancied Liverpool Century RC and qualified them for the final.
Age category winners James Berry, who was the quickest under 13 year old in a sparkling 20.15, and Jonathan Cregeen, the fastest under 12 in 23.25, both join their team mates in the final, while Caroline O'Neill (23.23) and Rebecca Whipp (24.01) go through as the two fastest girls.
The other members of the team who competed also acquitted themselves well, with Mark Redhead clocking 20.16 , Colum O'Shea 20.27, Matheu Marshall 21.21, Christopher Nicholson 23.10, Oliver Honeybone 23.41, Matthew Berry 24 minutes dead and Adam Johnson 24.18.
_____________________________________________
29th June
* Good luck to team members Adam Johnson, Matheu Marshall, Caroline O'Neill, Matthew Berry, Colum O'Shea, Oliver Honeybone, Mark Christian, Mark Redhead, Jonathan Cregeen, Matthew Looker, Christopher Nicholson, Rebecca Whipp, Tom Black and James Berry who will all be competing in this coming Saturday's Liverpool District GHS Time Trial Championship at Bickerstaffe. The qualifiers from the various age groups will go forward to the national final in September. The event is the premier time trial competition for juveniles in Britain and previous winners include world cycling stars Chris Boardman and Nicole Cooke. In 2003 Cayley Ennett won the girls' title and Aaron Whipp, Ashley Whipp and Elliott Moore won the team award for the club.
* Club members have been posting some fantastic times in the weekly Manx Telecom 10 mile time trial league. In last Wednesday's round Tom Black covered the distance in an excellent 24minutes and 03 seconds. Mark Christian got round in an equally impressive 24.42, with Matthew Looker just 18 seconds slower in 25 minutes dead. Twelve year old James Berry produced one of the rides of the night to clock an amazing 25.30, which was a slender 16 seconds short of the Isle of Man under 13's record. The much improved Colum O'Shea and Mark Redhead both completed the course in a very good 25.39 and Niall Shimmin was timed at 26.29. Adam Johnson broke 30 minutes for the first time this year, his 29.13 pipping Christopher Nicholson's 29.21 by a narrow eight seconds, while Jonathan Cregeen and Caroline O'Neill just missed the magic 20mph mark in 30.07 and 30.11 respectively. Rebecca Whipp was next best in 30.23 followed by Matthew Berry in 30,47 and Oliver Honeybone in 31.39.
_____________________________________________
29th June
* A total of 237 competitors enjoyed near perfect conditions for round eleven of the Scottish Provident children's cycling league, staged at a sultry NSC last night.
An all-time record number of 505 youngsters have now taken part in this year's series.
Corey Phillips got the evening off to a flying start, taking the chequered flag well clear of the field for his eighth win of the season. Morgan Scarffe continued his climb up the leader board to pip Ryan Forrest for second place, with Megan Farrer the best girl in fourth spot. Carl Henson was fifth ahead of Sean Jackson, Libby Scarffe, Will Gledhill, Rebecca Hull and Lewis Christian. The ever improving Blae Cain was a good fourteenth.
In the born 2000 & later age group Thomas Holden overtook Thomas Bostock on the finishing straight to further strengthen his callenge for the overall honours. Third placed Caitlyn Smith beat Milly-Rose Killeen and Megan Kelly to the line for the girls' prize and Adam Kelly did well to hold off Nathan Corrigan and Adam Long for sixth position.
In an exact repeat of the previous week's result, Marcus Simpson , Dillon Cowie and Alex Cain filled the top three places in the born 1999 class. George Dalton-Brown and Ben Cregeen were fourth and fifth and top girl Eleanor Davies led Victoria Watson home for sixth spot. Liam McCann and Michael Quayle could not be separated in eighth place and Sophie Alton-Heath overcame a bad bout of hay fever to finish twelfth.
Owen Dudley notched up another win - his seventh - in the born 1998 event. Brody Patience was the runner-up and Luis Novo-Smith third. Early leader Rory McCann was fourth ahead of Matthew Draper and Max Murray, who completed the top six. Emily Kelly, Edith Bankes-Jones and Amy Kinley were the first three girls in eighth, thirteenth and eighteenth places respectively.
A last lap surge gave Matthew Bostock a clear victory over Victoria Kinrade in the born 1997 class. Breeshey Cain got the better of Joseph Holden, James Skillicorn and Tamara Preskey for third place, with Kathryn Hull, Aaron Beattie, Matthew Naylor and Thomas Dalton-Brown completing the top ten.
Glen Vine's Matthew Davies didn't hang around in the born 1996 category, attacking from the gun and steadily building up a comfortable winning margin over Leon Mazzone. Third place went to Jamie Dudley and the fast finishing Laura Kinley was fourth ahead of Andrew Cregeen and Sophie Black.
A group of seven riders broke away in the early stages of the born 1995 race, with Joshua Knights coming through from the back of the grid to edge out Ryan Dean in an exciting sprint finish. Eleanor Stokoe was a strong third followed by Maria Hull, Nicholas Corlett, James Everitt and Anna Christian.
In another close battle, Alicia Corlett came out on top in the gallop at the end of the born 1994-02 three lapper. Jonathan Cregeen was a close second and overall leader Alexander Haddock third. Andrew Marshall was fourth , Rachel James fifth and Stephen Smith sixth.
Thomas Mazzone outsprinted breakaway partners Joshua Cowie, Jonathan Cregeen and Jack Wolstencroft for the honours in the under 12's racing bikes. Andrew Marshall led the chasers home in fifth spot, while newcomers John Sanderson, Juan Hendy and Warwick Sanderson showed great promise in eighth, ninth and twelfth places. Sarah Quine was the first girl in sixteenth position.
In the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes Mark Christian was out on his own for ten of the twenty five laps. He was eventually reeled in by a chasing group spearheaded by Tom Black. The final outcome was decided in a bunch sprint where Christian got the verdict over Matthew Looker, Mark Redhead, Tom Black, James Berry (1st under 14) and Colum O'Shea. The top girl was Caroline O'Neill in seventh spot.
Michelle Gage won the born 1994-92 handicap from Jessica Perry and Matthew Nicholson.
_____________________________________________ 27th June * Joshua Cowie was a very good second in his class at the recent British Schools Cycling Association's national circuit race championships at Darley Moor. * The Tangent Club has made a very generous donation towards the running of the Tuesday night league. A cheque for £250 was presented to league organiser Dot Tilbury after she had entertained members of the club at their 2005 regional lunch at Mount Murray. _____________________________________________ 26th June * Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Ollie Shimmin who is currently in Nobles Hospital after badly breaking a leg in a football match at school. * Caroline O'Neill finished an excellent eighth overall and second girl in the youth event at last Sunday's Horwich Carnival Races in Lancashire. On Saturday Caroline had a good workout with the Eastlends Velo club in their weekly track meeting at the Manchester velodrome, taking the girls' honours in the keiran and the 12 & 15 lap scratch races. * Tom Black had a great ride in Sunday's Colin Nelson Memorial Mountain Time Trial over one lap of the TT course. Tom covered the 37.75 miles in an impressive 1hr 53mins 26secs, the thirteenth fastest time of the day. _____________________________________________ 22nd June
Round ten of the club's Scottish Provident league attracted another excellent entry of 259 competitors.
