BURY Comets rider Louis Turner produced the best performance of his career to finish third in the British Under-13s Individual Championships.

He came through a run-off with Ben Clarke to claim bronze after finishing level on points with the Ipswich rider.

Louis did it the hard way as well after drawing the outside gate in the head-to-head, but he held his nerve to ensure Bury Comets claimed a podium place in a British final for the first time in a number of years.

The Comets also consolidated all of their current league positions despite suffering a 105-74 defeat in the Division One fixture at Stockport.

The first half was a cagey affair, with the two teams evenly matched, leaving Bury just five behind the defending league champions after nine heats.

Unfortunately, the second half was a different story, with Bury only holding their own in two heats, conceding six maximum scores to the home side.

Chris Parish provided the most resistance, with Neil Howarth scoring relatively well too.

Danny Taylor and Kris Ramsden worked tirelessly for fewer points than they deserved, with Kaysar Mohammadi and Adam Taylor providing flashes of what was to come in the lower league races.

Bury will now look to consolidate as the season enters its final phase, having coped well with a year dominated by long-term injuries.

The second-team match was a tight tactical affair, which Bury edged 91-77.

Stockport conceded penalty points after fielding top rider Ben Higham in an attempt to force victory, but the Comets maintained their discipline, ensuring 11 of the 15 races were drawn to end as convincing victors.

The two Adam Turnbull, Adam Taylor and Mohammadi led the way with excellent team riding, but perhaps young Turner was the star of the show, following instructions to the letter and conceding no points to the opposition in his races.

Asim Hussain showed his growing experience with a solid display, especially in the second half and Josh Neath, riding from reserve, had an unexpected win against Higham in the last race.

The excellent all-round performance kept the Comets top of Division Two.

They also remain unbeaten at the summit of Division Three after another convincing 132-15 victory for the third team, with Turner, Harry Radford and Neath all scoring heavily., keeping Bury unbeaten and top of the league.

Results

Northern League Division One: Stockport 105 Bury 74

Bury scorer: Chris Parish 17 (from 5 rides), Neil Howarth 13 (5), Kris Ramsden 11+1 (5), Adam Taylor 10 (5), Kaysar Mohammadi 9+1 (4), Danny Taylor 6 (5), Eryk Motala 4 (3), Adam Turnbull 4 (4).

Northern League Division Two: Stockport 77 Bury 91

Kaysar Mohammadi 14+1 (5), Louis Turner 11+3 (5), Adam Turnbull 11+2 (4), Asim Hussain 11+1 (5), Eryk Motala 10 (4), Adam Taylor 9+3 (5), Josh Neath 4 (1), Harry Radford 2 (1).

Northern League Division Three: Stockport 15 Bury 132