Cycling: Crooks wins points thriller

Stu Crooks
Stu Crooks
Stu Crooks narrowly won a thrilling 34-lap points race at Seddon Park on Tuesday night to deny Chris Henderson a clean sweep of the evening's racing.

Mark Spessot attacked early and splintered the large field, but Henderson and James McKellar chased strongly and caught him before the first sprint.

Crooks then went on the attack, chased by Henderson, Chris Harvey and veteran Neil Derbyshire, who lapped most of the rest of the field.

Henderson was leading on points going into the final lap, needing just one point to stay ahead.

He could not feature in the final sprint, however, and Crooks crossed the line first, tying the points and claiming the win.

Henderson won the 8-lap points race and the senior A keirin which featured after a long absence from the programme.

In the first senior B heat of the keirin, Ewan Syme attacked soon after the derny pulled away and led all the way to the finish, ahead of Steve Green and Greg O'Kane.

It was a similar story in the second senior B heat in which Bailey Saville showed her power and sprinted away from Phoebe Swale and Olivia Kennedy. Swale held off a determined attack by Kennedy to finish second.

In the C grade scratch race, an attack by Olivia Kennedy and Megan Foley forced a split. Foley crossed the line ahead of Kennedy, with Ray Lucas third.

Bryan Murray won the points race, ahead of Ray Lucas and Michael McGowan, after riding 10 laps solo off the front.

In junior A racing, Bradley White had a strong evening, finishing second behind Mark McCormack in the scratch race, and tying for first in the 3min Australian pursuit.

Jody Syme featured in her first night of track racing, tying for first in the Australian pursuit with Richard van Aalst.

Syme also won the six-lap handicap race ahead of Sian Remon and Emma Howell.

The roadsters won one each in the handicap racing.

Strong riding enabled Caleb Rollo to overtake Olivia McDonald in the first race, but he could not catch her in the second race.

 -by Bryony Telford. 

Add a Comment