In the very well supported novices race Corey Phillips came out on top for the seventh time in the series. Kirsty Walsh was the runner-up and Ryan Forrest third. Emma Mayhew led the rest of the field home for fourth place just ahead of Carl Henson, Morgan Scarffe, Will Gledhill, Lewis Christian, Callum Bratty and Connor Christian.
Thomas Holden notched up his eighth success in the born 2000 & later age group. Thomas Bostock was not too far behind in second place, while William Draper got the better of Milly-Rose Killeen and Nathan Corrigan for the remaining spot on the rostrum. Twin brothers Luke and Thomas Murray were an impressive sixth and seventh respectively in their very first outing. Adam Long, Megan Kelly and Ben Christian completed the top ten.
Marcus Simpson scored a repeat win in the born 1999 class, with Dillon Cowie holding off Alex Cain for second position. Victoria Watson returned from holiday to grab the girls' prize in fourth spot and George Dalton-Brown recorded his best ever result in fifth place.
In the born 1998 class Owen Dudley took the honours for the fifth week in succession and the seventh time overall. Matthew Draper was a good second and Rory McCann third, with Ashley Lewis doing well to come fourth after a three week break. Emily Kelly was the leading girl in tenth spot.
Matthew Bostock won the born 1997 category by a clear margin from early breakaway partner Victoria Kinrade. Third place went to Joseph Holden and Breeshey Cain recovered from a start line crash, which relegated her to the back of the field, to claim fourth spot. Kathryn Hull was fifth and James Skillicorn sixth. Further down the field Terence George and Roisin Ashley could not be separated in eleventh position.
Leading from start to finish, Matthew Davies banked maximum points again in the born 1996 three lapper. Leon Mazzone chased hard and managed to keep the gap to a respectable distance. Jamie Dudley outsprinted Ashley Faragher for third and Andrew Cregeen had a good ride in fourth place. Laura Kinley (sixth) pipped Sophie Black for the girls' honours and Daniel de Weert held off Emma Kennaugh and Katherine Robinson for eighth.
The born 1995 event ended in a series of close sprints. Ryan Dean just got the verdict over Joshua Knights in the battle for the number one slot and Eleanor Stokoe beat Anna Christian and Maria Hull to the line for third place.
In the born 1994-92 group six riders broke away on the first lap. At the finish just three were left in contention, with an impressive Alicia Corlett taking the chequered flag from Jonathan Cregeen and Alexander Haddock, who had won the previous seven rounds. Andrew Marshall grabbed fourth place ahead of Rachel James and Stephen Smith.
One of the most exciting races of the night was the under 12's racing bikes. Thomas Mazzone maintained his unbeaten record, but had to work hard to keep chasers Jack Wolstencroft, Joshua Cowie and Jonathan Cregeen at bay. Talented newcomers Juan Hendy and John Sanderson were eighth and eleventh. Alexandra Christian was the top girl in thirteenth spot.
The under 14 / under 16 racing bikes was also full of action. Mark Christian made an early attack and stayed away for several laps. He was eventually reeled in by the bunch but still had enough left to take the final gallop from Matthew Looker. The hard working Tom Black was third and James Berry was the first under 14 in fourth position. Colum O'Shea put in a good performance to finish fifth ahead of Niall Shimmin and Mark Redhead. The first girl was Caroline O'Neill in twelfth place.
Longmarker Kate Cowley held on to her advantage to beat Nicholas Corlett and Dylan Quayle in the born 1995 handicap. _____________________________________________ 20th June
* The club has received very nice letter from the Isle of Man branch of the Briitsh Red Cross thanking everyone for the £200 sponsorship cheque they received in aid of Peter O'Shea's L'Etape du Tour fund raising ride on Monday, July 11th. The money was collected by "sumo wrestlers" Ken Berry and Tony Hawkes at a recent round of the Tuesday night Scottish Provident league. Visit Peter's web page on www.justgiving.com/pos-etape to make a further donation or just to see how the campaign is going. * Following the huge success of last year's effort, the club will be holding another fund raising event at Tynwald Fair Day on Tuesday, July 5th. The majority of the money raised will go towards the team's off-island racing trip to the Kerry Youth Tour at the end of July. More information to follow. _____________________________________________ 15th June * Despite the damp wintry weather, there was another very good turn out of 184 competitors at the NSC for round nine of the club's Tuesday night youth league. The rain that had threatened to return all afternoon finally arrived shortly after the racing got underway. In order to get as much of the race programme completed before the conditions deteriorated further, all the mountain bike classes were reduced in distance. Unfortunately, the two racing bike events had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Corey Phillips won the novices class for the third week in a row, with Kirsty Walsh, a two-time winner herself, second and Ryan Forrest third. Relative newcomer Jamie Howe beat regular top six finishers Emma Mayhew and Zoe Kirkham to the line for fourth place and the ever improving Morgan Scarffe was seventh. Carl Henson recorded his best result of the season in eighth spot and Matilda Perry was a fine ninth in only her second outing. Lewis Christian, whose had never previously featured in the top twenty, did very well to finish tenth. In the born 2000& later one lap sprint Colby's Thomas Holden chalked up his seventh win of the series. Thomas Bostock was the runner-up and Caitlyn Smith was the first girl in a safe third place. Megan Kelly led the rest of the field home for fourth position and Adam Long returned from a two week break to grab fifth spot from Nathan Corrigan. Marcus Simpson fought off a strong challenge from Alex Cain to pick up his second success in the born 1999 event. Dillon Cowie was third and Sam Murray thrived in the wet and windy conditions to pick up fourth spot - his highest placing of the year. Eleanor Davies was the top girl in fifth place. In the hotly contested born 1998 race Owen Dudley got the better of main rival Matthew Draper for a fifth win.Third placed Brody Patience got onto the podium for the third week running and Rory McCann continued his climb up the order to finish fourth. Brett Dean and Matthew Kneale were fifth and sixth respectively, while Kate Marshall took the girls' prize in seventh spot. Overcoming the strong headwind on the finishing straight, Matthew Bostock powered to victory in the born 1997 category. Victoria Kinrade made a valiant attempt to catch the leader but in the end had to settle for second place. Joseph Holden held off Breeshey Cain for the final podium position and Louis Clucas had a great ride to come seventh behind Kathryn Hull and Tamara Preskey. There was drama in the born 1996 class as race leader Matthew Davies slid off - without injury - on the final corner and could do nothing but watch as the whole field went by. Leon Mazzone took over the lead and held his advantage all the way to the chequered flag. Jamie Dudley was second and leading girl Laura Kinley third. Ashley Faragher, Andrew Cregeen and Sophie Black completed the top six. In the born 1996 age group Ryan Dean pipped overall leader Joshua Knights in a very tight sprint for the line. Reigning champion Eleanor Stokoe remained on track to retain the girls' title by finishing third ahead of Maria Hull, James Everitt and Nicholas Corlett. Finally, Alexander Haddock outsprinted breakaway companions Jonathan Cregeen and Alicia Corlett to pick up maximum points for an eighth time in the born 1994-92 group. Sarah Quine, Warwick Sanderson and Matthew Nicholson led the chasers home in fourth, fifth and sixth positions. _____________________________________________ 13th June * Thomas Mazzone finished an excellent sixth overall in the latest round of British Cycling's national circuit race series, staged at Newport in South Wales. With five rounds of the nine race series completed, Thomas is currently lying sixth in the overall standings. _____________________________________________ 8th June * Conditions were the best they have been all summer for round eight of the Scottish Provident children's cycling league, staged at the NSC last Tuesday night. As expected there was a greatly reduced total of 102 competitors for the TT week event. In the novices class Corey Phillips further strengthened his bid for the overall honours by taking his fifth win of the series. The ever improving Jamie Howe was a very good second, his highest placing to date, and Ryan Forrest third. Kirsty Walsh took the girls' prize in fourth place, with fellow female riders Zoe Kirkham, Charlotte Maddrell, Megan Farrer, Matilda Perry, Martha Patience and Amy Beattie completing the top ten. Thomas Holden picked up maximum points for the sixth time in the born 2000 & later age group. Top girls Caitlyn Smith and Megan Kelly were second and third respectively ahead of Nathan Corrigan, Ben Christian and Matthew Thomas. 