Ray Knight has cycling victory

Press, 21 February 1978, Page 22

Ray Knight has cycling victory

Victory in only the third long scratch race Ray Knight has completed this season was enough to give him a place in the Canterbury hard track cycling team for the 15,000 m at tiie Healing national championshins. GTren an ideal lead-out at Denton Park last evening by Blair Stockwell. Knight had the finishing speed to clinch victory.

Stockwell, third, John Mullan second, and Mick Litolff fourth, were already sure choices; Knight lodged his own belated claims; and the fifth place went to Frank Sehaapveld. The Canterbury teams for the national championship are Stockwell and Knight, and Kim Reid and Paul Jesson. Also, Roy Pemberton has been added to the team for the veteran events.

Apart from the significance of the 15,000 m race, the meeting v.as marked by the beginning of competition for two amateur cups, and the winning of the Paul Brydon Cup, for novices, by Nick Purcell.

He won clearly, in a two-man finish, from Shane Smith, the first time a back-marker has been successful, but the B.A.L. and H. and T. Cups have still to be decided. Paul Flattery took a vital early lead in the H. and T. Cup contest for A grade riders with his clear-cut 400 m victory off a generous handicap, and a fighting second in the 1000 m. In the B grade contest. John Stace has a narrow lead over Bruce Brunton, the latter kicking clear of the main bunch and leading out for victory In the 2000 m. But even with the good conditions. it was not a night for good times. Both Brunton and Terry Gyde failed in efforts to record the junior qualifying time of 4min ssec for the 3000 m individual pursuit. And though the top junior pursuit team did a smart smin 4.9 see. the other squad did a very moderate amin 16.8 sec. Results:— AMATEUR B.A.L. Cup—B grade 400 m handicap: J. C. Staee (10m) 1, J. E. Woodley (40m) 2, G. Eaton (15m) 3. Time, 30.2. B grade 2ft)om scratch: B. Brunton 1. G. Tump 2. T. D. Gyde 3. Time, 2:46.0. H. and T. Cup— A grade4oom handicap: P. S. Flattery (35m) 1, G. W. Howes (25m) 2. I. R. Steele <3om) 3. Time, 28.2. A grade 1000 m scratch: R. E. Knight I, Flatterv 2. B. G. Stockwell 3. Time, 1:26.8. Scratch.—3ooom junior individual pursuit: Brunton, 4:6.6, beat Gyde. 4:12.6. 4000 m junior team pursuit: No. 1 team (A. M. Duder, Flattery, T. R. Horne, A. J. Strangi. 5:4.9. beat No. 2 team (M. Steele. Brunton. Tump, K. Steele), 5:16.8. Open 15,000 m: Knight 1, J. P. S. Mullan 2, Stockwell 3. Time, 20:24.5. Handicap—Open 1600 m: Stace (140 m > 1, Howes (80m > 2, Flattery (80m) 3. Time, 1:57.2. NOVICE Italian pursuits.—B grade: No. 2 team (M. Childs. P. Turnbull. M. Andrew, P. Cattermole), tied with No. 1 team 'M. Morgan, K. Verdellen, F. Groenendaal, K. Law', both 2:17.7. A grade: No. 1 team (S. M. Smith. N. J. Purcell, S. F. Burdon, M. Sanders), 2:00.0. beat No. 2 team (S. C. Woods, C. R. Adair, V. R. Harvey, K. G. Bishopi, 2:5.2. Scratch. —B grade 2000 m: Childs 1. Turnbull 2. Verdellen 3. Time, 3:17.5. A grade 2000 m: Purcell 1, Smith 2. Adair 3. Time, 2:56.0. Handicap—B grade 800 m: Turnbull issnv 1, Groenendaal iaOrn' 2. Law (65m) 3. Titne, 60.2. A grade 800 m: Smith (scr) 1, Bishop (40m) 2. Burdon (20m> 3. Time, 61.2. Open 1600 m. P. D. Brydon Cup: Purcell (Scr) I. Smith 'scri 2. Woods (scri 3. Time, 2:4.4.