Kids star as Cradley Heathens thrash Buxton
Youngsters Joe Lawlor and Luke Harris bagged paid maximums as Cradley reached the National League summit by crushing troubled Buxton 62-27, writes Andy Mitchell.
The Heathens, cheered on by a healthy away following in the stunning Peak District setting, racked up a whopping seven maximum heat advantages and had victory sealed with five races to run.
Lawlor backed up fellow reserve Conor Dwyer’s heat-two victory before blitzing the rest of the card, stretching his lead throughout heat seven and cruising around the outside in heat 14 to seal a first unbeaten outing in senior speedway.
“Joe rode the track really well with some cracking starts so fair play to him,” said team boss Will Pottinger. “Everything is coming together well for him, he has been winning races without quite fulfilling his potential due to mechanical issues. This meeting saw him show us what he’s made of.”
Despite the chasm between the rivals and a difficult track, there were plenty of eye-catching moments for the travelling faithful to enjoy.
Talisman Danny Ayres had suffered a mechanical problem in the opener but hit back with a win in 55.5 seconds, the fastest time of the season around Hi-Edge Raceway, in heat five.
Tom Perry roared past Shelby Rutherford at the start of the back straight in heat heat nine to ensure a fourth straight 5-1 which saw Cradley open up a 40-13 lead.
Buxton then gated for a maximum of their own in heat 10 but Harris produced the pass of the day, firing through the middle of his opponents to sweep from third to first before home guest Luke Priest fell on lap two.
Ayres continued his eventful day by falling while leading heat 11 but then matched his record breaker in heat 13 and then clocked 55.7 seconds in the nominated race to register the three best times at Buxton so far this season.
