PONEKE CLUB RACE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 31, 6 August 1934, Page 4

PONEKE CLUB RACE

Although road and weather" conditions were very trying* fifteen riders' out o£ a field of twenty finished in the 33 miles' race held on Saturday afternoon^ by the Poneke Amateur Cycling Club. The winner was L. Walsh (6rain), and fastest time was made by H. ■ Houston, who has been riding most consistently lately. It was his first start from the scratch mark. •

J. Mather (IGinin) led at the end of the first circuit, being 83sec ahead of A. J. Pereival (ISmin). Then came Huxford (lOmin) and Griggs (Smin), some 4%miti later. Sparkes, P. Pereival, Walsh (6min), and L\ Evans (Bmin) were nest, S7sec later, then came Ces. Ericcson (6min) and Aldridge (lOmin), followed closely by Thomson, Barnsley, Boulton (3min), and Doidge (6nim). The scratch riders, Blackett, Lasky, and Houston, had gained four minutes on the leader.

On round two the riders were hardly recognisable. They were covered with mud, and the roads off the bitumen made the pedalling doubly hard. Mather still led A. J. Pereival, with Griggs a little over a minute behind the leader. Walsh, Sparkes, and Pereival, who had picked up Huxford, were nest, followed by D. Evans, who had had the misfortune to spill a little distance back, and who passed through 30seo later. Boultou and Thomson were less than a minute behind Walsh and company, and with the scratch riders only a minute and a half further back it seemed certain to be a good Although Walsh rode splendidly, he was caught by Boulton, who had also made a fine effort over, the last lap. and hud a. good sprint left . in. him to head Boulton liy a length over the finishing line. R. Grifres was third, haying ridden unpriced for 20 miles! This proved his undoing, and when caught by the winner he was unable to "hook in" with him. IT. Houston (ser) took fourth place from Blackett and Lasky. The rest of the riders finished singly and in pairs until fifteenth place was won by Mather, who had ridden unpaced the whole distance. PJacinjrs were as follows:— L. Walsh (Bniin), lhr 45min 20 l-ssec, 1; J. Boulton (3rain), lhr 42min 21see, 2; K. Griggs (Smin), lhv 49niin 17 2-ssec, 3; H. Houston (scr), 4 and fastest!time, lhr 41 min 53see: F. Blackett (scr), 5 and second fastest, lhr 41mjn 53 l-ssec; W. Lfifiky (scr), lhr 41min 53 2-ssec, 6 and third fastest. The Poneke Club will hold a 33 miles open race at Kilbirnic on Saturday at 2.15 p.m., and also a 11-mile junior and a messenger boys' race.