2004 title holder Alex Cain finished well clear of the field in the born 1999 category, while Eleanor Davies did well to grab the runners-up spot from Jordan Cooper - the winner of the previous round. Charles Whittaker, Ben Cregeen and Gemma Kirkham filled the remaining places on the top six leader board. Owen Dudley took advantage of the absence of arch rival Matthew Draper to notch up his fourth success in the born 1998 event. Brody Patience was an excellent second and Baldwin's Emily Kelly was the best girl in a fine third place. Brett Dean led Amy Kinley and Kate Marshall home for fourth spot. Victoria Kinrade went from the gun in the born 1997 race and maintained station to the finish. Breeshey Cain spearheaded the pursuit and managed to hold the gap until the closing stages when she was overtaken by Joseph Holden. Fourth position went to James Skillicorn. In the born 1996 class Leon Mazzone managed to hang onto Matthew Davies for the full distance, narrowly losing out in the final sprint. Laura Kinley was an impressive third in front of Jamie Dudley, Ashley Faragher and Andrew Cregeen. Joshua Knights and Ryan Dean could not be split in the gallop at the end of the born 1995 three lapper. Eleanor Stokoe was the leading girl in third place, with early leader Maria Hull fourth, Anna Christian fifth and James Everitt sixth. Only five riders lined up for the born 1994-92 group. Alexander Haddock outsprinted breakaway partner Alicia Corlett for the victory and Alexandra Christian got the better of Stephen Smith and Maxine Harrison for the final place on the podium. Adding an eighth win to his tally,Thomas Mazzone extended his unbeaten run in the under 12's racing bikes. Jack Wolstencroft was second and Joshua Cowie third. Newcomer Juan Hendy from Ramsey was an excellent seventh in his first outing and Alexandra Christian was the first girl home in tenth place. Warming up for the forthcoming British national circuit race championships, an aggressive Mark Christian scored a fine solo win in the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes. Tom Black grabbed second place from Mark Redhead and James Berry was the best of the under 14's in fourth spot. Colum O'Shea was a good fifth and Caroline O'Neill sixth. In a very exciting end to the born 1996 handicap the whole field came together on the finishing straight, with longmarkers Katherine Robinson, Sophie Black and Emma Kennaugh just reaching the line before their pursuers. _____________________________________________ 3rd June * After a one week break for the TT practices, round eight of the Scottish Provident league takes place at the NSC this coming Tuesday (June 7th). A total of 492 competitors have taken part in the first seven rounds of the series, with an average of over 300 riders turning out each week. * The club is sending a large squad of 15 riders to the forthcoming British National Youth Circuit Race Championships at Wombwell near Barnsley on Saturday, 18th June. * The team's Friday coaching nights with Elliot Baxter are proving to be very beneficial. The sessions will resume after TT week. _____________________________________________ 26th May * Weather permitting, there will be a team training session this Friday (May 27th), leaving the Braaid hall at the usual time of 6pm. _____________________________________________ 26th May Conditions were surprisingly good for the 278 youngsters who competed in round seven of the Scottish Provident cycling league at the NSC last Tuesday night. In the novices class Corey Phillips notched up his fourth win of the series ahead of Ryan Forrest and leading girl Kirsty Walsh. Jamie Howe was fourth followed by Charlotte Maddrell, Morgan Scarffe, Emma Mayhew, Thomas McCrory, Callum Bratty and Emily Turner. Thomas Holden pipped Thomas Bostock again for the honours in the born 2000 and later category, with Caitlyn Smith picking up the girls' prize in third spot. William Draper led Milly-Rose Killeen and Nathan Corrigan home for fourth position. After bridging the gap across to a breakaway group of three riders, Jordan Cooper scored a brilliant maiden victory in the born 1999 event. First lap leader Victoria Watson edged out Alex Cain and Marcus Simpson for the runners-up spot, while Ben Cregeen did well to record his highest finish of the series so far in fifth place. Owen Dudley showed his intentions early in the born 1998 race, but had to work hard to keep arch rival Matthew Draper at bay. Both riders now have three wins apiece and it seems likely that the battle for the overall honours will go all the way to the end of the series. Brody Patience was a very good third, with Gabriel Wilson, Roc Faulds and Brett Dean coming from behind to fill fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively. In the born 1997 age group Matthew Bostock proved to be too strong for Victoria Kinrade in the final sprint for the line. The fast finishing Breeshey Cain and Kathryn Hull were third and fourth, after overhauling James Skillicorn and Joseph Holden in the closing stages. Leading from start to finish, Matthew Davies scored his sixth success of the season in the born 1996 class. Leon Mazzone could never get quite close enough to mount a serious challenge and had to settle for second place. Laura Kinley rode strongly to finish a fine third in front of Andrew Cregeen, Ashley Faragher and Jamie Dudley, who completed the top six. Sophie Black and Lucee Killey were the second and third girls across the line in seventh and ninth positions. In a very tight two-up sprint finish to the born 1995 three lapper, Ryan Dean just got the verdict over Joshua Knights to record his very first win and at the same time end Joshua's unbeaten record. There was an equally exciting battle for third place,with Eleanor Stokoe eventually coming out on top ahead of Maria Hull and Anna Christian. Alexander Haddock passed early leaders Jonathan Cregeen and Alicia Corlett on the final circuit to win the born 1994-92 group. The much improved Andrew Marshall had a good ride in fourth place. As usual Thomas Mazzone went from the gun in the under 12's racing bikes and stayed clear for another well deserved victory. Jack Wolstencroft took the gallop for second place from chasing group companions Jonathan Cregeen, Andrew Marshall and Joshua Cowie. Relative newcomer Lucas Croydon was an impressive twelfth, one place behind the top girl Sarah Quine. Fresh from some excellent performances in the Bikestyle handicap series and the recent road race championships, Mark Christian got the better of Matthew Looker in the fast and furious sprint finish to the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes. Mark Redhead was third and fourth placed James Berry edged out Sam Looker for the under 14's prize. Caroline O'Neill was the first girl in ninth spot. Middlemarker Terence George won the born 1997 handicap from Nathan Knights and Tamara Preskey. Don't forget that there will be no racing at the NSC next Tuesday (May 31s) due to the TT practices. The next round of the league will be held on the Tuesday of TT week (7th June). _____________________________________________ 18th May A total of 299 youngsters competed in round six of the club' Scottish Provident league, held