England Under-21 48: Scotland 42
Fourth Test
Derwent Park, Workington
Saturday 18th September 1999
England won a tight match at Workington to square the test series. The key to the win was successive advantages in heats 11, 12 and 13. Misfortune hit David Meldrum, who gated three times and was leading but due to a variety of mishaps when leading, he failed to finish any of the heats concerned. That probably cost the Scots the opportunity of establishing a winning lead.
England were strengthened from the Third Test at Armadale with the return of David Howe and the inclusion of Danny Bird in place of Chris Neath. Scotland were unchanged.
The track escaped the worst of the heavy rain that hit the area and produced reasonably good racing although most heats were won from the gate.
England won the toss and opted for position A using gates 1 and 3 for the first heat.
Heat 1: Mick Powell, Grant MacDonald, Paul Lee [69.5]
David Meldrum made the gate and was backed up by Mick Powell with Grant MacDonald pressing. Meldrum didn’t look totally convincing and fell on the exit from the first bend. Mick Powell avoided him and held on to win.
(3-3) (3-3)
Heat 2: Barry Campbell, Oliver Allen, Simon Cartwright, Blair Scott [68.7]
Campbell made a great start and was never challenged but the heat was shared with Blair Scott stuck at the back.
(3-3) (6-6)
Heat 3: David Howe, Danny Bird, Ross Brady, Kevin Little [69.2]
Howe and Bird gated to lead. Bird managed to hang on despite looking very wild at times.
(5-1) (11-7)
Heat 4: James Grieves, Simon Stead, Blair Scott [69.7]
Grieves and Scott gated and looked set for a 5-1. Cartwright fell and restarted but later retired. Stead chased and caught Scott going into the last bend and surged off the banking to pass just before the line.
(2-4) (13-11)
Heat 5: Danny Bird, David Howe, Mick Powell [68.9]
David Meldrum gated and was being challenged by Danny Bird on the back straight when he stopped suddenly balking Mick Powell in the process. By the time Powell had recovered, Bird and Howe were way ahead.
(5-1) (18-12)
Heat 6: Barry Campbell, James Grieves, Grant MacDonald, Paul Lee [65.8]
Campbell gated again! Grieves stayed behind and managed to fend off first Paul Lee and later Grant MacDonald.
(1-5) (19-17)
Heat 7: Oliver Allen, Ross Brady, Kevin Little, Simon Stead [68.9]
Oliver Allen gated and won from Brady and Little with Stead last. Allen’s bike expired on the victory lap.
(3-3) (22-20)
Heat 8: Paul Lee, Blair Scott, David Meldrum [68.7]
Simon Cartwright was excluded under the two-minute rule. Amazingly with Allen having bike trouble no replacement was forthcoming. Paul Lee won after Meldrum, for once missed the start but did at least finish.
(3-3) (25-23)
Heat 9: David Howe, James Grieves, Danny Bird [68.9]
This heat featured four riders unbeaten by the opposition so something had to give. Howe got the drop on Grieves to win but Campbell dropped out with bike trouble.
(4-2) (29-25)
Heat 10: Kevin Little, Ross Brady, Grant MacDonald, Paul Lee [69.3]
Little and Brady secured an easy maximum to square the match.
(1-5) (30-30)
Heat 11: Simon Stead, Mick Powell, Oliver Allen [69.5]
David Meldrum gated once more and was leading out of the third bend when he appeared to hit mechanical trouble and fell with sparks flying. Meldrum was excluded. Stead won the rerun from Powell.
(4-2) (34-32)
Heat 12: Simon Cartwright, David Howe, Barry Campbell, Kevin Little [70.0]
Barry Campbell came out on James Grieves’s bike. Cartwright gated from Howe with Campbell missing the start. Kevin Little spluttered around at the back .
(5-1) (39-33)
Heat 13: Grant MacDonald, James Grieves, Simon Stead, Mick Powell [69.5]
Grant MacDonald produced a bit of grass tracking to slip inside Grieves and take his first win in a disappointing meeting. Stead edged ahead of Powell to give England an eight-point lead.
(4-2) (43-35)
Heat 14: Danny Bird, Ross Brady, Blair Scott [70.9]
Amazingly, there were no tactical substitutions from Scotland. Allen retired soon after the start but Bird swept ahead to win and secure the match.
(3-3) (46-38)
Heat 15: Ross Brady, David Howe, James Grieves, Danny Bird [69.5]
Grieves gated from Brady who then went ahead. Howe was stuck behind Bird for a couple of laps. Howe passed Bird and used his speed to close in on Grieves. He edged the decision on the line after a majestic sweep off the last bend banking. Brady won the heat in great style.
(2-4) (48-43)
|
England Under-21 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Grant MacDonald |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
7 |
||
|
Paul Lee |
1* |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
4+1 |
|
David Howe |
3 |
2* |
3 |
2* |
2 |
|
|
12+2 |
|
Danny Bird |
2* |
3 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
9+1 |
|
Simon Stead |
2 |
3 |
1 |
R |
|
|
|
6 |
|
Oliver Allen |
2 |
3 |
1 |
R |
|
|
|
6 |
|
Simon Cartwright |
1* |
R |
M |
3 |
|
|
|
4+1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scotland |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Mick Powell |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
David Meldrum |
F |
R |
1* |
X |
|
|
|
1+1 |
|
Kevin Little |
0 |
1* |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
4+1 |
|
Ross Brady |
1 |
2 |
2* |
2 |
3 |
|
|
10+1 |
|
James Grieves |
3 |
2* |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
10+1 |
|
Barry Campbell |
3 |
3 |
R |
1 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
Blair Scott |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1* |
|
|
|
4+1 |
Grieves and Brady were the pick of the Scotland side with Brady improving as the match went on as Grieves faded slightly. Kevin Little and Blair Scott were not quite at their best. Barry Campbell was excellent until he suffered mechanical problems in his third ride.
More was expected from the Berwick pair of Mick Powell and David Meldrum. Mick Powell was on his first visit to Derwent Park and never seemed to get to grips with the track while Meldrum could easily have made double figures but for a fall, and bike problem and an exclusion all when leading!
David Howe and Danny Bird were the best riders in the England side. Stead, Lee, and MacDonald were inconsistent. Oliver Allen looked good but like Cartwright he suffered bike problems.
Man of the match: David Howe
John Lowe