Inter-club league

Saturday, July 19, 2014
It was Ballymena Road Club’s turn to host a round of the inter-club road racing league series last Wednesday evening at Slaght.
Riders from Ballymoney, Bann Wheelers, Carn Wheelers, Spires and Roe Valley joined the host club on a perfect evening for racing.
They were set off in four groups with an overall handicap of six minutes, for the three laps – 26 miles race.
The gentle weather conditions, combined with the relatively flat Caddy circuit and a very big front group, meant that the scratch group found it impossible to overcome their starting handicap and they were still nearly three minutes in arrears at the finish.
Bann Wheelers pair Connor Bradley and Mark Johnston along with Gerard Scullion (Carn Wheelers) escaped the clutches of the front group on the last lap and they contested the finish in a three-up sprint which Bradley won by a bike’s length from Johnston with Scullion 2 seconds behind in third.
Shane McDonald led in the bunch at 13 seconds for fourth place with Ballymena’s Alan Blair close behind in fifth. (6) John Craig (Roe Valley)
Eileen Burns was there too – in ninth place – and first of the ladies.
Claire Gillespie was second lady. (3) Jane Millar (Bann Wheelers) (4) Mairaid McGurk (Carn) (5) Laura Maxwell (Roe Valley) (6) Emma Smyth (7) Laura Blair.
Claire Gillespie now shares the lead in the ladies league with Jane Millar on 40 points. Eileen Burns is in third place with 35 points. (5) Emma Smyth 21 (7) Laura Blair 19. 
Roe Valley promotes round five on Thursday 24th July and the series is concluded at Carn Wheelers on 14th August.