in sunny but cold conditions at the NSC last Tuesday night. In the novices class Corey Phillips added a third victory to his overall tally. Kirsty Walsh and Ryan Forrest - both previous winners - were second and third respectively, with relative newcomer Jamie Howe overtaking Zoe Kirkham and Emma Mayhew on the line to claim fourth place. Charlotte Maddrell, Owen Pickett, Charlotte Mason and Emily Turner completed the top ten. Thomas Holden scored a fourth straight win in the born 2000 & later category, crossing the line with a clear advantage over chasers Thomas Bostock and Caitlyn Smith, who pipped fourth placed Milly-Rose Killeen for the girls' prize. Adam Long was a very good sixth on his debut After several top three placings, Marcus Simpson finally made the number one slot in the born 1999 event. Victoria Watson also recorded her best result of the series so far, finishing second ahead of Alex Cain, Jordan Cooper, Alex Watson and Charles Whittaker. Matthew Draper led from start to finish in the born 1998 race, while Owen Dudley came from behind to edge out Ashley Lewis and Luis Novo-Smith for the runners-up spot. The consistant Brody Patience was fifth and sixth placed Emily Kelly had another great ride to take the girls' award for the second week running. Making the most of the absence of series leader Joe Harris, a determined Victoria Kinrade took the honours in the born 1997 age group. Round five winner Matthew Bostock was second and Breeshey Cain got the better of James Sklillicorn for the final place on the podium. The fast finishing Kathryn Hull was an impressive fifth in front of Nathan Knights, who showed no ill effects from the tumble he took last week. Matthew Davies went from the gun in the born 1996 class and was never seriously threatened. Leon Mazzone tried his hardest to bridge the gap, but in the end had to settle for second place. Ashley Faragher was a safe third and top girl Laura Kinley powered away from Andrew Cregeen on the final lap to claim fourth spot. Further down the field Sophie Black held off a very strong challenge from Lucee Killey for ninth position. Joshua Knights had little trouble in keeping his unbeaten record in the born 1995 three lapper. However, there was a much closer battle for second place, with Ryan Dean just getting the verdict by a tyre's width from Eleanor Stokoe. The fast improving Maria Hull was fourth, followed by Anna Christian and Nicholas Corlett. In the born 1994-92 group Alexander Haddock outsprinted Jonathan Cregeen for his fifth success of the season. Andrew Marshall did well to pick up third spot ahead of Stephen Smith, Sarah Quine and Alexandra Christian. Thomas Mazzone got away early in the under 12's racing bike event and stayed clear to the finish. Jack Wolstencroft, Jonathan Cregeen and Joshua Cowie formed a chasing group but were unable to make any inroads into Mazzone's lead. Wolstencroft came out on top in the gallop for second place. The under 14 / under 16 racing bikes ended in a sprint finish contested by a breakaway group of seven riders. Mark Christian was first over the line closely followed by Matthew Looker, Mark Redhead, Sam Looker (the first U/14), James Berry. Tom Black and Colum O'Shea. Leading girl Caroline O'Neill led the rest of the field home in eighth place. Rory McCann won the born 1998 handicap from Ben Cunningham, with Micha Quayle just holding off scratch rider Luis Novo-Smith for third spot. During the evening 'sumo wrestlers' Ken Berry and Tony Hawkes made a bucket collection, raising a fantastic £153 in aid of Peter O'Shea's forthcoming L'Etape du Tour sponsored cycle ride for the Red Cross, who provide the first aid cover for the Scottish Provident League and many other sporting activities on the Island. Many thanks to Ken and Tony for their hard work and to everyone who made a contribution to this worthy cause. _____________________________________________ 13th May * Please note that, weather permitting, the club's Friday night training sessions at the Braaid will now resume next Friday (20th May), starting at 6pm. More details will be given at the NSC next Tuesday night * The team's next major off-island racing trip will be to the British National Circuit Race Championships in Bradford on June 18th. _____________________________________________ 11th May There was another massive turn out of 314 competitors for round five of the Scottish Provident League, held in perfect conditions at a sunny NSC last Tuesday night. In the very well supported novices class Kirsty Walsh took the honours for the second week running. Corey Phillips was second and Emma Mayhew third, with newcomer Jamie Howe an excellent fourth. Charlotte Maddrell, Ryan Forrest, Adam Scarffe, Charlie Lewin, Scott Rotheram and Sean Jackson completed the top ten leader board. Thomas Holden led Thomas Bostock and Caitlyn Smith across the line to complete a hat trick of wins in the born 2000 and later age group. Milly-Rose Killeen grabbed fourth place ahead of William Draper and Adam Kelly, while Megan Kelly overtook Ben Christian on the line for seventh spot. Maintaining her 100% record, Katie Harris powered to another impressive victory in the born 1999 event. Alex Cain was the runner-up and Dillon Cowie edged out Victoria Watson for the final place on the podium. In the hotly contested born 1998 category Owen Dudley scored his second success of the series at the expense of former winners Matthew Draper and Luis Novo-Smith. Fourth place went to reigning champion Aaron Faragher, with early leader Ashley Lewis hanging on to fifth position. Joe Harris bounced back from a rare defeat in the previous round to pick up maximum points in the born 1997 three lapper. Thomas Bostock was second and Victoria Kinrade was the top girl in third place. Nathan Knights, who was looking good for a top ten finish, did well to recover from a last lap tumble and finish sixteenth. Returning after a week's break, Matthew Davies proved to be too strong for Leon Mazzone in the sprint finish to the born 1996 race. Ashley Faragher held off a strong challenge from Andrew Cregeen for third place and Laura Kinley was the first girl in fifth spot. Jack Murray did well to claim sixth after a very bad start. Joshua Knights made an early attack in the born 1995 class and time trialled to a clear victory. Eleanor Stokoe had a good ride in second place, with Maria Hull producing the performance of the night to pip Anna Christian for third position. Ryan Dean got the better of Nicholas Corlett in the sprint for fifth spot. In the born 1994-92 group Alexander Haddock came out on top after a close battle with Jonathan Cregeen. Leading girl Sarah Quine passed Stephen Smith on the final lap to secure her first rostrum placing of the series. Breaking away from a leading group of four riders with two laps to go,Thomas Mazzone had a comfortable win in the under 12's racing bikes. Jonathan Cregeen was second followed by Jack Wolstencroft, Joshua Cowie, Alexander Haddock and Matthew Davies. In the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes Mark Christian, Matthew Looker and Mark Redhead escaped early on in the race. A group of six riders gave chase but were unable to bridge the gap. At the flag Christian took the sprint from Looker and Redhead, with Tom Black getting the verdict for fourth ahead of the two top under 14's - James Berry and Sam Looker. Finally, a delighted Adam Garrett won the born 1999 handicap from Connie Watson and Sophie Alton-Heath. _____________________________________________ 9th May * Caroline O'Neill finished an excellent 12th overall and 5th girl in the youth category at last Sunday's Eddie Soens Memorial open track meeting at the Manchester velodrome. The event included the opening round of the National Sprinters' League and round two of the Women's Omnium League. _____________________________________________ 6th May * Taking advantage of the club's expanding pool of Terry Dolan track bikes, Caroline O'Neill has entered this Sunday's Eddie Soens Memorial track meeting at the Manchester velodrome. * All being well, the team's Friday night training sessions at the Braaid will resume next Friday (May 13th). More details to follow. _____________________________________________ 