BURY almost achieved the impossible in the opening match of 2015, losing by just one point to defending league champions, Stockport, at Goshen.

The last time the Cheshire side lost any Division One match remains the Comets' victory way back in 2012.

The match began perfectly for the Comets, with both Stockport riders moving at the start, earning an exclusion for each in turn. Chris Parish and Will Owens duly accepted the resulting 7-0 score.

In heat three the fightback began as experienced Terry Norman and Ben Higham took a 7-3 heat victory, but Parish and Owens got two back in heat four.

With five drawn heats to the interval, it was 46-40 in favour of the Comets at half time.

Stockport are not used to losing and in the second half stepped up their efforts, drawing level with a 6-4 win in heat 13. Almost unbelievably the match then swung widely one way, and then the other, with first the visitors and then Bury taking a brace of 7-3 maximum heat wins, leaving the final score 88-87 to Stockport

In Division Two, the visitors conceded 39 penalty points for fielding two ineligible riders. Nevertheless, the Bury side raced well, finishing only six points adrift on the track and therefore taking victory by a commanding 107-74.

Division Three saw another convincing victory for the Comets in the U13s’ Grand Prix format, with a final score of 120-29 to the home side. Michael Preston of Stockport rode unbeaten, with Harry Radford and Kaysor Mohammadi being the pick of the Bury side with fourteen points each.

Next weekend the Comets travel to Cramlington, near Newcastle, to take on Northumbria in the Northern League, 2pm start.