WITH six matches remaining in Northern League Division One, Bury Comets are in joint second place, just two points behind leaders Stockport, following a narrow one-point victory against fellow title hopefuls Edinburgh at Goshen.

Going into the final race of the 18-heat fixture, Bury trailed by three points.

But the experienced pairing of Ben Scranage and Neil Howarth duly delivered a maximum 7-3 race win to see the Comets home 90-89.

The first half of the match had gone well, with a series of controlled races from the home side, including a 6-4 from Scranage and James Elston and a 7-2 from Kris Ramsden and Howarth.

However, a couple of bad races and mistakes from Bury saw Edinburgh take the lead by heat 15, though crucially they were never able to gain more than a three-point advantage.

The visitors used two strong tactical reserves well, especially after the interval, to gain the advantage, but with no more reserve rides available, they left themselves vulnerable in that final heat.

For the Comets, Chris Parish scored 19, without anyone noticing, with Scranage also on top form, despite a heat 15 fall.

Elston worked hard for his points, with Kris Ramsden and Howarth both scoring consistently despite a bad heat 13.

Returnee Ryan Livesey was a revelation, with a series of powerful races including an excellent pass to win heat 10.

Adam Turnbull and Steve Mann provided excellent backup in their three rides.

Bury scorers: Chris Parish 19 (from five rides), Ben Scranage 17+1(5), Kris Ramsden 14(5), Neil Howarth 12+2(5), Ryan Livesey 12(5), James Elston 9(5), Adam Turnbull 4(3), Steve Mann 3(3).

The Division Two fixture always looked like a serious challenge for the Comets, as the Falcons have a number of high quality riders at this level, and so it proved as the visitors won 80-69.

Elston, not for the first time this season, looked peerless with an untroubled 20 points, with young Adam Taylor, deputising for elder brother Danny, impressing with 14 points. Kaysor Mohammadi and Mann worked hard as a pairing for their points and Turnbull was always lively despite a heat three exclusion.

Louis Turner helped to secure one of only two heat wins for the Comets and brilliant nine-year-old prospect, Harry Radford, continued to gain experience at this level.

Bury scorers: James Elston 20(5), Adam Taylor 14(5), Kaysor Mohammadi 11+2(5), Steve Mann 10+1(5), Adam Turnbull 8+1(5), Louis Turner 5(4), Harry Radford 1(1).

The Division Three competition for under-13 riders saw Bury take a convincing 158-0 victory, as Edinburgh’s young riders had to head home.

The Comets had 16 young riders, including some competing for the first time, which is testament to the excellent and continuous recruitment at Goshen.

Mohammadi and Taylor again impressed, with Daniel Miller and Turner also scoring highly. Harry Radford showed all of his skills to hold out for a heat 16 win over Taylor.

In other news, Ben Scranage was part of the victorious five-man England team that won the Home International on Saturday in Ipswich, excellent preparation for the forthcoming World Championships.

This week’s action sees the Manchester League Grand Prix at Stockport, followed by a home fixture against Northumbria on Sunday, tapes up at 2pm.