4th May * A cold wind and the imminent threat of rain failed to deter the 301 competitors who turned up at the NSC last Tuesday night for round four of the Scottish Provident league. Overcoming the far from ideal condiions, Kirsty Walsh notched up her first win in the novices class. Two time winner Corey Phillips was second and Emma Mayhew was a good third. Newcomer Scott Rotherham did well to finish 5th in his first outing. In the born 2000 & later category Thomas Holden took pole position for the second week in succession. Caitlyn Smith was the runner-up ahead of Thomas Bostock, Milly-Rose Killeen, Nathan Corrigan and William Draper. The amazing Katie Harris cruised to her fourth victory in the born 1999 age group, with Alex Cain leading the rest of the field home to claim second place.Marcus Simpson,Victoria Watson, Dillon Cowie and Alex Watson completed the top six. 2003 Novices champion, Luis Novo-Smith, came out on top in the very competitive born 1998 event ahead of former winners Owen Dudley and Matthew Draper , who were second and third respectively. Aaron Faragher was 4th, Brody Patience 5th and Emma Nicholson 6th. Matthew Bostock. Joe Harris and Victoria Kinrade formed an early break the born 1997 race and stayed clear to the finish, with Bostock edging out the previously unbeaten Harris in the sprint for the line. James Skillicorn grabbed 4th spot ahead of Breeshey Cain and Thomas Dalton-Brown. Making the most of the absence of series leader Matthew Davies, Ramsey's Leon Mazzone had a relatively easy win in the born 1996 class. Andrew Cregeen was second and Ashley Faragher third, while Laura Kinley was the best girl in 5th spot. Joshua Knights went from the gun in the born 1995 category and was never headed. Second placed Eleanor Stokoe returned from a week's break to reclaim the girls' prize from Anna Christian. After a great tussle, Alexander Haddock just got the verdict over Jonathan Cregeen in a very tight finish to the born 1994-92 group. Stephen Smith put in a good performance to take 3rd place ahead of the leading girl ,Alexandra Christian. Rookie Warwick Sanderson was an excellent 8th in his maiden event. A well timed attack with two laps to go resulted in another impressive win for Thomas Mazzone in the under 12's racing bikes. Joshua Cowie and Jonathan Cregeen could not be separated in the sprint for second place. In the under 14 / under 16 racing bikes a very aggressive Mark Christian broke away from a leading group of four riders for a fine solo win. Matthew Looker and Mark Redhead, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, tried to chase him down but were unable to bridge the gap. James Berry was the first under 14 rider home in 4th spot and the fast improving Colum O'Shea was 5th, one place ahead of Caroline O'Neill. _____________________________________________ 2nd May * Eight team members contested last Saturday's North West Division Track Championships at the Manchester velodrome. The riders were put through their paces in a series of omnium events, consisting of a one lap time trial, a devil takes the hindmost and a scratch race, with the top ten from each class going through to the final - a 500m time trial. Considering that most of the TSP riders were making their track racing debuts, there were some outstanding performances posted. In category A (under 16's) Mark Christian and Matthew Looker were an excellent 6th and 9th respectively, while Sam Looker was an impressive 7th in category B (under 14's) and Laura Gage a good 9th in the ladies competition. Matthew Berry, Caroline O'Neill and Thomas Mazzone also rode well, but just failed to reach the final play offs. Unluckiest rider of the day was James Berry who was taken out by another competitor when leading the under 14's devil and was unable to continue. _____________________________________________ 1st May * Team members James & Matthew Berry, Mark Christian, Laura Gage, Matthew & Sam Looker, Thomas Mazzone and Caroline O'Neill competed in British Cycling's North West Division Track Championships, staged at the Manchester velodrome last Saturday. Most of the riders were using the track bikes that the club recently purchased with assistance from the Public Lottery and the Gough Ritchie Charitable Trusts. More details to follow. * Eight TSP riders competed in last weekend's Cardiff Youth Tour in Wales. The two-day five stage race was the third round of British Cycling's national series. In the overall standings Joshua Knights finished an excellent 4th (3rd boy) in the under 10's and Thomas Mazzone was very good 5th (4th boy) in the under 12's, despite being brought down in a last lap crash on the final stage. Alexander Haddock, who was making his off-island racing debut, was a very promising 13th in the same class, with fellow off-island debutant Adam Johnson a creditable 20th in the under 14's category. Tom Black and Mark Redhead finished 24th and 26th respectively in the under 16's age group and Caroline O'Neill was 13th in the under 16's girls. An under the weather James Berry retired after the second stage of the under 14's event. _____________________________________________ 27th April Despite the changeable weather conditions, there was another very large turn out of 282 competitors at the NSC last Tuesday night for round three of the Scottish Provident children's cycling league. In the novices class Ryan Forrest took the honours ahead of Kirsty Walsh and Corey Phillips - the winner of rounds one and two. Charlie Lewin did well to finish seventh in his maiden outing of the series. Thomas Holden picked up his first success in the born 2000 and later age group, with last week's winner Thomas Bostock having to settle for second place. Milly-Rose Killeen took the girl's prize in third position. Completing an impressive hat trick, Katie Harris stormed to victory in the born 1999 category. Marcus Simpson was second and reigning champion Alex Cain had his best ride of the season so far to claim third. Victoria Watson, Dillon Cowie and Matthew Cain completed the top six leader board. Owen Dudley ended Matthew Draper's unbeatan run in the born 1998 event. Luis Novo-Smith was third ahead of Ashley Lewis, Brody Patience and Thomas Cowin, while Emma Nicholson was the leading girl in tenth place. Joe Harris maintained his 100% record in the born 1997 race, with Matthew Bostock just holding off a fast finishing Victoria Kinrade for the runners-up spot. James Skillicorn was fourth and Breeshey Cain was the second girl home in fifth position. In the born 1996 class Matthew Davies, Leon Mazzone and Andrew Cregeen broke away on the first lap and stayed clear to the finish, crossing the line in that order. Laura Kinley got the better of Ashley Faragher for fourth spot. Joshua Knights was the runaway winner of the born 1995 group and looks to be the odds on favourite for the overall honours. Ryan Dean had a good scrap with Nicholas Corlett and Anna Christian before securing second place. The fast improving Maria Hull was fifth ahead of Peter Naylor, James Everitt, Gareth Jones, Ben Millard and Harry Goodwin. An aggressive Alexander Haddock took pole position in the born 1994-92 group. Jonathan Cregeen and Stephen Smith also had good rides in second and third places respectively. Sixth placed Alexandra Christian pipped Sarah Quine for the girls' award. Ramsey's Thomas Mazzone went from the gun in the under 12's racing bikes and was never headed. Jack Wolstencroft, Joshua Cowie and Jonathan Cregeen made a determined chase but were unable to bridge the gap. Wolstencroft eventually took the sprint for second place. After Mark Christian and Matthew Looker had both made spirited attempts to get away, the very exciting twenty lap under 14's/under 16's racing bikes event ended in a bunch gallop for the line, with Christian getting the verdict from Looker and James Berry (the best U/14). Mark Redhead was fourth, Sam Looker fifth and Colum O'Shea a good sixth. Caroline O'Neill was the top girl in eigth spot. _____________________________________________ 25th April *2005 World and 2000 Olympic track champion, Jason Queally, was the guest of honour at last Thursday night's Isle of Man Sports Awards ceremony in the Villa Marina. In a very busy schedule, Jason also attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by the Isle of Man Bank - the sponsors of the Awards. At the function he met and chatted to six of the Island's up and coming young cyclists, including TSP members Christopher Nicholson, Joshua Knights, Jonathan Cregeen and Laura Gage who were all presented with a signed GB Olympic jersey and photograph each. Later in the day Jason visited the National Sports Centre-- the venue for the club's hugely successful Scottish Provident youth league - to meet more youngsters and have a short ride with them. At the Sports Awards themselves,which covered the 2004 season only, cyclists came out on top in two of the ten classes, with recently crowned World Madison champion Mark Cavendish winning the under 21 category and paralympic tandem bronze medalist Ian Sharpe taking the diability award. World enduro motorcyclist David Knight, who is a patron of Team Scottish Provident IOM, was the popular winner of the main Sportsman of the Year title. Photos here _____________________________________________
