From Fergus Muir

The club hosted an afternoon of grass track racing at Hardwick Middle School, Bury St Edmunds. The sun shone most of the time and there was only a few spits of rain. But the track had had a good drenching the day before and was spongy and with a strong wind blowing it was hard going for the riders.

 Photos available @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/21895843@N04/tags/wswgrass2008/

The most exciting event of the afternoon was probably the Madison where riders in teams of two race in relay and propel their partners into action with a hand-sling.  McClelland (Askoviner)  paired up with Matthew Fenton (Cottingham Coureurs) and won this one. The Wheelers paired senior and junior members with James Carpenter and Alan Trolove taking third place, while young Harvey Newman put in a sterling effort at slinging his substantially-built dad Steve into the fray.

Young members provided the local defence in the series of events for Under 14s that made up the fixed wheel omnium, or overall points competition.

The Wheeler’s Ed Ballam and Alan Trolove put in the fastest one-lap time trials (31.66 seconds and 32.57 respectively) but George Bateman of Welwyn Wheelers built up a comfortable lead in the Devil-take-the-Hindmost – the race in which the last rider is eliminated on every lap. Bateman was also winner of the Win-and-Out race, where the first lap leader takes the prize and those behind chase the lower placings. The Welwyn youngster thus amassed enough points to win overall, with Balham and Trolove tying for second place.

There were three events for tricycles with riders coming from as far away as Somerset and Oxfordshire.
Incidentally among the spectators, with newly restored tricycle, was Richard Simmons, Wheelers secretary in the early sixties.

There was actually a tie for the top position in the tricycle omnium.
Geoff Booker from Oxfordshire was quickest in the time trial, but wily Welwyn Wheeler Roger Akers snatched the 400 metre scratch race and the pair ended equal on points. Third overall was Mick Madgett of the Diss & District CC, who was the winner of the three-lap tricycle handicap event.
As well as his tricycle Madgett also gave his classic track bicycle an airing, but he was no match for the big guns of visiting grass-track experts.

Richard Lambert from Hull club Cottingham Coureurs took the 400 metre scratch race as well as the Win-and-Out and the 5 kilometre endurance event, while Barnet rider John McClelland took the senior Devil.

The final race of the day was the team sprint – Ross Edgar’s event in Beijing.  Cottingham Coureurs were the winners at Bury, with West Suffolk Wheelers second and Welwyn Wheelers third.

Results
West Suffolk Wheelers Grass Track
Hardwick Middle School August 10 2008

Under 14 Fixed Wheel Omnium 1st George Bateman Welwyn Wheelers, 2nd = Alan Trolove/Edward Ballam both West Suffolk Wheelers

Trike Omnium 1st= Roger Akers TA East/Geoff Booker Oxonian CC, 3rd Mike Madgett Diss CC

400 metres  1st Richard Lambert Cottingham Coureurs, 2nd John McClelland Agisko Viner, 3rd Matthew Fenton Cottingham Coureurs

Win and Out (A group) 1st Lambert, 2nd Fenton; (B group) 1st Pete Whelan Plomesgate CC

5 Kilometre Scratch 1st Lambert, 2nd Fenton, 3rd McClelland, 4th Whelan, 5th Andrew Brown Welwyn Wheelers, 6th Steve Newman West Suffolk Wheelers

Devil (take the hindmost) (A group) 1st McClelland, 2nd Lambert; (B group) 1st Whelan

5k Madison 1st Fenton/McClelland, 2nd Lambert/Whelan, 3rd James Carpenter/Alan Trolove West Suffolk Wheelers, 4th Brown/Bateman, 5th Adrian Grimwood/Edward Ballam West Suffolk Wheelers, 6th Steve and Harvey Newman West Suffolk Wheelers

Team Sprint 1st Fenton/Lambert/Amy Willoughby Cottingham Coureurs, 2nd Newman/Newman/Trolove West Suffolk Wheelers, 3rd Brown/Bateman/Nick Brown Welwyn Wheelers