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Sean wins Wilson cup road race
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Sean Wright used his wealth of racing experience to best effect when a late, perfectly timed, attack gave him victory in last Wednesday evening’s H and M Wilson cup road race at Slaght.
There was a field of 38 riders for the three lap 26 miles event, held on the Caddy circuit, which forms part of the club’s Northstone sponsored club race series.
They were set off in three groups spanning four minutes. Groups one and two came together very early in the race with just 8 miles covered, but the scratch group had to work much harder to reel in the leaders.
One of the scratch riders – visiting Phoenix rider Mike Millar, who had just finished the Ras Tailteann the previous weekend, was carrying good form. He broke clear of scratch and then caught the leading bunch.
He was to attack again and go into a solo lead for the last lap.
At one point it looked as though he had done enough but the scratch group were closing in. They reached the front of the race on the Caddy road on the last lap and a short time later also caught Millar.
Then, late on, veteran Wright made his, what proved to be, winning move, decisively drawing clear of the amalgamated field.
He held on to win the race by 4 seconds in 62 minutes 58 seconds.
Ryan Bankhead finished second just piping Karl Taylor on the line.
(4) Ryan Shaw (5) Stephen Smyth (6) Neil Millar (7) Gary Reid (8) Mark Wright (9) Quinton McFall (10) Jason Burns (11) Richard Reid (12) Matthew Brennan (13) Noel Bradley (Bann Valley) (14) Nigel Kernohan (15) John Shaw (16) Tommy Wilson (17) Eileen Burns (18) Emma Smyth (19) Daryl Sempey (20) Alan Blair (21) Mike Millar (Phoenix) (22) Simon Taggart (23) Claire Gillespie (24) Clifford Grant (25) Ryan Currie (26) Bann Valley (27) Colin Scullion (28) David Dougan all same time 63 minutes 02 seconds.(29) Andrew Dempsey (30) Colin Deane (31) John Maxwell (32) Laura Blair (33) Beresford Millar (34) George Graham.
Afterwards Sean gave a brief account of the finish.
"We caught Mike (Millar) roughly 3 miles from the finish David Dougan tried to get away immediately but was reeled in just before Tommy Wilson attacked.
I made my effort with about half a mile to go and managed to hold off the chasing bunch to the line. I really enjoyed the race. It is my first race win in a very long time.”
The 10 miles youth race on the same circuit was won by Shaun Byrne of Bann Valley from his club mate Thomas McDonald and his brother Fergus Byrne. (4) Eoin Mellon (5) Ciaran McIlvar (6) Isaac McAuley all Bann Valley (7) Joel McCavana (BRC) (8) Brian McAuley (BV)