21st April * James Berry, Tom Black, Alexander Haddock, Adam Johnson, Joshua Knights, Thomas Mazzone, Caroline O'Neill and Mark Redhead will be representing the club at this weekend's Cardiff Youth Tour in Wales. The two-day event is the third round of British Cycling's national circuit race series. * World and Olympic champion Jason Queally was down at the NSC at 4 'o' clock this afternoon (Thursday, 21st April) to meet the Island's young cyclists. _____________________________________________ 20th April There was another fantastic all-time record turn out of 332 competitors for round two of the Scottish Provident children's cycling league, staged at the NSC last Tuesday night in sunny but breezy conditions. Corey Phillips scored a repeat victory in the novices class, with Kirsty Walsh taking the girls' honours in second place. Ryan Forrest was a good third ahead of Zoe Kirkham, Adam Scarffe and Toby Lacy. In the born 2000 & later age group Thomas Bostock picked up his first win of the series. Thomas Holden was the runner-up for the second week in succession and Caitlyn Smith, the winner of the opening round, was the best girl in third position. Castletown's Katie Harris came out on top again in the born 1999 category, crossing the line well clear of Marcus Simpson and Liam McCann in scond and third places respectively. Dillon Cowie came through from the back of the field to grab fourth spot. Matthew Draper got the better of Owen Dudley and Luis Novo-Smith to maintain his 100% record in the born 1998 event. Brody Patience, Conor Walters and Thomas Cowin completed the top six, while seventh placed Emma Nicholson pipped Amy Kinley for the girls' prize In a close sprint finish Joe Harris beat Matthew Bostock and Victoria Kinrade to the line for another fine victory in the born 1997 class. James Skillicorn, Breeshey Cain and Matthew Naylor were not far behind in fourth ,fifth and sixth places. Matthew Davies cruised to victory in the born 1996 three lapper. Leon Mazzone recovered from a slow start to claim second ahead of Andrew Cregeen, with leading girl Laura Kinley overtaking Jamie Dudley on the final circuit for fourth position. Leading from start to finish, Joshua Knights was the impressive winner of the born 1995 race. Newcomer Ryan Dean did well to outsprint Eleanor Stokoe and Anna Christian in the battle for second. Jonathan Cregeen made an early break in the born 1994-92 group and took the chequered flag with a sizable advantage over the previous week's winner Alexander Haddock. Third place went to Andrew Marshall and Sarah Quine was the top girl in fifth spot. In the under 12's racing bikes an aggressive Thomas Mazzone attacked on the second lap, leaving the rest of the field in his wake. However, a determined chase by Joshua Cowie, Jack Wolstencroft and Jonathan Cregeen reeled him in on the fifth and penultimate lap. These four riders stayed together to the finish where Thomas got the verdict for a well deserved victory. Wolstencroft was second, Cregeen third and Cowie fourth. The final event of the night was the under 14's/under 16's racing bikes. Mark Christian, Sam Looker, Matthew Looker, Tom Black, James Berry and Mark Redhead formed the winning break, with Oliver Shimmin, Matheu Marshall and Caroline O.Neill in hot pursuit. Colum O'Shea temporarily joined the chasing group before making a valiant solo effort to get across to the leaders . At the finish it was Mark Christian who crossed the line first followed by Matthew Looker, Black, Redhead, Berry (the leading u/14) and Sam Looker. The hard working O'Shea was seventh and Caroline O'Neill the top girl in eighth place. _____________________________________________ 17th April * The Isle of Man Sports Council invites all young cyclists to attend the NSC next Thursday afternoon (April 21st) at 4.00pm prompt to meet World and Olympic track champion Jason Queally, who will be on the Island for the annual IOM Sports Awards. The perimeter racing track will be closed off for the occasion, so bring your bike down for a ride round. Meet in the area that we use for the cycling league on a Tuesday night. If wet, the event will be held inside the main NSC building. Meanwhile, four lucky team members - Joshua Knights, Christopher Nicholson, Jonathan Cregeen and Laura Gage - have been chosen by the I.O.M Bank , the sponsors of the Sports Awards, to join them at the Bank's headquarters on Thursday for a special Sports Award Lunch with Jason. _____________________________________________ 13th April * There was a fantastic all-time record turn out of 291 competitors at the NSC last Tuesday night for the opening round of the 2005 Scottish Provident youth cycling league. Corey Phillips took the honours in the novices race ahead of leading girl Zoe Kirkham, with Owen Picket grabbing third place from Kirsty Walsh, Emma Mayhew and Megan Farrer. In the Born 2000 & later age group Caitlyn Smith was first across the line, chased by Thomas Holden and Thomas Bostock in second and third places respectively. Last year's champion Katie Harris made a good start to the defence of her title by scoring maximum points in the born 1999 class. George Dalton-Brown was the runner-up and Gemma Kirkham was the second girl home in third spot. Victoria Watson was the fastest off the line, but got swallowed up by the pack to finish thirteenth overall and fifth girl. Matthew Draper came out on top in the very well supported born 1998 category. Owen Dudley was second and Ashley Lewis third, with the girls' prize going to Amy Kinley in tenth position. Castletown's Joe Harris took the born 1997 three lapper from Matthew Bostock and James Skillicorn. The best girl was Breeshey Cain in fourth place. Matthew Davies led from start to finish in the born 1996 event. However, Leon Mazzone never gave up the chase and nearly caught the leader in a determined last lap effort. Andrew Cregeen edged out top girl Laura Kinley for the final place on the podium. Fresh from his successful debut in British Cycling's national series, Joshua Knights was the clear winner of the born 1995 class. Nicholas Corlett was a good second and third placed Eleanor Stokoe got the better of Anna Christian in the race for the girls honours. After some close racing, Alexander Haddock was first in the1994/93/92 group, with Jacob Holden overtaking top girl Alexandra Christian on the final circuit to claim second place. Sarah Quine was fourth, Andrew Marshall fifth and Stephen Smith sixth. In the under 12's racing bikes Thomas Mazzone took the chequered flag well ahead of Joshua Cowie and Jack Wolstencroft, while Sarah Quine was the sole girl in eleventh spot. The final race on the action packed programme was the under 14's/under 16's racing bikes. The outcome was decided in a very close sprint between Matthew Looker and Mark Christian, with Matthew just getting the verdict by a tyre's width. Mark Redhead did well to grab third from Tom Black, Sam Looker - the best of the under 14's - and Niall Shimmin. The highest placed girl was Caroline O'neill in seventh position. Unluckiest rider of the night was James Berry, who was forced to retire with mechanical problems when looking good for a top six