Championship Best Pairs @ Poole

OXFORD secured their first senior silverware since returning to the sport in 2022 as Sam Masters and Anders Rowe clinched the Championship Best Pairs at Poole.

The Cheetahs have endured a tough league campaign but they were able to end on a high at Wimborne Road as they overcame Berwick in the Final.

Oxford topped the qualifying scores on 26 points, three ahead of Poole with Berwick and Glasgow completing the top four.

The Cheetahs defeated Glasgow in the first semi-final with Masters winning the race whilst Rowe held on for the crucial third over Leon Flint.

The second semi saw Berwick sensationally put out hosts Poole in an epic race as Richard Lawson was relegated to the back by Nick Morris and Peter Kildemand.

Masters again took the lead in the Final and whilst Kildemand moved into second place, Rowe held position in third to seal the honours for Oxford.

Masters said: “It was nice to finally get a gold. We’ve had a lot of silver since I’ve joined the club but we’ve finally got a gold, and it’s come at the end of the toughest year in the club’s history.

“A big thank you to all the fans who came to support us today – you could see what it meant to them.

“Poole were favourites, and Berwick did us a massive favour by knocking them out in the semi-finals. But I felt we deserved to win – we were the best pair throughout the evening, including in the qualifying races.

“Anders was awesome tonight. He was out there scoring points and we were team riding, which is what this Pairs event is all about. The best team  won and I’m glad it was us.”

Rowe added: “It’s awesome to win the Pairs with Oxford. We haven’t had the best of seasons, but we’ve fighting hard all year, and it’s fantastic that we won today.

“I was giving it my all in every race. In the semi and the final, I stuck to the inside and trusted myself that it was right call to make and it was.”

CHAMPIONSHIP BEST PAIRS, at Poole
1. Oxford (Sam Masters & Anders Rowe)
2. Berwick (Peter Kildemand & Nick Morris)

Semi-final 1: Sam Masters, Chris Harris, Anders Rowe, Leon Flint, (Oxford beat Glasgow 6-3).
Semi-final 2: Zach Cook, Nick Morris, Peter Kildemand, Richard Lawson, (Berwick beat Poole 5-4).
Grand Final: Sam Masters, Peter Kildemand, Anders Rowe, Nick Morris, (Oxford beat Berwick 6-3).

SCORES AFTER QUALIFYING HEATS:
Oxford 26 – Sam Masters 14, Anders Rowe 12
Poole 23 – Richard Lawson 12, Zach Cook 11
Berwick 20 – Peter Kildemand 13, Nick Morris 7
Glasgow 19 – Chris Harris 7, Leon Flint 12
(Top 4 qualify for semi-finals).
Plymouth 17 – Danny King 12, Ben Barker 5
Scunthorpe 17 – Josh Pickering 15, Luke Harrison 2
Redcar 16 – Charles Wright 13, Jason Edwards 3
Edinburgh 14 – Dan Thompson 10, Kye Thomson 4
Workington 10 – Troy Batchelor 6, Drew Kemp 4

OFFICIAL REFEREE SCORECARD
Available here

Photo credit: TAYLOR LANNING

Watch the action from the Grand Final – see below