Astley & Tyldesley welcomed near neighbours Bury for a Northern League derby fixture at a sunny Gin Pit on Saturday.

In the Division 1 match, Bury opened up with two 6-4 heat wins and steadily pulled way to run out 86-60 winners.

Best for A&T was Paul Graham, who won two races, with Reece Pollitt and Max Evans also winning races. Bury had a more solid scoring team, with Ben Scranage and reserve Kaysar Mohammedi both riding unbeaten.

Northern League Division 1 match result Astley & Tyldesley 60 Bury 86 A&T: Paul Graham 13 (plus 1 bonus), Reece Pollitt 10 (1), Ciaran Collins 10, Max Evans 9, Matt Snell 8, Emily Burgess 6, Mark Grantham 4 (1).

Bury: Ben Scranage 15 (1), Kristian Ramsden 15 (1), Danny Taylor 15 (1), Neil Howarth 13 (4), Will Owens 10, Kaysar Mohammedi 8, Adam Taylor 5 (1), Adam Turnbull 5.

The Division 2 match saw the top two teams in the league come head to head, with Bury unbeaten and A&T having lost just once.

A&T suffered a major blow with Mark Grantham ruled out after suffering an asthma attack. The two teams were locked together in a very tactical encounter, with the scores level at the half way stage. A&T took a vital 7-3 heat win in heat 10, as the Evans/Collins pair headed home Turnbull/Mohammedi. Bury hit back with a 6-4 in heat 11 to reduce the gap to two points.

Ciaran Collins picked up a gate exclusion in heat 13 and Bury took a 7-2 heat win, to move into a 3 points lead. Heat 14 was shared and the visitors took a last race 6-4 heat win, to run out 77-72 winners. Max Evans rode to a fine 20 points maximum, with solid support from Matt Snell and Ciaran Collins. Bury had a more solid scoring side, led by Adam Turnbull, who won two races and look set to win the Division 2 title.

Northern League Division 2 match result Astley & Tyldesley 72 Bury 77 A&T: Max Evans 20, Matt Snell 17, Ciaran Collins 14 (1), Gareth Paine 8 (2), Emily Burgess 7, John White 6, Charlie Burgess dnr.

Bury: Adam Turnbull 16, Eryk Motala 14 (1), Kaysar Mohammedi 14 (1), Adam Taylor 12 (1), Louis Turner 10 (3), Asim Hussain 5 (2), Harry Radford 4, Steve Mann 2.

Likewise, the Division 3 match saw the top two teams clash, with Bury unbeaten and A&T having lost just once. 26 riders contested the match, with riders split into an u-10s group and an u-13s group, with the team scores combined. A&T's John White raced unbeaten in the u-10s match, with team mate Nathan Holt losing only to John. A&T's Matt Snell raced unbeaten in the u-13s match, with team mate Emily Burgess and Bury's Louis Turner dropping two points each. A&T ran out convincing 158-112 winners, so the winners of the final match of the season at Bury on 23rd October will take the title.

Northern League Division 3 match result Astley & Tyldesley 158 Bury 112 A&T: John White 16, Matt Snell 16, Nathan Holt 15, Charlie Burgess 14, Emily Burgess 14, Frank White 13, Aiden Green 11, Daniel Holt 10, Josh Parkinson 10, Tom Beeley 10, Logan Outram 8, Lucy Grantham 7, Laura Snell 6, Sabrina Evans 4, Jack Littler 4.

Bury: Duncan Whalley 14, Louis Turner 14, Harry Radford 13, Kaci Neath 11, Josh Neath 11, Thom Deakin 10, Dawar Mohammedi 9, Holly Quinn 8, Theo Gallagher 8, Rowan Neath 7, Dane Brookes 7.

Astley & Tyldesley staged the annual Club Individual Championships on a bright, cool Sunday afternoon. Two matches were run, to cater for the 20 riders who turned out.

First up was the u-8/u-10/u-13 categories, with 16 riders present. Matt Snell raced to a 20 points maximum score, to take the u-13 title, one point ahead of Emily Burgess. John White's 18 points tally saw him win the u-10s category, with brother Frank White scoring 12 and winning the u-8s section. This match was followed by the match for older riders, with some doubling up to make up a field of 9 riders.

Reece Pollitt raced to a 16 points maximum, passing Max Evans in the final heat, to win the overall A&T Club Individual Championship for the sixth successive year! Ciaran Collins scored 15 points to finish 2nd overall and win the u-16 event, with Max Evans a further point behind.

A&T welcome the Northumbria Vikings, for the final home match of the season, at Gin Pit this Sunday. First race is at 2 pm.