13-Aug-81
13-Aug-81
| Cleveland Division 4,000m Pursuit Championship |
JUST three days after returning from the British Cycling Federation national track championships with a share in the British Madison title, Stockton Wheeler Paul Curran retained his Cleveland divisional 4,000-metre pursuit title for the fourth time at Clairville Stadium on Wednesday.
He scored a decisive victory in the final against his club-mate Hilton McMurdo as he rode to a championship record of 5min 14.2sec, leaving McMurdo to claim the silver medal after taking the bronze in 1980. The battle for the silver and bronze medals produced some exciting competition, as McMurdo squeezed home 1.4 seconds ahead of Hartlepool's Martin Bourner after the Hartlepool man had fought his way back to level pegging with two laps left, reversing a three second advantage gained by McMurdo hallway through the eight lap title race.
Hambleton RC's Andrew Langford, put out of the semi-finals by the very in-form Curran, met Bourner in the decider for the bronze medal, which developed into the fiercest fought leg of the competition.
It was Bourner who came away with the other medal, completing the distance just 0.2 seconds ahead of the 17-year-old Northallerton rider.
There was no doubt that it was Curran's evening having opened the track league programme by winning the Devil-take-the-hindmost before getting over the line first at the end of the three mile scratch race.
Seacroft Wheeler Steve Barnes took second place and Stockton Wheeler Simon Hart third in the Devil, while Dinnington RC's Richard Stevely finished as runner -up as Teesside Clarion's Chris Armstrong took third place in the final event.
1. Paul Curran (Stockton Whs) 5-14.2
2. Hilton McMurdo (Stockton Whs)
3. Martin Bourner (Hartlepool)