placing. _____________________________________________ 11th April *Seven team members competed with great success in the second round of British Cycling's national youth series, staged at Hetton Lyons Country Park in Sunderland last Sunday. Making an impressive off-Island debut, Joshua Knights got the team off to a flying start by taking an excellent fourth place in the under 10's race. Leon Mazzone also had a good ride to finish sixth in the same class. In the under 12's event Thomas Mazzone did well to salvage sixth spot after a bout of sickness had slowed him up on the final lap. Twelve year old James Berry produced the performance of the day to grab third place in the very competitive under 14's class. Despite being one of the youngest riders in the group, James took the race to his older rivals, chasing down a dangerous looking break that went from the gun and then launching an attack of his own. He led the race on the final climb but just lost out in the final sprint for the chequered flag. Sam Looker also rode aggressively and was in the thick of the action throughout the race. He eventually crossed the line in a well deserved seventh position. Finally, Mark Christian and Matthew Looker claimed a good tenth and eleventh places respectively in the under 16's category, coming home with the survivors of a depleted chasing bunch that finished some way behind a winning break of three riders. Photos are here The third round of the competition is the Cardiff Youth Stage Race in two weeks time. * Caroline O'Neill was at the Manchester velodrome last Saturday to compete in the Eastland's Velo Club's weekly track meeting. Mixing it with the boys, Caroline's results included a fine third and sixth in the 10 lap and 20 lap scratch races. She was also the best girl in all her events. Caroline was using one of the special track bikes that the club has been able to purchase with the assistance of the Manx branch of the Public Lottery Trust. _____________________________________________ 7th April * Twenty things you always wanted to know about Thomas Mazzone can now be found on our team members page. * Despite the very cold and windy conditions, there was a large turn out at the NSC last Tuesday night for the 2005 Scottish Provident league "come and try it" session. A total of 258 entries have already been received for the series. The Manx Carvery will once again be providing their excellent catering facilities for this year's league. The Carvery makes a generous contribution to the club, so please try and support them. Watch out for the very special offers that the company will be promoting at the start of the season. * The club's spin training sessions at the Braaid Hall resume this coming Friday (April 8th), starting at 6.00pm. * Team members James Berry, Mark Christian, Matthew & Sam Looker, Thomas & Leon Mazzone and Joshua Knights are all competing in next Sunday's Hetton Hawks circuit races in Sunderland. The event is the second round of British Cycling's national youth series. On Saturday, Caroline O'neill will be track racing at the Manchester velodrome as a guest of the Eastlands Velo club. _____________________________________________ 4th April * Check out the pictures of new World Champion Mark Cavendish here * Well done to all the Team Scottish Provident members who competed in last weekend's IOM Youth Tour. In Category A for under 16's Mark Christian, who is in his first year in the older age group, rode aggressively throughout the weekend and was rewarded with a fine 7th place overall. Matthew Looker also did well on a limited amount of training to finish 14th and triathlete Niall Shimmin proved that he is no slouch on the bike by grabbing 18th spot. Despite losing some ground with a mechanical problem on the second stage, Mark Redhead put in a solid performance to claim 20th place, with Tom Black not far behind in 23rd slot. Colum O'Shea and Caroline O'Neill, who had a great ride in the final day's criterium at the NSC, were 31st & 33rd respectively. Following some excellent team work in the last stage at the NSC, Sam Looker and James Berry secured 2nd and 3rd places overall in Category B for under 14's. Sam and James were very impressive on the hills, with 12 year old James just losing out to overall winner Chris Whorrall (MRC) on stage 1's climb up Tholt-y-Will. Oliver Shimmin and Sam Black were 6th and 10th respectively in the same class. Riding with great maturity, Ramsey's Thomas Mazzone won all three stages for a very impressive overall victory in Category C for under 12's. Jonathan Cregeen was 5th and Alexandra Christian did well to recover from a fall on the opening stage to finish 9th. In the combined Category D & E category relative newcomer Joshua Knight outsprinted team mate Matthew Davies to win the final stage in fine style, leapfrogging into third place overall - an excellent effort. Matthew finished up 5th overall, one place ahead of Leon Mazzone, with Anna Christian a creditable 9th. There was more success for the team in the points race, with the winner's green jersey going to James Berry in Catergory B and Caroline O'Neill in the under 16's girls, while Joshua Knights tied for first place with Christian Braybrook (Eastlands Velo) in Category D&E. Although the official placings are still to be confirmed, it seems likely that the club will do very well in at least three of the team competitions. _____________________________________________ 1st April * The 2005 Scottish Provident children's cycling league kicks off at the NSC next Tuesday (April 5th) with a "come and try it" night, starting at 6.30pm. The competition starts in earnest on the following Tuesday (April 12th) and runs right through to the end of August. Weather permitting, a total of 20 rounds will be staged, with a rider's best 10 results to count towards a final overall position. The prize presentation will be held in the Villa Marina on Saturday, September 10th. The league, which began way back in 1992, is being sponsored by Scottish Provident for the twelfth year in succession. * Photos of Thomas Mazzone and Caroline O'Neill at the opening round of BC's Youth Circuit Race Series in London can be viewed here including one of the pin that Caroline's tyre picked up during her event. * Good luck to the 22 team members who are competing in this weekend's IOM Youth Tour. In last year's inaugural event Team Scottish Provident won all but one of the five main categories. _____________________________________________ 28th March * Congratulations to Mark Cavendish on his fantastic achievement of winning a gold medal in the madison at the World Track Championships in Los Angeles. Mark and his partner Rob Hayles, who won bronze with Bradley Wiggins in the same event at the Athens Olympics, finished one lap ahead of the field to claim the rainbow jersey. Mark, who is not from a cycling background, started his cycling career in the Scottish Provident League at the NSC, competing from 1995, when he was just nine years old, to 2001 when he joined the junior ranks. In 1998 Mark really came to prominence with a class win in the prestigious Manchester International Youth Tour. He repeated that victory in the 1999 event, adding a gold medal in the British National Youth Track Championships for good measure. * Overcoming the cold and windy conditions, Tom Black was the fastest of the six Team Scottish Provident IOM members who rode in last Sunday's 15 mile time trial at Ramsey. Tom's very good time of 38mins 56secs put him in an excellent 9th place overall, with Mark Christian 23 seconds further back in 10th spot. Niall Shimmin clocked 39.53 for 12th position and James Berry was 22nd quickest in 43.34. Sam Looker and Alex Kinvig recorded 44.40 and 48.37 for 26th and 30th places respectively. Full result and photos here _____________________________________________ 27th March * Thomas
Mazzone finished an excellent third in the U/12's category at the opening round
of British Cycling's national youth circuit racing series, staged at Eastway in
London on Easter Sunday. _____________________________________________ 23rd March
* Don't forget that there will be no spin training sessions during the Easter holidays. The next session will be on Friday, 8th April. _____________________________________________ 21st March * Ten club
