BURY Comets had plenty to celebrate in another successful year for the cycle speedway club, writes Neil Howarth.

In last season's Northern League, Bury finished third in Division One, cantered to the Division Two title and were a close second in Division Three.

The club once again won the season-long Northern League Grand Prix, an outstanding indicator of the club’s strength in depth across all levels of age and experience.

In the accompanying Fours League, Comets ended a close second to Stockport and once again fielded a development squad side, which was competitive throughout.

The continued recruitment and training of the Bury youngsters again proved to be a major highlight, with the well-respected coaching team, led by John Burston, again gaining much credit.

In May's British Under-13s Club Championships, the Bury side finished third after a very competitive set of races at East Park’s circuit in the Midlands.

Similarly, outstanding performances by Duncan Whalley (u8s) and Harry Radford (u12s) in the season-long British Youth and Junior League competition were further evidence of the strength of the club at this level.

After both riders won the regional rounds in their respective age groups, Duncan went on to finish sixth in the national competition and Harry was fifth.

Best performance by a Bury rider in a British title event went to the outstanding Louis Turner, who was third in the u13s at Ipswich.

Kris Ramsden had a great season for the first team, with some match-winning performances and a consistency that he had not attained in previous years.

This commitment produced a third straight victory in the club's individual championships in September, another great result.

Kaysar Mohammadi continued his very strong development, taking more and more points at a higher and higher level as the season progressed, including the club's junior individual title and a third place in the end of season individuals at Birmingham.

Again, it was Chris Parish who topped the club averages, with high score after high score, elevating him to joint league leader, having astonishingly dropped only 16 points in the season.

Adam Turnbull and Neil Howarth raced every first-team match, with the latter’s 28 bonus points putting him second in the league.

Danny Taylor showed flashes of his outstanding 2015 form, as did infectiously enthusiastic character Will Owens, both of whom took up life-changing travel opportunities mid year, curtailing their racing a little.

Unluckiest riders of the year were top pairing Ben Scranage and James Elston, both having picked up serious off-track injuries. They worked very hard to get back to fitness and form, with great support from the wider squad.

The all-conquering Division Two side provided the backbone to the squad, with Kaysar Mohammadi, Adam Taylor, Adam Turnbull, Louis Turner, Asim Hussain and Eryk Motala all scoring heavily.

Grand veteran Steve Mann also rolled back the years on more than one occasion.

Division Three provides the strong base to the club and the northern sport’s pyramid.

The Comets pushed Astley and Tyldesley all the way to the final match, with Louis Turner, Harry Radford, Josh Neath, Daniel Bowler and a host of others racing to consistently high scores.

One of the final acts of the year was to pay tribute to the club’s former secretary, team manager, rider and referee John Whiting, who sadly died in March, 2015. The club held a superb social and racing event – John Whiting: An Appreciation – in November sunshine.

Another strong season from Bury Cycle Speedway was again finished off with a celebratory presentation evening, when the ever-reliable and outstanding Division Two captain Adam Turnbull awarded the prestigious Turner’s Trophy.

The Comets now look forward to another year, with racing for the 2017 outdoor season starting in late March.

Weekly winter training continues on Saturdays and Sundays, all are welcome.