8-Sep-84

NATIONAL Team Pursuit Championship

Wheelers' experience pays off

PUT together the combined talents of Paul Curran, Deno Davie, Darryl and Martin Webster and you have the ingredients for a successful team pursuit squad. And so it proved, with the Manchester Wheelers 'A" team proving too experienced for the VC d'Or team from South London in the final on Saturday.

The Wheelers were fastest qualifiers in 4-41.43, their nearest challengers to VC Nottingham "A" in 4-47.50 and VC d'Or "A" in 4-47.57.

The quarter-finals saw the assembled-on-the-day Zenith CC putting out the Paragon RT, VC d'Or disposing of Team Zoyland, VC Nottingham putting paid to the Ratae RC, while Manchester Wheelers "A" caught Manchester Wheelers "B" in 4-20.73.

In the semi-finals the VC d'Or's task was made easier when the Zenith CC disintegrated halfway through, gaps appearing and never being fully closed, while Manchester Wheelers "A" took nearly three seconds out of VC Nottingham, who despite three full laps by Shaun Wallace in a desperate attempt to drive his team on, couldn't raise their pace against the Manchester team driven even harder by Darryl Webster.

VC d'Or led for a lap and half against Manchester Wheelers in the final, but as surely as night follows day the Wheelers got into their rhythm and thrashed round the track, seemingly faster and faster every lap until time ran out, leaving them victors by 4-42.70 to 4-45.60.

RESULTS

Final

1. MANCHESTER WH "A" (P. Curran, D. Davie, D. & M. Webster) 4-42.70
2. VC d'Or (R. Kennison, C. Lillywhite, G. Newton, G. Rowland) 4-45.60.

Qualifying round

1. Manchester Wh A 4-41.43
2. VC Nottingham A, 4-47.50
3. VC d'Or A, 4-47.57
4. Zenith CC, 4-47.68
5. Paragon RT, 4-50.31
6. Team Zoyland, 4-50.43
7. Ratae RC, 4-50.45
8. Manchester Wh B, 4-52.10.

Quarter-finals

Zenith CC, 4-42.90, bt Paragon RT, 4-49.06
VC d'Or, 4-43.05 bt Team Zoyland, 4-44.58.
VC Nottingham A, 4-45.80 bt Ratae RC 4-52.81.
Manchester Wh A, ct Manchester Wh B, 4-20.73.

Semi-finals

VC d'Or, 4-47.13, bt Zenith CC, 4-57.91.
Manchester Wh A, 4-41.38, bt VC Nottingham A, 4-44.37.

Third place

VC Nottingham A (K. Gray, M. Oakes, S. Wallace, P. Wilkins) 4-45.83, bt Zenith CC, 4-49.35.

Non-qualifiers

9. Dinnington RC, 4-53.13
10. '34 Nomads, 4-53.14
11. Clayton Velo, 4-53.82
12. City of Edinburgh RC A, 4-53.91
13. VC Nottingham B, 4-54.89
14. Highgate CC, 4-57.02
15. Gemini BC, 4-58.56
16. VC d'Or B, 5-0.32
17. Askern CC, 5-0.78
18. Southend & Co 5-1.45
19. Scunthorpe Poly, 5-2.25
20. Mid Shropshire Wh, 5-3.10
21. Derby Mercury RC, 5-7.55
22. Goole Vermuyden, 5-9.90
23. Manchester Wh C, 5-13.38
24. Beauvale CC, 5-15.35
25. Penn CC, 5-25.33.