members took part in the Manx Viking Wheelers' 2-up 25 mile time trial at
Ballaugh last Sunday. Matthew Looker partnered Gary Hinds (MVW) to 7th place in
an excellent 1hr 05 mins dead. The TSP under 16 duo of Tom Black and Mark
Christian covered the distance in a very good 1.06.08 for 11th spot, while young
James Berry accompanied Gavin Quayle (MVW) to 17th position in 1.10.22. Sam
Looker and his father Jeff (MVW) were 20th in 1.13.28, one place and 19 seconds
ahead of newcomer Alex Kinvig and veteran Tony Aspell (EV). The all girl pairing
of Caroline O'Neill and Laura Gage posted 1.20.08 for 22nd place and Matthew
Berry teamed up with Colum O'Shea to finish 25th in 1.25.19. _____________________________________________ 20th March * Top
Scottish Provident league performers Caroline O'Neill and Thomas Mazzone will be
travelling down to Eastway in London over the Easter weekend to compete in the
opening round of British Cycling's Youth Circuit Race Series. Caroline
contests the under 16's event and Thomas rides in the under 12's. _____________________________________________ 14th March * Despite the wintry weather,
there was another good turn out of club members for last Friday night's spin
training session in the Braaid Hall. Coach Elliot Baxter soon had everyone
warmed up with a structured programme of exercises, including intervals, sprints
and hill climbs. The sessions have proved to be very popular and should be of
great benefit when the youth racing season starts in earnest, _____________________________________________ 9th March * Team rider Laura Gage got her season off to a flying start by outsprinting Alex Kinvig and Caroline O'Neill to win the 22mile C event in last Sunday's Roy Killey Road Race at Jurby. In the B class, which was run within the main 47 mile race, Mark Christian and Niall Shimmin also put in good performances to finish 2nd (8th overall) and 3rd (9th overall) respectively. _____________________________________________ 6th March * Thanks to Ken Berry, our sister club the Manx Viking Wheelers has its new website up and running. Check it out here. * Club members aged 12 and over are eligible to compete in the Manx Telecom 10 mile time trial league, staged in the north of the Island from April to August. Entry forms for this year's series can be downloaded here. * The club has an extensive off-island racing programme planned for the 2005 season, starting with the Hetton Hawks criteriums in Sunderland on April 10th and closely followed by the Cardiff Youth Stage Race on April 23/24. _____________________________________________
3rd March * Don't forget that the club's spin training sessions at the Braaid Hall are now being held every Friday night, starting at 6.00pm. * The Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust has awarded Team Scottish Provident Isle of Man a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of updating the club's equipment and for the purchase of some more loan bikes. The Gough Ritchie Trust was established by the Will of the late Mrs A.A.Ritchie. Under the provisions of the Will the trustees are required to distribute a third of the Trust's annual income to Manx charities. Last December the club also received £3,000 from the Public Lottery Trust to buy four new track bikes. _____________________________________________
28th February * Six team members competed in last Sunday's sporting 11 mile time trial based at Kewaigue. Mark Christian covered the distance in a rapid 30mins 30secs for an excellent 13th place overall in a field of over forty riders. Matthew Looker clocked a very good 32.07 for 21st overall, with Port Erin's Mark Redhead just one place behind in 32.25. Tom Black was 25th overall in a creditable time of 32.54 and twelve year old James Berry, who was the youngest rider in the race, got round in an impressive 34.18 (27th overall). Sam Looker did well to post 35.30 (29th overall) after losing valuable time with a puncture. _____________________________________________
23rd February * The club's indoor training nights at the Braaid Hall continue this Friday (25th Feb), starting at 6.00pm. From then on the sessions will be run on a weekly basis, with the next one taking place on Friday, 4th March. * Encouraged by their impressive debuts in the previous week's event, Mark Christian and James Berry made a return visit to the Manchester velodrome last Monday night to compete in the ACT Track League. The Isle of Man duo were so outstanding in their initial appearance in the league (they completely dominated the youth events) that the organisers decided to move them up to the senior classes for the latest round. Mark and James were more than able to hold their own against their much older and more experienced rivals, notching up one win and five top six placings between them. The first event that the Manx youngsters contested was a 12 lap scratch race. Mark finished an excellent second - a result that earned him promotion into a higher class - and James was a fine sixth. In the following "devil takes the hindmost" Mark initially made a good start but fell into the danger zone at the back of the field and was eventually eliminated. James fared better in his outing, staying with the pace for sixth place. In the penultimate event - a 12 lap "course des primes" - Mark bounced back in fine style to take the runners-up spot in his group, while James posted his best result of the meeting to finish fourth. The Team Scottish Provident riders saved their best performances for the final two races of the night. In an exciting climax to the evening's programme Mark scored a memorable victory in the final points race. James was also on course for a group win, but was forced to pull out with a bad bout of cramp after leading for 17 of the 20 laps. After the racing was over British Cycling's Talent Team coaches invited Mark and James to attend the Wednesday training sessions at the velodrome _____________________________________________
16th February * Mark Christian and James Berry scored a string of impressive results in the latest round of the ACT (Association of Cycle Traders) Track League, staged at the Manchester velodrome last Monday night. Indeed, the two Manx youngsters, who were making their debuts in the league, completely dominated the evening's combined youth events and between them won all the races they contested. In the opening 8 lap handicap Mark and James came through from the scratch group to finish an excellent first and third respectively. Mark notched up his second victory in the following 10 lap paced handicap, while James grabbed second place to make it a Team Scottish Provident one two. In the Keirin event, which was divided into four races, Mark and James both came out on top in their heats, with Mark posting the fastest time of the night, just a fraction of a second ahead of James. Rounding off a very successful evening, Mark won and James was the runner-up (subject to official confirmation) in the nine lap points handicap. _____________________________________________
12th February * The club's spin training nights in the Braaid Hall are now back in full swing. The next session will be held in a fortnight's time on Friday, 25th February . After that the sessions will be staged weekly in preparation for the start of the racing season. * Team members James Berry and Mark Christian are competing in this coming Monday night's ACT Track League at the Manchester velodrome. _____________________________________________
6th February * Following a short break over Christmas and the New Year, the club's popular spin training sessions in the Braaid Hall resume this coming Friday (February 11th), starting at the earlier than usual time of 6.00pm. Multi Island Games gold medallist Elliott Baxter will be in charge of the proceedings. _____________________________________________
23rd January
* Last Saturday's sell out concert at Marown
School raised a grand total of £1,376.67p for club funds. Many thanks to
everyone who supported the event. _____________________________________________
11th January
* All the tickets for this coming Saturday's
fundraising concert at Marown School have now been sold.
|
