ASTLEY and Tyldesley cycle speedway racer Becky Heslop has earned a place in the record books.

Racing at Poole, in Dorset, Becky took second place in the British U13 Individual Championship Final, breaking 53 years of male domination in the process.

The success makes her the first female rider ever to finish in the top three of a British Individual Cycle Speedway Final, in any category.

She won three of her five races, and finished second in her other two when starting from the unfavourable outside start, to finish with 18 points.

The Fred Longworth High School pupil started racing cycle speedway as a ten-year-old at the Gin Pit circuit two years ago.

She looked the part from the outset and has steadily improved her racing, last year winning the Northern U13 Grand Prix series and, this year, clinching the Manchester League Individual title and the Manchester League Grand Prix series.

Becky also smashed the all-time record for an U13 racer at the Gin Pit circuit by a full second in training.

A&T's Polish star Przemek Binkowski became the first foreign rider to win the Manchester League Senior Grand Prix Final in the event's 49-year history.

The Manchester League Senior Grand Prix Final was staged under the Gin Pit floodlights, with A&T's Polish star Przemek Binkowski in a fast and determined mood all evening.

Binkowski won his opening two rides, as did defending champion Terry Norman, of Tameside.

The two main contenders met in heat 9, with Binkowski racing away to win in the fastest time of the night. Both riders won their final races, so the title went to Binkowski.

So, Becky Heslop has gained a permanent place in the cycle speedway record books, ensuring that the club's sponsor, her father Roy, gets a unique return on his investment in the Astley & Tyldesley Miners' Welfare / CTA Direct Cycle Speedway Club.

Meanwhile, back at Gin Pit on Sunday, Astley & Tyldesley raced to an emphatic 91-57 win over Yorkshire rivals, Heckmondwike, in a Northern League encounter. A & T's Polish star Przemek Binkowski again raced unbeaten, with excellent scores from Frank Finnigan and Garry Pearce. For A & T, perhaps the most pleasing aspect was the excellent displays of the team's three second strings, Jeff Radcliffe, Warren Mee and Rob Longworth, who have all improved tremendously this summer. Their efforts ensured that A & T didn't run a single last place in the match. Heckmondwike battled gamely, with Darren Kent, James Carter and Gary Krelle all winning races.