Yorkshire defeated Greater Manchester by 93-86 in the ‘War of the Roses’ at Heckmondwike for the Jeff Layden Cup.

The roses rivalry has been revived in honour of the former Heckmondwike club president, who passed away last December.

Jeff was the instigator for the Roses matches back in the early 1980s, and it was a fitting tribute.

Jeff’s son David and grandson Chris were on hand to present the trophies to the riders, plus the cup to winning captain Andy Angell.

Both teams selected a mixture of youth and experience, with the Yorkshire side looking the stronger as it featured Sheffield Elite League riders Angell, Pawel Idziorek and Bobby McMillan.

The opening race saw the Hull pairing of Angell and Sam Schofield secure a 6-4 advantage over Chris Parrish and Reece Pollitt and a drawn heat followed before Greater Manchester went into the lead with a 7-3 from Ben Higham and Ben Scrannage over Darren Kent and Jason Burke.

Yorkshire moved into a six point lead at 33-27 with a 6-4 in heat six from McMillan and Kent over Terry Norman and Jack Lush.

The next five races finished all square, but in heats 12 and 13 there were 6-4 wins for Yorkshire, who now led by 70-60.

Yorkshire were on for a match winning 7-3 in heat 15 until Higham made a good pass on Stephenson and the race was drawn.

A terrific race 16 win put Yorkshire on 85 points with two races to go, but heat 17 saw the only exclusion of the match for Adam Watson for slowing the race.

The 6-3 advantage didn’t make a difference to the match result, with Yorkshire leading by seven with just one race remaining.

The pairing for the last race were Heckmondwike’s Idziorek and Kent.

Idziorek sealed a white rose win with an electrifying pass on Scrannage at the second attempt.

The aim for next season is to have the Roses fixture over two legs, and there are plans for the inclusion of an Under 16s match.

Scores: Yorkshire 93 – Pawel Idziorek 16 (4), Andy Angell 13+1 (4), Adam Stephenson 13 (4), Bobby McMillan 12+1 (4), Richard Hudson 11 (4), Sam Schofield 10(3), Jason Burke 6+1 (4),Darren Kent 6(4), Adam Watson 6 (4); Greater Manchester 86 – Ben Scrannage 15+2(5), Jack Lush 13(5), Chris Parrish 12+2(5), Terry Norman 11+1 (4), Reece Pollitt 10+1(5), Ben Higham 9+2(4), Joe Pickford 8+1(4), Danny Taylor 8(4).

Heckmondwike travel to Manchester club Astley and Tyldesley on Sunday for the next round of the Northern Fours and Junior League series.

Club training continues on Wednesdays from 7.30-9pm at Firth Park, and bikes, helmets and gloves are provided free of charge.

For more information contact Justin Naylor on 07799-367370 or riders are free to come and have a go.

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